Yangjuguk
Yangjuguk is a large nation in the north of Fennengath. It is north of Erinia , west of Hasbachland, northeast of Tigue and east of Yeon.
The capital city of Wondo is the largest city on the continent. Wondo is so physically large that it's counted by the Yangjugukin government as a province. It sits along the short but deep Jikjo river, north of where the two longest rivers in the nation, the Bidan and the Yangmo, meet. While Wondo is huge, it is the only true city in Yangjuguk. The biggest towns sprinkled throughout the other provinces rarely have more than 3,000 people. Most settlements in Yangjuguk are small villages and hamlets, though there are many market towns along the roads near the borders. There are also several nomadic tribes and caravans that travel across the sprawling countryside.
Demographics
Dwarf: 6%
Elf: 4%
Gnome: 9%
Halfling: 17%
Human: 40%
Mixed Race: 19%
Remaining 5%: Other Races
There are remote or nomadic Aarakocra, Centaur, Firbolg, Goliath, and Orc populations spread throughout the kingdom. Dragonborn and Tieflings aren't an uncommon sight in Wondo or market towns. There are also sparse Satyr populations found throughout the provincial villages. Other races exist Yangjuguk, but are far less common.
Government
Yangjuguk's government is a Mercantile Monarchy. The monarch chooses their own council from members of the wealthy merchant class. The merchant class has the most power within the country and nobility is based more on wealth than heritage. "New money" is not looked down upon, though "old money" has historically been preferred by the royals.
The monarch's council decides which potential heir will take the throne after the death of the monarch, though most past kings and queens have made their preferences known before their deaths. Most of Yangjuguk's past monarchs have preferred their firstborn child. However, the heir must be at least 30 years old before they may be coronated, and many are much older. If the preferred heir is too young, the council may rule as a temporary oligarchy, with the heir serving as an equal council member until they come of age. If the heir is a child, a guardian serves on the council alongside the heir.
The current monarch, King Dokgo II, is the second monarch of the Dokgo Dynasty, having taken the throne after his father, Dokgo I died. The Dokgo Dynasty took power through the influence of several strategic marriages when the last king of the previous dynasty (Namgung VII) died of a sudden illness with no children or siblings to name his heir. Many of Namgung VII's council members were Dokgo I's in-laws.
While most Yangjugukin people use both their given and family names freely, it is seen as bad luck in Yangjuguk to speak the monarch's given name aloud in public, and so they are all referred to simply by King or Queen, the family name of their dynasty, and their number in the dynastic line. Heirs to the throne use their given names publically until their coronation. After that point, any given or false name is only used in private.
Industry & Trade
Yangjuguk's lands contain many streams and rivers that wind around its pastures and rolling hills. These waterways make the transportation of goods to and from the coast very easy. They also assist in irrigation.
The majority of the continent relies on Yangjuguk's grain crops. These are sent to other countries over roadways and shipping lanes, feeding all of Fennengath. Maize, oats, rice, wheat, and other grains grow well in different regions of the kingdom. The plentiful grasslands and temperate climate also make raising herd livestock relatively easy in Yangjuguk as compared to the other nations of Fennengath.
Because of this majority agrarian society, the kingdom's key exports are food, alcohol, and raw textile materials.
Districts
Yangjuguk has seven provinces:
- Wondo - Northern, where the the Jikjo River meets Goray Bay.
- Beyora - Southwestern, where Yeon, Tigue, and Yangjuguk meet.
History
During the First Age of Fennengath, Yangjuguk and Yeon were both founded by peoples from the same distant lands. They allied with each other and Tigue during every war of the First Age, and have maintained strong ties with both. Throughout the Second Age, however, Yeon became more and more closed off while Yangjuguk remained open. Now that talk of Yeon lifting some restrictions on its port and borders has begun, many in Yangjuguk are pushing to rekindle the relationship between the two countries. Historically, many Yeonese and Tiguish nobles have married into the merchant class in Yangjuguk.
Yangjuguk has remained a mostly pacifist nation since the beginning of the Second Age, though they still defend themselves when attacked. The nation is welcoming to those who have left their own homelands, so long as they do not upset the balance within Yangjugukin society. Because of this, it is not uncommon to see people of many various or mixed ethnic and racial backgrounds in Wondo or even remote farming villages in provincial Yangjuguk.
Points of interest
Wondo is the capital city of Yangjuguk. At over 25,000 people, it is the largest city on the continent.
Yong'guram University in Wondo is the only university in Yangjuguk. One of the easiest universities to get into, hopeful students from across the continent travel to Wondo to study, sometimes after having done poorly on the entrance exams of the other schools. This does not mean that students of Yong'guram University are unaccomplished or poor studies, however. King Dokgo II spent his youth studying in The Grotto and his daughter, Princess ByeolJji, is a current student.
Geography
Much of Yangjuguk is rolling plains and grasslands, well suited for heard livestock. The landscape is dotted with small forests and large farms, and woven through with dozens of streams and rivers that make irrigation, travel, and trade relatively easy.
The largest river system in the country is the Jikjo river, the combination of the Yangmo River and Bidan River. These two rivers connect most of western and northern Yangjuguk with the capital city of Wondo.
There are mountains along many of the country's borders, but they are generally sparse, with wide open valleys between them.
Founding Date
The Tempest
Type
National Territory
Population
Approximately 3,000,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Yangjugukin
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
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