Difference between revisions of "Aurestalia"

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Given the regular military conflict in the region magic is dominated by combat and war magic. While the emperor has banned the use of large scale war magic on civilian population centers it still happens often under vaguely plausible legal pretexts.
 
Given the regular military conflict in the region magic is dominated by combat and war magic. While the emperor has banned the use of large scale war magic on civilian population centers it still happens often under vaguely plausible legal pretexts.
  
Magic which doesn't have a martial use, such as direct combat magic or restoration magic to heal those wounded in battle, has largely fell out of favor and isn't widely studied or practiced. Many soldiers learn several spells to aid in combat, whether they be attack spells or personal protection spells to help them survive the rigors of combat.
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Magic which doesn't have a martial use, such as direct combat magic or restoration magic to heal those wounded in battle, has largely fallen out of favor and isn't widely studied or practiced. Many soldiers learn several spells to aid in combat, whether they be attack spells or personal protection spells to help them survive the rigors of combat.
  
 
=Foreign Affairs=
 
=Foreign Affairs=

Revision as of 04:01, 20 June 2022

KaharaAurestalia.jpeg

Aurestalia was a polity containing a wide range of nobles who would elect an emperor after the previous one died. After a succession crisis about sixty years ago many nobles became de facto independent or started expanding their realms at the cost of their neighboring nobles within Aurestalia. While originally the conflicts were supposedly about succession the region is largely known for its low scale low intensity but persistent warfare.

History

Humans have lived in central Kahara for millennia. Originally the region was under the control of Valland but over time became more independent.

About 340 years ago Aurestalia evolved into the elective emperorship it had become known for.

About 60 years ago the then current emperor, Emperor Frederick III had arranged for his unborn son to be the emperor after him. Unfortunately the emperor died before his wife gave birth, creating a succession question. The nobles were unable to agree on a new emperor and the succession question turned into a succession crisis. While the son retained control over his personal lands, which were quite substantial, many other nobles used the opportunity to weaken Aurestalia's central authority.

The son, Frederick the Posthumous, would eventually be proclaimed emperor, and reasserted control over some of Aurestalia, but the central control of the empire had now been weakened and many nobles paid only lip service to the emperor.

Eventually with his death and his son Frederick V rising to the emperorship the decentralization caused by the succession crisis had simply become the new status quo.

Military

Most landholding nobles in Aurestalia are quite minor and not particularly wealthy, able to field perhaps a few dozen knights for any campaign. Many wealthier nobles are able to bring more soldiers to the field and regularly hire mercenary companies for the duration of a campaign.

The emperor is able to call upon significant military power, but much of it is at the whims of nobles who answer to him and thus less than completely reliable, hampering his ability to bring Aurestalia back under his control. The emperor is still the greatest landholder in Aurestalia, holding much land personally.

The region sees frequent low intensity, low scale conflict between various nobles and whatever alliances they can mange to put together. Often these are alliances of Aurestalian nobles, but occasionally outside powers will attempt to intervene with their own interests in mind. In theory the emperor is obligated to protect all of Aurestalia from external threats, but this has not always been done and has further injured the perceived legitimacy of the emperor.

Magic

Given the regular military conflict in the region magic is dominated by combat and war magic. While the emperor has banned the use of large scale war magic on civilian population centers it still happens often under vaguely plausible legal pretexts.

Magic which doesn't have a martial use, such as direct combat magic or restoration magic to heal those wounded in battle, has largely fallen out of favor and isn't widely studied or practiced. Many soldiers learn several spells to aid in combat, whether they be attack spells or personal protection spells to help them survive the rigors of combat.

Foreign Affairs

The emperor himself is often too busy paying attention to affairs within Aurestalia to meddle in the affairs of kings and other emperors. His obligation to defend Aurestalia from external threats tends to give most outsiders pause before initiating an attack on a member noble.

However, along the borders of Aurestalia many individual nobles with end up in skirmishes with external powers or have arrangements with those powers outside of the emperor. This may be as simple as agreements on borders to nobles taking part in dual vassalge.

Economy

Aurestalia manages to control a great amount of land in the center of the region. Roads and settlements which are able to remain safe are able to profit from this trade. The most common path through the region goes through the crown lands, further benefitting the emperor.