Livonia

Government: Monarchy

Ruler: Queen Caroline Augusta

Capital: Valagard

The Livonian Peninsula separates the Inner Ocean and the White Sea, and like Pendrell and the Order State, it lies on the Terra Borealis, not on the Erian continent. In the north, shielding the peninsula from the Wild, lies the Goblinshield Mountains, stretching from the Aelevian Peninsula in the West, to the Hermetic lands to the East. South of the Goblinshield the land drops and forms rugged hills that runs southward, climbing again to form the Galderspears mountain range that runs like a spine down the peninsula.

On the western side of the Galderspears the the soil is deep and rich, and easily yields rich crops of barley and rye. In earlier days, these tracts were covered by deep forests, but over the centuries, industrial logging has pushed the woods steadily backwards. On the eastern side of the mountains, the land is less hospitable, but sheep and goats thrive in the hills that roll into the the White Ocean. The southern part of Livonia is dominated by a low plain, and the soil here is unrivalled in all of Eria. This area is often called the Breadbasket, and much of the kingdom's wealth comes from this region.

Typical Livonian farm

Livonia is also famous for it's timber, and shipwrights from all of Humanity wish for keels of witchwood, banner, or iron-oak for their ships. Another important contributor to the realm's wealth is mining; both the Goblinshield and the Galderspears are rich with precious ore. The Tass-mines in Hammer's Hold is only one such example.

Recorded Livonian history dates back to the last century before the Covenant, when the Livonii tribe allied itself with the Penderii in the Elfslayer Wars. Before this time, Skythian sources speak of the Livonii as a fierce people, sometimes raiding Skythian settlements along the Erian western coast. During the Elfslayer Wars however, they accepted the philosophy of Macharius, and when the Lord Solar founded Pendrell and thus left the Skythian Empire, the Livonii soon after followed suit.

During the Age of Reason, the Livonian culture developed from one dominated by warriors to one of farmers and tradesmen. Still, Livonian mercenaries remained a natural part of most armies in most of the wars fought in Eria. Yet, even in this Enlightened age, honour has a strong place in the identity, and blood-feuds are still recognised as a legal recourse.

During the Reign of Reason, when the Ministerium's persecution of freethinkers and the Enlightened spiralled towards tyranny and madness, the Livonian Ministers did not agitate the Presbyterian cause, and many of the atrocities witnessed in the Erian realms never reached Livonia. This may have something to do with the precarious nature of Livonian Pure Though. While worship of deities were forbidden here as everywhere else, elements of the old faiths were still maintained in most layers of society.

Livonian officer and noble

With the Arcane Congress, and the onset of the War of Enlightenment, Livonia has become a major player in Erian politics. Led by Magnus Emil, Duke of Westerfold, and the Knights of Angermar, the kingdom has gone through a radical change. With the death of the old king, by mysterious circumstances, and the collapse of the Cabal of Pure Thought, a vacuum was left in the realm's power structure. This was rapidly filled by the Duke of Westerfold and his party, and Livonia has now become a part of the Enlightened Alliance, a.k.a. the Northern League.

The Knights of Angermar's goal has long been to bring back the Old Gods, especially the deity worshipped as Bolgen. To this end, Magnus Emil and a cabal of Knights attempted to excavate the tomb of Bolgen during the winter of 1021-1022. When this was thwarted by a rivalling Arcane cabal, the Knights turned to a different approach. Using the collapse of the Cabal of Pure Thought, and the myriad of ill tidings from the outside world, they started a campaign of violent agitation that spread like wildfire across Livonia. The target of this campaign was the Men of Reason. The claim was that these people were actively seeking to end the world, and that only by bringing the Old Gods back could this be avoided. Almost over night, temples sprang up all over the kingdom.

It is still too early to say where this will lead, but at present, Livonian resources are vital to upholding the Alliance's war-efforts. Further, a Livonian army, more than 30,000 strong, led by the Duke of Westerfold, is campaigning deep in the Enlightened Skythian Empire. It is also said that somehow the Knights of Angermar have managed to bring Bolgen into Argos, and that they now plan to set him loose on the Erian battlefields.

The most recent event in Livonia is the destruction of the capital Valagard by a great explosion. It is believed that this is the same kind of catastrophe that hit Rederhafen only days before.

[Picture source: 1 own (see: Atlas, vol. I); 2 texturedJohn on Flikr; 3 Wikigallery]