Kingdom of Saltis
The Kingdom of Saltis is a kingdom located in the eastern banks of Lake Kadia and centered around its capital, Saltis. Initially a principality under the Second Empire of Ader, after the empire's collapse it gained its sovereignty from the Kingdom of Ader following a grueling war of attrition.
Structure
The kingdom, while large in territory, is fairly rural and power revolves mostly around the capital, Saltis, where the informal triumverat of the King, Grand Prince and the Lord of War reside and manage the realm. The larger power structure of the kingdom is fairly consolidated with only three dukes controling the lands, each with no more than a handful of barons.
Culture
While most Saltisian families can trace their blood to Kaviri origins, their culture has shifted a great deal from their eastern forefathers towards the western Aderians, embracing many of their traditions and behaviors. The Kingdom of Saltis actively accelerated this shift, with most nobles completely denouncing their past faiths and behaviors in favor of Aderian ones. This caused the Saltisian War for Independence to be a tiresome war of attrition, as both sides were reluctant to engage in a total war against people with whom they shared many cultural similarities.
History
Saltis was first conceived as a principality after the The Kavirian War of 401 between the Kingdom of Kavir and the kingdoms of Ader and Navara, when it was created as a buffer state under the direct control of the empire.
While culturally Saltis was already very similar to the eastern Aderians of Ammand, tensions between the principality and the empire were very high during its early days; Saltisians were somewhat angered with their status as a buffer state, and denizens of the empire were heavily taxed to support the new kingdom.
By the end of the 5th century the principality was mostly self sufficient, eliminating the main cause for tensions between Ammand and Saltis. Despite the sincere friendship that rose between the two, the empire's effort to expand into the eastern frontier towards the middle of the 8th century came at the cost of lowering the security around the Red Hills and the Uraki Foothills. This redistribution of military effort left large parts of the principality vulnerable to orcish tribes and elven rebels.
The eruption of the Kaviri Civil War in 731 AB promptly lead to raids and incursions in Saltis by it's former ally to the east; after news of the Battle of Ammand arrived and it became painfully clear their requests for Aderian help will remain unanswered, the principality of Saltis declared its independence in 734. In a desperate attempt to prevent the complete dissolution of whatever remained of the empire, the Kingdom of Ader repudiated the declaration, leading to a lengthy war of attrition.
In 762, following the establishment of the Kadian Dominion, the politically experienced Raikor Bneurling sought to gain Saltis as a willing ally rather than a subdued one, predicting an escalation in the Taldirian War. He thus urged Isolda Artzmit, the Queen of Ader and now his mother-in-law, to recognize the Saltisian right for independence.
He proposed that the kingdoms of Ader and Navara will acknowledge Saltis's sovereignty as a kingdom over the Red Hills, Osvir Plains and the Uraki Foothills, while conditioning the proposal with Saltis's assistance in the event of the tensions escalating towards a full-blown war. The principality agreed, as it already had issues protecting its borders from pirates and Kaviri privateers who capitalized on the chaos and disarray of The Great Kadian Split; the Taldirian war became a total war two years later, in 766.
As the Taldirian war came to an end, the principality was officially recognized as an independent kingdom by the other neighboring non-Kadian nations, namely the Kingdom of Agy and the Corgomuran Free Cities. As the SFLK continued expanding east towards the free cities after conquering the entirety of the Kingdom of Kavir, adding the Kaviri Highlands to the kingdom of Saltis, a war erupted with the free cities.
Losing access to the Kaviri salt trade that fueled it in the past did not affect Saltis as drastically as one might think, as the nation quickly transitioned to mine the Red Hills for iron, which proved to be of the highest purity around Lake Kadia and is in almost constant demand. Though eventually the kingdom expended and took control of some of the salt mines, the Corgomuran Free Cities still controls most of them.
En Larmes de Sel, pour les Champs de Verdure.
(In Tears of Salt, for Fields of Green)
Founding
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Leader
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Comments