Lakrista

The Caulridian were a people that originally called Stranburg their home. Caulridians were not very advanced, not creating large engineering wonders of the Valantierians or the military successes of the Kasen. They also weren't organized like there more developed counterparts in the Cloridean with lords or an official government structure, they instead lived in tribes and clan like communities, each clan or tribe nominally controlling territories. Caulridians would however pay lip service to whoever controlled the region or who seemed to be becoming the dominant player, though did on occasion raise the banner of rebellion if they are encroached on. Their population was rather small, even for the Kleines Peninsula they were few in number for the amount of land they inhabited, they inhabited small clearings in the vast forest that made up most of the land. They mostly minded themselves as long as they were left to themselves.

#### Founding (2654-2662)

In the wake of The Humbling of the North Stranburg became under Valantierian control. They wanted Stranburg for two main reasons: one, to control the Strait of Jerlina to contain the North and prevent further aggression, and two, to secure the vast amount of lumber in Stranburg to build the Imperial fleet. To achieve both of these goals Lirios required a loyal population, something this land lacked. Instead of trying to gain favor with the Caulridians through long years of trust building, he would import Valantierians to live in Stranburg. The Caulridians would of course protest to these new comers encroaching on there land and as such they raised the flag of rebellion once again. In the Stranburg War an army of 30,000 under Viator Miriador Philakrates would be sent to crush them, and after 2 years of fighting they were. Many towns were burnt and whole clans and tribes had been destroyed, to pour salt on the wound tens of thousands of the remaining Caulridians would be deported to Ulta. The Caulridians would be a shadow of themselves after this costly uprising.

After the revolt the population of the Caulridians had been desolated, the coast being vacant except for the military fort to control the area, now Lirios could enact his plan of bring loyal men and women to solidify Valantierian control of the region. The first to be granted land in the colony were veterans of the army, each being given large land holdings to ensure they, and anyone in there family which they brought, could provide for themselves. The next to be sent over were peasant which wanted to live in a region without lords governing over them and a cut in taxes. These benefits would help motivate many in the already crowded Talith and Palithon move to the colony. After these two groups had settled in the poor in many of the Valantierian cities were shipped off to the colony so they could work instead of being a drain on the cultural hubs of the Empire, they would not at first however be granted land, they would have to at first work on the farms of veterans until they proved able to work on their own. This system was obviously abused by many veterans for free labor, though over time through Imperial over sight they were forced to be set free and given land, or they escaped and took land out in the vast country.

The old ruined city of Thalisia on the Arklios River would be refounded in 2655 AF as the administrative, and economic center, for the region. The Bureaucrats of the the colonial administration would make this city there home and an Imperial drydock would also be built in the city as the vast lumber supply of up stream could be tapped. The city, if it was on the Ilian Peninsula would barely meet the definition of a city, being only a few thousand, but in the colony it was the largest settlement and was the focus of Imperial funds to build it up. To the south on the Usmark river a second settlement would be built up where the military fort stood, being named after the General which had pacified the region, Viatoropolis , it would still house the imperial garrison and would be a hub for lumber to be shipped north to Thalisia. The colony at this point had become so populated that the old name of Stranburg didn't fit the reality on the ground, the name Lakrista would be used in Imperial records from there on out.

In the aftermath of the murder of Lirios a succession crisis in the Empire would break out, known as The Crisis of Valantierian Succession, Maximin, the son of Lirios would withdraw the garrison from Lakrista to fight in the civil war which was now upon him. Lakrista was now at the mercy of the Caulridians, hungry for revenge, the Lakristi would form militia's to fight against the barbarians. The two would fight in the war of Caulridian Aggression for two years, with it being a war of skirmishes and of towns being torched, the fighting would only stop when Hallgrim Mosgen, King of Flawmen would march into Lakrista to conquer the land. Instead of fighting the overwhelming force the governing body would instead just surrender to the conquerors in exchange for local autonomy.

### Flawmish Rule

#### The Formation of a State

The Political organization of Imperial administrators had also died with the Empire leaving. The people of Lakrista were made up of veterans, merchants, and there decedents, any nobility that once attempted to rule had left with the empire, and now that they were under Flawmish rule they would have to find new ways of organizing themselves. While the idea of a new ruling family was tossed around it was quickly killed because of the lack of anyone who could claim royal decent. Instead of a monarchy in the style of the fatherland they would create a Republic ruled by elected Magistrates, the head of every family could vote in the election. The Magistrates would decide the internal matters of the realm while a second body made up of all Veterans would decide foreign policy, with a General at its head.

#### An Uneasy Peace

The Lakristi from the day that the Flawmish occupied them knew that the way things were ran would have to change. Instead of relying on the Imperial garrison for protection they would have to protect themselves from outsiders, including there new overlords. The standing armies of old however would not do, they lacked the men and resources for such an operation, they instead founded town militias that would meet weekly to train and keep there prowess. Each man was assigned a regiment and in times of war these regiments would come together to form the Army of Lakrista, roughly 10,000 strong. This army was predominantly made up of pikemen, halberdiers, and crossbow men, what was ever easiest to train large groups of people in.

The Flawmish King, Hallgrim watched these developments with distrust, however he was unwilling to disturb them as the region provided a valuable port and access into Dragonborn Bay, if he attacked he feared that they would just swear fealty to another Kingdom and spark a war he didn't want to wage. He hoped that in time the rebellious sentiment in the population would quiet down and eventually it could be made just another duchy in Flawmen.

## Demographics

The Lakrista Colony has an incredibly high growth rate for the time, even in Balanal were the agricultural revolution is allowing for more food to be grown Lakrista has an incredibly high birth rate. The Caulridians were a small group in Stranburg, and this lack of a sizable preexisting population and desire to settle further inland has meant that land is continually being cleared for sons to stake a claim to.

### 2750

2,200,000 people

Lakrista didn't just have affects on their land and population but the whole of the Peninsula. The Kleines Peninsula is forested, lightly settled, with ploughs not good enough to plough the fields, but with the Valantierian colonists they brought the new Balanite farming techniques to the Peninsula, and with the merchants going far and wide a rapid expansion of population is happening across all of the Peninsula, Lakrista only had a head start.

## Culture

Lakrista was settled by two peoples, the Upper and Lower Valantierians. The Upper Valantierians settled along the coast and in the cities while the Lower Valantierians in the interior. The Upper Valantierians had a more meritocratic and merchant culture while the Lower Valantierians had a militaristic culture which valued grit, in the isolation from the Fatherland these ideals got more pronounced and blended together. The Lakristi became great merchants and fishers on the Kleines peninsula and a great martial spirit that allows them to survive in the hostile land. What they would also inherit is a great sense of xenophobia to the natives of the land, while could trade with them they would never trust them, the Lakristi made a consorted effort to keep there culture and way of life alive. The us verse them mentality thrived as they were constantly under threat from being wiped out by the natives of the land and in this blast furnace the Lakristi identity was born.

## Military

The Lakristi military is an incredibly dynamic and inventive force on the Kleines Peninsula. They inherited the martial spirit of Lower Valantierians and blend it with the meritocratic society that evolved in the colony. People from the lowest classes of society could rise up to become great military generals, which often occurred. After there subjugation by the Flawmish the Lakristi would put more emphasis on having there own military force and with the leadership of Pardith, a Lakrisi mercenary, turned it into a crack military force, rivaling anything the Balanites could raise. In the Lakristi war of Independence this military might was put on display as they crushed every force the Flawmish King, Torgeir, sent to restore order. While low in number the military of Lakrista was an extremely powerful force which went from victory to victory.