Gotburg Kingdom

The Gotburg Kingdom was one of the kingdoms born from the people that came during The Arrival. This Giff dominated nation is nestled between the Shardlands to the north, steppes, and plains to the west, and desert to the east. These lands are dominated by rivers and their delta with the Giff people typically sticking solely to these Riverlands relying on them for fishing, hunting, and farming. Although not as prideful and dogmatic as the Tsaeci the Gotburg Giff's still allied themselves with the Tsaeci during The Arrival, although the attitude between the two nations became neutral in the intervening years.
The Giff in this region are some of the only ones in the world that have an understanding of gunpowder and guns, however, the methods through which they maintain this knowledge has made it rather difficult for other empires to adopt this method of weaponry beyond hiring Giff soldiers or mercenary groups to act as firearm managers for their countries. The maintenance and creation of firearms and gunpowder have taken on a form of socio-religious meaning to the Giff people, seeing it as sacrilegious to share this knowledge with outside, moreover the forges and fine tools to make these weapons rest solely in the Gotburg lands. The creation of ammunition for one's firearm is seen as a form of prayer or meditation to the Giff and it is widely thought that those who are not Giff could never learn or master this process. This leads the Giff to customize every bullet and casing with iconography important to the crafter, and each weapon is seen as a storied extension of the Giff that owns it.
Due to the focus on firearm weaponry in the Gotburg Kingdom, it is seen as the highest honor to serve in the military with all Giff training from seven to twenty-five to serve in the military, thus the Gotburg Kingdom relies on a caste system where non-Giff act as farmers, merchants, architects, and laborers in their lands. Although technically a form of serfdom or slavery the people subjugated by the Gotburg Giff are afforded houses and a level of independence far above other serf or slave-keeping nations on Tirestir.

Fauna & Flora

Deltastride Drake
The Deltastride Drake is a large, reptilian creature native to the rivers and deltas of the Gotburg Kingdom. It possesses sleek scales that shimmer in shades of blue and green, allowing it to blend seamlessly with the surrounding water and vegetation. These drakes have powerful hind legs and webbed feet, enabling them to navigate the rivers with great agility. They are highly territorial and are often revered by the Giff as symbols of strength and protection.
Emberreed
Emberreed is a resilient, grass-like plant that thrives in the marshy riverlands of the Gotburg Kingdom. Its tall stalks bear vibrant orange and red hues, resembling flames dancing in the wind. The plant has a unique property—when its stalks are dried and woven together, they create highly flammable fibers. These fibers are used by the Giff to craft specialized fuses for their firearms. The Emberreed is considered a sacred plant by the Giff, representing the eternal flame of knowledge and power.