Westingham
The West
They call themselves the Westerners, despite being roughly in the centre of Veskar. This refers to them being west of the black mountains.
Westingham is based around the Yavin River, and the Yavinian plain, which are the core of their civilization. The river connects their lands like an artery connects the heart to the brain, which is why their capital, Erding Yeavin, is smack dab in the middle of the country where two major branches of this river meet.
Government
They are a true feudal monarchy. The king rules the dukes, the dukes rule the counts, and the counts rule the people, sort of.
There are several provinces that are ruled by a duke. The duke rules over the people in this province, and the various cities are ruled by a lord named the count. The king is also a duke of his own duchy, and he is also the count of Erding Yeavin, which is the capital. All the dukes are his vassals and pay him taxes, the counts in the duchies are their vassals and pay taxes to the duke, etc. There is also one Marquisate, ruled by a marquis, which is just a fancy term for a different type of duke. Everyone has to follow the king's laws, and the various lords are responsible for doing this, although they all have their own little way of doing this, as well as having their own little interpretations of what the king's law is exactly.
Princes
There are two principalities; these territories originated as fiefs granted to princes, who continued to use the title even after they were no longer ruled by the king's children. This was only able to happen when the king was weak, because otherwise, he would not tolerate this breach of his authority.
Military
The counts all raise their own city guards, and the dukes all raise their own armies, in order to keep the peace.
The king controls the royal army, to which all the dukes have to provide men.
During times of war, the king calls his dukes to war, who will raise levies from their counts, who will provide part of their city garrison, which is large enough to be able to handle half their number being sent to war.
Most of this military will be spear infantry, but there is always also a large heavy and light cavalry unit in the western army, since they are a plain people who love horses, and horses are very useful on the flat terrain of the Yavinian plain.
Subjects
The King of Westigham is powerful and wealthy enough to demand tribute from two of its smaller neighbors, which are Rendia and Isich. And in return, the king defends their sovereignty from their other less friendly neighbors.
However, they are not vassals and do not have to support the king of westingham in his wars.
Provinces
There is one royal domain, called the king's hold, which is also known as the Duchy of Karillya.
There are six duchies still in the kingdom, which are the duchies of Meyrn, Normern, Ost Marn, Westwood, Stearforlk, and Norfeld.
Besides these, there are three grand duchies, a title signifying their superior status within the kingdom, these are the grand duchies of Krelland, Dreyech, and Stabrant.
Besides grand duchies, there are also two principalities, which are generally smaller but of similar rank as the grand duchies, these are the principalities of Montburgh and Udamna.
Finally, there is a single Marquisate, Makreigh, which is of the same rank as a principality.
History
Westingham is only the most recent in a long line of Yavinian Kingdoms. There have been many eras of unity, disunity, and war, which have shaped the land to its current form.
The Kingdom of Westingham came into being after the holy wars, when the Yavinian people rebelled against the elven religious rule of their lands.
It didn't come about quickly, instead, it slowly began to unite over the course of many years of war and resistance, and it has remained relatively united ever since.
Erding Yeavin is the current capital of the country, but this wasn't always the case. For most of its existence, the capital was the ancient city of Erech Yor, which was the capital of the Eshen Dray, the first nation to unite the Yavinian people under one banner.
There was also a short time when the port city of Makreigh was the capital. This was because the Makreighi served a big role in the unification of Westingham, and the first dynasty was theirs.
The regions of Krelland, Udamna, and Montburgh have not always been part of this nation, and they were each added to the kingdom later.
Udamna was brought in by means of personal union, when the throne of Udamna was inherited by the then king of westingham.
Montburgh started out as a tributary, but they were fully integrated into the kingdom after the war for the world.
Krelland was conquered by the kings of westingham, but it changed hands a few times over history, as the Enyanians attempted to reassert themselves in the region. Ultimately, the Yavinians won out, and they have now controlled it continuously for over a hundred years.
Top 5 Cities by Population:
1. Edring Yaevin
2. Makreigh
3. Erech Yor
4. Isnaburg
5. Meyrfort
Cultures
Yavinian Culture is devided based on what side of the Yavin river they are from. This makes the distinction of whether you herd bison or hunt deer, with some overlap area further upriver, where both may be possible. Over time, these lines have blurred, as the domesticated cow was brought across the river, lowering ethnic divides, but not removing them.
The Makreigh have a distinct trading and seafaring culture, setting them apart from other Yavinians. They were also one of the first regions to rebel successfully against the elves during the holy wars, and they have even served as the nation's capital at times because of this.
The Makreigh dialect is distinct, and their culture is unique, which is why they were unable to maintain this position of power for long.
They were able to keep their unique title, Marqui, which is the Makreigh word for ruler.
The Onifnechi, through centuries, if not millennia, of isolation, have developed one of the most distinct cultures on the mainland, one of isolationism and self sufficiency. This is why, while they are militarily important to the crown, they do not contribute a lot to the economy, as most of what they produce stays within their own lands, and they do not import a lot either.
They are also the only group of Western Yavinians who still follow the Yavinian branch of human paganism.
The Northern regions of westingham, at the border with dendor, people have long intermixed, leaving them still Yavinian, but with some added Dendorian flair. This can be heard in their language, and it can be seen in their faces.
Islander Culture, like Onifnechi, has spent a long time being isolated from the continent, much easier for them, because they are on a collection of islands, their distinction is also easily visible by the color of their skin, they are decidedly darker than the rest of Westingham. They are known for their excellent ships, fish, and shellfish.
Woodlander culture, while greatly influenced by the Yavinian people, still maintains much of their Marnen roots, as, like the trees, they are strong and not easily uprooted.
Krennish culture has been marked by many ages of war and conquest, their culture and ethnicity are deeply mixed with the wood elves, who were once the sole inhibitors of these lands, and still make up most of the rural population. The people here are some of the most mixed-race in the world, second only to the much newer Tiananmyan population.
Read more about general Yavinian Culture here: Yavinian
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