Llanuria

While Aurand is certainly the power in the continent of Acitern, Llanuria, the kingdom of the plains is a power in its own right. These people are known as the best riders in all of Covenant. Horses are so important to these people that they are the symbol of Llanuria itself.
There is another half to Llanurian society, however, that the people of Acitern find synonymous with Llanuria. This is, of course the Church of the Light. It is sometimes hard to determine where one ends and the other begins. After all, this is the home of the city of Santania, the holy city of the celestials.

Structure

Much like Aurand, Pranish, or the more distant Sokoku, Llanuria is ruled by a feudal system. The king rules Puertana as his fief, while other nobles rule other communities, owning the land and everything and everyone on it. They tend to fight and compete for influence among themselves, especially looking to earn the favor of the king.
The only exception to this is the city of Santania. While it exists within the borders of Llanuria and falls under the Llanurian throne, it isn't ruled by anyone other than the Church of the Light. Technically, this makes their leader Taelafel the ruler of the city, even if she has no official place among the Llanurian nobility.

Culture

On a basic level, the culture of Llanuria is similar to that of Aurand. They place great value in their knights, and their code of chivalry. This code controls their lives, demanding courage and honor in battle, courtesy in peacetime, and loyalty to their lords. Unlike their Aurandian kin, their emphasis is more on service than glory, making them closer to soldiers than questing adventurers.
While Llanurian society is less focused on personal worth, they instead value emotion and passion. They respect artists of all kinds, and especially love music and dance. They also have a love of festivals and parties, celebrating religious days, the births of nobles, and other such events.
Due to their location on the plains, the horse is an important part of Llanurian culture. They are used in a great deal of heraldry, particularly of Llanuria, itself. Many Llanurian games are also played on horseback, and the most proficient riders are greatly respected among their people.
Not only does is their overall structure linked with that of the Church of the Light, but so is their culture. The average Llanurian is very devoutly devoted to the church. This sometimes leads to hostility with non-humans or the Aciterni, but not always. Most are devoted, rather than fanatical.

History

Compared to other places in Covenant, it isn't well-known how humanoid life came to Acitern. While it is known Aurandian civilization came first, it is not known how far behind Llanurian civilization was. It is, however, believed that the nomadic Aciterni clans came from this part of the continent around this period.
According to legend, the first kingdom came when the first horses emerged from the land. It is said that the first people to tame them tamed the land, itself. From there, they slowly built a kingdom piece by piece. They were prosperous, but still weren't quite on thr same level as Auarand.
This mostly changed when a simple herdsman met a man who had descended from the sky. He handed him a golden book, the Book of Radiance, and told him to spread the word of the celestials, to make Covenant a little more like the heavens. This place became holy ground, and the site of the city of Santania. Now a religious center, the nation of Llanuria grew far more powerful.
One of the most important events that swept through all of Acitern was at the hands of a hero, the lich Karad Blackheart raised a legion of the undead and invaded, hoping to turn the entire population of the continent into his undead servants. He meant to use them as a weapon against the gods, themselves.
While his attack was primarily centered around Aurand, the efforts of another hero drew the Llanurians into the conflict. The party of the Bjornlander mage Vidar Elf-Child had inspired most of the continent to oppose him. The army of Llanuria joined Pranish, the Aciterni, and Reynardian irregulars to lift the siege of Tarke. In the end, they managed to do it while Vidar and his companions destroyed the lich's phylactery, ending him for good.

Demography and Population

Currently, Llanuria has the highest proportion of humans in all of Acitern, mostly due to the presence of the Church of the Light. The next largest population are halflings, most in their own villages across the plains. There is also a noticeable population of gnomes, particularly near the Reynardian border.
This place also has a sizeable population of less sophisticated raiders. These people are mostly goblins and hobgoblins, although plenty of bugbears live here, too. These tribes frequently treat their worgs with just as much respect as the Llanurians do with their own mounts.

Territories

Llanuria is primarily dominated by one sort of terrain: open grassland. Plains dominate the vast majority of this land. It gives way to occasional forest to the northeast, near Reynardia. In the northwest part of the nation, on the Pranishan border, the land rises into foothills.
The climate of this land is also quite distinct compared to other places in Acitern. In its place on the southern portion of the continent, it is generally both warmer and sunnier than northern lands. While this makes the winters more mild, it also makes the summers much hotter.
The animal life is also more distinct here than it is further north. Many of these mundane creatures have more in common with life found on Polisia than Acitern. These creatures do include things like deer, wolves, and foxes, but also include things like antelope, lions, or hyenas.
In addition to the normal creatures here, there are also quite a few more magical creatures. Many of these are hybrids, especially manticores, griffons, hippogriffs, or even the occasional questing beast near the northern border. This land also has quite a few dragons, almost as much as Aurand.

Military

The military of Llanuria answers almost exclusively to the monarchy. This is a professional force not quite the size of Aurand's, but far larger than Reynardia's. Naturally, as to be expected, the pride of this force is their cavalry. Llanurians are known to be the most effective warriors on horseback in all of Covenant. 
The other lords and ladies of Llanuria also have troops of their very own. These aren't so much real fighting forces as they are protectors of their households. They are capable as guards, but the forces of one noble are hardly able to assemble as a true fighting force.
The nobles, including the king have two other main groups working for them. These are knights and mages. These knights are elite soldiers, capable of carrying out their lord's will over great distances. These mages often serve as advisors and tutors, although many are also called on quests, as well.

Foreign Relations

Compared to their neighbors, such as the ever-warring Aurand and Reynardia, Llanuria has a tendency to stay neutral. They have occasionally warred with Aurand over their supposed claim over all of Acitern. They also have had long-standing trading ties with Reynardia. Indeed, they have never warred with them.
With the current schism in the Church of the Light, the church has called for a crusade against Pranish. Of course, the Llanurian people have enthusiastically agreed, as have many in Aurand. Comparatively few Reynardians have gone, driving a wedge between Llanuria and Reynardia, but bringing them closer to Aurand.

Agriculture & Industry

Due to Llanuria's more southern location and warmer climate, they are able to grow crops that can't be grown anywhere else on the continent. The most important of these are grapes, used to make wine. They are also capable of growing cotton, which is the next most commonly-grown crop.
The location of Llanuria allows it to benefit from both stone from the Pranishan mountains, and the Reynardian forests. This leads to an abundance of raw materials that the Llanurians can use for all manner of crafts. These craftsmen aren't generally of incredible quality, but they are quite proficient.

Trade & Transport

Most of the trade into Llanuria comes into the port city of Puertana, mostly from the Polisian city-state of Pasedonis, and the Aurandian city of Tarke. However, prevailing ocean currents mean that most foreign vessels go to Tarke, instead of Puertana, despite the greater distance.
Overland, more goods come in through Santania. Mostly these come from Tarke, the Reynardian city of Bellailles and the Pranishan city of Anslev. Often, the Llanurians trade wine and cotton with their neighbors, often in exchange for raw materials such as ore from Pranish and lumber from Reynardia.

Infrastructure

Due to the vast open spaces between the towns and villages, there are no roads connecting them. There are , however, also very few obstacles preventing easy navigation. It was these very open grasslands that lead to the Llanurians' enthusiastic respect for horses.
Much like their northern neighbors, they also create castles made of stone or sometimes wood. However, due to a scarcity of building materials, such structures are not as common as they are in other lands. Most communities are comparatively humble, often made of wood or sod.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

Puertana

Demonym

Llanurian

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Traditional

Location

Acitern

Controlled Territories

• Puertana
• Santania

Neighboring Nations

• Aurand
• Pranish
• Reynardia