Short History

Sellabin lies in between the Great Plains of Kadveir-Senges  and the Mountains of the Great Barrier. Covered in densely populated frigid forests, this half-elf nation broke off from its cousins long ago choosing to live amongst themselves instead of feeling the ridicule of either man or elf. A relatively small country, Sellabin has remained neutral and independent for its entire existence due to two important details. The first is the warrior tradition that has a long-standing hold on the people of Sellabin, unlike most other communities every individual from the age of 10 begins training in a particular form of combat based on a test named the Trial of Names. Until this time in traditional Sellabin fashion, children receive an ancestral name. After they have completed the trial their title and true name are awarded and their training begins. Due to the focus on military training and the mandatory service, each citizen must spend in the country's militia, the Sellabinians have been a military force to be reckoned with. In the 1st age, the country was extremely isolationist and was inward focused. Due to their disconnect from their neighbors, the country soon had fallen behind as the superior military strategies of the ballista, phalanx, and catapults made their small militia ineffective. 

Near the dawn of the second age, 704, the first invasion if Sellabin was attempted by their Kadveir-Sengonian neighbors to the south. This military campaign, led by General Markus Revilian, was expected to be a clean sweep. Having 4,000 men in half-plate armor and a 200 man Calvary division in the initial intrusion, the Sengonian Regiment was planning on seizing some of the towns near the disputed border and simply holding them ransom until the Sellabin government concealed the disputed land. This land, argued by both countries to be theirs, was an area estimated to be 200 square miles. The Sellabin government had traditionally used it as farmland, however, prospectors from Kadveir-Senges  had discovered large deposits of exposed iron in a large ravine which prompted various Sengonian companies to peruse the land for the potential profit. Once the land began to be purchased from Sellabinians, Kadveir-Senges claimed land rights while Sellabin sent a militia to kill the prospectors who had begun mining the ravine deposits. (This ravine, now known as the Kelvis Caves, was later discovered to have a deposit of cold iron). Arriving in the town of Kussa, the Sengonian regiment found the town completely empty. Following orders, the regiment occupied the city. This occupation only lasted 1 month however since the Sellabinians who had evacuated the city quickly worked to cut the supply lines to the city and force the regiment to retreat back across the border. This resulted in the event known as the Sengonian Massacre, where soldiers retreating back to Kadveir-Senges  were slaughtered by guerrilla forces in the dense forests. Only 20 men returned to Kadveir-Senges to warn the Sengonians against further intrusions. 

This event was considered an act of war with Kadveir-Senges , and from to 704 to 707 the Sengonians sent increasing numbers to war against the Sellabins. All of these campaigns resulted in a total seizure of 100 square miles of land and a sum total of 30,000 gold in crops and other resources. This devastatingly slow progress and the high Sengonian death count, which reached 25,000 in 707, resulted in the withdrawal of forces from Sellabinian land. In comparison, the Sellabinian defense against the Sengonians was incredibly effective. Utilizing the forests covering the majority of the country the small militias were able to kill small amounts of soldiers at a time, however, the real accomplishment of the Sellabinians is what has now become known as the Sellabinian Seizure. This strategy involved setting up hidden camps that would send up smoke to draw combatants, once they would arrive the camps would be abandoned, the troops would then return to their camp to find their supplies drained and their mounts slaughtered. Due to the use of this strategy, the Sengonian strategists were never able to determine if smoke or camps were actually housing combatants or whether it was a trap. With the constant loss of supplies and the constant loss of wagons and mounts, the soldiers soon became easy pickings and the Sellabinians would proceed to kill them off. 

While this strategy was effective at keeping the Sengonians from moving too deep into the country this was not how the massive kill count was reached. Instead, Sellabin waited out the war each year drawing the most soldiers during the summer allowing victories to be achieved. Then as winter drew in, the Sellabinians being resistant to the harsh cold of Sellabin, would attack camps during harsh weather conditions leaving the freezing Sengonian forces weakened. Occasionally instead the Sellabinians would cut supply lines and watch the forces die of cold and hunger, however, most instances recorded by Sengonian historians list the deaths caused by Sellabin warriors. 

While this is only a short excerpt of the entire conflict involving Kadveir-Senges  and Sellabin, the two fought a total of 4 wars all of which ended in the same manner. The last war ended in 1005 and resulted in a peace treaty which secured Sellabin autonomy. Sellabin among other things is known prominently for its mercenary guild and the expert fighters who are sent around the world as guards for the rich and as hitmen for the desperate. The guild is the only nongovernmental company in the country as the system of government does not support a capitalistic system. Instead, Sellabinians follow an honor code which encourages each individual to serve the country and receive livelihood in response. Sellabin is considered by most other countries to be a bastion of military strategy and fighters, however, lacking in technological advancement and resources. In fact, there are many stories describing Sellabinian's being confused by the sight of non-practical clothing and steel being smelted to form items other than weapons or armor. 

The land was formed by an ancient god by the name of Scoska, a being of ice and wisdom. Blessings his followers with resistance to his frost, he watched humanity destroy itself with war and greed. During the elder age he commanded his three prophets, the Zcaza, to retreat from civilization and travel to the promised land of ice and forests. After a year of wandering through the mountains of the great barrier the Zcaza discovered a great cave made of ice. There Scoska revealed himself and designed the country of Sellabin, the prophets were renamed the Zca, rulers, and were sent out by the deity to build the country. Since this day the Zca have passed down the secret of Scoska, who advise each trio of Zca in the countries operation. Although spiritual in its first conception, the country has lost most of its religious zeal, however the traditions of the Sellabinians echo the religious activities of the ancestors, and among many families the name Scoska is still uttered in prayers for safe passage through the cold winters. 

In this way the people of Sellabin have kept their secrets hidden in their hearts. their cities are spoken only briefly of and their locations seldom mention to even those they trust. Each son and daughter of Sellabin is taught to fight from a young age, trained as warriors of sly and cunning, taught that any fool agreeing to fight on even ground is one without wit. Above all Sellabin honors cleverness and victory at all costs. To many foreigners a Sellabin disposition is synonymous with cold and calculating, often unfriendly to outsiders, however when befriended a man cannot fight beside a more steadfast and reliable partner than a Sellabinian mercenary. 

Scozca- Captial

Resources: Iron, Lumber, Elk, Coal, Silver

Production: Cold-Forged Steel, Mercenaries, Weapons, 

Population: 10,000 (Half-Elves) 

Military: Sellabin Militia

Special: The Zca Cave

The capital of the Neutral Nation, Scozca, has never been occupied or even had an enemy force step into it. Since the Zcaza, the founders of the grand city, found the great ice mountain, it has been considered the "holy" and most "sacred" place in the city. The mountain or glacier is known as the Scoska's Throne, thought to have been worshipped by the ancient Sellabins, this great artifact is now seen simply as a the signature symbol of the nation and the meeting place for the Zca, who dwell within the glacier. This dwelling place is called the Zca Cave and is fiercely guarded by the most expertly trained members of the militia. The population, although small, is packed densely within the city, each citizen fulfilling a deliberate and purposeful roll in the cities economy most of the production of the city aimed towards crafting expert arms and armors. 

Congora - Mercenary City

Resources: Iron, Lumber, Elk, Coal, Silver

Production: Cold-Forged Steel, Mercenaries, Weapons, 

Population: 8,000 (Half-Elves) 

Military: Sellabin Militia, SMC Mercenaries 

Special: Sellabin Mercenary Company 

Congora, though smaller than Scozca, is the wealthier of the two major cities in Sellabin. Due to the establishment of the SMC (Sellabin Mercenary Company) within the city and the company being the only nongovernmental program within the nation, the city's wealth is intrinsically tied to the companies success. SMC, having been founded in 721, has its training grounds and company headquarters on the outskirts of the city, the vast open groves of the city used to train the hundreds of mercenaries who will eventually be shipped out to the various clients of the SMC.