Rutalia (CCW)

The lands that surround the Rutai Gulf were once united by the Empire of Hylicarus, before that civilization fell to the ravages of the Faye War. Rutalia occupies a strange position in the world, as somewhere that is not quite as old as the Old World, but not exactly fresh and vigorous, either. It is neither marginal, nor consequential--respected, but not revered on the world stage. Its culture defies classification as well. It is the wild and exotic middle child of human civilization, with a sense of passion and lazy fun that matches its warm, arid climate and sparkling waters. Rutalians are perhaps best known for their non-traditional views on gender and sexuality, which often earns them some envious ridicule on the world stage.

Bathica
The longest continuous government in Arcuria and perhaps in the world, Bathica has made its transition from antiquity to modernity relatively smoothly. It has always been taken seriously by its neighbors, defended its borders, and kept up with technological and social trends. Bathica has certainly had a great cultural impact on the world, with its distinctive trapezoidal stone architecture and vibrant literary legacy. But what the world thinks of as Bathica, is actually a number of kingdoms residing in Bathica—a Kingdom of Kingdoms—the awkward result of a compassionate gesture, two thousand years old.

During the fiery conclusion of the Faye War, more than two thousand years ago, Bathica offered refuge for its neighboring Onosh Kingdoms. What began as a temporary measure gradually transformed into a political reality, and as a result not all Bathicans are technically Bathican. The exiled Kingdoms retained their sovereignty to some degree and rule their own peoples with their own laws, even though these subjects of different kingdoms might live next door to each other, or even within the same household. Children, for instance, are born into their mother’s Kingdom, but may choose another citizenship when they come of age, joining their father or another ancestor of different lineage.

The distinction between Kingdoms has waned over time, as more and more laws were informally standardized. Today the Kingdoms have developed club or guild-like identities, with subtly different political aims, tax benefits, privileges, as well as their own exclusive buildings and institutions. The Kingdom of Eiperia, for example, has a monopoly on wine production, its own court system, and a luxurious hotel only for its citizens. As you can imagine, Bathicans will go to great lengths to dig up records that prove ancestry in their kingdom of choice.

True Bathica, in the meantime, has withered into almost nothing. Unable to maintain its laws and traditions within its own lands and at the losing end of several attempts to reassert its authority, the premier kingdom has been relegated to the role of mediator, diplomat, and priest. It has even lost its name, referred to now as Agadelfo, the “good brother,” bound by its ancient promise to protect its younger siblings.

Notes: Capital and largest city is Bastisa. Bathican Kingdoms are matrilineal but not matriarchal. The family lines operate on seniority instead of primogeniture.

Gaceni and Magna Nocia
These two small territories are very similar, if not identical, both part of what used to be a collection of independent trading cities. But for many years now, an arbitrarily drawn border between them has placed Gaceni under Capalesian control, and Magna Nocia under Dalceran’s. The two territories have been the site of a vicious proxy war that pitts the last holdout of Dalcerannean power against the rising star of Capalesian might. It doesn’t help that their capitals are next to each other—or rather, they have the same capital city, now split into two (Tokyrethous and Tacerio). The war should have stopped when Capaliso successfully conquered both territories, but too much blood had already been spilt and far too many vendettas declared. An unofficial conflict carries on here, that sees bombings and assassinations played out on an almost daily basis. And with neither side having a real advantage, there seems to be no end in sight.

Notes: Gaceni (or Gacene) is named after a once powerful city state in the region, now a beautiful but less consequential place. Magna Nocia (or Macna Notia) was one of the many names given to the entire region. Both the city and territory of Gaceni are probably best known for their coffee and sweets, while Magna Nocia is often invoked for its cheeses and olives. Ultimately, however, there is far too much overlap in industry for even these distinctions to have much meaning.

Lycaria
Unlike the rest of the Arcurian states, Lycaria is built upon the foundations of an ancient civilization comparable in age to that of the old world nations: the Empire of Hylicarus, which once controlled the entire Rutai Gulf. Lycaria is unlike those old nations, however. While it was once colonized by Dalceran and now by Capaliso, Lycaria has its own monotheistic religion that follows a deity that is neither demon nor immortal: the Great Mother of Hylicarus.

Though now culturally distant from its past, Lycaria remains the cultural leader of Rutalia--the most prestigious and populous Rutalian state with some of the world’s oldest academies and universities. Lycaria epitomizes the most famous Rutalian Characteristics: a love for learning, a passion for living, and an overbearing pride in their cultural history. To their credit, much of the civilized aspects we associate with Vadraedic Empires was created by the Hylicarans: advanced mathematics, astronomy, the codification of laws, and several early schools of philosophy and literature. It is often said that conquest was born in Mozra, but civilization was born in Hylicarus. Lycaria also embodies the Rutai disruption of old world conventions—with a longstanding policy of religious tolerance and a complete reversal of patriarchal structures. Ever since the adoption of the cult of the Great Mother, Lycarian nobility has practiced polyandry within a matriarchal and matrilineal social and family structure. Only women, until about the last century, were allowed to rule, inherit, and lead armies. Family names and titles are likewise passed through the female line.

In recent years, Lycaria has suffered from some old world problems--entrenched inefficient systems and traditions, rampant corruption, and a highly unpopular monarchy, which came to power by handing the nation over to the Capalesians. The most active republican revolutionary movement in the region has come out of Lycaria, which is now in open war with the monarchy.

Notes: Capital is Hypiris, also the most populous city in all of the Blind Shores.

Thassica
Thasis, the original Rutai trading center, was the center of culture in Rutalia long before Hylicarus was. And while Hylicarus dominated northern Rutalia, Thasis remained the reigning force in the south well into the first millennium Ks. Most have forgotten that was Thasican settlers that first populated the numerous islands at the mouth of the Rutai, including those that would form the Dalcerannean Empire.

Today, Thasis and its lands are little more than a decrepit principality inside a subkingdom inside the dying embers of the very Empire it once gave birth to. No one remembers that Thasis was once home to humanity’s most extensive library and first philosophical academy. We forget its prosperous relationship with the elves and the rigorous democratic reforms of its later years. We deny the Thassican heritage as the very first explorers in the northern Vadraedic, by land and sea. All that remains of the city and the lands it once ruled are a timid, devotedly religious people, and faint memories recorded on half-collapsed mosaics. Times are changing, though: the elves on Thassica’s southern border are re-entering global politics, and with northern Rutalia fallen to Capaliso, the south side of the gulf may regain importance. Thassica may be wasteland now, but for the discerning eye it is a treasure trove of lost secrets and dormant potential.

Jorcaleth
The city-state of Jorcaleth shares little in common with the rest of Rutalia, or the world for that matter. Its language is unclassifiable, the origin of its people, a mystery. Some have suggested that they descend from the earliest humans who first left southern Draedah, nearly eight thousand years ago. Their culture, too, seems especially foreign, or especially ancient; Jorcaleth has no codified law, no official institutions, and no system of currency outside of the most elite of the elite. This means that Jorcalethians keep order, settle disputes, and trade goods, all within informal systems of consensus, trust, and barter. Neighbors police neighbors. Respected citizens are brought in as arbitrators. Witnesses are called and vetted by crowds, contracts are written in memory. What results is sufficiently stable oligarchy and a web of traditions so ingrained that they may as well be law—but this is the Old Way and Jorcaleth is proud of it.

It is not Jorcaleth’s culture that has shocked and surprised the world, however. Plenty of rural and unincorporated peoples operate in their own “Old Way.” What is surprising is that Jorcaleth has done all this for thousands of years as a fully-fledged sovereign state. And despite its lack of modern systems of governance, it appears and functions as a flourishing, densely populated city-state—negotiating treaties, waging war, and signing treaties, all without a head of state, or a body politic.

Notes: Famous for its world-renowned military spirit—though that reputation is mostly for show now. They were famous for posing a serious threat to Hylicarus in several major wars before finally being defeated and losing most of their territory.

Lower Demonia
Perhaps the messiest piece of land in the world when it comes to borders, Lower Demonia was, until the last century, completely concealed by magic, thought to be a wasteland and elven graveyard. But when the enchantments finally wore off, a frantic land grab (resulting in surprisingly little violence) created a legal nightmare of exclaves, enclaves, and triple enclaves that has even the most devoted bureaucrats scratching their heads.

Whatever it looks like on a map, however, Lower Demonia is an electrifying place to be. Everything is new and exciting: the forts and communes, the half built barriers and wide open space, the residual illusions and traps set by gods long dead, the rules and borders so grey they blend into the dust. It helps that every major power has sent their bravest and most unhinged pioneers to stake out a spot in this madhouse. You really could meet anyone or anything.

Notes: Largest city is Hygaptia, a Dalcerannean colony.

[And Beyond...]

 * Onosh League (Celtheste)
 * Dalcerannea
 * Capruannea
 * Elves
 * Rvorhmaura