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Formal Name: Rukilia
Abbreviation: text
Capital: Rukeshdamari
Government Type: representative, parliamentary democracy
Chief of State: Rukil
Symbology
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History
The southeastern peninsula of Galendor is home to Rukilia, a populous state that is largely inhabited and governed by followers of Rukil, the so-called Lord of Stone. Rukil is Artela's son, by Dokorath, and a prince of Heaven; he first discovered the Nagas in this region around -3000 CR, when they were a primitive band of a few hundred refugees from the Dreamlands who had become stranded on Earth. The demigod adopted them as his own, teaching them magic and writing and other forms of learning, and setting himself up at the center of their newly-minted religious system. As humans began to migrate into the region and settle there, the Nagas came to form three distinct ruling castes in the nation — priests, warriors, and merchants — while humans became the worker caste. Even today the nagas are looked upon by most of the human inhabitants as divinely favored.
Rukilia Today
Modern Rukilia is a representative, parliamentary democracy; Rukil remains the Head of State, but for the most part he is content to live in luxury and allow his people to govern their own affairs, stepping into politics only when he fears that the nation is headed in a particularly unhealthy direction. Nagas continue to dominate government and politics, by virtue of their exalted status; humans have a voice, but as a rule that voice speaks timidly and is quick to acquiesce to the decisions of the serpent-folk.
Relations with other nations
Rukilia currently has little direct involvement with the Empire of Metamor, other than the communication and trade that are the norm between any two large countries. As a powerful nation with substantial resources, Rukilia exercises a great deal of influence over its immediate neighbors; this is sometimes welcomed by the surrounding states, who see Rukilia as a potential protector, but others are made nervous by living in the shadow of such a populous nation, particularly when Rukilia enters an expansionistic mindset.
Currently, Rukilia has control over the nation of Khumar, as a result of the Second World War
Rukilia engages in extensive trade with Ainador, but the two lands also butt heads frequently over a variety of minor political disputes. The dramatic difference in religious and cultural makeup between the two nations is probably the root of this conflict.
The people of Yamato consider Rukilia to be major rivals, if not actually outright enemies — the Rukilian army forcibly occupied Yamato after the [World War]] (1832-1838), and had to be thrown out in a guerrilla war for independence that lasted through most of the 1840s. No humans are alive today who fought in that war, but some bad blood still lingers between the two nations, and this feud has carried over into a relentless battle for economic dominance of the Central Sea.
Quenardya probably deals directly with Rukilia more than any other nation in Galendor. These two military and economic powerhouses have sometimes fought wars against each other, and at other times have fought on the same side. Neither can afford to ignore the other, and the patchwork of small, allied client states that sits between them often seems like it is barely enough insulation to ward off trouble. It is their similarities, as much as their differences, that contribute to this tension: both nations are representative democracies with Immortal heads of state, both have a non-human "elite" class (Elves and Nagas) and a human working class, and both have strong ties to the old pantheon. The key difference between them, however, is that the Elves freed their human and Silvaan bondservants, while the Nagas continue to treat humans as their inferiors. In addition, while Quenardya came to hold its current borders through a voluntary act of federation by its member states, Rukilia gained much of its territory through past conquests; the ongoing occupation of Khumar, and the repression of the native Theist religion in favor of Rukil-worship, is particularly distasteful to the Quenardyan people. This single point of contention will probably keep the two nations from ever being friendly as long as Rukilia persists in holding the archipelago.
Known Citizens
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Sources
Author's Notes
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