Kasimar



Kasimar is a predominantly human nation taking up much of the area of the continent of Deltin. Its capital and throne are the city of Calamont, in the Bay of Crowns. Kasimar is a kingdom ruled by Peter Karpatheon II. The nation once controlled almost all of Deltin, but over the past two hundred years has lost a number of its territories. Kasimar people have a reputation for being ambitious, cosmopolitan, and haughty, though it produces all kinds of personalities as all kinds of people filter through its borders.

Geography & Climate
Due to its size, the various regions of Kasimar enjoy a variety of different climates and terrains. Starting from the far west, the region of Seratos borders on the Sea Beyond and the Middle Sea, giving it a temperate climate and mild winters. Between its two mountain regions, this region supports one of the most fertile farm valleys in the world. East of Seratos lies Lake Country and the Bay of Crowns, the seat of monarchic power in Kasimar. Asside from its many lakes, forests, rivers, and marshes, the region houses numerous cities and castles and has a relatively high population density. Finally, to the southeast of Lake Country lies the region of Dragonslake, which borders on Arqar-Sharri to the southwest and Byros to the east. This region, apart from its titular castle and a few towns and cities, has a more sparse population owing to its short growing season. Its people make up for this by fishing in the waters of Arellon's Tooth.

History
Between 100-200 years after the Landing in the Reachlands, about 3,000 years before Gregen's Stand, men moved south to found Kasimar in what is now Lake Country. Within a couple of centuries, nearly the entirety of Deltin was under control of the humans of Kasimar, thanks entirely to the discovery of iron smithing and the raising of the first ever standing army of men, the Fifty Thousand. Under the leadership of General Horace, the Fist of Men, this army crashed into the Drowned occupying what is now Byros and drove them bleeding back to Vardengül. Horace's star blazed brightly but briefly, as a subsequent attempt to invade Arqar-Sharri ended before it began, with the desert heat, disease, and exhaustion reducing the numbers of the Fifty Thousand by nearly half. However, the conquests of Horace would stand for centuries and include Seratos and Byros.

Around 1,000 years BGS, Kasimar would survive assaults from two enemies on two fronts. The Invasion of the Red King, taking place in 990 BGS, saw the forces of Jahar Mahtuub, the Red King of the Sharri, invade Kasimar by way of the Middle Sea. His army was broken against the walls of Calamont, and was routed in the field by the Kasimar forces. It remains the last time that Calamont has been besieged. In 988 BGS, Drowned invaded by way of Shipsbottom Bay but were repelled by a combined force of royal soldiers and free-riders from what is now Byros. This event became known as the Shipsbottom Invasion and represents one of the last armed alliances between Kasimar and Byros. In 843 BGS, the Reachlands declared independence and won the resulting War for the Reachlands to retain their claim. The Reachlanders today have a culture all their own, wild and proud, separate from Kasimar.

By 685 BGS, Byrosian culture had developed an identity all its own. The free-spirited Byrosians saw no need to operate under the crown of Kasimar and declared independence, setting off the Wars for Byrosian Independence which would last hundreds of years. It took until 499 BGS for Kasimar to finally yield independence to Byros, losing a large portion of its territory. Wars between the two nations raged on and off until the War of the Narrow, which began in 2 BGS. The finale of the war was Gregen's Stand itself, in which the Byrosian hero Gregen the Strong held the Narrow against a massive force of Kasimar soldiers with just five hundred knights. The Kasimar and Byrosians made peace with Gregen's Pact, a peace which stands to this day and became the epoch event of the modern era. The calendar is stilled counted in years since Gregen's Stand.

Today, Kasimar faces the boiling possibility of war on multiple fronts. The western region of Seratos is strongly considering seceeding from Kasimar, a claim supported by the independent Reachlanders. Relations with Arqar-Sharri are chilly at best. Furthermore, intrigue in the capital city threatens to cripple the nation from within. It remains to be seen whether the thousands of years of Kasimar dominance will continue for much longer.

Culture & Demographics
Though Kasimar is a nation of humans first and foremost, it is no stranger to visitors from other countries, nor to other races. The sharri occasionally can be found hawking their exotic wares in the markets of large cities across Kasimar. Nubakens from across the Glasswater bring treasures from the jungles of their homeland. Most predominantly, Byrosians filter through the nation, often setting down roots in Kasimar cities and leaving laughing red-haired children in their wake. Kasimar have brown hair and blue eyes, and relatively fair skin. Mixed-race Kasimar and Byrosian people often have brown hair and green eyes.

The natives of Kasimar are often seen as haughty and ambitious. A great degree of importance is placed on advancement within society, particularly in the upper classes. It is often a noble's ambition to be a high lord, and every Kasimar stableboy has dreamed of being a knight. This trait can often make the Kasimar appear highstrung to other peoples, though the Kasimar could usually care less. Some Kasimar, knights in particular, hold their personal honor in high regard and will often refuse to do something that could compromise it- at least when others are watching.

Culture in Kasimar often revolves around religion, in particular the worship of Gaat, the Sun God. Temples exist in nearly every Kasimar settlement in some form to allow worship to the Sun God. Knights are blessed in his name on the day of their knighting, as are babies on the day of their naming. Priests of the Sun God, called the Keepers of Light, travel from town to town or maintain the shrines of worship in a particular place, offering blessings and guidance from the Book of Light. Several important religious festivals are observed across the nation, such as the Parade of Colors.

Government & Military
The ruler of Kasimar, King Peter, sits on his throne at Calamont along with his circle of advisors. The king is ultimately in charge of all laws of the nation, though most would agree that Peter is a reasonable king by any standard. To enforce the law and protect the nation, soldiers of the royal army are stationed at castles and cities across the nation. The standing army of Calamont comprises some 15,000 men; all told, the entire strength of the royal army totals perhaps 50,000.

The army of the nation is made up of trained footsoldiers and spearmen, but the strength of Kasimar's army lies in its knights and heavy cavalry. Kasimar knights are highly skilled warriors who wear heavy steel plate armor, annointed with holy oils and chants by Keepers of Light before battle. The sound of hooves thundering over them has been the last thing many enemies of Kasimar experience on the battlefield. Knights are seen by the common folk as paragons of virtue and skill-at-arms, something for all young men to aspire to become. Off the battlefield, however, knights may turn to other vices.

Occasionally, the crown may hire bands of sellswords or Byrosian free-riders to supplement a force in battle, or to accompany trade caravans when no other force can be mustered. Lately, some say that too much of the peace is being kept by hired men, who are apt to turn at the first sign of true battle- or at the jingling of the enemy's coinpurse.

Trade & Industry
Kasimar's size and variety of terrain means it produces a lot of different trade goods as well. Fishermen from Dragonslake and other towns bordering Arellon's Tooth trade huge amounts of fish. Farmers from the fertile valleys of Seratos trade crops by the tonne. Smiths in Lake Country produce some of the highest-quality steel in the entire world, in-demand across Deltin. Kasimar has long-standing trade agreements with the Byrosians, from which it imports cotton, horses and alcohol, and Arqar-Sharri, from which glass, spices, and exotic items like perfumes are brought in.