Drakengard Kingdom

The capital kingdom of Astana, built upon the remains of a colossal dragon that once terrorized the lands of Astana centuries ago in 50 DR, is now a proud civilization who prides itself on it's history of upholding virtues of honor and valor in the face of countless threats and challenges that have tried to crush it. Drakengard has built their kingdom to withstand the rapid winds and any airborne creature that might stray too close. They’ve reinforced their households with roofs to be more triangularly pointed to reduce drag from air moving past, as well as having a multitude of stone-thin skyscrapers strewn about the kingdom, allowing anyone who is able to traverse the winds from high above to gain more distance. A few of these sky scraping stone fortifications are equipped with mounted ballistas pointed towards the sky in preparation for attacks.

Government

Astana is overseen by a monarchy, with the head of the royal family at its peak, wielding power following a written constitution and the support of the other kingdoms, of which hold fealty under the High King, as he is referred to, Drakengards own King Guthri

History

Drakengard started as a trading town at the base of the eastern mountain range around 5900 BDR. At the time, it went by a different name, Freewind, as the title of Drakengard would only come to be claimed later in history. This ancient town and it's surrounding villages were a hub of trade and commerce and thrived off of a healthy social life with surrounding communities.

By 2500 BDR, clans of swift and aggressive raider clans from the east made life incredibly difficult for Freewind and it's trade allies, leading to the formation of more skilled and well equipped trading caravans. This contest between parties along the various roads of the region became more than just scattered incidents of theivery. This same century, a new entity in the east had cropped up as well, as several of the richest and most powerful raider band leaders had transformed their bandit complexes into true fortresses, even absorbing nearby towns and villages under their fold and creating an entire kingdom of it's own known as Zanhor Kingdom. By 2000 BDR, war had been officially declared by Zanhor against Freewind, and soon enough Freewind's allies answered the call to action as well, leading to a bloody war that lasted 30 years. Through much effort, Freewind was able to come out victorius as Zanhor eventually suffered enough losses that it's heavy and aggressive tactics soon couldn't be supportted and their offensive faultered, leaving their campaign to end. Though one of Freewind's darker times in history, it allowed them to rise into their identity as the defenders of the air region, their strength and resilience serving as a beacon of stalwartness.

At the start of Dragonrise and the turn of the global era, Freewind would see the new reapparrance of an anciet force, the dragons. By 52 DR, the region's populations would be subject to the wrath of the fabled Darum, more commonly referred to simply as "The Black Destroyer." This dragon would break away from its kin to lead a campaign of terror and devastation across Astana. Records tell of years of on-and-off attacks, and many people and places lost to Darum's fire, the people only able to possibly fend him off temporarily with enough luck before Darum would leave and simply rest up before it came time to choose his next population of people to expose to his insatiable bloodlust. It wouldn't be until a single weapon called the Zephyr Blade would be raised against Darum by the legendary Watcher, that a strike would be powerful enough to slay him for good.   Regardless of the details, this victory would be a great relief for Astana, and a great period of rebuilding and rejuvenation would spark in the area. The original town that functioned as a hub for the region would branch out and recoup its original size. In 55 DR, it's new kingdom center would be rebuilt amidst the petrified corpse of Darum, building structures among the gigantic skeleton of the menace. This area would also finally be referred to as Drakengard, which it still is referred to as to this day. Astana would continue to grow and perpetually learn from its shortcomings, progressively adapting as the years went on and the conflicts changed, becoming a powerhouse of both military might and diplomatic influence. This would truly come to be tested ten years before the current year, when the lightning region, their closest neighbor, would declare war on them.