Kingdom of Newia

The Kingdom of Newia is a nation on Weston that occupies most of the southern region of that continent. Thanks to a moderate climate and fertile soils, it is one of the more populated and developed regions in Weston, although some areas, notably the Frosthill Mountainsin the north of the country, and the Porcom Marsh are still dangerous regions. Newia is also the location of the semi-autonomous Loutiers Province, the only halfling majority area in the world.
The capital, Guilbury, is a relatively new city, built by a previous monarch to be the seat of power and is considered to have some of the best architecture in the human world. The largest city in Newia and the old capital, Orsin, is one of the largest and important ports on Weston.

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Structure

The Kingdom of Newia is traditionally a feudal monarchy, with the Monarch of Newia being in place due to inheritance of the title and the lands that accompany it; in this case the entirety of the lands of Newia. The Monarch then grants portions of land (termed 'Counties') and a title ('Count') to their vassals; they have the right to gather income and manage their lands, and in exchange they offer a portion of that income, and their fealty, to the Monarch. Counts are also obliged to attend Councils when summoned by the Monarch, typically so the Monarch can request more money (usually for military action), or to ask for advice with regards particularly problematic matters of state. Count titles are typically hereditary, although the succession must be approved by the Monarch, and is not always guaranteed.
In turn, Counts parcel out their land to their own vassals, 'Knight of the Shire'; these vassals oversee much of the day-to-day management of the lands, such as land allocation for farming, tax collection, levying soldiers and offering security from criminals or wandering monsters. Knights of the Shire offer fealty to their Count in exchange for the right to retain some of the collected taxes and apply the rule of law as they see fit. Like Counts, the position is hereditary and subject to approval by the local Count .
Other titles existed, but were considered land-less titles. They held a place in the structure, usually between Counts and Knight of the Shire, and held lordship over those under them and had the authority to levy troops, but could not gather taxes, so this was an expensive process. The order of ranking was as such:

• King/Queen - ruler of all Newia and, by definition, owner of the lands
• Duke/Duchess - usually reserved for children of the monarch, but occasionally important military figures
• Count/Countess- rulers of the six counties
• Viscount/Viscountess - landless title often given to non-military positions of authority
• Baron/Baroness - landless title often given to military positions under Counts
• Knight of the Shire - rulers of parcels of lands granted by the local Count
• Sheriff - Positions of local authority without land holdings but above freemen

Underpinning all of this are the peasantry, who are of two types; villeins and freemen. Villeins did not own the land upon which they earned their living and the vast majority were farmers and craftsmen who relied upon the local lord to provide the resources for them to make a living. They were allowed to retain whatever of their produce was left after the obligatory taxes taken by their liege lord; in theory, a productive villein could save up and buy the land on which they worked, but in practice, local tax collection was not set at a fixed amount, but rather a proportion of what was produced, keeping villeins in subsistence levels of income. Most farmers did not farm a single plot of land, but rather were considered a community resource, and were allocated wherever there was need; their income was doled out from the community and often depended on proper obedience being displayed. Freemen did own the land upon which they worked, and whilst some were farmers, most were craftspeople such as smiths, tanners and weavers. Taxes levied on them were more fixed rate, and some can grow to be quite wealthy. Most positions of importance within a noble household were held by either freemen or, if the position was particularly important (such as in the royal household), a freeman may be granted an honorary epithet of 'Sir' or 'Madam'.
Some types of people sat aside from the normal structures, most notably those who worked for a religious organisation such as clerics and paladins, and those who took up with a school of the arts, such as magic users and bards. Whilst typically without a title (although some did have one), they were able to own land and keep their earnings; although were technically obligated to pay a tax if so requested. Most traders and other wandering professions were title-less, although were obliged to pay a tax on their earnings if so decreed, although quite a few of the wealthy manage to buy a title (usually of Viscount or Baron) to match their wealth.
Exceptions did exist, and it was not uncommon for high ranking nobles to grant titles to whomever they wished, usually for services rendered. The only rules strictly adhered to was that there was only one monarch, and only six Counts.

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History

When the Kingdom of Orbach rose from the ashes of the Orsinta Dominion, it originally claimed all the lands previously held by the Dominion, but quickly realised that holding such territory was harder than it first appeared. The region that would become Newia was, at first, relieved to out from under the yoke of the oppressive Dominion, but a number of factions arose who demanded independence from any outside influences; the mixed Duland and Schwarz leadership of Orbach was touted as being more concerned with affairs to the east, and appeasing the elves and dwarves, than properly ruling the lands of the Duland. Ironically, it was those who claimed Orbach was not doing enough to spread influence eastward that would lead to the formation of the Tredonia.
The various factions campaigned for several decades, some violently, but without much success, until the point when the slow coalescence of the factions into one unified opposition suddenly meant that those striving for autonomy from Orbach now had much more power than they realised. The final key to the movement was the admission that the halflings, which until then had been a scattered people, should be granted their own lands. This brought a large movement of the halflings into the region and added their considerable skills to the cause.
History of Newia

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Demography and Population

The majority of the population in Newia are Duland humans, with a significant Halfling minority concentrated in their autonomous province of Loutiers. Other substantial minority groups include Schwarz, dwarves, half-elves and tieflings.

Group	Number
Duland	436,733
Halfling(both types)	160,135
Schwarz	58,231
Hill Dwarf	29,116
Half-elf	21,837
Tieflings	8,007
Half-orc	5,095
Durinn	2,184
Others	6,551

Other humans, dwarves and halflings are not treated much different to the Duland majority. Half-elves are well accepted, but face a small amount mistrust, as their ultimate allegiance is always suspected by those who know no better. Dragonborn are generally always feared, especially in rural areas where they are not seen much, but given a reasonable amount of respect. Elves get a lot of awe, but also a lot of mistrust, mainly due to their place in Duland mythology as once-rulers of the lands. Tieflings are discriminated against widely, with many businesses refusing to serve them because of their infernal taint, but their small communities are tolerated, so long as they stay in their place. Half-orcs face the greatest persecution, with many towns refusing to allow them entry without good reason and someone to take responsibility for their actions; the few half-orc communities that exist are isolated and forced to move often when local find out where they are.

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Territories

The Kingdom of Newia stretches across the southern coast of the continent of Weston, from the mouth of the Cudley River to Serceau Point, the most westerly point of Weston. It is predominantly deciduous forest, shifting to temperate rainforests along the very edge of the coast, with taiga forests in the higher altitudes of the Frosthill Mountains which typically rise to over 3500 meters, with a few even surpassing 5000 meters. The only exception to the forests (aside from where they have been extensively cleared for agriculture) is the open grassland of the Holton Basin, a small plateau just south of the Frosthills.
The longest river is the Holton River, at 359 kilometres in length, but there are a dozen or so other rivers of importance, flowing down from the Frosthils to the ocean.

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Religion

Religion plays an important, but not overwhelming part of Newian society. Most citizens pay a socially respectable amount of piety towards the gods, with appropriate devotion given at the right times; harvest, funerals, important social events, etc. Most settlements have at the very least a shrine, and most have a temple, although the majority are ecumenical in nature and served by whatever priests and clerics are available. In the larger settlements like Cleoroughes and Holtonbridge, there are dedicated temples to the more major gods and Orsin can boast several dozen temples, all devoted to a single god.
As with a lot of Duland nations, Tyr, Torm, Selûne and Helm are the main gods, with direct worship of Asmodeus discouraged, but not banned outright. Worship of Bhaal, Bane and Talos is banned, although supplications to Talos are still relatively common in areas with large numbers of sailors, desiring good weather.

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Foreign Relations

The Kingdom of Newia has generally good relations with the Kingdom of Orbach on its eastern border, although this has not always been the case and the region of Newia that borders Orbach is not a county, but called the Orbach March and is traditionally ruled by the Duke of Dalton, the Newian Monarch's eldest child. It has a low population density and many fortified towers and castles, harkening back to older days when Newia's independence was decided by the sword, and not diplomacy. Trade between the two nation is now their most important asset, and Orbach long gave up its claims to the land that is now Newia.
To the northwest is the Principality of Redking, and whilst the two nations have rarely been to war, minor skirmishes over the exact border line west of the Frosthill Mountains are common, and the two nations maintain a mistrustful, yet cordial nature, blaming the occasional fight on over-eager vassals. The two nations have far more in common over the persistent threat of monsters and other unusual occurrences in the Frosthills between them that they do grievances, and both acknowledge that open hostilities would only encourage incursions from opportunistic goblin bands or the like.
Relations with the rest of Weston is generally friendly, it is a vocal supporter of Uyagh in the open, mainly to keep its surrounding nations (that includes Redking) wary of a formal alliance, but privately, there is little love for the Schwarz dominated nation. Many in Newia see Uyagh's rising industrial might as a threat to Duland ascendancy in Weston. Newia maintains good relations with Tredonia, relying on its trade routes and ships to not only keep up the commerce, but also as a source of information about the outside world. Newia has only a small navy, and few trading vessels, so friendship with Tredonia is considered vital.
Further afield, Newia cares little and knows less. It is aware of the presence of an old, powerful yet isolationist Elven empire in the south, and maintains an embassy in the only city where such a thing is allowed, mainly for appearances sake. It is also aware of the rise of the orcish Despotate of Ash, but considers it a distant threat, too far away to be anything of concern. It is openly supportive of the Principality of Sran, in that Duland nations deserve support against the elven nations, but provides little but diplomatic encouragement; Sran is far too distant to offer anything else.
Beyond that, academics may have maps and names to go with them, but little else needs to be known.

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Maps

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  The Kingdom of Newia

Founding Date

450 before present

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

Guilbury

Alternative Names

Newia

Demonym

Newian

Leader Title

Monarch of Newia

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Traditional

Official State Religion

The Dawn War Pantheon

Location

Weston

Controlled Territories

• Guilbury
• Holton Basin
• Makewent
• Porcom Marsh

Neighboring Nations

• Kingdom of Orbach
• Principality of Redking

Notable Members

• Aefic of Makewent
• Hringwynn the Builder

Related Ethnicities

• Duland