Lestalia

Tread the road cross the abyss

Take a look down at the madness

On the streets of the city

Only spectres still have pity

Patient queues for the gallows

Sing the praises of the hallowed

Our machines feed the furnace

If they take us they will burn us

--Emerson, Lake, & Palmer - "Knife Edge"

The Grand March Lestalia is located in the northwestern mountains of Upper Shantania, controlling the southern 30% of the north polar ice cap and the mountainous areas nearby, as well as small stretches of plains just north of Riga's area of influence. It is the oldest known nation, having existed for hundreds of years before the Sundering. Lestalia is an opportunistic society, preferring to wait for the right moment to act, rather than taking initiative and risking an unfavorable outcome. Historically, Lestalian leaders tend to be pacifistic, with the few militaristic Margraves taking office having been ousted in favor of more peaceful ones. Its capital is known simply as "the Great Cavernous City," a sprawling series of caverns and corridors carved into the base of Upper Shantania's Yendor Peak.

Origins

Lestalia was originally the name of a bustling Elven city that existed prior to Shantanian Reckoning, with a population estimated in the millions. The city of Lestalia played host to some of the most elaborate and amazing shows of mechanical prowess Shantania had ever seen, and many rumors claimed that Lestalian engineers had mastered flight. Among other things, Lestalian engineers (correctly) predicted the planet's instability, but incorrectly blamed gravitational anomalies as the cause of what eventually became known as the Sundering. Much of Lestalia was lost to the Sundering, but some ten thousand Lestalian Elves evacuated to the east, making considerable headway into the mountains before the Sundering destroyed their home city.

Without a place to return to, the ten thousand Lestalians were without shelter, but quickly found a spacious natural cave and set it up as a temporary home. Temporary soon became permanent, and the survivors established the first post-Sundering survivor's colony, which would be expanded upon and eventually built into what is now called the Great Cavernous City. Their nation would be called Lestalia, lest they forget their home that was lost.

As for the original city of Lestalia...who knows whether the other half of the planet still exists? Perhaps it is still floating around somewhere.

Politics

Lestalia is ruled by a monarch called a Margrave (or a Marchioness), elected by popular vote and approved by the Senate. Although the populace may nominate whoever they wish as Margrave, the Senate has the final say over whether the candidate is eventually elected. A Margrave - and his wife, the Marchioness - decides major changes in policy, issues edicts and orders to the country, and serves as the military leader during times of war, but in all but military issues, edicts and orders pass through the Senate for approval. Hence, it takes a while for orders to be issued.

The Lestalian Senate is composed of 10 political officers who have successions similar to a traditional monarchy. Senators are free to select replacements themselves with no need for an approval phase, though the reigning Margrave may feel free to veto any candidates for a Senator (providing, of course, that he learns of the change in time - Senators tend not to contact the Margrave). This has led to the occasional dispute between the Margrave and his Senate, and some citizens wonder if the Senate is the real source of power.

Old Generation (S.R. 500-549)

• Margrave Kaze Tirell

Current Generation (S.R. 549-60*)

• Margrave Calayus Denivan
• Marchioness Sylviss Denivan

Population

Citizens of Lestalia are most likely to be of Elven origin (85% of Lestalian population are elves, as of the census of S.R. 570, down from the former 99.9% from the S.R. 545 census). Margrave Denivan, however, is human, resulting in a vocal minority of unhappy Elven citizens wishing to go back to "the way things were". Revolution seems unlikely at this point, however, as many Lestalians agree that Denivan's regime has only been beneficial to the country. The Elven population of Shantania is almost entirely Lestalian, with rare exceptions of emmigrants moving into the Independent Zone to get away from the heavily Senate-slanted political climate.

Elven Physiology

Lestalian Elves claim to have been around for some hundreds of years before humans, though the question of "how" has never been adequately answered. Elves tend to grow slightly taller than humans, with average adult height being roughly 6 feet, five inches, going to as high as 7 feet, ten inches, and they live somewhat longer, generally 120 to 160 years old on average. As of S.R. 590, somewhere around 50% of Lestalia's Elven population detests humans, due to their wasteful nature and willingness to degrade themselves for small benefit (especially drunken ones). Elven blood runs quite a lot thinner and has a higher temperature resistance than that of a human, which helps them live underground and in the intense weather of the Lestalian North.

Because of their altered physiology, many Lestalian Elves cannot drink alcohol, with all but the weakest drinks being equivalent to poison. Some Elves may condition themselves to be tolerant of human beverages, but in the majority of cases, beers and wines may prove life-threatening. This condition also extends to fermented produce, making it especially critical that food shipments into Lestalia be as fresh as possible, since fruits that have fermented can have harmful - potentially even lethal - effects on Elven bodies.

Technology

Lestalia is a country best known for its expertise in mining and stonework. They are, to date, the only civilization of Shantania to understand clockwork, and their best engineers are dedicated to finding new applications to this powerful new technology. Lestalian timekeeping devices are considered extremely valuable in more remote regions, especially Caynea. Tinkerers generally learn their trade from the prestigious Lestalian Mechanick School almost as soon as they've learned to read, with such schooling lasting some years into their adulthood. It is far from the only place a person may learn the mechanickal trades, though, and self-taught tinkerers - while rare - are not unheard of.

Lestalia is primarily a mining and engineering country, capable of creating devices like grandfather clocks, simple clockwork motors, wheel-lock mechanisms and pocket watches. Lestalian pocket watches are well regarded as being precise down to the tenth of a second, and being in possession of one enables you to better understand the flow of time. Things that ordinarily take a while can be timed more accurately (thus, take less time) while in possession of a pocket watch. Lestalian armor can also withstand greater (and more numerous) blows than armor forged in Riga or Caynea.

Ecosystem

Due to Lestalia's proximity to the north pole, the area surrounding the Great Cavernous City is mainly ice and snow, with its native ecosystem comprised mainly of partially petrified trees, the crystal-like shardbushes, and the infamously-tough Floe Dwellers. This makes import and export between Lestalia and the southern kingdoms quite risky. Wildlife residing inside the Great Cavernous City generally subsist on minerals and calcium found in the dirt, but with the expansion of the City and sharp increase of population over the last hundred years, these wildlife have been driven into hiding. There is precious little food that grows naturally in the caves, but Lestalian mechanicks have been experimenting with irrigation machines to aid in farming.

Because farming inside the Cavernous City is difficult, a number of farm steads have been established quite a ways south of the City. While considered villages in their own right, with guards to help stave off occasional bandit assaults, they are extremely rural, and most Lestalians live within the City instead.

Economy

Lestalian currency comes in the form of small glass beads called Sigloi, shaped into small balls roughly 8 millimeters in diameter, and filled with flecks of precious ores to denote their value. Low-value beads are filled with copper, while very high values contain precious gemstones.

Denominations of Sigloi

• Simples (copper, 5mm) - 1 Sigloi
• Minors (silver, 8mm) - 10 Sigloi
• Majors (gold, 12mm) - 100 Sigloi
• Marches (colorless octagon-cut gems) - 1,000 Sigloi
• Lestas (red radiant-cut gems) - 5,000 Sigloi

The various denominations of Sigloi also give rise to some of the more popular Lestalian aphorisms, such as "keep your simples" ("Don't waste your money"), "majors for a minor" ("something for nothing"), and "marches to marches" (referring to soldiers for hire).

Main exports from Lestalia include rare ores and raw materials, mechanical devices, and specially forged arms and armor. Prices for food tend to be higher than elsewhere, while armor, weapons, and tech items are cheaper. Lestalia knows little to nothing about magic, so many Lestalian merchants know absolutely nothing about the value of magic items, tending to give higher prices than what they might be worth.

Alcoholic beverages are also a rarity in Lestalia, since Elves are generally not well conditioned to drink hard liquor. Human brewers struggle to find a beverage that has the warming effect of ale without the potentially poisonous additives, but until then, drinking - restricted as it is to humans - is an expensive habit to support through the importation of foreign liquors, and most attempts at domestic brews fall through due to lack of a solid customer base.

Spirituality

Lestalian religion consists of a pantheon of four major gods and numerous minor gods. Lestalians do not believe that their gods directly control earthly events, nor do they believe that the gods created anything. Lestalian gods exist more as philosophical eikons, consulted for matters of perspective and observation, more than direct inquiries about weather or harvest.

Pantheon

• Devania, Goddess of Survey is the patron deity of resourcefulness. Miners, builders, hunters and foragers all pray to Devania before setting off, in hopes that they will find what they need. Under Devania's protection, a bountiful harvest is often around the corner, as is a stable landscape on which to build, or a hunting ground rich in food.
• Vargas, God of Debate is the favored deity of both the Margrave and his Senate; Vargas is also occasionally consulted by siblings or married couples to get the upper hand in an argument. Vargas does not guarantee that a speaker will win his or her argument; he instead provides his faithful with the facts that they need. What one does with said facts is entirely up to them. Because of this, if a Senator fights for a cause he does not believe in, Vargas would only present him facts that would hurt said cause.
• Menlosha, Goddess of Warmth is a deity for the common Lestalian; whether politician or pauper, all have need of warmth. Though Lestalia's Great Cavernous City is fairly warm due to volcanic activity, those outside the City often pray to Menlosha in hopes that they will not freeze to death in the frigid north. But "warmth" has multiple meanings; lonesome lovers may also pray to Menlosha for a boost of emotional warmth when their loved one is away. Menlosha gives a cold reception to adulterers and willful vagrants.
• Terach, God of Ingenuity is favored by inventors, writers, artists, and all others of creative professions. While many pray to Terach for a spark of inspiration, Terach often blesses those who did not ask for it. If a person randomly gets an inspiration, they are said to be favored by Terach. Terach frowns upon those who would use their creativity to harm; weapon makers often find themselves facing a creative block.