Czojan

### History

Czojan's roots stretch far into ancient history, back to the Jotunkin Empire in the early part of the Era Hominid. In that time it was known as the Kingdom of Zohan, and was the epicenter of civilization at the time. In 1205 E.H., the Zohans were conquered by the Gaelo-Vaal Diarchy, and the landscape was forever altered by a major natural disaster. The natural dyke that had held the oceans out of the fertile Czojan for hundreds of years, finally burst, flooding thousands of miles of farmland and rich forests with saline sea water.

The civilization of Czojan now dwells along the edges of the massive swamp, functioning in autonomous city-states held together by a loose confederacy. Each city state controls a region of land known as an Oblast. While the Earls of the Oblasts are compelled to aid each other in times of trouble, they do not do so without first ensuring a benefit on their own end.

### Geography

The populous of Czojan is located on the fringes of a vast brackish swamp, providing terrible conditions for conventional agriculture across most of the country. In order to adapt, the people rely on the vast peat-bogs in the swamps for fuel, hog farms for meat, and bog-wheat for food and beer. The bog wheat is a derivative of salty marshland grasses, and it has a characteristic sulfur taste and small, densely packed grains.

The mountains to the north and Yaluka river to the southeast provides clear borders to both the Czojans and the people outside. They use both of these as assets when defending against invading armies, seeing that the mountains have no significant pass except on the sides, and the river is over 300ft wide on average, making it effectively unfordable.

The mountains are a valuable resource for mining and masonry, and in there foothills are large swaths of evergreen timber, controlled mostly by Minersk and Kedweik.

Primary exports from the nation include peat-brick coke, Czojanic clay (known for its rigidity), and animal pelts. Their vast swamps and wetlands make perfect homes for beavers, otters, and other mustelids, and in turn makes a perfect environment for trappers. Imports include conventional crops, some lumber (such as oak and hickory hardwoods), and textiles. The natural resources include clay and peat reserves, densely packed forest groves, and resourse-rich mountain ranges.

The shipping prospects for Czojan make it the economic success it is today, as it is at the epicenter of trade between Olean, Prima Continens, and the Southern Continent. Most naval routes pass through Novatryn or Corsca, giving them far more political and economic sway than they would otherwise have.

### Religion

The people of Czojan worship the divine host; Eleftus and Katagidos at the forefront (the god of Nature and Storms, respectively). A small enclave in Novatryn worships the Everlasting Flame, though they are deemed heretical by the official church for their unorthodox beliefs. An even smaller enclave - known as the Aelderfolk - lives in the unclaimed center of Czojan and prectices animism. They worship their ancestors along with the spirits of natural objects, such as trees, streams, and animals. This rare religion has roots tying back to the ancient beliefs of the Zohan and Yaluk peoples, before the Divine Migration occurred.

### Politics

Czojan functions as a constitutional confederacy, with each city state being governed by and Earl who loosely reports to a greater Council of Earls - made up of all the earls in Czojan. The Earls lead the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of their government, appointing leaders for each division. The head of the executive branch is known as the Bannercarl, who leads a series of knights, each in command of their own levy or battalion of troops. The head of the judicial branch is the Lawcarl, who is in charge of the sheriffs, guards, judges, and executioners. Finally, the Housecarl is in charge of the legislative branch, and delegates treasurers, stewards, scribes, accountants, lawmakers, and tax collectors. The Carls of each Oblast balance out each other's efforts, while the Earl spearheads policy, and settles disputes between them.

#### Oblasts

Each Earl rules an Oblast, which is an autonomous region of land containing one or more large town or city. Each oblast functions slightly differently, with altered laws, taxes, and punishments, depending on the location. Each, however, must follow the Constitution of their city-states in order to remain unified against (or for) other nations.

##### Elfgorod (Alfgard) Oblast

The newest oblast and the least populated by humans, this Oblast was only conquered in 1435 E.C. and placed under the charge of General Veron Rygel, the most experienced commander during the campaign. What Veron had in skill at commanding troops, he lacked in administrative prowess, and Elfgorod has been in a state of border-revolution and tumult for the past ten years, forcing Veron to place the Oblast under martial law in 1442. The populous is made up of subjugated Aseri elves, soldiers, and Czojanic homesteaders ready to get out of the swamps. Vast timberlands are Elfgorod's finest asset and greatest liability. They cut them down for timber to sell to the rest of the Oblasts, while elven terror-parties use them to hide their movement and obscure their schemes.

##### Belory Oblast

This idyllic island Oblast is the finest place in Czojan for conventional farming, despite its windblown cliffs and hills. The town of Belory sits on the coast closest to the mainland, and a large abbey/military post run by the Knights of the Dawn - acolytes of Koleus - sits above the cliffs on the opposite end. Between them, farmers raise sheep, wheat, barley, and some cattle, which are exported to the mainland, primarily to the city of Novatryn. While Belory has the largest military base in Czojan within their borders, their Earl - Radowyn Shipwright - wealds the least military power, as the Knights of the Dawn are a private religious organization.

##### Corsca Oblast

An old and proud Oblast, run by the would-be warlord, Prvon Czerny, which dominates the southern ports of Czojan. Despite their considerable distance, they were the Oblast that provided the most troops to the takeover of Alfgrad. Corsca has access to large swaths of oceanfront and marshland, allowing them to run effective fur-trapping, fishing, and coke/clay based trade with other nations. The Corscans claim to be the last of the Yaluk bloodline, but researchers from the Arcanaeum in Novatryn are skeptical.

##### Kedweic Oblast

a powerful and disputed Oblast, under constant political turmoil and the continent's hotspot for crime and delinquency. Galloca, Valen, and Czojan all claim that Kedweic was within their ancestral borders, and bloody sieges and turf skirmishes occur nearly every decade. Most recently, a siege of the city was sparked in 1444, when the city's Earl - Oscar Madog - and his son both died in dubious circumstances. Mercer Mordhau, the city's housecarl, seized power before the other Earls could muster for a vote, and took the garrisons on a strange march into the mountains, where they were soundly defeated by whoever they faced (unknown). The Ludanians took the lessened troops as an opportunity, and mustered to attack at once.

Kedweic is also the home of the world's largest thieves' guild, which is said to operate in barricaded parts of the city sewers. Whether this report is true or not is unknown, as the city will not investigate the claims, and any who are allowed in to the thieves' guild are tight-lipped.

##### Minersk Oblast

The smallest Oblast by population, run by a small mining and logging town nestled in the foothills of the Salen Mountains. Their Earl - Otto Haase - is uninterested in foreign politics, instead focusing on what other Czojanic Oblasts he can sell his iron and lumber to. Minersk is home to the majority of forests in Czojan, and they export most of the larch and spruce that they harvest to Novatryn.

##### Novatryn Oblast

The largest and most influential Oblast in Czojan, and one of the most important cities in the world, led by a Skothik Goliath named Drusa Sojka. Drusa is a tactical genius, an economic weapon, and a shieldmaiden of exceptional skill. Her many talents are put to good use in the administration of such a behemoth of a city, and she sees it as the ultimate challenge. Novatryn is a center of knowledge, invention, trade, and culture. In the center of the city, a massive clock known as the Blacktower, displays information from the year down to the second for all in the city to see. The largest Arcanaeum is also located in Novatryn; a place where every scholar and mage across the world dreams of visiting.

##### Parmansk Oblast

Parmansk - more commonly called the Tri-towns Oblast - is made up on three sprawling towns that all seem to bleed into one-another, making a long strip of civilization down the side of the Bay of Czojan, all administrated by Earl Earl Sonja Keizyk. The majority of coke, clay, and marsh-fibers are harvested and exported from this sprawling district. Sonja aims to expand the growth of livestock and crops in the region, and is currently consulting with the Arcanaeum's transmuters to see if they can magically leech the soil on the edges of her towns of salt and other agricultural inhibitors.

##### Stongrad Oblast

The rural center of non-conventional agriculture is Stongrad, led by a Valen named Norman Redtower. The main products of Stongrad include peat-coke and massive crops of bog-wheat. Bog-wheat, much like rice, is grown in large patty fields, saturated with shin-deep water and soft, clay-rich soils. The bog-wheat breweries of the town give it a distinct sulfuric stench, one travelers will not soon forget.

### Economy

In Czojan, conventional crops and livestock fetch a far higher price than they would elsewhere - making it an obvious trade partner for the village merchants in Valen. Cheaper resources include building materials (such as brick and daub), peat-brick fuel, and furs. Their main trade partners are Olean and Lefketta, with some shipments to and from Skothika and Valen. The average wealth of the citizen is 2sp/day, though that rises to nearly 1gp/day in Novatryn. The official currency of Czojan is the gold Groszhin, with the smaller denominations being the silver Groszhin and the copper Groszhnic.