Dragonsong Dominion

• Location: The isle of Corsain lies northeast of Alindor, south of the Sea of Mists and Dregar, northwest of Alibor, and southwest of Tilmar. The Dominion's only land frontier is the Kingdom of Driran that lies to the northeast.
• Size: 95,000 square statute miles
• Capital City: Fort Dragonsong
• Population: 95,000: 80% human, 15% elf, 2% halfling, 2% dwarf, 1% gnome
• Founder: Christopher Brant
• Current Ruler: Dominus Alexander Court, Paragon of the Code
• Date of founding: 1338
• Notable towns and cities: Eastspirit Fort, Natalu, Southern Gate, Tyr-Song, Western Gate, Yalian
• Other notable locations: Lake Dragonsong, Phoniex Tower, Ruins of the Broken

The kingdom has mostly level terrain with sparse forests due to extensive deforestation in the past. The southern coastline is gentle, despite its irregularity, and close to the fertile Harj's Breath, which sustains the powerful fishing industries that has kept the entire island, especially Southern Gate, in the spotlight of the saltwater fish market.

The western and northern coasts may not provide the same abundance as the southern coast, but the northern coast is home to the pride of the nation'the training grounds of the Dragonsong Army, home to the best swordsmen of the modern world. It is said that the first katanas were forged here thousands of years ago; the finest curved blades still come from the master smiths of Tyr-Song.

Government

The people of Dragonsong maintain their traditions and values by virtue and discipline. Conflicts regarding interpretations of the tenets are decided by the Paragon himself and are only brought to him if the high clergy of Rofirein cannot reach an agreement. Territorial, political, and secular disputes are moderated and decided by judges and the dominus if the dispute is severe enough to warrant his intervention.

Decisions regarding the virtues are final, while secular matters may be appealed if the parties wish to present more facts to the dominus to better inform him of the dispute. It is common for him to judge lesser cases on a daily basis as tradition mandates a sign of humility despite occupying the highest seat in the land.

History and Rumors

The Dragonsong Dominion, which originally covered the whole island of Corsain, was formed by Christopher Brant from the several smaller states that were present on the island at that time; just a few years before the return of Sinthar Bloodstone. Before this, Corsain consisted of several smaller realms with similar outlooks and culture. In 1338, Christopher, an honorable swordsman and brilliant politician, convinced the last of the rulers to adopt his code and join his realm.

At that time, the Rohden Alliance, a defensive naval alliance consisting of all the various realms on Corsain and Tilmar had already been formed. Dragonsong, of course, remained a member. The Dominion's law then and now is based on the Dragonsong Code, which is a list of tenets and codes that are all linked to order and honor'characteristics that have led to favoring Rofirein as the main deity in Dragonsong.   In 1392, after 51 years of being ignored, Bloodstone turned his eye to the island as a stepping stone into Dregar, Alindor, and Mistone. His massive incursion razed the land, its people, and its armies and armadas. The boot of his occupation would not last long, for in 1394 the tides were turned and the land was purged by dozens of heroes and the combined armies and navies of the western nations, but the land was now in shambles.   On the routing of the foul thrall, Alexander Court, eldest son of the previous Dominus, assumed the role of leader in Fort Dragonsong rather than in the traditional capital of Western Gate. Fort Dragonsong, which was used as a summer retreat to his family, is an old castle on the lake that gave the country its name. The gesture, intended to show the people that the regents would partake in the country's strife in rebuilding as it too was partially destroyed during the occupation, was well received, and the Dominion slowly began the long process of rebuilding. The old nobility was restored and for the prefectures without a surviving noble family, loyal and rich families were appointed as stewards; one of these was the Starphire family of Driran Castle.   Post occupation history can be divided into two separate periods: The Famine from 1394 to 1408 and 1408 onwards.   The Famine, an 18-year period after the reestablishment of the Dominion, was a delicate time as the people worked to reestablish order and prosperity. Just when things started to get better, the clouds came in 1402 and all that was sewn together became frayed again. Many of the already diminished population died of hunger during the years that followed and ties of fealty were stretched to the limit. Until, in 1405, Elena Starphire ascended into her family's stewardship and declared that the Dominion didn't need more order and peace, but needed a new direction and a rebirth.   The Dominus strived for unity until the fateful meeting of the Council of Nobles in 1408 where nearly half of the delegates, mostly of the east and northeastern prefectures, did not show up. Facing dissent, the Dominus was pressured to take action but only on his terms. The Dominion was divided into two parts: one would maintain the old ways, while the other would be placed in Elena's hands (as she represented the philosophy that emptied the Council). The Dominus of Dragonsong was seen as weak and even a traitor by some for his decision of not fielding an armed response against the dissenters and, while outward order is maintained, some of the nobles loyal to the Dominion questioned his ability to lead.   The division was not easy as families were separated along ideological lines. Landholders lost their titles and mass migrations caused turmoil as small towns along the new frontier started taking in refugees not wishing to be under the rule of the other side. Resentment divided the people, especially along the border where tensions grew as the armies took their positions, but so far no bloody confrontations have erupted.   Since 1408, Alexander's rule has led Dragonsong on a road of recovery. A diminished population, despite the sadness it implies, is easier to provide for than a larger one. Among his first actions, he redistributed the diminished land among the loyal nobility and new vows of fealty were sworn. An unexpected boost to the renovated sense of national pride is that now the population has an enemy to despise and no effort is being spared for the rebuilding of Dragonsong.

Military

The Dragonsong Code is best reflected by the realm's army, stationed near Fort Dragonsong. During the division, their loyalty was evident as all the soldiers migrated toward the old country, bringing their families with them, leaving a deficiency in the new land, quickly filled by lighter troops.

Well disciplined, focused, courageous and loyal, to see their hard iron lines facing you on the open field is to know that your end is near. Such is their strength that adversaries prefer to trap them in woods or areas, such as marshes, where their discipline and strength of formation can be annulled.

The military career is offered and welcomed by 17-year-old boys and girls capable of wielding the traditional Dragonsong katana or short sword. They are sent to the country's Youth Corp Military School in Tyr-Song for training in the arts of war where the four basic Dragonsong weapons (katana, two-handed long katana, short sword, and the long bow) are taught not only to defend their honor, land, and family but also to teach discipline and virtue.

At the conclusion of the year-long training, they are allowed to request release from duty to follow their respective paths, be it tradesmen, farmers, or other professions. If they stay, they are granted a small tribute and sent on a walkabout to see the world and to return to join the ranks when they reach 21, after which they are sworn in and either taken into the active corps or sent to the reserves where they must return to Fort Dragonsong if they are ever called.

The standing army consists of 7,000, which can be swollen to 18,000 in case of an emergency, an impressive one fifth of the population, due to the military training given to all able citizens that come of age. Despite the stand off and the tactics of their neighbors, the army's moral is high, the only encounter that has led to a fielding of troops was the bloodless retaking of Eastspirit Fort, a strategic position that watches over the only open highway between the rival states and a 2-days march from the Driran Kingdom's main army camp.

Their general, Lord Marcus Court, is the Swordmaster of the Code, title given to the best swordsman of the land. He is the realms highest military adviser as well as the dominus' brother. After the defeats at the hands of guerrilla forces that employ underhanded and dishonorable tactics, he issued a military decree to begin training and drilling the troops in individual combat with shield and short sword to strengthen individual combatant skills on mixed battlefields. This was met with resistance by the traditional commanders, but their qualms were silenced when a daring nighttime woodland raid by light Driran troops was quickly thwarted by a substantially smaller number of the newly prepared troops.

Notable People

Alexander Court - Current Dominus of the Dragonsong Dominion and Paragon of the Code (1371-, rule: 1394-). Eldest son of Sikander Court (1340-1392, rule: 1380-1392) and grandson of Alastair Brant (1321-1380, rule: 1365-1380). Alexander was brought up during the golden age of Dragonsong, where the navies and armies of the land were at its height. This age ended with Bloodstone's invasion of 1392 when his father was unceremoniously executed in front of the domina and their daughters along with all the heads of noble houses that were in Western Gate at the time. Luck would have it that Alexander and his brother Marcus were abroad signing strong treaties with the realms on Mistone and Dregar; so when news of the attack reached them, they were the first to call out for help and bring together armies to retake the land from the invaders.

A strong willed but wise man, a renowned swordsman, and a good leader, he has in his brother his highest councilor. His ear, though, is in the population; Alexander takes great joy in mediating or judging cases of the simple folk. He has been married to Domina Lucia since 1398; together they have four children, Sander (heir, 1402-), Lucilla (1405-), Tullius (1408-) and Arrieta (1410-).

Marcus Court - Younger brother of the Dominus (by 10 years) and Swordmaster of the Code (title given to the commander of the combined legions), he is responsible for the training and fielding of the Dominion's renowned army. A private man, he keeps to himself and only offers advice to the dominus when asked explicitly.

Although, by tradition, the Katana of Dragonsong belongs to the dominus, Marcus has been granted the privilege of being its bearer during his brother's rule for none in the land is more capable of wielding the massive 5-foot-long katana than he.

Politics

Internal policy currently leans toward providing the means to sustain the population with farming and fishing as the main focus. This has been successful because hearty grains have been produced that survive lack of direct sunlight and the oceans are still very much alive. The reduced population is easier to provide shelter and work for and the country's traditional military-like discipline favors this because food is not as scarce as it once was. Nevertheless, the people prefer to eat enough to survive and stock up on grains for a better future.

Foreign policy, once guided by commercial and military needs, now favors the population's needs as more and more international accords are prepared to allow access to raw materials and aid. Commercially, ore and raw materials are now the chief imports, processed raw materials, fish, and even limited amounts of grains lead the Dominion's exports.