Stein

**Stein** a country ruled by King Byron Wagner. It's been closed-off from the surrounding nations for a long time, but under Byron's rule it is more willing to open up and engage with other countries.

## History

The time when Byron's father ruled over Stein was called, 'Reign of Terror'. During that time, the influence of his government had caused a clear disparity of wealth. The state of the country in those days had been truly awful compared to what it is now. When Byron was sixteen, his father stepped down and had been largely confined in an old castle on the very outskirts of the country. Nonetheless, there are those who approved of
how things were in the former king's time.

It is mentioned that, "a long time ago", the king of Stein attempted to overthrow Wysteria, but evidently failed, and the information about it was kept within the palace so as to avoid causing panic. It is unknown whether or not the king referenced is Gerald Wagner, Byron's father, since it is only said afterward that "there's a different king now", but the incident, to those who are aware of it, has caused tension and distrust between the two nations that continues even during the game's timeline.

## Law

As demonstrated in Louis' route, execution is used as a form of capital punishment in Stein, and can be delivered to those who attack Steiner citizens, and so presumably to those who commit worse crimes than this. One confirmed method of execution used is hanging.

## Trivia

* Characters from Stein are Albert Burckhardt, Byron Wagner, Nico Meier, Rayvis Harneit and Robert Branche, although the latter two do not hail originally from Stein.
* People from other countries call Stein a "mystery"
* The people from Stein don't know what their king looks like.
* Steiners are very wary of other countries, particularly Wysteria, due to its rocky history with it.
* Nico Meier, widely known as the princess elect's butler, is a former spy/knight from Stein and the right-hand man of King Byron.
* The demonym for people from Stein is Steiner.
* Steiners often reference a fairy tale about a woman who falls in love with a wolf, one read by Albert, Byron and the Princess Elect.
* **Stein is home to Stein Castle, the residence of Byron, Albert and Nico.**
	+ Within Stein castle, there is a garden named "The Garden of Stars" because Byron loves it and will often stargaze there.
* **Stein is very much a military nation, and prides itself on its military power.**
	+ It is often the country used to end or settle wars between other nations as a result of this strength, and is a vital bargaining chip in times of crisis.
	+ Stein has also been called on for assistance with food shortage by Wysteria.
* **Stein shares a land border with Wysteria, and is located "a long way north" of Wysteria Palace.**
	+ Stein is interested in opening up trade with Wysteria due to its valuable ore deposits.
	+ Stein is also somewhat interested in an alliance with Protea, the latter having considerably military strength of their own, but is wary of the nation's impulsive and aggressive behaviour.
* **From cultural and lingual references in the game, as well as the game's European setting, it's likely that Stein is based around the country of Germany.**
	+ However, Stein Castle is almost certainly modelled after Château de Chambord in Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France.