Principality of Avistar
It was a beautiful land. Princes and Princesses were voted on by the people, the fields always yielded the best grapes, and the towns and cities were never without merrymaking. I suppose that's all in the past now.Between Lunaria and Helia, The Principality of Avistar was known as a place of festivals, victuals, and even debauchery. A reputation that was certainly true of the Avistar's capital of Guateque; however, the country's true wealth was in its rich culinary tradition. Its wine in particular was prized by its neighbors as Avistar's soil and climate is unusually suited to the growing of quality grapes. A case that can always be proved by a vintage bottle of Temi's Original. Afilada Cheese is another famous staple of an Avistarian meal. These delights were always enjoyed in the ever festive Guateque of course. For most of its history, the country enjoyed its position as a center of trade via the northern merchant city of Centrum. The city which had purchased its independence from Avistar in 1191AGC. The loss of Centrum was a surprise to many in Avistar, and the ramifications of the departure, and the trade it once brought, would not become fully apparent until years later.
Conquered
The Principality was conquered by the Kingdom of Helia in 1255AGC as the Kingdom pursues its dream of imperialism with ever greater zeal. To continue to feed Radiant City of Sol , many people of the Festival City of Guateque have been relocated to Helia's capital. The city of festivals has since been quiet and slowly decaying. The only people who live there now are the slaves who toil to extract resources from the surrounding landscape to feed Helia's golden war machine. Avistar Castle is occupied by General Rur Tuskmaw, who is not afraid to spill blood to maintain order. As for the elected Prince of Avistar? He was taken away and put to death at Sol. However, many believe his offspring, one who could claim her father's office until the next election, had escaped and that she roams the wilds waiting for her moment. Many believe her name is Cintia Fucivus.There are those who will forever remain loyal to the Lost Crown.
Lasting Loyalty
While the land is firmly under Helian control, and even fortified to dissuade Lunaria from launching an invasion, there are many who still profess loyalty to the conquered country and the last elected Prince. These loyalists tend to keep their love of country on the down-low in Helian held lands. The loyalists will occasionally attempt acts of sabotage against the Helian war machine with some success. As rumor would have it, Lunaria secretly funds these saboteurs to wage a proxy war against the Kingdom. Many of these loyal Avistarians blame the independence of Centrum for their country's downfall believing that, had the city remained under Avistar's control, its resources that could have helped the principality survive the Helian invasion. The rest believe that Avistar's downfall was inevitable given the increasing irresponsibility of its leadership.It's hard to see past the glare of the golden sun and into the future. I have, and the future is not as burning as it is now...
Severo's Prophecy
There are many former Avistarian citizens who dream of the restoration of their country. This dreams are fueled by Severo's Prophecy, which concerns the future restoration of Avistar. That when Avistar's heir is revealed the Avistarians will rise up and reclaim their land from the Kingdom of Helia. However, Severo never fully wrote this prophecy in full. When rumor of this prophecy attracted the attention of the King of Helia, Severo was arrested. His fate remains unknown to this day. The Kingdom has solidified its hold on former Avistarian lands in the days since its conquest, and the tale of the prophecy had continued to spread. King Vimak Helia III seems to have grown increasingly unconcerned with the dreams of his former Avistarian subjects as his attention is now drawn towards more formidable enemies of his Kingdom. That he is quite confident that any kind of uprising would be efficiently smothered.History
Avistar's best days followed the unification.
Northern and Southern Avistar.
In 630AGC, the Avistar family siblings, Princess Zurine and Prince Zeru, established their own realms on either side of the Silver Mountains. Zurine established the southern Principality and Zeru established the northern Principality. These two principalities did not always have a rosy relationship to one another. Conflict had arisen several times between the sibling states before the unification.Avistar's Crown
The cause of conflict between the Twin Realms was Avistar's Crown, an important relic of the Avistar bloodline. Before the crown found its way to the twin realms, it was presumed lost in 641AGC with the death of Queen Maruxa Avistar during the last uprising within the Kingdom of Vista. The crown was rediscovered and recovered in 689AGC, triggering the the first war between the realms. Both the north and south believed the crown to be theirs. Whoever had the crown would be perceived as having greater authority at the least, and fast-tracking the unity of the realms under whoever wore the crown at the most. When the first war ended, the crown was split between the northern and southern realms. However, this did not prevent a second war from erupting between the twin realms in 703AGC. The crown was lost at the end of the Second War between the Principalities in 705AGC. In fact, it was the disappearance of the crown that led to an ending of the conflict. It is believed by many scholars that the crown was stolen precisely to achieve this peace. By whom is anyone's guess and the answer may never be known. The current whereabouts of the crown of Avistar remain a mystery.Unification of the Realms
The northern and southern Principalites unified in 898AGC when Princess Dalia Skyfire discovered the Dehur Kjol. This discovery led to the establishment of Dalia's Tunnel that catalyzed the unification of the Principality of Avistar. The influx of resources provided by the mines of Dehur Kjol and the ease of travel it permitted between the twin realms were both critical factors. Princess Dalia was of Northern Avistar, while Prince Mercurio Mistcrusher ruled Southern Avistar at the time of unification. These two leaders recognized that their states would have to unify to ensure security of the Dehur Kjol as well as to strengthen themselves against the growing power of their neighbors, particularly Helia. Dalia and Mecurio agreed to an election by the peoples of both states, the other option being war which neither could afford at the time, and thus proceeded on their campaign trails. Princess Dalia won the vote, and became the first ruler of the unified Principality of Avistar. Prince Mecurio peacefully abdicated his position and was offered a position as general in the military, which he accepted.Dalia only regretted that she didn't have Avistar's Crown at the time of unification. Reassembly of the crown would have provided the perfect symbolic act.
Territories
The Principality of Avistar was located on the southern coastline of Quassus , with a thin strip of northern territory along the Occulus Sea.
All artwork is by starfarertheta unless otherwise stated.
630 - 1255
Type
Geopolitical, Principality
Capital
Alternative Names
Land of Festivals
Demonym
Avistarian
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Executive Body
Avistar was an elected monarchy where a Prince or Princess is voted into their office. The last Prince was Valentin Fucivus.
Location
Neighboring Nations
Major Settlements:
- Guateque (north of Silver Mountains, along the Largo River)
- Orilla (south of Silver Mountains, at the head of Splendente Bay)
Note(s) from the Archivists:
I still remember my visit to the Avistar city of Guateque. It pains me to know that such festivals may never grace our continent again. - Archivist Taenya Naïlo I never would've picked you as the partying type. - Archivist Edward There are many things you don't know about me. - Archivist TaenyaRemove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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