Nothindria

Nothindria, also known as the Nothindrian Republic, is a naval nation from the far north which originates from the Nothindrian Isles, a group of cold and mountainous islands north of Shavhan.
The Nothindrian people are renowned for their aggression and their warlike nature, as well as their short stature.
Nothindria became a power on the world stage because they were the first to create skyships, and they used these to take vast amounts of territory from the Calamaran Empire.
The capital city of the Nothindrian Empire is Zenganamaarv
Nothindria is a republic, divided between being a democracy and a stratocracy. The islands are supposedly ruled by elected officials, but the admiralty hold a lot of power in government. The Head of State is an elected leader who holds the title of First Graz.
Not just aggressive in matters of war, Nothindrians are also aggressive in business. They are ruthless traders, with a tendency to treat every deal like a contest.
Nothindria has a rich culture, with an expansive mythology due to their storytelling traditions. Their society attaches a spiritual importance to fire, likely due to the fact that they come from such a cold, icy land.
== Background ==
=== Background Summary ===
Only a few decades back, the Nothindrian Isles overthrew their old monarchs, united under a single democratic government, and immediately began fighting the rest of the world. The birthplace of Airships, Nothindria was uncontested in the skies for a while, until the rest of the world caught up. As such, the people of these isles have a reputation for being dangerous and aggressive, despite their small stature.
=== History ===
==== Age of Myth ====
Prior to year 0, Nothindria was inhabited by mountain-dwelling druids and primitive folk, in small villages. In those times, the Nothindrian Isles were home to deadly creatures dwelling in the mountains, such as Griffins, Amaroks, and even Frost dragons. The people of Nothindria were constantly fighting against these creatures for their survival, and developed a strong tradition of archery to take down the flying beasts.
There is no strong evidence, but there are strong cultural parallels between Nothindria and Svoldia. It is theorised that they may have had a common ancestor, though what gave the Nothindrians their short stature is unknown.
According to Nothindrian legend, at some point between then and 0.75 a figure known only as "Snowhawk Skharya" slew all the frost dragons and saved the people of Nothindria. Her legendary bow is still a proud national artifact. Many palaces and halls across Nothindria contain skulls of dragons and other monsters, supposedly killed by Skharya herself. According to legend, Skharya completely destroyed the race of Zilant dragons; cruel, greedy and powerful dragons who tormented the Nothindrians.
During Skharya's crusades, Nothindria was supposedly invaded by giants, but they were successfully repelled. Giants are a large part of Nothindrian legends, though it is theorised that these early "giants" were actually just Shavhani explorers, and that their size is exaggerated in the stories.
With the mountain monsters dead, the Nothindrians explored their islands and began to fight each other for territory. The Skharyosa Clan, who were descendants of Skharya and her followers, claimed the mountains of Novorosshka, the largest island in the isles, and fought off all competition. The Samstvilyosa Clan took to the seas and began building a coastal nation. The Vlasyamak Clan retreated into the remote islands, and became isolated druids. Countless other clans and tribes sprung up, all trying to claim parts of the isles.
By the year 10.0, the Nothindrian Isles were home to warring clans, mostly naval, and were known for their mastery of archery and for their War-birds. Many Nothindrians had Snowhawk pets, and some rode upon giant birds called Zerokhes. The Vlasyamak druids were not involved in the conflicts, and all tribes considered them to be wise, and sometimes went there for advice. Nothindrians occasionally raided the northern coasts of Shavhan, and some islands in the Channel, but never strayed too far.
The great city Zenganamaarv was constructed on the coast of Novorosshka in the year 10.42, after the previous capital of the Samstvilyosa Clan was razed by the Kazbekidin Clan.
==== Revolution ====
By the time industry and technology was starting to be introduced to Nothindria, there was a lot of public dissent towards the tyrannical clan-tsars who ruled the isles. Many Nothindrians wanted the isles to be united, so they could compete with the rest of the world, but that could not happen with the clans holding grudges against one another. At first, the Tsars were able to control the populace using the military, but that all changed when several prominent admirals and governors began to resent their leaders.
The revolution was kicked off properly in 20.32, when Admiral Yrina Kalyshak gained control of the military of Zenganamaarv, and stormed the Citadel of Ice to confront the Tsarina Mtsketzsha. She originally intended only to force the Tsarina to relinquish more power to the people, however when the Tsarina responded by having her palace guards throw bombs into the crowd, things got out of hand, and Admiral Yrina was eventually forced to kill the Tsarina and take control of Novorosshka.
This victory ignited revolutionary zeal among the military of Novorosshka, and a desire to continue the warpath, to finally unite the Nothindrian Isles. Conflict broke out with the Kazbekidin Clan, who could predict Yrina's revolution coming to them and wanted to make the first strike. After a few years of war, Yrina emerged successful, and she organised the obliteration of the Kazbekidin Clan and the razing of their capital, Tsatogorsk. After this, the fractured clans of Zevskaya and the lesser isles submitted to her rule, or were brutally crushed.
In 20.36, towards the end of the conflicts, the Skyship was invented by the inventor Raishin Aleksandrany. Yrina immediately saw its potential, and commissioned the construction of hundreds of these ships for the military.
In 20.37, the revolutionary wars were finally over, and in the aftermath of her conquest Yrina named herself "First Grazhdanin". She established a democratic government, which removed power from the clan leaders and placed power in the hands of judges and ministers, and the military. This was the first ever unified unified government of Nothindria. With this united force, she took to the seas, with some of their brand new Skyships.
For the next decade or so, Nothindria became a terrifying military power, as the only nation with air vessels. The new Admirals of the Republic organised a vast swathe of raiding and conquering, emboldened by their unique technology and distance from anybody who could actually pose a threat. Calamar, Hirokir, Erdannia and the Chakrou cities had their cities raided, their merchant ships plundered, and some of their outer territories outright conquered. This massive influx of wealth and power catapulted Nothindria to the status of a world superpower, and allowed the Nothindrian Isles themselves to become much more industrial and urbanised.
Around the 20.50s, hostilities mostly calmed down, as Calamar and Erdannia had begun to create their own Skyships and Nothindria's dominance waned. So instead, they switched to a tactic of aggressive trade negotiations, using their conquered territories as trade outposts, and exporting their unique valuable resources, such as highly prized Nothindrian Furs.
== Cities and Territory ==
==== Nothindrian Isles ====
There are three main islands in the Nothindrian Isles, Novorosshka, Chezchnyka and Zevskaya.
Novorosshka is the largest of these, and is where the great city of Zenganamaarv sits. Within its mountains is the famed stronghold of the Skharyosa Clan, Rustaviyik. Most of the Nothindrian fleet is based on the port city of Verossiyik.
Chezchnyka was once where the Kazbekidin Clan lived, until they were destroyed during the unification wars. It is known for its stubborn population, and berserker warriors. Its largest city is Groznyak, and the ruins of Tsatogorsk sit at its centre.
Zevskaya is the smallest of the three main islands. It is famed for its large populations of Nothindrian war-birds. The largest city on Zevskaya is Zhutovyurt.
Another important island in Nothindria is Tsagranovka, a small island that is home to the druidic Vlasyamak clan. The town of Yevpatzhziak is their main home on the island.
==== Szenk ====
Szenk is a vassal nation of the Nothindrian Republic, which sits among a series of mountains and fjords on the northern coast of Shavhan. It was once its own kingdom, but was conquered long ago.
==== Shavhani Coast ====
Nothindria has laid claim to much of the north Shavhani coast. They cannot push far because of the Zongol nomads, but they completely dominate the region navally. The main base of operations here is Morgorod.
==== Shattered Sea Conquests and Colonies ====
In the Shattered Sea, Nothindria has taken over Porta La Neve. They have also laid claim to most islands in the Channel and around Shavhan, including the ancient stronghold of Chao Pan.
The Nothindrian Hirokiri Colonies are a string of three ports on the Serpent Coast of Hirokir, who enjoy a prosperous trade relationship with the Zulaca Cities. The biggest of these is the colony of Uykama.
== Politics ==
The Nothindrian Republic is intended to be a democratic nation, and it is true that every citizen has the right to vote for who they wish to be the First Graz. However, the process of candidacy is questionably democratic. Power in Nothindria is divided between the "Byuro"; a parliament of bureaucrats, and the "Zghvis"; a group of military leaders and colonial governers.
== Culture ==
A focal point of Nothindrian culture is the hearth. Fire means the difference between life and death in the cold northern islands, and so the fireplace has become a place of spiritual importance over the years. Most Nothindrians buildings will have a large hearth at the centre, adorned with paraphernalia and spiritual talismans crafted from stone or metal. All Nothindrian festivities and ceremonies are held near a fire. Nothindrians who die are cremated on a pyre. It is considered an extremely taboo act to extinguish a fire unnecessarily, and it is practically a declaration of war to extinguish someone else's fire. Superstitious Nothindrians may make signs to ward off spirits when they enter a building where no fire burns. Despite having a lot of modern technology, the Nothindrians are reluctant to accept electric lighting, and don't want to let go of the cultural significance of the fire.
Nothindrians have a deep tradition of storytelling and passing on mythology through oral tradition. Nothindrians priests are often referred to as "Storytellers", and one of their responsibilities is to tell stories around the fire. Very few Nothindrian legends are written down, but many are depicted through sculptures and carvings. In ancient mythologies it is said that if the Nothindrians were to write down their stories, they would be stolen by giants and the soul of the story would be lost.
Without written words it is very easy for stories to get confused and mistold. Whenever two Nothindrians disagree on how a story went, they go to the local Storyteller, who is the absolute authority on it. When two Storytellers disagree on it, the debates can go on for years. Often the Storytellers meet and discuss the mythologies in depth, arguing over the slightest detail, before coming to a decision. 
Nothindrians tend to hold grudges, and don't take insults lightly, for this reason they are quite a warlike nation, going to war for the crimes of decades past, which have been woven into their mythology and aren't easily forgotten. For minor disputes, Nothindrians spar with one another to let off steam, or send forth champions to fight each other. Larger disputes can only be solved by war.
Family is important in Nothindria, and it is considered a great crime to act against your family, especially if it's your mother. Marriages are an important tradition, and children born out of wedlock cannot be raised as part of the family. Bastard children are said to be watched by the Bastard Gods, and must spend their lives wandering.
In Nothindrian culture, women are slightly above men in social standing. Most of the Tsars were women, and even in the modern republic, the highest offices are usually held by women. This may be due to the great influence of Snowhawk Skharya, a legendary hero in Nothindrian history who was a woman. Mothers, especially, are respected. Nothindrian men will always heed the advice of their mother, wife, or daughter. Uniquely, the Nothindrian army contains an equal amount of men as women.
== Religion ==
Unlike in most places, Nothindrian religion contains aspects of both the Light and the Darkness. Their religion centres around two gods. Lilyakaarta, goddess of the hearth, and Kryvyakhy, god of the cold.
Lilyakaarta may be influenced by the Shavhani god Liliaqura, and they both represent themes of home and rest. The Nothindrian variant, however, also represents fire. She is the most commonly worshipped god in the Nothindrian cities, and well loved. She is a light goddess.
Kryvyakhy is the god of snow, ice, storms and the night. Kryvyakhy is well respected as the cause of Nothindrian hardiness, and is said to grant his followers the necessary endurance to resist the snows and storms. Kryvyakhy's snows and storms have also protected the Nothindrian Isles for centuries, and are considered partly the reason invaders from Shavhan never took over. He is a dark god.
The Shavhani gods are occasionally mentioned in Nothindrian myth as the "Giant Gods", but are not worshipped.
Lilyakaarta and Kryvyakhy have many children, which form the lesser gods of Nothindria. They have had children with each other, creating many shadowlight gods. They have also sometimes had children with the Giant gods
The most prominent of the children they've had together is Radyadjary, god of stories, ceremony, and festivities.
Shidiqura is known to have decieved and seduced both gods, and given birth to the Bastard Gods; Mynkesska and Mynkessky. These gods are patrons to bastards and wanders.
For more information, go to Nothindrian Mythos.