Montbay (/Mont-bay/)
History and Government
Montbay is one of the original Pharosian human kingdoms, unified under King Adelbrecht I, with the backing of Delos'Nordanian authority. It has since had a tumultuous history, primarily as a result of the diverse peoples which inhabit its borders. Adelbrecht himself was a Bariton, and ensured his people had privileged positions within the nation, while other tribes - including the Hill-Wigs, Picaty, and Valsh were disenfranchised or subjugated. These ethnic lines persist to this day, with Old Faith communities still existing in relative autonomy, and recent rapid centralization has returned these conflicts to the nation's surface. In particular, the The Hill-Wig Revolt in Southmoor has instigated similar revolts in Montbay, though they have always been swiftly crushed. Until recently, the nation was little more than a blip on the map of the world. It had long pursued a policy of non-interventionism, fueled primarily as a result of its constant internal struggles. The Montbayerns have always been an independent-minded people, and uprisings against the absolute monarchy arose early in the Age of Enlightenment, resulting in the creation of the Grey Parliament. Often simply known as "the Grey," the parliament consists of three branches - the Noble's House, the Peasant's House, and the Burgher's House, each of which speak for their respective constitutencies, petition and advise the king on matters of law, and curtail the ruler's authority - if they ever manage to agree on any matter. In truth, governing as an absolute monarch in Montbay is as simple as keeping one of the three houses on your side at all times, which is an easy feat when they are constantly attempting to undercut each other. The decline of the Grey as a united front has, in some ways, fueled Montbay's resurgence to the forefront of the world. The current king, Oliver III, is often known by his admirers as "the Cannon," for his favorite war machine, which fires daily over his procession and brings great roars over the capital of Dalhurst. Throughout his rule, Oliver has been a strong advocate for the centralization of Montbay, seeking to maximally exploit its natural resources as it embraces the process of industrialization. This has brought him into persistent conflict with the peasants, remaining Old Faith tribes, and political dissidents, for whose rights he has shown little care or favor. Oliver is not a sadistic king, but he has little patience for those he considers unpatriotic, as he seeks to guide his nation into the modern world. Behind him stands the burghers, the nobles, and a growing military, making his vision appear unstoppable to all but the most idealistic - but there's plenty of those to be found in a nation like Montbay!Cities
Dalhurst
Dalhurst is the capital of Montbay, moved from Calchester in the late Age of Enlightenment. The transfer to Dalhurst was motivated because of its proximity to mineral wealth in the Dragon's Mountains, as well as its centrality to the homeland of the Hill-Wigs, the most rebellious of the Old Faith tribes which lie within Montbay's borders. Dalhurst has become something of a religious center for Montbay, from which clerics to the Ones Above can evangelize tribesfolk whose views they see as heretical. It has grown to be a city of over 200,000, including much of the nation's unlanded nobility, though notably the Grey Parliament remains in Calchester. Annoyingly, it is said that cannons ring at all hours of the day in Dalhurst, signalling to all the presence and activities of King Oliver III.Calchester
Calchester is the historical capital of Montbay, and still remains the home of the Grey Parliament, whose three wings hold limited dual power with the crown. It is also a city of significant radical activism, a fact which has recently caused the Crown Guard's presence within its walls, specifically to crack down on political opposition. Calchester boasts a population of just under 400,000, and its residents primarily work as artisans, factory-workers, or in service jobs to the nobles and sizable burgher class, which has thrived ever since treaties with Barisea have made Montbay a serious trade center in Pharos.Lhanbyrde
Lhanbyrde is a fortress-city, existing on the border of Southmoor on the peninsula of the same name. The Lhanbyrdes are a rare exception to Montbayern nobility, as they stem from the Picaty tribe. While the Picaty people have long been absorbed into Montbayern society, Picaty among the nobility are rare, and generally have earned the title meritocratically in recent generations. The Lhanbyrdes earned this right during the The Erith Conflict, in which they aided in the occupation of the lands they now occupy. Lhanbyrde itself is a city of about 10,000, primarily refugees from Southmoor, but it is tactically significant because of its proximity to Southmoor's capital of Anceledra. Lord Roderick Lhanbyrde, the current patriarch of the family, is a ruthless diplomat who has the Anceledrans under his boot, giving him de facto control over the only stable city in Montbay's war-ravaged neighbor.Geography
The majority of Montbay is hilly, and the Sea of Stars brings plentiful rain and mists, which cloak the southern portion of the nation almost daily. Patches of forest stand all throughout the land, but become especially dense in the unsettled edges of the nation, where native tribes thrive. In the north, the forests turn into darker pines, casting a gloom throughout the land that is only rivaled by the cloudy skies of the south. Several rivers run throughout the nation, providing water to its people and their farms. The Kedron River and the Elkhorn River are the most important in the south, while the Edlin River fuels the new capital, and its industrial workshops, in the north. The Warren River marks the border of Montbay and Southmoor, though in practice Montbayern authority extend further, both as a result of the Lhanbyrde's support of Anceledra, and King Oliver III's unofficial expansion northward, which was prompted under the guise of suppressing Hill-Wig nationalism. Montbayern companies freely exploit resources on official Southmoor land, and the embattled neighbor can hardly do anything about it. The Dragon's Mountains mark the western border of Montbay, though private enterprises extend deep into them, into territory de jure claimed by Arberia. Montbay even has colonies on Arberian soil, particularly in the nation's south-east, where salt is gathered and sent back to the mainland home.Resources
Montbay exports all manner of metals, industrial and agricultural equipment, and military arms. It is the primary producer of guns, cannons, and land-vehicles, which it has begun to export to nations recognizing the importance of industrial development, most profitably The Protectorate-Commonwealth. Montbay has close trade relations with Kai'Rin, from whom gunpowder is imported, and technological treaties with Barisea that allow for the exchange of ship-plans for weapons. Aside from such crafted goods, Montbay is an important producer of granite, bee products (including honey, mead, and beeswax), fish and whale oils, animal products, tobacco, fennel seeds, walnuts and raw textile materials, which it is slowly moving to make productive use of itself.Ethnicities
Montbay, at one point, was perhaps one of the most varied lands in terms of the tribal cultures it housed. Primarily, the modern nobility stems from the Bariton tribe, but the Picaty and Valsh also contribute to its roots. Of these, only the Picaty and Valsh exist in (meagre) relevance, and have primarily blended with the Hill-Wigs, who are the largest remaining Old Faith bloc within the nation. Montbay has regularly worked to disenfranchise and purge the Hill-Wigs, but has thus far been unsuccessful. Its most recent efforts have included a transferrance of the nation's capital deep into Hill-Wig lands, and an expansion of resource harvesting within their territory, in the hopes of rooting them out along the way and exploiting their resources to make their lands unusable. These efforts have been stifled by the Hill-Wigs' success in Southmoor, where they have carved out an autonomous zone and given new hope to Old Faith tribes all over Pharos.Diplomacy
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"The Waking Kraken"
Adjectives: Montbayern
National Animal: Honey Bee
National Instrument: Oud
Ethnicities: Montbayern (outdated: Bariton), Picaty, Valsh, Hill-Wigs
Languages: Human Common (Pharosian Gultic), Pharosian Common (Montean), West Old-Tongue (Picaty, Valsh and Wig)
Capital:
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Hallmarks: Guns, political struggle, industrialization, honey and metals
Characteristics: Uppity, hopeful, rugged, distrusting
National Animal: Honey Bee
National Instrument: Oud
Ethnicities: Montbayern (outdated: Bariton), Picaty, Valsh, Hill-Wigs
Languages: Human Common (Pharosian Gultic), Pharosian Common (Montean), West Old-Tongue (Picaty, Valsh and Wig)
Capital:
- Dalhurst (official)
- Calchester (colloquial)
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Hallmarks: Guns, political struggle, industrialization, honey and metals
Characteristics: Uppity, hopeful, rugged, distrusting