Aquitania
From SFWiki
Aquitania is the name of a large island within the Terracopian archipelago. It is located west of Tuscan, south of Newland, and south east of Belgica.
There are three sovereign states located on the shores of Aquitania:
- The Duchy of Guianne, in the west.
- The Duchy of Burgundie, in the east.
- The Free City of Nemours (Ville Libre de Nemours)
[edit] Government and Population
Three sovereign states make their homes on the island:
[edit] The Duchy of Guianne
The Duchy of Guianne is the largest state on the island and covers the entire western edge. A hereditary monarchy, it has a population of 2.4 million.
[edit] The Duchy of Burgundie
The Duchy of Burgundie is the second largest state on the island and comprises a sliver along the eastern edge of the island. It, too, is a hereditary monarchy with a population of 1.6 million people.
[edit] Ville Libre de Nemours
The Ville Libre de Nemours (literally, The Free City of Nemours) is a sovereign city-state located on at the north-east corner of the island. It is a military state, but its people are free.
[edit] Demographics
Aquitania as a whole contains 4 million people of various species. The Orc population is concentrated mostly in the north, while the Dwarves are concentrated in the west. What few Elves live in Aquitania live mostly in the Ville Libre de Nemours, and are mostly exiled engineers from Atlantis or diplomats.
[edit] Geography
[edit] Places of Note
[edit] The Massif
The Massif is the open high plains in the center of the island. Good farming country, medium population density, about 500 meters above sea level. The southern part of the Massif (sometimes referred to as the Massif du Sud) is heavily forested with hardwoods, and contains the source of l'Eclat.
[edit] Les Terres Crevées
Les Terres Crevées (the Broken Lands) are a rocky region, with hills and small mountains in the northeast of the island. The Ville Libre de Nemours is on the seaward face, set high in a mountain called l'Etoile (The Star).
[edit] Fleuve Crevé
The Fleuve Crevé (Broken River) flows from the western side of the Terres Crevées to the western side of the island, cutting a canyon through the softer lands of the Massif. As it leaves the Massif, the banks of it widen, and many villes de chateau are nearby. Landes is located at the delta of the river.
[edit] L'Eclat
L'Eclat d'Eau is a fast-flowing river that starts at the Massif de Sud and runs straight to the ocean. It's fast enough that boat travel up the river is difficult, but this makes traffic downriver much easier. Roads (Les Retours) run along the banks, and there are many waterwheels. The mouth of l'Eclat is near Lyon.
[edit] Settlements
Most settlements within Aquitania are small farming villages. However, there are three major cities of note:
[edit] Landes
Landes is the capital of the Duchy of Guianne. It has a population of 70,000 people, making it a major city.
Landes has been razed to the ground several times over the course of its history, most recently during the outbreak of the Red Boils.
[edit] Ville Libre de Nemours
Ville Libre de Nemours is a large, sovereign city-state in the north east of the island. It is a city ruled by the military, and is famous for its highly effective navy.
[edit] Lyon
Lyon is the capital city of the Duchy of Burgundie, with a population of 70,000. It is an island city, located at the mouth of the Eclat d'Eau.
[edit] History
Before the Great Rising, the capital of the local administrative region of the Empire de Roma was in the city of Toulours. However, the Great Rising indunated Toulours completely, destroying the government as it stood, and making the regional governments of Marseilles and Landes the largest cities left standing. The Ville Libre de Nemours declared its independence during the later stages of the war. The Duchy of Guianne was established by the first Duc de Guianne, Guianne I, in 5 PR; the Duchy of Burgundie in 10 PR, and the Ville Libre de Nemours in 12 PR.
Wars happened. A lot of them. The Ducs were largely powerless at first, so the local nobles engaged in bloody war, then uneasy local truce, then another bloody war in an unending cycle. Starting in 402PR, with the razing of Chateau Luminant by Duc Guianne IV for denying him safe passage, the local lords were slowly ground down. The last major local lord, the Comte de Arouet, was executed in 623PR for refusing to bend to the Duc de Burgundie, Duc Charles V.
Then le Siècle de Sang began. It started in 627 PR, and staggered to a close in 756 PR.
During the 129 years of fighting, six Ducs de Burgundie and ten Ducs de Guianne were killed. Both Dukedoms were on their second cadet branches. 80% of the minor nobles in the Duchies were killed. Two major plagues broke out (The Black Boils, 653PR, and the Red Boils, 722PR), but they remained contained to the island, and burned out a few weeks after they started.
Before the war, the population of the two Duchies was 6 million. In 756PR, it was 400,000. This led to the non-human population (who was not vulnerable to the Boils) to grow from their previously-low levels to their current relatively high ones.
Since then, the two Duchies have been at peace, because they couldn't afford another war. Populations have recovered somewhat - 4 million. Technological progress has been rapid in recent years, in part due to Medicia assistance, but the two Duchies started well behind the other powers in the Steam and Magick research fields.
Diplomatic relations between the two are good. Many people move from one to the other regularly, and trade is brisk. Guianne exports food, and Bougondie exports wood and iron, and, in foreign lands, traders from one have been known to give an unsaid discount to anyone from Aquitania.
The Blight is considered a serious threat in Aquitania, and they have been committing many of their resources to fight it.
