Notus

Notus is a province in the country of Windrose in the Windrose world. A sparsely populated area filled with dangerous geography, the region is seen as somewhat of a backwater by the rest of Windrose. Despite this, it serves an important role as a natural barrier against incursions from the south, specifically from Lancea.

#### History

Some time in the past one thousand years, the region that would become Notus was settled by migrants from Lancata. Over time, the fort of Gladiolus became a regional power, and eventually its ruling family became the royals of the entire province of Notus when the region became a part of Windrose proper.

Around five hundred years ago, a group of Raojian refugees, led by the exiled god Aporia, founded the city of Indigo on the mouth of the Indigo River. Eventually, the city grew into a famous trading hotspot over time under the rule of the Marigold Family, which became the ruling noble family of the city sometime after its founding.

During the One Week War, Notus was the site of intense conflict against the Lancean army, which sought to invade Windrose through Notus for unknown reasons. The southern regions of Notus were subject to a heavy mercury bombing campaign by the Lancean military, leading to a massive exodus of civilians from Notus to Bluebell. This included the royal family of Gladiolus, who fled to Allium. Many civilians suffered mercury poisoning as the result of the bombing, and between that, immediate deaths from bombing, and the exodus, Notus's already small population continued to shrivel.

Twenty-seven years after the One Week War, Aranea, which claimed effective rulership of Notus following the war, came into conflict with the ruling powers of the province of Zephyrus over whether the city of Indigo, the only remaining population center in Notus, was truly a part of Notus or Zephyrus. This political struggle is the basis for much of the plot of the show Forgotten Indigo.

#### Geography and Ecology

Notus's westernmost border with Zephyrus is defined by the Indigo River, which is surrounded by deep woodland stretching far into the central regions of the province. The southern and eastern regions of Notus consist of plains where wheat was cultivated, but following the One Week War, much of this region has been transformed into a bombed-out wasteland populated by Kaiju. The northern regions of Notus, along its border with the Rocket Wastes, might be somewhat desertlike. As previously mentioned, Notus has a prevalent population of kaiju, both in the woodlands and the plains. A wide variety of other animals live in the region, but specifically there are very few horses.

Both the deep woods and the bombed-out plains of Notus are famously difficult to cultivate. Alongside the abundance of nature, it is very common to see the ruins of failed Aranean research outposts, farming villages, and ancient buildings of unknown origins. Living statues known as the Galatea wander the forests, seeking out sources of Magic to consume. Many parts of Notus are heavily magical, leading to a myriad of small Folds forming deep within the woods.

#### Political Structure

Especially following the exodus of the Notan royals to Allium, Notus is an extremely difficult territory to govern. The few settlements that do manage to hold out are generally very isolationist and impoverished, making organization and infrastructure in the province incredibly difficult. Aranea assumed control of the province after the One Week War, but even their train routes and modern tech were unable to truly breach the province, leading to a shift of focus to Indigo itself and neglecting the rest of the province.

#### Culture

Outside of Indigo, Notan culture is generally known in Windrose for being "rugged". Many Notans are hunters, with a variety of hunting traditions. There are some populations in the west who are aesthetically familiar to cowboys in the real world. Various Notan dialects have a notable drawl. Southern Notus had a notable population of catfolk, but many of them fled north to Bluebell following the One Week War.

#### Notable Notans

* Camellia Family
* Marigold Family
* Iris Family
* Cassius
* Dodge
* Julius Tear
* Fade Philadelphus

#### Trivia

* The name "Notus" is comes from the Ancient Greek god of the south wind.