Bornea

*"Ever wondered what would happen if everyone just wanted to help each other, everyone had a say in who rules them, how they're ruled, and how they're represented abroad? Look no further than Bornea. It's fuckin' asinine." -* A Synghgarthic Dwarven Innkeep, 20 years after the Great Schism of Denthir.

*"I'd like to see anyone attempt to conquer our friends in Bornea. Invaders are liable to stumble and drown in a shallow ditch before they as much as see a Bornean soldier. And that's why I think they should remain our -friends- in Bornea, your Imperial Grace." -* Lady-General Lyssa of Tyrhavnr, 4th Varnian Army, at an audience with the Emperor.

## **Description**

Bornea is
the reborn republic of Stadtholders situated in the North-Western Tatrian
continent. Having only gained its independence from the Denthiran Empire relatively
recently, it is run by a surprisingly powerful and efficient parliamentary
government. Borneans vote in local representatives, known as Stadtholders, who
in turn are responsible for 1) local rule, 2) representing their local region
in the central government’s parliament. Borneans are a resilient folk and are accustomed to navigating and living in their native marshlands. They are incredibly proud of their democratic ways. Additionally, they are considerably
wealthy and possess a large and powerful navy, rivalled only by the navies of
Prithus and Varnia. Bornea considers itself neutral and uninterested in international
matters, but it is incredibly wary of Denthiran
ambitions to reconquer their lands and is thus, technically, still a member of
the Free Tatrian Alliance it joined during its war of independence.

## **Races**

Borneans are typically Dragonborn, Halflings, Humans or Tabaxi.

## **Culture**

Borneans are natural survivors, having lived in marshlands, forests and swamps that quite often were ridden with a variety of monsters. Foreigners are often astonished by the ease with which Borneans navigate nature, track prey, and find herbs to fashion primitive, but effective, medicines from.

Despite their survivalist-like lifestyles, Borneans are renowned for their kindness and helpfulness. They are often simple but life-loving folk who simply want to live their lives in peace, tackling the challenges of the day one at a time.

As always, this does not define your character should they be from here - it is merely a description of how people around your character behave on average. Not all or even any people around your character need adhere to these norms, either - it is entirely up to you.

## **History**

### ***Ancient History***

The lands of Bornea were settled early on in Kranos' history by proto-halflings and Dragonborn. With the land itself seemingly inhospitable to life other than vegetation, it took a long time for the settled races to develop survival strategies that shape the Bornean way of life to this day. However, it was not always so - prior to the War of the Firstborne, Bornean lands were a mixture of forested areas and acres of land that would have been more than suitable for farming. Alas, Bornea was one of the primary battlegrounds in the war, leaving the land 'scarred' and twisted, forever turning it into the primarily swampy marshland it is today. Some say that the swamps here became living beings in their own right, but this is usually dismissed as a fairytale and myth.

Importantly to Borneans, the process by which their lands were degraded did, according to legend, not end with the War of the Firstborne. Legend has it that the Great Enemy cursed the land to slowly sink beneath the waves. But one Bornean halfling hero, Theren the Brave, did all he could to save the land by sailing around all of Kranos in search of a way to break the curse, eventually returning after decades of adventure to save his homeland.

After the war was over and the lands were saved, Borneans periodically deal with extraplanar incursions from the Feywild and the Beastlands, but never anything major. The biggest problem Bornea has had throughout history is the ever-recurring arrival of elementals from the elemental plane of water, as the swamps and waters of Bornea are home to several portals and rifts to the aquatic realms beyond the veil. These days, much knowledge about these rifts has been lost to time, and Borneans are simply used to avoiding material domains of these forces of the beyond.

### ***Recent Notable (and Political) History***

Bornea was
already a prosperous republic before the Denthiran Empire of old conquered it,
however its regions were significantly more autonomous, and its central
government was significantly weaker. Bornea as a nation has no agreed upon founding year, but the first parliamentary meeting occurred some nine centuries
ago. When Bornea was
conquered by Denthir, they entered an age of aristocratic repression they were
not accustomed to. For a few centuries, it was made very clear to the Borneans
that they had not appreciated the freedom they once enjoyed enough to defend
it. A few decades before the Bornean Uprising, youthful revolutionaries would
target Denthiran barracks, administrative establishments and aristocratic
property in order to express their distaste for everything Denthiran and their
desire to see the fabled golden times of Bornea returned to reality. Luckily
for the Borneans, similar sentiments were prevalent in Prithus and Synghgarth. A few
months before the Great Schism of Denthir began, five unnamed and unofficially
elected Stadtholders were sent to meet with Prithan and Synghgarthic rebel
leaders to sign what would soon be known as the Free Tatrian Alliance, which would
later be responsible for bringing Denthiran aristocracy to its knees. After
signing the treaty, all officials returned home and set things in motion to
mobilise troops and prepare for potential Denthiran Intervention. Three months
after the treaty had been signed, all three nations declared independence.
Bornea’s enthusiastic military, consisting mainly of volunteers who were
looking forward to reclaiming their lands from the oppressive Denthiran nobles,
quickly seized all forts and other military holdings in Bornean land. The
populace too joined the rebellion, but the peasants and traders primarily
wanted to expel, if not outright slaughter, the nobles that had exploited them
for so long. Bornean military ultimately saw little struggle within their own
lands, as Denthiran military leaders knew that assaulting the marshland natives
on their own turf would be certain death. Instead, most Bornean military saw
combat on the Synghgarthic front, where they also benefitted from Varnian
assistance. Whatever forces remained in Bornea merely held the forts of the border.
Five years after the three nations had declared independence, Denthiran
military finally gave up: they had lost much of their eastern holdings to
Synghgarth, and Prithus had occupied every single profitable patch of land in
the North-East. The Denthiran military had little funding as much financial
pull was required to save the fleeing nobles from across the land. Thus,
Denthir was humiliated and forced to recognise the independence of Bornea, Prithus and Synghgarth. Borneans
celebrated the homecoming of their soldiers with joy, and for half a year the
nation knew nothing but celebration, as there was no need for war reparations.
Ever since then, the nation has prospered despite its marshy terrain and its
people have enjoyed peace and stability that most peoples of Kranos will never
know.

## **Characteristics of Note**

### A True Democracy

Bornea is the most democratic nation of Kranos, making it an attractive place to live. While Stadtholders do represent local regions in the central government and run day-to-day governmental administration of their local regions, every major decision is voted on by all Borneans. In other words, the Bornean state is a representative direct democracy. As this is a rare privilege that the nation's peoples do not take for granted, Bornean forces fight with almost unmatched fervor to protect their beloved home.

### A Naval Superpower

Bornea is one of two nations, the other being Prithus, that possess navies that may be able to compete with the navy of Varnia. What they do not have in technology, they make up for with sheer numbers of ships and experienced sailors. Unlike Prithus, Bornea does not need to fuel their navy with extreme amounts of money, either, as they have more than enough natural resources and ports to maintain their sizeable standing navy.

### A Land of Lakes, Marshes and Swamps

Considering the geography of Bornea, you'd think it'd be sparsely populated. You'd be wrong. The Borneans have mastered their home's terrain like no one else could, prospecting for resources where no one else would look, and prospering where anyone else would falter. Bornean mastery of their homeland is one of their primary strengths and defenses - only a fool would invade.