The Queendom of Ouvezia

Ouvezia, with its capital Aresia, is a queendom in the northeast of Novali. Its official name causes many foreigners to do a double take, and causes friction with their neighbors, traditional Novali society, every now and then.
In daily life, separation of genders seems to follow a traditional pattern, with woman often focusing on work around the house and the rearing of children, and men preferring more physically demanding labor or jobs that take them out of the house. This is, however, more a matter of convenience and preference than set in stone, and both men and women are free to switch roles if they so please.

A unique view

The important part that distinguishes Ouvezia from other societies, however, is the fact that inheritance follows the matrilineal line.

"Oh please, honey. I know your folks see it differently, but let's be real here: no one can say for sure whose sausage sealed the deal. But it's pretty hard to deny who gave birth to the kid!"

— A prostitute in Linal laughing at a bewildered sailor who came to Ouvezia for the first time

Giving birth is an important event in every Ouvezian woman's life, and the higher her status, the more important. Everything surrounding birth and female reproduction is a very public matter, with menstrual hygiene being celebrated in special "monthly houses" and births usually made into a public spectacle at the temples. This focus on female reproduction has led to a significantly lower rate of death in childbirth and young children, compared to other countries. The highest spectacle is always the Royal Childbirth, and it is usually celebrated as a public holiday that draws the crowds to the central plaza of Menoubra.

Trade and Arts - a match made in heaven

Ouvezia has always been active in trades and has embraced the influences brought by it - at least in the coastal cities of Linal and Shelia, and, filtered and refined through art, on the Island of Meritané. Noble patronage of the arts is high, since the other houses refuse to let House Coventé have the monopoly on talented artists. The theater infrastructure on Meritané is hard to beat, but popular painters and musicians often find themselves in the situation of having to choose whose patronage they will accept. Given the affinity of some houses to intrigue, which is especially true for House Deborré, this is not always good for the artist
Most noble houses are active in trade, mainly because the most fertile land is centered around Aresia and belongs to the palace. The rest of Ouvezia does not always produce enough to sustain their population, and thus trade has always been crucial for the Queendom. The rocky land does produce excellent stonemasons and sculptors, and north of the mountain, where the northern forests begin, logging camps have sprung up that produce specialty timber in the summer.

The Ouvezian Royal Crisis

Queen Alianna recently married Luredan, a member of a lesser Novali noble family. She did so against advice from both her late mother and her sister, and shortly after the wedding the scandal happened: Alianna accused her husband of trying to take the power away from her and publicly announced that he was no longer welcome in her chambers. In an unprecedented move, she also officially changed his title from "his Royal Highness the King Consort of Ouvezia" to simply "his Royal Highness the King of Ouvezia".
Never before had Ouvezia seen a king, and no one is quite sure what this means. It is unclear if his orders and words are still worth anything, or if the queen will take them back when she hears of it. Luredan is currently confined to the guest quarters of the royal palace, and the Royal Guard is instructed to under no circumstances let him enter the private chambers of the queen. So far, Alianna has refused to receive him in private, and Luredan has not dared to bring up his situation in public.
Still, the situation is tense for everyone involved. Political decisions have slowed down to a crawl, since it is unclear who could or should be invited to sessions. Alianna has yet to clarify her husbands new role and whether she plans to keep him in her family. The neighboring country of Novali has been in uproar, as well. The cultural differences between Ouvezia and Novali have always been pronounced, but it has been overlooked in favor of trade and prosperity. Now, though, while Luredan has never been an important part of Novali's political elite, seeing on of their own emasculated like this is not something the political elite is likely to let slide, and quite a few Ouvezians are worried as to how Queen Alianna is going to placate them.

Shelia's Castle by Imoen Kim via wombo.art

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Controlled Territories

• The Island of Meritané

Current heads of state

• Alianna, her Royal Majesty the Queen of Ouvezia
• Luredan, his Royal Highness the King of Ouvezia

Important Cities

• Aresia, the secluded capital
• Menoubra, the "capital of the rabble"
• Linal, one of the biggest harbors of Ouvezia
• Shelia, Ouvezia's shipyard
• The Island of Meritané, exclusive home of the arts

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Linal may be Ouvezia's biggest harbor in terms of trade, but Shelia at the mouth of the White River has easy access to the timber coming down the river from the logging camp. This has led to a specialization between the two harbors with Linal mainly consisting of storage houses for traders and Shelia building and repairing Ouvezia's ships.