Kastollia

Kastollia is a Historical and cultural region and former Nation in southern Helmia. Today it is an Archonate in the High Kingdom of Daelyria. Its history thaces back to the petty nations of Kais-Adonia, Stonia and Atollia, which formed together to form Kastollia. When they cultivated and expanded the kastollians would soon happen upon Baykonia, The ruling power in the area. Kastollia offered to pay gold and tribute to Baykonia in return for being allowed to declare their state and rule their own lands. The Baykonian Pigmen declined citing that Kastollia should bow and integrate. This eventually lead to conflict in which Kastollia fought Baykonia and its coalition of nations at its side. Kastollia would loose, but later gained its independence through secession. Its current Leader is Archon Pete Leeuwenmoed. Its Terrain characterised by hilly highlands and forested plains. Once Kastollia was covered in forests but during Kastollias height most of it was made into farmland. However more recent times have seen a big replanting initiative. 
== History ==
=== Legendary founding ===
Legends say that all three kingdoms of Kastollia was founded by a mason, a fisherman, and a mystic;
* The mason founded Stonia on a stone hill
* The fisherman founded Atollia on a river valley
* The mystic founded Kais-Adonia on a barren mountain top
=== Tribal period ===
On the great steppes of the Nieden continent, a group of nomadic tribes formed a clan by the name “Bast'' with no definitive borders travelled great lengths to find land suitable for pasture. The beliefs and cultures of the people of Bast is not known but it is speculated that they believed in a form of animism praying to great tree stumps for wisdom. After 3 centuries of searching for pasture land and domesticating sheeps the Bast clan was finally dissolved from internal fighting and a zoonotic disease that killed many herds of sheep and tribe members. 
From the dissolution of the Bast clan rose another group, called Bastonians, which was made up of Northern Niedenes and members of the now dissolved Bast clan. From the tongues of the northern Nideans the ways of agriculture was taught and thus began a new chapter. On the southern tip of modern day Simulami stood stone behemoths covering and protecting the citizens of Bastonia. With influence from the northern Nideans the proto-Bastonians decided it was worthwhile to invest in wheat farming and for this to work they had to abandon their old nomadic pastoral ways and settle down. The Bastonians grew a variety of crops such as wheat, carrot, and potatoes yet their ancestor’s legacy lives in their big lamb herds. A great city was built from the ground called “Bastonia” . Central Kastollia was the place that made the most sense for its geography was similar to that of Bastonia with hilly mountain sides.
=== Kastollian Dawn ===
Kais-Adonia was founded by the Mystic Jayhawk. His origins unknown he supposedly led a small band of humans and heralded them to a place he saw in his visions; The Greypeak mountain. There his people founded Meteora, a mountain fortress city, and started to spread their influence and cultivate the land. The first settlers of this land were Jayhawk, his two companions Erik and Slappy. Soon after erecting the heart of Meteora, they came across two lost travelers; Verigan Trimarch, a skilled Diplomat and Schemer and Aurel Enks, the future Lord of Stonia who would become well known throughout Kastollia's future as one of their greatest Builders. Jayhawk and Verigan quickly became close friends, always ambitious for an opportunity to expand Kais-Adonia's influence and territory . While Aurel and Slappy would become the main drive behind Kais-Adonia's vast economic power, with Aurel, in a few short days, erecting several walls around Meteora and building its Town Hall. 
==== True natives ====
The origins of Atollia and Kais Adonia are more mysterious and less documented than that of Stonia but we do know that most of them were natives of Western Nieden.
=== Kais-Adonian Hegemony & The Three Crowns Union ===
Jayhawk, accompanied by Erik and Verigan would meet the then King Thal of Atollia in an attempt to gain an upper hand over Stonia in the upcoming Union negotiations. While initially, Jayhawk and Erik did the talking, Verigan would slowly take over the negotiations, swaying the incredibly wealthy King to accept the Kais-Adonian proposal of Union. With this being accomplished, Kais-Adonia now had several sets of Diamond armor and 4 sets of rare Netherite Armor. Stonia, seeing the new developments, quickly accepted Kais-Adonian hegemony over the Union, thereby establishing the Three Triarchs of the newly formed "Kastollia". However, these discussions and stirrings did not escape the eeire of the decaying Baykonian Commonwealth who had been watching the events unfold from their seat of Salameberg very closely. 
==== Three Crown Liberation War (Kastollian Uprising) ====
After the Crown decided they could show Kastollia to the world they contacted Baykonia. During the peace talks Kastollia offered huge swathes of wealth to King Peg of Baykonia. King Peg having plans for his holdings and especially in the Kastollian area of his province declined the piles of gold laying before him. The negotiations quickly took a turn from there and war became imminent. 
Jayhawk and Verigan would rush to the diplomatic quarters and plot to take away Baykonia's allies one by one. They started with Lunaris, who withdrew support from the war after Verigan pledged that all of Kastollia would follow their religion of Lunarism, this deal would fall through after the war and would never be revisited by Kastollian Officials (It's suspected that this deal was mainly lip service to keep them out of the war but it is unknown). Jayhawk and Verigan would plead with the Solar Alliance for their neutrality but it was obvious they wouldn't leave. Despite their expertise, war would come to Kastollia and they would have to pay the iron price for their independence. 
The then three kings of Kastollia went to war. Their troops numerous but their experience low. Baykonia also had many allies supporting them. In the Battle of Salameberg the Kastollians managed to capture Salameberg but blood-crazed the Kastollian troops followed the joint Baykonian forces out of the city leaving their main objective. Outside the city and in the mountains due to Baykonians having terrain experience the tides of battle turned and Kastollia was defeated. King Jayhawk was also quite wounded in the battle. Verigan, watching the battle unfold would come down to aid his Jayhawk only to lose his right arm to a Zamotz soldier due to his inexperience with combat. Jayhawk would lose his lost his eye and now its only a gaping void where it once was a vigilant eye. 
=== Pax Baykonia ===
After the war, Kastollia would still retain a large level of autonomy to the Baykonian Commonwealth due to them being so different. In this time, Verigan would be named the Grand Warden of Kastollia under Jayhawk who was named a Prince of the Commonwealth. However, Verigan, being so distraught over the loss of his arm and the failure of the battle of Salameberg would leave shortly after his appointment, preferring to return to his nomadic lifestyle in hopes of finding a way to regain his arm. 
With Verigan gone, Jayhawk was forced to hold Kastollias weight upon his own shoulders. With the nation being severely indebted to several people, he and several others had to form the legendary Miners Guild of Kastollia, which managed to accumulate the money within days of its founding. With this, Jayhawk began plots to weaken the Baykonian Government and strengthen his position for a second liberation war, little knowing that this was not needed. 
==== The Second Baykonian Buyout ====
Shortly after the loss at Salameberg, Baykonia would join the newly formed High Kingdom of Arcovel which pledged to protect Helmia from outside intervention. During this union, Kastollia would purchase large swathes of Baykonian territory, eventually encompassing everything outside its capital of Salameberg (Which would later become the Domnate of Salameberg). With the support of the Arcovellian government, Kastollia would officially declare its independence from the now too weak to resist Baykonia and join Arcovel and a Grand Princedom under its protection.
===Dixie Betrayal===
During this time a former lord of Stonia incited rebellion and formed the Dixie State and based himself in western Kastollia (then the border of Baykonia and Kastollia). King Kmy a skilled orator managed to gather many people for his cause and he was becoming a growing power. Kastollia then having joined the High Kingdom of Aestyria under the new union called Arcovel tried to fight Dixie on several occations. 
==== Dixie Rebels and their Guerilla Tactics ====
The tactic employed mostly by Dixie Troops were moving around and avoiding direct conflict as Arcovel had a much stronger standing army. Eventually after 2 failed war declaration attempts due to the Dixie army not showing up to battle the Kastollians and Aestyrians decided to siege their capital.
The Battle of the West had begun. Kastollian and Aestyrians troops overwhelmed Dixie troops and entered the city. Eventually the Dixie troops barricaded themselves in a tavern and the populace saw this as a crushing defeat as the Dixie troops did not even fight. They surrendered and left Helmia and traveled to the far side of the world. 
=== Kastollian Exit from Arcovel ===
After a while in Arcovel discontent started brewing. Many provinces in Arcovel were quite disgruntled at the kings absence and the Arcovellians states ineffeciency aswell as the dukes misrepresentation in the government. Many of the provinces then started to look to Kastollia which had started to become a great power in the region. Its citizens active and its state bustling the Halondians and Ataraxians of Arcovel choosed to join Kastollia under the new name of Varandoy. Together these 3 provinces left Arcovel and split off. Due to the sheer weight and importance of Halondia and Ataraxia to Arcovel it died and became Aestyria instead. 
==== Noxist Crusades ====
Seeing Helmia as fractured, the Noxists declared a crusade for Helmia in order to revive their ancient homeland of Noxnorr. Their fort Vel-Deur now a Kastollian City served as a beachhead for their operations. The Noxists would march on Salameberg and, with sword and blood they would reclaim Helmia. Alarmed at this Kastollia (Varandoy) and Aestyria banded together to combat this threat. A giant army was gathered in less than 24 hours and a wall was erected around Salameberg. The Grand Bishop Darkobalde of Noxists had miscalculated when he declared war on Helmia. The fracture has not made it weak it has made it extremely militarized. Upon seeing the great army before them discontent grew and the Grand Bishop was assassinated by his own in order to signify their surrender. The war was over and the Crusade lasted merely a day. 
* Kings - Aurel ( abdicated ) , Jayhawk, Thal
* Advisors - Jihadist Witness, Mreep
* Lords - Daragan of Lakierka, Isehadl Shortear of Embertown, Tree of Azuirs, TheFrenchBoii of Orientem, Pimp of Fersvik , Konstantine of Cheviatoll
* Masters - Arctic commonly known as Yasuttutavien Aikvittaekaurelenks Vittensuk( Master of Scribery), SchtinkyPete ( Master of Land), Patka ( Master of Gold), It is unknown who is the Master of Diplomacy ( at least to me, the Master of Scribery)
* Grand Warden - Undye, Ianak ( formerly)
* Grand Sargon- NTBBB
* Prefect - PinTurtle, Hemanoid, Rexodi ( formerly), Sir Leider Geil ( risen up the ranks)
=== Founding of Varandoy ===
Kastollia first allied with Halond and Ataraxia to found the Varandoy Alliance. Varandoy then decided to ally with Aestyria, forming the Varandoy-Aestyrian Alliance, a military and economic alliance
Category:Nations
Category:Daelyria
Category:Traveler's Era