Auwalda

Auwalda is the continent that Sylonia sits within. It is essentially quasi-european, with similar customs, peoples, architecture, weather, etc. The information here might be useful, but is not wholly necessary to read.

Geography
Auwalda has a mix of climates and bioregions. South of the Three Seas are the Alfida and Kebadi regions, both dry and arid. The Kebadi hosts expansive scrub land of scraggy trees, while Alfida has mountainous forests of Silver Cedars. The Three Seas themselves are the heart of the continent and provide a vital exchange point between north, south, east and west, and are some of the busiest waters in the world. In the east are the steppes, vast expanses of rolling grassland. In the north the land gives way to ice sheets. There are two large mountain ranges, the Sugris (The Grey Sisters) and The Mur (The Wall). While the Surgris has provided a shelter for civilizations to grow the Mur has only ever been an impediment to progress. The foothills of The Mur host vast forests of so called Blue Pines, so called as the oils in the wood burn blue. The Fildmar fjord is another busy waterway as three important trade cities sit on its banks. The Bosevolga translates to rich valleys as the fluvial sediment of rivers draining into the Othoni make it very fertile. This region is home to the Volgi Federation, a number of city states which have been trading powerhouses, operating around the world. A mild wind blows into the continent from the north west, giving regions on this coast mild winters and summers.The northern coast of the three seas have dry hot summers and quite mild winters. Further east, away from the mild Oceanic winds they suffer long dry summers, and harsh freezing winters.

Ancient History and The Eight
When humans first settled this region the continent was covered in eight extensive and ancient forests called The Eight. This map shows the forests at their full extent and current state. The Eight were each named for a colour: The Black Forest, The Red Woods, The Blue Forest, The White Taiga, The Golden Groves, The Bronze Thicket, The Silver Forest, and The Yellow Bush. The settlers entered into these forests and lived as part of them for centuries, when they emerged the settlers had diverged into cultures shaped by their forests, and this can still be seen in the language groups and cultures of Auwalda. The settlers shaped by the forest grew in number and bit by bit have replaced the forests with field and settlement. The memory of the Eight is kept alive mostly by the Feywise, other folk pay little attention, and hardly realise that the forest in their town was once part of something much larger. Many small copses and woodlands still bear some connection to their ancestors in their names such as the Ruzwood in Sylonia which can trace its etymology back to the Red Wood.



The Peoples of Auwalda
Berfolk - the Berfolk are a collection of nomadic tribes that live on land officially part of the Marish Empire. They have no cities or towns and are few in number.

Value: Wilderness, spirituality, resilience.

Seen as:

Positive: in touch with nature, spiritual, wise.

Negative: simple, backward.

Tusliqurol - Literally translated as Tusk Weapon Warriors. These people have adapted to the cold winters of their lands. They produce intricate tusk work from the mammoths that live there.

Value: Strength, Shows of generosity, frivolous partying.

Seen as:

Positive: strong, good warriors, excellent hosts, good fun.

Negative: barbaric, aggressive, drunkards.

Noorderfolk - are effective trades people and fisherfolk. The two nations of Noorderfolk have established expansive empires around the world. The Marish Empire consists of spreads out across the northern seas, while the Klarish have established themselves in the southern hemisphere.

Values: seriousness, politeness, wealth.

Seen as:

Positive: excellent tradespeople, polite, efficient.

Negative: boring, snobbish.

Montaigne - so called as they live only as far as the slopes of the Surgris extend. They live in sheltered valleys and make a living on the steep sided mountains. Sanca has throughout history thrived as a sanctuary. There is little arable land in this area but lots of minerals and resources. In recent years Sanca has moved its economy toward skilled professions and hosts three of the top universities in the world - before the outbreak of war Sanca was the centre of the arts world hosting the Salon de Sanca every spring. The Montaigne people host high numbers of Feywise folk and therefore value nature, the governments of these countries currently are struggling to find a balance between industry and preservation of their traditional ways.

Value: Beauty, nature, tradition, wilderness.

Seen as:

Positive: artistic, passionate, connected with nature.

Negative: wishy washy, poncy, snobby.

Volgi - The Volgi people live in the countries that make up the Volgi Federation.This rich and fertile land has always had the resources to be independent and they value this. They have trading outposts throughout the world, and their countries exist largely as a collection of cities. Each nation in the federation is essentially a city state, and they are bound together through a loose constitution. They a

Value: Wealth, independence, hard work.

Seen as:

Positive: home to excellent craftspeople and traders, knowledgeable on fine things, independent, noble.

Negative: snobbish, exclusionary, isolationist, stubborn.

Antigimpre - Once an expansive empire, the nations of these peoples share many customs, and their languages are largely mutually intelligible. All three of these nations were hit hard by The Unraveling, and their people have suffered. Sylonia and Lesonia have both lost their empires in the great war and resent the sanctions placed on them.

Value: passion, honour, piety.

Seen as:

Positive: passionate, artistic, excellent cuisine, fun, easy going, welcoming.

Negative: lazy, late, over the top.

Atfalarz - once part of the Ancient Empire, and then an empire of its own, this territory has been occupied and divided up by forces in the north. Garbland is an occuppied territory of Klarland. The valuable coastal territory at the mouth of the great river has been for many territories loosely controlled by the Volgi Federation to ensure trade access. Alarza was until the great war part of the Lesonian Empire but has since been taken by Klarland. The peoples here are pious to their own god, despite the best efforts of their colonisers.

Values: honour, piety, generosity.

Seen as:

Positive: generous hosts, honorable, producers of fine things.

Negative: some fear their piety and religion.

Tserachi - meaning Sun Made, have been shaped by their landscape a dry arid terrain. Not much grows here so they have traditionally relied on nomadic herding animals to survive. Many land trade routes pass through these countries, and the Tserachi peoples have become good traders. Governments sympathetic to powers in the north have been installed here to allow for traders from Klarland, Baixonia, Lesonia and the Volgi Federation to buy up land to grow poppies for opium.

Values: tradition and ritual, reverence of the wilderness, honesty.

Seen as:

Positive: trustworthy, connected to nature, prompt, reliable.

Negative: simplistic, backward.



History
BF - before fall

AF - after fall

983 BF - 0 AF The Ancient Empire - The Oroauguida. With its capital city in modern day Baixonia on the shore of the middle sea near where west meets east, the Oroauguida stretched to every corner of Auwalda. To the Oceanic West, into the Steppes in the east, as far north as The Wall mountain range, and south down the great river. The legacy of the empire is seen in the countries of Sylonia, Baixonia, and Lesonia which have inherited the empire's legacy. The Empire fell when huge numbers, including the empire, dissappeared almost overnight in an Unraveling. Without the infrastructure and order of the empire the continent fell into a dark age for many years.

0-650 AF - The Turbulent Age. Unravellings are frequent events, the peoples of Auwalda struggle to reestablish themselves among the chaos.Two civilizations begin to grow beyond their neighbours the Volgi Cities, and the Atfalarz Empire in the south.

650 - 800 AF - The War of the Great River. The Volgi Federation has grown into a powerful force, and instate envoys in the large cities of all the continent's peoples. They demand access to the great river to trade with peoples to the east, and come into conflict with the Atfalarz Empire. A war that lasts two hundred years ensues. The Volgi place more and more taxes and controls on the northerners to fund this war. Eventually the Volgi win and carve out the nation of Shatialarz along the western bank of the river, protecting their access. Every Volgi state send a consul to vote in elections in this country, making up just over 9 of the 17 seats in the Consulate.

800-1200 AF The Growth of the New Empires. Many of the other states begin to expand now, as Klarland and Marland industrialise rapidly. There is a loose agreement to divide the seas between these two countries and a shared city is established at the end of the Fildmar lake. The Marish Empire expands to control trade corridors in the north seas, settling all the islands and coasts rich in minerals. The Klarish Empire expands south, occupying lands rich in spices, tea, and coffee. Bronzla expands east all the way to the far sea. Lesonia and Sylonia also form empires made up of far off lands. Baixonia struggles to organise an empire as its political structure is very disunified, they struggle for many years in wars with their neighbouring montaigne countries and those across the three seas.

1208 - 1220 AF The Great War. The King of Baixonia inherits the throne of Lesonia through marriage and begins a campaign of expansion. The army and navy swell as the king leads a war in the south occupying Shatialarz. Then in the north occupying Sanca and part of Klarland. The King of Sylonia joins the war on the side of Baixonia and begins expanding into neighbouring territories as well as occupying land in the south. At this point the whole continent is embroiled in war. It takes 12 years to subdue their advances. Following the war strict measures are put in place to prevent any of the belligerents from doing the same again. Before the end of the war in 1218, the people of Sylonia - supported by foreign powers - rise up and remove the king. He is first imprisoned and then executed for his crimes against his countrymen and neighbours. His family are stripped of their powers but allowed to keep large amounts of their wealth and property.

1222 AF - The Unravelling. The first unravelling to occur in many hundreds of years. It is still unclear exactly what happened and the extent to which the two events are linked but two things happen. A global economic meltdown plunges many into poverty. And strange occurrences begin happening, sightings of strange creatures in forests, reports of gifted individuals, and disappearances. The Feywise, people throughout the continent connected with ancient customs of the forests are looked at with suspicion amongst the growing tension.

1229 - 1236 AF - The Sylonian Civil War. After the removal of the king a republic was installed in Sylonia. This republic had been led since the war by a coalition of left and centrist parties such as the People's Party, The Freedom Party. Its president for this period was the leader of the Republican Party Geno Morel. In the latter half of the 20s a power grew, a collection of right leaning parties made of Royalists and Progressists. They received support from many frustrated with the poor state of the economy, and suspicious of Feywise and unraveling events. Many in these groups were frustrated with the Republics lack of resistance to measures placed on them after the war, and felt a joint affinity and identity with the Ancient Empire - looking to see it reformed. Royalists militias spring up in the south especially along the border with Baixonia attempting to instate the dead King's cousin Hanto, the republic has few accomplished generals and struggles to subdue these rebels. In 1227, amidst mounting pressure and in a bid to appease tensions generals and war criminals of the great war are released and return back to Sylonia, Baixonia and Lesonia. These generals and war criminals are quite popular among certain elements of society, especially royalists. And so president Morel allows them to return to many senior positions in the army, assuming that this will provide the expertise needed to put down the insurrection, and gaining sympathy from royalists. Among these generals is Emil Monto, who in 1229 announces the formation of a new party joining together many smaller ones under the name The Forca/Forcist Party. He gives a speech with the a cousin of the King announcing the end of Republic Failings and that his party will reinstate the King.The army carries out a mass expunging of leftists, who are either executed, flee, or are exiled from the army, and with this new force Morel and his co-conspirators lay claim to many cities, and swiftly march on the Republic. The war rages for seven years, as the Republic retreats from the capital to the north, and then abroad. The Forca declare victory. 1234 - Outbreak of War. While civil war rages in Sylonia, Baixonia undergoes a similar process as the left leaning parliament is replaced with Forcists. Baixonia breaches sanctions by joining with Lesonia, yet receives no push back. It then swiftly claims much of the Bosevolgi sweeping in a pincer movement along the coast from both sides. At this point others join the fight, and the continent fractures and falls into all out war. Territory continues to fall to the Forcists.