consuls gladius aureus, adrian maximus
pop 11 million
for Frozopia's medieval RP
history
a collection of former city states scattered across the southern half of the peninsula that were united by the city state of Zoogiedom in the very south, and gradually swept northward to its current established boundaries. these are, historically, very war-hardened folk, and they remain so particularly in the North, where various tribes reigned before being absorbed into zoogie provinces. the last century or so has seen a stabilizing of life, on the tide of a burgeoning economy aided by the advent of naval trade. flowering cultural centers are now springing up, and zoogiedom faces internally a sort of silent tug conflict between its more militant roots and the new-age prosperity that in the past forty years has slowly taken root. a densely populated nation that is very centric and to a degree, isolationist; casting its eye outward with interest but having ceased, at least temporarily, its era of military conquest and instead pursuing economic relations.
in the general view, very greco-roman, but with a bit of an east asian flair. no state religion; a little bit pagan by tradition but not hardcore, just "let's be nice to the tree spirits" stuff. some religions are making inroads, however. zoogiedom is established and wealthy, yet trying to maintain itself and its interests in an uncertain time of transition.
government
a little roman republic era; you had your Senate, your Consuls, and your Praetors. the Consuls being based in the city of Zoogiedom itself, other cities, provinces, or principalities were divided under Governors. the power of the Senate is yet great, but waning. Once dominant in all affairs, the power of the central government in Zoogiedom is slowly being spread across the Republic as Governors are rising in political stature and autonomy. Consuls are by tradition appointed by a Senate Council, the members of whom vary year to year, and serve for a period of three years each. Traditionally during times of major military expeditions, one Consul stays in Zoogiedom while another leads the campaigns. On occassion which cannot be said to be rare, both Consuls leave the capital city and a single interim Regent is appointed to manage affairs of the state. Naturally, these procedures open the path for ambiguity, and are not without controversy.
major cities
- Zoogiedom, the capital and most populous city;
Jaganda, a fluorishing economic center and 2nd-most-populous city located not far from Zoogiedom itself;
Chaslia, huge port city and major center for trade into and out of the Republic and additionally a southern military center;
Arimos, third of the Four Great City-States that first fell under zoogie rule, also a major port city at least rivaling Chaslia;
Palisdar, fourth of these city-states;
Nordil, a frosty, temperate province in the northcentral-west, known for their horsemen and raiders of yore;
E'gris and Hthalor, two strong fortifications in the northern provinces, closer to the borders;
Skurven, a peninsula in the North, famous for their seafaring legends and rugged mountains;
among others...
military
the main of the Standing Army, including some of the best trained troops in the Republic are centered around Chaslia, although much of the military tradition comes from the North. here are descendants (some not so distant) of many of the warlike men of tribes subdued by the armies of zoogiedom, and it's here that much of the active military remains, at battle ready and stationed in the numerous northern military forts. armies are mostly raised here when needed, partly because of the battle tradition and partly as a matter of convenience (wars having mostly been fought in the north). nonetheless, zoogiedom considers the pride of its army, its most skilled and professional warriors, to be those regiments that train in Chaslia. this is partly a matter of pride; the south being the core of the republic and the north being viewed somewhat as the outskirts.
the army's backbone is manpower. infantrymen are equipped with long spears, halberds, or roughly meter-length swords. heavier infantry are much better armored, but much fewer in number; body armor for the typical conscript is basic and somewhat minimal. archers use Japanese-style shortbows. spear/halberd-wielding cavalry are an important part of the army and are usually of the moderately heavy variety. army commanders typically sit atop a steed, carry considerable armor, and are equipped with spear, sword, and sometimes bow. rams and wall-scaling are the siege equipments of choice, although catapults (a la trebuchets) are becoming increasingly common.
offensively, the army has the capacity to strike fast with cavalry, but this is far from our strong suit, as we aren't light raiders or steppe horsemen (though there are a couple tribes of that variety within Zoogiedom). it's primarily large, slow-moving forward campaigns that rely on the numerous rivers in the country. with our walls and fortifications, we are generally well-suited to defense, though naturally the size and relative remoteness of the northern regions cause some difficulty.
the navy is limited to more local boats, in terms of the military, and large naval expeditions are almost unheard of. the navy is still a very new development in zoogiedom, despite the burgeoning of trade.
map/geography
A warm, mediterranean southern region rich with forests, fertile lands, and rivers. The great waters of the Dant River run down from just east of Nordil all the way to the southern tip of Chaslia, with is tributaries accounting for many of the cities that have sprung up in this region. A major tributary called the Saun flows northward towards the Skurven Peninsula and empties into the northern sea beneat Bolvald; these are treated as the two major Rivers of Zoogiedom.
A dry, rustic range lines the coast (somewhat; it is a good 30 miles inland) of the Peninsula, and a more lush and green range cuts from the area between E'gris and Nordil down to Trimes, with a fork in the range splitting to where "Zoogiedom" is written on the map, under Beaufort. These are not major ranges, by any means, and are in the 5,000-feet range, although the mountains of the peninsula are somewhat higher, in the 8,000-feet range at the greatest peaks.
Climate in Zoogiedom is temperate above all else, with drier, windswept, and more wintry areas in the north. The Skurven Peninsula is known in particular for some icy winters