The Seven Kingdoms

Location

The Seven Kingdoms are located in northern Erema, and occupies the entire West coast.

Description

The Seven Kingdoms are seven separate city states (and their surrounding areas), each with their own laws and government. Each state is led by a single royal family, which has a close connection to a single dragon ally (and predecessor). The seven kingdom-states are Badi Xuande, Dekuno, Jiākéng, Liāntang, Quinshēn, Toshan, and Yangdi.

History

Initially, nine small countries took up the majority of northern Erema, periodically warring and feuding. The “First Emperor” began attempting to unify the diverse people, and was met with expected resistance. One of the countries was invaded and largely destroyed in the ensuing conflict. Ultimately, the eight remaining nations accepted the burgeoning empire.

When the Great Empire dissolved, the old factions began to reemerge, and warring began again. After 30 years of infighting, warring, and civil strife, eight royal families emerged. Each family was allied with a great dragon, and were therefore able to quell rebellions. In time, a tentative peace fell as each country was forced to acknowledge that invading another would be disastrous. This alliance was further solidified by the ongoing concern of raids from the newly reorganized orc tribes to the South.

In 102 BEU, the royal families of Quinshēn and Mikstra were joined by a political marriage, drawing Mikstra into Quinshēn and creating a powerful union in the center of the Seven Kingdoms. Now, the seven rulers have a joint council that convenes twice per year, which helps to negotiate trade between the seven kingdoms, and ensures conflicts never become military.

The Seven Kingdoms have an additional layer of protection against conflict, in the form of their draconic predecessors. Each country has a single great wyrm ally, and all the royal families can trace their lineage back to their dragon. The dragons serve as a significant deterrent against would-be invaders, and they also prevent succession wars: whenever a king (or queen) passes without a clear heir, the patron dragon determines which of the royal family is crowned next. These extra security measures have ensured relative peace in the Seven Kingdoms for centuries.

The Seven

Badi Xuande

“Wherever trade flows freely, prosperity comes to all.”

Ruling Family: Shu Han

Associated Dragon: Aghur’shu, the Typhoon (imperial, sea)

Badi Xuande is often described as a cultural melting pot, a beacon of trade and wealth. As a coastal kingdom, much of their wealth comes through trade, and the docks of (capital city) are always bustling, day and night.

The rulership of Badi Xuande leans more towards vastly wealthy merchant princes, who often hold as much power as the nobility. Their actual king, however, is enormously wealthy, and is said to sleep on a hoard of gold like his draconic forebears.

Politically, Badi Xuande is home to a constant struggle for control between the nobility and the up-and-coming nouveau riche merchants. Badi Xuande is often made out to be a place of equality where anyone can succeed if they try, and that is mostly true. Yet somehow the Lords' Council (who are made up of actual nobility and highly successful merchants) is almost entirely human, many of whom are native to the country.

Dekuno

“Everyone is equal before heaven.”

Ruling Family: Mozun

Associated Dragon: Jade Scale (imperial, forest)

Dekuno is a place of equality before anything else. The accepted philosophies were laid down by Moh'zira-nassan, the ancestor of Jade Scale. Per Moh'zira's writings, everyone is equal before heaven. She believed that the achievement of social goals (as opposed to personal goals) necessitated the unity of thought and action. She promoted a philosophy of impartial caring: a person should care equally for all other individuals, regardless of their actual relationship to that person.

Moh'zira believed that a country's wealth should be measured based on how many citizens have sufficient provision, rather than on how much money the elites have. Culturally, the people of Dekuno are frugal and often see the excessive celebrations of countries such as Badi Xuande as wasteful.

As a strict meritocracy, incapable administrators in Dekuno are demoted, regardless of their relations to any rulers. Similarly, those who are capable should be uplifted, no matter their lineage.

Jiākéng

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”

Ruling Family: Mali'xian

Associated Dragon: Tythenor Goldenclaw (imperial, sovereign)

Jiākéng doesn't have the strongest armies, the oldest dragon, or the widest access to natural resources. Yet, somehow, Jiākéng is one of the most wealthy and successful of the Seven Kingdoms. They have the most alliances, the most trade deals, and they are involved as mediators in every international negotiation in the surrounding area.

The government of Jiākéng, above all, utilizes diplomacy to succeed. Alliances, debates, negotiations, bribes, and threats keep them out of wars and keep their coffers full. Their nobility has insinuated itself into the courts of the other kingdoms, and practices what might be referred to as "aggressive diplomacy". They are highly focused on practical matters, rather than moral principles.

The citizenry of Jiākéng have a reputation for being conniving or greedy, and their merchants shrewd penny-pinchers. The truth is that while many in Jiākéng learn and practice the art of diplomacy and negotiation, they don't tend to be any more selfish or cruel than anyone else.

Liāntang

“Above all, the six heavenly virtues: benevolence, justice, knowledge, integrity, modesty, sacrifice.”

Ruling Clan: Za-Illang

Associated Dragon: Zylucious III (imperial, sky)

The great wyrm Zylucious I once wrote that a king must be virtuous to rule the state properly. This grand ideal has been a part of Liāntang's ethos since its founding. Liāntian scholars and philosophers determined there are six virtues that all should aspire to: benevolence (humanity), justice (righteousness), knowledge, integrity, modesty, and sacrifice.

Zylucious and Liāntang's human founders believed that human nature is inherently selfish, and that the best thing one can ever hope to do is to morally improve themselves. The ruling family, the Za-Illangs, embody this belief, and dedicate much time and effort to attaining spiritual enlightenment. They are quite distant as a result, focusing their minds inwards rather than outwards, leaving the daily control of Liāntang to their underlings.

Most of the populace also follows Zylucian teachings to some degree or another, attempting to emulate the six heavenly virtues in their daily lives. As such, they've earned a reputation as being wise, insightful, or holier-than-thou. Still, many in Liāntang don't care much one way or another about the teachings of a dragon that has long since passed, and live their lives guided by their own perceptions and feelings.

Quinshēn

“To serve one’s country is the highest honour that can be achieved.”

Ruling Family: Shayang

Associated Dragon: Y’wang Greatwing (imperial, underworld)

The nation of Quinshēn believes in law above all else, and her people consider following the law to be the only ethical and moral way to live. Civilians are told to trust the system, even if it might seem flawed from your position. Those who embrace this ethos are elevated, and serve the country or court, the highest honor one can achieve. Crime is vilified and often decried as a moral failure, and their legal system is efficient and vicious. Further, anyone who knows of a crime and willingly hides it is treated as if they had also committed that same crime, and is punished accordingly. Thus, the people tend to be suspicious and willing to turn their own neighbours into the authorities on the smallest suspicion of wrongdoing, lest they be punished or even executed alongside.

Like Dekuno, Quinshēn is a meritocracy where anyone committed to working hard and obeying their superiors can earn status and wealth, at least on paper. In practice, the Shayang family controls promotion, which is often given out to their friends and family first. The Crown possesses an army of terracotta soldiers that help enforce their laws and keep them in power.

Their sovereign dragon is Y'wang, an underworld dragon infamous for his calculating and jealous nature. He has a more active role in the nation's society than most high dragons, checking in on the royal family and even punishing them for misdeeds.

Toshan

"Logic, efficiency, competence."

Ruling Family: Den'xi

Associated Dragon: Unknown (but believed to be of the esoteric family, specifically occult)

The people of Toshan pride themselves on having some of the greatest schools in Erema. Scholars come from far and wide to study in these universities, some even traveling months by sea just to attend. The royal family are all highly educated, which is a point of pride for both them and the nation.

The nation's laws are formulated based on logic, rather than on something so ephemeral as morality or religious beliefs. While the government is often considered to be cold, the population thrives because social welfare is the most reasonable thing to invest in. Increasing public education is a logical decision because it increases public health and betters decision-making, thus they boast the highest levels of literacy in the known world.

Philosophers, scientists, professors, and doctors are seen as the archetype of intelligence and success, and are most likely to be elevated to higher status. This skews the population towards the pursuit of education (which in turn makes schools more competitive to pander to the elite).

Yangdi

“Know yourself and you will win all battles.”

Rulers: the Bloodteeth

Associated Dragon: Sui-gong, the Bloodscale (primal, magma)

As the furthest Southeast of all the Seven Kingdoms, Yangdi has been the dividing line between the humans and all the other races. They follow a militarist philosophy, valuing combat prowess and leadership most of all. Their ruling family are ruthless and aggressive and spend an entire continent's worth of gold recruiting, training, and outfitting their armies.

Citizens of the other kingdoms like to say that Yangdi has been at war for so long that they have forgotten how to have peace, but the people of Yandi often stylize themselves as the protectors of the Seven Kingdoms. In Yangdi, the orcs to the South are often seen as marauding raiders, the catfolk as unstable allies as best, the dwarves as isolationist nationalists, and the northern kingdoms as being greedy and power-hungry (none of which is entirely untrue). For them, war is one of few things they can count on

A period of strife known as the Century of 72 Wars, which was actually a series of separate invasions, wars, skirmishes and small battles, is depicted simultaneously as evidence of how the world is hostile towards Yangdi, and as evidence of their martial prowess. The rest of the world sees that century of bloodshed as evidence of Yangdi's pointless aggression and militarism.

Most wars with the orcish kingdom next-door were centered around a strip of land a hundred miles wide and a thousand miles across. Both sides believed (and may still believe) it to be their sovereign soil, and countless invasions from both sides claimed and reclaimed the land over and over. When the two sides were pushed to a bargaining table by the neighbouring countries, neither was willing to tolerate the other side settling their land. The final agreement was for neither side to be permitted to settle the land, and that strip of no-man's land is now known as The Treaty.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Demonym

Dekunian (Dekuno)
Jiākese (Jiākéng)
Liāntian (Liāntang)
Quinshese (Quinshēn)
Toshani (Toshan)
Yangdian (Yangdi)
Xuandian (Badi Xuande)