Monarchy of Ostrana

The territories of Ostrana are a bastion of hope to those some may call gifted or unique. These territories are on the Northwestern edge of Meruvia (Ansrivarr to the Elves) bordered by the Holy Meruvian Empire to the East and water on all other sides. Across a short expanse of water, is the Kingdom of Veragun.

Some say the name Ostrana came from the Wife of King Cavelnor, the first Human king to conquer the land of the Elves. Others tell of the handmaiden who was too close to Queen Helen of Ghennd. The current King, Poleasius Ust, tells of a fantastical land and the events surrounding it that his forbears had told to him as a bedtime story many years ago.

## History

Throughout its history, Ostrana has been a place of connection and remembrance of those that came before. King Poleasius' great great great great great great grandfather, Kallum Ust, was the monarch that brought the Monarchy of Ostrana back into recent history, as the name had been used several times in the past by various rulers claiming it as their birthright; not many such monarchs spent much time on the throne and the subjects would end up splitting land and fighting each other for dominance.

The Ust line seems to be an exception to the rule of short lived Ostranans. For decades there have been plans to strengthen the prosperity and growth of the nation, such as protection and restoration of historical ruins in the area, the study and schooling of various magi that were expunged from the surrounding territories, and the mediation of peace talks between rival nations like the HME and Veragun.

Recently, the Dwarven nation of Shez Tyre has been brought into the monarchy, although, how this is going to work out is not exactly clear with the common folk. The Dwarves have notoriously practiced some form of caste system within their mountains, neither group has spoken about how this will affect the monarchy or the Dwarven caste system.

The Tyrean Dwarves have come bearing great gifts for the Ostranan people however, this will potentially help most ignore the issues in politics and outside opinions for association. The Tyreans have abandoned their former brethren in the Mountains of Ghennd to the far East and come to be a part of the world at large, throwing away their pasts of ignorance and seclusion. From the little that has been spoken of this event, it seems as though the largest Dwarven houses had some kind of disagreement that led to a three way split of their people.

## Territories of Ostrana

### Demesne

#### Ostrana

Although this is not the homeland of the Ust monarchy, they have chosen to continue a long lived tradition, dating back several centuries, to keep the crown situated in and named after the land of Ostrana. The bloodline of the original King of Meruvia is said to be strong within whoever manages to take the Crown of Ostrana and keep it for more than five years; so far, only few kings have managed to last this long on the throne, thankfully the Ust line has. This land has been kept fruitful and wondrous to behold thanks to the rule of Poleasius; he has made it his personal mission to brighten the future of his kingdom and he has started with that which is closest to him.

#### Ustea

Many historical Elven ruins are found here, they are kept mostly intact thanks to the efforts of the Church of Ostrana and the Ustengrad. Very infrequently are travelers allowed to view the ruins as risks are plenty when introducing foreign elements to tunnels and structures that are on the verge of collapse, but these depths often require a particular skill set adventurers typically have.

### Duchies

#### Ardeval

Home of the Yviti, King Kallum Ust sought peace with the Yviti shortly after he took the Ostranan throne. Through this peace, Ostrana became a military force to be reckoned with, although many of the Yviti begrudge working with other races and long for their days of war and rampant blood lust. The standing Duke of this land is Slane Claremore; his people, the Yviti, treat him with respect and know he is sensible, but many worry the pleasantries of being a duke have trapped him in contentment.

#### Shez Tyre

The newest "duchy" of Ostrana, the Dwarves call this mountain their home and were allowed to keep its old Dwarvish name and use it when represented. The Dwarven city in the mountain is still being constructed, but it has certainly seen much progress in the last 30 years. The standing Duke of this land is Galdus Tyre; initially this Dwarf did not feel prepared for a position like this, as he just wanted to help his people break away from the archaic ways of their people, but there was no other his people wished to see leading them.

#### Silma' na Rausta

The Ostranan's take much pride in this land, this is where their people first touched ground in Meruvia. The land is quaint and breathtaking, leading to this being a famous vacation spot for many noble families of Ostrana. During the winter, however, they say a fiery beast rises from the snow and terrorizes the country side. The standing Duchess of this land is Delphine Roysia; Delphine stood above her fellow peers and proved herself a grand strategist and how was she rewarded? By being given an idyllic land full of perfection and summer homes! Along with the occasional torment by urban legends, her time as a Duchess has not been too grand, it is quite hard to strategize against supposed monsters and almost impossible to adapt that knowledge to dealing with the fancier aspects of nobility.

#### Sinclisilma

Home to the first magical education home, Oakhurst, that teaches children gifted with magical aptitude how to control it. Children with the gift are typically taken early in life; the gift can only be harnessed to their perfectionist attitudes below the age of 14, past this point children that are found to have the gift are typically stripped of their magical ability. The standing Duke of this land is Leoran Oakhurst; Leoran treats himself more like a simple headmaster than a Duke and often eschews his duties in favor of studying and research. Leoran is the individual that set up the entirety of the "school" and for the first decade or so sought out and trained the students alone; now that those he trained are fully capable he has some help with it at the very least but he often finds himself busy with students.

## People of Ostrana

Ostrana, at its heart, is a beautiful nation full of beautiful people, you would be hard-pressed to find an individual who wasn't a delight to be around in this friendly nation. Of course this is just a generalization and you are more than likely to find the same sorts of people you would anywhere else, the ones that stand out the most and tend to make a name for themselves just so happen to be the friendliest. Any sorts of people would be welcome in Ostrana, just as long as you don't cause them trouble.

The more common races you may see here are:

Human - Found almost everywhere, good luck *not* finding at least one somewhere.

Elves - While Elves are not common in Meruvia, if they are to be found at all the best place to look is Ostrana.

Dwarves - Well, at least now you may find them, I hear the Tyrean Dwarves are quite fond of the mountain they have taken residence in.

Yviti - They mostly keep to their own land, but some may split off from the main force to rebel against the order and peace thrust upon them.