Southern Continent

Austrix

Humankind was born here and evolved with the divine providence of nature.
But when Quells were discovered in Weissland,
the spotlight of human history shifted to the Eastern Continent.
However, the Southern Continent prospered in its own way
and developed various technologies.
And soon they were able to create Tools.
Well, what kind of societal systems do they have here?

[ Added 03/20/22 ]

Shifting Forms of Government

Known as “the Birthplace of Humankind”, the Southern Continent is where the people themselves carved out their own path. Rivers were used to irrigate the land, agriculture was established, and villages were built. Minerals were processed to create weapons and armor, then used to clear the way into unknown lands.

The Southern Continent maintained its own kind of prosperity, different from other civilizations which developed with Quells. It was a world that had nothing to do with Spells until the descendant of the Five Great Emperors emigrated from the Eastern Continent in the 400’s. This way of thinking was a significant factor in bringing about the Age of Steel centuries later.

In 415, the descendant of the Five Emperors established a new city-state, a place where many people gathered after the fall of the Hahn Empire on the Eastern Continent. Thus, the New Empire was founded. The name of the New Empire was eventually changed to “Na”, but the founding of this nation was one of the major factors in pushing the Southern Continent back into the spotlight. And earn the spotlight they did when Tools were developed in Vogelang.

One could say that the entire history of the Southern Continent revolved around the development of Tools. Quells had not been discovered there and their delayed introduction preserved technologies unrelated to their use. Then the emigration of the Emperor’s descendant created the nation.

All these elements combined led to the creation of a system of government different from that of the war-torn lands of the Eastern Continent. The class system formed by the Hahn Empire became essential for ushering in the new era.

Shifts in Government

～3500 BS	Beginning of Civilization
3500 BS ～ 2700 BS	Age of the City-States
2700 BS ～ 470	Age of Calamities
	City-State Established
470 ～ 800	Age of the New Hahn Empire
c. 800 ～ 952	The Age of Tools
952 ～ 1305	The Age of Na
1305 ～	Age of the Peace Treaty

Timeline

4 Million Years Ago	Birth of Humankind (Southern Monkeys)
2.5 Million Years Ago	Discovery of tools (Clever Monkeys)
1.7 Million Years Ago	Bipedal primitive humans appear
Tens of Thousands of Years Ago	Birth of modern humans
35,000 Years Ago	Former primitive humans go extinct
10,000 Years Ago	Birth of agriculture
c. 7000 BS	Villages appear
c. 6000 BS	Birth of steel goods
c. 3500 BS	Establishment of city-states
3300 BS	Birth of steel manufacturing
c. 2700 BS	The Great Flood
800’s BS	Currency appears
400’s BS	Refinement and spread of steel technology
c. 100 BS	Interaction with the Kingdom of Hahn begins
50	The rise of merchants
107	The Great Drought
320	Population recovers from the Great Drought
c. 400	Quells imported from the Eastern Continent
400’s	Influx of intellectuals from the Eastern Continent
415	City-state established by the descendant of the Five Great Emperors
470	Founding of the New Hahn Empire
547	Countries unified under the New Empire
600’s	Golden Age of the Southern Continent begins
c. 800	Tools are invented
952	The New Empire is abolished and renamed.
	Countries are loosely united under “Na”
1240	Gustave XIII takes Wide
1247	Gustave XIII leads troops to the Eastern Continent
1271	Kelvin takes Hahn Nova, then abandons it and returns to Jade
1280	Count Thomas of Jade passes away
1281	Kelvin goes to Na to become Count of Jade
1289	King Sho summons Kelvin
1292	Kelvin dies
1303	King Sho of Na dies
	First Peace Conference begins
1305	Sixth Peace Conference
	Hahn Nova Treaty

Country of Na

470 ～

The Country of Na, officially named in the year 952, is a powerful nation that rules nearly half of the Southern Continent. However, the governmental system became that of a federation, with various monarchies and city-states united under the country called “Na”.

Na was formerly the “New Empire” that united the Southern Continent, originating from the City-State of Gruegel which was built by a descendant of the Five Great Emperors who had emigrated from the Eastern Continent. People began to gather in Gruegel, seeking the patronage of an even-tempered and trustworthy lord, but this was not the only quality that drew people to the city. The Emperor’s descendant had brought with him the mysterious power of Quells and knowledge of how to use them, which also drew other city-states and monarchies to unite under the influence of Gruegel.

This is how the nation gained power without any particular action taken by the descendant himself and became the New Empire in 470, the legitimate successor to the fallen Hahn Empire. Na continued to use the court ranks established on the Eastern Continent because the descendant was a legitimate successor to the Emperor of Hahn. The Country was well respected by all, such that each nation sent their sons to Gruegel to learn etiquette. Then in 547, the entirety of the Southern Continent was united without bloodshed caused by war.

1 Appointment of Court Ranks

The nobles felt great charisma from the descendant of the Five Great Emperors, a trait which greatly influenced his rule of the lands. More importantly, he was the only person in the entire world that was able to appoint Court Ranks. As the country was a federation of states, each lord had the right to govern their own territories and not even the King of Na could intervene in individual domestic affairs aside from areas under his direct control. This mean that the King of Na mostly dealt with matters of diplomacy and acted as mediator between lords in conflict. It is said that the people often consider themselves as citizens of the noble territories rather than citizens of the Country of Na, yet the people adored the Royal Court thanks to its great charisma.

2 Autonomy

The main policy established at the founding of Na was that all nations joining the federation were to be granted autonomy. In return, each of the lords was obligated to pledge an oath to the Country of Na. Political authority and troops were dispersed among all regions so that no one nation would possess excessive power. In the 1200’s, however, the County of Jade obtained support from the Eastern Continent, which began to upset the balance of military power in Na.

3 The Invention of Tools

In the early 800’s, copies of Quells in Vogelang were developed, which led to the invention of Tools. The King of Na then gathered people with the knowledge of their manufacture in the capital city to conduct research. This was done for two reasons. First, the King was genuinely interested in the development of Tools, and second, he wanted to observe and make sure that this new technology would not disturb the peace of the Southern Continent. Afterwards, Tools that were safe to use were released to the general public and mass produced, soon replacing the use of steel goods.

4 Dispatching Troops for Security

In the 800’s, two nobles in the southwestern region were fighting over the ownership of mines and started to mobilize troops, so the King of Na sought to mediate. However, the nobles ignored him and fought repeatedly using their private armies, the damage from this conflict eventually beginning to affect the citizens. The King of Na dispatched the Gruegel Regular Army, which used Tools to completely overpower the private armies. The Regular Army stayed to maintain security and, after a conference with the two nobles, later confiscated their territories. Those lands were added to the demesne under direct control of Na.

Jade

Many nations exist as part of the federation led by the Country of Na, such as city-states, republics, autocracies, monarchies. The most common system of government was territory ruled by specific lords. Jade was one such nation in the Federation and held great influence.

Originally, Jade was the demesne surrounding the stronghold of a local clan which existed far before the founding of Na. When Gruegel extended its sphere of influence under the New Empire, the clan leader was given the title of Count and became an imperial vassal. Jade was able to keep its demesne intact while participating in governmental affairs of the New Empire. Because the Count of Jade became a vassal at the time of the country’s founding, he has always held the power to weigh in on the political affairs of Na. After the conversion to a federation, the County of Jade became completely autonomous in the form that exists today.

1 Position as the Count of Jade

Jade is not a city-state, but a demesne owned by the Count. The Count resides in Jade, the central town, and the citizens live in various surrounding hamlets and settlements. This land is solely governed by the Count and his family since, like other Counties, the demesne was small and sparsely populated.

Originally, Counts serving as vassals to the Country of Na participated in national politics and often stayed in Gruegel. The Count of Jade also has an official residence there. Those Counts who frequently participated in national politics were privy to certain rights and power. In order to preserve their authority, the general rule was to bestow the title of Count upon leaders from nations with little power. In other words, nations with little power were intentionally given high status, which avoided giving any one nation more power than the others and prevented corruption.

Because of this, the County of Jade only included land directly controlled by the Count’s family and had no need for a special system of government. The Count frequently attended to politics in Gruegel, leaving his son and relatives to look after Jade.

2 As a Vassal of Na

The appearance of Gustave XIII in the 1200’s disrupted the standing of Jade County. Thomas, the Count of Jade at the time, was a high ranking official in attendance of court in Na. He had no objections to Gustave’s expansion, as he himself helped with the landing on the Eastern Continent and sent troops in support. The problem lay with his son Kelvin.

By joining his best friend Gustave XIII on the expedition, Kelvin was strengthening his own power. Kelvin is heir to the County of Jade, so him increasing his power implied that Thomas also harbored intentions to expand the demesne of Jade. This put the County of Jade in a difficult position in Na politics. So Thomas, regarding Kelvin as the sole successor to his title, instructed him to merely observe Gustave XIII without meddling in his affairs.

At Court in Na, Count Thomas argued in favor of the legitimacy of Gustave’s campaign, which in turn would vindicate Kelvin’s actions. Just as his hard work was about to bear fruit, Thomas received news that Kelvin had married Marie, the biological sister of Gustave and former wife of Marquis Cantal of Otto. Thomas tried to save face by resigning from his position, but King Sho forced him to stay at Court. Afterwards, Thomas continued running about protecting Jade and its citizens from being carried away by the consequences of Kelvin’s actions. This continued until his death in 1280 at the age of 93. Sir Thomas’ last words were “You fool…”, commenting on his son’s repeated campaigns on the Eastern Continent.

One could say that the main policy of Jade was Sir Thomas’ skill in diplomacy, which was later carried on by his great-grandson David. In this way, the County of Jade was able to persevere above and beyond the troubles mediated by Thomas.

Wide

The eastern coastline of the Southern Continent is a fertile region where people have gathered since ancient times. Many city-states have been founded there. Wide was originally one of those republican city-states, but in modern times is titled land ruled by a single lord.

Wide was not always antagonistic towards the Country of Na. As can be seen on its coat of arms, which includes the crest of Na, Wide is still a member of the federation. However, several generations of lords in Wide have taken a stance against the leaders of Na, which led to Wide spearheading a movement against the Country of Na.

1 Lack of Human Resources

Wide was a nation previously supported by many excellent vassals. Those vassals were allowed to make the best of their own special abilities and actively participated in domestic affairs. Commerce focused around foreign trade and continues to thrive in the present day. However, the nation always fell behind in terms of military prowess. Because the court was comprised of civil officials, they lacked knowledge of matters related to the military. Without addressing this weakness, they could not even consider rebelling against the powerful Country of Na, so Wide began searching for capable persons well versed in military tactics.

2 Under Gustave’s Control

After Gustave XIII conquered Wide, he utilized the vassals that were already employed by the previous lord to manage governmental affairs. In fact, the organization of Wide remained largely unchanged aside from a change of leader. Gustave himself handled the military and organized the Steel Soldiers, which filled in the nation’s longstanding lack of military power.

After Gustave invaded the Eastern Continent, the Count of Jade supervised the city in his absence and the civil officials who remained behind ran the government without problem.

Vogelang

Vogelang is located near the Grand Desert which stretches across the Southern Continent. It is the town that developed the first Tools after several veins of resonant stone were discovered nearby.

The town focuses on commerce and is ruled by the people themselves. Though formally a territory under the Country of Na, Vogelang is a town held in high regard and enjoys patronage from Na in the form of support for Tool development and protection against invasions of monsters. Na sent the minimum amount of troops to establish a garrison, since the town is in the wastelands, but is not involved in the town’s government.