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 acquire 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 has become the business capital of Arthea. A land which started as a loose group of neighbouring kingdoms has seized 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 theiir political progress. 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 often struggled 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.
Caldonacia view of Ticetia is of a land of arrogant and untrustworthy lords but a pleasant and welcoming population. There is a strong undercurrent of distrust of Ticetian political rule, it is the Ticetians who are blamed for oppressive rule and there is strong mistrust of all political laws and rules imposed from Cellam - all such impositions are never made with the good of Caldonacia in mind.
The view of the former imperial lands to the south is little different to that of Ticetia. The Empire dealt in magic, this makes them feared, and the much heralded 'liberation' of Caldonacia from Ticetian control before unification is seen as another conquest. The Imperials, it would seem, are blamed for the abandoning of the lands south of ["Loudman"] and ["Saltley"], which were once part of the bustling rural life of the nation. While the all the imperial nations are often grouped in the minds of peasants as 'lands who use magic', it is recognised that the main core of this is in Tholain, who is especially distrusted. Despite this, there is a degree of common friendship with the Hebrian people, whose political position in the Empire was much like the position of Caldonacia in Arthea today.
The Former Empire
There are six nations that made up the Amastus Empire, and through political upheaval this was later replaced by the Carrodian Empire. As the Empire grew and changed the relations between its nations developed. The Empire flourished strongly under the control of the royal house of Amastus, and the influence of Amastia has coloured all the political relationships between these countries for seven hundred years.
Amastia
Although they did not form the first Empire, Amastia lead it for many years. The royal house of Amastus became the controlling Imperial House and gave rise to generations of political stresses. The other nations in the Empire have grown a grudging respect for the political and administrative control exerted by Amastus that kept the Empire together and well organised. In reality this was burden and took huge amounts of planning - this has become ingrained into the culture of the nation, and in recent times is seen as a bit of a joke. The stereotypical view of an Amastian among other nations of the former Empire is of an ordered, rules-oriented official. This is unfair, but the general population of Amastia are genuinely more dour and more straight-laced than many of their neighbours.
Tholain
The feeling among all the other nations is one of heavy distrust of the magical powers of the political elite of this land. While it is many long years since the leaders of this nation were involved in this to a great degree, the reputation has persisted. This makes the people of Tholain into a proud and independent-minded folk. There is also a feeling that the Empire, which was forged through Tholain magical might, has been stolen and twisted into something that benefits Tholain far less.
Jorlinum
Separated from the other nations of the Empire, Jorlinum always had a frontier feeling during the earliest years of the Empire, although many of the population felt that Jorlinum surrendered too easily. The political structures of the country are not wholly in line with those of others in the Empire - even during its height they were often out of step with the political mainstream in Amastia. The importance of Jorlinum grew with the wars with Ticetia, as the west and north of the land became both a mustering point and a training ground for the Imperial army. This happened several time, and gave the nation more purpose and drew it closer to the heart of the Empire at the time.
Cerlain
Limia