Remtal

The Freehold of Remtal is one of six in the country of Ryzan. On July 30th, 2021, politician Josbar Liberium was made King of Remtal after the central government decided that Remtal had had too many inactive leaders for too long and that Remtal needed to be revived.

Geography
The northernmost state, it is divided in two, Upper and Lower Remtal. Upper Remtal, in the north, is of a mountainous environment, with large waterfalls, high cliffs, and dense alpine forests. Lower Remtal, in the south and east, is divided into a hilly plain and a dense, lush forest, along the Alrius Ridge. The two territories are split by the River Altio, which flows east from the inner highlands and empties into the Naral Bay, north of the castle. It has a long coastline, jutting out east over western Carthya.

Out of Game History
Remtal was founded in early December of 2020, and the castle was constructed on the 7th.

Donklas, the player who led Remtal for much of its early history, left Stoneworks in late February and the Freehold fell into severe inactivity. Over the months, Remtal cycled through several leaders including Kaiser and Hollow, all of whom paid little attention to the Freehold, ultimately making next to no progress over six months. On July 30th, Josbar0150, a Duma Delegate and former president in Ryzan, was nominated to lead the Freehold. Josbar accepted and began a new recruitment program, quickly growing the Freehold's population and kickstarting a new age of improvement.

Ancient History
The Olthiacs, a fragmented people, migrated south some time ago, destroying local civilisations they encountered, and settling the regions after the powers were abolished. Remtal was founded by Raudozuis, the One Eyed Count, a fearsome naval commander during the Third Migration, across the Naral bay from the ruins of the ancient city of Naral.

Remtal would be a small, unimportant state for much of its history, if an important port, constantly overshadowed by such states as Terost, Genkan, and Motanfet. Around 100 years ago, House Tise would come to power in the city, and 50 years ago, Remtal would begin conquering surrounding city states and fiefdoms, expanding both its influence and borders.

Old History
More recently, under the leadership of Count Donklas Tise, in a bid to gain Remtal more international influence, the County, by now encompassing both Upper and Lower Remtal, would join the Confederacy of Ryzan, becoming a geographically large yet politically minor state.

It would be Donklas who would lead the attempt to preserve Ryzan, forming the Council of Ryzan together with Hees Toldar of Vologda and R3d of Nebskoslavia.

Following the exodus of the Dwarfs of Erebor, Remtal would then claim the rest of the mountains bordering Upper Remtal.

During this period, the citizens of Remtal became well-known for their seamanship and ship construction, constructing some of the largest carracks and caravels the world had ever seen at that point, and was willing to do so for any nation willing to pay for them.

Contemporary History
After being awarding leadership of Remtal, politician and statesman Josbar Liberium proclaimed himself King and set himself to work. First he invited a people far to the east known as the Navarancians to migrate to Remtal, who were in the process of being forcefully removed from their homelands. The ancient castle of Highguard was renamed to Castle Liberium and established as the seat of power for the new Liberium royal family. The original town of Remtal was renamed to Donklasgrad "in honor of the only good leader of Remtal," according to Josbar.

Politics
Remtal is very similiar to Carthya in its system of governance, supporting a democratically-elected federal government while maintaining a monarchist provincial government. National elections typically see the Freehold favor center-left candidates, although like most places is fairly pragmatic electorally. Ryzani-born citizens in the area have notable nationalistic tendencies.

Domestic Relations:
Remtal is a stanch supporter of the Ryzani government run by President Mocoslav Kovalsky. The Freehold also maintains very positive relations with its neighbor to the south, Carthya, with whom the conduct trade with regularly across the bay.

City of Donklasgrad
The port city of Remtal is small, if prosperous. It is home to a few buildings, a castle, and a small farm.

When it was reclaimed by King Josbar Liberium the city turned into a giant construction site, as churches, houses and a massive brewery are being built.

The Castle
The castle, Castle Remtal, was built around 200 years ago, on the site of the original timber fortress constructed by The One Eyed Count when he claimed the territory, overlooking the distant ruins of the old city far across the bay. At the time of construction was among the most advanced in the region. However, as time passed, it's design became more outdated. It was recently redesigned and renovated, and serves as the main defensive implement of the city, aside from the sea-facing terraces. The small castle is precisely one chunk in width and length and is designed to be able to be defended adequately by a single defender. It has a small gatehouse, and a keep reaching the entire length of the wall, with a large Bergfried tower serving as both a defensive implement and a lighthouse.

The Count And King
The Count and King is a large inn that serves as the centerpiece of the town. It is an Adventurer's Hall, meaning that it was designed as a meeting place for travelers, mercenaries, merchants, and adventurers, and was intended to be used as a centerpiece for the town's maritime trade. The inn is a large square construction, with a bottom floor designated for drinking, eating, talking, and revelry, and an upper story, constructed as a wraparound balcony, with rooms for rent. It also has an attached secondary building, of which the bottom is a warehouse for the various merchants which pass through the port, a second story (leveled to the ground floor of the inn) which is a brewery, which specializes in  'Remtal Red', an aged wine produced exclusively at the Hall, and a top floor that acts as a large room for rent by wealthy merchants and foreign delegations. The inn takes its name from the Legend of the Count and King, the legendary heroes of the Olthiacs, who lead the migration to the region, King Wadorcer and Count Raudozuis.

 

The Docks and Sea Terraces
The city of Donklasgrad is situated on the southern side of a high-sided, deep-water bay, which enables large ships to enter the bay for shelter against rain, winds, and waves. However, the side effect of this is that the city is built atop a steep hill, making it difficult to move cargo and people up and down the hill to and from the docks. This was solved by constructing high terraces of stone, which rise about 10 meters above sea level and flattens the hill directly before the castle to provide flat land for a market. A large staircase from the docks to the first terrace enables cargo to be rolled up. The terraces also provide defense against seaborne raids, as the stairway can simply be blocked off by closing the gate. There are crenellations atop the western and eastern portions of the terrace to provide cover in the event of an attack, though the southern terrace is undefended so that cranes can be implemented. There are other layers of shorter terraces, which allow the ground to be flattened and buildings to be constructed on the hill.

The docks are currently small, as they are only intended for small ships, ling galleys, and barges to dock at to unload. Larger ships such as carracks and caravels must anchor in the harbor, and then dispatch its dories with the cargo it had carried.

Population
In game, Remtal has a population of 17 and is rapidly expanding.

Religion
In Remtal, the state religion is the Blue Flame Church imported by the Navarancian settlers, although the Ryzani Constitution enforces freedom of religion, as does the provincial law set by the King.

Laws
Remtal follows the Ryzani Code of Laws in addition to local laws set by the King.