Sypi Confederacy

The Sypi Confederacy consists of nineteen tribes and seven major towns that all have a say in the rule of the Confederacy. The capital of Wofslar, while the Confederacy’s only city on par with the great cities of the Civilized Lands, is a massive melting pot of all of the unique tribes and cultures that exist within the Confederacy. It stretches from the northern border with the Lewite Tribe and Valtkos Wingo to the southern borders with Losana and Forard. The Shin Empire and Bamard rests upon the Confederacy's eastern border.

Structure

The Sypi Confederacy is ruled by a council of elders from each of the nineteen tribes and towns. Each community has its own means of selecting their chiefs and mayors, and each chief and mayor has a say in the running of the nation. The executive of the land is the High Chief, who is selected by the Council of Elders whenever the old High Chief passes away.

History

The history of the Sypi Confederacy goes back nearly one thousand years. When the first giants came down from the northlands into what was the Nameless Empire, they overran the humans that lived in the regions west of the Sypi River. Most of these humans were scattered towns or tribes living in the wake of the collapse of the empire and they were ripe for conquest. Some chose to flee instead of to be conquered, and the Sypi River was a powerful barrier, even to giants, thanks to its great width and depths. The first of the tribes to cross was the Wicka tribe, and with their crossing, they carved out an empire of their own.
The Wicka Tribe found the people east of the Sypi River to be unprepared for their assault, and the lands empty and bereft of civilization. Other tribes were present, which offered fresh chances for a new nation. The Cotaw and the Charki were the second and third tribes which crossed the Sypi River, respectively, and their arrival led to decades of conflict between the three tribes, with each competing for influence over future tribes arriving across the river. There was ample land for migration around the open plains between the river and the Apps, and the tribes traveled freely. The tension lessened in 88 AF, when the Congregation of Spears led to a peaceful declaration of religious unity among the tribes. Peace would not come for over sixty years, when the Conference of Tribes finally established the Sypi Confederacy in 155 AF.
Although the tribes were unified and their borders set, peace was not certain. The tribes continued to bicker and skirmish, but it was rare that these small conflicts would erupt into a major war, as the High Chiefs provided adept at negotiate the tricky political and cultural situations. The true threats came from the east. The lush and fertile lands of the Confederacy were witnessed by powerful forces which launched invasions. The Shin Empire in particular found the land appetizing, having been confined to the mountains themselves. Three Shin invasions were defeated over several centuries, as the tribes proved willing to unite in the face of adversity and masters of asymmetrical warfare.
After the third attempt by the Shin to conquer the Confederacy, an uneasy peace was made. Uneasy peace eventually turned to trade, then to understanding, and lastly into an alliance. The Treaty of Smitonium led to the creation of the longest standing alliance in Emicara. The borders between the Confederacy and the Shin Empire were solidified, and the Confederates agreed to end all raiding into Shin territory. This alliance was spurred by the Jakonians and their great empire stretching all the way into Losana. The alliance proved wise, as it kept the Jakonians at bay for nearly two hundred years, allowing the Confederates to once again focus internally, welcoming new tribes from the mountains and across the river.
In 693, the admittance of the Saru Tribe into the Confederacy marked a major turning point for relations between Sypi and the Jakonian Empire. The Jakonians were outraged that nonhumans were granted a place of prominence and they invaded. The Saru War was the first true defeat for the Sypi Confederacy, as the imperial armies advanced north, scattering the tribes and sending them into hiding, burning the city of Wofslar. Open resistance stopped in 702, as the tribes sought to lick their wounds, but small scale combat continued, as the Jakonians failed to suppress the north as effectively. They built six new towns and cities across the southern Confederacy.
The Confederates found help from an unexpected quarter. Two goblin tribes from the Apps Mountains, tired of taking their own path of destruction, arrived from the north in 789. Five years later, the Confederates rose in revolt against the Jakonians. With vast, new armies including orcs and goblins, the Confederates swept down from their northern lands, and assaulted the Jakonian towns. The Jakonians responded swiftly, bringing their armies into the region, only to face defeat. They were forced to withdraw south, and the towns they had built were razed to the ground by the vengeful Confederates. Although an uneasy peace settled upon the Confederacy by 804, fighting continued on the Losanan border until the outbreak of the Great War.
The Confederacy joined the Great War on the side of the Alliance against Jakonia. They launched a full invasion of Losana, but ultimately withdrew from this offensive as their Shin allies became bogged down in fighting in Bamard. Their armies arrived just in time for the Battle of Conecuh Lake, where they were instrumental in the destruction of the largest Jakonian army in the field. The end of the war brought official recognition of Confederate borders for the first time by all local powers, and reconstruction began at last.
Widely considered the golden age of the Sypi Confederacy, the years after the Great War were incredibly prosperous, and many tribes even chose to forego raids, with a bounty of livestock, hunting, and resources found throughout the land. What raids were launched were usually quite successful into the ruined lands that were once part of the Jakonian Empire. The good times did not last indefinitely, with the arrival of a new millennium. The Church of the One Sun had begun to take a hold of some of the tribes, as they sought to bring "civilization" to the west under their faith. The Sihka Tribe fully embraced these preachings and began to assemble a coalition of like-minded tribes and towns. When High Chief Hiamovi Wicka passed in 1019, it was believed that the Sihka would assume power.
Unfortunately for Sihka plans, a band of adventurers was able to sway many of the tribes to the side of Quico Bienombe, previously considered a unlikely call to become High Chief due to his youth and aggression. He sought an open conflict with the Church of the One Sun, and when he won, he got it. The Sypi Civil War erupted with the destruction of the Great Temple by a Church raid, and continued with great brutality. The Sihka tribe and its supports were either decimated or fled, with the Sihkas themselves being massacred towards the end of the war. Only the Lewites escaped with a portion of their power intact.
The Sypi Confederacy continues to be troubled by ongoing conflicts, as lands once patrolled by now defunct tribes have begun to be encroached upon by monsters and bandits. Quico Bienombe has achieved his goals in purging the Church of the One Sun from the Confederacy, but at a terrible cost to life and prosperity. The closure of the Shin Empire is also raising concerns, as the most reliable trading partner of the Confederacy stumbles into isolationism. Today, the Confederacy struggles to rebuild, and return to a golden age.

Demography and Population

The Sypi Confederacy is majority human, but settlers from all races have found a home within. The Confederacy has the least amount of prejudice and bias against other races out of any of the realms or nations within Emicara, and this has proven to be a boon for them. Wofslar has swollen with immigrants from all over, and the other towns typically have decent numbers of other races too. The tribes in the countryside are typically human, but two goblin tribes and one orc tribe have become part of the Confederacy over its long history, allowing for diversity even there.

Military

The Sypi Confederacy has no true standing military to protect its interests. Every town and tribe possesses their own cadres of militia or warriors, who serve as the base of Confederate military strength. When in times of need, the High Chief has the authority to call upon the warriors of the tribes to serve in battle and face down the enemies of the Confederacy. Due to the diversity of the tribes, there is also great diversity in the qualities and types of weapons used by the Confederate armies in battle. Every tribe has different notions of effective combat and tactics, leading to Confederate armies appearing to be a bit disorganized at first appearance, but they make up for in ferocity what they lack in tactics.
The other military force that can be drawn upon by the Confederacy is the famed River Watch. Established as a dedicated series of fortresses along the Sypi River, the River Watch guard against giant incursions. They are well trained, with standardized equipment, and extremely professional. Their fortresses rival those of greater powers along the Circle Sea, protecting against riverside invasion. Ever since the Battle of the Shards, however, and the hastening of the Sypi River, some wonder if the River Watch is truly needed. During the Sypi Civil War, some of their castles were besieged by the Sihka Tribe, causing them to throw in their lot with the Bienombes. Throughout the rest of their history, however, the River Watch has always been neutral in inter-tribal affairs.

Technological Level

The Sypi Confederacy, due to its isolationist nature and dispersed population, typically remains behind on technological advancement. Hostility towards the Church of the One Sun and the states of the Circle Sea have led to the surrounding states refusing to share any sort of militaristic inventions with the Confederates, for fear that raiders may use them against them. The Confederates remain behind the rest of the world, relying on tried and tested methods of warfare and infrastructure, and only a handful of innovations emerge from the University of Wofslar, mostly in the realms of magic or the reinvention of older technologies.

Religion

The Sypi Confederacy lacks a state religion, but it does have several gods and faiths that are banned within its borders. Worship of the Old Ones and the following of the Church of the One Sun are the two main banned faiths within Confederate borders. Similarly, the Church of Keshush faces occasional discrimination, but legal efforts prohibiting the faith were lifted as the High Chief attempts to build new ties with Valtkos Wingo. Beyond this, the tribes worship a number of pantheons of different types, some influenced from Alsona, some organized into their own pantheon, and others influenced by Losana to the south. The orcs and goblins worship their own gods, which are somewhat governed by developments within the Kingdom of Populres.

Foreign Relations

The Sypi Confederacy has complicated relationships with most of its neighbors, having fought wars with nearly all of them at one point or another. Relations with Bamard, Forard, and Losana remain consistently strained, as the tribes of the south and east regularly raid across the border, seeking loot for their troubles. Although no official state of war exists, the Confederacy acts as protection for the raiding tribes, as these three kingdoms know all too well that a punitive expedition against any of the member tribes would invite the wrath of the entire Confederacy. The kingdoms have simply taken precautions against these raids, and remain on the defensive.
The Shin Empire was the Confederacy's closest ally, but the closure of borders in 999 AF marked a shift in that relationship. The frequent trade over Lake Smit between the Confederacy and the empire came to an abrupt halt, and the Confederate tribes lost their primary source of luxury goods. While the High Chiefs have been unable to contact the Eternal Empress herself, relations remain with the Legates of Kraticum and Smitonium, keeping the peace. Not even these Legates seem to be aware of what is going on within the heart of the Empire, and everyone knows that this close relationship could turn sour at any moment.
With the Lewites' flight to the north and the Shin's isolation, the Confederacy has found a new ally in Valtkos Wingo. Both nations have shared interests against the Lewite tribe, and the need for resources and materials the other can provide. Talk has begun of establishing a new trade road through the northern Confederacy to open up full trade with the new kingdom, but the funds for the effort have not materialized. No formal alliance has been declared, as the Confederacy is hesitant to engage in a war with the Kingdom of Alsona or the Tenashi Kingdom, but some believe that this may be worth the risk of war to acquire a stable ally in the north.

Agriculture & Industry

The Sypi Confederacy has a decent amount of agriculture, including enough to support several wineries and breweries. Outside of the lands surrounding the towns and cities, however, there is no organized agriculture, as most of the tribes tend towards herding animals and hunting in the lush wilderness. Some of the tribes have farmlands that they leave until they return to an area, but these are few and susceptible to raids or bandits. Similarly, industry is lacking in the Confederacy, outside of the blacksmiths and workers that are required for self-subsistence. The Confederacy lacks any organized manufacturing, but manages to provide for its own people nonetheless.

Education

Education within the Sypi Confederacy depends wildly from tribe to tribe. Some retain ample educational systems and literacy for all of their members, others have only apprenticeship based learning for those who require it. As such, there is no truly standard education for the people of the Confederacy. There is, however, the University of Wofslar, the only center for higher education in the region. It is a frontier university for certain, and features ample practical classes and maverick professors. Professors who lack the decorum or reputation to serve in other lands' colleges have found their ways here, and the selection of courses is eclectic to say the least.

Infrastructure

There is very little organized infrastructure within the boundaries of the Sypi Confederacy. Each individual town is responsible for its own development, so there is few things organized by the main government of the nation. There is only two thoroughfares that unite the Confederacy, the Smitlaw Road and the River Road. The Smitlaw Road is paid for from the coffers of the state, linking Lake Smit with the southern Losanan border. This is the main route for trade and commerce throughout the nation, and the nomadic tribes typically set up trading posts along it.
The River Road, on the other hand, is paid for from contributions to the River Watch and runs along the east bank of the Sypi River. This road was solely created for the rapid movement of soldiers from one River Watch citadel to the next, allowing quick response to any giant invasions. The road has continued in this purpose, although it has declined in quality since the Sypi Civil War. Some are calling for it to be extended beyond the border with Valtkos Wingo, improving trade with the lands further north.

Founding Date

Sunscorch 16, 155

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Wofslar

Demonym

Confederate

Head of State

Quico Bienombe

Head of Government

Quico Bienombe

Government System

Tribalism

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Copper/Silver/Gold

Major Exports

Hides, meats

Major Imports

Mineral ores, luxury goods

Legislative Body

Council of Elders

Subsidiary Organizations

• Bienombe Tribe
• Charki Tribe
• Conino Tribe
• Cotaw Tribe
• Gibber Tribe
• House Hik
• House Parrish
• Jeftra Tribe
• Ke'Kaci Tribe
• Ke'Zani Tribe
• Liba Tribe
• Mikka Tribe
• Mineter Tribe
• Mor Tribe
• Nors Tribe
• Partan Tribe
• River Watch
• Saru Tribe
• Sypi Surveyor Guild
• Sypi Unitary Brigade
• Tracee Tribe
• Travite Tribe
• Twenter Tribe
• University of Wofslar
• Wicka Tribe

Official Languages

• Common

Controlled Territories

• Burrow
• Kanta
• Smitlaw

Neighboring Nations

• Alsona
• Bamard
• Forard
• Lewite Tribe
• Losana
• Shin Empire
• Valtkos Wingo

Related Ethnicities

• Bienombe
• Charki
• Conino
• Cotaw
• Dorszalman
• Gibber
• Jeftra
• Ke'kaci
• Ke'zani
• Liba
• Mineter
• Partan
• Saru
• Wicka