Lemon Kingdom

The Lemon Kingdom, or Limonaint as it is called in Lorient was long both a rival and trading partner of the Lorientain kings. Buying lemons and other fruits from the area, first in its era as a duchy, and later as a kingdom, was a must for any lorientain noble or merchant wanting to impress. In return Limonaint received iron, fish, and goods bought from far shores from Lorient. The trade was often disrupted by Lorientain nobles or kings claiming land to the north, and many a war has been fought between the two, though these wars often took the theatrical form of Lorientain civil conflict, often being more mock-battlea than real war. The cycle of war and trade was finally broken when king Guille of the Lemon kingdom died without an heir, and through the complicated system of succession, the throne went to the crown prince of Lorient, Guidon, later Guidon III. From then on the Limonaint has been a vassal state of Lorient, with the crown prince traditionally holding the title "Lord-regent of the Lemon Kingdom".
Its nicknamed for the lemon trees of this rich, fertile land. It's home to the most famous cuisine in the West, their seafood and duck recipes known all over the world. It's said that the Glutton God himself hired three cooks from the Lemon Kingdom to build his island of Gluttony.
== History ==
The northern region of the Great Peninsula of Cemak I has been inhabited by human populations since time immemorial. The region was populated by many farmers and fishermen, using the mild climate of the region for the profitable lemon agriculture, a very lucrative business in the area, especially once the beneficial qualities of citrus for sea travel became apparent. The importance of the region quickly brought many people from the changrilese tribes to the region, adopting very similar culture and beliefs, though unlike the changrilese tribes outside of the peninsula, they did not join the Azanese Empire during the XVIIIth Century BBE. The region was controlled by warlords, due to the need to counter the growing weight of the orcs and ogres from the center of the peninsula. These warlords were highly independent, and while many of them had grown to accept the changrilese cultural influence, they refused to become part of the empire. Throughout the XVIth Century BBE, however, the weight of the Azanese Empire became too much to overcome, and by creating a series of alliances with the most powerful warlords, Azan managed to control most of the region. The promise of azanese troops that could quell the pressure from the center and south of the Great Peninsula of Cemak I was also well received. Azan built many fortresses and watchtowers around the paths that traversed Morgull’s Mountains, keeping an eye on the roaming trolls and orcs.
During the following centuries, the province of Lemonaint would develop into a center of trade, particularly important as a center for many naval academies and shipyards. However, the growing weight of Changrila meant these moved more and more outside of the region. It also saw a considerable competition with the western and northern side of the peninsula. The province of Lorient and the Nasr were also in ascendance, and even the big raids during the Azanese-Elven Wars did not really slow down the region as a center of trade and agriculture. The south, meanwhile, languished due to the difficulties to control the land, always embroiled in tensions. These tensions would explode once again around the year 1.414 ABE, when the orc migration known as the “Great Migration” began displacing a great amount of orcs from the south to the center, and many of the displaced individuals sought refuge in the north. Many of these ended up becoming mercenaries, and adopted a culture less orcinian and more lemonesque.
During the Azanese Civil War, the rebellion of the Nasrians in favor of Changrila and the swift occupation by azanese forces brought the conflict to the Great Peninsula. The azanese built their strength in the province of Lemonaint, but the fights between the azanese and the changrilese left Lemonaint heavily damaged. Seeing the opportunity to rebel, the governor of Lorient Charloi Charolus began planning with the neighboring regions to secede from the empire and free themselves from the war entirely. In 2.030 ABE, the provinces of Lorient, Lemonaint and Nasr declared their independence, allowing Lorient and Lemonaint to become free from the empire (though Nasr could not free itself, since the enclave was essential for the azanese strategy during the war, and as such, was heavily guarded). The first king of the newly formed Kingdom of Lemon was Limali the First, of the Mon Dynasty. During the following years, the Mon kings would rebuild and expand the Lemon Kingdom, taking advantage of the weakened Azan and Changrila to establish themselves in the region. An important event that took place was in 2.211 ABE, when a civil war began between the different satraps from Nasr. Seeing an opportunity to expand, the Lemon Kingdom and Lorient quickly took the southern of the province of Ganex, with the approval of the rival satraps. In exchange for help, the government of Lemonaint accepted ceding the lands of the Lemon Kingdom south of the Morgull’s Mountains, which had been causing border problems between the two kingdoms.
Tensions between Lorient and Lemonaint were constant, but the nobility of both countries was too comfortable and prosper in its current situation to consider the possibility of starting a war with each other. This led to the period known as the “Tournament Wars”, when every time an issue between the two kingdoms arose, it was resolved by organizing great tournaments, where noble knights would be able to fight for honor and glory, with the victor establishing the settlement terms. This period of relative peace was broken with Guille the Second’s death. The passing of the Lemonaint king from a sudden and terrible disease without a heir (he had sired a son, but he died from the disease as well), caused plenty of problems of succession. This ended up with a long period of interregnum, where the viceroy had to try to keep the country from starting a civil war. This was used by the Lorientant kings to establish their candidate, which eventually ended in the crowning of Guidon the Third as King of Lemonaint. Ever since then, the power of the region has been firmly in the hands of the Lorientant, something that angers the Lemonese noble considerably.
== Society and Culture ==
Before the arrival of changrilese influence, the realm of Lemonaint had a very hierarchical society, with a rigid caste system put in place, affecting all population. This caste system was divided into four different groups: the Siishde, the leaders of the towns, exclusively in the hands of local nobility, dedicated to politics and warfare; the Nooshde, priests and religious personnel of the old pagan religions; the Surfdi, sailors and people who live from the sea; and Marqsi, the remaining peoples, from working the land to doing different professions in the towns. The arrival of changrilese and later full azanese culture changed a lot of things in Lemonaint, advancing their technology and culture a thousandfold, but this cast system never really went away. For example, the adoption of the azanese faith was relatively swiftly, as long as the organization of the worship was left to the Nooshde, and no one else within could really enter. They still had to accept outside interference from outside Lemonaint, but only in the higher echelons of the cult, where most commoners couldn’t really discern it. Likewise, the Siishde quickly married with azanese and changrilese nobility, hoping to gain influence within the empire. This quick assimilation helped Lemonaint greatly, making the towns of the region grown into great cities. However, the region never went beyond a secondary role in the politics of the empire. Its closeness to Changrila meant that most of the time, they were outcompeted by them more populous and developed neighbor.
Their main weight within the empire was its valuable agricultural produce, especially vital for long travels. The citrus produced in the region are some of the best in the world, with only those in the Orange Marquissates being of a similar quality. This continued even after their independence. The Azanese Civil War destroyed quite a lot of the nation’s cities and infrastructure, and as such, most cities are relatively recent. The new architecture was designed with a grid plan in mind, abandoning the ancient, more chaotic structure. It also allowed to improve things such as the sewage system, something that had been causing problems due to the growth of the cities outstripping the increase of public services. However, since the rise of Guidon the Third as king of the Lemon Kingdom, the nation’s economy has been steadily declining, losing power and influence to Lorient. While its agricultural weight is as strong as ever, manufacture and trade have declined steadily, especially when it comes to ship manufacturing. The brief period of respite during the Changrilese Civil War, that saw their main competitor in the sea busy with internal strife was not enough to help their plight. This has caused a lot of resentment in both the commonfolk and the nobility, putting both groups on a surprisingly good terms in their common goals, something even more noteworthy when taking into account the presence of the caste system.
The Siishde nobility, after years of marriages with many nobles from all throughout the Azan Empire, have managed to obtain a web of influence well above what one would assume. It also helps that many outside of Lemonaint consider the Siishde nobility as backwards, still focused on their honor duels and knightly tournaments in a world where more finesse and sophistication is required, thus understimating the Siishde, keeping them around for their wealth. In reality, lemonese nobility is surprisingly well versed and educated. While it is true they have a traditional sense of honor, they are also smart enough to see the world changing around them. Having united their love of dueling with the knowledge of rhetoric and business, their influence over the nation is considerable. However, the personal grudges and power struggles between each other allowed them to be blindsided by Lorient’s influence, losing the chance of getting one of their own candidates on the throne. From that point on, lemonese nobility has been conspiring to take back the kingdom from their neighbor, though the skill at politics of their opposites is making it a duel of wits, cloaks and dagger, something far from their natural battlefield.
== Geography ==
Much like Lorient, the majority of Limonaint consists of temperate plains, low hills and shrublands, with cold winds passing by the Morgull Mountains and making the southern portion of the land somewhat more frigid than the rest. The climate is ideal for growing citrus trees, particularly in Limonaint proper, which earned the Kingdom its name.
== Regions ==
=== Limonaint proper ===
the region once holding the duchy of Limonaint, and the place of the founding of the kingdom. The bountiful citrus trees of the region, particularly the lemons are famed throughout the world.
=== Satrapy of Ganex ===
Ganex is far to the north of the Kingdom, and as far north as the power of the kings of Lorient reaches. The culture is close to Nasr, and as the lord here holds the title of Satrap, he is afforded much a greater amount of autonomy, even compared to the rest of the Lemon Kingdom. Herbs and spices are grown here, which feature heavily in the local cuisine. The northern border is fortified with grand castles manned by men sworn to the king. This is both to defend the area in case of war with the north, they are also convenient for making sure that the satrap gets no ideas of betraying the kingdom seeking independence or of defecting to Nasr.
=== Southern Marches ===
The Southern Marches serve as the northern front against the orcs, and guarding the border with the trolls. 
=== Durat ===
South in the kingdom, at the foot of the mountains lay the land of Durat. A site of great mines bringing metal to all of Lorient, the land is filled with miner clans and petty nobles. The clans of Durat are staunchly traditional and has resisted Lorientain authority for a long time. Their unofficial leader, the duke of Adure is even rumoured to conspire to take the throne of the Lemon Kingdom for himself.
== Demographics ==
Even though Limonaint has its fair share of towns and cities, its biggest population centre and capital, Guipouy, is nowhere near as large or populous as Orient, the capital of Lorient. The Lemon Kingdom has a more rural centered society than Lorient, although both of their inhabitants are relatively similar. 
Both the Limonais and the Lorientois speak similar, mutually intelligible languages, and the vast majority of those realms are inhabited by humans, mostly native, although foreign ones like Nasrian and Azharnarese sailors are not an uncommon sight, as are Furlaniyan sellswords and Azaneese as well as Changrilese envoys.
Small pockets of other races can be found here and there. In cities, one can spot Jooish merchants peddling their goods, while southern Limonaint is home to the few troll clans that still haven't fled to their kinsmen in the Mostnoblest Democracy of Civilized Trolls.
== Religion ==
The overwhelming majority of humans, and especially the locals, follow the New Azan Faith, although with some remaining influences of the old paganese worship that have still survived due to the Nooshde caste's handling of most of religious matters.
== Foreign Relations ==
The Lemon Kingdom is a big player in the sea trade in the Huan-Ho-Sei and the Gun-Po Sea, though it faces growing competition from both within the Great Peninsula of Cemak I and outside of it. The biggest competition they face is Changrila. From its birth, Changrila has pushed to increase their influence in the region, mostly through diplomatic and financial pressures. While these initiatives were interrupted during the Changrilese Civil War, the God-Emperor’s desire to grow his borders is not limited to the Ögchuck and the Golden Hills. Control over the Peninsula of Cemak I would grant Changrila near monopoly of the Huan-Ho-Sei Sea, plus the ability to further project their trade towards the south. The Lemon Kingdom maintains cordial relations with Changrila’s nobility and merchants, something needed to keep any possible threat from growing into something worse. Lemonese nobility also has a lot of ties with the areas in most tension with Changrila, the Ögchuck Fiefdoms and the Golden Hills, helping these areas to maintain their independence from the shadows so that they don’t have the time to focus on the Peninsula of Cemak I. The lemonese also keep good relations with the Kingdom of Azhar Nar. The key position of the kingdom at the mouth of the Huan-Ho-Sei Sea and its proximity to the Nasrs makes friendship with the Azharese something of a necessity, despite old fights with the taifas that were around before Azharese unification. They are also interested in slowing down the growing changrilese influence.
Inside of the Peninsula of Cemak I, the nations there have a thin balance of friendship and rivalry. While they all desire to keep changrilese influence far from their lands, the Kingdom of Lemon and the Kingdom of Lorient have had a strong rivalry since their independence from Azan to become the main power from the region. Outside these two, the lands are either barbaric or uncivilized, and both Lemonaint and Oriant see these areas as nothing but occasional trouble, full of ogres, trolls and warlords. Currently, the Kingdom of Lemon has fallen under the influence of Lorient, which managed to put their royal candidate on the throne, keeping the nation as somewhat of a vassal. However, lorientain nobility have refrain from pushing heavily against the lemonese, seeing that the lorientain crown could use the same tools and laws that could subjugate the Kingdom of Lemon to take away the lorientain nobility’s rights and privileges. They also worry that the lemonese nobility, skilled in the arts of politics and diplomacy, could finally decide to push the subject once and for all and eject the puppets from Lorient, something that would cause a war in the region, weakening it too much to oppose Changrila. This has created something of a complex rivalry between the two kingdoms, with many friendships and clashes between the knightly and enlightened lemonese and the practical and direct lorientain noble houses.
The relation between the Lemon Kingdom and the Nasr Satrapies are quite cold. The Nasr have not forgotten the war with the Lemon Kingdom and Lorient, and wish to recover their lands. However, they are not in a position to do so. Even as a vassal of Lorient, the Lemon Kingdom is more than a match for the Satrapies, both in terms of navy and army. Plus, they fear changrilese influence more than they fear any further lemonese expansion, so this keeps both the Nasr and the Lemonese relatively close, though there is no lost love or friendship between them.
South and east of the Lemon Kingdom, the rest of the lands near it are considerably more backwards and violent in the eyes of the lemonese. The InGurLand is source of frequent attacks and raids, with the old azanese fortifications within Morgull’s Mountains seeing frequent action against the orcs. The lemonese orcs that reached the kingdom during the “Great Migration” have adapted to life in the kingdom, though they are seen as second class citizens and mostly used as mercenary work, most of them located at the borders between the Kingdemocracy and the Nasr, to avoid possible fraternization between the orcs from InGurLand and them. The Lemonese keep good relations with the Mostnoblest Noble Kingdemocracy of the Civilized Trolls, seeing it as a strange, humorous oddity that could be surprisingly useful as a buffer against Changrila. Indeed, the land of the “civilized” trolls being on the isthmus connecting the peninsula with the rest of Giantstep allows the Lemonese and the Lorientain to focus their military efforts on their navy, safe in the knowledge that the trolls would help them greatly if they were ever invaded by land. However, the economy and administration of a country organized by trolls is by not means stable, so the Kingdom of Lemon and Lorient help them occasionally with donations of food, keeping them in their good graces. The Lemon Kingdom sees the southern peninsula as lawless, with the Golden Skulls mere mercenaries turned into warlords, being the only authority that, theoretically, could bully the other forces in the region into submission. Unlike Lorient, however, the lemonsese are not interested in growing their influence there, being too far to exert their power within the land. Both Lorient and Lemon do want to prevent them from using the strange devices discovered by the archaeologists in the region, and keep frequent sea patrols in case they need to intervene to capture or destroy a particularly dangerous device.
Category:Nations
Category:Giantstep