Oldfoundland

**Oldfoundland** is a duchy (subdivision) in the Azure Empire.

A city map of Oldfoundland, with some major geographic features.

The duchy of Oldfoundland is found at the southern end of West Azurial, and has long found itself ruled by whatever central authority governs the majority of the archipelago. It was home to the ancient civilization known as the River People from approx. 725 BB to 200 BB. Its etymology comes from the fact that it was discovered and conquered before many other regions of Blue, being named as such upon the complete unification of the state. Alternatively, other etymologists argue that its name comes from its deeply documented history and culture.

Oldfoundland's most populated city is Spiti. Amelia, its capital city, is the 4th largest port in the country. Unlike a majority of other duchies, its government does not shun the use of magic, and as such it finds itself as a melting pot of different color cultures, namely excluding those from Green.

### Flag

Oldfoundland's flag was designed by Ratsistis and made official in 1047 AB. The deep blue is meant to represent the Agnos River, the lighter blue represents the native people to Oldfoundland, and the black represents the "purity of the River People". The symbol in the center is a Amelian Hourglass, a symbol of Theia. The openly racist and non-secular nature of the flag has made it a controversial topic in the duchy, but no effort by the government has been made to change it.

## Geography

Oldfoundland finds itself in a deeply varied geographic situation. In the northwest, the southern end of the Liquid Mountains dominate the landscape, blocking the warm current and causing a frigid, boreal climate throughout the region. The middle sections of the duchy are temperate plains, with significant forested areas in the southernmost region. In the north, the duchy's border cuts through the Bluharan Desert. The aptly named Grass Corridor is a semiarid grassland which separates the Bluharan Desert from the Peras Desert located in the northeast.

The dominant feature of Oldfoundland is the Agnos River, which flows out from the Liquid Mountains through the center of the duchy, before depositing in the Riis Sea. The Agnos River Basin covers approximately 65% of Oldfoundland's total area.

## Economy

Thanks to its varied geography, Oldfoundland has one of the most diverse economies of all the duchies within Blue. Its market is heavily export-driven, with smaller focuses on tourism in larger cities (Spiti, Amelia, Parakato) and very minor amounts of manufacturing in smaller cities (Elpidoforos, Chamiligi, Chonsidees). Its primary export is mined materials from the Liquid Mountains, such as Pidite, a type of stone which can be processed into a strong building material, as well as plentiful reserves of copper and iron. Prized, deep blue gemstones known as Okeachos are found exclusively off the coast of the city of Okeanos. Commercial agriculture is practiced along the eastern end of the Agnos River.

Its main import is lumber, as its tree species are all under the Waterlog family. Trees of this type thrive in the area surrounding the Agnos River, and are given their name because of how water-dense they are. However, this high concentration of water makes them generally unsuitable for building- draining the water is costly and provides little usable wood compared to simply importing logs.

## Politics

Oldfoundland is formally a dukedom, though it could more be attributed to be an oligarchy in function. Its formal leader is Duke Teajskate, an animate skeleton who eternally sits atop a throne in the Riverford Manor in Amelia. Due to his general nature, a seven-member council known as the Grand Septumvirate makes decisions in his stead. Officially, they are a council of advisors, and are appointed directly by the Duke. However, council members who act against his will, whatever it may be, have found themselves suddenly and silently disappearing, soon being replaced by one of the many others vying for a seat on this group. Individual towns and cities are governed by mayors, which operate mostly independently with the exception of direct orders from the Grand Septumvirate.

### The Whiteblood Rebellions

The Whiteblood Rebellions were a set of conflicts that occurred all throughout Oldfoundland during the Azure Republic. The conflict saw major uprisings in cities all across the region, especially Perasma and Spiti. A popular and widespread movement known as the Whiteblood Justice Coalition, made up of native Tratudi and immigrants from other colors who sought change and equality in the government. On the night before a number of their leaders were set to meet with members of the Grand Septumvirate and Blue Senate, they all vanished off the face of Flaria. Oldfoundland military forces, led by the Duke himself, proceeded to take back the affected cities by force, killing thousands of civilians in the process.