Kingdom of Osland
An Osland Dreadnought sails into port to resupply and rearm.
The Kingdom of Osland belongs to the humans that inhabit its rolling plains, lush forests and green coast. Known as one of the safest realms in all of Rheiknor, next to Kevelon. It consists of a variety of trade and resources. The kingdom possesses one of the largest standing fleets out of all other nations. Its strength is trade and commerce. Thanks to the buffer that the Zlaatan Jungles provide, Amber Bay remains a safe body of water for the Osland ships to traverse and trade within.
Structure
The realm of Osland is ruled by a king and it follows a feudal Monarchy system of government. The current king is King Faelon Amelheim. The capital, Voreth, is ruled directly by the king who owns the fief as well. The remaining fiefs are ruled by Lords who oversee their domain but swear fealty to the king. They pay taxes to the crown but may raise their own levies and soldiers, however if the king requests their forces, they must submit.
Culture
An Oslan merchant disembarks his trade sloop, ready to see what kind of profit his latest run will bring.
The people of Osland value gold above all else. It is a sign of prosperity and success. They believe gold can solve almost any problem. Their ships bring great wealth from town to town, exchanging goods and resources to innovate further or turn a quick profit. They are one of the only nations with a functioning merchant navy and a vast number of privately held vessels, ready to ship large quantities of goods across the bay. Because of this wealth, Oslans have grown accustomed to spending gold like its nothing. Their patron god is Waukeen for her love of trade and wealth. Oslans are haughty by nature due to being sheltered by the horrors of the Rim and its many dangers. They feel a sense of superiority from their great success. Other kingdoms struggle for survival while they bask in their wealth and profit from moving these desperate nation's essential goods across their waters.
Assets
An Oslan port with busy but typical traffic.
The kingdom's greatest asset is its navy. Part merchant, part military. Their navy is the largest in Rheiknor and allows them to keep their ships protected from threats abroad. Their geographic location is their even greatest asset. The kingdom is situated along the entire western coast of Rheiknor and pits them between multiple nations. These nations seek trade with one another but many if not all of them can only move material by land which grows expensive across greater distances. Oslan merchant vessels however can cut the time of shipment of goods in half by sailing through the Amber Bay. Additionally, the Aeshari can move goods quickest by simply sailing to Havenport and trading goods there, rather than make the long and dangerous trek across The Shaedrem Desert. This puts Osland into the most economically strategic positions in all of Rheiknor.
Military
An Oslan Marine stands at the ready, curved blade in hand.
The Oslan navy is the strongest component of their military. The navy is under the direct control of the king although some lords do possess their own but smaller fleet. The navy trains regularly and frequently ventures out beyond Amber Bay into the Sulfur Sea on expeditions. They also are the only authorized vessels to make resupply runs to Hellfort. Their main point of conflict comes from the pirates of Periah's Port. They frequently raid and harass merchant vessels for their treasure when the navy is tied up elsewhere. Despite this, the Oslan Navy is swift and deadly thanks to the import of cannons and gunpowder from the Dhandoruhl Technate. Their ships come in varying sizes from a simple Oslan Sloop to a massive Oslan Dreadnaught. By far their most elite military unit is the Oslan Marines. While most of the Oslan military has not seen combat nor know the dangers of the Rim, the Marines do. They, along with the navy, have been on the most harrowing expeditions and seen all sorts of living nightmares and monsters. They are battle hardened and veterans of danger. Whenever Osland is in need of killing, the Marines are the first to be called upon for battle. While the navy and Marines are the best of the best, the rest of the Oslan Military suffers. They lack strong cavalry. Only the wealthiest of individuals will ever be seen with an armored horse. Cavalry does not transport well across sea and there is little terrain across Osland that suits the use of cavalry. Usually only one formation of heavily armored cavalry will be seen on a battlefield when Osland is on the field. They do possess a sizeable infantry brigade but they are all green if not barely trained. Osland trains them to the bare minimum and sets them off on the Gold Road to secure their carts and wagons from bandits. This has in turn, created a problem where the infantry take advantage of beset merchants and extort travelers for "toll" money. Should a Oslan infantryman save you from bandits, you will have an entirely new problem on your hands. A saying has erupted from this unfortune, "When traveling the Gold Road, always carry an extra purse." This extortion isn't rampant across the entire kingdom fortunately. It entirely depends upon whom's fiefdom you are traveling through. Some lords crack the whip on their soldiers for interfering with the flow of trade while others see it as just another tax they take from their soldiers if caught with extra pocket change. This behavior leads soldiers to extort travelers even further to make up for lost coin their sergeant discovered and took as a personal tax. Due to the position of Osland, their soldiers rarely see combat. The Zlaatan Jungles buffer most incursions from the Rim and their neighbors to the north and south are friendly with the Centrem Mountains protecting their east. It is only the Marines who see combat regurlary and are dispatched to deal with monsters. And if the Marines aren't able to deal with a monster, lords frequently hire adventurers or monster hunting guilds to deal with it instead. Its more expensive to lose a soldier, but cheap to lose some adventurer. There are always more adventurers.
Infrastructure
An Oslan War Frigate patrols the coast on the lookout for dangers above and below.
The Gold Road runs all of the Oslan coast and is the major highway of Rheiknor for trade, if it isn't sent by boat. The road is well maintained and guarded by simple patrols, not that there is much danger along it other than simple bandits. The other major highway of Osland is its sea lanes that run through Amber Bay. Their ships expedite any transport of goods no matter the size for a hefty cost to foreigners.
"There is no price an Oslan can't pay."
Maps
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Rheiknor
The world of Rheiknor
Founding Date
600 PC
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Alternative Names
Osland
Training Level
Semi-professional
Veterancy Level
Trained
Demonym
Oslan
Leader
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Subsidiary Organizations
Neighboring Nations
Military Alliance
The twin kingdoms have grown to support each other by combining their strengths to stem the tide of evil from the Rim. In addition to their alliance, they also have a Trade Agreement and a semi-open border policy.
Trade Agreement
While the history betwen the two is long and wrought with transgression, they can both agree on the necessity of trade.
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