Aquilonian

## Kingdom of Aquilonian

**Less common Gods**

* Bori
* Asura

## Geography

### Location

Aquilonia is known for its fertile cropland and many forests. Multiple rivers that run directly through it make it a perfect land for civilization, and the kingdom was powerful throughout the ages. Aquilonia is a western kingdom that is bordered by Zingara to the southwest, the Pictish Wilderness to the west, Cimmeria to the north, Border Kingdom to the northeast, Nemedia to the east, Ophir and Argos to the south.

## Economics

### Currency

**Coinage*** Gold: Sovereigns
* Silver: Groats
* Copper: Pennies

### Exports

Main Exports:* Cheese
* Apples
* Wine
* Lumber
* Iron
* Gold

## Other

### Allegiance

**Vessel Kingdoms*** Kingdom of Koth
* Kingdom of Ophir

**Vessels**

* Bossonia, Also Known as The Bossonian's
* Gunderland, Also Known as the Gunderlain's
* Poitain, Also Known as the Poitain

### Status

Active, Ruling Kingdom

Aquilonia is the most powerful of the Hyborian Kingdoms. The Aquilonian are proud and comparatively well-off. In the current year of 4994 of the Hyborian Calendar, Aquilonia resembles Medieval France in culture, with some Roman influence when it comes to structures and builds. The political situation is rife with intrigue, murder and horror. Aquilonia’s barons and counts maintain ancient feuds from generation to generation and those along the frontiers fight Picts, Nemedians, Cimmerians, Ophireans and each other other.

There are about fifty baronies, counties and principalities in the Kingdom of Aquilonia. Few of these have been named but the better known ones are as followed:

* **Bossonia:** Bossonia is also known as the Bossonian Marches and is one of the frontier provinces between the Aquilonian heartland, the Pictish Wilderness and the Cimmerians. Recent expansion west-word has placed the western border between the Marches and the Picts but the Bossians are still Aquilonia’s primary defense against the Pictish assaults. The rustic Bossonians are unmatched in skill as warriors, frontiersmen of formidable skill who serve as the premier soldiers of the Kingdom of Aquilonia’s expansionist armies. People in Bossonia live behind walled fortresses and villages where they can defend themselves against barbarian assaults, be they Cimmerian or Pictish. The Bossonians are well known as archers and hunters, although the Bossonians also practice subsistence farming.
* **Gunderland:** Gunderland is the northern province between the Aquilonian heartland and Cimmeria. Gunderland was once a separate Kingdom but became a vassal to the Aquilonian to avoid capture as a subject peoples. Despite the concessions afforded to the Aquilonia, the peoples of Gunderland view themselves as independent. After the Rise of King Conan the Cimmerian however, Gunderland again became its own sovereign state. The people here are tawny-haired and gray-eyed. They keep no slaves and have interbred with other racial types only minimally, thus they remain the purest of the Hyborian Bloodlines.
* **Poitain:** Poitain is the southern-most county of the Aquilonians. Poitain’s landscapes is of rolling fields and picturesque meadows. Crops of wheat, roses and palms are common. Orchards of oranges are also known to be around these lands. The Emblem of Poitain is a golden leopard. The people here are dark, long-haired, except for some of the peasantry along the Bossonian border, who resemble the Bossonians. These are hardy folk, bred to war from a lifetime of protecting their wealth from greedy neighbors.

## **Description**

The Aquilonian are varied and interesting as far as people go. Generally, their peoples have oval face shapes and a tall, rangy race. City Dewellers tend to be portly in rich Aquilonia cities and relatively few of them suffer from hunger. Their military forces rely mostly on cavalry units commanded by heavily armed knights, though pikemen and spearmen from Gunderland and archers are normally from Bossonian Marches are also Prized.

## **Clothing**

Most of the Aquilonian often wear woolen outer clothing and undergarments made of linen. Simple tunics with hose and soft leather-boots are very common outfit of choice for them as well. The wealthy a;; across the Kingdom of Aquilonia dress well, preferring brighter colors, better materials and longer length clothing then that worn by peasants. Elaborate silken Jupons, close-fitting jackets, gilt-braided skirts and jagged sleeves are typical outfits worn in the courts of Aquilonia.

Hair often times are curled and scented, bound with cloth-of-silver or cloth-of-gold bands. Plumed caps adorn the heads of most of the male aristocrats. Most nobles wear swords, though many of them are merely ceremonial weapons

## **Behaviors and Characteristics**

* **Honor Bound:** Honor is a real concept for the Aquilonians, one that impacts their reputations, moral standing and their self-perception. This honor extends to family and friends. Impugned honor results in duels or other forms of redress. The aristocracy consider their honor to hold them above the rabble. Acts that would otherwise be considered criminal can be excused if they are committed as a matter of honor. Honor is most important on the borders of Aquilonia where law enforcement is minimal and the people enforce their own laws.

* **Allegiances:** The Kingdom of Aquilonia is built upon its allegiances with others. The entire feudal system depends upon allegiance, the reciprocal ties between individuals and between families. Allegiances are also considered to be more binding then law itself.
* **Social Classes:** There are four distinct social orders in the kingdom of Aquilonia, each with its own unspoken rules and hidden habits. These four classes are the Labourers, Townsmen, Aristocracy, and the Clergy. These classes are social and political in nature. There is little social mobility in Aquilonia save via marriage. No matter how well one behaves, no matter how much one accomplishes, no matter how much wealth one accumulates, one cannot be elevated in status because of those things. Behaviourism short of criminal also does not decrease one’s social standing.
* **Fairs and Festivals:** Fairs and Festivals are popular throughout the Kingdom of Aquilonia. Many fairs and festivals last several weeks, attracting traders from all over the Aquilonia Landscape. Dramas are staged in marketplaces, produced by the local guilds, many of which are religious in nature, dealing with topics important to the Mitran faith.

## **Religion**

**Mains Gods**

* Mitra

**Less common Gods**

* Bori
* Asura

The main deity worshiped by the peoples of The Kingdom of Aquilonia is Mitra. However, the old Hyborian god Bori is still highly respected and in some areas, worshiped still. There are also branch cults of Asura operating within its borders. Aquilonians worship Mitra as the ‘universal god of the Hyborians.’ The Aquilonians are fervent in their devotion to Mitra and the Mitran priests completely dominate religious life in Aquilonia. Mitra is regarded as the one true god, standing in thee universe with no pantheon nor even a consort to support his cosmic reign. He does command a heavenly host of saints who stand with him. The Religion practices religions intolerance in order to better achieve secular power. The Mitran religion frowns upon ostentatious religious displays. Mitra’s temples are awesomely plain, yet stately, artistic and beautiful despite the lack of ornate symbols and massive, sweeping structural forms so prevalent in most Hyborian Age temples. The altar is a symbolic gesture at best, for followers of the Mitran religion do not sacrifice humans nor animals to their omnipresent deity. A single dignified statue is likewise permitted but is not worshiped. Any statues of Mitra are considered attempts by the faithful to visualize Mitra in an idealistic form, for his true form is unknowable.

## **Government**

**Ruler:** King Conan the Cimmerian

**Government Type: Federal Monarchy**

The Kingdom Aquilonia government is considered feudal government. It is ruled by a king, who divides the land and responsibilities of the kingdom among various barons and counts, who then subdivide their lands and respectability further.

Even though the King rules the land he cannot prevent local powers from rising except by sending valuable troops to quell them. The king also does not have enough soldiers to enforce his will everywhere. Thus the nations are left with fragmented governments comprised by local counts and barons who perform civil and military functions in the name of the king for an equally fragmented kingdom subdivided into numerous fiefs and sub-fiefs.

The area of the kingdom is broken up into smaller territories, or provinces. These in turn are broken up into even smaller pieces. Often the boundaries are not well defined nor do the various lands ruled by a count or baron need to be contiguous.

Aquilonia pull the strings of Koth and Ophir, two vassal kingdoms.

## **Economy**

The manor is the economic unit of life in the Kingdom of Aquilonia. A manor consistes of a manor house and one or more associated villages and acres of land numbering in the range of thousands. Fully a third of the land is devoted to supporting the noble field-holder and his retinue. The serfs and peasants who work the land are usually required to spend half their time working the portions set aside for the nobility but have the rest of the time to work their own lands or to work on special projects, such as building bridges or roads, as required by the local lord.

###  **Common professions:**

* Hunter (particularly Gundermen and Bossonians)
* Knight (particularly politicians)
* Merchant
* Peasant
* Priest
* Ranger (bossonians)
* Soldier

## **Sex Roles and Marriage**

The Kingdom of Aquilonia is a strict patriarch society. In the Kingdom of Aquilonia, women, whether noble or peasant, hold a difficult position in society. They are often assigned such tasks as cooking, baking bread, sewing, weaving and spinning, women are considered less important than men. Women are under the control of their fathers until they marry.

Young girls are brought up to expect to be married. Only noble girls of means and wealth can afford to remain single, usually by devoting themselves to Mitra. The need to marry well has promoted an industry of marriage-brokers and match-makers throughout Aquilonia. Romantic love plays very little role in Aquilonian marriages – marriages are far too political and economic to leave such things to mere attraction and choice. Marriages, except among the poor, are almost always arranged by parents to ensure the prosperity of their children. The family of the bride is responsible for providing a dowry, which is usually a portion of land, a fief or a manor. Peasant dowries can also include money or livestock if land is not available. The truly poor marry without dowries and often manage to marry for love. A groom is also expected to provide a dower, which often consists of land as well. Marriage serves as a form of wealth redistribution in Aquilonia, which in turn puts more pressure on wealthy girls to marry well than peasant girls.

## **Slavery**

As much as the priest of Mitra often rises their voice againist slavery, it remains common within the Kingdom of Aquilona and other Hyborian Kingdoms.

Slavery exists and is present mostly in large cities. Owning a slave is usually a non-issue for reputation. However, under the feudal system, slaves are deemed unnecessary by most Aquilonians. In Gunderland and most parts of the Western Border, slaves are not typically kept at all, for even the mere idea of slavery is either distasteful of impractical in those regions.

Slaves have no rights and no property. They are entirely at the mercy of their masters, who have the power of life and death over the slaves. No one in Aquilonia particularly cares if the existing slaves are freed or not. Slavery in Aquilonia usually takes the form of household slaves and personal attendants.

There are few slave markets in Aquilonia. One of those is situated in Shamar, one of the largest cities in the realm. Croton, an amazingly cosmopolitan and wicked town on the borderlands between Aquilonia and Nemedia, imports and exports slaves. In Sicas, one of the most wicked Aquilonian cities, the thugs from The Wyverns gang operate as slavers. in Volsino, Aquilonian town on the eastern frontier, local reeve sells prisoners in the goal to slavers for extra income, claiming the prisoners commit suicide.