Kingdom of Nycenia

Location: Southeast.

Capital: Narcena City.

Natural Resources: Large Open Fields and Farmland, Coal Deposits, Limited Ore Deposits, Evergreen/Deciduous and Small Bamboo Forests for Charcoal and Firewood, Northern River, Large Lakes and Streams, Freshwater Inland Fishing, Ocean and Coastal Fishing.

Environment: Even Climate in Non-Storm Season, Moderate Humidity In Warm Season, Dry Even Temperatures With High Draft Winds to Help Power Furnaces In Winter, Open Plains, Minor Flooding in the Northeast and Southwest, Wide Coastal Region, Southeastern Chain of Islands Receives Light Snow in Winter and Tropical Temperatures in Warm Seasons.

Major Sources of Income: Arms and Armor, Military Technology (Schematics and Consultations), Metal Crafts and Goods.

Major Expenses: Vasenan Ore, Standard Ore Varieties, Research and Development, Arms and Armor Manufacture, Military Defense.

Military: Naval Fleet is Minimal and Comprised Mostly of Well Equipped and Heavily Armed Merchant Ships. A Few Warships are Constructed at Times With Heavy Armaments Used for Escorting More Valuable Shipments. Fishing Vessels are Designed to be Small and Fast With no Fixed Armor or Weapons. 

Land Forces are Mostly Heavy Calvary and Mounted Soldiers with Armor that Becomes Lighter With Each Passing Year. Infantry and Foot Soldiers Tend to Be Bowmen and Moderately Armored Swordsmen. Pike and Spearmen are Reserved for Stationary Defense of the Kingdom. Siege Engines are the Most Advanced and Reliable in the World. Engines are Used in Defense of Land and Sea to Best Effect and Can Be Transported With Ease Due to Designs. Nycenia Has an Effective History of Using Wizards, Monks and Seers on the Battlefield. All of the Units in Nycenia's Military are Essentially Knights and Vast Variations Of Them.

Belief System(s): There are three primary systems of belief in Nycenia.

The first and largest is a milder version of the Saker Faith in Feylanor. A singular God is worshiped with Prayers, Hymns, Creeds, and Incantations part of the people's daily routine. A 'Saker' is appointed as a child to advise the direction of the faith. Unlike Feylanor the Nycenian Saker has no influence over the King and little authority over the Kingdom directly. The Monasteries can only hold law over their resident Monks, learning Scholars, and peasants that work the land of Lords that follow the Saker Faith. Monasteries are not built outside of settled or decently populated areas. Monks of Nycenian Monasteries are very much confined to the compounds by their vows and cannot defend themselves in unsettled and Rural areas. The next system of belief is the Research Based Systems. In Nycenia the educated Scholars, intellectuals, and enlightened individuals use knowledge to supplement their other Faiths and Beliefs. There is no set scientific pursuit as of yet in Nycenia and everything learned is done so to survive and make better arms and armor. Despite better intentions, several Cults have begun appearing along the countryside with dedication to Furnaces, Metalwork, and the processes of Alchemical pursuits. Diety Systems of Belief have made a small yet ever growing presence in the Cities of Nycenia. Individuals fleeing Hyspiria, Tortha and even Kourmar find freedom and safety enough to bring their Faiths with them. Certain groups in the Saker Faith and certain groups of the Deity Systems have been said to wage an underground war for countless years. Each side wishes to claim their Faith as the only one the Kingdom has. It is difficult to find any evidence that such a conflict exists.

Society: Nycenia is a Kingdom of Armorers, developers of Arms and Armor, and intellectuals dedicated to the theories of war. The people either farm, manufacture or contribute to the resources that run the Kingdom and its manufacture. Farming is not exceptional but decent enough use of the land is made to feed the Kingdom with a decent surplus kept in case of famine. Livestock do well but the types that can be raised are limited by the available grazing land and the Nycenian preference to raise Cattle, Sheep, and Goats. Horses from Nycenian stables are bred to be large and resilient animals. Coal mines are used in small numbers but Charcoal and its byproducts are still the primary forge fuels. Nycenia's major smelters, foundries, and furnaces are located in the areas between Hyspira, Feylanor, and Nycenia. Charcoal kilns exist in decent numbers to turn wood into charcoal for the forges and furnaces. Well guarded and hidden Kilns produce an experimental forge fuel that burns longer and hotter. Though other Kingdoms know that Nycenia has some unique fuel process, no one knows what it is or how it works. Several decent metal ores are mined within Nycenian territory but the Armorers prefer to work with the Sand Ores imported from Vasena. Producing a higher strength material with more flexibility, Sand Ore is the obvious and more expensive choice in Nycenia. Vasena ships such large quantities of their finer Sand Ores to Nycenia because they are such a distant and nonthreatening trade partner. The Arms Market of Nycenia is world renowned and a practical competition between vendors to produce the best product. Arms Auctions occur during Festival and Tournament times. The Auctions are open to all and sell items that range from individual works of art, to  surplus and scrapped materials from the Kingdom's military. In Nycenia, there is a long history of Wizards, Monks, Bards, Seers and other non-traditional Classes making arms and armor. Nycenia utilizes all of its people and every talent to make better arms. A long tradition of military specialists and heroes in general is well traced. Hero worship is discouraged and generally not practiced. By tradition the status is sought to be achieved instead of openly worshiped. Nobility and Noble/Royal Bloodlines are respected and revered in Nycenia. The people are often repressed and harmed by the Nobility like any other Kingdom yet the people respect them and count on them for making proper decisions. Since Nycenia is often governed with the people and more so the well-being of the Kingdom in mind, the people have faith in the rulership. Civil disputes can often be solved in the acceptable manner of dueling or Trial by Combat. Duels are expected to be handled by the individuals involved. Trials by Combat involve the authority in the area in which the defendant is put to trial based combat until the are deemed worthy of innocence or they die from the process.

Alignments: Enemies Toward Kourmar (Due to their Attacks on their Shipping Routes), Silent Enemies Toward Northern Hyspiria, Silent Allies Toward Southern Hyspiria, Considers Vasena an Ally (Trade is Excessive and Kingdoms are too Distant to Consider Military Actions), Strategic Enemies to Tortha (Can Maintain Enemies of Tortha With the Distance Between Them), Strategic and Silent Allies Towards Feylanor.

History: Nycenia broke away from Hyspira because they were persecuted for their ethnicity and Religious Beliefs. Beliefs that Hyspiria later adopted and allowed anyway. Their hate of Hyspiria became direct hate and motivation to stockpile and manufacture weapons. Fighting to maintain their newly founded Kingdom became expensive and an arms race with the Hyspirians to their North. The First King of Nycenia died shortly after their migration to the area. The Second King made a purpose of improved defense. Each ruler after became more dedicate to defending and arming the Kingdom until they had no superior in the field. Their weapons and armor were not enough when their tactics, strategies, soldiers, and leaderships failed on the battlefield. Giving Nycenia a very long history of losing and regaining control of their Kingdom. Nycenia struggles to keep its hatred toward Hyspiria silent so that they may destroy it when the time is right.

Flag/Crest: A Raven Watching Over The Ocean. Blue and Orange.