Losana
The Kingdom of Losana rests on the western frontier of the Circle Sea and Emicara. South of the Sypi Confederacy and west of the Kingdom of Forard, half of the nation is mired in the great bayou to the south and the rest is still carved out of the trees and wildlands of the west. It is often viewed as just a step above the barbarity of the Sypi Confederacy by the other nations of the Circle Sea, with its large pagan presence and the constant resistance against the efforts of the Church of the One Sun. The people of Losana are known best for their independent and stubborn natures, enjoying striking their own paths in life, through the pursuit of leisure and opportunities.
Structure
The Kingdom of Losana is a feudal monarchy organized along the lines of the Jakonian Empire. The king retains the highest judicial and legislative power, and his decrees are law, but regional and local affairs are handled by landed gentry. The king maintains an appointed council of advisors used as both representatives in internal affairs and negotiations between lords and other heads of state. Beneath the king are the dukes, who oversee entire provinces or multiple communities, and working for the dukes are landed barons.
History
The collapse of the Nameless Empire was as devastating to Losana as it was to the rest of the human population on the continent. Major cities broke down and those who survived the war, did so through luck or sheer determination. In Losana that evolved into dozens of small towns and villages. Local priests helped these communities survive, as there was one abundant resource that they were able to take advantage of: the dead. Using necromancy, the many dead who perished were brought back as tools to help till the land and protect the citizens of these towns. From there, Losana thrived, as the priests of the nation continued to use the dead as a tool and a shield.
The use of undead in reconstruction attracted the observation and horror of other nations along the Circle Sea. As the Jakonian Empire rose, so did the Church of the One Sun's interest in Losana. Riveraineville was the first Losanan city to be conquered in 267. This warning was ignored by the leaders of Losana, and the Jakonian invasion in 454 ultimately caught all of the leaders of the Losanan states by surprise. Even with the enemy at the gates, the Losanans remained constantly fighting among themselves for supremacy, and while they could have mustered a combined great army of the undead to dwarf the imperial regiments, they failed to act as a unified group. Through disunity, the Jakonians achieved conquest.
Under Jakonian rule, the old Losanan ways were suppressed and new aristocracy from Jakonia itself was placed in charge of the lands, and the Church of the One Sun began scouring the land of the old faith. Although in time many of these lords and nobles took on names and titles more familiar to the locals, even today they remain considered an alien bunch to those whose families have been in the region since the Nameless Empire. Tensions remained constant in Losana throughout the entire period of imperial rule. When the Great War was lost it became clear to the nobles that the time of the empire was running out, quickly. Choosing to take advantage of the situation and win some of the populace to their side, the nobles mustered their levies and declared independence, led by the Duke of Baton, who proclaimed himself the King of Losana.
The Jakonians responded as harshly as they were able, with the last of their professional regiments and soldiers. The Jakonians knew that failing in holding Losana would see the end of the empire. Overland from Forard, the Jakonians managed to maintain control of the major roads and towns for most of the war, but they were never able to topple the walls of Baton, that they had built. The Losanans used Confederate territory to launch devastating hit and run attacks on Jakonian supply lines, and after being bled for years in sieges, the Jakonians retreated. In 869, the Jakonian Empire finally recognized the independence of the new kingdom, with pledges and assurances from the king that the Church of the One Sun would remain the state religion.
Preserving the Church of the One Sun has remained one of the most controversial moves in Losana's young history. The aristocracy are devout followers of the Church, but the masses prefer the ways before empire, and were hoping the rebellion would bring about a restoration of the old way. Many of the guerrillas who once fought for independence disappeared into the bayou and began waging a war against the new regime. In 876, The Losanan Civil War began as the rebels mustered armies of the dead and living to overthrow the monarchy. Initially the rebels achieved ample successes, triumphing where the Jakonians had failed, and ousting the king from Baton itself. A new king, called by the Church the "King of the Dead" sat atop the throne, and the aristocracy were thrown into the eastern fringes of the country. Only after a decade of constant warfare and support from the Church of the One Sun's militant arms did the aristocracy reverse the tide of dissent, retaking Baton and restoring the monarchy.
The kings of Losana were thus ingratiated to the Church of the One Sun, supporting the faith, and building new cathedrals and temples for their use. The Monastic Brotherhood and Fellowship of the Palm were giving free reign over the nation, leading to pogroms and purges. The Church was closely integrated with the new regime, although they were not granted as full control over the racial makeup, instead focusing upon the strikes against the pagans of old. The closeness of the Losanans with the Church led to the nation's neutrality in the Forardi rebellion in 920, and several minor border skirmishes along the frontier. Most of Losanan focuses remained upon the old pastime of minor battles between feuding lords and defending against raids from the Sypi Confederacy.
Today, the Kingdom of Losana has faced new challenges with the successful bid for independence from the city of Riveraineville, and this has invigorated the Voudounists within the nation. Protests and dissent are common, and most major towns and cities have faced at least one major riot over the past few years. The Sypi Civil War has caused an increase in raids across the border due to the king's support for the losing Sihka Tribe, and it seems that the Losanans are now hounded upon all fronts.
Demography and Population
The majority of the kingdom's population consists of Losanan humans. A handful of lizardfolk are present in the Sypi river towns and cities, but they are kept restricted to carefully monitored and accessed slums away from the human population. A goodly number of elves have set up in Baton, operating banks and other financial institutions, often with close ties to the Jakonian Empire. In the eastern parts of the kingdom, forest gnomes are seen more often here than anywhere else in Emicara, and some actually break type and trade with the human community. The Church has avoided persecuting these gnomes, as they are the friendliest nonhumans found within the region. Members of other races have arrived in Losana over time in small numbers, as the kings have welcomed immigrants, particularly those resistant to the faithful of the Losanan pantheon, seeing them as potential allies against a new undead uprising. In most cases, these nonhumans usually are relegated to less desirable parts of the communities they live within.
Military
The Kingdom of Losana maintains a standing army modeled upon the Jakonian regiments. These soldiers act as the main mobile force for response to unrest or rebellion in the outskirts. These soldiers also maintain a series of castles along the northern border, protecting the interior against Confederate raids. They are a standardized force, and place great stock in light and heavy cavalry for both skirmishes and maintaining order. Losanan horsemen are said to be some of the finest in the world, and they regularly demonstrate this in combat. The standing army is just a fraction of the overall military strength of Losana, as the dukes and barons all maintain their own personal regiments and levies, and the quality and organization for these units differs greatly from group to group.
The reopening of the Sypi River for trade has caused the king of Losana to declare the formation of the Royal Losanan Navy. This grandiose name is used for a series of less than a dozen river boats and a single major warship that are typically used to patrol Spider Bend and prevent a resurgence of webbing blocking the river. A handful are used to police trade in the major cities, but as a new organization, the navy has yet to be truly tested in a battle against another power.
Technological Level
The Kingdom of Losana lags behind the other nations of the Circle Sea in most forms of technology and scientific progress. This is mostly due to the kingdom's relative isolation from the other Jakonian successor states, and the overall lack of incoming trade. The universities of Losana are less interested in technological progress than they are in refining already existing agricultural techniques. The exception of course is in political philosophy which is a time honored tradition for Losanans, speculating on the nature of the political system and ideas that could emerge from innovation in that field.
Religion
The Church of the One Sun is the official faith of the Kingdom of Losana. The king and the aristocracy have been devout followers of the Church for centuries, and gaining independence was mostly with the support of Church officials in the Jakonian Empire. The Church helps to preserve order, through deployment of the Monastic Brotherhood and the Fellowship of the Palm. Therefore, most Losanans publicly express their support for the Church. Privately, the numbers suggest that the majority of Losanans still follow the old ways, and the lizardfolk within Losana almost certainly do. They are barred from public worship, for threat of persecution, but the Losanans have always been stubborn in the practice of their faith.
Foreign Relations
Unlike the other successor states to the Jakonian Empire, the Kingdom of Losana actually maintains good relations with their former imperial masters. This is predominantly due to the ongoing support of the Church of the One Sun for the king and his efforts to root out the pagans. The Battle of Spider Bend was a direct result of attempts to build even closer ties between Jakonia and Losana. They have also managed to maintain good relationships with most of the other successor states, keeping up trade and commerce across the border. Some lingering tensions remain with the Kingdom of Forard over a lack of support in their rebellion, but these have been looked past due to a greater threat.
The Sypi Confederacy rests as the greatest foreign concern for the kings of Losana. The constant raids from Confederate tribes have always been a cause for alarm, but since the Sypi Civil War, matters have only worsened. High Chief Quico has bitterly harbored the memory of Losanan support for the rebels who opposed him, and thus has declared an open season across the border. While this has not escalated to a full war, some Losanan nobles are calling for a mobilization of a punitive strike to end these raids. Realistically, that is not an option as much of Losana continues to seethe with dissent and unrest.
The Free City of Riveraineville was an unexpected new rival faced after the Battle of Spider Bend. They managed to exploit the kingdom from a vulnerable position, and the king found no choice but to accept it. This is likely a dangerous slope, and the king's diplomats and spies have been consistently focused on finding a way to reintegrate Riveraineville into the kingdom, ideally peacefully. Many are concerned that this could be the start of the dissolution of Losana once more into a band of feuding city states.
Agriculture & Industry
Agriculture is the lifeblood of the Losanan economy. While the major cities do have enough industry to support local demand, it is the products created in the vineyards and fields of Losana that truly drive wealth. Fine wines, decadent fruits and chocolates, and snowy fields of cotton drive the growth of the Losanan economy. These cash crops are high in demand across Emicara, and they are considered to be higher quality than those produced elsewhere, with the exception of cotton. Strong ties with the other imperial successor states has aided in the proliferation of Losanan goods, spreading out to the rest of the world.
Education
The Kingdom of Losana has actually invested substantial funding into the development of a full public education system. Schools have been established in nearly every village, town, and city to help educate the population. Losanans thus maintain a high literacy rate, but these schools can be often targets of dissident activity, because they are all operated by scholars from the Church of the One Sun. These educational institutions are all religiously tinged, and while they do provide a baseline education, it is a clear and organized attempt to continue the suppression of the old faith.
Beyond the schooling system, Losana does boast three places of higher learning, each offering classes in a variety of means. One is simply an agrarian college, teaching about methods of farming, both mundane and magical. The other two offer courses of all types, producing Losana's wizards and acting as places where philosophy and ideas are bandied about. These universities, however, are some of the greatest centers of produced dissenters and rebels within Losana and are often under the constant watch of the Fellowship of the Palm.
Infrastructure
The Losanan kings have placed great stocks within the roads they have constructed to connect the major urban areas of their nation. With only the Sypi River acting for river trade for a handful of towns, most of the nation is highly reliant upon overland trade through caravans. The rough bayous of the south and the unsuitable coastline for construction have made it difficult for the nation to be involved in trade upon the Circle Sea itself. These roads possess multiple watchtowers along them, staffed by the regiments of the Losanan army. These are used both as places for caravan to find a safe haven and for patrols and security against tribal raids and guerrillas. The northern border castles act in a similar nature, protecting the most accessible routes for large raids to cross from the north, and granting the Losanan army locations and equipment for repulsing raids.
The Swamps Made Solid
Founding Date
Newfeast 19, 869
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Losanan
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Theocratic
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Copper/Silver/Gold
Major Exports
Wine, luxury foodstuffs, cotton
Major Imports
Iron ore, steel goods, weapons and armor
Legislative Body
Ducal Assembly
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
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