The Sampalan Kingdom
The Lords of the Trees
The Sampalan Kingdom is one of the three main human civilisations on Timor. In the entirety of their history they have resided on The Western Peninsula, connected to the continent of Bandoor by 'Gredan's Strait', a now demilitarised zone between the peninsula and the continent it is connected to.
King Guster Sampala and Queen Karina Sampala are the current ruling monarchs of the kingdom. Guster is the great grandson of King Gredan Sampala, who was responsible for founding the kingdom - largely following his discovery of the useful properties of the Berstock Trees.
Mining of the bark and sap from these magical trees has brought the kingdom untold wealth, and is the primary driving force of the economy on the peninsula.
Structure
Control of the peninsula ultimately belongs to the king, currently King Guster Sampala, the great grandson of the late King Gredan Sampala who oversaw their rise to power.
Each of the five 'Satellite Cities' have devolved control of the immediate area around them, and each has a 'Governor' who is ultimately responsible for them - assigned by the king. These Governors are variably backed by councils and advisers at their discretion, although some are more willing to take advice than others.
Movement of Bark and Sap throughout the continent is controlled by The Merchant Guild who are a royal organisation directly accountable to the King. The guild have a presence in each city around the peninsula and help to regulate trade. They are often seen as advisers and assistants to the Governors that they serve, but ultimately their responsibility is to the crown.
Assets
The Sampalan Kingdom is by far the richest on Timor, the bark and sap of the berstock tree is used in almost countless applications worldwide. The movement of bark out of and gold into the area is almost constant.
Each city is responsible for their own military, and each has an army although all are ultimately under command of the King. Their is a central, royal army around Warres as well. Horses are hard to come by in the harsh mountainous and jungle terrain - so the Sampalan Armies are notoriously light on cavalry.
Their cities are built into the inhospitable environment of the peninsula on which they live, and most are very resistant to attack.
History
During The rise of The Thraxan Empire on the continent proper, King Gredan Sampala discovered the massive potential of the Berstock Trees which grew exclusively on the peninsula. He used their various applications to make his army the most dominant in the area, and quickly managed to bring them the rest of the lords around him to his service.
By the time that Nero Thrax had reached Gredan's Strait his armies were worn out and depleted from the intense Surdonian War. King Gredan saw this oppertunity to join the war on the opposite side to Emperor Thrax. The peninsula was almost impossible to invade, as it was ringed by mountains and only had land access via Gredan's strait, and sea access with a relatively small coast - both easy to defend. Seeing that his continued conquest of Bandoor was virtually impossible in this stalemate, and that Gredan Sampala would be able to hold out against him for as long as he liked, Nero Thrax sought peace and the war was over.
As such, many see the Gredan's entry into the war on the side of the Surdonians and the Dragonborn as the key event in the eventual armistice, despite him not having to expend a single soldier in the conflict.
In the years after the war King Gredan consolidated his power and built his capital and the seat of his power Warres, as well as the five 'Satellite Cities' of Noor, Gestan, Perron, Morten and Lesten.
He continued to make mining of sap and bark from the berstock trees his main priority, even long after his death, and made it's value known. Soon, he was selling product from the trees to almost every civilised society in the world, at a high price.
The Sampalan Kingdom remains in firm control of the peninsula today, and their relentless trade and mining of the trees unique to their home have made them the richest kingdom in the world. These great riches come at a cost however. Their home is an inhospitable and hostile place, one which makes every day life a challenge.
The oldest rival of the kingdom, are the ancient frost giants of Thrym, who live in mountains above Warres. The very building of Warres was seen as an affront to the giants, who have fought any expansion attempts fiercly. The two groups have developed a firey hatred of one another, one which their rulers have variably been able to control over the years.
Demography and Population
The majority of the population of the peninsula are those that where born there, as it is relatively rare for people to live there by choice. There is a not insignificant dwarven population in the larger cities, they are the largest users of bark in Timor, and have made a concerted effort to ingratiate themselves with the kingdom.
Similarly, there is an elven contingent, however they would never admit that this was anything to do with their desire for bark or sap - this would require the tacit admission that their crafting left something to be desired.
Territories
The kingdom hold the western peninsula and a small island, Grustavar, to the south east which represents their only effort to expand outside of the peninsula itself - likely due to there being bark and sap on this island as well. The peninsula is their ancestral home, and was where the Sampala family first established themselves in the early days of humanity.
Military
The main military source of the kingdom is the Royal Army, which is centred around the Warres territory. Each satellite city has their own army, responsible for social order in their province.
Religion
Previously the worship of Paladine was universal in the peninsula. Since the coronation of King Guster II, the merchant guild's religious arm has influenced a change to worship of Reorx, the god of plenty. The replacement of Paladine has often turned violent with Reorx priests and militias forcefully taking over places of worship.
Under branches of power
Founding Date
4th Month, 1728
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Constitutional
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
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