Grand Teille

The Grand Teille connects Weissland to the Central Plains.
Since olden times, it has prospered as a stop over on trade routes.
The huge canyon known as Grand Valley separates Northern Grand Teille
from Southern Grand Teille, making travel between the two difficult.
This divide caused the North and South to operate under
completely different systems of government.
Here we will look at those differences.

[ Added 01/09/22 ]

Shifting Forms of Government

The Grand Teille extends southward from the Lordless Land. As its name suggests, the region looks like a “giant tail”. Grand Valley separates the Grand Teille into North and South, which led to the development of vastly different cultures and societies in each half.

According to the historical record, Laubholz was greatly influenced by the Central Plains to the north while at the same time developing thanks to influence from Weissland in the south. Before the Common Era, City-States were established across the Central Plains and spread southward. None of these republican City-States existed south of Grand Valley, however, where instead autocratic monarchies ruled in their own way. Southern Grand Teille was also host to the development of unique cultures where the oldest giant monuments were constructed. Many of the Southern nations were already prosperous by the start of the Common Era, strongly influenced by the discovery of Quells in Weissland.

Later on, the huge stone bridges constructed at Grand Valley during the Age of the Empire finally allowed exchange between North and South. Trade flourished, bringing about a seemingly never ending age of prosperity in the Grand Teille. However, the collapse of the Empire took a direct hit on Northern Grand Teille, halting trade altogether and causing the South to close their end of the bridge in disgust. Both proceeded to be left behind in the course of history.

The Grand Teille was most prosperous around 1000 BS. After that, exchange with the Central Plains sharply decreased as well as the influence of their society and other ideologies. This means that the systems of government in the Grand Teille have remained unchanged since ancient times.

Shifts in Government

c. 3400 BS	Beginning of Civilization
3400 BS ～ 1 BS	Prosperous Age in the South
～ 500 BS	Age of the Hahn Empire
	Ruled by the Hahn Empire
400’s ～ 1200	Chaotic Age in the North
400’s ～ 1200	Stillness in the South
1200’s	Age of Hostilities with the Central Plains
1300～	Era of Peace

Timeline

35,000 Years Ago	Humankind arrives in the Grand Teille
9000 Years Ago	Agriculture introduced from the Central Plains
c. 5000 BS	Settlements established
c. 3400 BS	Villages consolidated into Countries
c. 3000 BS	Secret influx of Quells
2650 BS	The oldest giant monuments are constructed
2334 BS	Battle of Tiberius
2279 BS	Ancient kingdoms established
c. 2000 BS	Mass influx of Quells and immigrants
1900’s BS	Reorganization begins thanks to cooperation with the people of Weissland
1800’s BS	Nations stand together
1500’s BS	Frequent trade with the Central Plains
c. 1000 BS	Commerce reaches its height
c. 800 BS	Ancient kingdoms establish national control
121 BS	Kingdom of Hahn invades
	Grand Teille Alliance signed
1 BS	The last royal family falls; Grand Teille now under control of the Hahn Empire
Beginning of the Common Era	Duchy of Laubholz established south of Grand Valley by the Empire
64	Construction of the stone bridges at Grand Valley begins
100	First stone bridge at Grand Valley completed
101	Weissland Expedition
210	Tax increase for the Grand Teille
301	Weissland Expedition resumes
374	Rebellion occurs at the stone bridge construction site at Grand Valley
445	The entire Grand Teille rebels
453	First Battle of Hahn
	Liberation of the Grand Teille
473	Anti-Imperial Coalition dissolves
600’s	Outbreak of monsters in Northern Grand Teille
c. 670	In the country-less Northern Grand Teille, each city falls under independent rule
1256	Beginning of Gustave’s Southern Expeditions
1257	City of Night falls under the control of Gustave’s Empire
	Gustave seizes control of Northern Grand Teille
1259	Second Southern Expedition
1260	Southern Alliance formed
	First Battle of Grand Valley
	Gustave gains control at the border of Grand Valley
1263	Third Southern Expedition
	Second Battle of Grand Valley
1265	Fourth Southern Expedition
	Prince Edmund of Laubholz is born
	Gustave invades the Duchy of Laubholz
1266	Battle of Adler River
1267	Third Battle of Grand Valley
1269	Fifth Southern Expedition
1273	Northern Grand Teille falls under the control of Cantal
1278	Laubholz Army gathers at Grand Valley
	Sudden death of the Duke of Laubholz
1289	Duke Edmund of Laubholz intervenes in the succession war
1290	Laubholz Army crosses Grand Valley
	Battle of Salisbury
1297	Reconciliation between Duchy of Laubholz and the Empire
1305	Reinforcements dispatched to the Battle of South Moundtop
	Hahn Nova Treaty

Duchy of Laubholz

Beginning of the Common Era～

The Duchy of Laubholz is home to the oldest monarchy in Sandail. After being defeated at Grand Valley in the first year of the modern calendar, Laubholz survived as a Duchy under the Hahn Empire. The Empire could not reasonably maintain control over the remote region south of Grand Valley, so a blood relative of the Emperor was delegated to rule over Laubholz. Even after the fall of the Empire, Laubholz was able to preserve its territory.

1 National Identity

Since ancient times, Southern Grand Teille has held a strong national identity focused around the Royal Family, a symbol of solidarity for the people. The Duke of Laubholz utilized this public opinion as the basis for the system of government. He leads the organization in charge of national policy, only exercising his authority as Duke in times of emergency. Governmental affairs have always been handled by vassals who function as aides to the Duke, a superbly practical system unseen in other countries.

Loyalty to the Royal Family was so strong that the Laubholz Army was comprised of members from families that served as vassals over several generations. It was that relationship of trust that made the Laubholz Army so formidable and greatly contributed to the stability of the region. Because of this, the lords in Southern Grand Teille looked to the Duchy of Laubholz as a leader, not an enemy when the Anti-Imperial Coalition dissolved after the fall of the Empire. While the South remained stable, chaos continued to reign in Northern Grand Teille.

2 Isolation Policy

After the fall of the Empire, wars ravaged the Central Plains while the lands south of Grand Valley near Laubholz enjoyed peaceful stability. However, the fighting quickly spread to Northern Grand Teille. When the chaos reached Grand Valley, the stone bridges and other structures built by the Empire fell into disrepair. Sensing the impending threat, the leaders of Laubholz decided to destroy the stone bridges to prevent invasion from the North. This policy was a success and the chaos did not spread south of Grand Valley. Afterwards, only a single stone bridge was authorized for use and travellers were subject to heavy taxes and strict interrogation to limit the influx of people. This protected not only against invasion, but also prevented the flow of Quells to the North, where demand was rising because of the wars.

This seclusion policy was key in maintaining the prosperity of Laubholz. The nation flourished and was not mentioned again in history until nearly 700 years later.

3 Forming of the Southern Alliance

When Northern Grand Teille was seized in Gustave XIII’s Southern Expedition, the countries of Southern Grand Teille sensed an impending crisis. Many of them went to the Duchy of Laubholz, advocating for a defense force spearheaded by the Duke’s army. The Duke of Laubholz agreed and the Southern Alliance was formed. This was the first alliance joined ever since the Anti-Imperial Coalition 800 years prior.

The Alliance forces succeeded in routing Gustave’s Army at Grand Valley and afterwards clashed with them four more times. On the Fourth Southern Expedition, Gustave’s Army managed to push all the way to the Royal Capital of Laubholz. With the onset of the harsh winter, a detached unit from Laubholz succeeded in cutting off enemy supply lines and forcing a retreat.

4 Northern Expedition (Succession War)

When Edmund became Duke, he announced a Northern Expedition. Various rumors have circulated about the reasoning for this decision. According to one rumor, a girl claiming to be a daughter of Cantal persuaded the Duke and his closest advisors to intervene in the succession war, but this sounds closest to the truth. Invading the Central Plains while Hahn Nova was in chaos was almost guaranteed to succeed, but doing so changed the domestic national policies in place from long ago that kept the country prosperous. As a result, the Laubholz Army was defeated.

Upon his return, Edmund abdicated and the aides which did not try to stop the expedition were dismissed. The new Duke explored the possibility of holding peace talks with the powers in the Central Plains. After overcoming many obstacles, the Duke was finally able to attend the Peace Conference in 1303.

Rumors About Grand Valley

In the 1200’s, it was recorded that Grand Valley was governed by a baron under the patronage of Laubholz. However, there was talk of this being a baseless rumor spread to conceal political machinations in Laubholz.

Northern Grand Teille

Northern Grand Teille, the region north of Grand Valley, developed considerably in the age of the Empire. It originally took influence from the Central Plains and was home to many City-States. However, none of its native countries have risen to power and it instead has always been ruled by politicians.

1 In the Days of the Empire

The region south of Grand Valley had a mature civilization that flourished thanks to its close proximity to the source of Quells, objects that were key to the development of the Kingdom. Quells were slow in spreading to the region north of Grand Valley, however, so the North fell under the influence of City-States from the Central Plains. This gave rise to Republic City-States based around agriculture, but no conflicts arose between them as had occurred in the Central Plains. The mentality of freedom that persists to the present day in this region originates from these Republics.

Later, under rule of the Hahn Empire, the region developed as a center of commerce by functioning as a relay base to Weissland and host to new resonant stone mines. The Empire did not appoint a lord to the existing cities, but dispatched a Viceroy to govern the region autonomously.

2 Age of Turmoil

After the fall of the Empire, the influx of nobles to Northern Grand Teille caused a restructuring of the ruling classes. Powerful figures suddenly took a keen interest in cities which had not previously been under any rule. As one would expect in times of war, all cities became embroiled in the chaos. Many facilities constructed by the Empire were destroyed, leading to the downfall of commercial cities. Afterwards, the outbreak of monsters in the Central Plains spread southward and the powerful figures vying for the land fled the Northern Grand Teille.

Nevertheless, those who originally lived in the region remained and started to rebuild in the ruins of an abandoned city, fighting off monsters along the way. Later, criminals gathered in this city since not having a ruler was perfect for them. And yet, even criminals seemed able to accept each other in a mysterious kind of solidarity, living with at least a minimum standard set of morals and rules. One of these unwritten laws states that if one were to break the rules, friends of the victim were allowed to mete out judgement. In this way, Northern Grand Teille flourished without rulers.

Even when the likes of Gustave XIII, Marquis Cantal of Otto, or the Counts of Jade ruled the North, none appear to have exerted military or political force on the cities. In fact, Gustave sensed an incoming pirate attack on Schwarzmadchen and mobilized his army to defend the city. He may have planned to bring the free city under his control around the time of the attack, but in the end did not interfere.

There are certainly some cities which might qualify to be a City-State, such as Schwarzmadchen, the City of Night, but those cities do not have decision-making entities such as a lord or a Senate and public order is maintained among the people via mutual morals and vows. There are no security forces to maintain order, of course, only vigilante groups.