Kingdom of Rysland

## History

The Kingdom of Rysland was founded in 554 C.E. by Zorin Yanovich. The story, which may not be true, is that in order to found the Kingdom, Zorin used trickery to defeat his tribal rivals. It is said that he organized a meeting to discuss a peace agreement. The leaders arrived at a neutral location with their advisors and some troops. However, Zorin was not there and while the other leaders thought they were talking to him, it was his wizard, Ostresonia, disguised as him. She fireballed those at the meeting, killing them all instantly. Zorin's troops then made quick work of any survivors. While this was occurring, Zorin led the his army into his enemies tribal territories. Leaderless, the tribes opposing Zorin were forced to submit to his rule.

An era of great advancement for humanity, known as the Four Nation Era led to an unprecedented six centuries of peace for the continent of Acios. During this time, the Dwarves and Elves re-appeared from their lands in order to help the humans of Acios. Prova soon grew into a mighty and prosperous city that rivalled the beauty of Montrose and the cities of the Elves. The elves aided the wizards of Rysland in their greatest construction project, the floating towers of the Ostresonia Institute of Divine Gifts and Wizardry. The floating towers served as a reminder that the greatest spellcasters on Acios were found in the Kingdom of Rysland. The Insitute is the oldest wizarding school on the continent and the nations of Acios would often send their wizards and divine casters to train there. However, a dark cloud would soon arrive on the continent and lead the Ryslanders to make a dangerous decision that still reverberates today.

The Malorians arrived in 1144. The Ryslanders, as well as the rest of Acios, resisted the invasion. However, in 1146 C.E. Dorin Yanovich IV, turned on the alliance that was resisting the invasion. Dorin believed that the Malorians were too powerful to resist and thought that by allying themselves with the invaders, they would not be subjugated as harshly as the other nations. He would be correct, as the Ryslanders were allowed to remain an autonomous nation that acted as a vassal to the Malorian Empire. Six years after the Malorians invaded, they had conquered much of Acios and brutally subjugated the Ryslanders former allies.

The Ryslanders aided in the subjugation of the people of Acios, however they were always looking for a way out of the arrangement. They did not trust the Malorians and believed that once they fully recovered from the war and had a secure foothold on all of the other nations, they would not need the Ryslanders anymore. The Great Rebellion that began in 1362 C.E. proved to be the Ryslanders ticket out of the Marauder Alliance. The Ryslanders intially aided the Malorian Empire, as they had done with previous rebellions. However, this rebellion proved difficult to put down as the Karkothians were better organized and the Elves aided Carissa Cilamur (the Ryslanders thought the family line was wiped out) in the north. When word reached King Varushkin Yanovich that Florian Strom II had been killed at the Battle of the Bartois Plains, he knew the time to leave was now.

On Erathi 18, 1363 C.E King Yanovich magically sent orders to the leaders of the Ryslanders who were fighting with their Malorian counterparts abroad. "Leave immediately, kill anyone who tries to stop you." Many Ryslanders began to pack up their equipment and march back to their home country of Rysland. Some had to fight their way out of Malorian camps and fortifications. Many were allowed to leave peacefully as the Malorians looked on with dismay, wondering why the gods had forsaken their once great Empire. Other Ryslanders refused to leave and decided to stay with their Malorian allies and officially join their army viewing the Malorians as their brothers in arms. The end of the Marauder alliance resulted in the Ryslanders joining the other members of the Great Rebellion in their attempt to destroy the Malorian Empire.

The invasion of the Malorian Empire did not work as planned. The war was settled with the Treaty of Thirgos and resulted in the Kingdom of Rysland no longer being the vassals of the Malorian Empire. The Kingdom now has a great amount of power in the new era of Acios. Their lands were left almost untouched by the ravages of war. They are now one of the great powers in Acios and compete with the Wildcrest Kingdom for influence among the other nations.

## Government and Politics

The current king of Rysland is Varushkin Yanovich I. The ultimate power of the state is vested in the monarchy. Varushkin Yanovich is very popular among both the nobles of the land and the commoners. He is lauded as a shrewd ruler who was able to guide the nation through the treacherous waters of the Great Rebellion, break the grip of the Malorian Empire, and allow the Kingdom of Rysland to be truly free again.

Yanovich rules over a large aristocratic class that supports the crown. A number of noble families are ancient, founded during the Four Nation Era. These nobles are descended from the tribal leaders that aided the Yanovich's in taking control of the land now known as Rysland. Many more nobles gained titles through their deeds and achievements during the years of Malorian vassal-hood and the Great Rebellion. Tensions exist between the established families and the new, but duty and loyalty to the crown outweighs most private intrigues. All nobles in Rysland are landowners. They lease plots to the peasants for growing crops and raising families in exchange for a measure of their earnings, and the right to call upon their sons and daughters to serve in times of war. From the income of their landholdings, the lords give a substantial amount to the crown. These funds are used to maintain the nation’s infrastructure and its defenses.

## Foreign Relations

The Kingdom of Rysland has a complicated relationship with many of the other nations on Acios. While they did betray the Malorian Empire during the Great Rebellion, Emperor Florian Strom III has been making overtures to the Ryslanders. They have a trading agreement, however they both have troops stationed on each others borders waiting for a potential invasion. They also have a difficult relationship with the Wildcrest Kingdom and Eserion Elves. The Wildcrests do trade with them, however Queen Carissa does not want any further alliance, knowing the treachery that the Ryslandes are prone to. They have been trading partners with the Lhazaar Principalities for centuries and have a very good relationship with the Sea Princes. Their vessels are mostly left alone by the pirates that emerge from the Principalities. They have no diplomatic prescense with the Karkoth Confederacy. The Karkothians view them as complicit in their slavery and bondage and are plotting to one day destroy the Ryslandes and Malorians. The Free Cities also trades with the Ryslanders, however they view them with distrust due to their close relationship with the Lhazaar Principalities. The dwarves of the Stormcrest Mountains are friendly with the Ryslanders and provided valuable intelligence to them during the Great Rebellion.

## Military and Law Enforcement

The crown relies on its vassal lords to supply troops and has only a small standing army. The greatest group of warriors that the Ryslanders field in times of war are the Knights Arcane. They are a group of eldritch knights trained in the Ostresonia Institute. They are under the command of Duke Antonin Mir, the current leader of the oldest family in all of Rysland and one of Yanovich's closest friends.

The greatest asset of the Kingdom of Rysland is their vast magical might. Their armies are not as strong as those of the Eserion Elves or the Karkothian legions. What sets them apart is the power of their wizards and sorcerers who are able to decimate platoons of regular troops in mere seconds. The majority of these wizards are trained at the Ostresonia Institute. The Arcane Congress oversees the floating towers of the institute and consists of a council of wizards and sorcerers who explore the limits of the arcane arts. The minister of magic, Pavlo Medvid, serves as the go-between for the crown and the congress.

Much like the Dark Lanterns of the Wildcrest Kingdom or the Red Wizards of the Malorian Empire, the Royal Eyes of Rysland are the spies and intelligence group of the Kingdom of Rysland. The Royal Eyes are as old as Rysland itself, first formed when Zorin Yanovich came to power. Not trusting his sworn lords, he charged his allies and followers with safeguarding his regency. These operatives watched the vassal lords, protected their king, and thwarted conspiracies that rose against him. Over the centuries, the Royal Eyes have expanded their operations and looked beyond Rysland's borders, examining developments in the other realms. During the era of the Four Nations the Tower of the Eyes began dispatching agents to infiltrate enemy organizations, royal courts, and other institutions, legal and otherwise. These agents report their findings to Rysland, where the spy master, Apis, gathers salient aspects and files reports with the crown.

King Yanovich is in control of the Eyes, but Apis runs the day to day operations. The Royal Eyes operates out of the Tower of the Eyes in Prova. All agents send their findings to the tower, where they are collected, sorted, and filed. Maintaining secrecy on missions is a paramount concern, so agents in the field operate alone or in small groups. They communicate by using secret channels and coded messages disguised as normal correspondence to avert suspicion and maintain the integrity of their cover. Basic operatives come from all professions, races, and nationalities—the only requirement is that the agent have a talent useful to the organization. Full members are drawn only from Aundairian citizens, and of them, the Royal Eyes recruits only the most patriotic citizens, individuals who place crown and country above their own concerns.

## Geography

The Kingdom of Rysland stretches from the frozen south of the Starkwood to the temperate north of the Oberlander Expanse. The Basraine Swamp and the Bosdiac Slopes in the west have made the city of Solechevo difficult to journey to. However, the center of the nation covered by the Oberlander Expanse is filled with pastoral farmland and gorgeous vinyards. The northern and center portions of the nation are temperate while the southern region is frozen for much of the year. The Stormcrest Mountains form the eastern portion of the country. The mountains make the eastern region very chilly during autumn and winter, however the spring and summer are quite warm and reflect the climate of the northern portion of the country.

## Economy and Infastructure

The mild climate and regular rain in the northern and central parts of the nation allow for Rysland to be one of the greatest agricultural producers on Acios. They grow a great amount of agricultural product, both for use within the nation and as exports for trade. Cereals, grains, vegetables, and wines from the Aundair countryside are considered among the best in all of Khorvaire. The Ryslanders only control small portions of the Stormcrest Mountains. The Treaty of Thirgos recognized the Stormcrest Dwarves as the true owners of the mountains. This means that the Ryslanders do not have access to the best mining location. Therefore, much of their economy is focused on farming. In the frozen southern region, fishing is incredibly important as is gathering lumber from the Starkwood Forest. The cities of Rysland contain great centers of learning that at least equal the colleges and universities of the Malorian Empire and the Wildcrest Kingdom. The arcane institutes might exceed those found anywhere else on the continent.

The Ryslanders have a built a well developed system of roads that allow for easy travel across the nation. The featureless, flat land of the nation made this project relatively easy. The eastern portion of the nation is the exception. The Basraine Swamp and Bosdiac Slopes form a natural barrier that is difficult to traverse. This region does not have many traversable roads, but it does have a well developed riverboat system that allows travellers to go from Solechevo to Prova and back without having to walk through the treacherous swampland.

## Demographics

The majority of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Rysland are human. There are also numerous dwarves that have left their mountain homes for the lands of Rysland. There are contigents of Goblinoids, Orcs, and Half-Orcs within their borders due to their proximity to Karkoth. The Goblinoids who resided here were not enslaved like the ones who resided in Karkoth and the Malorian Empire. This has led many to stay as they feel as though the Ryslanders protected them from the predations of the Empire. It also has more gnomes and dragonborn than most nations as many fled the destruction of their kingdom and travelled to Rysland. There are very few, if any elves that live in Rysland owing to the fact that it was, until very recently, allied with the Malorian Empire. The tiefling population is also very low.

## Culture and Religion

Rysland's citizens consist mainly of farmers, scholars, and merchants. Rural farmland covers much of the countryside. The life of Rysland's farmers hasn’t changed much over the centuries. Two major centers of learning command respect and admiration within Rysland. The capital city of Prova boasts the Ostresonia Institute, one of the greatest centers of magical learning in the world. It hangs above the city, a beacon of magical power. Ilvis University in Solechevo offers an excellent curriculum in both mundane and arcane studies. Libraries and book traders abound throughout Solechevo, attracting collectors and scholars of all sorts to the city. The Royal Collection of Rysland is one of the greatest repository of tomes and scrolls in all of Acios. The people of Rysland do like to show off their style and are among the finest dressers in all of Acios. From the nobles lounging in the towers of Prova to the common folk working the vast vineyards of the Oberlander Expanse, Ryslanders value wit and wisdom. Ryslanders prefer finesse to brute force and appreciate cunning wordplay and fine fashions.

The people of Rysland are not as religous as those in the Wildcrest Kingdom or in the Malorian Empire. The whole nation does not favor one god over the other. However the northern regions do favor The Dagda (to protect their crops) and Baachus (to have a good time with the wine they produce). As in all of the other nations, worship of the Traitor Gods is forbidden and seen as dangerous. There are also sects of the Blood of Vol that have begun to pop up in the nation. While the religion has not been outlawed, the Ryslanders are not comfortable with it because they fear that those who follow the Blood of Vol may favor Florian Oberlander over their own nation.