Kiatra

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Kiatra is a kingdom in the Southern Reaches of the Greater Continent. It has unique for the fissure surrounding it: a relatively new feature, brought about by an event known locally as "The Great Schism".

History

Kiatra won independence from the Layloma Empire in the early-to-mid Third Age of the Alliance. Around the same time, rich deposits of diamonds and rhenium were discovered, quickly converting Kiatra into a prosperous state.

Throughout the Third and Fourth Ages, Kiatra developed rapidly. Upon the discovery of exploitable resources, they were quick to bring in modern equipment and expertise, and invent new technologies of their own. While the mines on Kiatra soil eventually played out, the kingdom was able to export its mining technologies, and therefore remained prosperous.

The Great Schism

Relations between the three nations had always tumultuous. For much of the third and fourth Ages, there existed in an uneasy peace peppered by occasional fighting. The list of grievances went clear back to the Mage Wars, and minor skirmishes were a regular occurrence. The trilateral boarder was militarized and included varying degrees of fortification. The primary source of conflict was almost always over resources, Kiatra was rich in minerals while Lumot and Senega had some of the most productive agricultural land in the region. The three nations were locked into a sort of perpetual stalemate, as no one could invade either neighbor without opening itself to an attack by the other.

This all changed in A.Y. 5303, when Lumot and Senega formed an alliance and together attacked Kiatra. The primary driving force was water, Senega and Lumot were profitable exporters of cotton and flax, but had been dealing with a drought for several decades that threatened their ability to produce exports. Kiatra had a surplus of water it was unwilling to share, as well as valuable mineral deposites and a newly-discovered oilfield in the Lyot Gulf.

While nominally members of the Alliance, all three nations were technically part of Layloma, as none had registered independently. In this case, the Alliance could not intervene in an "internal" matter, unless any nation invited assistance. Kiatra was initially keen to hire the Crimson Blade mercenaries, having long been on friendly terms with the Foundation in nearby Modia. This presented an uncomfortable scenario, as the Crimson Blade easily had the military force to invade and occupy Lumot and Senega, and reduce them to puppet states. The Alliance was not eager to allow any such influence, especially on some of the chief suppliers of cotton and cereals in the region. Crimson Blade activity would thus have required Alliance intervention, which would in turn lead to something both parties were eager to avoid at any cost: an armed conflict between Alliance regulars and Crimson Blade Lancers. What happened next would become the stuff of legend. A 'great power' reached out, and divided the states physically, in 'a single night and a day of destruction'.

The actual event involved a series of earthquakes which opened three large rifts, over the course of a week, and apparently with enough advance notice that no one in Kiatra suffered any injuries. There was significant damage to their infrastructure, but fortunately, "most of the state-owned factories were closed for refurbishment, with their equipment dismantled and carefully packed into shipping containers". Additionally, the nations' twelve nuclear power plants were offline for refueling.

The rifts created a series of mountain ranges and fjords (the region had been mostly plains before), with the rifts swallowing most of the Lumot and Senga armies. These gave Kiatra its own boundaries, waterways, and steep mountains, to defend the nation against further attacks. The waterways became vital shipping lanes for the neighboring states. Eventually, the great schism would be remembered fondly.

The Long Night

During the Long Night, Kiatra was able to keep much of its identity. The region already had a long tradition of 'medieval faux' culture, and had a reasonable time gearing down to actual pre-industrial levels. It was not popular, but Kiatrans are survivors.

The Acola language, spoken elsewhere in the region, never gained prominence in Kiatra, though was spoken in neighboring regions.

Culture

See Also: