Angevin Union

Details

 * Location: Southeast Serenitum
 * Capitol: Stronio
 * Leader: Trade King Belnozz Maemtor
 * Primary Denizens: Half-Orcs, Drow, Dragonborn, Tieflings
 * Crest: Horned Shield
 * Exports: Wool & Corn, Spirits & Beer, Ivory, Cloth & Dye



History
The Angevin Union is one of the oldest nations in Serenitum, having a mostly uninterrupted history.

Founding
Much about the founding of the Angevin Union, and the Angevin Empire before it, has been lost to the realm of myth and legends, with centuries of oral histories being combined with hyperbole and storytelling embellishment. However, one thing is certain; Angevin the Great was a legendary warrior. Her benevolence and generosity were only matched by her ferocity in battle. On her shoulders, the Angevin Empire was built and on her legacy has it survived for hundreds of years.

Empire to Union
With the rise of Trade King Belnozz Maemtor, the Angevin Empire has become the Angevin Union, an empire of trade and mercantilism. Gone are the days of fearsome warriors and armies, replaced by fearsome merchants and debtors. With an emphasis on fair trade and making gold, the knights who had previously enforced the laws of chivalry have expanded to enforce upright trade practices. Although trial by combat is still legal, its practice is no where as common as it once was, with monetary compensation and punishment supplanting the violent ways of the past.

Money can buy much, including information from all over the world, so there are few more informed than the influential individuals of the Angevin Union. It is no secret that the Angevin Union has a complex network of spies and informants all around Serenitum. However, almost nothing is known about it besides its existence; not who the spies are, where they are, who they answer to, or who is involved at all.

Regions
The Angevin Union is comprised of four main regions, all with a relatively temperate climate.

Lion's Roar Wilds
Located in the southwest reaches of the Angevin Union, the Lion's Roar Wilds are thick forest said to be closely connected to the Faewilds and the ancestral territory of a line of Green Dragons. The least populated region of Angevin, only the small village of Hellbrook on the eastern edge and the larger settlement of Erstonia on the northern coast have managed to survive the unpredictable nature of the Wilds. Legends say that the Wilds got their name due to mischievous Fae creatures who would play tricks on wandering explorers, leading them to believe that the forests were full of lions, without any physical evidence to support it.

Hilnis Expanse
The southeast of Angevin is a wide open plain with rolling hills. A network of small villages and towns dot the area, as the relative flatness of the land allows for farming of grains for consumption and fermentation. HIlnis was one of Angevin the Great's most loyal lieutenants and is credited with helping to extend the empire to the south and west.

Stormy Steppes
Owing its name to Angevin the Great uniting the tribes of the steppes into an army so loud it sounded like an oncoming storm, the Stormy Steppes are a rugged but flat land punctuated with steep and jutting solitary hills that stretch from the far north of the Union to the east. The Stormy Steppes are the most populated region of the Angevin Union, home to most of Angevin's few human citizens. Wine and Wool dominate the lands as, similar to the HIlnis Expanse, the openness of the land is perfect for grazing animals and vineyards.

Calm Abyss
The small region in the northwest of Angevin, the Calm Abyss is a heavily flooded swampland where travel by foot is difficult or even impossible. The people of the Calm Abyss spend much of their lives in quiet solitude, although there are known to be several pockets of Llizardfolk, of varying friendliness, throughout the swamps. Much of the natural denizens of the swamp have adapted to life in several feet of water, including the legendary Abyss Elephants who's large tusks are highly prized for their ivory.

People of Angevin
The people of the Angevin Union are best known for their determination, and while violence is largely looked down upon, do not think they are not dangerous. Given their history of imperialism, the races of Angevin Union get along surprisingly well.

Half-Orcs
Every half-orc of Angevin looks to trace their lineage to Angevin the Great in one way or another. Centuries and decades of intermixing has blurred the lines of true ancestry, but that doesn't stop them from trying. Because of the lack of hesitation to mix races in Angevin, the Half-Orcs of the Union are an exceptionally long-lived race compared to others like them. With these long lives comes a focus on the wisdom of age and passing on lessons learned across the decades. Many Angevin Half-Orcs will readily share this wisdom with people that they respect... or view as being in need of a lesson or two.

Drow
Typically a race that lives in the Underdark, the Drow of Angevin have little difficulty living above ground with their compatriots due to the support of a deity that many have forgotten over the ages. Known for their extensive crafting ability and exquisite artistry, the Drow of Angevin tend to be more secretive than some of the others, guarding passed down practices of their trades closely. With the rise of Trade King Belnozz, the Angevin Drow have been somewhat elevated, as their focus on craftsmanship and industriousness fit will with the paradigm shift to mercantilism.

Dragonborn
While Dragonborn are plentiful all over Serenitum, the ones that inhabit the Angevin Union tend to be more magically adept than others. Its believed this is due to the Union's, and the Empire's before it, appreciation for magic as a way to connect to the world and help each other. The Dragonborn of Angevin tend to be more varied in colors, as centuries of magical families fleeing the Estax Empire mixed the bloodlines more than in other places. However, due to the presence of a line of Green Dragons in Lion's Roar Wilds, many in Angevin have some tinge of green in their ancestries. Rumors abound of a long-lost line of Gold Dragons that once ruled the land, although any information is merely hearsay.

Tiefling
No one really knows how the Tieflings of Angevin came to be, just that they always were. Eons of time have washed away any true connection to their demonic ancestry, but the race remains. This is, in large part, because of the collective nature of their society, with centuries of hierarchy bred deep into their culture. With the Union's newfound focus on trade, many that would have been considered to be of a lower caste of Tiefling in the past have found ways to rise to prominence, endeavoring to follow the example set by the presumptive Trade King heir-apparent, Ozrut.

Others
The smaller towns and villages of the Angevin Union are home to many other races of people. Some were drawn to the chance to make it rich in the markets, others have long ancestral ties back to the original tribes that Angevin the Great united... or conquered. Dwarves, Humans, and Elves are scattered throughout the Union, but have recently been joined by pockets of those gifted with the ability to shift their forms and arcane or technological constructs given life and self-awareness. The Angevin Union is open to any and all who practice upright and fair dealings with each other, and those who can avoid being caught not doing so.