Kingdom of Lorient

The Kingdom of Lorient lies south of Azhar Nar, near the fabled lost isle. It is a kingdom famed for gallantry, fashion, duels, as well as its shipwrights and sailors. Lorientain traders can be seen as far north as Zapalovach, and as far south as the shattered realms. More than their naval commerce however, the Lorientains are known to be a contentious bunch It is said that where two of them are found, there is bound to be a quarrel over honor, manners or money. This tendency has naturally led to several civil wars within the country, as barons, counts and princes fight each other over the slightest perceived insult to their honor. As a result, civil conflict has become some sort of traditional festival within Lorient, with two armies clashing in mock-battles with limited casualties, before ending in a duel between the contentious parties.
Minimizing this waste of resources and nobility has been a goal of many Lorientain king, to little success. When king Gedor IV attempted to issue a ban of duels, he was quickly challenged to 53 of them, before finding himself at the wrong end of the Arch-Duke of Gurelle's sabre.
== History of the foundation of the Kingdom of Lorient and her vassals ==
The populations of the Great Peninsula of Cemak I had a long history of cultural development before any state formed in the area. The first written record of a separate language in the area comes from a small collection of Hymns in something known as "Loroi language", a hybrid between an azanese dialect, arrived through trade way before the azanese colonization, with certain local tongues, which would later develop into its own entity. Because of this, the people of the south became known as "Loroi" in Azan, later evolving to "Loriaise" and into the modern "Lorientain", though it mostly centered around the towns in the western side of the peninsula. As the eastern side of the peninsula, the lands of the Lorientain were quickly filled with changrilese tribes in search of both trade business and lands to settle in. These people had to contend with the strong local warlords, who controlled strong armies to counter the threat of the orcs and ogres from the center of the peninsula. Just like in the east, the pressure to join the Azanese Empire was considerable, and after a series of civil wars in the region, the Lorientain tribes joined the empire as the Province of Lorient. 
Like Lemonaint and the Nasr, the region prospered under Azanese rule. Competing for trade and influence with its eastern neighbor Lemonaint, Lorient’s cities grew in splendor. Unlike Lemonaint, however, it had less changrilese influence and more azanese sway, which meant many elements, like arts and architecture, were definitely more in tune with azanese styles. Lorient had to take care of the frequent ogre and orc raids from the swamps to the east and the south, with frequent movements of troops to defend the borders, as well as preemptive raids of their own. Unlike Lemonaint, who had the geographical protection of the mountains, Lorient took a more proactive role in keeping the invaders away, putting bounties on warchiefs that attacked lorientain soil, instead of focusing on building fortresses.
During the Azanese Civil War, many expected the Lorientant and the Lemonese to enter in war with each other, seeing as their cultural tendencies favored one side or the other. This could have been further from the truth, as both Lorient and Lemonaint saw the war as a pointless conflict, and tried to participate as little as possible. The Nasrians rebellion in favor of Changrila brought the war to the Peninsula of Cemak I, but this caused an even sterner rejection of the conflict. Lorient saw the damage Lemonaint sustained, and reached the conclusion that they could no longer prosper under either powers’ influence. In the eyes of the lorientain, both sides were fools, too focused to fight each other even after decades of destruction caused by the reviled witchelven. As such, the governor of Lorient Charloi Charolus began planning with the neighboring regions to secede from the empire and free themselves from the war entirely. The Duke of Lorianne Charloi Charolus, later known as Charolus I, wanted to unify all Lorientian people under his sway, and got many nobles from the entire region to partake in the rebellion. 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 new Kingdom of Lorient quickly expelled the azanese tropes after a well planned coup, though movements of azanese loyalist lasted for decades even after the civil war had ended. In particular, the western islands declared their support for Azan after the Treaty of Nefkin was signed, hoping for the help of the azanese navy to rejoin the empire. This was not to be, as the nation was simply exhausted, and did not see reasonable to fight yet another war. Thus, the islands were retaken after a couple of years.
The nation saw a period of crisis after the independence, due to the upheaval to the region’s sea trade, though they had been much less damage than the eastern regions of Nasr and the Kingdom of Lemon. Pushing for expansion, Lorient allied with the Mon kings to expand at the expense of Nasr. The Nasrian Civil War of 2.211 ABE allowed both kingdoms to invade their neighbor with the pretense of “pacification”, quickly taking the southern side of the province of Ganex. In exchange for help, the government of King Guiges II 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, helping both nations consolidate their positions in the peninsula. Seeing further northern expansion as a losing business, the king in Oriant instead turned his attention inwards, consolidating the realm, ending the disputed nature of the isles (many of which still resentful and vociferous about their azanese commitments) and began focusing on trade and shipbuilding. This lead to the borders that the kingdom has to this day, though with more lands to the east. The myth of the Lorientain as legendary sailors and merchants began in this era, due to their position in the trade routes to the Zulutaur Steppes. 
The religious upheavals of the 23rd Century ABE caused strong tensions within Lorient. The arrival of the New Azanese Faith caused a lot of noble houses, especially those within the islands, to once again try to obtain independence from Oriant. The royal family outright rejected conversion, wanting to avoid tensions with the traditional clergy and the most conservative lords, proclaiming that Alara Hiranur was not a prophet, but a heretic, better than the changrilese emperor worship. The Lorientain War of Faith started in 2.261 ABE, and to the surprise of many, became a decades long affair, ending in 2.339 ABE with the burning of the last rebel strongholds. Many still debate how the conflict managed to last so long, though most historians argue that it was the skills of the rebel generals, the hidden aid of the azanese and the geographical defensive advantage of the islands. The raids from the islands left entire coastal villages depopulated, seeking to sink the kingdom’s trade through terror. However, while effective at first, in the long run it galvanized the populous against the New Faith, which left the islanders alone in their struggle. The weakened Lorient also suffered growing raids from the east. In particular, the conquest of the lorientain Duchy of Gasquinais at the hands of the orcs was a low point in lorientain politics, and despite many attempts, the Kingdom of Lorient has still to recover the region. Recovery would eventually come, slowly but surely, after centuries of relative peace. 
The initial friendship between the Kingdom of Lorient and Lemon quickly returned to fierce competition. Despite the lorientain nobles were as prone to knightly fights, duels and clashes of honor, they were more unified in their political dealings, and were more practical and down to earth than the lemonese, skilled orators for sure, but lesser politicians than the lorientain. Chances for expansion would arise with the death of Guille the Second, King of Lemon, and his heir, in 2.802 ABE. Without any adequate successor, the consequent power vacuum and struggle for the throne let Oriant plan to establish its candidate, which eventually ended in the crowning of Guidon the Third as King of Lemonaint in 2.816 ABE. 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 ==
The original populations of Lorient used to follow a similar social structure as their neighbors, with strong nobilities that protected the fishing and trading towns from the occasional ogre and orc raid. However, Lorient’s caste system was never as extensive or as closed as the lemonese, with lorientain society allowing for advancement if offering the correct service to the correct group. The “Liraniei” are those in charge of labor of all kinds, from the working of the land to trading or crafting, and include the near entire population. The other caste is the “Doraniei”, which include noble families, and only these can be part of the knight orders or the clergy. While it seems at first like a very closed system, the Doraniei are encouraged to adopt the sons and daughters of the Liraniei they favored. While they will get as far in the social ladder as the true doraniei, these adopted sons usually cover small but important roles, such as local clergy, courtiers or city administrators. Likewise. The Doraniei families are encouraged to demote their own children if they do not reach certain standards, being sent to liraniei families to live the rest of their lives as commoners. The most frequent case of this phenomenon are young and hotheaded knights losing too many honor duels in a row, with the knight house not allowing their name to be dirtied by the irresponsible brat, kicking it out is the sensible choice. This system allows for a lot of competition, though it also translates in a lot of friction, especially between young and yet unproven doraniei.
Azanese influence in the region is clear even today. The region of Lorient managed to avoid the brunt of the destruction during the Azanese Civil War, and as such, they have preserved the majority of the infrastructure from those days, from palaces and castles to roads and aqueducts. Lorientain cities grew at a slower rate than those of Lemonaint, and as such, they did not suffered from problems of public services supplies as the population grew. Azanese is also the main language used for trade and politics, though it has been receding ever since the independence. The region lives off trade for the most part, having a traditional rivalry with Lemonaint that still continues to this day, depite the current situation. The current lemonese royal family, a distant cousin of the lorientain one, highly favors Lorient in many things, but this needs to be taken with extreme caution. An overt servitude would immediately cause a rebellion from the lemonese knights, so even though Lorient has an advantageous position, they try to not abuse it as much as possible to avoid friction. This is also helped by the fact the nobility of both nations are as fond of knightly duels and fights as the other, and tensions between them can be blown off with tournaments and spectacles. The nobility of Lorient is as well versed and well read as the lemonese, but while they lack the finesse in the usage of words of their neighbors, they are practical and cunning politicians.
The cities of the Kingdom of Lorient form part of the trade routes between Azan and the Zulutaur Steppes, enjoying from the business between the two sides of the world. This situation has been particularly profitable since they ended the fights with the inhabitants of the islands. After the Lorientain War of Faith, the region was practically depopulated, the natives sent to wars against the orcs of Ingurland and its inhabitants replaced by loyal servants of the king. Many castles and fortifications needed to be rebuilt after they were burnt to ashes as a symbolic way of punishing the rebels. Nowadays, the islands are mainly used to watch over the seas in case of piracy. 
== Geography ==
Lorient, in the most part, consists of flat plains and green rolling hills as far as the eye can sea. The only real mountains can be encountered in the northeast, separating Lorient, Ingurland and Limonaint, while the further east someone gets the drier the climate, giving away to shrublands and steppes near the border with Ingurland.
== Demographics ==
Although Lorient is too inhabited mostly by the native human Lorientois, it's more diverse than Limonaint, due to its more significant political influence in that part of the world, as well as its amassed wealth. Nasrians and Azharnarese sailors and merchants can be found aplenty in the coastal trading towns of Lorient, with merchants and travellers from Scimitaria also not being an uncommon sight.
As for non humans, there used to be an abundance of Orcs who'd live on the eastern portion of the country, usually being the main body of sellswords employed by Lorient, but after Ingur Ironlegs' wars and the establishment of Ingurland, the majority of them have either fled to the aforementioned nation, or were forced into abandoning their homes.
Meanwhile, the coastal waters of Lorient can fall victim to attacks by both the pesky Kresteneg, as well as corsairs and pirates from the Drow lands or the Maneater Isles.
== Religion ==
Lorient, unlike the majority of ex-Azan's lands, primarily follows the Old Azan Faith, after a long and perilous civil war fought around the 23th century ABE. Few practicioners of the New Faith can be encountered in rural, more isolated lands, as well as the islands, by the few remaining survivors of the "Massacre of the Rebels"
The other popular religion in Lorient is Avestanianism, pratciced by Nasr sailors working in the docks of the nothern coast cities.
== Regions ==
The Kingdom of Lorient is a realm divided by various lands occupied by a variety of nobility, all united as vassals to the king. 
=== Oriant ===
Oriant is the capital of the Kingdom of Lorient. The castle is surrounded by three rings of white stone, with rare and beautiful trees planted around it. A big hedge maze is located on the second level, in the middle of which is a small temple and square where the Lorientois often hold masquerades and fancy balls.
=== Crownlands ===
==== Lorianne ====
The Lorianne coast has long been the Heartland of Lorientain culture. The sailors of Lorianne is seen as reliable, and the boats made from the trees here the best in the land. Loriannean nobles are especially concerned with manners and honor, even compared to other Lorientain, and the shores of dragons eye lake is the site of many a duel. Especially famous is the day of blood, where after a particulary incident-filled party on Oriant led to 30 duels were fought on the same day, in very close proximity. Royal cavalry almost intervened and attacked the young nobles, thinking the commotion was a rebellion of some sort. 
==== Quvais ====
Southernmost of the Crownlands, Quvais is known for its strong wines, often exported to the capital or to foreign lands, being enjoyed even in the Azani court and being seen as prized loot among the orcs to the east. The local people are known as tranquil and good-natured people, though a little slow and stubborn. Among more restless youths, nobles sons or others dreaming of adventure, it it an old tradition to sail south to the Troll Tooth Peninsula to go troll-hunting. Those able to kill a troll and bring back its head, organs, and blood can fetch a great price selling it to local or foreign alchemists or apothecaries, these foul-tasting ingredients being renowned their superb medicinal properties. 
==== Dame-Asaie ====
Dame-Asaie is named after the Lorentian name for the prophet Aza of the Azan faith. It is the site of the great Catedrale de Asaie, the centre of the Lorientain branch of the old faith. Here was declared the proclamation of the honour of the dame, where the new azan faith was declared heresy and forbidden within the borders of the kingdom. After the bloody civil war that followed, and diplomatic disputes with the Azan empire almost leading to war, this was somewhat mitigated. Nowadays New Faith believers are allowed in the kingdom, but not able to build temples, and are viewed with suspicion.
=== The Isles ===
The far western part of the kingdom, the isles stand as the first line of defence for the kingdom against threats on the high seas. 
==== Saintstear ====
This is the smallest of the isles, and also the one with the longest history. It is said that ruins from both the Dragon empire, and old elven settlements can be found amongst rocky coves and buried under century-old quarries. 
==== Greenpearl ====
A beautiful isle with pleasant grass, filled with pear trees, the harsh storms of the sea never seem to disrupt the natural splendor of the Island. Pear brandy and fish, as well as well-crafted fruits are the main products of the island. 
==== Whiteshield ====
The Southernmost of the isles it is named for the whitish rock cliffs and beaches, and it's shape. Being the island farthest from the mainland, the culture has somewhat shifted, both from foreign sailships sometimes staying at port Boulen to sell goods and stay for storms, but also from its insular nature. Compared to other Lorientains they speak in an old-fashioned dialect combined with unique words not found anywhere else, causing them to be seen as exotic. Pedin Deroch, lord of Whiteshield is often the subject of jokes and gossip in Oriant, while Gilas, Baronette-mayor of Boulen, is a more fashioned man, spending more time on the mainland than at home, leaving rulership of the city to local administrators. The island is also home to a sizeable military garrison and light warships, operating out of Boulen and more southern solwatch, being important in combating piracy in the area.
=== Glorenaise ===
The Glorenaise peninsula is sunny and pleasant, with beautiful beaches and green hills. The area is littered with mansions serving as holiday homes for the richest of nobles. 
==== Principality of Glorenze ====
The Principality of Glorenze is a land centred around the city of the same name, the city of Glorenze itself is often held to be the most beautiful city in the kingdom, rivaling even Oriant herself. The grand spires, magnificent cathedrals and narrow streets has been a muse to many a poet, and bear witness to vast wealth. The city used to be a trading hub, before being replaced by Gleçon. Now, while not as rich as it used to be, the city remains relevant by its masterwork artisanry and manufacture of luxury goods. 
==== Duchy of Dumezia ====
Dumezia is said to be a producer of the best olives in the world, and have a large wine industry. Dumezia is also notable for the chapel of St. Gueron, a holy site and a popular destination for pilgrims.
==== Free city of Gleçon ====
Gleçon is a colourful city on the tip of Glorenaise, with wealth compared to even the capital Oriant. This is because of two factors. Firstly, the traders from far away stop here on their journey, and goods from all the world can be bought or sold here, and of course taxed. Secondly, there is the local plant life, specifically pepperbush. This bush produces the special red pepperberries, that which when dried produce a spicy, peppery and floral taste, a favourite for stews, meat and mulled wines. Gleçons placement only adds to the ease of selling these berries, and the cities many merchant clans battle for control over the lucrative fields.
=== Ouestain ===
The easternmost region of Lorient, Ouestain is the poorest region, containg mostly great fields of barley, rolling hills and poor grassland. Ouestain is mostly known for their fearsome warriors, having been the fervent defenders of the kingdom against the ravaging orcs to the east and being known as the most reliable regiments when fighting other foes.
==== Eststeppes ====
The great Eststeppes region is home to many a petty lord, styling themselves as men of class and taste while their peasants are poor, and mansions run down. 
==== Knights of the White Rose ====
The Knights of the White Rose is a militant order of knights, sworn to eternal service to the king and his realm. Defending the borderlands from orcs, it is every rose-knights dream to kill a fabled Orc king, or even better, to be the one to set fire to their devilish "Shouting House." The knights are a common place for Lorentain nobility to send younger sons, and many Commanders of the order have been of even royal blood. While the knights have been given tracts of land as gifts from the crown, they mainly operate out of the Citadel of Blancean, a grand fortress constructed both to withstand any attack, but also to house the training grounds and mass halls churches for the knights to use.
==== Marquisate of Punnoré ====
Deep south of Ouestain, Punnoré is a last Bastion of civilization before entering the lawless knightlands. While sometimes fighting the orcs to the east or bandits from the south, the Marquisate used to be a place of little action og value, with the Marquises and local barons finding the court of the king or battlefields to the north a more fitting home. After the Golden Skulls settled to the south however, things changed. A new semi-state, founded by warriors non the less bordering the kingdom has made Punnoré a new important centre of Lorientain military, and large resources are being spent on strenghtening and rebuilding neglected forts, and stationing soldiers at the borders.
=== Lemon Kingdom ===
Limonaint is a vassal state of Lorient, ruled by the Crown prince in his fathers stead. It is reknown for its beautiful lemon orchards, from which the nickname comes and culinary skill. While the kings in Oriant often try to limit the autonomy of the region, this is staunchly opposed not only by local lords but also by Lorientain nobility. This is because they believe that any infringement on the rights of Limonaint might soon be used to limit their ancient rights as well. 
Category:Nations
Category:Giantstep