Orlais

Orlais began as a province of the Westerland Empire, inhabited exclusively by tribes of Nordmarian descendants prior to the arrival of the Imperial Settlement efforts. The lands of Orlais are wedged in between the Baston Mountains and a series of particularly large rivers that separates Orials from Rivera and Novera.

Theme and Inspiration
Pragmatism, individuality and independence are the primary traits of the Orlesian People, who are largely inspired by Medieval England and Medieval France.

History
Orlesians and Riverans were once culturally the same people, though Rivera was closer to the Marklands and was subjugated to Imperial Rule ealier. Unlike many other regions of the Westerlands, Rivera and Orlais were actually populated (if sparsely) prior to Imperial Colonization, and this has played a large part in how the Country formed.

Separation from Rivera
When Rivera was conquered and named as such, a natural border was selected to mark the end of the Country. That Border would later be the Noveran Border, and Country formed an "L-shape" along the Northern Coast and Noveran Border, leaving Orlais as a landlocked nation of barbarians. Orlais and Rivera as a joint nation had initially consisted of x tribal regions (later Duchies), which largely consisted of: The region that, in the Post-Imperial Era is known as Rivera, Central Orlais, including a small stretch of coastal land between Rivera and Novak (where Rioux is), Novak and Averde (Dussante was never part of the original Orlesian nation). When the Empire captured Rivera and made it a principality, Rivera was a very divided nation because it consisted of 4 separate tribes (counting the few actual Orlesians who lived in, and around Rioux at the time), and the Orlesians felt a significant blow from the loss of their tribal capital, leaving them as landlocked and deposed barbarians.

Orlesian Annexation
The Riverans flourished under Imperial Governance, but it took decades until Orlais was also conquered, on largely dissimilar terms, as Orlais was extremely opposed to Imperial Rule at this point, but they could not withstand the might of the Empire. It is largely believed that the famed verse, regarding Septimus Mithlander, was conceived in response to his invasion of Orlais.

Orlesian Province
The Orlesian Province struggled from day one, but it was forged in fire and tempered in conquest. The region of land that was actually known as Rivera, sat on one outlet for a large forked River that ran into Orlesian Lands. With Rivera having ben given so much other land, they were busy with their own projects and involved in minor wars across the land, and had largely ignored their home region. Nordmarian Raiders sailed the rivers and raided deep into Orlesian Lands, and even sacked the former Orlesian Capital of Rioux (which would later become the Capital again). The Orlesians amassed armies to fight back the raiders, but it was difficult for them, as due to their former rebellions, they were denied any major weapon productions and had very few warriors, so they had to start training their peasants in the arts of archery and the use of pikes, and eventually this resulted in them becoming more trouble than they were worth to the Raiders, who also had to stop raiding Rivera around the same time, due to the Riverans having formed a warrior-caste of quintessential Knights, who wore heavy Armor and rode in to battle on warhorses previously unseen in the Westerlands, which was a little more than the Nordmarian Raiders were willing to contend with (the raiders were, on average, good warriors, but they usually did not wear armor and had only primitive weapons and little formal training, as they were just peasants on seasonal raids and not soldiers).

Orlesian Principality
When the Empire started to collapse, it was in part because of Orlesian influences, but many reasons played into the equation. The Carnala Republics (at this time, the Carnala Province) was an area where politics and trade flowed so quickly that the Emperor in Estheim could not keep track of the plots and schemes unfolding, so it was easier to create an incentive for them to self-police, and as for Orlais, Rivera and Noverra; these nations had become Cosmonite, which was a political move to remove religious power from the Emperor. Rather than go to war over these issues, the Emperor decided that it was better to play with open cards, and allowed these nations, including Orlais, to become Principalities. Curiously, the Carnala Republics refused and chose to remain an Imperial Province of self-governing Republics, but Orlais became a Principality.

Kingdom of Orlais
Shortly after Orlais had formally become a self-governing Principality with limited sovereignity, they (along Noverra) started referring to themselves as Kingdoms. It was a quiet rebellion, and one they never saw through, but it didn't go unnoticed, and relations between the Cosmonite Nations and other Imperial Provinces were severely damaged.

Orlesian re-conquest
Rivera had remained a Principality and was of the Imperial Faiths and had not adopted the Cosmonite religion, though they did not condemn it and openly permitted the worship of Cosmos in their lands, though it had no formal government support. There was very little love between Rivera and Orlais, but initially, the Orlesians directed their hatred towards the Petty Kingdom of Dussante, a region that stretched along the Southern Coast of what would later become Orlais, and had never been subjugated by the Empire, due to having been difficult to invade without moving troops through hostile Orlais, and also because they had largely played along with the Empire's demands completely, and had been well on their way to total annexation when the Emprie began its collapse instead. Orlais fought a long and bitter war against the Riveran Knights who took up arms in defense of Dussante.

The Riveran Collapse
These Riveran Knights were mainly from the region of Novak, but they set up their camps in the, largely unpopulated (at that time) region of Averde, as Dussante had promised to pay so that they could erect castles and towns in Averde if they fought for Dussante, and this brought about a natural collapse of Rivera as a united Principality under Imperial Governance.

Return to Rioux
The Orlesian Majesty of the time, had proven a match for the Riveran Knights, but was still not anywhere close to winning his war. His longbow and pike-militias were severely effective against the Riveran Cavalry, who were actually forced to adopt infantry strategies against their enemies, who greatly outnumbered them, but the Riveran Knights were still the superior warriors, both in matters of experience, skill, equipment and strategy - it was going to be a war of attrition, until the King Stephan I ascended to the throne and negotiated a shrewd pact. In return for Novak, Averde and Dussante all bending the Knee to his rule, Dussante would retain a significant amount of self-governance, and the Knights would be granted special status in Orlais as well as in Dussante and their castles and towns would still be paid for, as long as they continued to fight for Orlais - and just like that, the Orlesian Constitution was drafted and signed by all members, including the since much regretted passage that secured the right to open support of the Imperial Faith in Novak, Averde and Dussante, and King Stephan I took his court to Rioux which became the capital of all of Orlais, as it had once been before.

Orlesian Expansion
The Orlesians did not rest. When the Riverans and Orlesians had still regarded themselves as one people, the Empire had sent a great many of them to colonize the Island of Avalon - an effort that had been greatly halted by the discovery of the Eiferwith and the Fay, however, after Orlais had established itself as a proper nation once more, they needed a distraction for their new Knights, lest they would likely rebel and fight Orlais, and the nation did not desire a war against a political rival so soon after having fought a massive taxing war already. With the promise of land and subjects to rule, the now Orlesian Knights were lured to sail to Avalon, to march through the city of Avar (which had just rejoined Orlais) and ride out to subjugate the Eiferwith and fight back the Fay, and this effort was a tremendous success, and the Knights quickly captured most of Western Avalon.

Treaty of Avalon
The Orlesians were close to being in a position to instate themselves as the Kings of the North-Sea and poise themselves for conquest of all upon the waters West of their position, and they did heavily support the existing colonization effort of the Source-Lands from their position, but then a series of unfortunate events occurred. The Empire issued a decree outlawing the slavery of Elves, and forced all Principalities to permit the Elves to flock the shores of Avalon. On Avalon, the Knights and Fay had eventually found common ground, and the Knights of Avalon had largely been of the Imperial Faith, and as such, religiously compatible with the Fay - unlike the Knights that remained in Orlais, many of which converted to the Cosmonite faith (not all, especially not those from Dussante). Peace reigned in Avalon, until of course, the Empire decided that it was the responsibility of the Orlesians to relocate the Eiferwith and ferry the many elves who wished to migrate to Avalon over. The Knights of Avalon seceded from Orlais, declaring West-Avalon as the Kingdom of Galahad, though Avar remained Orlesian. Orlais had no choice, but to stop their colonization efforts of the Source Lands and begin focusing on their given task, which cost them dearly.

A New War
Orlais was at a breaking point after the Avalon-Treaty, and they needed a new war, so the Empire gave them one, and the Crusades were initiated. Orlais threw themselves whole-heatedly into these.

Regions
Orlais consists of multiple regions of interest.

Novak
At one point, Rivera stretched so far that it reached the border to Novera, and constituted the entire Northern Coast of Orlais, making an "L-Shape" down towards Dussante, along the Noveran border. Novak is the name of the Coastal Region from the new Riveran Border and about a third of the way towards Novera, and it is an Orlesian Duchy of significance, as this region was originally home to the First Riveran Knights who eventually became the famed Knights of Dussante.

Inspiration: Normandy/Frisian lands

Averde
The Orlesian Duchy that stretches along the Noveran Coast from the borders to Dussante and until the Northern-Coast. Averdans speak their own unique dialect of Orlesian, which is particularly difficult to understand. Most people from Dussante speak this dialect, and frequently enough that they have a serious accent because of it, but the Averdans typically refuse to speak any other language and if they do, they do so with an accent so thick and heavy that it is nearly impossible to understand them. Averde features a number of lesser mountains, and has heavy productions of cheese as their main industry.

Inspiraiton: Aquitaine.

Dussante
Orlais conquered the lands of Dussante, but fought for over a Century to take it, as the Riverans had opted to protect Dussante. Rivera and Orlais have remained rivals and largely have no had diplomatic relations since, which is perhaps the longest running grudge in the Westerlands. Eventually, Dussante was forced to negotiate a surrender, but remains an Arch-Duchy with a high degree of self-governance. Dussante constitutes the entire Southern Coast of Orlais, and reaches some distance inland.

Inspiration: Medieval France, Arthurian Avalon

Avar
On the southern tip of Avalon, the Orlesians built a city known as Avar, which sits right across from Rioux, with the two cities visible to each other on a clear day - though only faintly so. The City of Avar is a Duchy, and was the first settlement effort in the attempts to Colonize Avalon. During the Imperial Era, Avar was built, and attempts were made to settle the many human settlements immediately north of Avar. During the Post-Imperial Era, the Eiferwith, originally from the regions north of Avar, are evacuated and all settlement efforts North of Avar are given up on.