Great Hegi/Rutherland

traditional flag of the Rutherland / flag used by the "Patriots" government

flag used by the "Tangs" government

Map of the Rutherland in Ripiero, with claimed territory shown in light green

**The Rutherland** is a historical country and an unrecognized de facto sovereign state spanning the vast heartland of Central Ripiero, still internationally considered to be part of Great Hegi. Bounded by the Hegi Mountains to the west, the Bay of Athol to the north, the Sea of Alcott to the east, and the Reprodesa Desert to the south, the Rutherland (excluding Dhralland) has a population of around 249,1 million inhabitants. The Rutherland is traditionally a federation, consisting of 8 provinces, and a further 3 in Dhralland which are disputed with Dhraul. The Rutherish capital is New Rothesay, the largest city in Ripiero.

The ongoing Third Rutherish Civil War sees two rival groups, the "Patriots" based in Morray, and the "Tangs" based in Achvonwell, both claiming legitimacy as the true government of the Rutherland, alongside the Rutherland's disputed status as a Heritage Region of the collapsed Great Hegi. Neither government is widely recognized.

Inhabited since the Paleolithic era, the provinces of southwest were home to one of Ripiero's first civilizations, the Stoychos River Civilization. The Rutherish name derives from the Rothar tribe, one of the Cosonic tribes that settled the area of the modern Rutherish Heartland during the period of rule by the Feliman Empire. The Rutherland became a unified kingdom in the 10th century, and after enduring a century of Alainois rule and influence, would rise to become a continental and then global superpower during the Age of Exploration, leaving a significant legal, technological and cultural impact on the world, with the Rutherish Empire having once spanned every continent on the globe.

The Rutherish language is spoken in many countries, and is still the language of global communication and commerce. The Rutherish Church is widespread, and Rutherish law has served as the foundation for common law legal systems around the world. Many countries have adopted the Rutherish parliamentary system of governing. The Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century in the Rutherland, becoming the world's first industrialized society.

The Rutherland's terrain is mostly low hills and plains, particularly in the centre and south. The arability of the Rutherish Interior Plains made the Rutherland once an agricultural and mineral superpower. The northern reaches of Urayon and West Pokoska sprawl into unwelcoming uplands and heavy forest cover. The praries of the south level off in elevation and moisture until disintegrating into the Reprodesa Desert in Nasyleh, near the Castanian frontier. Historically, the Rutherish have been restricted by the Hegi Mountain range in the west, one of Ulina's longest and steepest mountain ranges, and the Sea of Alcott in the east, which is fenced in by the peninsulas and islands of Kruhasta.

The Rutherish capital is New Rothesay, built in the 19th century, during the Rutherish zenith of power, to relieve overcrowding in the historical capital of Rothesay. New Rothesay is Ripiero's largest city, and was once the largest city on the planet, located in the Rutherish Heartland and Achvonwell Province, where the majority of the Rutherish poplation is concentrated, itself having one of the highest population densities in the world. Other notably large Rutherish cities include Achvonwell, Atlastham, Kauton, Mackenzie, and Morray. The Rutherland made up 48.1% of the population of Great Hegi, by far the largest former constituent in both size and population.