Cantalan

King / Queen A king is the second highest sovereign title, only looking up to an emperor, of which the Cantans have never had. King is head of state called a kingdom or a realm. Occasionally the queen has more power than a king, but it depends on who has the royal blood in them and who was married into the royal family.   Prince / Princess Prince is a general term for a monarch, for a member of a monarchs’ or former monarch’s family, and is a hereditary title in some members of Cantalan’s highest nobility.   Duke / Duchess A duke’s lands are called a duchy. Dukes are the closest and highest ranking peers of the king. Dukes were usually relatives of a sovereign family, but also can be close family friends and are given a place in the ministry and the only ones eligible for the title of legate minister.   Marquess / Marchioness Marquess was the ruler of a frontier area called a mark or march. Marquess was responsible for defence of borderlands, he had more men at arms than other nobles.   Count / Countess A count was often an honorary title given by a monarch for services rendered, it could also be given as a title with no feudal estate. Those counts who were granted land, were usually given a small area called a county or countship, although some counties rivaled some duchies for size. Count wasn’t a hereditary title however those counts with extensive estates were occasionally able to pass down their lands to their sons or daughters.   Viscount / viscountess A viscount is the deputy of a count or a vice-count, however it later was considered a courtesy title reserved for the heir of a marquess or count. Early viscounts were the equivalent of sheriffs and were therefore appointed by the monarch, however, the title eventually became hereditary. Each viscount was responsible for an area that was either known as a viscounty, a viscountship or a viscountcy which was essentially their jurisdiction.   Baron / Baroness A baron was often a vassal who held a barony that was granted to him directly from the monarch, usually for their loyalty to the king. Originally anyone who was given land from the king for military service, from counts all the way down were considered barons. A barony was created either by letters patent or by a writ of summons that invited someone to the ministry.   Baronet / Baronetess A title usually given to a commoner, a baronetcy is unique in that it is a hereditary honor but unlike other titles within the nobility a baronet is not entitled to a seat in the ministry. It is also not considered an order of knighthood but ranks above all knightly orders except the Order of the Heir and the Shining Blade. The title of baronet was created by Augren Khylo as a means of raising funds. The female title of baronetess is a rare one as there have only ever been three.   Knight A knight is a military unit who devotes themselves or are employed by everyone from counts to baronet's. They are placed in charge of the security of their master's estate and often take on any duty that their master doesn't want to do.   Esquire Originally squire – an assistant of knight (shield bearer), eldest son of knight or sons of peers.   Gentleman A man with an income derived from property, a legacy or some other source, and was thus independently wealthy and did not need to work. Someone who could not claim nobility or even the rank of esquire.

To defend, and make prosperous, the kingdom of Cantalan and its citizens.

Cantalan has many resources, not all of which can be detailed here. But below is a simple and short list.

• Gold, Silver, and Copper Diamonds and other precious gems Metals, Stone, and Lumber Produce; Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, and Livestock

Cantalan also has many fortifications, troops, weapons, armor and various kinds of equipment, and various kinds of mounts, but mostly horses. Cantalan also has a small navy.

Cantalan began as an island fortress with a single bridge linking it to the rest of the region. King Julian and his son, Julian II, pushed through orc lands and took a sizable amount of land for the new human kingdom. In the Grim era, the lich king pushed through even more orc lands, sending the orcs fleeing into Qarto. When the Grim king was overthrown, the kingdom of Cantalan was established in the kingdom and did not seek to conquer and more land. Instead they focused on securing the land they had won, and found favor in the eyes of the Jotun's gods. The Six gods looked on humanity with approval and blessed them. This caused strife between humans and giants, so the humans used their vast mines to build huge walls to keep giants out. One such wall is the sandstone gate. An expansive stone wall that stretches from the base of the border mountains to the border of Knom. The stone of many of the walls in Cantalan hide within them the bones which the Grim king used in his defending structures. When the Jotun wars began the humans hide behind their walls and defended their land with tenacity that rivaled the orcs, who defeated their oppressors Jotun single handedly, but lost many of their fighters.