People: Nuvroci. They tend to have yellowish skin and dark hair, thought they often go bald or gray early. Males tend to be between 5'2" and 6'6". Females tend to be between 4'10" and 6'.
Language: Nuvro. Common secondary languages are Abyssal and Rava.
Heraldry: A silver fist on a red background.
Government: Republic.
Religion: 95% None, 5% Other.
Architecture: Nuvroci buildings are similar in its colossal scale to the dwarven ruins found in the mountains. However, Nuvroci pillars are round compared to the more square dwarven style. Grand aqueducts service the cities of Nuvroc, as little rain makes it past the mountains. Gorgeous marble is used in many structures.
Land Area: Approximately 227,862 Square Miles.
Population: Approximately 5,240,800. 99% Human, 1% Other.
Capital City: Cephas.
Neighbors: Goblinoid Lands (West), Nuvro Range (West), Ravalei (Northwest), Tarvon (South).
Landmarks: Nuvro Range, Aqueducts, Man-made waterfalls over the massive eastern and northern cliffs.
Terrain: Deciduous Forests, Foothills, Mountains, Rocky Badlands, Shoreline Cliffs, Sandy Deserts.
Natural Hazards: Rockslides.
Imports: Grains, Salt.
Exports: Ore, Armor, Weapons, Manufactured Goods.
Wealth: Spread widely across several tiers. Peasants live on subsistence farming due to heavy taxation. The middle class lives well, especially soldiers. The nobles that lead the republic are quite well to do.
Currency: Gold Standard (1 Crown), Silver Standard (.1 Gold), Copper Standard (.01 Gold).
Declarations, Embargoes, Treaties, and Wars: Nuvroc is part of a treaty with Agon and Ravalei for mutual aid against the goblinoids. Otherwise, Nuvroc remains neutral to all countries including Tarvon, but has a strict rule against outsiders building on their lands. They are also strict against impropriety and drugs. This has kept the cat cults of Feergrus from spreading into their land.
Organizations: The military is the only real organization outside of the senate. It has several divisions, from the regular soldiers to the Steel Warriors, and from the Rangers to the mighty Myrmidons.
Symbol of the Republic of Nuvroc
The Nuvroci go about their jobs, which are largely determined by their social class. While supposedly a free country with a chance for advancement for all, the only real chance for advancement for the peasants is in military service, if they are shown to be able to be Steel Warriors. The nobles are also tested, and are effectively demoted to the military if they test well. The nobles are often commanders and often turn their military service into a proud background when they enter politics again.
Steel Warriors are the backbone of the military force of Nuvroc, and due to their status they are treated well. The nobles who become Steel Warriors are usually the commanders, though skill talks more than anything else as a soldier of Nuvroc. The regular soldiers of the military often look for other ways to distinguish themselves. Some become Rangers, soldiers who scout for the armies and patrol Nuvroc's borders. The most fearless of Nuvroc's soldiers join the elite Order of Myrmidons. Some of the most deadly warriors are Steel Warriors who have joined the Order.
The Nuvroci are led by a senate of elected representatives, one from each of the thirty nine towns. The Border River marks the border between Tarvon and Nuvroc, and no other natural waterways exist in the dry, rocky country. The Nuvroci get their water from massive aqueducts that ferry water from up in the mountains. Even the Border River is small and weak compared to the rivers of other countries.
Civilization in Nuvroc remains nestled up against the mountains as it is too far and too expensive to move water into the dry and warm wastelands far east of the mountains. Clouds drop their moisture in the mountains as they move eastwards, leaving nothing for Nuvroc. However, the wastelands do have life.
Besides the massive Nuvroci Scorpions and other monsters, some people do eke out a living in the dry lands. Mostly outcasts or other people unsatisfied with the way the social politics in Nuvroc keep the wealthy in power, they often become bandits. However, the city of Romus sits within the wastelands as a great experiment. Its success may lead to more cities.
However, more cities means more politics. Each city has a single senator it sends to the capital city of Cephas to speak for their needs. Some powerful voting blocks have been created. The cities of the northern forest are one. That area is dangerous due to goblinoid incursions, but provides a large amount of Nuvroc's food and lumber. Their resources give them considerable sway as a group.
Many of the mining towns have also formed a group, using their influence to affect policy. Often the policies of the various factions centers around economics rather than the common people. The often poor situation of the common folk leads them to often side with the bandits of the wastelands.
Nuvroci history is one of organization. Their ties to the Halz are ancient. The Halz helped the Nuvroci people survive, teaching them much about engineering. These lessons were taken to heart as the Republic grew.
Town by town the Nuvroci people spread out from Cephas. They kept things organized and began to grow their government just as the population grew. As that population grew, so did complexity. More government was created or expanded to serve the needs of the republic. This also led to opportunities for corruption.
At first, the nation was united against the threat of the giants. The Order of the Myrmidons was formed to combat the threat. Between these mighty warriors and the aid of the Halz, the threat was mostly contained. As the decades passed, the Halz population shrank or retreated from the surface. The Nuvroci people needed a new weapon again the threat that the giants posed. By this point, the military had become a major issue in economics and politics. They shifted a lot of resources to themselves for research and development. The first success came with the creation of the Steel Warriors.
Discontent had grown due to the massive military spending, but the success of the Steel Warriors against the giants cemented the military budget for centuries to come. The military pushed back the giants, who mostly retreated from Nuvroci lands. Soon the only time that giants were seen was during occasional random attacks by desperate trolls. The growth of the military continued despite the lack of major threats. When the ever expanding nation learned of the Third Goblinoid War, there began a great debate about military intervention.
Many sought to lessen the influence of the powerful military political machine. Others sought to use it for their own means. Powerful economic leaders saw the value in making allies with the other human nations. Trade would help fill their pockets. Enough votes came together to approve joining the war. The goblinoids had little chance with the combined forces of Agon, Casea, and Nuvroc against them. Nuvroc was seen as the liberating force and used their influence to put themselves at the head of the table during peace talks with the other two nations.
The favorable trade deals made during that time helped all three nations grow, but especially helped the Nuvroci economy boom. Peace and prosperity filled the nation as it added more and more towns. However, the flooding of Agon and the destruction of Casea brought a terrible economic crash. This created a permanent underclass of poor people. The rise in crime and banditry gave new purpose to the military. Resentment grew as the military was ill equipped to deal with small guerrilla style attacks. In the wilderness at the edge of Nuvroci civilization, similar problems arose with the goblinoids and wild animals. To help patrol against these mobile threats, the military created the Nuvroci Rangers.
The major Nuvroci voting blocs are:
Mining Bloc – The most powerful of the voting blocs, made up of twenty of the thirty-nine senators.
Northern Bloc – Seven senators represent this bloc, including Brixia which also belongs in the Mining Bloc.
Romus Bloc – Five senators from northeastern Nuvroc that are looking to change the face of the badlands.
Eastern Bloc – Ten senators, including four from the Romus Bloc. They work to make sure that resources make their way to their towns as they do not have the income from ore that the mining towns produce.
Military Bloc – Cephas, the homes of the Rangers – Montera and Water’s Gate, and the home of the Myrmidons – Cocyrus. This voting bloc works to assure that the country is well defended.