Dutchy of Lestra

The Dutchy of Lestra is the northwesternmost region of the Derathaini continent, currently locked in a reluctant war with its former parent state, the Kingdom of Derathain. Duke Lestra and the nobility of the Dutchy declared their home a soverign state after conflict arose between Duke Lestra and King Domelch Soward. Only the King, the Duke, and the inner circle of Lestran nobles truly know the cause of that conflict.
The people of Lestra stand by their Duke who claims he never wished to secede from the kingdom and prays to one day restore Lestra and Derathain to peace. They mostly do this thanks to the incredible brutality brought against the villages living on the Lestran border on the Derathaini side of the Grey Mountains. This conflict has resulted in a strong cultral divide between traditional Derathaini and the Lestrans.
As a rebellious state, Lestra's government is considered a criminal organization according to Derathaini law, but the fierce independence of their people and the the quiet support of the Axial Empire to the north has effectively put them in a position where they can disregard Derathaini law even if the Kingdom continues to refuse to acknowledge their soverignty.

Structure

Duke Lestra rules over the land with a council of nobles who act as both lesser lords and advisors to the Duke. Prior to open rebellion, it was this council that advised independence. Now with open conflict between the Dutchy and Kingdom, they've taken on more powerful roles and called up soldiers from each of their fiefdoms. Additionally, the Duke has called upon Axia for aid and support against Derathain. While Axia openly offers nothing more than a willingness to trade with Lestra, privately they've provided many resources to the rebellious Dutchy and many of the most skilled soldiers of Lestra are in truth Axial mercenaries. Despite the conflict, Lestra is still governed by Derathaini law and follows the traditional feudal government strucutre of the Kingdom of Derathain.

Culture

Lestra is in many respects just Derathain culturally, but with the benefit of having multiple ports that trade with Raivanni (mostly Axial) ships. While Holland is the busiest trade center, Port Arco as well as a number of minor ports do see regular trade. Lestra is not officially recognized by most Raivanni nations, but Axia continues to act as an ally and has helped their envoys gain audience in other courts across Raiven. It is Axia's hope that Lestra becomes truly independent and weakens Derathain's position in the area. This Axial influence has resulted in Lestra being a mixture of traditional Derathaini culture and adopted elements from Raivanni lands. Their clothing, music, and cuisine has all been altered even moreso than it had previously been as a port region now that its people have actively rejected the old Kingdom. Many Lestrans will actively drop Derathaini traditions in favor of new ways from the larger continent. There is even the first hints of a very concious linguistic shift toward somethig of a more creole language picking up traits of Axian speech and borrowed words.

Assets

Lestra is in an excellent position to act independently. It has excellent mineral resources from mining the Grey and Lost mountains, direct access to the only heavily wooded area on the entire continent (though these woods are hotly contested by Derathaini forces to the south), and though it lacks the vast farmlands of the rest of Derathain its soil is still quite fertile in the areas it has. All in all, it seems geographically inevitable that Lestra would've eventually sought independence. Anything they do not have ready access to in their own lands is easily obtained from Axial traders who are more than happy to have such a strong foothold on the continent.

Type

Geopolitical, Duchy

Demonym

Lestrans, Rebels

Leader

Duke Lestra