"It is cold and uncaring but it is the land I call home."
Ferdinand de Colais
Ice King 1355 FS - 1397 FS
The Great Ice Wall that encloses the capital of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Trost is surrounded by Ice and inhabited by giants.With the Ice Queen being their sole leader. As the giant wall of Ice encloses the Kingdom and isolates them from the entire world. Once one of the most powerful empires in Selyria, their technology has become stagnant for centuries due to their isolation, shrouding their Kingdom in mystery.
The Kingdom of Trost has a long and rich history of strength and glory, but now it is lost to history. For you see, this once mighty Empire is but a shadow of its former power. Due to the combination of an isolationist foreign policy and the average intelligence of giants, the Kingdom is massively behind in terms of technological advancement compared to other nations within Selyria. In addition to this, the country is relatively underdeveloped due to its reliance on its leader for all urban infrastructure.
The Ice Queen is one of the most powerful Cryomancers in the continent of Selyria. Where she reigns supreme in Trost, using her powerful magic to freeze any opposition against her.
The Age of Glory truly began around 3100 BFS, when the forces of Selyria pushed out the Empire of Sau'lari from the continent of Selyria. The removal of this great power left a massive power vacuum that led to what is now known as the 'Centurion Wars.' From the Centurion wars, three great powers emerged: The Elven Empire of Drasek, which used its archers and terrain to maintain its Empire; The Human Empire of Porthos, which could amass great legions and bend fire to their will to conquer much of the south of Selyria and finally The Empire of Giants, Trost.
The Empire of Trost was not nimble or cunning like their Draseki neighbours, nor could they conjure massive volleys of fire to burn their enemies to a crisp like Porthos. Instead, they preferred the brute force approach. Their preferred modem of war was simple but effective, a method that the Trostian tactical genius can best describe, General Sara Ilyinishna:
"When in doubt: attack, attack first, keep attacking!"
General Sara Ilyinishna
Instead of using 'Ineffective Tactics' (such as guerilla warfare, fire magic or anything that didn't involve bashing your enemies' brains out with a hammer), the ancient Trostians were great advocates of the tried and tested method of throwing wave after wave of Giants and Mammoths at their enemies to sow chaos and mutiny in their enemy ranks; a shockingly effective way giving them the second largest Empire in the Centurion Wars.
However, despite their adamant use of those, as mentioned above, 'Ineffective Tactics', the Porthosian Empire regularly managed to push back the sweeping tides of their infamous giant vanguard. One area of particular difficulty was The Great Eubenite River, which held the two empires in a deadlock over the region later known as Karthus. As a result of this, the Karthusian culture in the modern day is an odd mix of Porthosian intellectualism mixed with Trostian stoicism.
This eternal deadlock would be the status quo for the next few millennia until the First Porthosian Empire's eventual fall and the First Sun's beginning.
According to many contemporary historians, the Age of Decline officially began in 640 FS with the Hreinngarian rebellion against the Empire of Trost. However, one could trace the elements of the fall to the Disaster of the First Sun and the spread of the Reedianite faith.
The Disaster of the First Sun brought about many changes in Selyria. It broke apart the old world order, collapsing the Porthosian Empire and dividing the Reedianite faith into two distinct factions, dividing up the continent. Their long-time rival Porthos's fall affected Trost more than one might initially think. In many ways, Porthos had acted as Trost's foil for the past three millennia. Once their united enemy disappeared, the coalition began to dwindle from having a common enemy. This loss of a common enemy likely resulted in the Trostians turning their blades to each other instead of uniting to face a common threat.
In addition, the Trostian Aristocracy had not jumped onto the Reedianite expansion, unlike the lower classes, creating a religious divide between the upper and lower classes of the Empire. The higher echelons of the Empire did not see the need to convert their beliefs to that of the lower classes. In contrast, those in the middle rungs of Government, such as regional government officials, did so to maintain control over their regions. This divide would only intensify as time passed, leading to the many nationalistic rebellions seen during the Age of Decline.
640 FS: Hreinngar began its fabled rebellion against the Empire of Trost under the pretext of 'Human inequality' and discrimination from the majority Giant Trostian upper class. This war would later be known as the 'War of the Titans' by the people of Hreinngar and would continue for the next 70 years, wreaking havoc on the Trostians in extended guerilla warfare.
676 FS: The duchy of North Castle declares its independence from the Empire of Trost. The Empire of Trost met this declaration with mild annoyance. Rather than march their infamous Giant vanguard to trample down the gate of North Castle under the mighty hoof of a Mammoth, the Trostians instead negotiated a deal that allowed for North Castle's independence, allowing for the independent nation of North Castle to be formed bloodlessly within a month.
The reason for this peaceful resolution did not come from the kindness of the Trostian's heart. Instead, it was due to increased aggression from the rebelling state of Hreinngar. The forces of the Rebelling Kingdom had managed to push them back to modern-day Karthus at this point, so the Empire of Trost could not spare troops in a two-pronged war.
703 FS: The War of Titans reaches its long-awaited conclusion with the Battle of the Great Wall. Before this battle, the Hreinngarians had spent the war in a constant back and forth between the forces of the Empire of Trost. So, in their military ingenious, they decided to build a great wall around their capital, which would protect their men whilst simultaneously providing ample high ground for their pyromancers to rain fire upon the oncoming soldiers of Trost.
In 703, the Hreinngarians finished the Great Wall, allowing the Hreinngarian victory over the Empire of Trost in the same year. With their success, they also gained the lands of Karthus from their peace deal with Trost. However, these lands would only stay with them for a short time.
Their loss at the Battle of the Great Wall was a massive international humiliation for the Empire. They had lost almost half of their land while gaining a powerful enemy on their South and West border.
1220 - 1224 FS: The Liberation of Ulfenheim. During this period, the world saw the Empire of Trost as the 'Sickman of Selyria.' It was apparent that the once great Empire was nothing more than a shadow of its former glory. After being weakened from centuries of fighting with Hreinngar, the People of Ulfenheim saw it as high time that they, too, leave the rotting corpse of the Empire with assistance from the Magrins and the Kingdom of Hreinngar.
And so the forces of Trost, aligned with North Castle, and the forces of Ulfenheim, aligned with Hreinngar and the Magrins, met in glorious war. One side fighting to maintain the status quo, no matter how unlikely it seemed, the other to bring about a new age for their people. The Autocrats of Trost never expected that a threat loomed from within their borders.
The origins of the Ice Queen are primarily unknown. Then again, little is known about Trost's events during this period. What is known, however, is that the Ice Queen rose to power using the chaos and suffering of the common Trostian during this period. The war had taken its toll upon the people of Trost during this time. National pride was at an all-time low; people were starving in the streets since soldiers requisitioned supplies for the war effort, and it had become apparent that the old regime had to go.
With the stage clear, the Ice Queen entered the scene. She promised her people "Peace, bread and isolation." This slogan touched the hearts of the broken Trostian people more than any warcry could, giving the powerful sorceress massive traction, ultimately allowing her to overthrow the Autocracy of the Trostian Empire by 1224 FS.
With her rise to power, she erected a Great Wall around the entire border of the modern Kingdom, isolating it from all foreign influence and putting herself as the chief authority. The withdrawal of Trosian troops ultimately gave Ulfenheim the victory in their independence war, but only because the newly formed Kingdom of Trost decided to pull out of almost all international affairs.
Since then, the Ice Queen has remained mostly quiet on the international stage, with one major exception. The Ice Queen regularly obtains spouses, quickly replacing them when they begin to bore her. Whenever she brings a new husband, she releases a great blast of Cryomancy into the sky to announce her wedding, even sending wedding invitations to neighbouring Kingdoms of her marriage. Many of these are rejected, partially due to international relations but primarily due to the hostility of the land of Trost.
The fact that the Ice Queen forces marriage upon her many spouses is common knowledge, but there has been evidence of genuine loving relations between her and the consort in the past. One such loving relation was her marriage to Count Ferdinand Von Eaker de Colais, a minor Karthusian Noble who was married to the Ice Queen from 1355 FS until his death from natural causes in 1387. The Queen initially kidnapped the man, as are many of her 'suitors', but the man purportedly fell head over heels due to her 'Dominating Presence' the moment he saw her.
Trostians are famous for being stoic, introverted and brutally honest. This combination makes the Trostian people considered unpleasant to be around by most other Selyrians. These personality traits are not unsurprising considering the difficulty of life in Trost. Torstians are known to be of a hardworking sort as a result of these traits, valued for their willingness to work for less pay. Introvertedness and brutal honesty go hand in hand in Trostian culture as Trostian giants tend to be quite isolationist, frequently refusing to communicate with those outside of their communes, sometimes even going so far as to chase strangers away pitchfork in hand.
Trostians are also known for their odd cultural traditions and superstitious nature; from the highest rungs of society down to the ordinary peasant, all believe in ghosts, ghouls and other supernatural creatures that do not exist.
One could divide Trostian society into three distinct classes under the Ice Queen, who stands in every way at the very pinnacle of Trostian society. She effectively acts as a dictator of the entire country while acting as a cultural icon and mascot. Trost's capital, Ragmonta, is a vast and mighty city made of Ice on top of Gora, the tallest mountain in the area.
Clothing for the Peasantry emphasises function over form. They wear rough and crude clothes made of hide and leather, adorned with steel and bronze, as a means of physical protection and spiritual protection against spirits. These metal scales also signify one's clan and position within the nomadic tribes that roam the Trostian tundra.
The elders of tribes, a Mir, may have access to crude Dwarven steel scale mail intertwined with ornamental brass plates and intricate carvings depicting important mythical or historical scenes. The battle at the wall or the slaying of Fenrir are famous scenes depicted on these plates. Younglings, on the other end of the local social hierarchy, will rarely have any scales for protection. They receive their scale mail as a hand-me-down from their parents or as a reward for accomplishments during a coming-of-age ceremony called the 'passing of arms.' Parents will pass on their mail to their favoured children, leaving additional children to create their mail or attain pieces for achievements in life.
The clothing of the Bureaucratic Class is more refined than that of the Peasantry. The point of the Bureaucratic Class is to do the tedious and menial paperwork of the Kingdom. As such, their jobs have a different risk than those of the lower Class; however, they also do not have the riches of the Ministry heads. As such, their clothes are a comfortable middle ground between the extravagance of the upper Class and the rough exterior of the lower Class.
Clothes tend to be much thinner for those of this Class, compared to those of the lower classes, due to their less strenuous lifestyle. Hours of filing papers and writing reports do not give someone a particularly muscular body, and as such, those in this middle Class tend to be far thinner in the frame.
People of this Class prefer cool and neutral colours on their clothes, usually having light blues and reds, with deep blues, cream and white colours.
The clothing of the Ministry Heads differs wildly from those of the middle Class. They prefer oversized, cumbersome coats that accentuate their fame, making them appear broader and more muscular than they are. These coats are often embroidered with the symbol of their office in golden, repeating patterns along the silk outermost layer that makes them vividly noticeable from a distance.
Another noticeable feature of the fashion of the Ministry Heads is the tall fur cap, called an Urshaka, that sits upon their heads. This hat is a symbol of their office, proof that they are worthy of their rank. The pelt of a Black Sable Cat composes each Ursaka, a dangerous beast that roams the wilds of the Trostian Tundra. A single Urshaka costs a small fortune due to the production process and difficulty hunting a Black Sable Cat. As a result, only the most essential members of Trostian society may have the honour of adorning their heads with the hat.
The vast majority of the population of Trost are Atheists; however, pockets of religions exist within the Kingdom. One such religion is the Northern Mythology that circulates amongst the Nomadic lower Class that inhabits the tundra, ironically to the North of the Kingdom. With that said, the belief in the faith mainly occurs as stories told to children to invigorate their imagination in the harsh winters rather than any form of organisation or devotion to religion. You can find only one other faith of note within the upper echelons of Trost's political structure, the Cult of the Ice Queen.
Much like Northern Mythology, the Cult of the Ice Queen is not a religion in the same sense that Reedianism or Tariquism is a religion; the Government does not officially recognise the order, nor does it have any priests, institutions or a holy text. Instead, the Cult of the Ice Queen is the name given to the nobles so indoctrinated that they effectively worship the Queen, following her every command religiously and having the utmost confidence in their leader.
Northern Mythology is the belief usually spread through tales and stories and is catered towards the children of Trost. With the main premise and ideology of invigorating the mind during harsh winters rather than devotion to an organization or religion.
The Cult of the Ice Queen is a not technically a Religion in a literal sense such as Reedianism or Tariquism. As the government of Trost fully recognise this either. Instead the Cult as a way to Nobles who are incredibly loyal to the Ice Queen where it could be considered worship. Following her every command as if it was a Holy Order from God themself.
Before the Ice Queen's emergence, there was a sizable Reedianite population within the Kingdom of Trost. They were some of her most fervent and loyal supporters for her rebellion due to the religious divide between the Atheist Aristocracy and the Reedianite lower Class. However, the desire for unity with the Sentorian Church fiercely clashed with the isolationist policies of the Ice Queen, ultimately resulting in the 'Decree of Unity' in 1227 FS.
The decree states the following:
"Due to increased difficulties between the regime of the Ice Queen, the current rightful ruling body of Trost and the unruly Reedianite population, we now declare, in the name of universal unity, that the population either renounce their faith or be sent to their god."
This declaration created the TNSB (Trostian National Security Bureau) to search and eliminate Reedianism within their borders.
The Reedianite population within the Kingdom did band together in an attempt to fight back against oppression. However, due to the espionage and assassination capabilities of the TNSB, they quickly fell apart due to mutual distrust of one another and a lack of leadership. The impressive capabilities of the TNSB allowed the Ice Queen's Regime to succeed where the previous Trostian governments failed.
Crypto-Reedianism is the secret practice of Reedianism, usually while attempting to camouflage it as atheism. It is considered quite common amongst the nomads of the frozen wilds of Trost who practise their form of Reedianism that is entirely mobile to allow them to evade the TNSB.
The unofficial 'Trostian Nomadic Crypto-Reedianism' has no centralised organisation or a church hierarchy. In addition to this, there are no officially ordained priests or churches due to the nomadic nature of the practice. As a result, instead of a priest, masses are led by a tribe elder and are held in front of a campfire with memorised stories in the wilderness, far, far away from civilisation and prying eyes.
Due to the loss of contact with any orthodox church body and the abandonment of the holy texts in favour of oral tradition, the stories of the faith have differed a fair bit from those told in the sacred texts. Crypto-Reedianites abandoned the Reedianite religious texts as they provided a physical means for the TNSB to prove their faith and add to the amount they had to carry on in their nomadic lifestyles, generally making it more of a hindrance than a help.
Complex bureaucracy is the basis of the Trosian Government; needless pencil-pushing and overlapping duties within government ranks allow the Ice Queen to maintain power as they all look to her for assistance when positions naturally clash. With that said, the government structure is quite simple; the roles overlap.
The responsibility of the Council of Mirs, the collection of the Elders of Nomadic tribes that dot the landscape of Trost, is to represent the regional concerns of the people who elect them. The Council of Bureaucrats, on the other hand, represents the concerns of 'everyone', meaning that the role of presenting the opposite case in the government discussion before the ministry heads is theirs. This fact makes for an odd position where both sides technically represent the people, but one must only represent some sides, and they must come to a unanimous agreement intentionally.
The Ministry Heads decide what happens. The purpose of the councils is to 'represent' the issues and create a faux democracy restricted to the upper Class. With that said, above the Ministry Heads is the Ice Queen, who decides who occupies which position, giving her the power to remove individuals from the council who disagree with her whims.
During the Ice Queen's takeover of the Kingdom of Trost, she targeted many of the old regime's nobility as an 'enemy of the people.' This sentiment has allowed the Ice Queen to replace most of the old Government with her subordinates.
This family, composed of giants, is the leading body of the Ministry of the Exterior. The Ministry Head of the Exterior is the Patriarch's position. The Patriarch's duties involve relations with foreign nations, of which Trost has nearly none. However, the issue is taking husbands for the ice queen, who often comes from out of the country. As a result of this, they have mastered the art of Kidnapping.
This Durgan family serves the Ice Queen as the leading body of the Ministry of the Interior. However, the position of 'Ministry Head of the Interior' is given through a familial vote. Their duties include managing infrastructure, managing the affairs of tribes and the local economy. All in all, they're the most competent of the families.
This family of Giants serves the Ice Queen as her head of the military. The family uses a battle royale to decide their Patriarch, in which the last to survive takes the title. They are known for their extreme devotion to the Ice Queen, being primary members of her 'Cult' and extreme aggression.
The Porashki, a Giant's family, manage the food issue within the Kingdom of Trost. Therefore, all food supplies in the Kingdom must go through them first to ensure they are all up to standard. In addition, the trait of being a glutton is shared within the family, often overindulging in the food they manage.
This family of Manaborn Humans are the direct descendants of Ferdinand Von Eaker and the Ice Queen, who manage the Ministry of Research. Ferdinand made this ministry during his life as he loved science and research. However, Ferdinand was not the sharpest tool in the shed as he passed on inefficient research techniques, slowing breakdown. The name 'Noonooginalevkovgin' was also thought up by him as he felt it would help his family fit in with the Trostian Aristocracy. It did not.
Due to the Kingdom's intense isolationist policy, very little is imported and exported out of the country, making it an economic dead zone. Within the nation's walls, people have taken to bartering with objects such as meat and furs from the hunt instead of using money. The only ones that need money are bureaucrats who can afford luxury foreign goods. Infrastructure for the upper echelons within the country is handled by the Ice Queen and her entourage of Cryomancers, resulting in Ice being the primary material used to build the essential buildings of the Government. This fact encourages the reliance on the Ice Queen within the country.
The main export from Trost is Dwarven steel, mined from the North, more specifically, the Free State of Slava area. With their rebellion from the North, the export of Dwarven steel from the country has wholly ceased, partly due to the region being a primary supplier of the mineral and partly due to their reserve emptying to make weapons and armour to fight the rebellion.
One notable facet of their economy is the Trostian's reliance on the alcoholic beverage of Vodka. A significant part of their economy is based on the production of Vodka and its export out of the country, so much so that Vodka is used instead of coins in some regions. The common belief is that to subdue the population; the Trosian Government uses systematic addiction as a drunk populace is happy. Potent members of the aristocracy are the only individuals who may have the honour of brewing and distributing Vodka, most notably the Ministry Heads.
The Kingdom of Trost has been at an uneasy peace with the rest of Selyria for the past 300 years; as such, the army has not undergone any significant changes during that time from the revolution. Their primary purpose today is to beat unruly members of the populace into submission, ultimately weakening them as they have not fought a properly organised enemy in hundreds of years.
Due to their modern purpose of crowd control, their military has devolved into their centurion war tactics of throwing wave after wave of their soldiers into their enemies. They obtain their ranks as tribute from villages and nomads across the land. When a tribe cannot afford to pay their taxes, they can send in the equivalent of people as slave soldiers to bolster the ranks of the nation's armies. Fortunately for them, they are allowed to leave service after 30 years.
The Trostian National Security is a secret police force run and organised by the Laalagin family, the family that is in charge of military affairs. Their primary duties are espionage and assassination; fear is their weapon of choice. They kidnap members of the bureaucracy at night and at random to keep the masses afraid and unwilling to rebel. They are also the main agents that kidnap the Ice Queen's husbands.
The Giant Vanguard is an old regiment with a long but impressive history. During the Centurion wars, they were created to counter Porthosian Mage Divisions, riding mammoths and charging into their ranks to scatter their forces before they could cast. The regiment was one of the first to switch sides from the old regime to the Ice Queen's side, allowing them to survive the revolution.
The Ice Queen personally selected a group of Magicians to accompany her. They are composed of Sanamancers and Cryomancers, the Sanamancers to maintain her youthful appearance, and the Cryomancers to act as guards and assist in creating infrastructure. Within the aristocracy, they are treated with the same authority as the Ministry Heads, as they have the ear of the Ice Queen. The most tremendous possible honour in Trostian society is membership in The Royal Entourage.
This breakaway nation recently rebelled against the country of Trost shortly after the formation of the Selyria Alliance. This small state has longed for freedom from the Trostian Government for years and finally rebelled after seeing their chance for military and economic support from the alliance. Most members of the Selyrian Alliance have contributed almost nothing to the young burgeoning state, with a significant exception being Hreinngar. Hreinngar has a long and complex history of supporting rebellions against Trost, so it is natural for them to send economic aid to the nation. However, they have refused to send soldiers to assist with the rebellion.
After the events in North Castle, the SCM has set up a camp within the nation. As a result, they have been able to send military aid to the Free State of Slava to assist in the spread of democracy.