Stapäria

Stapäria, Between Mountains, Forests and Sea

Stapäria was a region in north eastern Aels, that extended along the shores of the sea of Tok between Kanovait and Anutkia, being the grasslands between the ocean and the great forest of Nubla.

While the southern border traditionally was set in the Stapas River, the northern frontier shifted through its history, but often would be considered the natural border the last mountain spur of the Northern Nohalion Mountains, the cultural border between Kanovait and Stapäria.

People

Beastfolk

It was traditionally inhabited by beastmen and K'Nir dog people.

Humans

Many Human villages and a few towns are here as well, largely with an ethnicity of Nutks. There was also a Kanov minority that had later settled here from over the eastern branch of the Northern Nohalion Mountains from Kanovait was also part of the population alongside humans.

Life in Settlements

The settlements were only hamlets, villages, and only a few had the maximum populations and development of towns. These towns tended to have walls and defenses, and could be harsh places to live with a 'dog-eat-dog' society coupled with severe punishments for malefactors. This was largely due to general poverty and the disunity of this country. The principal town known in the west of the country was Ghent, which was an important trading hub, but also showed the harshness of life in this country.

Conflicts and Cooperation

Humans and Beast People sometimes came into conflict, as did the Kanovs with the Nutks and other humans. The Werewolf demons that would come in from Wildnacht, would sometimes attack and raid human towns and villages. Although the Grey Shadow clan would have a pack of werewolves that would act as hired guards to protect certain settlements, particularly Ghent, from just this sort of attack.

Larger villages and the towns would very frequently have multiple races living together though, which likely was a reason for harsh punishments to maintain the peace between the people.

History

For much of its history, Stapäria was scarcely populated by nomadic groups of beast men, that had their hunting grounds in the prairies between the Tok Sea and the great forests of Nubla.

Dark Legion Rule over Stapäria.

Serving the Dark Legion, often the nomadic tribes would provide warriors and auxiliaries to the eastern dark legions.

Only during the demonic rule of the Polforian Dark Legion around the XXI century a.a.H, would begin to appear some sedentary settlements, mostly posts and settlements to secure communication of the Confederation of Free Peoples between their territories in Polforia and their eastern holds.

Slowly, around these posts developed some garrisons and markets, beginning the process of settlement of both native beast peoples and immigrants.

As the lands of Stapäria were recognized as territories of the beast peoples, for long the Dark Legion tried to limit migration of Kanovs and Humans into the region, the Stapas River would become a traditional northern border for the human Nutks from Anutkia to the south, and the Nohalion northernmost mountain spur the eastern border of Kanov lands to the northeast.

Because of this, the Bazrrod demon god-king Anutkahook, ruler of Anutkia to the south, never laid claim to these lands, knowing his status as ruler of a distinct nation of human Demon Servers, would be rejected by the tribes of Stapäria, and his fellow demon lords would object.

The Free lands of Stapäria

As result of the First War of the Power, the Dwarven mines of Fronhost seized the opportunity of vacuum of power after the collapse of the Dark Legion, and will extend their influence, seizing over much of Wildnacht and northwestern Stapäria.

Without the Dark Legion, the posts and garrisons set by the demons were either abandoned -having lost their strategic function to keep safe land routes and communication between Polforia and eastern aelian demonic holds- or became settlements of everything between small towns to hamlets.

Without the demons, the ban on demons restricting these lands for migration of humans and Kanovs, along with the instability in Polforia, will result in a slow but continuous influx of refugees and settlers into the region.

Escaped serfs and slaves from Polforia, Kanovait kanovs seeking for their own plots of lands, Nutks leaving Anutkia to escape the shadow of Anutkahook, will settle in Stapäria.

While in the northwest -under the dwarves of Fronhost- flourished villages and hamlets, trading and providing food to dwarves, the rest of Stapäria continued to be dominated by nomadic tribes, along with dispersed farms and small trading posts, that held no allegiance to no one:

from this lack of allegiance, will come the name of the "Free lands" of Stapäria.

Eventually, direct Fronhost dwarven rule over northwestern Stapäria will fail -as the dwarves decided it was too costly to provide defense to these territories, counting the rising tensions with the settlements that had been under their rule-: as result of this, political fragmentation in Stapäria continued, with settlements as Ghent and Ralhearth becoming independent entities, often very diverse and different.

A key transforming element of Stapäria in the XXIV and XXV Century will be the arrival of Vanolosé traders, which meant a revitalization of the maritime trade -and strategic importance- of the region, as a bridge between Hieyoks and Aels -which would lead to the rise of several villages into trade hubs.

This Vanolosé trade, along continued migrations, will see the emergence of a pidgin trade language that would come to be the known as the staparian.

Vanolosé traders, to ensure the safety of their trading outposts from Nutkian raids -be under Anutkahook or independently by the clans of Nutks- will serve as middle-orcs and diplomats, to form tribal alliances to repel and defend from these foreign menaces:

So slowly, while there was a fierce independence from each other, will emerge a sense of a shared destiny and identity as inhabitants of the Free lands of Stapäria.

The Influence of K'Hiff and the Loranor ambitions

The archipelago of K'Hiff, across the sea in a narrow strait was as well subjected to the influence of Vanolosé traders, who didn't seek direct dominion, but political stability to conduct business, and they will manipulate the K'Nir packs into the conformation of the Kingdom of K'Hiff at the 2431: however, this will be resisted by various K'Nir groups in the K'Nir wars (2431-2446 a.a.H).

As result of it, many K'Nir refugees escaped to Stapäria, founding communities, and bringing their culture with them, quickly spreading among the continental K'Nir tribes.

With the beginning of the Second War of the Power and the first stages of the war fought precisely in eastern Aels, between the Anutkia of Anutkahook and the Loranor Kingdom, the Loranor decided to annex Stapäria to their realm, to avoid Anutkahook to have territorial continuity with the Dark Legion in Polforia.

At first, Loranor invasion will be highly successful, but the Loranor actions will put in jeopardy the interests of the Vanolosé traders, competing with the Loranor. Because of this, the Vanolosé will set in motion an answer, in the form of the K'Nir.

Loranor Invasion

Seeing in the Kingdom of K'Hiff and in the united Stapärian K'Nir tribes the best option against the Loranor occupation or an eventual Nutk invasion, the Vanolosé merchants will work in the inception of the idea of the K'Nir Pacha of the union of all the K'Nir, and to fight back the Loranor -beginning what will be a long, protracted war between Loranor and K'Nir, that will last from the 2446 to the 2550 a.a.H-.

Not only that, but the Vanolosé merchants will as well work to influence the other tribes of Stapäria for them to form a wide alliance -a tribal confederation- to oppose the Loranor occupation.

The Loranor conquest of K'Hiff at the 2473 will be a setback -but only temporary in nature-.

The Loranor had to face a costly occupation with continued revolts, while having to fend off as well attacks by Anutkia and Kanovait, and when Anutkahook declared his independence from the Dark Legion at the 2493 a.a.H, the Dark Legions will march across Stapäria to reach Anutkia: in their path, they destroyed and sacked the Loranor province of Stapäria, specially the coastal ports and regions.

K'Hiff, which was spared from the invasion, was cut-out from the centre of Loranor power, and the K'Nir revolted, gaining again their independence, and as the Anutkahook War ended (2497 a.a.H) and the Dark Legions retreated -defeated- to Polforia, the K'Hiff invaded mainland Stapäria, forming a new tribal confederation with the free peoples of Stapäria, expelling the last remnants of Loranor rule of the region.

The Loranor Kingdom, seeing this as a stain on their honour, massed their armies and marched once more time in a second invasion of Stapäria at the 2507 a.a.H, but will meet for the first time the unified opposition of the Tribes of Stapäria and K'Hiff in the Battle of Sukhe, which resulted in a decisive defeat of the Loranor Kingdom.

The Tribal Confederation of Stapäria and K'Hiff

The victory of Sukhe will serve as basis to the conformation of the Tribal Confederation of Stapäria and K'Hiff, a K'Nir led alliance of the peoples of Stapäria -Beast People, Humans, Kanov, Dwarves, elves and orcs along with others-.

In principle a defensive alliance against their more powerful neighbors of the Dark Legion, Anutkia and the Loranor Kingdom, as slowly there was a process of centralization of power along the Pacha of K'Hiff, while never a true sovereign monarch, the K'Hiff Pachas were able to convince the tribal leaders to wage an offensive leader against the Loranor Kingdom -or by then, known as well as the Likkan Empire-, which efforts would lead to the sack and destruction of Thol-Iznea at the 2550 a.a.H: the destruction of Thol-Iznea will mean the end of about 104 years of war for the destiny of Stapäria and K'Hiff.

Imperial Province of Stapäria and K'Hiff

Seizing this success, the power of the Pachas of K'hiff will be consecrated, and as the Pacha formally converted to Karentian Christianity, they made first a permanent alliance with Humans, and later the Pacha went as far as to recognize as their emperor the Holy Sargonic Empire, making Stapäria and K'Hiff formally into an imperial subject of the Holy Sargonic Empire -a state with a Christian minority in power-.

This will be resisted by many of the Tribes, who didn't wanted to have fought the Loranor Emperor to replace it for a human one, and this distant imperial province will face internal turmoil between the "Dogs of the Emperor" and the pagan -and demonic cults- of the Free tribes.

But soon, the reign of Emperor Camilo VIII the Apostate (2.585-2.620 a.a.H) will begin a series of religious wars, tested the loyalty of the K'nir, who despite their religion, stayed loyal to the apostate emperor of the Empire.

After the heresy of Camilo VIII, and the fragmentation of the Holy Sargonic Empire, the K'nir of K'Hiff joined the Empire of the Ne'Sargonic Camiloe Jesué I.

Along with the Ne'Sargonic Empire, they will fight the Dark Legion of Demons in the Third War of the Power (2633-2.675 a.a.H), alongside Loranor and Fronhost Dwarves, where for their loyalty and efforts, were nicknamed "the best friend of men". But some pointed out this was really a joke among humans, as they called in such way the dogs already.

Characters and Stories

This is the country where Oyvald Traefod originated from, and the Kanov woman blacksmith Agransk Järnarmenk who would come to mentor him. These characters first appeared in the story of young Pumori of the White Fang, with the adventurer Bog.