Kingdom of Oates

City-State of Oates

Oates is a small city-state of Novyum, where the Heartlands meet the Plashin Range. It stands at the northeastern edge of the Eastern Petty Kingdoms and is usually clumped in with the region and its politics. The state largely consisted of the hills of Oate Mountain and is centered on the mining town of Oates. The region and the town have a long history, though it is largely forgotten in the modern day. The mines of Oates produce Iron, and the people create Steel in town to sell. However, the struggles of the Petty Kingdoms over the last century has isolated the town from the markets of the Heartlands. Steel is still their primary export when trading with the outside world, but the people of the town of Oates and is satellite villages largely keep to themselves, farming and hunting the mountains.

In spite of its name's sake, the farms of Oates and its villages primarily focus on crops that can survive the mountain climate, rather than wheat and oat crops. Root based food like carrots and potatoes are common. Most farms have goat and sheep, but these are largely used for fleece, milk, and cheese rather than meats. Hunting the ibex in the mountains is where most of the meat on tables come from.

Every male citizen of fighting age is expected to serve as part of the militia ready to keep the fighting of the Petty Kingdoms out of their lands. There have been occasions over the last century of the people rising up to defend their valley, but for the most part, few outsiders bother with Oates, either due to their focus on the lowland enemies around them, or because Oates is the only regional source of iron and steel.

Oates officially became a kingdom in 6848sc when the town as attack by a rogue mercenary group, turned bandits, from the lowlands raided the town. Cole Vyeda organized the town into a milia to fight off the threat. They were aided by the Corps of the Oate adventuring group, that would be called Walker's Wardens after the battle. In the aftermath, the town pushed out to secure the surrounding lands. Vyeda established the region as a kingdom, with his standing militia, and the Walker's Wardens as defenders of the new nation. With the exception of a few minor encounters, the town of Oates has been a safe zone for its citizens since.