In this book we will discuss the interactions between all the great powers of the realm of Athera. I wrote this book based off of my own personal experiences and historical records that took me decades of trades just to be allowed to read. Please note that I wrote this in the hopes of helping any of my readers from making any political or financial blunders. Blunders that could result in a deal falling through or even a duel to the death depending on which country you are dealing with. I originally started to write this as a personal hobby/notes from the personal observations I had when dealing with all various nations across the land. My hope is this will help anyone be it a merchant or sell sword moving to a new area or a noble who wants a better understanding of who they are dealing with.
Understanding the interplay between the nations of Athera
By Laura Landra
Before we do a breakdown of each nation individually, we should go over Athera as a whole. Northern most part of the continent is dominated by the corrupted lands. Just south of that is the Phoenix Empire that borders the entirety of the corrupted lands. We currently don’t have any records that survived to tell us what is even further north than the corrupted lands or what was even there before the demons came.
South of the Empire starting West to East, there is the Helsara and Orie Kingdoms. While they do technically share a border and are two separate nations it is more accurate to consider them as two nations in one. That will be explained later on in detail once we start to discuss the interplay between the two.
Directly East of them is Balmar Kingdom, it is a predominantly human Kingdom but has a rather large amount of all races.
East of Balmar is Rathian Kingdom, Elves are the main race with very few others populating the land.
Next is the Valarus Queendom, Drow are the main race with very few other races.
Lastly is Keller Kingdom, the main population is dragonnewts and Merfolk.
While these will be the main topic points in this book, I feel like I need to mention a few other locations and how the various nations interact with them. Such as the Floating Isles and the Sunken Ruins of the Leviathan.
To start with the explanation, we should begin with the Phoenix Empire. The founding father and unofficial first Emperor was Theodore Kingsley the Hero. The current Capital of the Empire is located where Theodore brought the leaders of the different races shortly after beating the Demon King and freeing the land from the demons that infested and oppressed the people of Athera. At that point in history, it was already after the Unification of the different races. The hero knew if he didn’t step in and create even more lasting bonds between the races it would lead to infighting. Which led him to encouraging them to build their own separate nations but without the need for land grabs that would normally lead to infighting. Theodore proposed they focus on the at that time very uncivilized frontier. Leading to the current formation of countries. Please read The History of Theodore Kingsley and Athera if you want an in-depth understanding of that part of history.
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Most of the first meeting is shrouded in mystery but we do know that the very new concept of the Adventures Guild would play a role and be in every country. Not as a political feature but as a way to help keep the budding new nations safe from the threat of mana beast, monsters and dungeons.
One of the few things we do know about the founding of the new nations is how the Adventures Guild is tied into it. For example, one of the first rules that was implemented was about what happens when two countries break out in a war. It stated that all Guilds will be closed down and evacuated until the fighting is over and peace or a truce is declared. Any adventure caught participating in the war will have their guild cards permanently revoked. I strongly believe that this still plays a major factor in why only once a war has broken out between nations and none since.
The current Phoenix Empire is still run on the principles laid out by Theodore Kingsley. It is the ever-standing guard against the corrupted lands. Keeping watch for any sign of the resurgence of the demons. There current political outlook on all the other nations is that they don’t interfere at all. The Empire has complete open borders with all the nations and only minor import and export taxes leveled at their neighbors.
Their main focus is on keeping a strong military but friendly relations between all the other nations. It is common for when there is a dispute, and they want a neutral third party that the issue is brought to the Phoenix Emperor to mediate. Every Emperor since the first has reinforced or invested into programs to push back the corrupted lands. The nobles below the Emperor have followed the same prerogative without question speaking to the solid leadership the Empire has. That builds trust with the other rulers that the Phoenix Empire is not a threat to their borders and only has sights on the larger threat to the world as a whole. Making them the go to mediator for all the other nations.
When it comes to dealing with any noble or merchant in the Phoenix Empire it is my suggestion to be straight forward, honest, respectful and deal in good faith. If you do so you won’t face any issues with any deals you are a part of. Be warned that because of the semi-militarist nature of the Empire honor and personal respect plays a large part in how the society operates. If you act in a way that could be considered a slight to someone’s honor, they will challenge you to a duel. Duels to the death are legal but normally its only to first blood. I would recommend reading a guide on the laws of the Empire just to know your own rights.
The Phoenix empire is a vastly accepting place that no matter what walk of life you come from you won’t be judged. Be it your race, standing, or profession, as long as you carry yourself in an honorable manner you will be treated with respect. This ultimately leads to open discussions and very little prejudice when it comes to interactions between the various races. Most of the higher aristocracy even have mixed heritage, but as I said before, honor is a large part of the culture. If you make deals or trades with one noble house, there is a chance that could lead to any they have a feud with to act hostile towards you.
That goes the same for any nobility of other countries, if you are already in a trade agreement with a foreign noble and there is a feud between some in the Empire. The feuding Empire nobility will not make any deals with you. They see it as a slight against their honor and will refuse, if not challenge you to a duel on the spot.
All in all, when it comes to the Phoenix Empire, if you are dealing with the common folk just be kind and deal in good faith. When it comes to the aristocracy, be in the know with who is feuding with who. That can save your neck or make you coin depending on how you leverage the information.