Bigicia

About Bigicia
Bigicia, officially the Kingdom of Bigicia, is a nation in 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 absolute 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.

Etymology
The world Bigicia is derived from Middle Betoan and Middle Geran, meaning "Realm of the Three". The name appeared for the first time in the 5th century, when the three tribes that inhabited the lands of Bigicia set aside their differences and united into one great state.

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 Bigicia
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.