Svaartenskald

Name -The Kingdom of the Svaartenskald

Government Style - Ruled by non-native nobility, with a balancing treaty with the natives.

Flag -Male, heavily-maned tan lion on a black ellipse in center of tan rectangle, with red border.

Currency - Yephas - small round coins made of a dark solid glass

Capital - Jalassamar

Geograpy - Svaartenskaald is a peninsula located on the southwest corner of Eulysal. It is bordered to the north by Iraygion and to the east by Vortalina. It is almost entirely a desert, with a harsh climate, the north being only slightly more habitable as well as the coasts. It has a hilly rough terrain and is quite windy. The sand is noticeably black in many areas, especially the central and south parts of the desert, being made up of crushed volcanic rocks, often having the consistency of black glass shards. Combined with the wind this can lead to devastating sandstorms, with people and caravans being literally sliced to the bone, often completely stripped of clothes and flesh. Most animals can sense these coming and hide, a good sign of one starting to occur. This notable geography was believed to have been caused by some cataclysm in the past - it occoured around the time the Chessandians left the continent. Most of the wildlife was killed off, including all but a few of the lions, which are now revered.

History - Svaartenskald has been inhabited by it's natives for a very long time and they have survived countless hardships, learning to adapt to their harsh homeland. The Svaartenskald also contains a wealth of minerals and the nation's history has been defined by the advances the powers around it have made on it. Most of Svaartenskald was conquered by the Iraygion Empire, though it's citizens retained relative freedom by moving to the deeper and more dangerous parts of the desert. When the Iraygion Empire abandoned the Svaartenskald, the populace thought their struggle was over - however, the Chessandian Empire soon arrived, seeking to gain the territory left open in the power vacuum. The natives used guerilla and stealth tactics until the Chessandians left, though this was more due to the disaster in the Chessandian homeland. Svaartenskald remained essentially free until Dalisor gained enough power to seize it, using new technology like airships to finally conquer the desert. However, as Dalisor's power waned, it relinquished Svaartenskald, though a good deal of Dalisorian immigrants, who had more attachment to the desert after a few generations, remained, determined to keep their power. Without the help of the natives their nations was essentially worthless, so the Treaty of the Desert Brothers was signed, bringing the nation together.

Today - Svaartenskald is ruled by it's minority government, but owned by the people. It maintains it's defense through the use of skilled native fighters, known as the Riyaf, a paramilitary force that is the only major official armed forces. They are allied to the local "headman" in their area, known as the Raas Uelyi. The Riyaf are nomadic as opposed to the ruling post-imperial nobility, known as Phractari. The only other military is the small air fleet owned by the Phractari and the equally small Regular army. While the Riyaf are nomadic, the Phractari tend to stay in permanent towns, mostly in the more hospitable north and mostly in the capital of Jalassamar, whose mighty stone walls protect it from the harshness of the desert and from invaders. The rest of the Phractari towns are mostly built up around various oases in the desert and act as trading points or mining outposts. Today the Svaartenskald is independent from Dalisor, though ties are still kept, mostly by the nobles. The nobles have little power though, having to rely on the natives to keep the nation secure. The natives give token acknowledgement to the government but keep little dealings with it. The general deal is that the Riyaf keep enemies out of the Svaartenskald, something both parties want and the Phractari bring in goods from abroad that the Riyaf would normally not receive as well as give the Svaartenskald an "official" government for diplomatic dealings. At the moment, while there is some discontent between government and people, they are more united by the worry that the Chessandians will want to return to take the wealth of Svaartenskald for themselves. In the past, the alliance with Dalisor kept this from happening, though that nation seems to be having more and more problems itself. More worrying is the concern that certain persons in the Dalisorian government want to ally with Chessandis to defeat Vortalina and it is likely Svaartenskald would become a mere trading token.