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The State of the World (WIP)

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MarkZ:
The State of the World

As is tradition upon the continent of Calradia, since the days of the collapsed Empire and beyond, the state of the world is at its status quo; utter disarray. Most lands are either ravaged by war, or preparing for one. In such chaos it is hard to see precisely how each of the Kingdoms is fairing, yet it is clear there are winners and losers of late. However, the tides of success wax and wane like the moon with each passing evening, and the current state of affairs could shift at any moment.

The Kingdom of Swadia

The great Kingdom of Swadia, the famed successor state to the old Vlandian Kingdom, has amassed a great deal of power in the recent decade. Ruled by one of the most famed line of warrior Kings on the continent, they have slowly and surely secured their dominance over the surrounding lands. However, things are not so secure for the Kingdom as they used to be today, and many fear the faltering of their hegemony could spell disaster for their many inhabitants.

After a recent, and wildly successful, invasion of the Nordic Kingdom, the Swadian monarch became greedy, and lusted for further conquests. With his army already gathered in the North after signing a damning peace treaty with the frail and weakened Nordic Kingdom, he pressed his warriors a step to far. The King of Swadia declared that the campaign would continue, despite his lords desiring peace, and a return to their home fiefs. In a bold act, the King declared war upon the Tsardom of the Vaegirs, and demanded his army head for Reyvadin.

This action angered many of his Lords, who feared their time away from home had already been too great. But it angered none more so than the southern marcher Lords, whose lands lay defenseless against their rivals in the Rhodok Confederacy. As it would seem, their fears were soon realized. A Rhodok invasion upon a distracted Swadia has driven many southern Lords to simply take their men home, some even declaring they want nothing to do with the conflict, and in essence breaking from the Kingdom to save their own lands.

The Kingdom of the Nords

The once great Nordic Kingdom has become a shadow of its former self. Whittled down by constant wars with aggressive neighbors, and frequent raiding upon its coasts from anything from savage raiders of the far north, to simple wandering warbands taking advantage of their weakness, they have become haggard and frail. Losing much of their southern and western lands to the Kingdom of Swadia recently, the old Nordic King must now rally what is left of his people to defend against a Vaegir invasion of their north most peninsula, and an attempt at seizing the Jarldom of Wercheg.

With the Vaegirs attacking from the east, the Nordic King now finds himself in a very unusual position, for the Kingdom that just slighted him terribly, the Swadians, now find common cause with him in fighting Vaegirs. Though they are far from allies, the Nordic Kings only hope is to maintain a fragile peace with the Swadians, in order to save what lands he has left.

The trouble for the Nords does not end with war however, for inside the Kingdom the true battle being waged is one of tradition, and progression. With the incursion of the Swadians, has also come the incursion of the Makerist faith. The subjects of the crumbling Nordic Kingdom are torn, and bitter rivalries have formed between those who wish to maintain their old gods, and those who have seen the successes of Makerist Kingdoms, and deemed it to be the will of the Maker. Many feel that the Maker must be real, for he has clearly shown his favour to those who worship him. The traditionalists however, argue that it is the All Father punishing them for losing their faith, and this is why the Kingdom is collapsing. With each side entrenched, it is difficult to see a way forward for the Kingdom.

With a King unwilling to relinquish the old gods, a peasantry supporting him, and an aristocracy opposing him in favour of the Maker, the Kingdom is about ready to collapse entirely.

The Rhodok Confederacy

The Rhodok Confederacy, though ruled by a monarch, remains as it has been since the rebellion long ago, to be ruled closely by the Dukes of the realm. The council of Dukes rules alongside the King, rather than beneath him, and the state functions far more like a union of independent Dukedoms, than a solid political unit. However, this system lends itself frequently to trouble.

In its current state, the Rhodok confederacy remains one of the more stable realms, its system is old and certainly flawed, but the absence of war for the last several years has let them prosper. This prosperity however, has led them to some bold moves recently, namely a declaration of war on a distracted Kingdom of Swadia. Seeing the King of Swadia’s decision to press further north after the Swadian-Nordic War, the Rhodokian Dukes convened at a council in Veluca. They reached the decision to invade from the south, and swiftly gathered a large host of retinues and mercenaries to invade. The desired outcome being the seizure of Uxkhal, Haringoth Castle, Reindi Castle, and securing a new frontier against the Swadian War machine.

This invasion swiftly led to Swadian Lords returning home with their men, only to find a massive host on their doorstep. Negotiations continue at the moment, however many of the southern Lords have expressed their fury with their King, and have some even outright denounced him, claiming pseudo independence contingent on negotiations with the Rhodoks and the Swadian King himself. However, if things go awry, the Rhodoks have some tough decisions to make about their plans.

The Tsardom of Vaegirs

The Vaegir Tsardom has ever existed in a state of icy solitude, partaking more in their own struggles with survival in the tundra than in the politics of the realm. This is not to say they do not frequent the battlefield as often as the other nations, but that their way of life does not mirror those of the heartlands. A near constant struggle with the Khergit Khanates and their frequent raids and attempted migrations north has left them most often on the defensive. However, there are times of struggle, and times of contentedness, now is a time of content.

Recently the defences have become quite reliable, and local garrisons have become very effective at defending their borders, and this has allowed the Vaegirs to capitalize on the weak and floundering Nordic Kingdom. Upon the signing of the peace treaty in the Swadian-Nordic War, the Vaegirs decided to invade the northern peninsula of the Nordic Kingdom, to take the duchy of Wercheg from the already beleaguered Nordic Kingdom.

Much to the chagrin of the Tsar however, their declaration upon the Nords was also swiftly met with a declaration upon their own Tsardom by the Swadians. Thusly, they now must defend their borders from the Khergits, with whom war almost never ceases, the Swadians, who aim to take their Southern stronghold of Reyvadin, and a war of aggression with the Nords.

This complex situation has left them with a stalemate in the north, knowing the Nords cannot attack them, they have brought their forces to bear in the south, and only intend to continue the war with the Nords as a formality, keeping a token force in Nordic territory to continue the war effort. They are confident they can repel the Swadians swiftly, then return to take Wercheg. Perhaps this ambition will come to pass, perhaps it will spell ruin for the Boyars whose lands remain at risk.

The Khergit Khanate

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The Sarranid Sultanate

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Butterlord Banter:
The sultanate is:

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