Vithinja: Difference between revisions

The Syndicalist Kingdom of Vithinja ([[Peoples of Vithinja|Ruþí]]: Viþjinsk) often simply referred to as The Cooperative is a constitutional monarchy located in [[Kiro-Borealis]], but is more politically connected to Northern [[Levantia]] and it's various nations. It borders [[Caergwynn]] in the south among the vithinjan isles. Crossing the [[Kilikas Sea]] to the far west lies the island nation of [[Kiravia]], while crossing the sea southwards one can find the lands of [[Faneria]]. Vithinja holds the only land crossing from Kiroborea to Levantia via the Vithins-Awraidd bridge project, a large set of bridges and underwater tunnels connecting the Kiroborea mainland to most of the Vithinjan isles and ending in northern [[Caergwynn]]. The Vithinjan capital is [[Cities of Vithinja|Rolvsvik]], despite being only the 5th largest city in the nation. Rolvsvik holds importance as the historical seat of power of the various royal lines of the nation as well as the religious center for the [[Church of Rolv]]. The two largest cities are [[Cities of Vithinja|Tår Bringär]] and [[Cities of Vithinja|Cärssund]], both of which lie within the vithinjan isles. Tår Bringär has long been the economic capital of Vithinja as it holds a large and deep natural harbor well placed for both safety and trading purposes. For most of North Levantian history the city benefited from strategically defensible geography, avoiding devastation from the many wars that plagued northern levantia but since the great war it has fallen in favor somewhat compared to mainland harbor cities. Vithinja has a population of ~64 million people. The vast majority of the population lives either in the vithinjan isles, or the more temperate southern coastline, but the northern lakes region still holds small population centers.

Vithinja is a relative newcomer among the nations of today in it's current state, only existing in it’s current form for the last 200 years. However the culture and traditions of a united northern nation has existed for almost a millennium. Unfortunately because the large variety in cultures, religion, traditions and more recently ideologies the nation has never truly been able to achieve stability. The nations origins is a tale of two very different peoples fighting each other for the reign but always united against foreign threats. The first traces of the two groups arriving in the north date back as far as 700 CE. From the evidence they were not the first people to live in the Vithinjan lands but whatever natives came before are long extinct. It is believed that the first group of settlers who would become the Ruthans left their homeland in western Levantia to sail for new lands in the north, while the celtic origins are even less certain. Both peoples started settling many of the islands along the northern coast of Levantia as well as finding the lands of [[Vithinjan Administrative Divisions|Rutheria]]. ([[Peoples of Vithinja|Ruþí]]:Fhres-Ruthirí) While the Ruthan people have generally been the rulers over both peoples the Gvergoles have almost always outnumbered them, to the confusion of many scholars.

The vithinjan population is mainly divided into the [[Vithinjan Demographics|Ruthans]], the former ruling people as well as the [[Vithinjan Demographics|Gvergoles]] ([[Ruthi Language|Ruþí]]: Gärgöthe, [[Siarvish Language|Siarvish]]: Siargogle), who make up the majority of the population. While they once had huge cultural differences the two cultures are pretty well integrated into each other these days, making religion and ideology the more common cause of cultural differences than ethnicity in the country.

While not being a very populous country, thanks to a combination of large quantities of natural resources with a pretty high security for companies to extract them as well as good shared control of the northern Levantian maritime trade together with Caergwynn the Vithinjan people are quite well of. Maritime is especially secured thanks to the city of Tår Bringär, which holds the deepest large harbour in northern levantian trade.

From the other side of Levantia a group of "old celts" lead by three brothers lead a small group of settlers to cross the ocean towards the Vithinjan isles. The legend goes that the three brothers traveled with a sizable fleet of settlers north of Levantia to find rich unsettled lands. When they found the first large island the first brother settled, stating he would build a great city there. His brothers both decided to continue on, searching for better lands. The remaining two brothers discovered another large island, this one with a large natural harbor. The second brother stated he would build a greater city than his older brother there. The youngest decided again to continue, leaving with only a small remaining group of settlers to find even richer lands. They ended up finding a huge island, even richer than the first two in everything one would need to build a civilization. He settled there, and within his lifetime, he had conquered both of his brothers and built himself a small nation of his own.

These two original groups of settlers are believed to have arrived in Vithinjan lands as early as 850, but it wasn't until 950 that these tribes made up large enough numbers to really start affecting the other tribes and nations in the region except for small raids. The few original settler tribes quickly expanded, spread then splintered into numerous smaller tribes. These smaller tribes did some fighting between each other but generally preferred going out to sea to find others worth raiding. The tribes living in the harsher lands of Kiro-Borealis ended up needing the supplies they could bring in from raiding, as they did not have enough to trade back. Despite having substantially different pagan beliefs the ruthans and celts both started traveling south to raid coastlines.