Kingdom of Ardentry (are-den-tree)

Monarch

The monarch’s (a king or queen) responsibility is to ensure the wellbeing of the entire kingdom. Their word carries a vast amount of authority within the Province of Cassius but perhaps only half as much in the other five due to how dukes have great authority in their domains.

On the death of a monarch, the heir and a cluster of other vying peers born in Cassius, are gathered. The dukes of the other five provinces come together to put these candidates through tests to decide who will be the next one to take the throne, which requires a unanimous vote from all five.

Duke, Duchess

Dukes are like mini rulers within their own province. Like the monarch, they have a strong authority over many local laws. In terms of relations between other provinces, dukes can have full say but the monarch can overrule their authority in place of their own, preferably as a diplomat.

Dukes are chosen similarly to the queen. A replacement must be sought if the current one steps down or dies. The key difference is that town and village leaders send their candidates to the provincial capital and undergo tests fitting to their people’s domain. For goliaths, they could be tests of strength. For Kalgarim, it could be a test of agriculture.

Magistrates

At the side of the queen and the dukes are magistrates. Their tasks are to overseer that laws are drafted, revised, official, or scrapped. To help in their task of enforcing the law, they lead over the Civil Guards which are simply the city watch.

Courtiers

Courtiers are simply aids, advisors, or even agents, to the monarch and dukes. They help move the more tedious components of the kingdom, such as resources and any tasks needed to be done.

Explore Westward

Exploration of the wild western frontier would be attempted further but the presence of Maledict’s demons in their wasteland makes any further attempts tricky. Any further expeditions will have to require extensive preparation and caution to ensure no Infernal interference gets involved. The death of an expedition by the hands of demons would mean the erasure of an entire map.

As of the moment, the known Infernal territory can be maneuvered around but that will not stop petty demons from killing explorers. North or south, their presence is an obstacle that makes even catching a glimpse beyond current maps irritating.

The Only Civilization

A popular notion among Ardentians is that they would rather focus on maintaining the kingdom’s strong sense of society than be at the mercy of the wilderness. Ardentry is the only reliable civilization to get things done and its fall would also mean the destruction of advancements, research, and other studies.

The following table assumes throughout the entire kingdom, a population of 309,000, alongside some very rounded numbers and percentages.

The Kingdom is split into six provinces, each of which are blessed by the Reverie for a specific race to settle when they were first being designed.

Cassius

The capital province of the kingdom. This is considered home for all who wish to be part of Ardentry, even those not initially blessed by the caels. The City of Hearth welcomes all of those without a place to call home. It is assumed throughout the kingdom that you can find any common thing in all other provinces in the City of Hearth. However, it's the exotic materials that one would have to trek into the other provinces for.

Dulnmoor

A coastal province home to humans. There are a few islands that are also territory to the region. Without the town of Ridgewater, anything beyond the coast could hardly survive. Humans compete with the halflings over whoever has the best alcohol.

Haliah

A province that has forests and grassy plains within it. The elves have this province as their home. The city of Aethom is a wondrous sight to behold. Especially considering that the University of Renaki, named after the Revered cael, has its place here.

Hulstead

A brutal and arctic home for goliaths. The city of Bromhold is open to all who wish to visit the province. Outsiders are held back from venturing further beyond the mountains as the arctic environment is reserved for those who are of strength to live there.

Kalaura

A pine forest environment home to the avians. A crater from Maledict's incursion initially corrupted the local lands but through time, dedication, and some help from the caels, this area has been healed. It now thrives far more with lush foliage and with animals abound.

Kalgarim

Home to the stouts. There is a mountain range where dwarves reside while halflings settle beneath in the valley. An arrangement is made between the stouts that the halflings tend to the agriculture of the region while the dwarves handle smiths and other iron works.

Loose Leaders

The dukes of each province and the queen of Cassius have command over their own personalized military force. This allows the provincial leaders to go out and handle things within their province with minimal coordination problems or scrutiny from outside dukes. To unite them all, however, is the queen. She may call upon military leaders and direct them.

Oath of Allegiance

All military leaders and dukes of the kingdom are bound to protect the other provinces. To deny any martial aid to fellow provinces in times of a crisis is to be seen as a violation of the Oath of Allegiance. The core summary of the Oath is that every general, duke, and even the queen, is to recognize they are part of the same kingdom. To withhold assistance and let fellow countrymen die over personal disagreements in times of crisis is heavily egregious. Should any military leader violate this oath, they are quickly discharged.

The Reverie is the main welcomed religious authority within the kingdom. After all, the caels are the ones who blessed and dedicated each province for specific peoples.

The general flow of the economy are provinces taking their resources to the Province of Cassius to be refined further then those elements are sold back to their origin. Otherwise, each province has a specialty resource they provide.

Though each province is different in their way of handling education, there are consistent methods regardless.

Apprenticeship

When a child comes of age, it is likely they take up a family business or seek out a tradesman to help get them training or experience in a field.

Academies

Each Province has one academy for higher learning, though it is likely going to emphasize the needs of that region. For example, there is the Civarion Academy in the Province of Cassius, which educates future nobility on the various cultures and functions within Ardentry's kingdom.