Bigicia

Bigicia, officially the Kingdom of Bigicia, is a nation in the northern part of Natia, west of the mini continent of Highwind. It borders Aimūlli to the west,  Cherniya to the north-east and  Zechonia to the south-west. The eastern part of its southern border is all but wilderness and ruins of long gone civilisations. It is not known when the lands of Bigicia were first inhabited and historians agree that the proto-Bigician tribes migrated here from the south, however the cause for this mass migration in unknown.

Bigicia is currently an semi-constitutional monarchy with limited democratic elements. The feudal roots of the nations are still visible but thanks to the ongoing succession crisis the King of Bigicia, Torrhen III, has announced plans to reform the country, introducing a Constitution and establishing a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. Unlike Torrhen, the new king or queen's power s will be limited by the new Constitution and the parliament.

In July 2020, the king successfully established an elective system for the monarchy of its realm and called every nation to send a suitable prince of princess that will serve as the royal heir until the death of Torrhen III. The High Council convened on 31st July and elected Majlinda of House Mëriqi as the Crown Princess of Bigicia. Majlinda will be the first female ruler of Bigicia since the times of the Wrainreth Empire.

Etymology
The world Bigicia is derived from the proto-Beto-Geran language and it means 'the land of the Betoans, the Gerans and the Ciupeans', the three original tribes who inhabited the region starting with the 7th century BC. In some Ciupean dialects, the word also means 'the united realm', as the word was first used officially in the context of the first unification.

Prehistory
Little is known about the original inhabitants of these northern lands, but human remains found in two caves tell the story of a neolithic civilisation that was wiped out by some unknown contagion. Excavations near a salt spring at Dawnbreak yielded evidence for salt exploitation as old as the 5th millennium BC.

Pre Bigician Period
The first archaeological evidence of the Bigician tribes' migration comes from the 7th century BC, when the three tribes arrived in the region and started creating their own proto-states. The first tribe, the Betoans, settled along the southeastern part of the region, close to where the cities of Whitespire and Cobadin exist today. The second tribe, the Gerans, decided to go forward and settle in the northeastern part, near the current city of Wrobia. Finally, the third tribe, the Ciupeans, migrated westward and settled in what is today the city of Ramidava. Slowly, each tribe has gained more land until the region has been divided by the three of them.

While they shared a common heritage and language, each tribe have developed a different dialect. Today, there are three main dialects of the Bigician language, named after the tribes.

By the 2nd century AD, the region was inhabited by three large states, each competing with the other two for the scarce resources of the realm. The kingdom of Bettony dominated the south and all the trade that comes from it, the kingdom of Gera had its power in north, being focused on mining rare resources and pillaging the neighbouring islands and lastly, the tribal federation of Ciupa had in its grasp the western part of the region, with its reach forests and milder climate, due to the volcanic mountains.

The tribal federation of Ciupa was founded in the 1st century BC, after a strange tribe from the south has arrived at their borders, asking for protection. Originally from the region that is today inhabited by Zechonia, the Zoelkec tribe migrated north after the Zechonian Wastes claimed many lives from their tribes. Back in those times, the wastes were full of dangerous beasts. In the 3rd century AD, the federation fell into chaos and a new kingdom arose, ruled by Cuqirin Dynasty, who would go to rule for centuries to come.

By the 8th century AD, the kingdom of Bettony has expanded southward and conquered much of the Zechonian wastes tribes, forming the Wrairenth Empire. The kingdom of Gera continued to defend its borders against this neighbouring newly-founded empire and, using their seafaring culture, they settled the island now called Obsidian Isles and discovered a new trading material that would enrich their kingdom for centuries to come.

The Wrairenth Empire did not live long however, as it fell in a bloody interregnum shortly after the assassinations of Empress Nentyra and her two sons in 953 AD by a mysterious group of cultists. Tired of this ruthless centralized governance, the Zechonian tribes who were living in the wastes south of Bettony decided to take the fate in their own hands and separated from the empire. With the Wrairenth Dynasty now extinct, nobles from all around Bettony proper warred against each other for the throne and by the end of the interregnum, none had an army big enough to secure the throne. Battles such as the Battle of Sabeta or the Massacre at Cyvrasil are still remembered to this day.

First Bigician Unification
With the once might Bettonian states now in ashes and dust, the king of Gera renewed his ambition to conquer the entire region and establish an united Bigician kingdom, where the three tribes would live under the same ruler and would be less inclined to petty squabbles or rivalries. Thus, in 980 AD, fifty years after the interregnum started in Bettony, Ayrenus marched south and conquered the Bettoan petty kings one by one, until the whole region of Bettony was under his heel. Not having much taste for imperial titles, he titled himself the King of Gera and Bettony in 985 AD and moved his attention to the fiercely aggresive tribal federation of Ciupa who still had a strong hold on the western parts of the now Bigicia kingdom.

The tribal federation was a worthy opponent and their high chief Nicon Cuqirin, nicknamed the Bloodfist, was one of the most feared leaders they ever had. The war between the now unified kingdoms of Gera and Bettony and Ciupa started in 990 AD and lasted six gruesome years, culminating with the ritual suicide of the tribal federation's leader Nicon. Some of the tribes, such as the Zoelkec who joined the tribal federation in the 1st century BC migrated southward and joined the Zechonian state, being eventually assimilated by their local population. The dismantlement of the tribal federation ended a long period of Ciupean cultural development and helped starting the process of assimilating the unruly tribes into the shared mainstream culture of Gera and Bettony. Before he took his own life, Nicon declared a prophecy that his bloodline will someday return and exact revenge on the Gerans and create a free Ciupa. Many Cuqirin pretenders rose in the centuries after, but none was successful in reestablishing the Ciupean tribal federation. Some Ciupean nationalists are still holding to Nicon's promise despite the Cuqirin Dynasty being extinct for many centuries.

In 1011 AD, after putting down the last Cuqirin rebellion, the Union of Selethis was concluded, uniting Gera, Bettony and Ciupa into a single, federated state, which was to be ruled by a single sovereign. Ayrenus I declared the start of a new era, which he called the First Era and continued to rule the unified kingdom for forty more years, and his life goal would remain the establishment of a religion acceptable to the people of Gera and Bettony, but also to the people of Ciupa, who had a very animistic approach to religion. As a compromise between the three original tribes' beliefs, he established the Eleven Forces, which incorporated elements from both the Ciupean deities but also from the Betto-Geran shared pantheon. This religion continues to be the dominant religion even today.

Upon his death in 1051, it was said that King Ayrenus Didus was buried in the catacombs beneath Gera. This later developed into a tradition by his successors, who were also buried under the city.

The Didian Dynasty will continue to rule over an unified Bigician kingdom for three more centuries, until the ruinous decades of the 14th century. Their influences helped forge an unified Bigician culture and many aspects of it were decided in the times of the Didians, such as the religion tenets, who were first established by Ayrenus I and then reformed in three Great Councils at the order of his successors.

The Aimūlli Invasion
After successfully ruling the kingdom of Bigicia uncontested for three centuries, in 1329 the kingdom was greeted by a new danger. Coming from unknown far northern lands, a seafaring nation, calling themselves Aimūlli, arrived on the shores of north-west Bigicia. Initially underestimating this new threat, for the kingdom became bold and arrogant after centuries of stable borders, king Darvon sent a small force to repel what he thought was a primitive sea-faring tribe. Not one person came back from that encounter. Instead, the leader of the Aimūlli sent back their heads, as a "gift" for Darvon.

The Aimūlli soon started to pillage every village of old Western Ciupa and finally settled at the mouth of the Jaenlovia river, from which their established a new state. In not only three years they conquered all that was before Western Ciupa. King Darvon tried to repel them in three successive wars but to no avail, as the new sea-faring nation was here to stay.

It all culminated in the third Aimūlli-Bigicia war when Darvon was poisoned by an Aimūllian arrow in the Battle of Jaenlovia Bay and died three days after, leaving the once stable Bigician kingdom in disarray. The royal ambitions of many Bigician nobles finally came to the surface and gave way to internal strife within the unified Kingdom. Not long after Darvon's death, most of Bettony completely severed ties with the kingdom and established a patchwork of smaller kingdoms.

What was once a stable and prosperous kingdom left way to a bloated corrupt cadaver following the death of King Darvon. His succesor Dorin was only twelve years old when his father breathed for the last time on the marshy fields near Jaenlovia Bay. It was a clear he won't rule on his own for many years to come, so the rich nobles of Bigicia completely disregarded the old king's wishes and sued for peace with Aimūlli and agreed to let them take all the land of Western Ciupa. For them, that region was a backwards poor marshy land that none of them had any use for and the only thing that truly mattered was the throne in Gera.

The Last Days of the Didians
A great council of nobles was established soon after the peace treaty with Aimūlli was signed and their main objective was to elect a regent for their young king, who will rule in his stead. Gorreth Siguldor, the Duke of Wrobia, managed to win the votes of many lowly nobles, using both subterfuge and his influence, and on 16th May, 1332 he was elected as Regent.

Regent Gorreth Siguldor was a man of big ambitions and a child of twelve years old was not going to stand against him and his dreams of power. He appointed nobles loyal to him in all the royal offices (by the 14th century, there were 4 or 5 at most offices, one of the most important being the treasurer).

At first, he had the love of both commoners and priests, as he promised that the kingdom will learn a lot from the demise of King Darvon and a failure such as the loss of Western Ciupa will not repeat again. He also promised to return the unruly Bettonian nobles back into the kingdom and hold them personally responsible for the military failure that the kingdom suffered against Aimūlli.

However, their love did not last long, as in 1334 the Aimūllian ruler died and their loose state fell into anarchy. Instead of trying to reconquer the Western Ciupa provinces, Gorreth feared the Aimūllians were still too strong of an enemy to overtake and a war would only reunite them against a common enemy.

In October 1334, a group of nobles crossed the border and tried on their own to retake land back, but they were pushed back by the Aimūllians. Hearing of this, Gorreth got very angry and demanded the head of every single one of them. This turned out to be a big mistake on his part, as these nobles were very influential with the commoners and it sparked a revolt in the capital city of Gera, forcing the Regent and his court to hide in their royal palace. This discontent will continue in the following months, culminating with a revolt that will force the nobles to isolate in the royal palace.

Spending almost two years in the isolation of the royal palace, Gorreth's mind slowly slipped into madness. He no longer trusted anyone, not even the young king. He craved the adoration of the commoners and when such a thing stopped to exist, he became a very desperate man. By 1336, his Regency was coming to a close and so was his power and influence.

The act that will spark the flames of anarchy and rebellion happened on 13th June, 1336, not even two months before the young king would've become a ruler on his own, Gorreth pushed the young king Dorin from his royal chamber's balcony ending both his life and his line. Claiming it was just an accident, he claimed the throne for himself not even three hours after the young king's body was taken from outside his window.

Anarchy claimed the city of Gera and then it spread throughout the realm. The nobles convened once again, this time in the city of Greymist and condemned Gorreth as a traitor to the crown and refuted his claim. One major problem that arose was however, who would be the next ruler. With the Didian Dynasty now official extinct, it was the first time in three centuries when they had to make such a decision. Of course, many nobles claimed the throne and none of them would compromise. The only decision of this council would remain the condemnation of Gorreth, as three days later the council would cease to exist, each noble family vying for the throne.

The Fragmentation
With Gorreth still holding the city of Gera and occupying the royal palace, and many noble families now warring against each other in a race to see who will reach the capital city first and kill Gorreth, the unified Bigician kingdom was by now a thing of the past. While Bettony left the kingdom many years before, they were now interested in claiming the throne as well. New kingdoms arose and many became one with the dust.

Gorreth was eventually assasinated by a servant two years after the start of the interregnum, in 1338, and the remaining nobles in Gera, who still stayed loyal to Gorreth all this time, convened and ruled jointly the carcass of the old kingdom.

Greymist and Dragonwind, old and respectable duchies in the unified kingdom, both formed their own realms and warred against each other, old rivalries starting anew.

In 1340, Aimūlli, now reunited under a single leader once again, started to raid the lands of Ciupa. With eastern nobles busy in their fight for the throne, the Ciupean natives were feeling helpless against an enemy such as the Aimūllian raiders. Eventually, the province of Eastern Ciupa was conquered and made a tributary to the Aimūlli. The lord of Cedonia, Oqinad Ubradian, was personally named Governor of Eastern Ciupa by the leader of Aimūlli.

Many noble houses will try to retake the throne, but the realm will remain fragmented for many centuries to come, under both the pressure of aggressive neighboring nations and the ruinous ambition of its nobles. While the reunification of the realm remained a permanent objective for many nobles and commoners alike, the reality will force them to admit that it is not a dream that will be realized in their lifetime.

By 1400, the realm was a patchwork containing 14 states, large and small, each one concentrated along one of the big cities of the old kingdom. During this period the city of Gera started to lose its status and importance, slowing making way for the rise of the southern Betoan rich cities such as Nar Darum.

The Meridian Era
In 1421, the military forces of the kingdom of Meridia crossed the border and started a campaign to liberate Eastern Ciupa from the Aimūlli occupation. By this period, the Aimūlli state became a bloated realm, nothing alike the warring people who put fear in the heart of every Bigician a century before. King Arses of Meridia led a succesful military campaign between 1421 and 1424 and reconquered most of the Ciupean province, now his kingdom stretching from bright city of Meridia to the marshes of Coldmire.

The Second Era, also called the Meridian Era or the Bright Era by some, was proclaimed by King Arses in 1425, when the Altar of Meridia was finally built. Worshipping the Lady of Life Energies and Light, one of the eleven forces established by old king Ayrenus centuries before, the people of Meridia started a cultural renaissance that will eventually influence the entire region.

Arses will continue his ambitious military campaigns against Aimūlli, essentially reconquering the entire Eastern Ciupa province. The western part of the province remained part of Aimūlli, as Arses failed to get it in his grasp, losing the war against the united Aimūlli and Zechonian forces, to the south.

Other than the flourishing and cultural innovative kingdom of Meridia, in this new era, the merchant republic of Crownshore was established in north-eastern Bigicia and started to engulf it's neighbouring states, eventually reaching the gates of Gera. By 1450, the city was but a shadow of itself, and it easily fell to the rich Crownshorian forces. With the fall of Gera, the old kingdom was now officially dead and buried. Crownshore colonized the icy island of Obsidian, who stayed undisturbed and established the Obsidian Mine in 1456.

Influenced by the cultural enrichment of Meridia, the Betoan cities of south-east Bigicia founded the first Universities and Mzuft was known as a center of religious thinking.

With the climate becoming harsher and harsher in the north each year, many migrated to the south and founded new cities, with cities such as Moudal and Dragonwind becoming less attractive. The icy winds started to become a real problem for Crownshore but they continued to have a steady trade route with Cherniya and Fervorosia, to the south-east.

While the realm was disunited, the petty kingdoms prospered on their own and many preferred peace and trade between each other rather than a bloody race for the united throne.

In 1489, the cities of Bettony formed a union of petty kingdoms and duchies and, with the help of electors from each state, elected a singular leader. The Union of 1489 was but the first step for a Betoan unification, one established not with the sword, but with the help of diplomacy.

Union of Ciupa and Meridia
Inspired by the actions of the nobles in the Betoan province, the king of Meridia declared and signed in 1505 a union between the Crownlands of Meridia and Crownland of Ciupa, esentially becoming a new unified state called the kingdom of Merid-Ciupa. Somewhat threatened by this new large state, the cities of Bettony who stayed away from the union in 1489 started thinking whether they should join or risk being assimilated in to the Merid-Ciupa juggernaut.

Merid-Ciupa will continue to be an important political actor on the stage of the realm for centuries to come, until their demise and absorbtion in the second Bigician kingdom.

The Leonesian-Bigician War
By the start of the 17th century, the small patchwork of states disappeared and the realm returned to a picture of big and powerful kingdoms, ruled with an iron fist. To the west, there was Merid-Ciupa, bordering Aimūlli, in the south and south-east there was the Bettony Commonwealth, still a patchwork of states, but unified in a single direction, under a single king, who was chipping away from the powers of the states year by year. In the north however, Crownshore ruled the eastern part and Bleakstorm was ruling the north-western part, both states vying for the control of Cobalt Mine, a resource that would become essential for the survival of these northern cities.

Being in a somewhat isolated geographical position compared to the rest of Natia, the states in the Bigicia region started to lag behind in technology innovation. Some states, such as Crownshore, maintained trade relations with Cherniya to the east and with the states on the Highwind minicontinent, while the Bettony Commonwealth traded with Fervorosia. the Highwind nations were a beacon of enlightenment, but due to the icy winds of the Dragon Bay, not many scholars adventured far north. The forested no man's land to the south of the Bettony Commonwealth that stood for centuries as a natural barrier for invasions from the south, also deterred land trade from the south.

The technological disadvantage was finally clearly seen when the Fervorosian Kingdom fell to the forces of a large newly-established empire to the south, with its capital in current-day Nurdia and not even three months later Driftmark, Ravenwatch and Nar Darum fell to this enemy and the Bettony Commonwealth collapsed with the death of its ceremonial king. The Leonesian Empire, this new terrifying enemy, hailing from the south, was the first mighty adversary in the region since the times of Aimūllian invasion. Soon after, news broke out that old nations with an isolationist habit such as Zombira and Zoidiac fell as well and were incorporated into the empire. The Leonesian Empire now stretched from the Lake of Origin to the Dragon Bay and it was one of the biggest empires in the region in history.

In the following years, the Leonesian Empire swallowed every Bettonian city into their empire, leaving every city who opposed them in flames. When the empire reached the gates of Elsinor, close to the border of the Merid-Ciupa kingdom, it was clear that the other political forces in the region would soon fall too if they not act fact. And acting fast they did, forming a new fragile, but brave alliance, a Bigician Concodat between Merid-Ciupa, Bleakstorm and Crownshore.

Separated, their forces were but an ant in the wind against the armies of Leonesia but together, they could topple an empire. And so they did, winning the battle of Elsinor in 1620 and one year later in 1621, when they finally liberated Nar Darum and pushed the empire back to the forests south of Bettony. Leonesia will continue to dominate the region for three more decades, but will not take hold of Bettony or other parts of Bigicia ever again, and it will finally collapse in 1656, when Zombira and Zoidiac managed to declare independence.

Second Bigician Unification
In 1621, in the recently liberated city of Nar Darum, the king of Merid-Ciupa, the duke of Bleakstorm and the Archon of Crownshore and the numerous nobles of Bettony established together a great council that will decide the fate of the region. As it was pointed out during the council's session, separated they will not stand a chance against the foes that lurk out there in Natia. The ignorant bliss of thinking they are safe it's over. So, on 11th October, 1621 they all signed the Union of Nar Darum, reestablishing the united kingdom of Bigicia.

The question of everyone's lips however was who will rule the reunited kingdom. Trying to avoid the troubles that arose in the past, the king of Merid-Ciupa proposed an elective system, one where every noble of the realm - but no outsider - would stand a chance to win the throne after the former king has passed. And since the ruler of Nar Darum has tragically found his end by a Leonesian sword a year before, most of the nobles wished for Nar Darum to be the new capital of the reunited kingdom, some sort of neutral ground between the political forces within the realm.

After weeks of debates and negotiation, the great council chose the king of Merid-Ciupa, Kiran 'the Lightspear', as the first king of reunited Bigicia. As an act of goodwill, king Kiran dismantled the old kingdom of Merid-Ciupa and gave a province to each son: Anwar inherited the Meridian province and Abnur inherited Ciupa. Moving his entire court to Nar Darum, the city started to flourish and rival Meridia in terms of trade and cultural advancement.

King Kiran of House Solennan declared a new era, a Third Era of Bigicia, also called the Second Meridian Era and ruled the reunited kingdom of Bigicia for thirteen more years, until his death in 1634. During his reign, Nar Darum truly became a capital city, both in name and size and the realm lived in peace more than ever before. Some of his greatest achievements are the reformation of the Eleven Forces, putting an end to the schism that happened between the Aimūllian-influenced Ciupean teachings and the mainstream Gera-Bettonian doctrine, the creation a high council who will settle judicial matters in the king's name and settle matters of elective succesion, and the founding of the royal fleet, an unified force that will defend the Dragon Bay for centuries to come.

The Elective Period
Upon Kiran's death in 1634, the high council elected his son Abnur I and he ruled for forty years, until his death in 1670. Abnur's reign is viewed even today as one of the longest and most peaceful times for the realm, but not much can be said about innovation and prosperity. The unforgiving icy weather of the north continue to be a massive problem for the kingdom and many subjects moved to the south, making cities such as Sabeta and Brassmond a rival to Nar Darum in terms of population.

When Abnur I died in 1670, the high council felt the Solennan dynasty had enough time to govern the realm, so they went with a more charming noble instead, Gervasius of House Salingire, the count of Aelwel. Gervasius ruled somewhat competently for three years, until 1673 when he died of gout. His son, Abnur II, followed him on the throne.

King Abnur II was not as charming as his father, but was in possession of a great intellect and had a big interest for medicine. In 1677 he founded the first medical college in the realm, with scholars as far as Solentoya coming to the college to study. Nicknamed 'the Scholar' in his final years of life, for being utterly uninterested into realm politics, instead dedicating his time on scientific breakthroughs, he is remembered in a somewhat good light for keeping the peace of the realm, despite the fact that High Councillor Relleth what in fact responsible for that. Abnur II died in 1698 and since he had no heirs of his own, the high council elected his nephew, Clauelvin to follow him on the throne. King Clauelvin's rule was short and nothing of much interest happened during his times. He is also known as Clauelvin the Idle. He died in 1701 in a hunting accident.

In 1701, the high council returned once again its gaze to the Solennan dynasty and elected king Abnur I's grandson, Abnur III, whose reign was almost as long as his grandfathers', ruling for thirty-five years until his tragic death in 1736, when he jumped from a balcony in an episode of desperation and madness. Abnur III ruled with an iron fist and in the last decade of his rule tried to conquer Zechonia, but his campaign failed spectacularly. Conquering Zechonia will remain a shared dream of the Solennan dynasty in the years to come.

After Abnur III met his tragic end on the cold ground below his royal balcony, just as young Dorin met his fate centuries before, the high council went into a small period of turmoil, as two candidates for the throne held equal amounts of influence over them. Abnur III's oldest son, Artevus and Morndilin of House Founrath, the duke of Balmora both wanted the throne and nothing would stop them from achieving their goal. The turmoil ended three months later, in November 1736, when Artevus and Morndilin would decide the realm's fate in a historical duel against each other, where Artevus would defeat and slay Morndilin, despite promising to spare his life. The high council was forced to concede and elect Artevus as the new king.

King Artevus' reign started with a heinous act and his popularity plummeted immensely in the following years. Trying to raise his popularity amongst the other nobles, he created new titles and started military campaigns against Zechonia and Aimūlli. While his Aimūllian campaign met with success, making the kingdom a vassal of Bigicia, the second Zechonian-Bigician War of 1739-40 was an utter disaster, Raylight Keep and the walls of Meridia being destroyed in the process. In 1743, he died in suspicious circumstances, being found dead in his bed. Historians are still not sure wether he was assasinated or he died of natural causes. Either way, the high council convened at once and Morndilin's son, young Anruvan, as the new king of Bigicia.

Anruvan's reign was influenced from the start by his relatives, who were set on eradicating the remaining nobles of the Solennan dynasty. Thus, in 1744 he ordered the imprisonment of late king Artevus' brother Mankdal, for the alleged crimes against the realm, committed during the Zechonian-Bigician war. Mankdal remained imprisoned and died a few years later and his sons' will soon join him in the afterlife. Artevus' only daughter will escape the wrath of the new king and will eventually marry him in 1746. House Founrath nobles will continue to subjugate Anruvan's will for most of his reign and he will not be able to accomplish anything durable in those years, other than filling his relatives' coffers. History remembers him as Anruvan the Coward and he will continue to rule until 1755, when he died of pneumonia.

With the High Council in their pockets, the Founrath family will force their hand again and they will elect Anruvan's son, Torrhen I, whose reign was influenced by the Founrath to a much lesser extent. In 1757 he made it very clear that the throne is his and his alone and he will rule as he sees fit. He imprisoned his aunt and uncle for one month, under suspicion of stealing from the royal treasury. Upon their release, they never set foot at court again. Using their influence, they tried pushing the high council to enforce their will, but it all culminated in the dismantlement of the high council by Torrhen, who was much more popular with the commoners and lowly nobles alike than the Founraths anticipated. Not even a decade later in his reign, in 1767, he will declare the elective system obsolete and a relic of the past and consider such systems too primitive for a kingdom such as Bigicia. His road to absolutism was cheered on by nobles who were tired of Founrath's family influence and the numerous squabbles the elective succession would create. Torrhen promised them glory and so shall they would have, or so they thought.

The Absolutism
King Torrhen I's reign lasted for twenty-two years and his absolutist behavior changed the realm considerably. Ruling like kings of old but pretending to be enlightened, he crushed his relatives' influence at court and in the realm at large and by the end of his reign, most of his uncles, cousins and other distant relatives were either in exile, imprisoned or dead. Torrhen I had three sons and the youngest one will inherit Balmora after the Founraths were evicted from the great city. The second son inherited the duchy of Meridia by marriage, after the Solennan dynasty finally became extinct.

Torrhen is viewed as a necessary evil by the historians, for restricting the Founrath's influence gained during the reign of Anruvan, but also for destroying the first dawn of democracy in the realm, in the form of the high council created by King Kiran. Many political elements from his reign are still seen in the Bigician society to this day.

In 1777, Torrhen I died of natural causes and was succeeded by his oldest son Dorin II. Named after the last king of the Didian dynasty from centuries back, Dorin continued to rule in a similar fashion to his father, acting alone and without the need to be advised by a council. However, Dorin had a close protégé, Keza Leerd, who some historians consider he was his paramour. Keza exterted much influence over Dorin and such can be seen in his decision to built a royal summer palace in the city of Ravenwatch, where Keza's family had influence and could profit from it. Despite Keza's wishies, Dorin II married Princess Elaesse of Viola Per Sempre and together they had three children.

Dorin II ruled twenty-six more years, dying of unknown cases in 1803. Some historians claim he died of a broken heart after his paramour Keza decided to take his own life. His oldest son, Abnur IV will succeed on the throne.

King Abnur IV was the first king to have a serious interest in the religious doctrine. Sure, legendary rulers such as Ayrenus and Kiran helped establishing the Eleven Forces, but none of them developed an obsession for ritual ceremonies and the afterlife. Abnur IV is the king to who we own the foundation of numerous temples we have today in the realm, such as the Osenar Temple in the north and the grandiose Eleven Forces temple in Central Bettony. Abnur lived a modest life for a king, but his constant obsession with the afterlife led him to punish his subjects for every religious transgression. He went as far as creating a prison in the Weeping Cave - thus deeply insulting the Ciupan traditions, as the cave was a place of worship for cults older than the Eleven Forces. The prison will be used for heretics and apostates and will lead to a decrease in number of adherents of different religions in the realm. His extremist approach sparked a period of religious turmoil. His reign is also called 'the Dark Decades'.

Abnur IV died in 1820 when performing a ritual sacrifice for the Goddess Nocturnal at her altar in Central Bettony. The ritual involved stepping in the flames and it was only performed by the Nocturnal Priests and not by anyone. Arrogant and dismissive, Abnur stepped into the flames and prayed to Nocturnal, thinking he will be immune to their fiery bite. He was wrong. Half of his body was covered in burns before the priests could stop the fire and get him out of the pyre. As he never married and did not have any heirs, he was succeeded by his nephew Clauelvin II.

The Turmoil and the Reformation
Following the disastrous reign of Abnur IV, the realm was inflamed by the fire of religious extremism. Not only the followers of other religions were persecuted, but groups within the Eleven Forces itself started to fight against each other. When Abnur died in 1820, the followers of Sotha, God of Reason, Work and Knowledge, accused the cult of Nocturnal to be responsible for the king's death and claimed their mistress Nocturnal is a dark and evil one. While the mainstream religion of the Eleven Forces stipulates that you have to revere every of the eleven forces, each Bigician is usually choosing their favourite force - or god/goddess - to venerate. Such choice is mostly governed by tradition, location - people from the province of Gera are more inclined to venerate Qhaion or Osenar rather than Meridia for example.

The rivalry between the cult of Sotha and the one of Nocturnal was but an ancient one, as old as the establishment of the Eleven Forces or even before, for they were venerated before as well. Sotha is mostly venerated by the Bigicians living at the border of Bettony Province and his temple is south of Fraser and Moldir. While his cult was mostly isolationist and bordering monotheism in their fervent veneration, they usually respect the other ten forces in the pantheon. That was not the case in 1820, when they openly blamed Nocturnal, the Goddess of Night, Mistress of Shadows, the Lady of Luck. She is mostly venerated by Bigicians living in the Bettony Province, and her temple is north of Ilmoure and the closest to the realm's capital.

Clauelvin II tried to appease both sides and invited both cult's priests to Nar Darum to settle their dispute. Since times immemorial, the cults had no formal leader and the Eleven Forces religion on itself was led by no one, other than the king and only in earthly matters. Thus, feeling this problem was beyond the king's authority, the cult of Sotha was - despite their Gods area of expertise - not very reasonable. They wanted the cult of Nocturnal eradicated and they wanted it now, so they started a military campaign, amassing commoners and nobles alike against her cult. Unfortunately for the realm, the new king, Clauelvin II, was weak-willed and could not enforce his authority like his forefather Torrhen I could.

The turmoil - or the Twilight of Reason how it is also known - lasted for twenty years and Clauelvin II could no do much to stop the open war between the cults, until one fateful day, when he married Princess Safiya of Tohru and through her influence and skill he managed to stop the bloodshed. The cult of Nocturnal did not recover to this day, remaining one of the smallest cults within the Eleven Forces. The religious turmoil ended in 1840, when Clauelvin II and Queen Safiya invited all the nobles and cult leaders of the realm to a great council, each god of the eleven forces being represented. Together, Clauelvin and Safiya argued that the religion needs a spiritual leader, someone could solve disputes such as the one between the Sothasites and the Nocturnalites and would prevent decades of needless war and turmoil. They decided that each of the eleven cults will send three priests to the Temple of Eleven Forces to serve as their electors and none of them could vote for themselves and they will elect a High Priest who will settle all the religious matters.

Thus, the office of the High Priest was created and the Eleven Forces religion became more organized. Unfortunately for their cult, the Sothasites won most of he first elections and the Nocturnalites continued to be persecute, albeit not so openly.

The Restoration of the High Council
Seeing that the power of shared influence of multiple nobles could settle even a problematic issue such as religious doctrine, Clauelvin II - mostly influenced by his wife Safiya, re-established the high council of old in 1841. Thus, the era of absolutism was at an end, or so it would seem, for the high council would remain consultative and not settle matters of succession like before.

The High Council continues to exist even today, led by High Councillor Brendanus Ilona and is working tirelessly to advise our king Torrhen III. Unlike many nations of Natia, the ancient autocratic tendencies are still alive in Bigicia, but the current king is working to bring the realm into the 21st century, even if it's literally in the last years of his reign.

The Torrhean Era
Clauelvin II continued to rule until 1852 when he died of cancer. He was succeeded by his son Torrhen II. The new king would focus on kickstarting a cultural revolution, a second Meridian renaissance, by inviting scholars from all over Natia to modernize the country. The advancement of science, art and the educational reform would change the realm for the better.

King Torrhen II would be the first king to truly move his attention to other parts of Natia and to attempt to establish colonies in more warmer parts of the world. Thus, he reformed the royal navy and sailed south to isles east of the kingdom of Solentoya, where he established a rudimentary colony. A tropical paradise, full of jungles with trees the size of a small mountain, it was a stark difference to the climate back home. The island will be named ' Torhita' after the ruler, of course.

Torhita will be the subject of two wars with the kingdom of Solentoya in the years following, as they considered the land as rightfully theirs. By the end of the two wars, none of the two countries will truly get to occupy the island, despite the wars ending in Solentoya's favour.

Torrhen will continue to rule until 1901, when he would die of old age. His forty-nine years reign is considered the longest reign in Bigician history and thus Torrhen is also known as Torrhen the Great.

The Modern Era
Torrhen II was succeeded by his oldest son, Dorin III who is considered the oldest crown prince, ascending on the throne at the age of 44. Upon his father eath, Dorin declared the start of a new era, for the realm has been changed forever. The Fourth Era - or Modern Era as it is commonly called - was to be an era of quick change and progress, yet some things never changed.

While Natia developed into states of high democratic value, the isolated kingdom of Bigicia remained ignorant to the world and stubborn in abandoning their ways. While the king remained a very autocratic figure, the high council started to change. Getting the best education they could get in southern nations such as Solentoya, Moisantia or the Bander State, the nobles of the realm started to develop their political ideas, forming sides in the high council based on their political views and less on the traditions. There were even nobles with republican ideals, as ironic that sounds.

Thus, the high council would consist of unofficial parties with no power whatsoever, as it was still consultative. However, in times when the king was weak-willed, the high council could exert much influence over the realm.

Dorin III is the grandfather of our current monarch and ruled from 1901 to 1920, being a king of little action and renown. The high council ruled the country more than he did, as he was too busy with his scandalous affairs that resulted in three royal bastards.

Dorin was suceeded by his son, Thalasos I, the father of our current monarch, who ruled from 1920 to 1946 and from 1948 to 1956. King Thalasos saw the country through three devastating wars: The Zechonian-Bigician War of 1928-1929 when Zechonian revolutionaries tried to cross the border and, fearing a similar communist revolution in Bigicia, the king ordered for the Bigician troops to enter Zechonia and occupy their capital: the Republican War between Bigicia and its allied state Chyariiland and the Socialist Republic of Indira, when the latter tried to install a republican government in both countries and suceeded for two years, where the king went into exile in Solentoya, and the third and most devastating war, the War of [redacted] where [redacted] and [redacted] and it was a Natian war (the Bigician archive does not have the permission from the king to present the information regarding the [redacted] war).

Our late king Thalasos I died in 1956 after suffering from pulmonary illnesses for almost a decade, being a heavy smoker. He was the only king to be replaced by a republican transitional government, even if it was only for two years. The second half of his reign has seen an increase in authoritarianism and less tolerance towards republicanism thinking, several communist and republican authors being jailed. Our current monarch admits his father was perhaps too harsh, but he attributes his paranoia to the two years he spent in exile half the world away.

The Contemporany Era
Our current monarch, most glorious Torrhen III, ascended on the throne on 15th May, 1956 and it was the first televised coronation, which held place in the Cathedral of Light in Meridia, as is tradition for three centuries.

Torrhen married Princess Bogdana of Kinzerreich, in a ceremony held on the tropical island of Baia Papaya, one of Kinzerreich's many colonies. Bogdana was born on the island and would often visit with the Crown Prince, their only children.

King Torrhen's reign thus far has been marked by a period of peace and prosperity and a special openness to the world of Natia which has been influenced in part by Bogdana's charms. In 2012, at the invitation of Chessland, he decided to apply for membership in the Natia Broadcasting Union and bring in the nation in the Nation Song Contest. Bigicia had to wait however until 2013 to fully join the contest. The country also participated in Waiting List Song Contest, a side-contest organized for nations with unrecognized member status in the NBU. When Bogdana fell ill in May 2015, the king decided to withdraw temporarily from the NBU, as the contest would be held at the same time with her funeral. Bigicia returned however in 2016 and is participating in Nation Song Contest ever since.

In July 2020, five years since the death of Bogdana, a massive cataclysm struck the islands of Baia Papaya and the ocean reclaimed the land and hundreds and thousands people lost their lives, including the life Crown Prince Abnur. Our king's health has been affected by these news and, while he was already frail and old (he wasn't nicknamed 'the Old' for nothing), most people think he won't survive very long in the future. With Crown Prince Abnur being the only living heir, the dynasty is at an end. From King Anruvan to Torrhen the Third, the Founrath Dynasty has ruled Bigicia 277 years.

The king, advised by the high council, invited all the nobles of the realm to a Great Council to to settle the matters of succession for the first time in many centuries. Instead of picking a successor after Torrhen III 'the Old' is pronounced dead, the high council thought selecting a Crown Prince or Princess instead would be more efficient and it will prevent a succession war. The decision of the great council will be confirmed by the current king, thus being an act with utmost authority.

Torrhen invited many nations to Nar Darum to present their candidates and also permitted local nobles to select their own picks. In the end, it was Princess Majlinda Mëriqi of Arkodrë (also called the Mbretëresha in her native language), who won the hearts of every member of the Great council, getting 86 votes, while Princess Liliana Sierra Jade Castello - Ramos of Solentoya, who was seen as a predictable victor, only gained 84 votes. Despite his best efforts, Duke Dagon Drilvayne of Selethis, one of Torrhen's old friends, failed to impress and only got 65 votes.

The king ratified the decision of the Great Council and thus the realm has a new Crown Princess, Majlinda of House Mëriqi. Her family fled her home country in 1930, when it became a republic and has lived in exile ever since. Majlinda will be the first female monarch of Bigicia since the reign of Empress Nentyra in 953 and also the first foreign monarch of the kingdom, despite her being born in Meridia. Following the death of her father in 1994, the monarchists in the Arkodrian Republic are calling for her return and they nicknamed her the Mbretëresha (or Queen).

Something changed in king Torrhen and it is visible in the realm as well. In a televised speech in August 2020, he promised the country will have its first democratic elections by the end of the year and it is time to leave the vestiges of the past behind. He also noted that he will officially recognize the most open secret, the political wings in the high council, who will become fully-fledged legal parties who can stand in elections starting this year.

The high council will of course be dismantled and its place a proud Parliament will handle all the governance, the king (or should we say queen) being only a ceremonial figure who can veto important legislature. Some say this massive change comes at a time when the next ruler is viewed as foreign, thus the realm needs a better control over the monarch. Either way, it's the first step towards a democratic kingdom of Bigicia.

Other than parliamentary elections, the cities, counties and provinces at large will be overseen by mayors and governors who will work closely with the local nobles. The first local elections will take place next year, in 2021, while the first parliamentary election will be held on 11 December, 2020.

Geography


Bigicia is located in the region west of the Highwind minicontinent, on the shores of the Dragon's Bay and stretching its territory to the mouth of the Jeanlovia river. It shares land borders with Aimūlli to the west, Zechonia to the south, Cherniya to the east (via sea), and has its opening to the Pohjooiean Ocean.



The western portion of Bigicia is dotted by numerous volcanoes who are part of the Advakar Mountain range that starts from the shores of Lake of Origin, in Zoidiac and ends at the mouth of the Jeanlovia river, separating most of the province of Ciupa from the reast of the realm.

Aide from the mountainous region in the west, the realm is pretty flat, especially in the north, where the average altitude is 100m. The south is however contains a series of hills and forested area, a continuation of the region just south of Bettony. The river that borders most of South-Eastern Bigicia separates the wild woods containing traces of civilisations who is now a no man's land from the rich cities of Southern Bettony.

Climate
The Climate can vary dramatically depending where you find yourself in the realm. In the north it is much drier and colder, the shores of the province of Gera being at the mercy of the winds of the northern oceans, who do not function on a cyclical basis and can change after a couple of years randomly. The last time the gulf stream of the Dragon's Bay changed was in 1910, when the warmer currents stopped one day and temperatures in cities such as Gera and Crownshore started to plummet catastrophically. The gulf stream only returned six year later, but during this time the northern cities suffered greatly and many citizens had to relocate down south. Since 1916, the gulf stream has been kind with and the northern region of the realm is trapped into an eternal autumn.

Down south, the province of Bettony is one considerably warmer as it receives most of the gulf's stream strength and has a much steadier pattern. Southern Bettony also borders a long and busy river who divides the realm from the wild forests to the south, considered a no man's land for centuries.

One anomaly however is the western province - Ciupa - who is unusually warm for its location. That is, however, thanks to the volcanoes that dot the Advakar Mountain Range and provide a steady flow of warm winds who sometimes clash with the cold bite of the current coming from the waters west of Aimulli. In local culture, it is a constant battle between Meridia, who represents the warm and light and the god of storms and endless oceans.

The harshest conditions are registered in the city of Bleakstorm, who is not on the shores of the Dragon's Bay, thus not being blessed with warmer winds. Instead, they receive the same ruthlessly cold gust the Aimullians get. Balmora receives similar conditions, but its small bay shelters it from the worst of storms and cold winds.

The lowest temperatures are usually registered on the island of Obsidian, who was uninhabited for centuries thanks to the deadly cold temperatures. The lowest temperature ever recorded there was -45°C.

Nar Darum
(photo here)

Population: 3,259,012

Nar Darum is the national capital of Bigicia and it's largest city. It lines along the coastline of Dragon's Bay, in Eastern Bettony. The city became the capital city of the realm during the events following the Second Unification of Bigicia, when King Kiran renounced his claims over the Merid-Ciupa crownlands and moved the capital from Meridia to Nar Darum. Since then, the city has becoming a bustling metropolis, a place of both trade and political intrigue.