Araxian Kingdom

**Nation**

The Kingdom of Araxia is a feudal monarchy. The population ethnicity mix is 89% Araxian Westrasi, 7% Yoroi Westrai, 3% Sarcian Westrasi, .5% Dryad, and .5% Goblin.

The kingdom is broken down into four duchies, which is broken down again into counties. The four duchies are the Crownland, Burksland, Geffenshire, and Dunsland. The Crownland is controlled by the King personally, and covers most of the shoreline and the river Tarkos. The capitol is located on the river, and is called Bullsworth. Burksland is controlled by the king’s cousin Ikarna Ribbsworth, a belligerent and brash woman who was gifted the province after the previous Duke, Yerki Hert, was found embezzling the king’s taxes for his own personal gain. Burksland covers the rest of the river and most of the region bordering the Sarcian Mountain Tribes. Geffenshire is controlled by the House of Jaspire, and covers the southern border of the kingdom. Burksland is controlled by the House of Burken, and covers the northern border against the Leixi-Airoxian Commonwealth.

The current king is Alfred III Ribbsworth, who ascended the throne in the year 4982 after his uncle stepped down from regency when he turned 16. He is currently 38 years old, has a wife and three children. While Alfred is a kind man, he is very prideful and a poor diplomat. He has a slight speech impediment, but anyone who comments on it within earshot of the king often gets decked. He is short at 5’4’’ and stocky, with short brown hair, green eyes and a tough complexion. His queen, Elika Ribbsworth is 30 years old and is a Euraxian Princess, who married the king to cement a lucrative trade deal to potentially curb the Farisian’s near monopoly on the eastern side of the Weatrasi Sea. While not particularly prideful or brave, she is a clever diplomat and often handles the sensitive political situations that the nation faces. She is tall at 5’11’’ for a westrasian, with braided blonde hair, blue eyes, and a warming complexion. Their first born son is Herb III Ribbsworth, 15, and is seen as a disappointment to the royal crown. Instead of enjoying the finer things in life like bull riding, fighting, or even strategizing, he instead prefers to dress up in the most pompous clothes and travel around with the various theatre troupes that plague the countryside. While this behavior was attempted to be beaten out of him at a young age, the royal family has all but given up trying to make him into a proper man. While technically the crown prince, he has abdicated from rule in all but name, and that the crown will go to his younger brother on Alfred’s death. He has an average height at 5’6’’, with long blond hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. The younger children are the twins Giri VI and Pual Ribbsworth, and are 13. They are both prideful and headstrong, and constantly fight with each other and others for fun. While they are not the best bull riders just yet, the royal family is eager to get them in the saddle and learning. Giri is tall at 5’9’’, has short brown hair, and green eyes. Paul is shorter than Giri at 5’7’’, and has short brown hair with blue eyes. The king’s uncle Robert Ribbsworth is a statesman and a politician, who currently manages the funds from the crownlands. He believes that only with vast wealth will the Araxians be able to defeat their rivals the Farisians, and has spent most of his life working towards this goal. He even was the one to propose the marriage of the king and queen for an economic alliance instead of a military one. He is of an average height at 5’5’’, with black hair and green eyes, and a weathered face.

Because of a tragic training accident, the royal navy is by far the worst one on the Westerasi sea. It is made up of unretired, decrepit ships and repurposed merchant vessels.

**Culture**

Through the constant raids and skirmishes along the borders of the Yoroi Tribelands and the  Sarcian Mountain Tribes, much of the Arixian political and social culture is centered around violence and militaristic thinking. Araxians are very prideful, and insults will often be met with rageful violence. Among the peasantry brawls are common and standing down from a challenge, no matter how small, is seen as very disgraceful.

Much of the culture of Araxia is based off of the Araxian Running Cow(citation needed). The most common use for these animals is for riding, as the bulls can run as nearly as fast as a horse.  They have long, thick curved horns that go over and in front of their faces, which the bulls use to ram into their opponents after charging them. Owning a bull is seen as an important step for being a successful Araxian citizen. The majority of the population owns bulls, with the exception of city dwellers. They are groomed and well kept, but only the rich spend effort decorating their bulls.

Like horses, these bulls are also used for war. Riders are trained to charge enemy lines at fast speeds, using the bulls as mobile battering rams. Sometimes, these bulls are also used to break down keep doors, but only if the opportunity is right. They also have a love for heavy weapons and heavy armor. Once the lines are broken by the bull riders, Araxians charge in full plate and bash their way through the enemy. If there is one thing Araxians love more than the full force and stopping power of a charging bull, it is the full force and stopping power of a warhammer.

The most popular event in Araxia is the Bull Run, where two riders start a mile away and charge towards each other. They charge for a mile so that the bulls have sufficient time to pick up speed. They bulls then crash into each other in a fight for dominance, and the bareback riders have to try to not get thrown off. If they do get thrown off, they lose. If a bull falls, the rider of that bull loses. Bulls rarely crumple after the initial hit, and they will juke around each other, trying to charge the fleshy and easily breakable midsection and rear. The rider can also try to steer the bull to get a strategic position against the other rider for the bull to charge, but this might leave him and his bull exposed. Bulls often break bones clashing this way, and sometimes a riders leg might be struck too. The end of a Bull Run usually leaves a bull or their rider permanently damaged. These events bring in large crowds, and because of this riders make a lot of money. Even if permanently injured for life, and a smart rider can easily support themselves even after a short career.

The Araxian Bull Tour is a yearly festival where each province/locality of Araxia sends a highly decorated Running Bull and a rider, to ride as a procession and visit every province in Araxia. Each year a different border province gets chosen to be the starting point of the procession, and the destination is always the capital, where the bulls are presented to the royal family. The Touring Bull festival is a chance for a province to promote business with other provinces, and maybe even other nations, for delegates and diplomats are traditionally invited to watch the procession. The festival used to be common among Araxia's neighbors as well, but over time was dropped for one reason or another.

There are a few unique sayings to the Araxian kingdom. The main one is “bull watch over you” which is used by old money nobles and aristocrats. It roughly translates to god watch over you, but also has the connotation that bulls will be there to help you in your journeys. A similar one to this is “great bull”. This has different meanings depending on what social class you are speaking with. For lower classes, it is akin to saying Jesus Christ as a swear. For the higher classes, it is invoking god as represented through the power of the bull. This is akin to lord have mercy. Boisterous is used as a term of endearment for a person, by relating their characteristics to that of the bull.

There is a postal service of the Araxian kingdom, referred to as the “charge”. The name comes from the speedy delivery of mail and a propaganda campaign from the crown stating that the royal word now "travels as fast as our bulls can charge!" The system is made up of bull riders delivering mail throughout the kingdom. This is mostly reserved for the upper classes, but charge houses can be found in most towns for those that can pay.

Araxian men have a reputation for having huge testicles. It's a running joke across the Westrasi sea. Reality is sadly that they are boringly average to Westrasi ethnicity.

**Religion**

Araixa worships Gloria-Etalia and the Church of Divine Duality. While their worship of the boar was thoroughly stomped out of them by the Verani Empire, boar imagery is often included in Gloria-Etalia worship.

**Origin**

The Araxian kingdom is one of the earliest Westrasi human kingdoms. Since antiquity barbarian tribes have lived along the river Tarkos. They hunted, raided, and worshiped the local cattle(citation needed) subspecies as sacred animals for their prowess in 2battle. It was not until the Verani Empire conquered the region and set to civilising the natives did the first trappings of the Araxian Kingdom formed. For two hundred years the Verani civilised the native barbarian population. They built towns and cities, and domesticated the Araxian Running Cow(citation needed) as a farm animal to the dismay of the Araxians. They taught the local barbarians how to be civilised, and they also taught them the glory of Gloria-Etalia, and The Church of Divine Duality was quickly established in the region. While the Araxians were not happy with being second class citizens under the boot of a distant empire, they adapted to their masters wishes and grew into a proper civilised state. When the empire first started to fall in 3800 the Araxians were one of the first to declare independence and quickly carved out their own territory with the re-establishment of the Araxian Running Cow as a war machine. This was done by the first sovegrn king of Araxia, Bunden Ribbsworth. Through his rule and conquests he established the Araxian Bull as the symbol of the nation and while worship of the beast was never revived, the bull became an international symbol for Araxia, with other nations referring to Araxians as “The Bulls”.

**Diplomacy**

Araxians have a long history of conflict with the Sarcian Mountain Tribes in the east and the Yoroi Tribelands in the west.

They hold a respectful relationship with the Leixi-Airoxian Commonwealth after realising their military power, and have trade agreements with them. They seek an military alliance with the commonwealth, but the commonwealth is hesitant to join in as they realise that Araxians would exploit this alliance to take our conquer their enemies.

Araxia has a strong rivalry with the Farisian Republic. Border skirmishes are common, and proxy conflicts are fought through the Farisian’s employment of Yoroi mercenaries.

They hold a series of economic trade deals with the Euraxian Kingdom, which they leverage to decrease the soft power of their rivals the Farisians.

Because of the Vashian Republic’s help with the invasion of the Sarcian Mountain Tribes, several economic concessions have been made to them.

Araxians maintain friendly relationships to almost all of the other nations they are in contact with. While they still are prideful and want their way when negotiating, they see a lot less strategic value in fighting with nations that aren't their direct neighbors.

**Geography**

Most of Araxia is made up of flat plains. The river Tarkos runs through the kingdom to the sea, and it has been theorized that a ley line(citation needed) runs under the kingdom. Because of recent conquests in the Sarcian Mountain Tribes, to the west the land starts to get hilly and mountainous. There are also dense forests in the north-western part of the kingdom, which is currently inhabited by a small Dryad community.

**Economy**

Most of the nation's wealth comes from taxes and trade. Goods are traded with the Euraxians, and the Farisians primarily, but other nations are traded with as well.

**Recent Events**

4951 - A group of dryads enter the kingdom from the Leixi-Airoxian Commonwealth. With no official approval from the crown, they settle in the forests in the north-west of the kingdom. Local officials were dispatched, and after some negotiations the land was announced to be their home, and logging was declared forbidden in the region. They were declared citizens, and they paid yearly taxes to the kingdom. No one but the crown knows where they came from or why they are there. The region is mostly avoided by humans.

4977 - The king Alfred II Ribbsworth dies under unknown circumstances at age 63. His Brother Robert Ribbsworth takes the throne as a regent until Alfred II’s son is old enough to rule.

4982 - Alfred III Ribbsworth takes the crown at age 16 and his uncle Robert Ribbsworth steps down from his regency.

4984 - King Alfred III Ribbsworth marries the Euraxian Princess Elika.

4985 - Herb III Ribbsworth is born

4986 - New Royal Admiral is announced after the old one dies. The son of the previous admiral, he is brash, headstrong, and will quote “never back down, ever!”

4987 - Giri VI and Pual Ribbsworth are born.

4989 - Yerki Hert is disposed of his land after being found embezzling the king’s taxes. Ikarna Ribbsworth is given the land to administer.

4990 - The beginning of the invasion of the Sarcian Mountain Tribes with the help of the Vashian Republic

4991 - Ninety percent of the royal navy gets sunk during a training exercise because the Royal Admiral forced the ships into shallow waters during a storm. Is promptly sacked and his uncle is announced as the new Royal Admiral.

4992 - The invasion of the Sarcian Mountain Tribes ends inconclusively with some land gained.

4996 - Araxia gets laughed out of westrasi sea tourney(citation needed) when it gets revealed they borrowed merchant ships to use instead of their own navy.

5000 Herb III Ribbsworth gets kidnapped by bandits and is shipped out of the kingdom! The king is mad with grief, and he is debating whether to hunt the bandits down or not. Attacking someone holding your son hostage could end badly, but paying the ransom would be costly and would be a blow to his pride. The only lead is that the ships were reported to go north.

**Player Character Notes**

The Araxians are known for their short tempers, warlike nature, and fondness for bulls.  They are a particularly good choice for melee focused characters.

**DM Plot Hooks**

Rescue the Prince: One of the king's sons was recently kidnapped.  PCs hoping for money and glory had better track him down quick before the prince is harmed, or someone else rescues him first!

Into the Wilds: Araxia is a popular jumping point for adventurers hoping to either earn quick money on the bounties posted against hostile Yoroi, Sarcian, or goblin tribes, or who are planning on launching an expedition into the dangerous wilds of the Sarcian Mountain Tribal Lands.