Kyriska

Principality of Kyriska
Capital		Fort Khirom
Demonym		Kyriskan
Government		Monarchy

The Seal of the Remnant Principality of Kyriska, under Prince Waylin Vartilian

Government

Kyriska is first and foremost a Principality. Based upon the old Kyriskan Princedom, modern Kyriska is the direct successor to that of the old, being kept alive in Fort Khirom by the Prince Waylin Vartilian, of the Kyriskan Remnant. Kyriska used to be an absolute monarchy, but since then, an informal constitution has been adopted, in the days of the Remnant. It is spearheaded by the Prince Vartilian in modern days, with the Duchess Emilia Rivers beside him, they can carry the realm into a new day, a new golden age.

Economy

In the earliest days, Kyriska's economy was based on subsistence farming, but as Khirom and Brewstone arose, the economy changed, depending more upon commerce and production in Vadimiskyi, depending upon the sale of rare and/or custom brews in Brewstone, depending on the existing farming economy in Fort Khirom, but now expanded to be a major national breadbasket. Later, under the Kyriskan Remnant, under both the Free Cities and under Blackthorn, the Khiromin economy was based upon commerce and farming, and the economy, thanks to the efforts of Ministress/Duchess Emilia Rivers and the Prince Vartilian, was diversified, and Khirom grew rich, and surpassed even Brewstone at its height.

Culture

Kyriskan culture is an old one, based upon the earliest native cultures of central and northern Kuthara, Kyriskan culture began formally in the city state of Vadimiskyi, later the first Kyriskan Capital, and was in its earliest phases, and it is now referred to as Old Kyriskan Culture, or Vadimiskyin culture. This culture is near its rebirth as Vadimiskyi is being resettled. In the early days of Fort Khirom, Khirom had the same Old Kyriskan Culture, but where Vadimiskyi's culture ended as it fell, in Khirom it developed and was built upon, now called Khiromin Culture, it is a direct evolution of Old Kyriskan culture. Now, Brewstonian culture was completely different, it was based upon the native cultures of southern Kuthara, the people of the White Mountains, and was separate from Kyriskan Culture entirely. After Vadimiskyi fell, the Faewood settled on the peninsula southward of the old city, in the mighty Great Trees of what would later become the Second Kyriskan Principality's Second City. Led by Babba, this people founded their home in the waning days of the First Kyriskan Principality, and would later accompany Khirom in joining the Free Cities and later the Commonwealth of Blackthorn, and leave to join the Rauthwald Empire, but after some time, after the fall of the Faewood, the people of Khirom would mend the gap between Kyriska and Blackthorn, and the two would become one when the Prince named Emilia Rivers as his heir apparent.

History

Kyriskan history is based in six distinct eras, listed as follows: The Rise of Kyriska, the Golden Age, the Waning Age, the Remnant Age, the First Blackthornian Era, the Second Rebellion, and the Second Blackthornian Era.

The Rise of Kyriska is the oldest recorded history of our great nation. The First Kyriskans settled on the land now known as Vadimiskyi, and built mighty walls and homes, and elected a Prince, the first of the Kyriskan line, Prince Heinrich I of Vadimiskyi. Prince Heinrich would adopt Goose, his friend and trusted ally, as his son and heir. In these days, they built farms across the nearby river to the northwest, still untamed and the frontier. In this area, they one day went hunting, and found a peculiar sight: A man falling from the sky, into the trees, and onto the forest floor. His name was Waylin Vartilian, now devoid of a home or purpose. They had him nursed back to health, and gave him a choice: He could go and likely found a town that was likely to fall, or he could join them, and help them build a mighty nation together. He accepted, and was tasked with setting up a fort on the western boundary of the Vadimiskyin farms, and this would be named Fort Khirom, after the native name for the Great Tree there. They would then form the Kyriskan Principality and announce their presence to the world at large. Mostly, we were ignored, because we were on the periphery, the frontier, we were a backwater nation. How little did we know what would change.

The Golden Age began with the annexation of Brewstone, and it was the crowning achievement of the First Kyriskan Princedom, we had a major centre of Commerce now, and Brewstone grew rich from Miner's Tea, a custom brew that was rumoured to grant strength and night vision. Brewstone grew rich, and Kyriska did too, Khirom would surpass Vadimiskyi even in this era. In this era, the Battle of Lake Khirom happened, between the future High Lich Morgrim, and the Count Vartilian, whose boat the Lich would claim as his own, trying to sell it back to the Count at a highly inflated price. In a spirit of rage, Vartilian would hire mercenaries to fight him, but they failed, but they did not fail in driving Morgrim from the land. The boat was given to the mercenaries as payment. A war was planned against the Lich and his armies of the undead, but never was executed. The Golden Age, whilst short, was the highest Kyriska has ever reached, until now.

The Waning Age began with the settlement of the Faewoods, but in those days it was just a few shacks amongst the Great Trees of the peninsula southward of Vadimiskyi. We welcomed these people, and gave them the land as their own. A few weeks later, the people of Vadimiskyi would mysteriously abandon their land, and the Prince Heinrich would abdicate the throne, leaving no heir for awhile. Khirom and Brewstone would remain Kyriskan for awhile, but Brewstone would secede a few days later, leaving Khirom to carry the burden alone, as the last bastion of Kyriska, and Heinrich, before he left into exile, would name Vartilian as his heir.

The Remnant Age would prove to be difficult at best, but in Khirom, the Prince Vartilian would have great plans. The first major event of this age was the Remnant joining the Free Cities, but this would prove to be tyranny at best. Then came the Ceyretan-Zydel War, and the people of Ceyreto, fresh from their defeat, would settle on unclaimed land, taking it for their own, and would settle Zethortal. The Free Cities had collapsed by then, and Prince Vartilian saw these new arrivals as a threat, they may have been refugees, but they were not about to lose their homeland twice over. He was persuaded to join their new nation, the Blackthornian Commonwealth, and became a Councilor of Blackthorn.

Then came the Blackthornian Era, Blackthorn's leader, Emilia Rivers, was appointed leader of the entire commonwealth, Emilia's reign would prove unstable for a time, but she would rise above the chaos and the enemies of her people. Her reign would be challenged twice, once unsuccessful once arguably successful. The First Kyriskan rebellion would be against the alleged tyranny of Emilia Rivers, and her alleged constant gutting of authority positions, other than her own. Under the spirit of rage, Waylin Vartilian would move against the man, causing the Blackthornian diplomat to flee, he was then swiftly wounded himself, as Blackthorn moved to capture him with haste, but would later surrender unconditionally, once he had regained his senses. Fort Khirom would rejoin the Commonwealth, and the Prince would have a full pardon under the Decree of the First Rebellion. After months of time of peace, a plot would be discovered by the Prince, Babba Yogurt of the Faewood had intended to leave the Commonwealth, and the Prince obliged, and joined them. They would secede and join the Rauthwald Empire, and this event would come to be known as the Second Kyriskan Rebellion, lasting until the reunification of Blackthorn and Kyriska, and the Declaration of the Kyriskan Succession, wherein the Duchess Emilia Rivers was named heir apparent to the Principality. Since then, Blackthorn has grown like never before, near-doubling its holdings and territories since the Second Rebellion, now in possession of Guldhir, the Faewood, Khirom, Aether, New Pangolias, the Brewstonian Ruins Protected Territory, the Vadimiskyi Ruins Protected Territory, Leithlis, Urisa, Lucredia, and the Museum of Ceyreto (an unofficial city district of Zethortal, with an independent administrator/curator to manage the relics and artifacts. In this time, Prince Vartilian would take it upon himself to restore Vadimiskyi itself, and rebuild it's walls and buildings, and even surpass Vadimiskyi of Old. Vadimiskyi would be incorporated into the territory of North Kyriska, along with Khirom, and would, on paper at least, be part of Fort Khirom, but in the eyes of the people, it was reborn as New Vadimiskyi.

Royal Family

Prince Heinrich’s adopted son was Goose, Goose’s adopted son was Waylin Vartilian. Waylin would break the norm and name a non-relative of his as his heir, his close friend and heir Rawiya, who was, in the era of the Second Rebellion, first in line for the Throne of Kyriska, with Babba as a close second, and Aenora as a close third.

The Prince Vartilian, during the Blackthornian Era, would discover that Goose had passed away, leaving him an orphan again, and he, after the First Kyriskan Rebellion, would be adopted by Jon Dodbane as Prince of both Guldhir and Kyriska. In these times, the continent of Kuthara/Ceyreto was dangling upon a knife's edge, between war and peace, and since the annexation of Blackthornian land by the Emperor Jon Dodbane, the people of Blackthorn were confined to Zethortal alone. As the fires of the Second Rebellion simmered, and after the death of the Emperor of Rauthwald, Kyriska would be on it's own, and the Prince would fall into a deep depression, doing nothing to prevent the fall of the Principality, but eventually, he reached out to Emilia, and proposed Kyriska rejoin the Commonwealth, and begged her forgiveness, and the unexpected happened: He was forgiven, and later, after the treaty was signed, the Prince of Kyriska would name Emilia Rivers as his heir apparent, establishing a formal, legitimate tie between Kyriska and Blackthorn.