country on Syran continent
Score: 1072 | 5/30/18 |
Gyristan is a country in a constant state of resistance against their former rulers, the Krinshar Empire.
In the year 1276 (over 600 years ago) a Baron of Krinshar, Ignasius Mediose, agreed to lead a rebellion against the Empire, along with the majority of the northern baronies of Krinshar. They were appalled by the Emperor’s decision to commit genocide against the Gnome race, whom had previously never committed any wrongdoing against Krinshar and whose only offense was that the Emperor despised their race. The Emperor had decided that Humans should be the dominant species on the planet and all other races were “unclean” and “substandard” in comparison. The rebellion raged back and forth for over two decades without a decided victor or either side claiming any ground beyond what they already controlled. This was mostly due to the fact that Krinshar was not dedicating it full forces to the fight against the rebellion due to a war with their neighbors to the east, Lichtenfar over the assassination of Lichtenfar’s leadership. Both the rebellion and the war stalled Krinshar extermination of the Gnomes to the point that they were no longer able to sustain the offensive. Krinshar had bitten off more than it could chew at the time. It was during this time that refugees of the ancient Arkaiun Empire arrived in what would become Gyristan and threw in their lot with the rebels in order to stop the depredations of the Krinsharans. Once Krinshar wrapped up its war with Lichtenfar in 1294, due to a peace treaty, the Empire once again turned its full attention to the rebellion in the north. The rebels were now in an all-out war for their very survival. It was then that the leader of the rebels, Ignasius, was struck down by an assassin and the entire rebellion was in danger of crumbling. Then Ignasius’ son, Orilan Mediose, took up his father’s banner and reorganized the fracturing rebellion into a force to be reckoned with. He included the Arkaiuns into his military and command structure, incorporating some of their ancient tactics and warfare techniques into his own. In time, Orilan was able to push the Krinsharans back. The battles were so fierce, Orilan was able to get the Krinsharans to agree to a cease-fire. The borders of what was to become Gyristan were fortified against future attack and plans were put into place for the first gathering of nobles to decide how their new country would run.
Orilan, the hero of the war, was chosen to rule over the new country as its King by the first Council of Lords on the provision that the Council of Lords would always be present to head off the kind of tyranny that they had suffered under their former master in the Krinsharan Empire. At the time, the bedrock laws of the nation (backed by bloodline magic and magical contracts), were put into place to govern the new nation. Also, a compact was struck with the Arkaiun refugees. In return for a home among the new Gyristani people, with fair laws and lawful treatment, the Arkaiun refugees (the remnants of the land-based Arkaiun military and half of the free commoners) would enter themselves and their descendants into voluntary slavery and provide highly trained warriors to defend the new Crown of Gyristan. The compact was struck and magically bound into a contract that could never be altered but did contain certain rules and loopholes that could see the Arkaiuns eventually earning their freedom. Thus the birth of the kingdom was also the birth of the first Royal Bodyguards. Orilan even eventually married one of his own Royal Bodyguards, Inara Blade-Cloak, thus setting a precedent in which a noble could marry one of their guards, thus freeing them automatically from their slavery. This has led to the Royal bloodline containing Arkaiun blood with the percentage varying up and down over the history of the country.
Because of Orilan’s love of the Arkaiun people, he built the palace city, known as the Forbidden Palace, for their housing and training needs. The Forbidden Palace is a walled city that is segmented to handle the various training and housing needs of the Arkaiun people. One section of the Forbidden Palace is to house Gyristani military, who are responsible for making sure the Arkaiun people stay put. Another section of the Forbidden Palace is for the Royal Family of Gyristan when they visit. In later centuries, the Royal section also housed concubines or harems of Arkaiun courtesans for the King of Gyristan. These days, those courtesans are mostly used for entertaining foreign dignitaries are gifted to other nobles for pleasure. Courtesans are not like prostitutes in that they are trained to be the perfect companion to a noble lord and can function in any level of high society. Most courtesans are used like diplomats by their owners. Yet another section of the Forbidden Palace is used to train Royal Bodyguards. This section is off limits to anyone not affiliated with the Royal Bodyguards or a member of the Royal Family. Another section is used to train artisans, craftsmen and other members of the service trades. This is by far the largest section of the Forbidden Palace other than the housing district. Almost all areas of the Forbidden Palace are off limit to anyone not of Arkaiun lineage or a member of the Royal Family unless express permission is given. This edict, as well as all laws governing Arkaiuns, are enforced by the Hearth Guardians who are there to protect the Arkaiun race (from themselves as well as any outside force) and see they are treated fairly by their owners. The Forbidden Palace still stands to this day.
Over the centuries, Gyristan has ebbed and flown in power and technological might but the constant warring and skirmishing with Krinshar has never changed. Krinshar stills covets the lands they still believe are theirs. This has led to no less than seven full-scale wars and hundreds of smaller skirmishes over the centuries. In every case, Krinshar has failed to crush Gyristan and been pushed back to fume over their loss before trying again. In those centuries, Gyristan has formed and dissolved alliances with many countries. Their longest positive relationship has been with the kingdom of Malicar to their north. Gyristan’s King has put up with Malicar’s intrigue in order to bring about a more stable region and the two have helped each other in various wars, including the few Malicar has had with the Hordelands, Granisar and Lyshidia. The sheer number of conflicts that Gyristan has been involved in over the years has led to its military being one of the most highly trained combat forces on the planet. They have incorporated the lessons they have learned from every conflict into their military, from tactics and training techniques to technological advances in weapons, armor and vehicles. Even though Gyristan has been involved with many conflicts, there has been very little change in the borders of the country, at least until the seventh Gyristan-Krinshar War of 1601. It was then that Gyristan took over several baronies of Krinshar and a slice of Lichtenfar, expanding Gyristan’s border by a significant amount. These areas have been added to the Gyristani nobility and after 300 years have become loyal members of the country. After the end of that war, Gyristan had much rebuilding to perform. Krinshar had almost succeeded in invading Gyristan and taking over. By the end of the first six months of that war, Krinshar had control of most of southern Gyristan, the capital city and had destroyed the palace at Carrinac Plateau. When King Tristan rebuilt, he placed a new palace, known as the Mithril Palace, in place of the old to show his resolve to never give in to Krinsharan malice.
Current day sees a magical barrier that surrounds Gyristan and Malicar that separates them from the rest of the continent. Only certain factions know how to cross it and that includes the Krinsharan assassins of the Shadow Brigade and they have resumed their attempted destruction of the Royal family of Gyristan. Krinshar seems to be stepping up its aggression lately, as well. They are taking the opportunity to wage genocide against Halflings while their traditional enemy is currently unreachable. There seems to be some dissention between the Emperor of Krinshar and his son, whom has shown up for Prince Martin's coronation and appears to not want any type of war, let alone a genocide.
Gyristan has always had the lead when it comes to invention and technology, especially in recent decades. They are the largest supplier of firearms on the continent and have utilized dirigibles and other skyships in the most recent past. Items such as clocks and pocket watches have also become all the rage in recent years. This is in large part due to the Crown’s patronage of the church of Gond (god of invention and smithing) for the last three hundred years. The presence of Arkaiun craftsmen, often considered the best human craftsmen in the world, also contributes to the higher standard of crafted goods that originate in Gyristan. Their crafts are in high demand and items made by them are a steady revenue stream for the Crown itself. The capital city of Carrinac draws in the best craftsmen from many other races as well as Humans. The shops of Carrinac do a brisk business that draws customers from every country to by their goods. The tailors and seamstresses of Carrinac often produce clothes that become the standard for fashion in several countries. Because the Strom River crosses the center of Gyristan from the western border to the southeastern border, river trade is regular and lucrative. Many of Gyristan’s trade goods find their way to the river boats that ply the Strom River. Gyristan’s biggest product, though, is farming crops. The crops range from standard grains (wheat, barely, hops and such), typically grown in the northern baronies, to more tropical crops such as sugar cane, sugar beets and citrus, grown in the southern baronies. The vast amounts of arable land in Gyristan outstrips all other countries except Freehold when it comes to farming. Among Gyristan’s other trade goods are: Demonwood (a rare hardwood as tough as adamantine and difficult to harvest), exotic spices, silk and other textiles, gemstones, various alcohols, alchemical items, magical items and spell ingredients. However, as a landlocked country, they have no ties to the sea and its bounties. All things from the ocean can eventually find their way into the country, either through the Free Market or trade with other countries who have coastline territory. Gyristan is the largest importer of new technologies (even though they are the largest exporter of it as well) so that they can stay ahead of the learning curve. It is not unusual for Gyristan to import a technology or different way of performing a craft, service or training style just to become a master of it within one or two generations.
Laws are very important to the people of Gyristan. They were founded as a very lawful society and they have not strayed from that in the centuries they have existed. The entire country was founded on a system of laws, some of which are magically bound to the land and Royal family itself, that are considered inviolate and unchangeable. Most of these “bedrock laws” mostly involve the treatment of people, especially the peasant and “slave” classes. Gyristan is considered to have some of the most socially open (although slightly racist) laws on the continent. Same sex relationships, multiple marriages (mostly among the rich), and prostitution are not only acceptable but so ingrained in the society that anyone (except outsiders) comment on them. Sexism, ageism and other forms of discrimination are looked upon unkindly (again, racism exists but the Gyristani will claim it doesn’t) and are also covered under the laws of the nation. Some of the most detailed laws govern the powers of government and businesses and limit how much power either can accumulate. The laws also govern how powerful religious groups can become and their use of troops (no more than a dozen troops per church) so that they do not gain the power to overthrow the throne. There are laws that govern the military, farming techniques, trade practices and even banking. Even adventurers are subject to special laws within Gyristan’s borders, from licensing to what kind of weaponry they can carry and even what kind of adventuring jobs they can take on. Over time, all of these laws can be changed, added to or even removed as long as they do not violate any of the “bedrock laws”.
Culturally, Gyristan is an amalgamation of cultures with different origins. At the core, Gyristani people are originally part of Krinsharan society who themselves were under ancient Arkaiun rule. Added to Gyristani culture is the influence of actual Arkaiuns (former refugees, currently slaves), especially in recent years. Due to the popularity of Royal Bodyguards, some of their fashion, culture and societal outlook has crept into Gyristani everyday life. Malicaran, Loroshian and Lichtenfaran culture has also had a hand in influencing the Gyristani people. Malicar’s political maneuvering has found its way into Gyristani nobles’ skillsets, Loroshian need for exploration has drawn in commoners and freemen, Lichtenfaran love of magic has been inflamed among those with the gift. Even the Free Market and Pony Express have rubbed off on the people of Gyristan. Those with a love of business and travel join the Free Market to bring a taste of their businesses to other countries, those who want to see the world join the Pony Express to always be on the move and others try their own hand at expanding their reach to other nations in emulation of the other two. Gyristani people have developed their own cultural phenomena as well, including the embracing of technology and inventions, experimentation with sexuality, and pushing boundaries with art and music. Art, music and acting is one of the largest cultural contributions of the Gyristani people. Artists are always expanding the media in which they practice their craft, from marble to woven grass to plaster and even gemstones. Musicians experiment with new types of instruments as well as expanding the types of music they play. Acting has seen the largest boost in recent years due to new advances in special effects technology. Just in the last decade, theatre houses have gone up in every major city in every barony at a prodigious rate. Carrinac alone has over a dozen theatre house catering to actors, musicians and other performances.
Relations with other countries have varied over the history of Gyristan, sometimes to opposite ends of the spectrum. In current times, a lot of Gyristan’s relations have been eroded through the actions of King Isidor. It has left Gyristan in a bit of a bind with countries that have been longstanding allies, such as Malicar. Now that Isidor has been removed from the throne, it is up to Martin to repair these frayed, and sometimes broken, foreign relations. It is a trying time to be Gyristani.