Goldenwood
Goldenwood is a dense forest home of gnomes, scattered elves, an occasional firbolg, and other fae races. It has a wide range of plant and animal life and is touched by the Faelands. It is widely considered to have some of the most beautiful seasonal vistas, especially in autumn. The Fae court is the most influential mythological faction in the Goldenwood.
Goldenwood has a very complex representative parliamentary government. Each cluster of gnomes and fae race has a representative or two go into the halls of Noen to argue their points and ambitions for hours on end. The debate is almost endless, but that seems to be how they like it. Òrdha are generally a laid-back and easy going people outside of debate halls and host a wild amount of festivals and celebrations.
Goldenwood’s government is managed by ministries of specialist groups, each one labeled by a color or material. For example, the Black Ministry is the collection of mages and arcanists that determine the magical direction of the country. Mithril Ministry is the artificer and merchant union who has roaming caravans.
Goldenwood’s culture, ultimately, can feel alien to the rest of Hillit. The citizenry uses a liberal amount of magic for mundane and seemingly trivial tasks, but large and complex rituals and artifice are rare. The actual artifice rarely uses the quintessence crystal artifice propagated by Irita and other major players in the field. Instead, they favor sacred wood enchantments. They export many plants, herbs, and botanical goods to other civilizations. Òrdha tend to wear draping robes of green and gold.
Demography and Population
The Goldenwood is primarily a fae state with a history tied to the Fae court and rebelling against it. Most of the population are fae races, such as gnomes. There are approximately 1,380,000 citizens in the Goldenwood.
Territories
The Goldenwood nation is the entirety of the actual Goldenwood forest. The gnomes have been living in the forest for as long as history has been recorded. There have been various fae sentients who immigrated to the Goldenwood to avoid the Fae court politics.
The magic of the Goldenwood has changed the nature of the trees -- most seem locked in an autumnal season with amber, crimson, and golden leaves.
There are beautiful caves full of crystals underneath the Goldenwood. This is usually where some gnomes, like the deep gnomes, live.
The Goldenwood is approximately 4.48 × 1011 fl2 (44,700 km2).
Military
The Goldenwood's military is run by the Bronze Ministry. Small bands of gnomes, occasionally with a firbolg or an elf, use guerilla tactics to defend their borders from bandits, Isokan raiding parties, or defilers. They use illusions, enchantments, and other clever applications of magic to confuse their foes and disrupt unit cohesion. Enchantment magic is frowned upon in this usage by most of the United Halla Alliance, but the Goldenwood insists it is only done against enemies of the state and criminals.
Technological Level
The Goldenwood is in a strange spot in its technological development. The gnomes in the Goldenwood are infamous for creating magnificent, but small, mechanical wonders. Clockwork toys, efficient mills, and beautiful aquaduct networks are common in the Goldenwood. However, they do not have large-scale artifice or magical features in their society like other United Halla Alliance nations might. Water is drawn mechanically from the ground, craftsmen use mundane tools and methods, and farmers do not rely on nature blessings to enrich the soil. Advances in magic, engineering, and technology are designed to add small motes of luxury to life rather than raise the base level of quality.
Religion
The Goldenwood has a contentious relationship with the Fae court, which they both rebelled against and respect. There is also a reverence for the Spirit pantheon, Celestial pantheon (especially Aalun and Corserei), and the Cyclical pantheon.
Foreign Relations
The Goldenwood has tension with Llolani, the other primarly fae nation. Unlike Llolani, the Goldenwood is largely divorced from the politics of the Fae court.
The Goldenwood's eastern border is shared with Isoka, whom they have had historical troubles with. Isoka is a far more materialistic and militaristic nation than the Goldenwood is, but the Goldenwood has stronger magical traditions. The forest of the Goldenwood is also growing east, which encroaches on Isokan territory. Old treaties declare the forest boundary as the national boundary, so Isoka is taking the growth as a very slow invasion.
The Goldenwood is allied with Dakurakol, which has surface settlements near their border.
Agriculture & Industry
The majority of the Goldenwood's citizenry are vegetarian, so occasional farms and prominent foraging industries maintain the food needs of the Goldenwood. It helps that gnomes, due to their size, do not consume a large amount of food.
The animal husbandry industry produces great goat cheeses, hides, and furs.
The Goldenwood is the primary supplier of sacred tree wood in the United Halla Alliance market. The gnome foresters are experts on ethically and conscientiously collecting the wood from sacred tree groves. The sacred wood artifice is amongst the best in the alliance. They make the highest quality wand blanks, enchanted timber on ships, and staves. In addition, the woodworking of the Goldenwood is considered some of the most beautiful.
Trade & Transport
The Goldenwood has stone-paved roads connecting the settlements, communities, and cities across the forest. These roads are patrolled by the Amber Ministry, who guards and protects travelers as well as maintains the infrastructure for the local postal network. Settlements have enchanted carved obelisks of wood to help repel predator animals and encourage healthy communities. The efficacy of these totemic obelisks is up for debate, but they are a well loved tradition and the obelisk guardians receive honor and respect from the local populations.
Education
The Goldenwood fully utilizes the Stoa education model for its young citizens. When they reach adulthood, they can study in one of the Universitate campuses, or they can apprentice in a trade sponsored by a ministry.
Ministry apprentiships are varied, depending on which ministry it is. The major ministries are
- Black Ministry. The Black Ministry is the order of arcanists and magical specialists. The majority of the ministry are deep gnome.
- Bronze Ministry. The Bronze Ministry is the primary land military. They manage security on the borders and in the homeland.
- Mithril Ministry. The Mithril Ministry is the merchantile ministry of sacred wood artifice and craft.
- Jade Ministry. The Jade Ministry is the merchantile ministry of pretty much anything that isn't sacred wood.
- Sanguine Ministry. The Sanguine Ministry is the justice ministry and maintains order in the forest.
- Amber Ministry. The Amber Ministry is the travel and road infrastructure ministry. They maintain the roads and patrol them to keep travelers safe.
- Azure Ministry. The Azure Ministry is the fishery and aquatic horticulture ministry. They manage the fisheries on the coast.
- Cerulean Ministry. The Cerulean Ministry is the primary naval military. They manage the coastal security.
- Lapis Ministry. The Lapis Ministry is the import/export bureaucracy. They control the safe flow of product into and out of the Goldenwood, keeping an eye on anything that might disrupt the ecology.
- Emerald Ministry. The Emerald Ministry is the forestry industry. They tend to groves of trees, sacred and otherwise. They also manage the ethical harvest of sacred wood.
- Glass Ministry. The Glass Ministry is the center of the arts. Music, dance, epics, literature, statues, and more are part of the Glass Ministry.
- Ruby Ministry. The Ruby Ministry is the historian and scholar order. They manage the histories, bookkeeping, and logistics of the Goldenwood.
- Vert Ministry. The Vert Ministry is the guild of craftsmen, potters, woodworkers, and tinkerers.
- Murrey Ministry. The Murrey Ministry is the union of laborers, builders, and workers.
- Silver Ministry. The Silver Ministry is the collection of bankers and loan mongers.
- Purpurite Minsitry. The Purpurite Ministry is the order of priests and spiritual leaders, most of whom are devoted to the Celestial pantheon.
- Gules Ministry. The Gules Ministry is the order of medica and healers.
- Vermilion Ministry. The Vermilion Ministry is the union of farmers, horticulturists, animal husbandry experts, and herbalists.
- Ivory Ministry. The Ivory Ministry is the postal and shipping union. They manage communication, letters, and packages across the Goldenwood.
Infrastructure
The Goldenwood has scattered, small farms and communities connected by paved and patrolled (maintained by the Amber Ministry) roads. Major settlements, towns, and cities have sewer systems, aquaducts drawing water from large springs, and communal parks. The Ivory Ministry maintains a fantastically efficient postal system of using trained birds as messengers, speedy carriages, or runners. Minor ministries maintain things like the water system, sewage system, and city planning. The Gules Ministry maintains the health and wellbeing of its people.
Settlements are guarded by carved wooden obelists that are said to repel danger, disease, and hostile animals.
Type
Governmental, Senate/Parliament
Capital
Alternative Names
Òrdhom
Demonym
Òrdha (ord-hea)
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Goldenwood follows the Standard Currency model.
Major Exports
The Goldenwood is the leading supplier of sacred tree wood and its related artifice. Wands, rods, staves, and even enchanted timber for ships will usually come from the Goldenwood. Irita and Dakurakol are prominent purchasers of the Goldenwood sacred tree product.
In addition, the Goldenwood exports pets domesticated from the forest, ranging from the popular golden thrush songbird to various dog and cat species.
Major Imports
The Goldenwood imports metalwork, fabric, and luxury goods from other United Halla Alliance nations. The citizens of the Goldenwood love comforts and pleasures.
Legislative Body
Goldenwood has a robust senate and parliament that decides all major matters of its people. Each ministry has at least one representative. Many have more, depending on how many registered living members they have.
Judicial Body
The Sanguine Ministry rules over matters of law and order. There is a minor Arbiter's Outpost presence, mostly to deal with outsiders and help judicial matters for noncitizens.
Parent Organization
Location
Comments