Loveria

Loveria

Government
Confederacy
Capital
Korint
Cities
Garios, Skiro
Major Worship
Beory, Istus, Lirr, Olidammara, Osprem

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Climate
Hot and wet
Exports
Fruit, perfume, spices, sugar
Imports
Cheese, cloth, drugs, herbs, stone

This eastern realm is run by merchants and noble families of old. When the last king died without an heir, about a century ago, a short struggle erupted. These 'Weeks of Woe' came to a quick end when a few merchant houses marched foreign mercenaries into the country. Ever since, the three major cities of the country, mostly run by the merchant houses, and the remaining landed nobility have been at a tense equilibrium, governing the country together.

Geography

Running east from Giant’s Crown mountain range, the elevation lowers quickly into rolling hills, bushveld and shrublands until it meets the Limnas, a blackwater river. East of the river one finds mainly grassland and small, old growth forests. Sugarcane is cultivated in large quantities, as are citrus fruits, cabbages, potatoes, and corn are the most grown staple crops.

The Copis river forms the northern boundary and it is a rich fishing environment. Not so the Eastern Ocean; due to very frequent storms, dangerous marine life, many swamps, mangrove forest, and limestone cliffs, the coast is hardly settled at all.

Ecology

Rabbits are numerous and quite popular in a stew. Raccoons and skunks, also numerous, less so. Minks and otters can be found around all waterways. Deer are plentiful. Unique to this part of the world is the armadillo; a small armored mammal that has to be seen to be believed.

Boars are common and considered quite a pest by sugarcane producers. Foxes and bobcats are the bane of the chicken farmer. Black bears are mostly found in the western part of the country but are no threat unless provoked. The biggest threat to the common Loverian is the cougar; though usually only after a few drinks.

Sea gulls might be the most common bird in the country and they come inland as far as Skiro and even Korint. Cranes, roseate spoonbills, flamingoes, and frigatebirds are the largest birds native to Loveria. Scrub jays and crows are quite common, as are hummingbirds, lapwings, and sandpipers. The most seen birds of prey are falcons, kites, and ospreys.

Rattlesnakes are ever present, in a few different species, all quite bad tempered. Other snakes exist as well. Sea turtles of sizes up to nearly ten meters have been reported, though no one has ever produced a body over three meters in length.

Monsters

Large parts of the country are hardly settled, or at the very least, badly patrolled, which has led to a sizeable monster population. Goblinoids are likely the most numerous with the restless likely being a close second. Lizardfolk can be found in all the wetland areas and ettercaps in the depths of many forests. Small tribes of ogres are thought to be scattered about, though any sighting of them usually gets an armed response.

Monstrosities such as carrion crawlers, basilisk, gricks, and the like are present but usually they and the goblinoid races keep each other in check. Stirges are common away from any population centers, griffons and hippogriffs are occasionally seen.

It is thought hydras make their home deep into a few of the swamps of Loveria but no one has been foolish enough to go find one, or at least, return alive. A local story that has many adherents is that of the black dragon Khauryrax, more commonly known as Kingwhisperer. The tale goes that this ancient dragon was the true ruler of the country, having been there even before its founding, controlling the royal house in some way. And it is claimed that the dragon died, dooming the royal house and leaving behind a hoard of riches untold.

History

People have been living in what we now consider Loveria as long as anyone can remember. It was always a hardscrabble existence, for though the eastern part of the country contained fertile fields, the humans and halflings that lived here, were beset upon by all kinds of monsters at every turn. For many centuries life here stayed virtually the same, advances in technology and magic made in the west mostly passed it by. Expanding populations on the other side of the Giant’s Crown mountains meant that settlers came east and with them new equipment and ideas.

Cities grew larger and people became more successful. This lead to more competition and a larger need for governance. As smart people were making plans, an unlikely hero came out of far left field. Brosef Duhson had never been a person to let his many limitations stop him. And filled with the stories of knights and kings his mother used to tell him, one day he decided that he should be king of this burgeoning country, why not?

We might never know if it was just incredible dumb luck, Brosef not being who he seemed to be, or something else entirely, but the fact remains that those who opposed him, fell, some to his blade, others more figuratively. Soon the man who would be king gained a following of rabid fans who would stop at nothing to see their man on a throne, ruling them like only he could.

It soon became inevitable and King Brosef Duhson was crowned king of a new country that he named Loveria, after his mother. The house of Duhson survived much upheaval and more assassination attempts than can be counted on two hands, ruling till quite recently. King Joc passed away unexpectedly less than a year after his son and two daughters had died from eating some bad shrimps.

With no clear heir among the few extended family members left in the royal house, the other noble houses saw their chance and nearly all of them mounted a campaign for the throne. None of them were very thought through and none of them had the foresight to have resources in place already, should the opportunity ever present itself.

In what is now called the Weeks of Woe, the nobles all got involved in halfhearted assassination attempts, maneuvering of their personal troops, bribery of many officials and some actual fights on the battlefield, though many of the fighting men and women tried to keep out of these skirmishes. Loveria was a country very rich in agricultural and other exports at this point and the merchant houses who made huge profits here, watched the events with horror.

In an almost unequaled act of cooperation they marshaled their resources and marched a large number of mercenaries into the country. These 'peace keepers' soon persuaded every one else to lay down arms. The pact between the merchants could never last, so very quickly a new constitution was drawn up where power was divided between the remaining nobles and the merchant houses, with none of them really getting what they wanted. And that is where we are today; the nobles got to keep most of their land and a vote in the ruling council but in reality money talks and their influence has dwindled.

Culture

People from Loveria have a reputation for being strange. This might be an unkind characterization but that hasn't stopped use of the 'Loverian Man' stereotype gaining more and more traction.

A popular local sport is Stiltorq.

In the papers

Loverian Man Pigs Out A farmer was quite surprised when he entered his pig sty and found a Skiro native head-first in a trough. According to reports the man was drop-down drunk and "off his gourd" on certain substances that are easily available in those parts. The man later professed that he had been looking for companionship and decided he wanted a "porker". Once in the sty the sight of their feed apparently was irresistible. - Excerpt from an article in the Midtal Reformer