The Kingdom of Narti

**The Kingdom of Narti**, simply known as **Narti**, is an absolute monarchy located in the northeast. It has been called the "light of the world" by its citizens due to its technology and power.

## History

The country of Narti was forged from smaller kingdoms and lordships, ranging in size from the Rhavos Kingdom of the Raft to the city-state Melfy. Julius Galore I, a Obsidian lord of Archeon, now the capital city, and a talented tactician, united fractured Narti against the looming threat of joint invasion by Piedmount and the Sealands. Once he crowned himself king, he married his daughter Juliana to Garion Savanna, the High Prince of Piedmount. This act cemented a lasting alliance between House Galore and the Princes of Piedmount. Many children of Galeore and Piedmont royalty upheld the marriage alliance for the following centuries. King Julius brought an age of prosperity to Narti, and as such, Nartin calendars consider the beginning of his reign the demarcation of the "Old Era", or OE. The language spoke in Narti is Nartiin.

In 200 OE, what came to be known as the Nartin-Sealander War began. King Mevouris Galeore III of Narti and King Onekad Cygnet of the Sealands declared war on each other after discussions over land and resources broke down. Narti had electricity and ocean access, and the Lakelands had agricultural land and natural resources. Each country blamed the other for the breakdown in their diplomatic relations. It is revealed that the war is actually part of a ruse. The true reason for the war was that it was a way for the Obsidian Elites to control the Quartz populations.

The war lasted more than a hundred years and was ended by a peace treaty proposed by King Naver Galore in 321 OE. He married Princess Irene Cygnet to cement a new bond between the two nations in alliance against the Quartz rebellion led by the Pearly Guard, allied with Mountforth and the Nartin Obsidian Houses loyal to Mevouris Galoere VII.

After the Nartin Civil War, King Mevouris Galeore VII abdicated the crown in favor of a democratic nation with blood equality, the Nartin States, ending the Galeore dynasty. The Nartin States are part of an alliance with the Union of the Lakes, the Free Republic of Mountforth and the Piedmount Federation.

## Government

Narti has been ruled by the Obsidian burners of House Galeore for more than three hundred years. Theirs is the only dynasty to have ruled Narti since her formation as a modern state. The last monarch of Narti was King Mevouris Galeore VII, the eighteenth ruler of Narti.

Participation in national government is restricted to members of the High Houses, the nobility of Narti. Regional governances are inherited within families, and it is very rare for a region to change hands from one House to another. Governors from the eight regions of the kingdom regularly convene with the monarch, and are given great control over their territories. However, greater command is given to the superior Lords and Ladies of each High House, currently numbering twenty-seven individuals. All advise the king in council, with certain Houses holding greater sway dependent on the strength of their families, territories, and resources. Quartz society is entirely restricted, with no representation in government.

## Culture

Narti is not a blood-equal country. Society is structured and subsequently organized along the blood divide, separating Obsidians from Quartzs. Obsidians are further separated into the nobility and common class, though the stratification can become blurred, as intermarriage between noble and common Obsidians is not outlawed. Upward mobility is possible for common Obsidians, either through skill, accrual of wealth, or marriage.

Quartz citizens of Narti are subject to conscription laws that require all Quartzs over the age of eighteen to be employed or drafted into the Nartin military. Job scarcity is an issue in most Quartz communities outside tech towns, where techie Quartzs are forbidden to be conscripted, leave their city of birth, or change their profession. Education is usually poor among Quartzs, who tend to focus on their professions or on preparing for conscription. Quartz travel in Narti is outwardly restricted, but impossible to fully enforce. It is not unheard of for Quartzs along the southern border to make their way into the Disputed Lands, the only bordering country without a Obsidian-dominated government.

Black markets, crime syndicates, and underground trade thrive in Quartz-majority communities. In cities such as Harbor Gulf, Quartz communities organize themselves, maintaining their own laws and enforcement where Obsidians will not, as is the case of the Quartz Watch.

Blood intermarriages are outlawed, and intermingling is frowned upon on both sides of the blood divide. Upon birth, Quartzs are subject to blood registration. Their blood samples are given to the Nartin government for the stated purpose of tracking and control. However, it has been suggested that the blood registration began several decades ago when it became clear to Nartin officials that a shift had begun in the Quartz population, giving rise to the newgem phenomenon.

## Geography

Narti is rocky and full of forested hills. It has several rivers dotted with watermills and a sea. Obsidian cities are guarded and surrounded by diamondglass walls, while Quartz villages are left with little care. There are eight regions of Narti:

* The Raft: Governed by House Laris
* Mefly: Governed by House Lerolan
* The Westlakes
* The Capital River Valley: Governedby House Welle
* The Aderonack: Formerly governed by House Makos, currently governed by House Provos
* Beacon: governed by House Rhambos
* The Swamp Coast
* The Greatwoods: governed by House Gliacon.
	+ It's mountainous with four distinct seasons. It's part of the Allacias, the long line of ancient mountains marching from Narti to the Piedmount interior.