The Edonian Crownlands
Demographic Breakdown
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State: King Terebrin Osiris
Head of Government: Viceroy Bartholomew Solomon
Governing Body: The Regent Council
Notable Institutions: The House of Justicars
Political Factions: Court of Nobles, Republican Reformers.
Nation's Capital: Adonius
Population: ~296, 500
Racial Composition: 99% Human, 1% Other.
Religious & Spiritual Beliefs: Omnism, Kinfaith.
Demonym: Edonian
Main Exports: Wheat, Corn, Beef, Pork, Poultry.
Currency: Boltmark.
National Sport: Tournament Games.
Official Language: Common
Motto: "Divinity and Purity, in Perpetuity."
Edonian Slang, Sayings, and Idioms
"Lander" (n.) - Foreigner; specifically used to refer to people from countries at lower altitudes.
"Shoot the mage." - Used to advocate for the simplest, most obvious solution to a problem.
"Wooing echoes" - Looking back on one's past with sad, unquenchable longing.
"To strike one's colours" - Used to describe the act of joining the House of Justicars.
General Impressions
The Edonian Crownlands can be, to put it generously, rather difficult to navigate as an outsider. Edonians tend to be extremely xenophobic, reserved, and in some cases, outright hostile to any foreign entity- even humans from other parts of the realm. It is one of the oldest civilizations in Destrea, and this is especially evident when walking the streets of the Edonian capital, Adonius (the nominative redundancy of naming both their nation and its capital after the same man serves as a keen example of the enduring, perhaps overwhelming, cultural influence of its long-ago ruler, Emperor Adonius Rex).
Its most famous landmarks, such as the Cathedra Domo, date back to before the First Conquest. As such, they are as wondrous as they are susceptible to time's ravages. It is not uncommon for these magnificent structures to be undergoing maintenance of some kind, in the capable hands of the Edonian Guild of Stonewrights, or another such entity. The city's countless monuments, statues, and gleaming brightstone streets are cleaned with the tenacity of an Auld League craftsman & protected with the unabashed veracity of a bear-mother. Steeped in a near-constant state of, some might say, pompous reverence for achievements attained long ago, coupled with a fanatical, broad-brushed view of the realm's complex history, one can't help but feel that Edonius is looking too often to its past, at the expense of its future.
Court of Nobles
House Solomon
- Fiefdom: Impera
- Head: Lord Darmahl Solomon
- House Colours: White & Gold
-
"Render unto the Meek all that the Wicked would wont for"
Birthplace of The Church of Edonian Omnists, the Impera province has accrued a significant degree of political influence since the Edonian Uprising. The scion of House Solomon, Bartholomew, is (at time of writing) soon to be made King of the Edonian Crownlands after a brief period of confusion amongst the landed gentry, just prior to Aegis' Wake.
House Kilgore
- Fiefdoms: Augustina, The Howl
- Head: Lady Oliviana Kilgore
- House Colours: Black & Gold
-
"Witness the Wind"
Fields the largest army in Edonius, and rules the largest portion of the Crownlands, since being granted dominion over Augustina in the wake of the Uprising. Countess Olivania Kilgore serves as Master of Ranging on the Kingly Council, and is widely considered to be one of the finest duellists in the realm. Her brother, Lord Byron Kilgore, was the first to join Mavis Thorne and the forces of the Uprising, when he switched sides during the Skirmish at Palacea, turning on the Justicar forces sent to capture Mavis' band.
House Cragg
- Fiefdoms: Glintrock, Crystalline Falls
- Head: Lord Harrald Cragg, The Anvil of Harrow Ridge
- House Colours: Ash & Bronze
-
"You Can't Eat Gold"
Renowned stonewrights and farmers, the people of Glintrock have thrived modestly under the steady hand of House Cragg over many generations. Without their diligent work, it is safe to say the restrictive trade policies of the Edonian Crownlands would have undoubtedly resulted in disaster. Lord Harrald Cragg, Master of Craft & Prosperity, remained neutral during the Edonian Uprising, concerning himself primarily with the continuity of law in the form of the House of Justicars.
House Duranko
- Fiefdoms: Ovine, The Dire Strait, The Imperial Highway
- Head: Lord Cargyll Duranko
- House Colours: Blue & Silver
-
"Break Before Bending"
Lords over the smallest territory in the Crownlands, House Duranko's prominence has sharply diminished since Lord Cargyll Duranko's only heir, Ren, relinquished all of his titles and lands immediately following the Battle of Summoner's Plain. Ren, at time of writing, remains the only known survivor from the host of 15,000 Edonian fighting men who'd been sent there.
House Thorne
- Fiefdoms: Meritrea, Palacea, The Godthorns
- Head: Lady Mavis Thorne
- House Colours: Green & Gold
-
"Remember the Fall"
Once the Lords of Old Palacea, House Thorne has had to make a slow, painful recovery in the centuries since their capitol was blighted by the Voran Legion, during the Second Conquest. As such, their house's relevance in Edonian politics was fairly inconsequential, that is, until the Edonian Uprising. Mavis Thorne, bastard daughter of Syman Barrister and the late Lady Minerva Thorne, led the militia which stormed the Plaza Imperia, and was the strong-arm backing of the movement to oust then-Emperor Tybald Rex. For their efforts, House Thorne was awarded the domain of Meritrea, in place of the exiled House Barrister.
House Wick
- Fiefdom: Azurea
- Head: Lord Anthony Jeremiah Wick
- House Colours: Black & Ivory
-
"O To See So Starkly"
The richest of the six major Edonian houses, House Wick has seen its influence accrue exponentially as economic interactions with other nations have sharply increased (thanks to Anclevan's insistence). The scion of the Wick family, Lord Anthony Jeremiah Wick, is Master of Mintage on the Edonian Kingly Council. Lady Cassandra Wick is a renowned duellist and an avid musician, but despite little interest in politics, she remains Lord Wick's successor. This is likely due to the fact that her sister Anastasia, her only sibling, has a seat on the council of Boglords, the heads of the Bakta Syndicate.
House Rex
(Ousted in the Edonian Uprising)
House Barrister
(Ousted in the Edonian Uprising)
"'Revolution'? No. That would imply this is merely a function in a cyclical process. The term may merely be an accident of the Common tongue, but a potent toxin in the mindset of our forces. This is our Uprising, Lord Byron. The cycle stops here."
-Mavis Thorne, The Dreadknight, to Lord Byron Kilgore before the siege of the Plaza Imperia during The Edonian Uprising of 317 DC.
Military Structure
Imperial Guard
Each House must provide 3 of every 10 eligible citizens of fighting age to fill the ranks of the Edonian Imperial Guard. Composed primarily of rifle corpsmen and artillery crews, the Imperial Guard is tasked with manning and patrolling the heavily-fortified Goro-Dahn Ring, which runs along the border of the Crownlands.
The Storm Lancers
Light-armoured riders who train with their drakes in the winds of The Howl, the Storm Lancers are primarily used as a rapid-response defense force within the Crownlands. During the Third Conquest, they were tasked with repelling the Voranite air forces incurring into Edonian territory by passing over the mountains along the Goro-Dahn.
The Immacula
Elite infantry unit assigned to guard the capitol, the Royal Family, and Liberation Forum (formerly the Plaza Imperia). The Immacula is a highly prestigious order of knights, paladins, and arcanists whose training surpasses any other elite unit in the realm, save the Commonwealth's Rangers Corps-III. They are, however, the best-equipped armoured infantry in the realm, with plate mail, swords, spears, and shields all made of pure shardsteel.