Fresia

Name: Federated Empire of Fresia
Adjective: Fresian

Fresia is loosely organized federation of relatively independent cities and states. Its large collection of semi-autonomous regions governed by local hereditary monarchies has given it the nickname "The Land of a thousand Princes." The nation is tied together by a common language and heritage that descends, albeit distantly, from a collection of "barbarian" tribes that historically occupied the region. Today's Fresians still still identify strongly with this ancestry, and are a strong willed, combative, and rugged people.

Government and Politics

Fresian politics are notoriously difficult to summarize because of the incredible amount of governmental diversity. The nation is composed of over one hundred duchies, most of which are governed by a noble family that can trace its lineage back to the time of the demi-pantheon. Each region is furthermore divided into a number of counties that are governed at the whim of the local duke, earl, count, or baron. Sometimes by elected civil officials, or minor noble houses, or industrial guilds, or even military leaders that answer to the local ruler, or in some cases directly to the emperor. There are additionally nine independent city-states that are home to multiple major and minor noble houses that are generally administered by a burghur council and elected civil officials.

At the center of this political mess is the Fresian Emperor, a powerful but fundamentally limited leader of the nation. The authority of the emperor is far from absolute, and he is restricted by both political contracts and the Council of Princes. The post is occupied by whoever wins a majority vote of the Peerage on the death of the old Emperor. While this theoretically means any Fresian noble could become Emperor, functionally power rests in the hands of five major houses whose shifting loyalties and conflicts determine largely determine succession. Despite these many restrictions and complications, or perhaps because of them, Fresian emperors are typically either blithely incompetent figureheads or powerful and cunning personalities.

Fresian diplomatic relations are necessarily complicated as well, as different noble houses and duchies maintain their own relationships with neighboring nations and each other. Fresia has a long a bitter history of conflict with Flannary to its west, and the two have been engaged in a number of major wars and near continuous minor military disputes since they split from Flannary 3,000 years ago, with the "Bloody Thirty-Nine" being most often at the heart of conflicts. While wars and conflict exist in the far past, Fresia's recent relationship with its other neighbors, namely Guildenhom and Hakan, have been far more civil--Fresians by and large have tremendous respect for the competence and resilience of the Dwarves and the independence and fighting spirit of the Gnomes. The southern part of Fresia is often harassed by raiders from The Ulan, as well.

History and Culture

Fresian cultural identity is strongly tied to their barbarian history and their close proximity to the Dwarven empire of Guildenhome. From the former, modern Frasians maintain a fierce sense of independence and a near reverence for conflict--both political and military. From the later, they have learned tremendous respect for craftsmanship and competence. Needless to say, Fresians are not a fun loving or cheerful people, and most considers Fresians to be gruff, impatient, aggressive, and exacting. However, they are known to be fierce fighters, powerful statesmen, and capable craftsmen, and are well-respected despite their stern demeanor.