Benaduza

Benaduza, full name Kingdom of Benaduza, is a kingdom in southeast Erelith.

''Benaduza! Benaduza! Lady of all that the sun can reach! Of all the men in the world, no lady is as beautiful as she''

Government: Monarchy

Religion:

Stout citizens worship a pantheon of deities, but the king of the gods is Gerballo, God of the Sea. Human citizens have a variety of faiths, with peninsula dwellers being generally irreligious or worshiping order as a concept, and island-dwellers following a variety of gods.

Stouts
"Stouts are hardy and stubborn, I'd not recommend crossing them." - "Cultures of the World" by Alismos Denus

"Making love to a Stout at sea is a rhythmic and sensual affair. Making love to a Stout on land is like being dragged into the depths." - "A Rogue's Guide to Adventuring" by an anonymous author

Stouts are a culture of seafarers, indeed, religious Stouts believe that they were born of the very sea-foam itself. A Stout who hasn't been on a boat by the end of his childhood is a rarity, and a Stout that hasn't been on a boat in his entire life is an inconceivability. This is reflected in their physiology, they rarely reach over four feet tall, have low weight, and and a low center of mass, making it far easier for a Stout to balance and climb, and it is said that they have permanent sea-legs as a result. On land, Stouts are clumsy and slow, their bodies more in tune with the movements of a ship than with the stationary land. Stouts identify with what fleet their ship is a part of, and are often more likely to side with their own fleet over their entire country in disputes. Ship-building is an art taught to all Stout children, and they often value their family ship over all other possessions.

The main Stout fleets and their flown colors in alphabetical order are:

Flotilla Barbaros, whose members are known for an exploratory spirit. Colors are red and yellow. "Summoning the Barbaros" is a common figure of speech, meaning using the wrong tool for the situation at hand, as Flotilla Barbaros is rarely used for combat operations.

Flotilla Cacophani, dedicated to preserving and creating works of art. Colors are purple and white. This is often the fleet of choice for rebellious and independent Stouts.

Flotilla Ecclesiaro, the smallest of the Flotillas at five ships, often considered Benaduza's highest religious authority. Colors are gold and white.

Flotilla Homa, who are the most autonomous Flotilla and have their own foreign policy. Colors are white and blue. Also known as the Wanderers.

Flotilla Integro, the most militaristic fleet and the second largest. Colors are red and aquamarine. Make up the backbone of most military campaigns.

Flotilla Maxim, largest of the fleets, this is the fleet that most Stouts join by default, calling the Maxims to war is only done after Integro and Roueaume have both been depleted. Maxim has no set colors, and ships are allowed to fly whatever colors they wish.

Flotilla Omegon, "The Outcast Fleet" or "The Home of the Atoners", where criminals and outlaws find their home. Omegon is often the first fleet to attack enemy forces, and often suffers immense losses in prolonged campaigns. Colors are black and white.

Flotilla Roueaume, the royal family's personal fleet. Colors are purple and gold. The quickest fleet to muster for campaigns and among the best combatants.

Flotilla Veritas, Benaduza's lawkeepers, they arrest outsiders and pirates and investigate ship losses. Colors are red and black.

Stout "cities" are often massive dockyards, as Stouts live on their ships. Stout cuisine is among the world's finest, and the arrival of a Flotilla to a Stout city is often celebrated by a massive cook-off, or Partipati, a merry competition between the fleets which even Flotilla Omegon is allowed to participate in. The winning fleet is offered a flag which is hung from the flotilla's flagship. The flagship of Cacophani has fifteen of such victory flags, and thus the Flotilla is also known as "The Cuisine Fleet". All chefs and cooks often find themselves among Flotilla Cacophani.

Stouts are hardy but easygoing folk who enjoy luxury and adventure, their conquests are often in pursuit of greater luxury and prestige, but the current king is going against the grain and attempting to curb the race's excess, how successful he is is up for debate.

Stouts make up 30% of Benaduza's population and have the greatest privileges. The royal family are Stouts.

Gnomes
"Gnomes are smart folk, they are invaluable partners for research projects." - "A Cultural Study" - John Zinga

"I myself have never had the pleasure of befriending a Gnome, but I have had the pleasure of thieving from one, their absent-mindedness makes them easy to steal from, and their equipment fetches a pretty penny." - "A Rogue's Guide to Adventuring" by an anonymous author.

Generally standing around a tiny ten inches tall, gnomes are short and short lived creatures, usually living to a meager 15 years of age before passing away. Quick metabolisms and small bodies make the gnomes perhaps the quickest to die out of all humanoid races on the planet. The Gnomish advantage however, is the brain. Gnomish heads are disproportionately large for their tiny bodies, hiding a brain that is the largest compared to body mass out of all creatures that exist.

Gnomes know how short lived they are, and thus make sure to live their lives to the fullest while they're alive. Most Gnomes follow a strict life schedule, never compromising. Some Gnomes are better at this than others, and the worst at scheduling often die of overwork. Most Gnomes spend their time attempting to use their massive intelligence in order to leave a footprint on the world before they leave, whether through invention or writing.

Ninety percent of Gnomes are irreligious, having no time to worship deities, and they live in simple abodes on Stout islands, working for the Stout kingdom or researching. Older Gnomes usually settle down on their quest to leave a legacy, and instead work in manufacturies, making weapons, tools, or ships for Benaduza.

Gnomes are peaceful folk, and Benaduzan armies rarely have a Gnome presence.

Gnomes are comparable in status to middle-class Stouts, and make up 5% of the population.

Peninsular Humans
"Benaduzan humans are perhaps the most alien race of humans I've ever met, they behave so different from other humans that it makes me wonder if they aren't in fact descended from some strange race from the far western oceans." - "Memoirs of a Traveller" by Dungill Derbain

"Benaduzan humans are boring, very, very boring. Doing anything enjoyable is a chore to them, and they almost never leave their peninsula. They are very strong, however, and make good bodyguards. Or adventurers, like myself." - "A Rogue's Guide to Adventuring" by an anonymous author

Most Benaduzan humans live on the Benaduza peninsula itself, a land full of jungle and strange creatures. Benaduzan humans are a strange, mysterious folk, with alien morals and strange practices. As Stouts, by nature, live on the coast, many human Benaduzans have yet to make contact with the kingdom who rules over them, making their living off of what the jungle can supply.

Benaduzan humans speak a strange language based off of tongue-clicks and trilling, but most near the eastern isthmus are capable of speaking other languages. Benaduzan humans live simple lives, finding enjoyment in simple farming lifestyles. They follow their priestly class, the top of the country's hierarchy. Benaduzan humans worship Order, not a god of Order, Order as a concept, everything about their lives is organized, and disorder is the worst crime a Benaduzan can commit.

Much like the Stout fleets, Benaduzan humans organize their government-owned military into several "Ordi". Ordi Alarmat, the Benaduzan peninsula lawmen, they are judge jury and executioner, but if their power is abused, they are quickly killed for their causing of disorder.

Ordi Ordoi, the priests of Order's personal watchdogs, the Ordoi serve as the personal paramilitary force of the Benaduzan church, if the Ordoi are on your trail, you know you've screwed up. All Ordoi are mages, and are all skilled at tracking and detaining those who have offended the priests.

Ordi Kalinamit. The Kalinamit are the standing army of Benaduza as a whole, as the Stouts do not have standing armies. Kalinamit soldiers are often recruited from within the deep jungle, and as a result, wield strange weapons and wear strange armor.

Ordi Junambu, the levied troops of the human Benaduzans. Junambu are recruited from coastal Benaduzan populations, and wield weapons comparable to human soldiers from other kingdoms.

Ordi Polako, the assassins and spies of the priestly class, Polako assassins are very dangerous in close quarters, but are weak outside of surprise attacks.

Humans make up 50 percent of Benaduza's population.

Halflings
"I don't know how many Halflings I've sired, but it's probably enough to fill a small city." - "A Rogue's Guide to Adventuring" by an anonymous author.

Halflings are the children of Stouts and humans. Looking either like short fat humans or tall thin Stouts depending on who you ask, Halflings are well known for their magical potential, despite the Stout race as a whole being rather magically mute. It is believed that Halflings inherit what little magical potential the Stouts have, alongside the huge magical potential of the human race, which, when combined, makes an incredibly magically sensitive race. Despite, or perhaps due to this, Halflings are discriminated against by both humans and Stouts.

Halflings serve as the main land-based army of the Stouts, and it was through Halfling troops that the Stouts managed to seize the Benaduzan peninsula.

Halflings are known for their impressive beards, their love of drink, and for living in large cities on Benaduza's outer islands. They worship the Stout gods, and are never found amongst humans, who consider them agents of disorder.

Halflings are often found amongst Flotilla Homa, where they make up half of the population.

Rarely, Halflings are born just as tall as humans, but receive the barrel-like body shape that the Stouts are named for. These Halflings are even more magically adept than others, and often serve with the royal family.

Halflings make up 15% of the population.

Economy: All that is within Benaduza stays within Benaduza, and trade is strictly regulated by the Stout navy. Gold cannot be given away, meat products, unrefined metals, and lumber are also banned from being given away. Trade in ore, weaponry, herbs, and food is strictly prohibited, potentially leading to execution in the case of weaponry.

History
Current state: Benaduza is at the peak of its power. Holding hegemony over the southwestern seas and finding a powerful rival in On'Hino. Benaduza's human population is booming, though the Stout and other halfmen populations are stagnating. Benaduza is the world's greatest naval power, and invading it is a daunting task.

History: The old Kingdom of Benaduza was established hundreds of years ago, when Queen Helana conquered the last human kingdom on the mainland through a massive naval assault, lead by the powerful Halfling army. The Stout kingdom of Benaduza lasted for two hundred years until the great civil wars occurred. Angered by their lack of representation, the humans rose up and attacked the Stout castles. They seized the mainland, but proved unable to seize the kingdom's capital in Dux. Flotilla Omegon sailed to the human capital in Oranth and bombarded the rebels, completely obliterating the city, and leading to the humans surrendering. Through this, the Stouts established that they were not leaving Benaduza, ever, and the human citizens were ruled harshly for the next fifty years. Over the years, Benaduza has continued to attempt to establish hegemony over the southern oceans, with an amount of success, but the rising On'Hinan star may prove a threat to the powerful Benaduzan empire.

Oranth
The former capital of the Human monarchy, Oranth was originally one of the many castles owned by the many human cultures on the peninsula, before being decided upon as the capital by the human rebels. Situated in a swamp, the castle was considered one of the largest and most defensible, they were proven wrong by the Omegon bombardment, which lead to Oranth being completely destroyed. Nothing much happens here, though it is home to a great number of feral creatures.

Dux
The second-largest city in the empire, Dux is home to almost the entire population of Halflings, and Stouts are often found living in the docks when not at sea. Situated on the southern Dux island, Dux is a temperate paradise with beautiful sun and calm ocean breezes. Despite its beauty and size, Dux is home to a large population of ne'er-do-wells and thieves. It's stated that the safest part of Dux is the sea outside it, as the Veritas flotilla is usually docked here. Dux is the king's home when he isn't at sea.

Gorinth
Another large city in the empire, Gorinth is majority Gnomish. The home of most of the empire's production, Gorinth is a major producer of weaponry, and the Halfling naval invasion force is usually at rest here, prepared to land on any foreign beachhead necessary, Gorinth has a heavy business atmosphere, with small-talk rare amongst the Gnome inhabitants. It's nigh crime-free due to the military presence, but is also incredibly boring when the Gnomes aren't attempting to ensure their memory through crazy antics.

Hularia
A huge castle located to the east of the main peninsula, Hularia castle is the main staging point of all continental invasions. The castle is massive and constructed against all forms of assault, and is considered the gateway that all invasion forces must pass in order to invade Benaduza. It has never been successfully taken through assault, and siege is incredibly difficult with the Stouts' naval dominance, allowing them to continuously ship in supplies.

Neniza
Located on the Neniza river, Neniza is the largest city in the empire. Inhabited by humans from both the coast and interior, it has a strange atmosphere, a clash between primitivity and technology, and it seems far smaller than it really is due to the Benaduzan's tenancy towards being more private. It is also hard to conquer, with many of its citizens skilled with strange weaponry and poisons and knowledgeable in the surrounding forest.