Mercia

**Mercia** (Old Ahremian: *Mershye*, Lohnian: *Marsia*) is a large region and province in Ahremia. Its capital and largest city is Dilare, with other urban centers including Slorend and Orroux. The region is home to the delta of the great Slorend River and has some of the most fertile lands in all of Ahremia. This has made it one of the wealthiest provinces, and the secondary breadbasket of the country (the primary being Sectinia).

Mercia's people hold a mix of Lohnian, Ahremian, and Zedo-Buthen cultural/ethnic identities. Despite this, Mercians generally all speak a dialect of Ahremian - the dialect called "Mercian Ahremia" which has become the written and spoken form of Ahremian internationally. Mercians hold a reputation of being an educated and cultured people. The cities of Mercia hold many of Ahremia's largest artisan and educational facilities. The capital of Mercia, Dilare, is one of the largest cities of Ahremia and is the seat of both the counts of County Dilare and the governor of Mercia.

## History

### Etymology

The name Mercia (phonetically spelled *Mersia*) arose during the Kingdom of Mercia (190-587 SY), when King Gildhart, the semi-legendary first king of Mercia, named his new kingdom centered on his home city of Lanturr (Dilare). *Mersia* comes from *Mershye/Mershia*, the word used for the land prior to 600 SY. The name *Mer-shye* means above the "*-mer"* Shye River "*shye"*.

## Kingdom of Mershye

### Rulers

Gildhart I (first)Arrose of Slourend (last)

The first settlers of Mercia were agricultural peoples who migrated from western Ahremia. These early peoples built thatch huts along the rivers of Mercia, relying on their production of small-scale crops and dairy products gained from the native cows and goats to feed themselves. The ancient Mercians lived like this for many centuries, during which larger and larger settlements began to grow. The largest of these two settlements were (Old Ahremian: *Ruthsbæn*) and Lanturr (Old Ahremian: *Lanturre*).

Rothsbane and Lanturr were chronicled in Zedian archives as some of the only cities north of Naiez'ka. These cities and their surrounding lands led a peaceful existence up until the arrival of nomadic Sectinian horsemen who had traveled the length of the Upper Slorend after being expelled from their homeland by the armies of Herth. They raided Mercian villages and established their own settlements, creating great conflict between the Sectinians and Mercians. The destruction of the city of Rothsbane by the Sectinians in about 100 SY caused a ruler of Lanturr, Gildhart, to form the first ever true kingdom in the land of Mercia. This kingdom would be called *Mershye*, of the land above the Shia River.

The formation of Mercia scared away many belligerent Sectinians, now called the *Mesralli.* Most Sectinians would travel north and found the settlement of Halde on the northern coast and found the kingdom of Norbrampton. Some Sectinians would travel northwest, and in later centuries even more Sectinians would join them - later leading to the creation of Mesralla in the highlands of the Lagbern Moutains.

Up until Norbrampton's dissolution in 414 SY, the sister kingdoms would constantly be at odds with each other. The founding of these two kingdoms would usher in a period of Ahremian history which would be plagued with conflicts between the many kingdoms of Ahremia. The most powerful of these kingdoms were Estergaald, Mershye/Mercia, and Norbrampton. These kingdoms would reach their height during the 300s SY, when the three northern kingdoms would vassalize almost all of the northern Ahremian kingdoms. Predictably, this hegemony would come crashing down as the southern kingdoms gained their footing towards the end of the 4th century SY.

The first kingdom to fall was Norbrampton. Although a strong kingdom with an equally strong capital at Halde, the belligerent nature of the Mesralli began to see its effects by 400 SY. Many communities under Norbrampton's influence felt that the religious, ethnic, and cultural differences between them and their rulers were too vast, sparking rebellion across the nation. The most notable riot occurred in the winter of 409 SY in Halde, in which rioters sieged the mayor's house and forced him to lay dormant as they tarred and feathered him. The city of Linsrom in the west was the first major city to succeed from the kingdom, followed by most other towns. Small attempts were made by Linsrom to create a kingdom in place of Norbrampton that served the needs of the native population, but those attempts failed. By 414, Norbrampton was a collection of petty states, with most of its former ruling class fleeing into the Lagbern Highlands.

The remaining kingdoms, Estergaald and Mercia, would collapse in similar ways. Upon the death of Einud II, king of Estergaald, his twin sons Oppo and Byernfuld would fight for the throne. A civil war would ensue, and a treaty was issued giving Byernfuld the city of Naiez'ka and the surrounding territory. Oppo would rule the rest of Estergaald. This conflict, lasting about 10 years between 480 and 490 would destabilize Estergaald, allowing the Catalline region of Ahremia, formerly subject to Estergaaldian rule, to leave the kingdom and form the kingdom of Nya. Although weakened, Estergaald would survive into the 500s SY, when it succumbed to the effects of both religious fragmentation among the populous and foreign invasions.

Mercia, however, was the last of the three kingdoms to fall. Directly before its collapse, Mercia's territory amounted to the Slorend River from its mouth to Cabonne, with their territory stretching about 25 miles out from the river banks. 587 SY would be the year of Mercia's destruction by civil war between Piedmert III, a son of the former king Arrose of Slourend, and Arrose' steward Malciachs. The civil war would not see a winner, but rather would ravage the Mercian kingdom and swiftly dissolve it into about six separate polities, including the duchies of Orroux and Dilare.

This period of political fragmentation would continue until 973 SY. The period between 587 and 973 would see little documentation of historical events. The central powers in Ahremia then layed in the hands of the kings of Ellespartia, Lint, Euritas, and Dailbura in the south.

### Empire of Exelon (973-1090 SY)

Although the period of Elvekian rule over Mercia would only be about the length of one lifetime, the empire's legacy lives on in Mercia. Mercia entered the empire peacefully in 973 SY, during the rule of emperor Xethanele. Mercia would fall into the Exelonian Province of Sectinia, and its governor Clayde Ullkarus and the appointed lord of Mercia, Prious Grerona, would be deeply involved in the affairs of their subjects during their 80 year rule. Among the actions taken by the Elvekians in Mercia was building the Dilare College of the Arts and using tax money to fund irrigation systems along the Orroux and Slorend Rivers, a decision which led to the growth of cities such as Alkleen and Belvil. Elvekian rule would end in 1090 SY when Ahremian liberation forces sieged Dilare and retook most of Mercia. It would be in that same year of 1090 SY that Mercia would become the capital of the Ahremian province of Mercia.

## Culture

### Cuisine

Mercian cuisine is some of the most recognizable of Ahremian cuisine; and has become known across Ivlon as it is frequently served at parties and meetings held by the rulers of Ahremia. Mercian dishes are all made from the foodstuffs produced by the local soils. Foods grown in Mercia range from potatoes, onions, and cucumbers to apples and pears. Hard cheeses and pork are among the most common animal products produced in the region.

Pies, both sweet and savory, are by far the most common type of Mercian cuisine. A local tradition is to prepare a large roast consisting of carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, herbs, pork, and sometimes fruit on the 3rd and 14th of every month (to honor Pretor's first feast in Pocametrea and his last feast in Swengold). The leftovers from this feast is then baked into pies throughout the rest of the month - meaning that the pies found in Mercia range widely in terms of ingredients. As far as sweets go, small baked cookies are commonly baked across Mercia. These baked sweets are oftentimes baked as gifts and given to neighbors and family members. The most common types of cookies made in Mercia are *barlle* (a bite sized gingerbread-flavored cookie) and *hecstrael* (a sugar cookie baked with dried pear bits and hazelnuts).

### Clothing

Mercian clothing is not unlike the clothes of the rest of Ahremia. Early Mercians wore kilts adorned with patterns and colorful feather necklaces - but, modern Mercian clothing is much more bland. Mercian peasant clothing generally consists of linen or wool trousers for men, and a ankle-length dress for women. Men working in the fields sometimes wear tight-fitting skull caps and women wear various types of bonnets. Mercian nobles' clothing changes as the fashion trends come and go. Wealthier Mercians' clothing are always much more colorful and put together, a aspect of society common in many places.