Aquatic Kingdoms
The Aquatic Kingdoms are the united economic and political confederation of the islands of the Aegirrán Sea. Over the nearly eight hundred years since their founding, they have become a major hub for trade, culture, and knowledge.
Structure
The Aquatic Kingdoms is run by a council of each major inhabited island or region in the confederation, called the League of Regents. The League meets each month in the Cuarto al-Salim complex in Urbana al-Sona. Each subsidiary nation may freely choose who to appoint to the League of Regents. Most send their reigning monarch; Cypruvalu sends a member of their Council of Deans, chosen on a yearly rotation, and Voli sends their Prime Minister.
Above: the Cuarto al-Salim complex.
Public Agenda
The goal of the confederation is to ensure defense of the territories from neighboring countries and monstrous or supernatural threats, and to promote free economic exchange between all kingdoms. The League of Regents has traditionally restrained themselves from holding too much influence over most laws and day-to-day governance matters in the individual kingdoms, though regents often use the League's meetings to informally seek advice from others. However, the Kingdom tends to be strict on rulers who exert too much control over their citizens or try to persecute groups within their nations.
Assets
The Aquatic Kingdoms are incredibly rich in spices, fruits, and other valuable agricultural products. Sona grows the vast majority of the world's coffee and chocolate. Textiles from the Aquatic Kingdoms, particularly of moon elven make, are also incredibly popular throughout the world. The cities of Urbana al-Sona and Cape Hildegard are renowned for the quality of their artificers, and enchanted items from the Kingdoms are also highly prized.
Above, from left to right: Flying Carpets sold in the Viade Kuhyira marketplace of Urbana al-Sona, the street markets of Urbana al-Svara, and a spice market in Odaïsha.
History
The Aquatic Kingdoms were formed as a transnational alliance in Y345 by a treaty between Pandolfe II of Luömisáde and Edguin IV of Voli, ensuring neutrality and mutual defense in the event of attacks by neighboring nations as a response to increased violence on the nearby Dreibach-Scalados border. The two kingdoms, as well as their populated vassal islands within the Valkyrennel Archipelago, successfully blockaded their ports from mercenary invaders and avoided involvement in the War of Great Sorrow. The Aquatic Kingdoms continued to expand over the next three and a half centuries, spreading southward to incorporate every major inhabited island in the Aegirrán Sea by the turn of the ninth century. Some territories were conquered in wars, but most joined the Kingdoms for the sake of either economic opportunities or protection from outside threats.
The most significant recent threat to the integrity of the Aquatic Kingdoms came in 930, after the Volian Revolution ousted the monarchy of Isla Voli and established a parliamentary republic in the territory of the former kingdom. Historically, Longobardi had served as the capital of the Aquatic Kingdoms, but the monarchs of the League of Regents refused to admit the Volian Prime Minister, for fear of future revolutions. This sparked the Regency War, in which powers of the Aquatic Kingdoms sought to defeat the newly created republic and reintroduce a puppet monarch distantly related to the previous ruling line. However, in Y934, King Artras Mortingraine of Cypruvalu abdicated his throne and willingly established direct democracy among his people. His last act as king was to negotiate formal procedures within the Aquatic Kingdoms to peacefully handle civilian unrest and ensure each kingdom's right to self-governance. This ended the war and formed the current-day Aquatic Kingdoms.
The Aquatic Kingdoms are officially neutral in the ongoing Dreibach/Scalados war, though some individual governments (most notably that of Cypruvalu) have sent reinforcements to Cantonova. There has been talk of the Free City of Cantonova or parts of the rebelling Liberty Coast potentially joining the Aquatic Kingdoms and finalizing their split with the Dreibach Empire.
Demography and Population
Trade & Transport
Most important cities of the Aquatic Kingdoms are major trading ports, and most trade is conducted via ship. Sun elven sailing vessels, like the Jónque, allow for fast oceanic travel and a robust network of shipping.
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Education
Individual education systems vary throughout the kingdoms, but the overall education level of the populace is unusually high. Many of the world-renowned higher education institutions, particularly those of magic and artifice, are based somewhere in the Aquatic Kingdoms. The most famous of these is the Wizarding University of the Aquatic Kingdoms, which operates out of a fleet of decommissioned warships and travels between every major port of the Kingdoms, as well as Undacítta, Cantonova, and occasionally Brightwater.
Above, from left to right: Mortingraine Library at Hildegard University, several ships from the Wizarding University of the Aquatic Kingdoms, and the main hall of the Academia al-Sona.
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by Kristina Pauksh
by S
Founding Date
Y345 CPX
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Head of State
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Mixed economy
Gazetteer
- Sona and its satellite capital Urbana al-Sona, seat of government of the Aquatic Kingdoms. A resource-rich tropical island best known for its silks, spices, and coffee.
- Isla Voli, the northernmost island of the Kingdoms, home to the cities Port Nabucco and Longobardi. This island—rich in both history and magical power—was the first among the kingdoms to adopt a republican governmental system with universal suffrage.
- Hadesia, Psedonia, and Zewa, collectively known as the Three Brothers Isles. These islands were raised from the sea in the Litigation of Flames and are proudly devoted to their namesake gods. Their largest city, the subterraneanDancamort, is a tourist hotspot best known for its casinos.
- Cypruvalu, the largest island in the Kingdoms. Sparsely populated due to its difficult terrain and history, but home to Cape Hildegard, a major hub of arcane and technological breakthroughs.
- Malakar, a highly volatile and volcanically active island ruled by the Phoenix Regnant. Its largest city is Urbana al-Svara, at the edge of the Obsidian Cove.
- Filia, a large island home to many diverse ecosystems and populations that have developed some of the world's most sought-after crops.
- The Isles Rovelle, the unified southeastern subsection of the archipelago, centered around its capital Yumba Grande.
- Luömisáde, a rocky, mountainous island that experiences heavy precipitation throughout most of the year. The famed ski resort Archvale is its capital and largest settlement.
- The Near Isles, a circlet of atoll islands off the coast of Cantonova.
- Isle Machmorraig, an island in the far northeast whose rugged terrain, harsh weather, and unpredictable monstrous activity make permanent settlement difficult.
Currency
Major Exports
- Coffee
- Spices, including cinammon, pepper, and turmeric
- Raw silk and embroidery
- Arcane technology and magical items
Major Imports
- Grains (wheat, barley, Orlondë, etc.)
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Comments