Ovania City

Ovania City is the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Ovania.

It is located on the continent of Arsine, in Eldham.

Foundation
Ovania City was founded on November 17, 2021 by TheOneTheseus as a city in Malucia. After a brief period of existence, Malucia effectively dissolved due to mismanagement, and Ovania became a free city. During this period, the city took in refugees from Malucia, as well as a few of Theseus' close friends to form the core citizenship.

Growth
During and shortly after the collapse of Malucia, Ovania peaked in membership, taking in many Malu refugees to bolster its numbers. This massive boost in population caused an acceleration in the growth of the city. Entire forests were chopped in days. Hundreds of diamonds, gold bars, and ores were mined, and houses were popping up left and right. The city entered a golden age. Behind the scenes, however, TheOneTheseus hosted diplomatic talks with Ravenguard, demanding independence, spreading false information, and inciting panic, all in service to his own interests.

Theseus' Era
During the middle history of Ovania, several noteworthy events occurred. There was a massive effort put forth to terraform a huge plot of land in what was then a thick dark oak forest. Eventually, plans were put forth by Theseus to construct a palace in the newly acquired land. The land was flattened after some days, and construction began shortly after that, overseen chiefly by one builder commissioned by Theseus.

While the palace was in its early stages of construction, a string of burglaries occurred in quick succession across the city. It was barely noticed at first. A few logs here, a few diamonds there, and a feeling that something wasn't right. The thief eventually became complacent and began stealing enchanted items and hording community materials. An investigation was launched at the behest of several citizens, until eventually the burglar's stash was revealed. A secret bunker beneath the city, lined completely with quartz blocks. It was sickeningly opulent. He had his own personal farm, decorative trees in every corner, an industrial distillery, and countless other luxuries financed by his treachery. His stolen assets were seized, and he was banished from the city forever. Minor thefts occurred for some time after that, but never on this scale again.

Theseus also began negotiations with the Iron Freeholds during this time. The Freeholds were very receptive to his diplomacy, and offered Ovania alliances and even vassalage. Theseus used his position between three major nations to influence politics in his favor and play each side against each-other. He promised to become a vassal of the Iron Freeholds if they would support him in a war against Ravenguard. He told Ravenguard that their allies were plotting to invade them. He likely appealed to other large nations to support his independence against Ravenguard. Through all this, Theseus nearly willed a war into existence using nothing but lies, deception, and manipulation.

Crisis
Though Ovania was, for a time, stable and successful, it was ultimately a product of Malucia, and the apple never falls far from the tree. On December 21, 2021, Theseus announced his resignation as emperor. He appointed ThiccMidgett to ascend the throne, and then disappeared.

The days immediately following Theseus' resignation were rough. ThiccMidgett did his best to fill the role of emperor, but he had no prior leadership experience. He had been left in the dark about all political and diplomatic circumstances. He didn't know what was happening, or what to do next. Regardless, he addressed the citizens of Ovania, sending off Theseus and inspiring hope for the future. To make matters worse, a group of Goons attacked the city, terrorized one of its citizens for hours, and made off with several pieces of valuable equipment. The very next day, Theseus returned, stole the majority of Ovania's wealth, and disappeared again, not resurfacing for months. The city itself was built on lies. It was never about creating a powerful city, admired by all, as Theseus said it would be. it was a resource gathering operation made to fund his own schemes to acquire more power. Theseus told many lies to many people in the pursuit of his goals, and in the end, he never faced the consequences of his actions. He merely walked away from the problems he created and rode the wave to a more powerful position in the world.

Midgett's Era
ThiccMidgett began his reign as what was then the position of emperor reluctantly. He was unsure of himself, and discouraged by the sorry state that Theseus had left the City in. Theseus' close friends left the city with him, leaving holes in the government structure and the citizenry. Over time, Midgett slowly gained experience and confidence in his new role. He recruited new people, improved the government's policies, created new policies, expanded infrastructure, and generally did his best to improve the city. He made some mistakes too, of course. One of the new citizens took advantage of his hospitality, stealing from some people's homes and selling the goods to the highest bidder. He was dealt with, and an improved enforcement policy prevented any future thefts from occurring.

Overall, the city has been slowly growing and improving under Midgett's rule, despite the hardships and challenges he has been faced with. The palace, long left stagnant and half-finished after Theseus' departure, has started construction again at a steady pace. New citizens continue to trickle into the population, and there is generally renewed interest to see where the country will go.

The Golden Lamb
Some time into ThiccMidgett's era of leadership, a mysterious capsule seemed to have fallen from the sky and landed behind the organ house. It had a single gold block inside and unreadable text on the four sides. After some offerings, one side was deciphered, it read: "Break and bend, he makes the men. Out of greed, they take the golden lamb". Obviously very confused, the citizens left a sign asking for who did this. To their surprise a sign came back with stating "your offerings are weak, but I shall tell you. The Golden Lamb". Some days earlier a citizen had left and stated "Beware the golden lamb". The citizens connected the dots and have begun an ongoing investigation.

Structure
The government is organized into tiers of ascending responsibility, starting with the common citizens. Citizens have no governmental responsibilities, but are encouraged to share their opinions and suggestions with government officials. Moving up, Nobles are responsible for giving effective and wise counsel to their baron, and assisting in the governance of his city. Above Nobles are Barons, who each run a city of their own under the supervision of the Grand Duke. They are responsible for making important decisions for their city, ensuring the safety of their citizens, and executing the Grand Duke's will. The ministers occupy their own wing of government independent from the city ranks, instead being accountable directly to the Grand Duke and his Council. They are responsible for administrating their own respective sectors of government, as well as coordinating with each other to ensure utmost efficiency. The High Council is responsible for the daily governmental tasks needed to keep the Duchy running smoothly, as well as providing counsel to the Grand Duke. They are also granted many Legislative, Judicial, and Administrative powers under the oversight of the Grand Duke. All the way at the top, the Grand Duke takes on the weighty responsibility of governing and maintaining the entire Duchy. He holds ultimate power over all tiers of government, and must work to keep them in harmony with each other and the Duchy as a whole. The Grand Duke is also the supreme commander of the military, and is the only person with the power to declare war on another nation.

Hierarchy
The Ovanian military is structured in a manner that allows tight coordination and teamwork between individual soldiers. Organized into subdivided groups, the military contains ranks from Footman all the way to Grand General, each with ascending honor and privilege. The Ranks are as follows in hierarchical order: Footman, Knight, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Field Marshall, and finally, the Grand General, who himself owes allegiance to and executes the will of the Grand Duke.