Nothgard (/Noth-gaard/)

History and Government

Nothgard is one of the more recent states erected on the continent of Pharos, having its roots in the migrations from Kcalsbury which occurred during the Age of War. Most who live in Nothgard can trace their roots back to the Border Kingdoms, and, less commonly so, to The Protectorate-Commonwealth. Pharosian natives do still exist in Nothgard in sizable amounts, however, including people whose ancestry links to Devania, the Cyr people, the Rhyders, and the Styolbec, most of whom have been integrated into Nothgardian nobility and, indeed, broader society.
Nothgard is a highly bureaucratic state, but functionally behaves as a monarchy. The king, bearing the title of Grand Prince, settles disputes and caters to various interest groups in the nation, primarily the expansive nobility, and has little authority or time to institute his own policy. Such duties fall onto a more decentralized network of lords, city councils, and religious leaders, whose word is only altered if protestations are brought higher up. The current Grand Prince, Demian Melikov, seems to have no will to alter this state of affairs, and is content with business continuing as it always has - largely out of his hands and worries.
This decentralization is, perhaps, one of the primary reasons that the clergy has thrived within the nation. Nobles often lack the courage to anger the Ones Above, and with no strong monarch in place to control the faithful, religious folk have always poured into Nothgard to establish their worship-centers and missions. This has only been bolstered by the fact that Nothgard guards the only land passage from Pharos to Kcalsbury Continent, and thus plenty of wealthy merchants are compelled to give charitable donations after a successful trek through. It's often said that extravagant cathedrals can be found on every street corner in Nothgard's cities, and this is not far from the truth, being further highlighted by the nation's unique dome-centric architecture, brought over from Cadisia.
The prominence of religion in Nothgard has led to it being something of a hotspot for artists, as portraits and decorations in honor of the Ones Above are always in high demand, as are visionary architects. Furthermore, even if one is not inclined to create art favored by the churches, there is always a merchant passing through who'll buy any strange and avant-garde art for his family back home. As a result, sometimes, Nothgard is considered the last of the Minstrel Kingdoms, though this categorization traditionally goes to native Pharosian lands.
Perhaps the one implication of a weak monarchy is also one of Nothgard's most unique features - it lacks the civil strife of its noble-ruled neighbors. Indeed, it lacks a peasant class almost entirely, with most Nothgardians occupying artisanal, religious, service, or entrepreneurial positions. The few serfs that farm the land are typically criminals, who are forced into indentured servitude. These farms typically harvest tobacco, poppies, and Sundrop, making the nation the center of the continent's legal drug trade. On the other hand, this means Nothgard is not a self-subsistent nation, and it relies heavily on its neighbors and trade through its borders to produce enough food to support its classes. Due to historical times of struggle, hunting remains the most popular sport in the nation, and provides a viable alternative to farming on a short-term scale, should the nation's trade logistics be disrupted.

Cities

Nothgard

Nothgard is a city of spires, domes, and temples, quite expansive in size due to the extravagancy of its architecture. Close to three-hundred-thousand live within the city's walls, and close to a thousand religious buildings lie within its fortifications. Nothgard is often the last, or first, major stop for overland trade between continents, and thus boasts a significant amount of comfortable inns and boarding houses for adventurers to stay in before heading off. Many of the city's temples are also open to adventurers, who bow to their deities' favor. Demian Melikov himself lies at the city's center, in the Marble Palace, where many of the nation's nobiliity can be found at various times per year, as it holds a large amount of guest rooms specifically for this purpose, and the nobles always try to stay in the king's good graces.

Geography

The heartlands of Nothgard are largely low-rolling hills, where prairie grass and smaller plants grow abundantly. The Olgar Creek is the primary source of Nothgard's water, and was once where most of the nation's cities lay, but settlements have expanded. This even led to the annexation of the southern banks of the Old Devon River a few decades ago, during the short River War, which preceded Devania's collapse into civil war.
The eastern part of the nation flattens out significantly, and this is where most of the nation's plantations are located, in the so-called Olgar Basin. The basin bleeds out into the Bay of Sails, which is a major shipping port ever since the rise of Barisea, which has opened up yet another trade route to the Kcalsbury Continent. Indeed, Nothgard's port here is the primary source of imports and exports, because of its naval domination of the region (Ciraeldon lacks a standing navy), and because more stable Pharosian nations, such as Montbay and The Vale are separated from the mainland, or undeveloped, respectively.

Resources

The resources of Nothgard are mainly untapped, as the state's bureaucracy is far too busy bickering among itself to accomplish any material measures. Most resources are prospected by private merchants, religious organizations (especially those of Thear), and local nobles seeking to fuel their own personal regiments. The one resource that Nothgard boasts is within its palatial estates, where indentured criminals farm much of the supply of the continent's legal drugs - including poppies and tobacco. This, in addition to Nothgard's substantial artistic pieces and a hefty supply of marjoram, are the nation's main exports.
On the other hand, Nothgard imports much from its neighbors, especially in terms of food and raw materials. Low tariffs make trade with Nothgard especially profitable for Pharosian merchants, but it generates its taxes through inter-continental trade, as the passages west are heavily guarded at the cost of high tolls. Most debts are placed upon the backs of the noble families, reducing pressure on the central government and crown for repayment, which benefits the state's policies of subdsidizing artists and architects, but creates a situation which will, undoubtedly, be untenable in the long-run.
Nothgard's national symbol, the Kyrou, finds its breeding centered on the nation, where it has been grown towards larger, denser, and tamer qualities. It is sometimes exported as a pack or mount animal to others in Pharos, but rarely beyond. Still, it is not an especially lucrative source of income, as Kyrou take at least a decade to mature.

Ethnicities

By the time the exodus of Kcalsburian Humans reached Nothgard, its native tribes had already been battered and largely displaced. The lands had been historically occupied alternatively by Devania, Delos'Nordan, and even Ciraeldon. The modern incarnation of Nothgard actually has a surprisingly positive relationship with the remaining Old Faith tribes - a lack of central coordination helps, coupled with their ability to at least repel any attacks by independent lords. Still, "remaining" is the key term here - there aren't many that remain. Those that do are an even mixture of Ulmirans, Cyrs, and Althrics.
A notable exception are the Rhyders of Rhydien, who have a mutually beneficial relationship with Nothgard, and even serve closely in its military at times. The Rhyders do not typically have a permanent presence in Nothgard, but may arrive in significant numbers at certain points of the year when their hunt takes them there.

Diplomacy

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"Principality of a Thousand Domes"

Adjectives: Nothgardian
National Animal:Chiroo
National Instrument: Fiddle

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Ethnicities: Nothgardians, Ulmirans, Althrics, Cyrs
Languages: Human Common (Pharosian Gultic), East Old-Tongue (Ulmiric and Cyrrish), North Old-Tongue (Althriki)

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Capital: Nothgard
Ruler: Grand Prince Demian Melikov
Government: Bureaucratic Monarchy

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Hallmarks: Religiosity, corruption, architectural beauty, drug production
Characteristics: Respectful, artistic, lighthearted, cynical towards power

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Related Historical Events

• 1483
  The River War
• 1412
  The Plain Accords
• 1350
  The Rotspur Ravage
• 1330
  The Violet Peace
• 1304
  The Third Elven War
• 1303
  Founding of Nothgard
• 1297
  Convention on the Refugees
• 1296
  The Exodus Reaches Pharos
• 831
  The Western Exodus

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