Yoroslovan Kingdom

Country Name: Yoroslovan Kingdom, sometimes known as Yoroslova

Population: 94% Yoroslovan Westrasi Human, 4% Dwarfs, 2% Other (mostly other Westrasi Humans)

Capital: Yoroshold (political capital), Freegate (economic capital)

Government: Monarchy

### **Culture**

The Yoroslovans descend from a mix of human raiders from the Northedge region with native humans of the Yoroi Tribes (in what is apparently a complete coincidence, the name of the nation's Northedgian founder, Yoros, is phonetically similar to the name of the native people he conquered, the Yoroi). The native Westrasi Sea culture tends to be dominant, however, parts of the Northedge raider culture can still be seen in the architecture of some of the older castles and fortresses, in the garb of knights, soldiers, and peasant levies, and in the general belligerence of the modern inhabitants.

The Yoroslovans are infamous for being almost constantly at war. Much of their sea raiding ancestry and infantry tactics has been cast aside in favor of massed heavy cavalry. Their sons organize "chivalric games" games of war where they organize into teams using small levy troops in brutally violent displays, often resulting in injury and damage to peasant dwellings. In early spring as the snow falls the lords gather their forces and practice raiding on the bordering tribal lands, attacking specific tribes that have offered insult whether that be real or perceived. Occasionally tribesmen are hired as mercenaries for skirmishes against Uoro or Araxia, though usually they are hired as fodder for "giant hunts" for when one of the southern giants cross their borders.

Aside from the "games" and minor skirmishes, the Yoroslovans have had at least one major war for every decade of its existence, sometimes several. Civil wars are fairly common, as well as numerous failed invasions against the Wyrdlands, against the Halfling-Giant Alliance, and against the Vashians and/or their Yoroi Tribeland holdings. Although extremely expensive and wasteful, the Yoroslovan nobility seem to regard these wars as an important component to determining social status, and therefore they are unlikely to end anytime soon.

### **Religion**

The original King Yoros converted to the the Gloria-Etalia Faith not long after his first wave of conquests in order to solidify his legitimacy in the eyes of the more established nations of the Westrasi Sea. Unlike many nations in the area, the Yoroslovans have never tried to set up a regional Chapel, instead importing senior religious figures directly from the Sarkation Empire, the main Church of Divine Duality stronghold. However, the Yoroslovans have never particularly taken their teaching to heart, and in many respects, represent almost the exact opposite of Church values. It is commonly believed that the Church uses Yoroslova as a dumping ground for members of the priesthood who have fallen out of favor, the burn outs, the lecherous, those who backed the wrong side in political or theological disputes, etc., though some volunteer for duty there due to a genuine belief that they can spread the true values of the Faith where so many others have failed.

Although officially the old faiths of Northedge were banned ages ago, unofficially, some traces of The Arn, the Black Faith, the Dwarven Faith, and other northern religions of peoples who were a part of King Yoros' Army can still be found. In particular, many who still follow the Northedge spell casting traditions are secretly pagans, though are officially secular organizations. Followers of the Wild One are also said to live in some of the more remote parts of Yoroslovia.

### **Organization**

In the modern day Yoroslovan the monarchy rules over a council of senior lords. The Yoroslovan nobility follow a similar duke-count-baron-lord system as many other Westrasi nations. Yoroslova is a feudal state, and the lords exercise almost absolute power in their respective fiefs, with only the mages, priests, and a rudimentary merchant council in Freegate having any real leverage over the nobility.

### **Origin**

Founded by the land's first king, the warlord Yoros. Yoroslovan's founders were raiders flung far afield from the icy north. They were chased from the halfling lands by giants even larger than the trolls of their homeland. Fleeing to the north, into the lands that would come to be their home, they found tribesmen ill equipped to defend against their dwarven steel and the cunning of Yoros. Yoros himself pitted rivals against one another only to set his outnumbered forces against the loser and absorb the prisoners of war into his army with promises of lands, gold and women.

Within a few short years, Yoros had managed to conquer a kingdom of considerable size, however, the wealthy and powerful nations of the Westrasi coastal areas became concerned with his progress and began assembling a massive army to fight against him. Rather than lose his hard fought conquests yet again, Yoros switched to diplomacy; forming marriage alliances with other states, adopting the local religion and customs, and fomenting dissent between rival nations.

Any sense of division between the invading Northedger humans and the local Yoroi disappeared after a few generations of intermarriage, though the dwarfs that accompanied the invading army remain a bit aloof from human society. Now unified as one people, the Yoroslovans combined the raiding culture of the Northedgers with the knightly practices of the more established Westrasi Sea states to create a belligerent warlike culture that has been a nuisance to neighboring states ever since, though luckily none of Yoroslova's leaders have ever come close to the original King Yoros' skill at warfare and statecraft.

### **Diplomacy**

The kingdom of Yoroslovan has few allies though the current king Yoros the eighth wishes to wed his three daughters off to remedy this before his neighbors grow weary enough of his war obsessed kingdom to band together and destroy it.

All nations and regions directly bordering the Yoroslovan Kingdom have been invaded countless times. Although in recent centuries, these invasions have mostly been laughably ineffective, they are still strongly disliked by their neighbors. They also frequently send armies to support their few allies in the Westrasi Sea, more thanks to a love of fighting than for purposes of actual diplomacy, this has also made them many enemies. From times to time, a handful of Yoroslovans have also tried to resurrect the ancient seafaring traditions of their ancestors, though they are at best moderately competent pirates, this is still enough to have given the Yoroslovans a bad reputation with other Westrasi Sea nations.

The few nations that are on sometimes decent terms include the Kingdoms of Euraxia, Araxia, and Airoxia (who possess a similar mindset), the Sarkation Empire (who sometimes use them as muscle due to religious ties), and the Uroxians (since everyone think both nations are crazy anyways). However, the Yoroslovan gift for making enemies means at any given time even two or three of these states are on poor terms with Yoroslovia.

### **Geography**

Thanks to the near constant warfare, the Kingdom of Yoroslovan is shabby and under developed compared to the wealthier Westrasi Sea states. High taxes, frequent conscription, "games", internal warfare, and poor governance have left most of the countryside covered in scrub forest separated by castles, ruins, and clusters of peasant hovels.

The King holds court in a large fortress in the center of the country known as Yoroshold. The only real city in the nation is the ramshackle port city of Freegate, sitting across the river from the much larger (and cleaner) Vashian capital of Helias. Freegate is notoriously corrupt, and the ruling family (a cadet branch of the Yoroslovan Royal Family) has grown wealthy on bribes.

### **Economy**

What little trade that the Yoroslovan Kingdom does mostly travels through Freehold, when it is not being blockaded by the Vashian Republic that is. Aside from that, much of the Yoroslovan peasantry are subsistence farmers. Just barely enough surplus goods are produced to support the small upper class of nobles, spell casters, skilled craftsmen, and senior men-at-arms. Even these individuals are not particularly wealthy by Westrasi Sea standards, though high quality dwarven weapons are still produced occasionally to this day, while others are handed down through families for centuries. Most infrastructure and defense building is done by laborers meeting feudal obligations (essentially conscription). Most soldiers are recruited in this manner as well.

### **Recent Events**

4992 - The Yoroslovan Kingdom sends a significant sized force into the Wyrdlands. Like previous such invasions, it disappears after a few months of skirmishes with Tribemen.

4995 - The Yoroslovan Kingdom begins a four year war with the Halfling-Giant Alliance that ultimately ends in a stalemate, though many lives are lost.

4996 - A Yoroslovan historian named Pinor Dunsal wrote a book called The Voice of The Nation, which is a compiled list of interviews from peasants to a short section from the king himself. The book is controversial, as in it are accounts of government corruption, church decadence, and a scandal revealing the king is a illegitimate bastard to the royal crown, if it is true. Following publication, Pinor was tried and hanged by the crown for slander against the king and civil unrest. While most of the book is benign and boring, his trial and death was enough to elevate the historical account among the literacy minded nobility to greatness. While it is banned in most Westrasi nations, an underground ring of the middle class and nobility share the few copies out there among themselves, and more are being printed.

4996 - The Yoroslovan Kingdom goes to war with the Vashian Republic for not doing enough to punish printing houses publishing Pinor's work. Already overtaxed by their war with the Halfling-Giant Alliance, their invasion collapses within weeks.

5000 - Having finally recuperated from the war with the Halfling-Giant Alliance, the Yoroslovan Kingdom resumes its war with the Vashian Republic, attacking its holdings in the Yoroi Tribelands. Having depleted much of its heavy cavalry during the Halfling-Giant war, the Yoroslovan Kingdom relies primarily on peasant skirmishers and spell casters for this war. To the annoyance of the Yoroslovan nobility, they are far more effective against Vashian pikes and crossbows, and Yoroi guerrillas than previous cavalry focused invasions.

### **Player Character Notes**

The Yoroslovans hail from an impoverished nation mostly noted for its poverty, warmongering, and traces of far northern culture, the result of a migration centuries ago.  Good for players who want to play as a knight, magic user, or armed peasant with a strong Slavic theme.