Archduchy of Vesta

The Archduchy is, as its name suggests, led by the Archduke. Theoretically, the Archduke rules as an absolute monarch, but in reality, their position is very much dependant on them keeping the lesser ducal houses on side. Whilst it is not constitutionally mandated, most Archdukes maintain the tradition of consulting and being advised by the Ducal Assize (see below).   Theoretically, the position of Archduke is hereditary, able to pass to heirs of any gender, be that heir a blood relative or an officially adopted individual. In practice, Vesta’s history has shown that on the death of an Archduke, it more common for another Ducal house to seize the throne by force, rather than for the legitimately declared heir to ascend to the position as would be proper. So regular is this occurrence, that it is not viewed as being a particular faux pas on the part of the treacherous house, indeed, it is seen as a failure of the legitimate heir to protect their birthright. In recent history, the only times when an appointed heir has actually ascended to the Archducal throne has been when the previous Archduke has made a deal with another of the Ducal houses to adopt one of their number so that they can be named as the heir, and therefore try to avoid a violent coup taking place.

Vesta is a mixed-species nation and, though there isn’t one particular species that is predominant over the others, there is a greater percentage of Halflings, Gnomes and Elves amongst Vesta’s population than other species. Most of Vesta’s population are ethnically of the Agromine people, but there is a notable sub-section of Humans within the population who are ethnically Turelite.   On the whole, Vesta’s agricultural wealth has made it a rich nation and that wealth has trickled down through the populace. On the whole Vestarites of all social classes tend to be wealthier than their contemporaries in other parts of Kelbonnar’s Material Plane. As work intensive agriculture is the main staple of Vesta’s economy, unemployment is also very low compared to other nations in Kelbonnar, as honest work can always be found in the fields, orchards and farms spread across Acte Island.   However, one thing that protects Vesta’s prosperity, and that of its people, is that the Archduchy is very careful about who is allowed to be resident on Acte Island, and who is allowed to be classed as a citizen. The waters of the Sisters Marsh around Acte are routinely patrolled by vessels looking out for those trying to access Vesta without going through one of the nation’s official ports, and only those who own property or land on Acte Island are actually classed as citizens. Whilst land and home ownership is substantially higher in Vesta than elsewhere, including amongst the lower classes, there is still a sub-section of the populace who are not counted amongst Vesta’s citizenry, who very much live hand-to-mouth.  

Those Who Are About to Die

  Few non-Vestarites are allowed to remain in the Archduchy for more than a few weeks without either a significantly good reason, or the sponsorship of the Ducal House, save for one statistically significant group, who predominantly do not remain on Acte Island of their own volition. In order to fuel the substantial number of games that take place in the Crown of Prota, Vesta needs an enormous number of gladiators to enable these competitions to happen. These gladiators are housed and trained in complexes known as Gladiator Stables, each of which is a privately run enterprise, designed to make money for its owners. Some of these stables are owned by wealthy individuals, and some by consortia of investors.   The gladiators themselves come from across Kelbonnar’s Material Plane, both the surface world and the Underdark. Where exactly they come from, and how they found their way into captivity in the first place varies from individual to individual, but once they set foot on Vesta and are bought by a Stable, they become the property of that Stable’s owners.   The early days of one’s career as a Gladiator in Vesta are by far the most dangerous. This is when they are kept in squalid, overcrowded cells, are given the most meagre rations and are forced to fight in larger groups, fights which many do not walk away from. The more victories a gladiator personally earns or contributes to, the more privileges they will be given within the stable. Successful gladiators will be given better and better accommodation, meals and are even given a wage as they are recognised as worthy investments by the Stable’s owners. Highly successful gladiators may even be bought by other wealthy individuals and either housed outside a Stable entirely or sponsored to live in lavish suites on sight. The most successful, even have a chance to earn enough money to buy their freedom, provided they live that long.

The Archduchy of Vesta only lays claim to Acte Island, on which many centuries of hard labour have been spent reclaiming as much land as possible from its native state of marshland and mangrove swamps for use in agriculture and building.   Though there have been calls over the years for Vesta to increase its territorial holdings, successive Archdukes have rebuffed this, primarily on the bases that even settling the other islands in the Sisters Marsh would be incredibly difficult, time consuming and dangerous, whilst looking further afield could draw the ire of Vesta’s biggest trading partners, the Empire of Turelion and the Merchant Princedom of Hastellion.

The Archduchy’s curious political situation, where the Ducal Houses try to curb the power of the Archduke as much as possible means that Vesta does not have a dedicated standing army loyal to the Archduke alone. Instead, as each of the Ducal Houses maintains a substantial private defence force, every month each House contributes a quota of their forces, determined by the size and resources of each house, to act as the military of Vesta.    Forces that serve in this capacity are billeted, fed and paid at the expense of the state. Most Ducal houses will rotate their forces in service of the state each month, but some opt instead to have a dedicated contingent who only act in the protection of Vesta. Naturally, this system is ripe for corruption, and it is not uncommon for Ducal houses to send their least skilled troops, or to hire cheap mercenaries to act on their behalf, to whom they pay only a fraction of the wage that the state provides, the rest disappearing into the coffers of the Ducal house.   The only Ducal house that is exempt from this is the Archducal house, whose private defence force is dedicated solely to their protection, the protection of the Archducal Palace in Vesterella and the Archducal country estate.   The forces provided each month by the Ducal houses act as garrisons in the city of Vesterella and the other towns and villages across Acte Island and they also crew the many patrol ships that routinely circle the island, guarding against the unsanctioned landing of ships from beyond Vesta’s borders.

Vesta is a staunchly polytheistic society whose populace give homage to as many or all of the Divines as they wish. Indeed, it is believed by the Vestarites that this stance is actively protecting them from the degradations other nations and regions have suffered during the course of the Divine War, which means that anyone suggesting the restriction of worship of any entity, regardless of how unsavoury they might be, would find a particularly cold audience in Vesta.   Vesta’s polytheism means, therefore that temples, shrines, and monasteries dedicated to every Divine, and a good many sub-divine entities can be found within the city of Vesterella and Acte Island in general. It also means that the nation is seen as a particular tolerant, rich recruiting ground for cults to take root, which, though Vesterites would be hard pressed to admit it, has led to a number of problems and societal tensions over the years.

As a nation dependant on trading their wealth of agricultural products with the wider world, the Archduchy of Vesta maintains positive relations with the majority of their immediate neighbours and with the political entities of the Material Plane in general.   Vesta’s strongest relationships are with its biggest trading partners, the Empire of Turelion, the Merchant Princedom of Hastellion and the City-State of Zath. Additionally, Vesta’s need for large amounts of gladiators to enable the many games that take place in the Crown of Prota mean that the Archduchy has strong relations with both the Drow polis of Kar-Dun and the Kelrik Pirates, both of whom are widely known for their slaving activities.

Vesta is an agricultural powerhouse, whose produce graces tables far and wide throughout Kelbonnar’s Material Plane. The expensive and labour-intensive land reclamation, undertaken over hundreds of years has turned almost the entirety of Acte Island into a fertile swathe of land, perfect for the growing of crops and rearing of livestock.   The climate of Vesta is perfect for the growing of citrus fruits, and large quantities of oranges, lemons and limes are produced each year alongside fruits such as mangoes and passionfruit. Much of this harvest is sold as is, but large quantities of lemons, limes and oranges are used to create the nation’s signature liquors, Vesta Lemon, Vesta Green and Vesta Orange.   Sugar is also another staple crop of Vesta, with large sugar plantations producing thousands of tonnes of raw and refined sugar every year. This in turn has led to a secondary industry creating sweets and patisserie as sugar is so much more abundant here than in many other parts of Kelbonnar, with Vestarite pastry chefs being highly regarded across the world.   Finally, large tracts of land are given over to the rearing of cattle, principally for dairy; the rearing of goats for their meat and milk, and; the rearing of large flocks of chickens and other domesticated fowl. This in turn has led to a thriving cheese making industry, as well as a well-regarded industry making quills. Indeed, so thriving is the cheese industry, that it is said that over 100 varieties of cheese originate from Acte Island alone. Though initially, Vesta’s dairy products, other than hard cheeses, could only be circulated relatively locally, the advent of Elemental Cores and the subsequent creation of chilled compartments on ships and Firewings has enabled Vesta to export eggs, all kinds of cheese and even milk, far and wide across Kelbonnar’s Material Plane.

Its position on the western shores of the Centric Sea connects the Archduchy to the thriving maritime trade routes that connect the interior coasts of Euristan, and which connect the Archduchy to the wider shipping channels via the Strait of Jore.    In general, Vesta relies on third parties to actually ship their goods beyond the shores of Acte Island, and this means that ships of the Hastellion Trading Company are a common sight in the harbours and waters of Vesta. Indeed, so important is the trade from Vesta for the company, that the Hastellion Trading Company has established their western headquarters in Vesta’s capital, Vesterella.

Education is not freely provided in the Archduchy, but it is readily available for all who are able to pay for it. Schools of reasonable standard can be found in most communities in the Archduchy, but the most prestigious, and most expensive are to be found in the capital Vesterella. On the whole, the higher socio-economic standing of Vesta’s population means that there is a higher percentage of formally educated individuals within the nation.