Gruegel
[ Added 05/29/23 ]
Capital City of the Sacred Unified Kingdom, descended from the Hahn Empire
- ・Population: 16,900
- ・Climate: Temperate
- ・Current Ruler: King Sui of Na
- ・Other Notes: Capital of the Country of Na
[ Added 05/29/23 ]
The history of Na dates back all the way to the final years of the Hahn Empire. The distant ancestor of modern Na was established in the year 400, when the Imperial Prince (or rather, his descendant) lost his bid in the inheritance war for the Hahn Empire and fled to the Southern Continent. (The exact details are covered in “The Ancient Empire” section in the History of Sandail.) At the time, people native to the Southern Continent knew nothing of Spells and had only heard rumors of “skills beyond human comprehension”. Then, those fabled skills suddenly struck like lightning when they arrived from the faraway Hahn Empire on the Eastern Continent. One can only imagine the severe culture shock felt by the people upon discovering that the rumors were true. Understandably, the Prince and his retinue were considered superhuman beings and from then onward, the other city-states looked up to him with reverence and formed a grand imperial alliance under his rule. It is for this reason that all the lords and citizens respect the generations of kings descended from Hahn, despite many changes in the structure of the country.
When the original country of Na came into existence, Spells were used to threaten or pacify the city-states around Gruegel into joining the large Empire of the Southern Continent. The descendants of Hahn ruled the newly formed Empire as an absolute monarchy, but as knowledge of Spells began to circulate among the people and the original rulers of the city-states sought independence, the Empire was dissolved in favor of creating an alliance called the Unified Kingdom, where each nation would rule autonomously. Afterwards, each city-state gained more autonomy and the alliance became more of a federation. In other words, the King of Na formally rules over the Unified Kingdom, but each territory is governed independently (in most cases, by the original rulers of the territories). Even so, the sanctity of the King of Na remains intact and he is revered as a symbol of the federation.
The King of Na may be their leader, but leaves matters such as the deployment of troops in wartime and the collection of taxes to the individual lords. This arrangement can be thought of as more of a cooperative military alliance.
Na is the largest country strictly judging from its held territory, but the majority of it is desert with virtually no population or political influence. Even so, domestic merchants set off from Gruegel and travel across the world, allowing the country to flourish through trade.
The citizens of Na are a gentle people, having long ago put down their arms and ceased to engage in large-scale conflict amongst themselves. This is probably the effect of being ruled by successive generations of Kings descended from the Hahn Empire. However, Na still retains a military force for tasks like exterminating monsters.
Compared to the Eastern Continent, Spells are regarded somewhat differently because of the history on the Southern Continent and how Spells were introduced. Steel tools are common and have always been used in daily life, so the Ungifted are not as severely oppressed. Then again, the same ratio of Ungifted exists in the population and the Southern Continent also has its fair share of those gifted in the use of Spells. It is no wonder that Cielmer possesses such high level talent as a Spell Caster. In the end, being able to effectively utilize Spells is entirely dependent on having the Gift.
Steel goods are used more often in rural areas than in urban cities such as Gruegel, The transmission of information to the countryside was slower, thus rural areas were unaware of new developments and continued using Steel tools (which then drastically changed the course of history).
Gruegel is in a temperate zone, but summers are relatively short because of the continental climate. The air is dry because of its proximity to the nearby desert and there is very little rainfall. Since this environment is too harsh for agriculture, food must be imported from elsewhere.
Looking at this emblem, the eye might be first drawn towards the two sickle-like weapons. According to legends passed down through the Royal Family, these were weapons used by the Hahn Empire. Imperial soldiers would pierce and slash their foes, even sending heads flying.
The jewel in the center symbolizes Spells, specifically how they were used to unite nations on the Southern Continent.
Finally, the circle above is said to be the sun with its rays illuminating the land, representing Imperial power and authority spreading across Na.
The Country of Na, from its formation until the present, has constantly faced the problem of independence among the former city-states. Whenever the issue resurfaces, changes are made in the structure of the Country as a means of pacification. Supposedly, present-day Wide is planning to declare complete independence, though they are struggling to think of how to go about it.
Na itself is vast, but the Kairouan Desert occupies most of the actual territory. The terrain makes it difficult to rely solely on domestic industries, so a delicate balance must be struck to maintain the federation while also appeasing the lords.
In the long run, however, it seems that the individual countries will have no choice but to become independent since they have already developed thus far without requiring assistance from Na.
Cielmer brought Sophie and Gustave XIII to Gruegel after they fled Thermes. Perhaps there would have been less for them to worry about had he not accompanied them. Would it not have been safer for them to keep a low profile, also taking into consideration relations between Finney and Na? It was mentioned only briefly during the game, but King Sui was making advances on Sophie. If he had managed to convince her to attend court at the Royal Palace, without a doubt it would have soured relations with Finney. That being the case, it is no wonder that he went around doing this and that to curry favor with Sophie from the start (and with a staggering amount of confidence). This is probably why he gave the homeless mother and child a residence in Gruegel and the territory of Farenheim on the outskirts of Jade. But, Sophie was not so naive as to fall for such a ploy.
Unlike other inland cities, Gruegel can take advantage of the river running through it and never runs out of supplies. A surprising amount of domestic and foreign goods is transported from the port town of Scharnhorst located at the mouth of the Inner River. Originally, Na frequently traded with other regions via maritime trade routes, providing a major source of income for the Country. They did their best to stay ahead of other nations when it came to advancements in ship building and navigational techniques and as a result, Na has what may be the strongest navy in all of Sandail. Their military ships escort trading vessels to all parts of the world and have even more loading capacity than the ones used by merchants. Sometimes the King himself accompanies them for trade abroad. This naval force is what Gustave utilized when landing on the Eastern Continent, of course.
The port at Scharnhorst is well-maintained and not shy to boast about housing the strongest navy in the world. By the way, the favorite pastime of these sailors while in port is enjoying themselves at the local pub.
Tools carried all the way from Vogelang are the primary export. They are definitely famous enough to be sought after worldwide.
This is the first place where Gustave XIII was brought by Cielmer and spends a brief period of his early childhood. He and Sophie end up leaving the town shortly after to avoid the advances of King Sui. Afterwards, Gruegel can be visited after certain scenarios to shop for items and the like.