Varenth

Varenth, a shining example of what human ingenuity and creativity is capable of.  When the Age of Steam dawned, it was Varenth who first created the Alchemist Guilds.  When Dorminia struggled to keep its separate states together, it was Varenth who united all its people under a common banner, to form a nation that would last a thousand years.  And now that Arrakanium sends its sprawling tentacles out to every corner of the world, it will be Varenth that halts the menace’s advance.

Historically, Varenth has been one of the most united of the countries, with popular support being extremely high for the monarchy.  While Dorminia practices a constitutional monarchy, Varenth’s has been a much more absolute one, with the king having near complete say in the doings of the government.  Despite this, Varenth has yet to become an empire like Arrakanium, much less a despotic one.  In fact, Varenth is considered the leading opponent to the empire, going so far as to officially deny Ulthian annexation, and recognizing the empire only as Arrakan.  Due to a close proximity and welcoming arms, many Ulthian refugees flock to Varenth.

With Arrakanium sharing a large border with Varenth, tensions have been very high, and it would seem the great Kingdom of Varenth will be the last major country standing in the way of Arrakanian world domination.  Since the surrender of the Ulthian league 45 years ago, Varenth has invested massive amounts of wealth, resources, and manpower into fortifying the border.  Fully manned and supplied, these fortifications would undoubtedly decimate Arrakanium’s army, on both land and sky.  Citadels, massive steam-powered ground harpoons, and a myriad of other inventions has made the Varenthian-Arrakanian border one of the modern world’s great wonders.

Unfortunately, however, Varenth invested too much into the build up of its defenses, and now a startling 80% of the fortification line is unmanned and unsupplied.  The once proud and glorious kingdom is in debt, but it’s not dead yet.  At the current moment, they’ll surely fall if Arrakanium invades, but change is on the way.  Alkebus is being explored up and Varenth hopes it can find its new wealth there, while visionaries in the country suggest reform, to make Varenth into a new form of government, one able to launch a second golden age of Varenth.

## **Government**

### Nobility

Nobility System in Varenth, Ranked from Most Powerful to Least Powerful:

* \*König/Königin - King/Queen
* Prinz/Prinzessin - Prince or Princess
* \*Erzherzog/Erzherzogin - Archduke or Archduchess
* \*Herzog/Herzogin - Duke or Duchess
* \*Graf/Grafin - Count or Countess
* \*Freiherr/Freifrau - Baron or Baroness
* \*Ritter - Knight or Dame
* Edler/Edle - Noble
* Junker - Junior Noble

\*- People of this title hold land.

The Monarch of Varenth holds direct control over 8 duchies. Each duchy is ruled by a Herzog or Herzogin, who has a few Grafs or Grafins, Counts or Countesses, under them ruling counties. Each duchy contains between 3 or 5 counties. Below each Graf is a Freiherr, or Baron, who has a barony. The number of baronies in a county varies greatly, with the largest amount currently being 25, and the smallest being only 3. Ritters may be found under Barons, though it's not necessary. A ritter, unlike the other landholding titles, has no real political or governmental influence, and simply owns a large estate, farm, or a similar large swath of land whose inheritance is protected by the Baron. Edlers and Junkers are any people that belong to noble families but do not hold the titles themselves. An Edler or an Edle is from a family of a Herzog or Graf, while a Junker is from the family of a Feiherr or a Ritter.

The inheritance law in Varenth is simple. The oldest son shall inherit the land of the previous owner, and if that's not possible, then the oldest daughter will inherit. Should the owner be childless, the oldest brother will inherit. If there is no brother, then it will be the oldest sister, and if there's no sister, it will go to eldest nephew, and if there's no eldest nephew, to the eldest niece. Finally, if there's no siblings, nieces, or nephews, the title will go to the eldest cousin.

### Law

Varenth’s legal system was originally shaped by the Kingdom of Vaar, which practiced customary law that relied on the judgments of feudal lords throughout the country, guided only by the rulings of the Royal court in cases of appeals. In the border region to the Ulthian Empire, and later the League that succeeded it, the law was founded upon the written law of Ulthia, which was eventually studied by scholars throughout the country, and thus influenced the customary law, as the role of judges was over the centuries more and more transferred to professionals that acted in their lords’ stead.

Recently, the authority of the Crown has been increased, and the laws of the King of Varenth have taken higher importance, binding the competences of the lower nobility. The customary law of Syndulla has been compiled in large parts and made into a national constitution, any statute of a lower noble that outright contradicts it being considered invalid. Nonetheless, differences still exist on a local level, especially where the written Ulthian law is still held in high regard.

While the König has the ultimate say of the law in many cases, and nobility can determine the laws of their own lands to an extent, the laws of Varenth are by and large created by a professional council of 12 judges. The Councilor of Justice's job is to lead the mission to maintain and uphold the national laws of Varenth and to keep equality and fairness in the law. The Councilor has the authority to bring up a preexisting law for review, and the council can then decide to ask the König to change the law if the council deems it worthy of change. Should *any* noble refuse to follow the law, the Councilor may request that they are charged with tyranny - a serious charge which leads to a trial and possible disposition. When a new law is suggested, the Councilor is the one that presides over the council's decision of whether the law should be implemented or not before it is passed to the König, Herzogs, and Grafs for voting. The result of a vote can be overturned if the decision is unanimous among the Herzogs and König.

### Military

Varenth's military has a long and proud history, though it has rarely seen any wars until the 18th century. The military consists primarily of a small group of professional career soldiers, though it can be made larger through conscription should the need occur, which it never has. The military is divided into the army, air force, and navy, all under the Commander-in-Chief. The army is primarily divided into a Corps, a Division, and a Legion which report directly to the Commander-in-Chief. The navy is divided between a fleet for the southern coast and a fleet for the northern coast, and the air force is only divided into what regions they're stationed in.

The Foreign Legion and the Colonial Division are special in that they do not fall under the main Corps of the army, and instead report directly to the Commander-in-Chief. The Colonial Division, as the name applies, is a force of soldiers directly from and dedicated to New Varenth. Their task is to protect it from natives, secure new land, assess the quality of further areas of settling, and to serve in any wars in Alkebu. The Foreign Legion is comprised primarily of immigrants, and service in it for five years guarantees citizenship in Varenth. It is mainly used when forces are needed to help international allies, as a symbol of respect to both the immigrants and the other nations which some of the soldiers may be from.

Commander-in-Chief: Leads all the armed forces (Currently the 1st Corps + Colonial Division + Foreign Legion)

Lieutenant General: Corps - 30,000 men (3 Divisions)

Major General: Division - 10,000 men (2 Legions)

Colonel: Legion - 5,000 men (5 Regiments)

Lieutenant Colonel: Regiment - 1,000 men (2 Battalions)

Major: Battalion - 500 men (5 Companies)

Captain: Company - 100 men (2 Platoons)

Lieutenant: Platoon - 50 men (5 Sections)

Color Sergeant: Most senior sergeant in the unit Regiment, carries the flag. Accompanies the Colonel. Advised the Colonel and maintains discipline. Has likely been in the army longer than most officers.

Sergeant Major: Most senior ranked Sergeant in a company, accompanies the Captain. Used to advise the Captain and to help maintain discipline.

Staff Sergeant: Most senior sergeant in a platoon and helps the Lieutenant (who is often a young man out of the academy) organize and lead.

Sergeant: Section -10  men (2 squads)

Corporal: Squad - 5 men

Lance Corporal: Holds no command, a rank given to Privates that do exceptionally well.

Private: Rank-and-file soldier, most men don’t get promoted past private.

## **History**

* 2,200 BE - 300 AE: The Vaar Empire exists for 2,500 years.  It was originally founded in Syndulla, but it’s range extended down from the capital and down along the Lorelei river to the ocean. Multi-tiered temples, obelisks, and a large pantheon of gods dominate, the modern view of the empire.  A rich and powerful nation that dissolved due to mysterious circumstances.
* 300 AE - 1011 AE: After the fall of the Vaar Empire for reasons that are still being debated today, a multitude of city-states rose up from its ashes, and for a while, they lasted peacefully, with most disputes never escalating to full-scale war. While things didn’t progress much during the time of city-states, it can be said that it was a comfortable status-quo.
* 1013 AE: Once the Ulthian Empire started to extend westwards even more, the Vaar city-states knew they had to organize a resistance to stop what they viewed as an unstoppable force and power.  Unfortunately for the southern city-states, the Vaar Coalition was bogged down by infighting and competition, and a combined military force was only organized after the coastal and very southern cities had been taken, and the first Ulthian invasion was successful.
* 1013 AE - 1125 AE: As the Ulthian Empire kept expanding and taking more lands, it became harder for them to manage all their territories, and so their grip on the Vaar states was loosened, giving them more autonomous rule.  This loosened grip proved to be fatal for the Ulthian Empire, and in secret the Vaar Coalition reformed and a local resistance in the occupied states rose up, backed by a full military force from the northern states.  When the Ulthian Empire’s moved in to quell the rebellion, they were violently defeated, and the entirety of the Vaar city states had their independence.  This was one of many symptoms of the Ulthian Empire declining, showing other subjugated lands that they too could rise up against their oppressors.
* 1140 AE: With the threat of Ulthia defeated, there seemed to be little need for the Coalition to continue existing, and many called for its dissolution.  Syndulla, however, had plans to reform the Vaar Empire, and pressed for the Coalition to stay intact.  This was met with a lot of resistance by the other members, and a civil war broke out.  Having been the furthest from the fighting in the First and Second Ulthian Invasions, Syndulla had the strongest force of the others and subjugated the other city states.  The King of Syndulla became the King of Vaar, and the Vaar Coalition become the Kingdom of Vaar.
* 1195 AE: After 55 years of peace, a new King came to the throne of Vaar, seeking honor and glory.  To the north, small isolated tribes, villages, and ports descended from people fleeing the fallen Vaar Empire, who had begun looking for more prosperity in their cold, barren land.  These people, calling themselves the Renths, were the target of the new Vaar king.  The scattered Renths launched a surprisingly effective defense, as they had known the terrain much better and the harsh land had arguably made them tougher warriors than Vaars.  Eventually, however, the Renths began to lose and a peace was signed, with Renth becoming feudal like Vaar, and an Erzherzog (Archduke) being put in place to rule them as vassals directly under the King of Vaar.
* 1290 AE: After nearly a hundred years, the Renths had thoroughly assimilated into Vaar’s culture.  The tribal culture had been mostly lost except for a few enclaves left in the Northwest, and soon Renth called for unification with Vaar.  After a marriage uniting the two monarchies, House Sordeau was created, ruling the new unified Varenthian Kingdom.
* 1329 AE: With the Varenthian identity having taken root in most of the kingdom, an era of unity and prosperity for the kingdom dawned.  Cultural differences were slowly going away, and commerce was increasing as the state became more prosperous.  The biggest boom for the country, however, was the invention of the steam turbine by Denis Papin, which promised to decrease work effort and increase production and commerce in all areas of society.  With Papin’s invention, the Age of Steam is recognized as having begun in this year.
* 1352 AE: Though many people were skeptical of the steam turbine’s reliability, the use of the device to propel a ship at a faster speed than ever before seen, all the way from Syndulla, down the Lorelei, and out to Dorminia.  This not only reassured public fears, but it also brought steam power from being a niche area of research, to a global phenomenon, with governments and civilians both rushing to invent new technologies with this incredible device.  At the center of it all, Varenth would be the home to many of the world’s newest inventions, issuing in a long Gilded Age for the nation.
* 1560 AE: The airship’s invention revolutionizes travel, and while railroads entirely covered Varenth, the construction of airdocks in both Syndulla and Rougia were seen as connecting the southern and northern parts of the Kingdom even more tightly than before. The sentiments of sectionalism shortly faded away into distant memory.
* 1696 AE: As Arrakan grew more militaristic and turned on the rest of the Ulthian League, Varenth was swept up with emotions of fear, distrust, and hate at the new empire. Fearing they would try to recreate the Ulthian Empire and invade Varenth, the nation’s military expands and many young men seeking to embody the warriors of the Vaar Coalition volunteer to defend Ulthia.  Unfortunately, the Arrakan war machine moved too swiftly, and before Varenth could stage an official intervention, the war was over. To this day though, Varenth denies Arrakan representation in Syndulla, refuses to recognize their annexation of Ulthia, and considers the Arrakanium Empire an illegitimate government.
* 1703 AE: After the Night of Ravens in Arrakan, many citizens of the fallen Ulthian League members, along with some Arrakan aristocrats, escaped into Varenth.  Though some distrust the refugees, especially those of Arrakan descent, the general consensus of the public is that they deserve Varenth support, and the King of Varenth himself issues widespread citizenship to the refugees. Businesses and the government came together to help them integrate into Varenthian society, and this movement only strengthens the belief among Varenthians that their enemy is Arrakan.
* 1710 AE: A Fraesn uprising occurred in Dorminia, and after Fraesn promised some ports to Varenth if they helped in their fight. Therefore Varenth sent their foreign legion to join the fight, though the war was soon lost.
* 1712 AE: Following the Nico Incident and Dorminia nearly going to war with Arrakan to protect an Ulthian League town, Varenth announced itself as the “Protector of the Ulthian League’s Sovereignty”.  In one of the most famous speeches of the time, Varenth’s Minister of War declared that “not a single Arrakan bomb, bullet, or stone may harm our neighbor without Varenthian soldiers occupying Arrak in no less than five weeks."
* 1725-1727 AE: Varenth sent their foreign legion again overbroad to fight Dorminia. This time they fought in the Briece-Mascron war, in hopes of showing Dorminia to be weak and provoking another Fraesn uprising. The next year Dorminia forced Cyren to attack New Varenth to divert Varenthian attention away from Briece. This plan worked, but even in 1727 with the war with Briece and Mascron ended, a war continued between Cyren and New Varenth.
* 1730 AE: After 4 years of direct fighting between the colonies of Cyren and New Varenth, and indirect fighting between Varenth and Dorminia in the sky and sea, a cease-fire was signed as neither side was able to gain ground in the harsh Alkeban environment.
* 1736 AE: The war between New Varenth and Cyren started back up as Varenthian nationalists launched a surprise attack on Cyren, taking the colony. Although the attack was unsolicited and after the war, the nationalists were tried for treason, Varenth supported the occupation for fear of losing public support. They held Cyren for nearly a year before reinforcements from Dorminia navally invaded the city and retake it.
* 1738 AE: Varenth forced New Varenth to sign a peace treaty as paranoia about the Arrakan threat grew larger. In the peace treaty, it was agreed that in 5 years which countries countrol what parts of Alkebu would be decided.
* 1739 AE: The northwestern duchy of Varenth, Donuva, had a wave of protests and public support for independence from the rest of the Kingdom. While the Varenthian King was hesitant to let go of a significant portion of his land, his advisors all had their attention on Arrakan, and warned that a war for independence would end poorly for Varenth, whether they won or lost.  Therefore, after a series of negotiations, Donuva was allowed to peacefully withdraw from the nation.
* 1742 AE: The King of Varenth grew increasingly paranoid about Arrakan, and believing an attack was imminent, ordered the Varenthian border with Arrakan, the Ulthian League, and Donuva to be fortified on an unprecedented scale. Viewed as a wonder of the modern world, Varenth gained renown as the most well defended nation to have ever existed.
* 1743 AE: The King fell mentally ill, and for the next year his only child, Colette III, is given regency over the nation. While managing the government, a startling realization is made and in the interest of transparency, is revealed to the public. 7,000 ducats were spent to create the massive fortifications in such a short time, and the royal coffers were deeply in debt with the Queen Regent being powerless at the moment to fix it.
* 1744 AE: Current year. The King dies and full powers are given to Queen Colette III. After her coronation, she announced that she’ll endeavor to refill the coffers in order to pay for the manning and supplying of the East-Varenthian border. She also promised major reforms for Varenth, even going so far as to hint at weakening the nobility.

## Major Cities

### Syndulla

A bustling metropolis, and the capital of Varenth. It contains the royal palace and a strong presence of the Alchemy Guilds. Syndulla is considered the cultural and political heart of the entire nation.

### Rougia

The capital of North Renth, Rougia is the northernmost major city in the world. Though the areas around it are a frozen tundra, tunnels have been drilled into the ground underneath Rougia to pump up warm volcanic air into the buildings of the city. It acts as a major port for fishing and trade. It is also the birthplace of the Alchemical Institute, and currently is home to both the Rivet, Ether, and Mediums headquarters.

### New Varenth

New Varenth is a colony of Varenth in Alkebu, but unlike the other Alkeban colonies New Varenth is on the western coast of the continent. An impassable and inhospitable mountain range to the north blocks it off from Varenth, and a thick jungle blocks it off from Cyren. This peculiar geographic location has led New Varenth to have unrivalled resource access but also has led it to be one of the most isolated places in the world.

### Falkan

Falkan is Varenth's third largest city, after Syndulla and Rougia. While other cities in the nation tend to stress progress above all else, Falkan is a place where many of the ancient traditions of Varenth have been respected and kept. Traditional festivals and buildings are commonplace in Falkan, and make it unique among the major cities.

### Flussende

Flussende is the capital of Danich, and is the highest of all the major cities in Varenth. Located at the base of the mountain range separating Varenth from Alkebu, Flussende is a city among the mountains and as such its main industry is mining. While mines and refineries are found throughout southern Varenth, the banks and other industries supported by them are all centered around Flussende.