Political Overview

The history of Arthea has been forged by conflict over scant resources and an almost religious fervour about the dangers of magic. These two themes have have featured in all the political change to influence the lands of the humans since ["The Great Disaster"]. And it is this single event that casts a shadow over all recent history.

It is the Disaster that is responsible for a land that was poorly equipped to produce food for the hungry people, and the Disaster that oulawed magic in the minds of the common people. And so it is this Disaster that is the root cause of the conflicts that have unified the lands. The unification has brought about a lasting peace, and a time of prosperity of a kind never seen before for the humans who inhabit the world

This political situation does not, however, please all people. Prosperity is not universal, and there are many, particularly in the southern lands, who resent their rulers. Political structures are far from perfect, and the incumbent powers use fear and intimidation to maintain control.

The Kingdoms

There are eight distinct nations making up Arthea. ["Ticetia"] and ["Caldonacia"] are the two large countries of the north, while the south has six smaller lands (["Amastia"], ["Jorlinum"], ["Cerlain"], ["Tholain"], ["Hebria"] and ["Limia"]) which were previously joined in a powerful Empire.

It was this Empire's desire to aquire and control the resources of the north that sparked the conflicts that brought about political unification. This was a series of wars that could be won easily by Imperial military might, but took no account of the deviousness of the conquered nations.

Ticetia

In financial terms, Ticetia hasn become the business capital of Arthes. A land which started as a loose group of neighbouring kingdoms has siezed the crown of the unified kingdom, and grown beyond all recognition. It now has a financial base almost as large as any three of the southern kingdoms, and half as big again as Caldonacia. The focus of this money is Arthea's capital city, ["Cellam"].

The nation sees itself as a growing powerhouse of industry and commerce, yet its biggest industry by far is farming. While its industrial base has grown markedly since 1360, food production growth has been even more dramatic, easily keeping pace with the growth in the size of the population.

The people see themselves as a cosmopolitan, welcoming land, filled with straightforward, plain talking and often brutally honest people. This view is shared by many visitors who have met the commoners who live here, but as a nation Ticetia also has a strong reputation for being Machiavellian, well versed in cloak and dagger politics, and as a scheming untrustworthy ally.

Their relationship with Caldonacia is relatively simple. They see the peasants and commoners of Caldonacia as rural bumpkins, their feudal lords as stylish and well heeled but toothless when it came to real power, and their traders are met with distrust because of their commercial reputation. Among some sectors of Ticetian society there is also a new resentment over the technological advances the Caldonacians have made - some feel that the Ticetians should be advancing just as quickly.

Their relationship with the former Imperial countries is far more complex. The old Empire is mistrusted; many see it as an enemy, and there is still a suspicion (and some guilt) among the more liberal feudal lords in Ticetia that there may have been foul play in the way succession was passed to a Ticetian king rather than an Imperial one. It is suspected that there is a movement in the former Empire that is actively seeking the heir to the last Amastian Empress, and this is another source of friction between the powers. The biggest issue for ordinary peasants in Ticetia is the association of Tholain with magic - Ticetians have the most distrust of magic users among the countries, and the way the Empire was founded by wizards is a constant source of irrational fear for them. The imperial houses of Amastia are seen in Ticetia as especially arrogant and overly flamboyant (a feeling that is, of course, mutual).

Caldonacia

A largely rural and agrarian land, Caldonacia struggles to compete financially with the other countries that form the kingdom of Arthea. This is related to the battered psyche of a nation that has often been on the losing side in the series of wars that brought about unification. Even when they've done well in conflict, they've been double-crossed by their allies.

Being dealt this harsh hand by fate has created a proud and often belligerent people. Self-depracating, and cutting in their humour about themselves, they seem to specialise in sarcasm and fatalism. Caldonacians are famed for their dark sense of humour. But this, coupled with their close association with the dwarves living near their land, seems to have also fostered a society that prizes and encourages technical innovation.

The negative mind-set of the whole nation has hampered the political progress of the nation. They've not kept up with the growth in people or economy of the other parts of Arthea, but despite that they've still seen growth in agriculture and, more recently, in industry where their innovation is beginning to pay off.

Being the lesser partners in the unified kingdom, Caldonacia was often the poor partner in negotiations. In the earliest days of the new Kingdom this did affect the nation's dealings with her neighbours, but slowly they learned a new skill - that of negotiation and trade. In recent times, the Caldonacian reputation for shrewd negotiation and cunning diplomacy has become something of a legend.