Vulpus

**Vulpus**, officially the **Kingdom of Vulpus**, is a Kingdom of Cartonia, home to the fox species. It was the precursor to the **Vulpus Empire**.

The southernmost nation in Cartonia, Vulpus is located along the Vixen Cliffs, named for the ruling house. It borders the Gulf of Cartoon to the west, Cervidium and Gallix to the North, and Mallardia to the northwest.

Vulpus is home to the foxes, one of the most cunning species in Cartonia. Known for their diplomatic and strategic prowess, the foxes have been ruled by the Vixen Family since the onset of the Harmony Crown.

A crisis emerged in 707 when Crown Princess Victoria Vixen was assassinated at the annual holiday party. The Vixen Queen issued an ultimatum to Mallardia, the alleged responsible nation, but Mallardia refused to cede. As a result, Vulpus declared war on Mallardia and invaded, launching the War.

Until 709, Vulpus was in possession of the Harmony Crown. The institution was abolished by the Vixen Queen.

## Geography

Vulpus is known for its volatile climate, characterized by warm summers and cold winters. Snow is common in the capital of Vista. Two major rivers converge at the center of Vulpus, where Vista is based. The Cartonian River flows from north to south and the First Vista River flows from west to east. South of Vista, the Cartonian River flows into the Vulpus Reservoir, which supplies drinking water for much of the continent. The Reservoir is kept in place by the enormous Vulpus Dam, owned and operated by the foxes. The southern border consists of one large escarpment that stretches across the continent in an almost parallel line. Beyond this is the Expanse, which is uncolonized and treacherous. Though Vulpus almost completely monopolizes the Vixen Cliffs, there is a small stretch in the east controlled by Cervidium.

## History

Vulpus is the site of the first landing of early settlers on the continent, who sailed along First Vista to the site that is now Vista, Vulpus. The foxes maintained control over the region, and only foxes live within Vulpine borders today.

Before the consolidation of the Kingdoms into Cartonia, the original foxes wrote a document known as the Skulkisch Doktrin. It predicts that a dominant species will one day rise to the forefront of Cartonia, succeeding the human race. The Doktrin further posits that this species will be the foxes. Many monarchs of Vulpus, including Vixen VI and Vixen VII, have been radicalized by this document.

Vulpus pledged allegiance to the Harmony Crown in the Year 1, thus uniting the Cartonian continent. It precedes Mallardia and succeeds Canis in the rotation.

Around the sixth century, Vulpus changed their inheritance laws from cognatic to distaffic primogeniture. Under cognatic inheritance, any male or female offspring could inherit the throne, depending on the order of their birth. The new distaffic primogentiure, exclusive to Vulpus, only allows females to inherit. As a result, seven consecutive Vixen Queens have reigned since the law's passage.

In 701, Vulpus inherited the Harmony Crown from King Ewan I of Canis. Queen Vixen VII, who came to the Vulpus throne in 692, was bequeathed the Crown at that time.

In 706, Vulpus was thrown into a succession crisis when Queen Vixen VII's only two daughters, Veronica and Vina Vixen, engaged in a deadly duel over a private feud. Both daughters died from their injuries, leaving the Vixen Queen without a direct heir. The government of Vulpus determined that Victoria Vixen, the Queen's young niece, was the next heir apparent.

    Crown Princess Victoria Vixen caused her own constitutional crisis in 707 when she announced her intention to marry Bentley Connelly, Crown Prince of Canis, even if it meant abdication due to laws preventing interspecies marriages. On December 24, 707, as Victoria was en route to the annual holiday party, she was assassinated by a duck. The Vixen Queen blamed Mallardia for the attack and issued an ultimatum demanding reparations. Mallardia did not cede to the ultimatum, resulting in Vulpus invading Mallardia on January 1, 708. Thus, the War began.

By summertime, little progress had been made and trenches were dug in Mallardia. The Vixen Queen's fortunes changed in October when she became pregnant. In December 708, she gave birth to Crown Princess Violetta Vixen. In February 709, the Queen abolished the Harmony Crown. As a result, four nations declared war on Vulpus. The Vixen Queen, however, had recruited four additional allies. These nations (**Vulpus**, Cervidium, Capricon, Psittancyna, Scuridiae, and Felexa) consolidated into the Summer Sun alliance.

In summer 709, the Summer Sun recruited Gallix into their ranks. After a harsh conscription notice was leveled against them, King Poultrus III attempted to betray the Summer Sun. In retaliation, Vulpus and Cervidium invaded and executed the royal family. Vulpus occupied eastern Gallix.

Vulpus continued its aggressive war tactics, sinking *The Pearl of Simeone* in 710 and murdering Queen Ana III. As a result, neutral Simeone, Porcinia, and Ursus declared war on Vulpus and the Summer Sun.

In 712, Vulpus in tandem with Cervidium and Psittancyna invaded Felexa and brought the nation under occupation. This betrayal was months-in-planning and designed to eliminate another weak link from the Summer Sun alliance, as was done with Capricon. The Felexan royal family fled and established a government-in-exile in Canis.

Vulpus's aggression continued in 716 when the army surrounded and captured Mallardia and Willie. The Vixen Queen killed Swan XX and ordered the execution of the Mus Royal Family, including King Mickey XI. Both nations were formally annexed into Vulpus in 720. As Capricon was recaptured by the Summer Sun, Vulpus annexed its territory as it progressed. With the exception of Baahaa (as the new Principality of Capricon), all of Capricon was absorbed into the burgeoning Vulpus empire.

Vulpus annexed the Leap from Cervidium in exchange for giving up some of its territory in Capricon. In 724, Vulpus celebrated the sixteenth birthday of Violetta Vixen, the wartime baby of the Vixen Queen who was now Crown Princess.

In 725, Vulpus published an edict declaring the foxes as the supreme species on the continent, finally fulfilling the Skulkisch Doktrin's prophecy. The edict was met with widespread condemnation, but by that point the entire continent was nearly overrun by Vulpus.

The Vulpus Dam was destroyed on November 11, 725, when a group of Granite Bloc refugees led by royals and loyalists escaped on the ensuing flood. Queen Vixen VII had personally gone to the Dam to thwart the escape, and was killed in the Dam's collapse. She was succeeded by her only surviving child, Violetta, as Queen Vixen VIII.

Vixen VIII developed a mysterious illness in January 726 and died within weeks, succeeded by her cousin Vanna Vixen as Queen Vixen IX. The War ended in Summer Sun victory on September 1, 726. Vulpus won the lion's share of Granite Bloc territory. Vixen IX enforced brutal subjugation policies against the conquered territories. Under her tenure, the Vulpus Dam was reconstructed and the Vulpus Empire was formed. She ruled for fifty years, longer than any Vixen Queen.

## Trivia

* Vulpus is named after the collateral adjective for foxes: "vulpine." This also serves as the Kingdom's demonym.
* The flag of Vulpus depicts the emblem of the foxes in the upper left corner. The red and black is based on the design of the Targaryen flag from *Game of Thrones*.
* All the members of the royal family have names that begin with "V"
* The Rook of Vulpus is based on Alcazar Castle in Spain.
* Distaffic primogeniture comes from the word "distaff" meaning female. In history, there is no such thing; distaffic primogeniture was created for Storytime.