The Lendian Commonwealth

The Lendian Commonwealth, or Lendian Confederacy, is a union of kingdoms north of the Kaselreich. Ruled by an elected king who is voted in by the nobility of the various constituent kingdoms, Lendia could be considered a sort of noble democracy, where the ruling class all has a vested interest in maintaining the system because any of them could, theoretically, end up on the throne after the death of the current King.
This means that the state has a lot of support from its nobles, and that in theory makes it a very powerful state for its size, because the noble squabbling normally seen in feudal states is muted in favor of a degree of cooperation. They punch well above their weight, even being able to challenge the Kasonic Order (and by unspoken extension the Kaselreich) in war.
The Lendians are not famed for their mercenaries--most of their fighting men find easy enough employment in the hosts of their nobles and military men, but bands do exist. One group, perhaps the most fearsome, are called the "Feathercaps" because of their custom of wearing hawk feathers in their fur hats, even to the point of modeling steel feathers on their helmets. This unit, which elects its leader on a yearly basis, fights as exquisite light horse, and are known for their ability to navigate even dense forests without dismounting--a talent which has frustrated many enemies who thought themselves protected from cavalry attack by the woods. Their favored weapon is the saber, though many also enjoy the use of light lances, and bows and pistols are used in equal measure according to the aptitude of the individual men.
==Challenges==
After the Confederacy's founding, there was a great upsurge of growth and prosperity in Lendia as a result of the peace and trade brought by the cooperation of the nobility, and this resulted in a great number of new villages, towns and cities emerging along the new trade routes and expanding fields. These new regions needed new lords, and "big men" from the villages and towns were promoted to the nobility.
This "New Nobility" stands rather opposed to the "Old Nobility," which is one source of conflict in the kingdom.
Another problem is Dacians. After the Civil War, a lot of Dacian expats from Pishka and Zovia found shelter in Lendia, where they were welcomed because Lendia is cool like that. However, as time has gone on, the Dacians have proven to be a lot of trouble because they refuse to assimilate, and have in a few cases successfully raised nobles of their own, who clash horribly with Old and New Nobility alike.
==Military==
The most famous warrior in Lendia is, of course, Jerzy Korczak, who is said to be a comparable warrior to Sarah Gizka, Ratko Abuslav, and others of their ilk. He is a nobleman, and the second of of the Five Brave Colonels, who are the senior military man of the nation.
==Culture==
Lendians speak Lendski, Lendish, or Lendian, depending on who you ask, and their style of dress is rather plain, eschewing combinations of colors and shapes for flat, monochrome dress with most adornment being in the form of buttons. Osterbijan and the Lendian men share a custom of wearing a sash across the breast from shoulder to hip, often of silk but sometimes of dyed wool for poorer folk. The Lendians by tradition wear this sash red, while the Osterbs wear blue. The Valaks have a similar tradition, though they wear their (yellow) sashes around their waists. The origin of the tradition is unclear, but a common myth is that in ancient times, the Valaks, Osterbs and Lendians were all one tribe, and when forced to split and go their second ways, they drew sashes from a great barrel to determine who would go in what direction. Some stories add the ancestors of the Ruscovites to this story (their color was green) and supposes that the four groups went East (Osterbs) West (Lendians) South (Valaks) and North (Ruscovites)
Category:Countries