The Kingdom of Lassara
"We came from the sea. Our blood is water and the smell of salt, now only a memory to many of our people, used to mean home. Now we squabble over heaps of dirt and dust when we should have ruled the waves. We have forgotten."Ode 1:1, "The Fall of Arlen", Lamentations of the First Wavecaller Kareus, ca. 800 AK
Lassara is a kingdom whose lands lie along the northeastern coast of the continent Alkaad. They are bordered in the south by the desert called The Great Sands, and the Desolate Peninsula, in the west by the plains of Shokai and in the northwest and north by the mighty peaks of the Giant's Teeth Mountains. Julyen Moran is the current king and his only child, a daughter, Lyra Moran is his heir.
Government and Society
"...but who is it we really serve? The king? Our house? The people?" "Yes."Conversation between two anonymous consuls
The Kingdom of Lassara is a monarchy, ruled by the king from his seat in the capital city of Lassa. Under the king, five noble houses govern the land, all of them vying for more power at all times. When the Lassarans made landfall on Carylla Island they arrived in five enormous ships, each accompanied by a fleet of smaller support vessels and captained by a legendary leader of their people. These generational ships carried most of their women and children, their riches and their supplies. The five noble houses are the descendants of these brave captains who lead the seafolk through the tumultuous time of their kingdom's foundation. The kindgom's armed forces are only partially under direct control of the king; all of the five houses field their own armies and there have been instances of armed conflict between the houses during the history of the country.
Apart from the king only the council of consuls holds more or equal power to the leaders of the high houses. The consuls are elected by popular vote of all mayors and magistrates throughout the kingdom, one consul to represent the lands of each noble house. They are chosen for life and always emerge from the common people, they cannot have any relation to a noble house and are supposed to advise the king and high lords on matters concerning the commoners of the realm. If a consul serves well in his position, their family might be given the status of lower nobility upon their death. The current consuls are Tomas Gerren for House Moran, Bereon Karal for House Blye, Barn Lemm for House Dayne, Gerond Erel for House Varent and Kiryan Perendine for House Istion.
The five high houses of Lassara:
House Moran:
The descendants of Berand Moran, the first crowned king of the realm, have been kings of Lassara ever since and although even the house of the king is not invulnerable to the plotting of the other houses and has lost some of it's power at times, only to regain it later, there has never been open rebellion to put anyone but a Moran on the throne. Their ancestral lands start at the southern coast of the kingdom, holding Port Harron and Road's End, reaching up along the coast of the Bay of Arlen, through Southgate and Rivermore, up to and including the capital city Lassa, where the remains of their generational ship Winddancer are still exhibited in the halls of the royal palace.
House Blye:
Arlen Blye's brother Rouad Blye declined the throne when the kingdom was founded after his brother and all his family had just been killed. Instead choosing to retreat to Carylla Island he expanded Cliff's Keep and made it the seat of his house for the first few centuries of the kindom's existence. It wasn't until Ghil Blye in 324 AK that the house moved their seat to Blyeholm. Governing the island and later the Dangling Peninsula with the main cities of Blyeholm and Karalon their halls keep both the largest library of the kingdom as well as the central point of the Lassaran religion and the main center for arcane education in the realm, putting the family in a powerful position even though their territory is the smallest of the five houses. They were the only noble house to keep their generational ship Piety seaworthy, until it was lost when a group of fanatical Wavelovers undertook a misguided attempt to sail the Sea of Storms. Lord Wyl Blye currently rules House Blye.
House Dayne:
Olton Dayne took his men north after the foundation of the kingdom to tame the cold, wild parts of the realm and he succeeded, driving the Frost Giants back behind the newly discovered Wall of Olton, founding the towns of Bonfyre and Northpier and erecting the fortress of Dayneskeep. All are now part of the family's ancestral holdings but their lands now stretch further south, with the river Abel and the town of Wanderer's Hill being points of contest between House Dayne and House Varent. House Dayne's generational ship Courage was lost in the battle against the Dark Ones during the events of the founding of the kingdom. Jon Dayne is the current patriarch of the house.
House Varent:
Descending from Karol Varent, captain, leader and on top of all that, great singer, House Varent hold their main city Birun as a cultural center for all the arts in the realm but they also claim the mining centers of Oreground and Rald as their ancestral holdings and therefore control what little iron the kingdom has access too and most of Lassara's coal and gold mines as well. Their dispute with House Dayne over the river Abel and Wanderer's Hill is almost as old as the kingdom itself. Karol's generational ship Song was first taken to Birun to be displayed publicly but when Lord Karol lost all his wealth before their mining projects could return any profit, it was taken apart and the pieces sold to anyone who could afford to contribute to the family's coffers. Songshards, as the pieces of the ship are now called, are still valued collectibles and rumored to bring their bearer good luck and inspiration to artists. The current leader of House Varent is the former lord's daughter Ynes Varent.
House Istion:
Vendred Istion was commander of the landing parties of the Lassarans even under Arlen Blye and remained marshal of the army after the founding of the kingdom. When the first king had been crowned he took the army south to defend against invading Akk'aren warriors. Taking control of the large farmlands west of the capital he founded Harvestfall and began the construction of the great fortresses of Mount Nymon, Ravensburgh and Fort Watchhill, using parts of his dismantled generational ship Duty until he died and his son Arondred took over the reins of the family. The family is currently in the hands of Darren Istion, who is ever trying to build up his family's power from Harvestfall.
Lower Nobility:
Many lower noble houses rule over small castles, holdings, towns and villages or are responsible for stretches of farmland and forest. These lower lords are always trying to better their standing in the eyes of their liege lord or switch allegiance to gain a higher rank with their new lord. It is common for young nobles to learn the ways of fighting by volunteering to serve for a term in the armed forces of House Istion's Borderguard at the garrisons along the border to the plains of Shokai. House Istion is honorbound to never take these nobles hostage should hostilities with their houses break out. A man serving in the Borderguard is assured free passage back home after his term is over, even through hostile territory.
The common people:
About 48 Million people live in Lassara, including the nobility. An overwhelming majority of those people are, unsurprisingly, farmers or helpers around farms. The rural population is mostly governed by village councils, magistrates and mayors concerning the day-to-day ongoings but there are local lords ruling over pretty much every populated strip of land in the kingdom. There are places where the nobility is respected, even loved but in other areas of the kingdom there are strong tensions between the highborn and lowborn of the land with lords exploiting their subjects, raising taxes that the population can't pay while at the same time supporting their families and ruling through fear rather than justice. Julyen Moran is not considered a terrible king, what he chooses to put his mind to is often ruled justly and the people of the capital truly like their king but he is considered a weak ruler, swaying to the word of his advisors and the rulers of the five houses. Darren Istion more than anyone is rumored to have influenced laws that afford the nobility more privileges, allowing them to raise taxes to exorbitant amounts in case of an emergency of the realm - and the Istions have been known to call an emergency every time they see a centaur within bowshot of Castle Ravensburgh.
Ethnic Makeup:
"No. One. Cares."Professor Viano, university of Lassa, to a student writing about
the nonhuman population of the realm.
Most inhabitants of Lassara are human and descendants from the seafarers who settled these lands more than thousand years ago. They are as diverse as humans can be, the seafolk having been made up of people of all colours and backgrounds. Most Lassarans are still proud of their traditions and the stories of their origin. Children are taught the story of the founding of Lassara. Pretending to be Colyn Blye or Princess Lassa is one of the most common games young Lassarans play.
Culturally the human population of Lassara is very diverse: In the far north, the lands of House Blye are inhabitated by a hardy folk, weathered by the elements and the constant looming threat of giant invasions. Nobody has seen a giant within Lassaran borders for hundreds of years but the northmen still tell the tales of the early centuries and many are proud to join Olton's Shields and serve on the wall protecting their territory. The further south, the denser the population gets and the more the focus in people's heads shifts from struggle and warfare to farming, trade and politics. More detailed information on the culture of noble houses and the people under their rule can be found in the articles on the five high houses and specific cities and towns.
One thing almost all Lassarans hold in common is their love of the sea. They proudly talk about the times when their ancestors roamed the waves, even though they have lost most of their naval traditions by now. A man from Oreground may never have seen the ocean but he will still sit and listen gleefully to the tales of the great sailors.
Apart from humans of Lassaran origin there are a few Akk'aren who live within the kingdom. Some are traders, still with connections to their clan and others are exiles, who have left the desert for various reasons, trying to make a living in a kingdom that is foreign to them. They tend to work as mercenaries or hunters. Some live on the streets of mostly Harvestfall or Lassa, if they somehow got that far. The nomads aren't well suited for the lifestyle of a farmer and Lassaran politics are strange to them although some have found their way into a noble's forces as personal retainers.
The second largest population group (far) behind humans are the Halflings. Their burrows and villages lie in the hill country northeast of Mount Nymon, along the Harvestrun River and west of Fort Watchhill up to the River Colyn. When the Lassarans settled these lands and encountered the 'smallfolk' as they called them, the Halflings were beset by orcs in their northern territories and @Akk'aren raiders in the south. Offering military aid against these threats, the Lassaran humans became fast friends with the Halflings and soon they joined the kingdom formally, swearing their allegiance to the king in return for protection. They rarely mix into human society, preferring to stay in their own villages but some of the more adventurous among them make their way into the cities to become artisans or craftsmen.
Dwarves and Gnomes sometimes wander south out of the Frost Giant's Terrain north of the Giant's Teeth Mountains. They are remnants of the dwarven empire that apparently ruled these lands long before the humans arrived, as their ruins still dot the landscape. None of them ever talked about what drove them north and made them abandon these fertile lands but that might not be intentional. Some scholars who have devoted their lives to the study of the ancient dwarven ruins and their legacy believe that they themselves have lost that knowledge. Regardless very few of the dwarves and gnomes stay, visiting to look at their ancestor's legacy only to return north, sad about what they lost but some do decide to remain. Dwarven blacksmiths are among the best if you can get them the steel they need and gnome inventions have made the life of many Lassarans easier or at least more fun.
Orc raids have plagued the northwestern part of House Istion's territory ever since the beginning of human settlement in the region. Given the Lassaran's lack of mounted tropps some raids still make it past the patrols and take goods and slaves back into the plains of Shokai. It is not uncommon for orcs to take human slaves as their wives and father children with them. These half-orcs are well accepted in orc society, as long as they prove themselves to be strong. In fact many half-orcs rise to become tribal leaders among the orcs, their human ancestry adding cunning to the bestial ferocity that their orc lineage produces. Some don't prove strong enough and are sent into exile. Many of these end up wandering into Lassaran territory, if they manage to survive the wilderness and sometimes punitive raids by Lassaran forces bring back freed humans and their half-orc children with them. Though they are allowed to live and work among humans, they are viewed with suspicion, especially in the lands that frequently suffer from orc raids. The further you get from the plains, the more prejudice towards them turns into curiosity.
Not really a people group but an oddity are the Darklings. Every few years a normal human family will give birth to a child that is different from their parents, both internally and on the outside. Contrary to what the name suggests their skin is more pale than that of most humans but their hair and irises are black as night. Strange markings cover their skin, mostly in blue hues. Some grow wings at a certain age, others develop small horns or claws instead of hands and feet. Darklings have a predispostion and talent for dark magic and other traits associated with darkness. If half-orcs are met by prejudice and suspicion because of the history Lassarans have with the orcs, Darklings have to face something more close to the fear of the unknown. They look to close to the tales of the Dark Ones told by old men and women, which also lead to the name the Lassarans use for them. At the same time they are fascinating to most humans. The tales of human girls falling for a dark, mysterious stranger are known across the land. Being infertile, their numbers are still low although the rate at which Darklings are born has increased if some scholars are to be believed.
Cities
"Lassa truly is the crownjewel of the realm. If you have never seen the towers spiralling up into the clouds, the waterways as they meander through the city... If you have never crossed the central plaza and looked up, despairing and rejoicing at the same time when your eyes fell on the marble stairs rising up to the white walls and red flags of the royal palace, the golden roofs and silver murals glistening in the morning sun... you will never understand."Travel report, source unknown, ca. 562 AK
Lassa, the capital city of Lassara, has roughly 125.000 inhabitants and is located at the mouth ot the river Colyn. The royal palace, the university of Lassara and a large temple to Narya are located within the city.
The second largest city in the realm is Harvestfall, counting about 95.000 inhabitants. It is a trade center with a gigantic market, even the Akk'aren visit at times. House Istion firmly controls the city and their large forces are trained in several forts surrounding it in it's countryside.
With about 80.000 people living within the city limits, Birun is the third largest city in the realm. House Varent has a long tradition as patrons of the arts and both the artist's guilds and the college of bards in Birun were founded when Karol Varent was still alive. Today the city is thriving on both art and the trade of mineral ressources from mines in the mountain range of the Giant's Teeth.
A steep drop off after the three biggest cities in Lassara leaves Blyeholm with about 55.000 inhabitants. The city is not easily reached, whether by land or by sea and unless you are a pious man making a pilgrimage to the large temples dedicated to all the five members of the Quintet and many lower dieties or studying at the Sacred Monastery the city doesn't hold much of interest to you.
At 45.000 inhabitants Karalon is the largest city in the realm that is not considered the main seat of one of the high houses. It holds the Arcanicum, the college young men and women go to to be trained if they show talent to harness magical energies.
Rivermore, a coastal city south of the capital has about 33.000 inhabitants, catching a lot of the grain shipments going south and a lot of the quality rainforest woods being shipped up from the south it is a major traffic hub on the royal road.
With about 26.000 inhabitants Bonfyre is by far the smallest of the high houses' seats. The high north of the realm doesn't lend itself easily to settling and there is only so much fur trading that can be done. House Dayne keeps training barracks for Olton's Shields inside the city.
The approximately 18.000 inhabitants counted for Cliff's Keep don't just include people living in the castle but the settlement that has sprawled around it, some of the families having lived there since their ancestors landed on the shores of Carylla.
The smallest city in the realm is Wanderer's Hill and it is a trade hub between the north and south of the realm, housing about 12.000 people.
The rest of the population of Lassara lives in close to 100 towns with less than 10.000 inhabitants, villages, farmsteads or isolated dwellings.
Economy:
"I heard a trader in Harvestfall would cut off his enemies' fingers and sell them if someone offered them money." "No, that's the Akk'aren... The trader would sell his mother's arm."A farmer cautioning his son to be careful before a journey to the city.
Raw Materials/Ressources:
The territory of Lassara offers fertile farmlands in abundance and pastures aplenty for the breeding of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other animals. There are no horses available in Lassara. The seafolk did not bring horses with them when they landed and there are no native wild horses living within the borders of the kingdom. Plenty of forested areas offer lumber in abundance and stones can be taken from many quarries throughout the mountain ranges.
Gold and silver can be mined in the northern and northeastern mountain ranges of the country. Gems can be found as well and coal is mined throughout Lassara. Iron ore is the one raw material that is only available in very small quantities. Because of that steel and steel weapons are extraordinarily rare and expensive. A sword is a weapon only for rich noblemen and only the richest even among the nobles can afford full plate armor. Some steel weapons and armor are aquired by trade from the Akk'aren and in many cases bronze or even gold are used as substitutes, though lacking the hardness of steel makes these metals inferior for use in warfare.
Products:
Since there is no need for a large standing army, many Lassarans spend their lives focussing on other areas and professions, making craftsmen from the kingdom produce high quality work. Tools are sturdy and function well and the architects and builders erect multi-storied buildings and strong fortresses. Retro-engineering the dwarven ruins and buildings that are scattered throughout the land has brought forth a unique architectural style that merges dwarven and human designs, though mostly in stonework.
The artist's guilds of Birun have created an environment where artists thrive and generate masterpieces that are valued throghout the kingdom and even among the tribesmen of the Akk'aren. Among lords it is common practice to sponsor artists and hosting one of the Birunese masters at court is considered a great honour to the hosting lord. The scribes of Blyeholm's Sacred Monastery create not only sacral texts but also works of history, poetry and science. Only the scholars of Karalon's Arcane College rival them in their pursuit of science.
The blacksmiths throughout the kingdom forge weapons and armour of the highest qualities with the little metal they have available. The most well known blacksmiths are those of House Istion and House Dayne. Out of necessity the bowyers of House Istion have created a special type of shortbow that can be drawn quickly and is more effectively used at close range against moving targets. There aren't many blacksmiths that focus on smithing swords and plate armour; due to the rarity of iron and therefore steel there is not much practice in this field, apart from melting old metalworks and creating something new out of them. The few smiths who focus their work on swords and armour still do quality work but they are mostly located in the capital.
The craft of shipbuilding has been all but lost compared to what the ancestors of the Lassarans were able to do. Small fishing boats and trade ships to sail up and down the coast are the only types of ships now in use and production. No one would even think of building an enormous ship like the generational ships of the Lassaran settlers, especially after the events surrounding the attempted sea voyage of the Wavelovers not 200 years ago.
Trade:
Trade and commerce inside the kingdom happen through a mixture of market economy based on demand and supply and bartering. Artists in Birun and the capital crave the raw materials out of the south (rosewood, animal skins, prescious oils) and the north (furs, silver and gemstones) while the whole country envies what little iron can still be mined out of the Giant's Teeth Mountains. Smiths and their products are in demand throughout the realm.
There is little foreign trade going on, since there is little contact with foreign people in general. Occasionally dwarves and gnomes make their way as far south as Olton's Wall but they mostly come to see the ruins of their people and while they bear no grudge against the humans who use their old fortresses now, seeing them just reminds them of the empire they have lost and they are rarely in the mood to trade. On the Plains of Shokai the only contact Lassarans have with other people are the centaurs and orcs. The horsemen have yet to be convinced to sit down and talk to humans and the orcs had nothing of interest to the Lassarans even if they could be brought to the bartering table. Orcs do not sell their slaves once they have taken them on a raid. The only real trading is happening with the Akk'aren in the south. Once mortal enemies, the hostilities with their people have cooled off somewhat and members of the Hal'esh clan often visit the towers and Mount Nymon to trade, some even making it as far as Harvestfall.
The Akk'aren mostly trade for food, art, and tools while they bring coveted steel weapons and armor, clearly not manufactured by themselves so it has been theorized that the desertfolk must have other trade partners across the Great Sands but the nomads don't talk about it and no one asks an Akk'aren about a matter they do not wish to discuss.
Foreign Relations & Military:
"These walls have stood for hundreds of years and in all this time Mount Nymon has never fallen to an invading army. I will not be the first Istion to lose it. We will stand and they will fall. We will hold and they will run."Reported last words of Gen. Lews Istion, before the Akk'aren horde's assault, 753 AK
Lassara commands a large army but only part of it is under direct control of the king, the rest following their various lords who in turn owe their allegiance to one of the high houses. Many of the men are raw recruits as there is not much opportunity to fight, other than joining the Borderguard or when one of the noble houses' feuds actually leads to armed conflict.
The Lassaran military is well equipped but mostly consists of light tropps as heavy armour would require more metal than is available to equip the troops in a large scale fashion and the complete absence of cavalry has lead to an emphasis on ranged combat and spearmen to defend against orc and centaur raids. Swords are a weapon that is mostly used by rich noblemen and heavy armour is even more rare. Mages are used quite effectively in battle but only a small part of the population bears the gift to wield magic and many of them prefer to rent out their skills at noble courts or as performers in cities over joining the army.
In the north the relations with the dwarves and gnomes can hardly be called that, as rare as contact with these peoples is. The Frost Giants have been quiet for a long time now but recently they have started to attack Olton's Wall more frequently than before and Huram Dayne has already sent for reinforcements for Olton's Shields, the regiment lacking both the necessary manpower and the veterancy to guard the wall if these attacks continue.
The Plains of Shokai are the main area of fighting on the borders of Lassara. Both the centaur hordes and orc tribes frequently raid the kingdom, both able to bypass the defenses at times due to the lack of cavalry and sometimes counterattacks are lead into the plains to recover stolen goods or rescue slaves. Most of them return without success. The Borderguard is an elite regiment of soldiers under the command of House Istion and it's duties are the protection of the realm against invasions from the plains.
In the past they also manned the Three Towers and Mount Nymon but since the last Akk'aren war the peace has mostly held - small raids by the Ga'shen being the exception - and there is only a skeleton crew manning the towers and Mount Nymon is garrisoned by troops loyal to House Istion now.
Not technically a military regiment the Boatswains are an elite group of agents working for the crown, fiercely loyal to House Moran and ready to lay down their lives for the king. Their numbers are unknown and they operate very freely without a large chain of command, only a leader of the organization, called the First Mate, though his identity is known only to agents of the Boatswains and some members of the royal family.
Interesting Landmarks:
In addition to the foundations of Cliff's Keep and the Wall of Olton there are many dwarven ruins scattered throughout the realm. Scholars have theorized a number of different reasons for why the dwarves who once settled these lands have since retreated into the far north and the few wanderers who make their way south from there certainly don't speak about it - if they even know.
Within the southern jungle an elven colony lay hidden for a long time until it was discovered in 753 AK by forces of house Istion who were seeking refuge within the rainforest, fleeing the ferocious horde lead by Azak Aikhar whose defeat ended the last war against the Akk'aren. The ruins were empty and when scholars studied them they only found traces of elven settlement, among other texts they found a mention of the colony's name: Aralen.
Natural landmarks throughout the kingdom include Carylla Island, the Dangling Peninsula and the Giant's Teeth Mountains.
Technically the ruins of Sal'Khar on the Desolate Peninsula could be considered a landmark but ever since it's destruction during the events that lead to the founding of the kingdom of Lassara, the place has not been visited, except by the members of the Nedreto Expedition in 284 AK. The whole peninsula was declared forbidden territory afterwards.
Maps
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The Kingdom of Lassara
A map of the kingdom of Lassara and the immediate surroundings.
Founding Date
1 AK
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Lassaran
Leader
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Lassaran Crowns
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
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