Velstia

Velstia is an empire in the north of Hericore. It has ancient origins tied to the legend of the first mortal mages and the founding of arcane traditions of Hythea. Its unique culture has survived many invasions and conquests thanks to its rich history. Velstia is ruled by the Eberhardt Dynasty with its Emperor being Albrecht von Eberhardt.

## Location

Velstia is a nation in the northern hemisphere of Hytheia with long winters and pleasant summers. It spreads over much of the northern territory of the continent of Hericore, where it reaches from the Drawco Peaks in the west to the Oritano Ocean in the east.

## Divine Creatures of Velstia

* Martyr Frida angel of Teachers & Elders (Grave & Life Angel)
* Saint Hallr angel of Spellcasters (Arcane Angel)
* Cosette of the Lantern Wood (Nature Fey)
* Limirre of the Glass Lake (Water Fey)
* Wasotan the Gift Giver (Greed Devil)
* Jaqco'don Mox Dragon King of the Drawco Peaks (Magical Dragon)
* Cossro fey of Dreams (Benevolent Fey)

## Races of Velstia

* Human (Common throughout Velstia)
* Elf (More common in Ridge Lands)
* Kobold (More common in Ridge Lands)
* Shifters (Secretive communities throughout)
* Gnomes (More common in the Low lands)
* Harengon (More common in the Low Lands)
* Dragonborn (More common in the Great Valley)
* Firbolg (More common in the Low Lands)
* Minotaur (More common in the Great Valley)
* Canonin (More common in the Great Valley)
* Ursin (More common in the Great Valley)
* Gnoll (More common in the Low Lands & Great Valley)

## Leadership

The nation is ruled by a parliament and noble coalition. The power is balanced between two executives of each side, one being the High Archon and the other Monarch. Velstia has a long history of being led by people who have been able to muster a large amount of respect. Leaders tend to be able to dominate a conversation or silence a room with a look. This pattern is believed to have started with the nation's first leader Velnia.

### The Monarchy

The Monarchy of Velstia is an ancient lineage. Prior records before the Forgotten Age are untrustworthy and rare however the common agreement is that the Eberhardt Dynasty is a direct descendent of Velnia. This belief has justified the Eberhardt rule for over 1000 years.

The monarch of Velstia is commonly called Kaiser or Kaiserin these being the Vellish words for Emperor or Empress.

## History

Velstia is a very old nation that has seen its borders shrink and grow many times. Its government has also changed drastically a few times. But the nation's culture has always had the same unified foundation which has kept the country recognizable over the centuries.

Velstia's foundation myth is based on the legend of the first mages Velnia and Jorin. The legend of the First Mage as it is known claims that the nation was founded by the first mortal mage Velnia. She built a country that would idealize the pursuit of magic and its secrets. This country would become Velstia and she would be the first Queen of Velstia. After exiling her brother, Jorin, from her lands, she would attempt to perfect a society of mages who studied magic like a science. This philosophy was the origin of Velstia's own governing ideals. For three centuries Velstia grew in power and prestige. Thousands of people crossed the world to visit the kingdom of the first mages. This golden age as it is now known was a short period of incredible magical feats. However, Velnia's goals would fall short as magic itself limited her wishes. She would never completely achieve her goals but upon her death on a day known as the Day of the Arkanic Schism old Velstia collapsed.

### Forgotten Age

A period known as the Forgotten Age persisted in the regions in and surrounding Velstia after its collapse. Much is unknown of this time as it is believed that society regressed and returned to a simpler style of life. This was also the period when marauders and would-be tyrants hid away the treasures of Old Velstia like dragons with their hordes. This period of time coincided with a great magical ice age occurring across the world. Delaying any recovery of Velstia even further into the future.

### End of the Giants

In the Freeze during the Forgotten Age northern Hericore was colonized by giants from the Jotun Sovereignty. This kingdom of all kinds of giants subjugated and made slaves out of many "smaller folk" of their lands. These fiefdoms were brutal, wiping ancient people's and their cultures out for standing against the Sovereignty. Much of the libraries of classical Velstia were completely destroyed and those that survived were picked apart by giant lords seeking the knowledge of the first mages. The tragedy of that time are only recorded in song and folklore as much of what was written was quickly destroyed.

By the year 108 PF the Velstian people reconnected with one another, after nearly 250 years of isolation and oppression. The Jotun Sovereignty had been decline since the peak of the Freeze when Phrillmox was slain. Without their draconic ally the kingdom began to control of the their lands. With the death of the last Jotun Queen the Sovereignty completely collapsed. Lone fiefdoms of giants remained that would be slowly pushed out or destroyed by overwhelming revolts.

The villages and homesteads that had persisted through the hardship of the Forgotten Age met each other once again. The united culture of the Velstian heritage brought people together once more. However with the great length of time separating the people, new ideas and philosophies formed. These created alternative cultures which rivaled the once dominant Velstian beliefs. The largest groups were the Sauvan of the Great Valley with their primal beliefs and the Frauyln of the low lands who interpreted Velnia's philosophies differently and had avoided Gaint oppression. These two groups would inevitably form their own societies rivaling the reawakened Velstia. The Sauvan would unify in clan coalitions under the unified name of Sauvia. The Fraulyn were fractured into fiefdoms but while the new Velstia was still forming a great king appeared in the year 330 PF in the lowlands and united the warring fiefdoms.

### Rise of Théo

The king, Théo (tay-oh), became a legend to the Fraulyn. It was said he could cut trees down with a swing of his blade and charm beasts with words. He founded the kingdom of Tayolind and formed a dynasty that lasted generations. The Fraulyn grew in numbers rapidly and Tayolind soon covered much of northern Hericore. In this period of Tayolind's dominance Velstia and Sauvia were occasionally tribute states or conquered territories. Wars and skirmishes constantly redefined the borders. It wasn't until the year 623, that a crisis of succession in the Théo dynasty caused a civil war. This created an opportunity for Sauvia and Velstia to free themselves from their vasal status They became independent and quickly regathered their territory.

### The Lovers War

In the year 784, a great war occurred between the three nations. It occurred as a result of a failed marriage between a Tayoland princess and a Velstian prince. The Lovers War as it was called led to a decade of violence. Sauvia was blamed by Tayoland for orchestrating the war by attempting an assassination on Princess Juniper. Velstia believed that Tayoland was making an excuse to conquer Sauvia by using marriage as a justification for war. At the start of the war, Sauvia and Velstia had a strong alliance however in the year 748 several assassinations were made against Velstian officials which showed similar evidence as the one that started this war. The weapons used were also only located in Sauvia which ruined the Velstian and Suavian alliance. Velstia couldn't join forces with Tayoland as they had already gone through four years of horrible conflict. Ultimately the war was ended after years of back-and-forth border conflicts and pointless death. No side won and the Lovers War to this day is seen as a dark day in the continent's history.

### Ascension of Æstercor

In 823 a great wizard came to power in Velstia's hierarchy. He is commonly known as the Spell Carver in legend but his name was Æstercor. He was fundamental to the creation of Velstia's new university system. He was a true believer in Velnia's ideals of Wizardly study. Master Æstercor as he would be known by his students infused the education of the Velstian people into the very government. All nobles and leaders were to pursue scholarly practices in their free time. A sizable portion of the nation's treasury was diverted to the study of magic. This period of Velstia is known as the Erudition. The wave of reforms spread across cultures and countries. Soon the whole of the world would find themselves in a magical awakening. Hundreds of fundamental spells and rituals have their origins in this period.

Master Æstercor was a leader in this Second Arcane Enlightenment but his origins are somewhat mysterious. It's believed that he was born in a secluded village in the Ridge Lands to a shepherd family during the Lovers War. In his youth, he was small and sickly but wise beyond his years. His legend says that an angel took pity on the boy and whispered wisdom to him that kept him safe. This angel saved him from tragedy during the greatest earthquake in Hericore when the Æstercor's village was demolished by a landslide. For ten years he lived alone and trained under the angel's guidance. It wasn't until Æstercor was a man that he ventured into the cities of his people. There he shared his wisdom and intelligence. By this time his magical prowess already rivaled some of the greatest spellcasters of his time. He would go on to live in the capital of Vellyn until his death in 902.

To this day it is still unknown which angel spoke to Æstercor and taught him how to use his spell casting. There are two factions of belief. Some believe it was Martyr Frida, a sainted angel of Velstian history, who is known to be a patron of teachers and elders. Some would say it was Saint Hallr a very prominent angel in Velstian history whose legend originates before the Forgotten Age. Others however simply believe that Æstercor had no angelic teacher and was simply extremely proficient in magic.

### Conquest of Tayolind & Sauvia

By the year 930 Velstia was a superpower compared to its neighbors in Sauvia or Tayolind. Many students of Æstercor filled the ranks of Velstian government and a national pride burned in the people. This pride however was converted into an aggressive nationalism. Some believed that Æstercor intended to bring his teaching to the rest of the world by any means necessary and some of his more radical students pushed a belief of national superiority. This was used to justify the Scholar's War, beginning in 938, which would have Velstia be an aggressor against its neighbors. The people enraptured by this cult of belief pushed the monarchy, by this time its power was still absolute, to lead the charge as the Empress was one of Æstercor final students. Taken by this movement the Kaiserin Sigfrida the Great led the armies of Velstia south and conquered Sauvia and Tayolind by the year 943. It wasn't until Velstia turned its armies against the Empire of Hericon that the war was ended. Two massive and powerful forces met at Ulthor's Gate and though Velstia had superiority in arcana Hericon out numbered them too greatly. The war ended there on favorable terms for Velstia however, signing a lasting piece with Hericon it was allowed to maintain its control over Sauvia and Tayolind turning them into subject kingdoms.

### Age of the Artist

The aggressive ideals of the Velstian government lost popularity soon after the Scholar's War. Too many died and many of the old leaders were removed from office. Velstia came into a new persona of a peaceful nation of scholars with a mission to research the secrets of the world. In 952 new universities and colleges of magic were built in Sauvia and Tayolind. Poetry and art took a greater prominence at this time. The name of this new period of Velstia would be known as the Age of the Artist. Great works honoring the legends of the country were constructed and powerful monuments to the new identity of Velstia were raised. But not all was well in this period.

Small skirmishes and revolts broke out in Sauvia and Tayolind attempting to gain independence, but they never succeeded. The Velstian control grew too strong and its culture spread into the conquered lands dividing the people. The final great revolt occurred in the year 1000. It became known as the Millennium Revolt. It occurred during a great nationwide festival which left much of the leadership of Velstia preoccupied. The revolt lasted two years and was the closest Sauvia and Tayolind ever came to freeing themselves from their current position. But it was not to be. A group of five adventurers known as Sentinel sided with Velstia and arrested the leaders of the revolt.

The nation would continue in relative peace for the next two hundred years. It was only in the year 1213 that Velstia would be consumed by its darker nature once more.

### The VSA and Quartz Inquisition

By the year 1213 Velstia hadn't known war for centuries. It had assisted once or twice the Empire of Hericon with revolts by sending small attachments of war mages but it had no need for a larger army as it carefully maintained a strong relationship with its most dangerous neighbor. But this stability allowed a hateful ideology fester and grow in the country.

The Velstian Sage Authority was a political group and movement founded in Velstia's fledgling parliament. The Hall of Law was established after the revolts of Sauvia and Tayolind to allow more representation, which it did but it's loose control of entry enabled the wrong people to gain power.

The VSA was founded on a hatred of Sorcery. The growth of this group would lead to horrible acts of genocidal proportions. The VSA took hold of the parliament and stripped the monarchy of much of its power. This however wasn't exactly fought, as many believe that Emperor Eugen II was enable the VSA. With the political group's militia, the "Security Branch", the government led generations of Velstian down a path of hate.

Sorcerer bloodlines were wiped out or remove from Velstia and the education of wizardry was corrupted by ideals of superiority. Corrupt grew rampant throughout the nation creating Oligarchs. This was all driven by the incorrect assumption that sorcerer's robbed common people of their arcane potential. Thus by preventing sorcerers the VSA believed that anyone in Velstia could become a mage.

The worst part of this movement was that it wasn't destroyed by violent revolt or intervention. Rather it burned out and its authority loosened as leadership died or betrayed on another. The inquisition came to an end only after new generations disavowed the actions of their elders. The period came to an end with the dissolution of the High Archon position, an executive position created for the VSA leadership, and the allowing of other political parties to form in Velstia in the year 1242. Many Velstians today acknowledge this horrible period of their history but refuse to see its enabling of corrupted beliefs as a defining characteristic of their nation.

### War of the Machine God

The year 1249 was the year of The Fourth Emergence which would change the world of Hythea forever and test Velstia's prowess. The armies of the Grinding Gear converted and conquered wherever they went. When the armies of the Metallurgic Collective's puppet government, the Velstian Republic, arrived in Velstia, a minority group of citizens who had already adopted the beliefs of the faith. They attempted a coup and partially succeeded which created a fracturing in Velstia forming a subject nation to the Metallurgic Collective.

## Terrain

Much of the land in Velstia is mountainous with fjords and ridges marking its provinces. However, there is a clear distinction between the three regions of Velstia, there are the rocky ridge-lands of the east with secluded valleys and lakes, the tundra-like great valley of the northwest surrounded on all sides by the peaks, and the forested low Lands where farms produce the majority of the nation's food. Each of these regions was once their own territory or kingdom but now they make up the land of Velstia.

The Ridge Lands are made of dark grey mountains with beautiful snow-covered peaks. Between these mountains form secluded valleys with isolated habitats. Some of the mountain ridges in this land run far to the north. It's treacherous to travel in these mountains without the proper knowledge. A wrong step could cause a traveler to fall off a cliff or slide down a snowy slope to their doom. There are long stretching fjords from glaciers that melted centuries ago creating long narrow valleys which carry a strong breeze.

The Great Valley is a gargantuan fjord carved wide by an ancient glacier. It stretches far to the north and is some of the only traversable lands which can reach the most northern parts of Hericore. The valley is so wide that on a clear day, the mountains on the opposite side of the valley appear like silhouettes. It is mostly lightly hilled flatland, however, there are areas of thick fir tree forests and glassy lakes.

The Low Lands have a more temperate climate than their counterparts. This has allowed for great forests to form with ancient trees. There are also two lakes in this region that serve as a source of fresh water for the people. Lake Altor, the largest, and Lake Wesin, a glacial lake. The forests in some places are so dense that traversing them is impossible. In gaps between the forests of this region, there are fertile plains with grazing beasts and villages.