Estil

Estil is the smaller, monarchic remnant of the Estil of years past. The Separation of Eskijan almost forty years back left Estil in a rough economic state, and the subsequent passing of King Edric III two years after - and then King Edric IV fourteen years after that - left the country in shambles. The only child of King Edric IV became Queen Mathilda I, the first female ruler of the kingdom, before her fifth birthday, and a mix of years without a ruler along with a queen who grew up in the midst of the hardest decades the country had ever experienced led the country towards more of a semi-democratic oligarchy.
In the modern day, a council of nobles serves in an advisory and legislative role with the queen. Most nobility in modern-day Estil went through hardships along with the rest of the country (and its expansive noble families) and rose to leadership as a result of the respect they gained for their aid to the country in that time. Titles that might earn disdain from the lower class in other countries have reached a substantial level of respect as a result. A Duke or Duchess of Estil almost certainly slogged through the mud and provided for their subjects; those who didn't were often stripped of their titles or deposed by revolt. New noble families also emerged from the common people in this time, and the current Royal Council is composed of a mix of representatives from historical noble families as well as those who have earned their keep.
Still, dissatisfaction does remain in pockets within Estil. Some common folk regret the fact that southern Estil failed to become democratic along with Eskijan, and the few remaining ancestral and do-nothing noble families with some amount of influence on the council do little to assuage those regrets. In certain smaller towns, those nobles who'd be welcomed with open arms in most are apt to face rejection or even hostility. Additionally, a cultural clash between the old blood and the new currently plagues the nobility of Estil, with a slim majority who prefer to discard customs, manner, and tradition they see as antiquated in favor of pragmatism and straightforward conversation clashing with those who view court manner as of the utmost importance.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Hanstall

Alternative Names

The Wounded Kingdom