Jiravess

The nation of Jiravess was founded by a group of halflings and gnomes who decided that they wanted a place of their own that would be peaceful, safe and free from the influence of tyrannical warlords or ambitious empires. This idea stemmed from the realisation that the two races generally form minor communities within larger political entities, which causes them to often operate on the background. Allthough this suits most halflings and gnomes just fine, it runs the risk of their communities being overlooked, marginalised, or even exploited. And so, several families of gnomes and halflings set out to carve out a place of their own, settling in a fertile, but rugged and underdevelopped valley which they named Jiravess. Through hard work, and by combining the strengths and expertise of the families, they managed to turn the valley into a thriving nation over several generations. Jiravess has since welcomed in many more halflings and gnomes to settle within the peaceful communities of the valley. Though other races are welcome and do settle in Jiravess occasionally, Jiravess is the only area in Sharrodras where gnomes and halfling form the majority population, which causes the nation of Jiravess to commonly be referred to as "the kingdom of the small folk". Allthough technically a misnomer since Jiravess is a republic run by a council instead of a king, the residents see the nickname as a point of pride and warmly refer to it when speaking with outsiders.   By combining the halfling's aptitude for working the land, and the gnomes' inventiveness, Jiravess has become the largest producer of agricultural goods within Ussath Riel, causing it to often be referred to as the breadbasket of the continent. The steady supply of foodstuffs and various luxury goods coming from Jiravess are often seen as the main reason why Jiravess has never been conquered or even attacked by other political entities. Damaging the trade of Jiravess would simply mean shortages of food and luxury goods like pipeweed throughout the surrounding area. Another, often cited, reason is the peace-loving nature of the Halflings and Gnomes, which is reflected in the stance of the ruling council that has allways maintained a course of strict neutrality and openly opposes any form of armed conflict between states. Nonetheless, Jiravess is not without it's defenses and would prove a tough nut to crack for any ambitious political entity who would dare try to invade Jiravess' borders. And even if Jiravess were to come under threat, the story goes that the council can call on all Gnomes and Haflings worldwide to come to the defence of the nation. Although it has never come to this, and many doubt the truth of the statement, it is a risk that few are willing to take.