Lethennor
Located on the massive island of the same name, Lethennor is tied for power and prestige only with The Realm.
Lethennor is a deeply pious nation, drawing its piety back to the ancient Loxodon civilization of Yiron and later the Carlegnian Empire who once ruled all of Efannu. The Lethennese worship the Supreme Lord Sulanar and his angels. The Church of Sulanar is entwined with the monarchy to the point where many question with whom power truly lies.
Lethennor is ruled by an elective monarchy, whom draws their power from the various Knightly Orders of Lethennor. The Knightly Orders themselves are responsible for ruling vast regions of Lethennor and protecting their people.
Structure
Lethennor is ruled by a king or queen who makes the major political decisions of the kingdom. Technically below but more accurately beside them is the Church of Sulanar and the Chief Patriarch of the Church. While technically the Church has little to not say in the ruling of Lethennor the Church is such a huge part of the culture of Lethennor that any king or queen that displeases the church may find their reign cut very short.
Below the Monarch and Church are the Knightly Orders. The Knightly Orders directly control swaths of land and act more like feudal lords than anything else. These Knightly Orders elect a monarch from among their number during a Gathering of the Orders, who then rules until their death.
The Knightly Orders themselves vary wildly in terms of membership and quality. Having their origins in the foundations of modern Lethennor, these Knightly Orders are granted lands and titles from the Monarch of Lethennor. Some Knightly Orders are kind and compassionate rulers who take the safety and health of their subjects seriously. Meanwhile some Knightly Orders are more harsh and don't care for their charges beyond what food they grow (though this is frowned upon).
History
In the ancient times the Atkorian Empire had little influence on Lethennor, it maintained a few fortresses and outposts to nominally hold the land but did little when it came to direct governance. The small Human kingdoms and tribes of the Heartland worshiped The Mantle and paid tribute to the Empire in the form of grain and resources, making them more than happy. To the North in the Foothills the Atkorian's found more problems with the Loxodon civilization of Yiron, who worshipped their god Sulanar and resisted attempts at conquest or subjugation. Eventually after a few attempts the Atkorian's invaded the region in full force and effectively smashed the Loxodon civilization of Yiron to pieces. What few cities remained bowed to the Atkorians.
This story played out much the same in the Jungles of Savra, with the the Kryolan civilization of Tanah resisting outside rule. The only exception to this was the city of Rumah, which entered into vassalship with the Atkorians. The Atkorians used Rumah as a beachhead to destroy and dismantle the rest of Tanahish civilization, sparing only Rumah. Despite the destruction of their homes many Kryolans fled into the jungles and waged a never-ending guerrilla war against the Atkorians. This war would always prove to be a pain in the Atkorian's side, and later the Carlegnian's and even common day Lethennor. This is also where the split between the Kryolan of Rumah and the more tribal people of the jungle began and continues.
Lethennor in its modern conception has its origins in the fall of the Carlegnian Empire as Frant Carlegn built his Empire out of the city of Aakan that then spread from Lethennor (which he renamed to Carlé) to encompass nearly all of Efaanu.
As his descendants lost control of the Empire and it was wracked with more and more rebellion, the homeland of the Empire was no different. Calré had become a home of warriors and well-known lords in the Carlegnian Empire, and was overfilled with knights. As support for the Carlegn family faded more and more knights began to rebel, but as they were close to the Imperial Capital they were subject to quick repercussions. In response many knights would meet in secret orders and make plans behind closed doors. These small groups soon began to gather and overthrow their lords and rally the people against the Empire. The more powerful orders led regional rebellions that inspired smaller but still gathering knights to themselves create their own small orders and begin rebelling.
More and more of the land began to fall under the sway of these Knightly Orders until the Knight Commander Joban Irving gathered the Knightly Orders behind him, making the various rebellions become a full blown civil war. While this started the beginning of the end for the Empire the true death-knell was the Church of Sulanar siding with the upstart Irving and declaring thaa Sulanar had abandoned the Empire. In short order Joban Irving besieged and conquered Aakan.
Following the end of the Empire Irving was declared the king of the new nation, which he named Lethennor after its original name before it was renamed by Carlegn. Irving died leaving no spouse or children, as he never felt the need to have either, and no extended family as he had grown up an orphan. Due to this after Irving's death it was decided by the Church and the Knightly Orders that they would select one amongst their number to be their new King or Queen after the death of the previous ruler.
In modern times Lethennor has fought several wars with The Realm, mostly naval in nature. The two nations see each other as heretics in their respective state religions, and vie to unite Efaanu under their banners as the Atkorians and Carlegnians did.
Demography and Population
The population of Lethennor is mostly Humans, who once had kingdoms and tribes dotting the entire landscape. The nation is also the primary home of the Loxodon, the wise and venerable Elephant people of the Northern Foothills. While the Loxodon people have been reduced in number since the height of their civilization they are still a common sight around Lethennor. There are also the Kryolan of the Jungles of Suvra, while most stay in said jungles or their city of Rumah some do explore throughout the rest of Lethennor. Finally there are, as with anywhere else, tiny enclaves of Olark who mostly stick to themselves.
Territories
Lethennor is split between three main geographic regions. The flatter and central areas of the land are known as the Heartlands, and contain the majority of the nations cities and population.
The North and Northwest of the land, beyond the massive fresh water Yava Lake, are known as the Foothills. The Foothills are more sparsely populated and the region is the original home of the Loxodon race, whose original civilization was born amongst the high but fertile peaks of The Foothills.
Finally there is the eastern jungles of Savra (often just called "The Jungles"), a harsh region of heat and nearly endless rivers, including the Yavan river that flows out of Yava Lake. The region is home to the Kryolan, a lizard-like folk that are mostly hostile to outsiders and resist attempts to settle the region. The one exception to this is the city of Rumah, a vestige of ancient Kryolan civilization that is more accepting of outside people. Rumah technically pays homage to Lethennor by paying taxes to the king/queen, allowing outsiders, and voting in each king/queen election. But functionally Rumah is culturally and economically separate from the rest of Lethennor.
Military
With Knightly Orders being the primary governing body of much of the nation, this had led to Lethennor having some of the finest warriors and knights in the world. However, as there is no standardization amongst the nations Knightly Orders some Knightly Orders bring strictly marshaled and professional knights to battle, while some weaker or more lax knightly orders are less impressive and may even send their peasants to fight in their stead. This means that overall military strength is somewhat inconsistent.
Divine Origins
The Church of Sulanar and the following worship of the Supreme Lord has its origins in the ancient Loxodon Civilization of Yiron, where the religion originates. The religion suffered persecution under the Atkorian Empire due to the Loxodon not willing to accept Sulanar as a god under The Mantle, insisting that he was the one and only god.
Despite conquest and vassalization Sulanar was worshiped in secret for generations by the Loxodon, and eventually the faith began to spread despite the attempts of the Atkorians. Sulanar's message of peace, piety, and equality appealed to many.
After the Atkorian Empire fell the religion began to spread even faster throughout Lethennor, and when Frant Carlegn returned from Abhailmid and went about creating his Empire he adopted the worship as Sulanar as his official religion, causing it to spread throughout Efaanu.
The religion remained after the Carlegnian Empire fell, and is the official state religion of Lethennor.
Cosmological Views
The Teachings of Sulanar hold that Sulanar created the universe, and then he created his angels as one may children. After a time he furthered his creative efforts and created the world with the aid of his angels. He created the races of the world and is waiting for his beliefs to spread across the world, at which point he will accept all the people of the world as angels and begin his work on the next perfect world with the help of his old and new angels alike.
Ethics
Sulanar preaches peace and tolerance in the world. Good hard work, protecting the needy and suffering, and being a generally good person.
In Sulanar's Name
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Alternative Names
Land of Knights, The Knightly Kingdom, Sulana
Demonym
Lethennese
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Lethennese Crowns
Legislative Body
The Monarch makes widespread rules and laws for Lethennor, but by and large the Knightly Orders are left to rule their territories how they wish in the manner they wish.
Judicial Body
Local Knightly Orders will often enforce their laws and the Monarchs laws themsleves, often with mixed results.
Subsidiary Organizations
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