Esperia
The southernmost kingdom on Irona, located on the Telena peninsula and many of the islands of the Middle Sea.
History
Afte the assassination of Horus Ashar the forces of the Ashadin Empire were pushed back by the united tribes of what would later become Sollen. Whilst the empire broke apart in their homeland of Dalkesh, the forces in Irona kept fighting. Their decades long assault on the continent had seen them set up highly defensible positions and towns had grown and flourished in the south. Far from the front lines of the fighting the peoples had developed their own unique culture, a blend of Ashadan and Ironan that gave them a sense of unity and they began to call themselves Esperian after the Esperian Peninsular that they called home.
Eventually borders were drawn up and an uneasy peace developed, though the hostile atmosphere between the two nations took centuries to cool. The original borders had Esperia control not just the peninsular and all the islands of the Middle Sea but nearly all of what is currently Andersfelden. This meant that all trade from the growing town of Tristromm that sailed downriver to the sea payed tariffs to the river wardens of Esperia. Centuries went by, Esperia flourished and to the north Sollen grew both economically and militarily. Whilst Sollen's prosperity meant Esperia grew richer due to increased trade it was clear that Sollen was now the true power on the continent and that Esperia would suffer most should aggression between the two reignite.
It was in 584 T.A under the rulership of Queen Asma Sulayhi that tensions flared once more, finally erupting in the Sailor's War culminating in the surrender of the Esperian forces outside the walls of Tristromm. New borders were drawn up reducing the territory of Esperia down to the Esperian Peninsular which remain to this day, and creating the new province of Andersfelden as a Sollenite bastion against future Esperian aggression. Over then next three centuries, war has broken out several times. Esperia has been the aggressor and the defender and has even has taken sides with one province or the other in Sollenite civil wars. Most recently siding with the Elector Count of Zuchtland against those of Andersfelden and Felsigland before Erica Katzen put down the warring factions and bringing about peace, but Esperia refused to return the row of sea forts it had taken from Andersfelden claiming them by right of conquest. The Empress disagreed and in a show of force the Tristomm Honour Company overcame the defenders and marched them back to the Esperian Peninsular.
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