Drackar

The Kingdom of Drackar is a nation located in Eldham on the continents of Phoros and Valresh. It is a Diarchy lead by King Roland Drummon and King UncleSn.

A Drackarian city, Draco, holds the record for the most populous town in Eldham with over 100 citizens.

Etymology
There are mainly two theories about the origin of the name Drackar.

The first hypothesis claims that it derives from the longships called Drakkar, widely spread in the navy of Drackar, and used during the exodus of the Drackarian people from Yunria to the their new territories in Phoros.

The second theory, which is given more credit, argues instead that the name Drackar is a union of the initials of two important cities for the Drackarian culture, Draco and Karak.

Drackarian people
The birth of the Drackarian people took place in the territories of Yunria, where the first contact occured between the Avari group of Heizen and Karak, led by Drummon and the Draaken group of Yuan, led by UncleSn.

The three cities, aided by their proximity, soon began to collaborate and to develop a sense of brotherhood, which was put to the test during Yunria's war against Aureus. The main battle of the conflict took place in Karak, where the two groups valiantly fought side by side for Yunria, scoring a decisive victory for their nation.

After the war, the Avari citizens of Heizen and Karak welcomed the Draaken warriors as brothers, for they had fought and repelled the invaders of their land. Concord between the two cultures kept growing by the day thus the leaders of the two groups, Drummon and UncleSn, aware of the widespread mistrust towards the Yunrian government among their own people, began to cultivate an ambition of creating a nation to call their own, where the two cultures could unite under one banner, Drackar.

Treaty of Hefnaheim
Thanks to the articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty of Hefnaheim, signed on the 9th of March 2022, between Skjoldrbrodir and Drackar, the Drackarian people were able to secure for themselves land rights in exchange for their support in the second battle of Hefnaheim. Article 2 In exchange for our future alliance and for the help offered by the Drackarian army, Skjoldbrodir will grant to the Drackarian people some lands at a symbolic price.

Article 3 The Drackarian people will establish the Kingdom of Drackar on the granted land. The newfound kingdom should be guaranteed independence and recognised of its absolute sovereignty over the granted lands by Skjoldrbrodir. After the victory of the alliance between Skjoldrbrodir and Drackar against Mosir-Sumari, the Drackarian people finally got the chance to create their own nation, as stated by the terms of the treaty. On the 12th of March the Diarchy of Drackar was finally born and the cities of Neapovil and Draco were founded respectively by Drummon and UncleSn, with Neapovil becoming the capital of the Kingdom.

New settlements and the Yunria-Drackar agreement
Soon Drackar begins to develop quickly on all fronts, especially thanks to his rigid social system. Drackarian citizens and warriors grow in numbers in a short time, as does the nation's resources. And so the first secondary settlements within the nation were also born: Ankou, Silveria, Kord and Feeilong. Furthermore, the splendid city of Carnenotonia, long abandoned, but which drackar had inherited in its own territories, is repopulated and made flourishing again.

Drackar also begins to open up to diplomacy, and first enters into a treaty of non-aggression and collaboration with the nation of Khazad-Dum. Then the Diarchs sign a military alliance with the Democratic Kingdom of Yunria, and in exchange, due to new established relations, Karak and Heizen, the Drackarian people hometowns, are donated back to Drackar.

Thanks to the return of Karak and Heizen under the influence of its Avari people, the Province of Karak was founded directly under the Kingdom of Drackar, with the homonymous city as its capital. The nation thus has the opportunity to expand into the continent of Valresh and to strengthen its international position.

Nether fights and The Lightning Pact
Drackar's soldiers from the beginning of April start a strong campaign of control and garrison of the territories in the nether sending many regiments of soldiers to the place. The goal of the mission was to protect the workers of the nation, in order to allow them to undermine resources and to fishing for rare objects with greater safety. However, violent and frequent clashes with Goonguard's troops immediately began, the soldiers of the empire had started coming to the nether for the same reason as those of Drackar, and thus numerous battles broke out for the control of the territories and the obtaining of resources.

Meanwhile, Drackar on April 2nd signs The Lightning Pact with the Kingdom of Scylding, a military alliance. Immediately the two nations began to support each other in the fighting in the nether against Goonguard who in the meantime had found the support of Vinovia and some former members of Ulfaeng.

The fighting goes on for the whole of April with the Diarchy of Drackar and its allies that manage to obtain victories in most of the clashes, even if with great losses and always fighting to the limit against the skilled troops of Goonguard, Ulfaeng and Vinovia.

Geography
The territories of the Kingdom of Drackar are located mainly on the continent of Phoros. Even if they are not too large, these lands are rich in different climates and environments. Drackar in its domains in Phoros is bordered to the north by Aristios, to the north-east by Gardenia, to the south by Rodinnbrok and to the west by the sea.

The Kingdom however has also some significant possessions on the continent of Valresh. These territories are divided in the Province of Yujava and in the Province of New Nathria and they occupy most of Eldham's north-east corner. These territories border at north-east with Cognia, at east with Yuvaria and at South with Zhon.

Territorial division and towns
The Kingdom of Drackar is divided into provinces, currently four, and overseas territories.

Drackar
The Province of Drackar is located in the continent of Phoros, and consists of the territories obtained by the Kingdom at its foundation thanks to the Treaty of Hefnaeim. These territories represent the main center of live inside the nation, and are those with the highest density of inhabitants and cities. The province's capital is Neapovil, which is also the capital of the entire Kingdom of Drackar and therefore where the diarchs reside and the council meet.

The Province of Drackar is bordered to the north by Aristos, to the east by Gardenia and to the south by Skjoldrbrodir.

Yujava
The Province of Yujava (formerly Coac) is located in the north-east of Eldham, in the continent of Valresh. Yujava is borderd to the north by Cognia and to the south by the Province of New Nathria and the Second Kingdom Yuvaria. The territories are vast and rich in natural diversity and ecosystems and the population of the area has a deep and long-lived history and culture. The province's capital is Savalay, located central inside Yujava.

Yujava, as stated by the Drackar-Yujava merger pact, is an autonomous province, with an own political system and an own governor with the right to handle all the provincial internals matters. Also with the entry of Yujava into Drackar, the former Karak province was divided. And so Karak became part of the territories of Yujava, while Heizen of those of New Nathria.

New Nathria
The Province of New Nathria is located in the continent of Valresh and it's directly under the control of the Kings, although there is a governor, Idroogen, in charge of maintaining the safety of the area. New Nathria borders with the Province of Juvaya at north, Majulah at west, Yuvaria at east and Zhon at south. The capital of the province is the city of Heizen.

The territories of this province became part of Drackar thanks to their occupation during the Yunrian-Ellysian crisis. The cities of the region, many already under the Drackarian culture influence, had decided to join Drackar, who had promptly occupied and secured the area from the Ellysians which a little later surrendered and left the north east.

Overseas territories
The sea territories belonging to the Kingdom are defined "overseas territories".

Currently the overseas territories are represented exclusively by the Island of Kord, governed by Kaevaeil and located in the sea along the west coast of the Province of Drackar. The island is primarily a maritime military outpost of the nation, with a solid fort built by Kaevaeil at the center of it.

Government
The nation is ruled by two kings, both descendants of the two main Drackarian noble houses and equal in authority, so that one cannot act without the approval of the other. The competecies of the kings pertain the religious, military and juridical aspects of the kingdom.

High state decision are discussed by the Supreme Council of Drackar, as well as civil and criminal cases. The Supreme Council may decide to extend the discussion of certain matters to other minor councils.

Government laws and efforts configure the Drackarian society to maximize military proficiency, focusing most of the social institutions on martial training and arms production.

Culture
The people of Drackar were born mainly from two cultural groups, the Avari, from which the citizens of Heizen and Karak came, and the Draaken, from which the inhabitants of Yuan came. Despite the strong differences in racial aspect, between the two groups there has always been a strong relation of friendship and kindred, so much so, that they manage put aside their divergences and unite as a whole.

Common values that characterize the inhabitants of Drackar, are above all martial virtues, courage, honor, and absolute loyalty to their kings and nation. Citizens are very keen on respecting traditions, but Drackar is also a nation that embraces innovation, always looking for ways to improve his military might.

Allegedly, Drackarian people are prohibited from possessing gold coins, and according to legend Drackar's currency consists of iron bars to discourage hoarding.

Youth and education
Drackar is above all a military nation, and the training of its denizens begins since the very beginning of their lives. On the first day of their lifes, the newborns will be placed inside a basket and left in the nearest forest where they will spend the night. Only those who pass the trial will be consireded worthy of becoming citizens of Drackar and no sorrow will be spent for those who didn’t.

Male Drackarian children begin their martial training at the age of eight. This system is designed to encourage discipline and martial prowess among the younglings and to kindle a sense of comradery amidst them. As a matter of fact boys during their training share barracks with their future company colleagues, and they are fed austere ration, consisting mainly of wheat, barley, oats and scraps of meat. They are trained to survive on their own and even theft is encouraged. In addition to martial training, they study mathematics,writing,music and poetry.

Less information is available about the education of Drackarian girls, but it seems that they are given a fairly extensive education, very similar to the one given to the males, but with less emphasis on military training. Their studies includes music, dancing, singing and poetry.

Military life
At age 19, the Drackarian citizen is assigned in one of the army's brigades, composed of about fifteen members each. every citizen is required to be a member of a brigade. There each group learns how to bond and rely on one another. Only natives Drackarian are considered full citizens and are obliged to undergo military training, as well as contributing to the maintanance of the army.

Drackarian men remaines in the active reserve until age 60. Men are encouraged to marry at age 20 but can not live with their families until they left their active military service at age 30.

Agriculture
Drackar's agriculture consists mainly of carrots, wine, cheese, grain, sugar canes and potatoes. These items are grown locally in each Drackarian city.

Drackarian inhabitants are required to donate a certain amount of their yields to the army or the government. These donations are a requirement for every citizen. All the donated food is then redistributed to feed the Drackarian population. The owners of the agricultural lands are fed using a portion of what they harvested.

Architecture
The Kingdom of Drackar is a mix of different building and cultural styles, mainly focused on a medieval design. Given the strong military propensity of the nation, most of the cities of Drackar are heavily fortified and almost all located in territories with natural defensive characteristics.

The cities of Drackar related to the Avari people, Karak, Neapovil, Heizen and Kord are very similar in style of architecture, as they were designed in pairs by the same architects, TemplareArrapato and Kaevaeil.

Religion
Freedom of religion is currently in force in Drackar.

At the birth of the nation, the most widespread religion was the Umbraism, practiced by almost all the Avari group of Drackar and in the cities of Heizen, Karak and Neapovil. However, there are several minorities like the Dygrathos and the Draconism, especially among the Draaken people.

The arrival of Ratism
Recently a new religion has begun to spread amongst the citizens of Drackar, Ratism. The Cult of the Ratking was introduced to Neapovil by the ambassador of the Kingdom, Idroogen, who converted to the vermin faith whilst travelling on the road to the Rattican City, birthplace of the Rat creed.

After its first introduction the cult has begun to rapidly amass flocks of worshippers, spreading far and wide amongst the Dragon kingdom and It is believed that it will soon replace Umbraism as the main religion of the realm.

However since its first spread felines companions have begun to disappear all over Drackar, is it just a coincidence or might it be a manifestation of the will of the Ratking?

Military
The Drackarian army is widely considered to be among the best in all Eldham, thanks to the way of life in Drackar, warriors are skilled, powerful and disciplined.

Second battle of Hefnaheim
The second battle of Hefnaheim is central to the birth of the Kingdom of Drackar, as its outcome allowed the Drackarian people to obtain territories on the continent of Phoros from the Jarldom of Skjoldrbrodir, as stated by the terms of the Treaty of Hefnaheim.

On the 12th of March 2022, unbekwonst to the mosir-sumarian forces, over 30 Drackarian warriors, led by their valorous leaders and by the Marshal Kaevaeil, joined the defenses of Hefnaheim along with Skjoldrbrodir and its allies. The Covenant of Embers, led by Mosir-Sumari, unaware of the Drackarian reinforcements until the very last moment, decided to procede with Hefnaheim's siege as planned, encouraged by the apparently dwindling number of its defenders. The advantage of the defenders, however, was clear from the very beginning, and the contribution of Drackar's skilled warriors was essential in crushing and completely annihilating the Sumari offensive.

After the failed siege attempt by the Covenant of Embers army, Drackar's war-leaders, who had already planned a counteroffensive, made sure that Hefnaheim would hold, quickly coordinated a counterattack on the enemy town of Itakshiir, the capital of Mosir-Sumari. The Drackarian elite troops, some of whom were already stationed near the city before the beginning of the battle, launched a surprise attack on Itakshiir, which, left unmanned by most of its soldiers, quickly fell under the Drackarian offensive.

The city was hastily sacked, and most of its valuables stolen. Drackar's soldiers quickly achieved a crushing victory, securing territories in Phoros and reversing the tide of the long fought conflict between the Covenant of Embers and Skjoldrbrodir, which balance, until then, seemed to be firmly verging on Mosir-Sumari's favor.

Diplomacy

 * Treaty of Hefnaheim: Defensive alliance between the Diarchy of Drackar and the Jarldom of Skjoldrbrodir, signed the 9th of March 2022.
 * Treaty of Neapovil: Collaboration agreement between the Diarchy of Drackar and the Dwarven Kingdom of Khazad-Dum, signed the 15th of March 2022.
 * Drackar-Yunria alliance and land agreement: Military alliance and land agreement (Karak and Heizen given to Drackar) between the Diarchy of Drackar and the Constitutional Monarchy of Yunria signed the 22nd of March 2022.
 * Lightning Pact: Military alliance between Drackar and the Kingdom of Scylding, signed the 2nd of April 2022.
 * Drackar-Yujava merger pact: Merger pact between Drackar and the ex-Yunrian Province of Yujava signed the 15th of April 2022.
 * Drackar-Mercury merger pact: Merger pact between Drackar and the ex-Yunrian Province of Mercury signed the 27th of April 2022.

Diplomacy links

 * Treaty of Hefnaeim: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZgDKf18Flldx__fzu6s9asUsRmlar6iR40psETkYohk/edit?pli=1
 * Treaty of Neapovil: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BAnSl9XBiqSe8aS9FgjPdgKtd8yV0LY6GdttHVcN41A/edit
 * Drackar-Yujava merger pact: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cDZzBscBm8_joyu_x2lseautm4ZhFqQA3xU43Lg0DuU/edit
 * Drackar-Mercury merger pact: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uVIgp-jO-zI_90_FyMNvN35-rGWGf_2zeTWoZtD7GyI/edit
 * Lightning pact: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y_Z9wsrujTw99agNgCPPp3YBhtNguHH76RGc0z0Gw9M/edit

Announcements

 * Drackar's birth announcement (Drummon 03/12/2022): https://imgur.com/a/65Z0JV3
 * Treaty of Neapovil announcement (Drummon, 03/16/2022): https://imgur.com/a/9qIUuUB
 * Drackar-Yunria agreement announcement (UncleSn, 03/22/2022): https://imgur.com/a/UUSnLFf
 * Lightning pact announcement (UncleSn, 04/02/2022): https://imgur.com/a/tc3uLWp
 * Support announcement to Hark (UncleSn, 04/07/2022): https://imgur.com/a/3eDLJLX
 * Drackar-Yujava merger announcement (Alexi, 04/15/2022): https://imgur.com/a/DxtetyD
 * Declaration of war on Ellysia (Kaevaeil, 04/15/2022): https://imgur.com/a/OQQz5mU
 * Declaration of war on Aureus (UncleSn, 04/19/2022): https://imgur.com/a/v1KMHiN
 * Ratism announcement (Idroogen, 04/22/2022): https://imgur.com/xj7ffVC