Antora
The Constitutional Corric Kingdom of Casilló y Réal is a country located on the south-eastern portion of Novaris. It is bordered to the south and east by the Concordian Ocean and by Nacata to the North and Tedeschi to the west. Casilló y Réal is a united post-feudal state, which consolidated into one nation four hundred and thirty years ago from the Kingdom of Casilló and the Kingdom of Réal. With a combined national history going back almost 1800 years, Casilló y Réal is a cultural and vacation destination for many around the world. The territory, though largely peaceful now, has been fought over between the former feudal states for much of the time they existed.
Constitutional Corric Kingdom of Casilló and Réal Reino Corric Constitucional de Casilló y Réal'’ | |
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Motto:
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| Capital | Eleçeron |
| Largest city | Costa Tranquíla |
| Official languages | Corric |
| Recognised regional languages | Reóran, Arranzic |
| Ethnic groups (2021) | Corric (73%) Reóran (9%) Arranzic (8%) Other (6%) |
| Demonym(s) | Corric |
| Government | Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy |
• Rége | Sebastián II de Naranza |
| Gabriella Orellana | |
| Diego Escuerdo | |
| Legislature | Ministro de Asamblea Popular |
| Cámara de la Nobleza | |
| Cámara de la Población | |
| Consolidation of the Kingdoms of Casilló and of Réal | |
• Marital Consolidation of Territories, King Felipe III & Princess Alicia la Joven | 1584 |
• Kingdom of Corric | 1587 |
• First Constitution of the Kingdom of Corric | 1659 |
• Second Constitution | 1710 |
• Corric Kingdom of Casilló and Réal | 1783 |
| Population | |
• 2021 estimate | 42,112,000 |
• 2018 census | 40,482,331 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $826.43 billion |
• Per capita | $20,414 |
| Gini (2016) | 32.1 medium |
| SDI (2016) | 0.873 very high |
| Currency | Regnes (REG (ℜ) |
| Date format | yy-mm-dd |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +861 |
| ISO 3166 code | CR, CYR |
| Internet TLD | .cyr |
The first inhabitants were the Andora people, a sect of Impelanzans. The Andora split into the Reóran and Arranzic ethnic groups which settled Réal and Casilló respectively. These groups ruled over neighboring territory and feuded for nearly 600 years over sole control. Conflicts during this period include the Invasion of Valle de María, the War of the Red River, and the Sieges of Eleçeron.
Five hundred years ago, the Kingdom of Réal was conquered after the Thirty-Years’ Bloodshed, also known as the Conquísta. A brutal war instigated by King Felipe I ‘the Bloody’ of Casilló, most of the populations of both states was involved in the fighting. This saw most of the adult members of the House of Carreteó, rulers of Réal, slain, and the military dominance of the Arranzic people for the area. Though a martial victory for Casilló, tensions remained high and the economy of the region suffered as bandits scourged previously-patrolled countrysides and the common people of Réal either rioting or refusing to pay taxes to what they saw as a foreign occupier.
The situation looked to devolve into war once more within a generation or two until King Felipe II, upon his father’s passing, betrothed his son to the surviving daughter of House Carreteó. The two youths became friends as they grew up in the Arranzic court, defying mosts expectations. King Felipe III of the House of Naranza married Alicia II 'the Younger' of the House of Carreteó the same day he was coronated. This marriage, and the measures his father took to address the Reóran peoples’ distress, allowed Felipe III to truly rule over a united country of both Arranzic and Reóran cultures for the first time in history. With the combination of the two states after several years of legal work and persuasion of the nobility, the Kingdom of Corric was officially founded.
In the centuries following, the astronomic talents of Reóran scholars were able to be combined with the nautical capabilities of Arranzic sailors, producing a thriving and wide-ranging trade fleet. Corric merchants traded the mineral and agricultural wealth of their nation in exchange for foreign crops, scientific methods and devices, and advances in military technology like gunpowder. Most of the profit generated from trade went to the already-wealthy merchants, nobles, and royals.
The wealth inequality led to discontent culminating in the common populace rising up and demanding that the Kingdom adopt a constitution that provided checks on the monarchs' power, diminished the legal authority of the nobility, and codified values such as the concept of citizenship, civil rights, taxation, and elective governance. King Juan Teo agreed to the demands after some resistance and committed the rest of his reign to reforming the government systems to better accommodate the common citizens. His ideals were influential enough that his grandson King Luca IV reorganized the territory of the kingdom into nine districts, in order to ensure that locals had adequate municipal and regional governance and to streamline the census. The legal and economic reforms of this period saw the Kingdom emerge stronger, with a larger tax base and more patriotic populace lending themselves to an increase in infrastructure projects, military growth, and industry expansion.
Near the end of the century, Queen Alejandra made the decision to rename the Kingdom to acknowledge the nations' distinct heritages and ethnicities. This established the Kingdom of Casilló y Réal, though the national demonym remains Corric. Casilló y Réal transitioned from a primarily agricultural economy to a mixed economy in this period. Modern methods of resource extraction and manufacturing allowed fallow areas of the nation to begin producing economically. The foodstuff and raw material exports are joined by farming equipment, chemicals, natural gas, defense equipment, railroad material, and automobiles. The impact of fossil fuels on the natural environment was researched heavily as coal and oil use rose; as a legal article within the constitution prohibits excessive destruction or harm of the nations' natural lands, automobiles, trains, and aircraft became strictly regulated by the state. This stance has prohibited Casilló y Réal from becoming a major power militarily, economically, or industrially, but it remains a prosperous nation with good marks in human development, GDP per capita, democracy, press freedoms, and social and environmental progress.
Etymology
The origins of the names Casilló and Réal are directly related to the words casa and réal, meaning home and royal. The modern spellings have evolved from the traditional, but the pronunciation has stayed the same: the two kingdoms were referred to as Caziyho and Rayal. There are several accounts and histories detailing the origins, primarily from recovered documents.
The historian and scholar Escobo de la Noncerivero wrote in his memoirs of travelling the region and staying in the courts of nobles:
‘I enquired to her [Grace] the thought that planted in her head the name of her fair and mountainous demesne, cut through with rivers and bedecked with so many orchards. Her response was accompanied with a laugh, so charming as did I nearly mishear; “Good sir, the valleys and hills and mountains that I rule by providence of these good and noble gentlemen have been always a prize worthy of royal stewardship. It is only right and fair to the people that live here I give it a name to reflect this.’
de la Noncerivero details that the original name of Réal was Valey di Rayal, meaning ‘valleys of Royalty.’ The modern name would first start to be used approximately 250 years later.
The descriptor of Reóran, referring to peoples of an ethnicity and culture native to Réal, can be found in the same work, related to the now-disused word reon, meaning ‘defender.’ Queen Maria Platia de Carreteó was a strong military mind, and instilled in her nobles and by extension peasantry that defense of their homeland was of paramount importance.
Casillós’ name roughly means ‘house of rest’, reflecting the idea of the people being able to recuperate from banditry and tyranny. When the various petty-kings of the region were defeated and their lands united under King Arturo Gael Andres de Naranza, his court scribe recorded him saying:
‘...And further my friends, let me declare now the formation and consecration under God the Father the Kingdom of Caziyho, for now we have thrown down the tyrants of the little castle and large cruelty, and our purview extends from our silver coasts to the azure rivers and black mountains. We have brought peace and God to these lands; made a home for our sons and their sons to grow oranges and wheat, and raise cows and horses.’
Similar to Réal, the name of the kingdom would evolve over centuries to Casilló.
The Arranzic culture takes its name from the House of Naranza, the ruling family since the foundation of the nation. Thanks to the stability, and lower taxes, brought by King Arturo, the many towns and villages in his lands traded and blended ideals into the modern-day Arranzic people.
When Réal was absorbed into Casilló, the ethnic and cultural makeups of the two began to blend. Modern Casilló y Réal has a majority population of Corric people, a mixture of Reóran and Arranzic traits. The name Corric has no definite known origin, as any thoughts on the matter remain in King Felipe III’s or Queen Alicia II’s memoirs, which are locked by royal decree.
Some scholars believe it has roots in the words correr, to move, shift, pass by, get a move on, corregir, to correct or make right, or corazón, heart. It is known that the Queen desired that the united kingdom possess a united identity rather than be occupying and occupied territories. Theories point to certain public speeches and decrees by both her and her husband the King as to the origin of the name being corazón, though other theories point to other speeches and corregir instead.
History
Early History
The land that Casilló y Réal occupies today is referred to geographically as Andora. Archeological records show that this was the name of the group of Impalanzans that settled the area prior to 303 BCE. Many towns, fortifications, and cities today were constructed in this period, of note Porto Armada. Small city-states were the norm for much of Andora from 303 BCE to 109 CE. The people made their livings through either simple agriculture, textiles, or fishing.
After 109 CE, written and archeological records detail that the varied people of Andora began to cooperate and form larger polities, resulting in the period between 348 CE and 1215 CE being referred to as the Principality Era. The region was broken up into a number of petty kingdoms and other feudal states.
The largest and most powerful Andoran states were Avantana, Cartavedra, Eleuvros, Grejona, Imode, Liti, Málama, Marsalvano, and Pinoa. These polities are reflected in the modern day, with the nine administrative divisions of Casilló y Réal roughly mirroring their borders. Cities such as Iravala and Covielés were founded during the Principality era. Increased urbanization also brought a stratification of the populace, more advanced metallurgy, and more organized navies for trade and warfare.
The Andora region was often in conflict. The Nine Brothers, as more contemporary sources name them, warred with each other and sometimes themselves. Disputes were common over land rights, resources, and familial animosity, though a notable exception would be the Orange War of 1032 between Liti and Grejona. This conflict had roots in an argument over which state began processing and exporting orange fruit preserves.
Feudal Conquests
After 1215 CE, the small feudal states of Andora began to form into the larger nation-states of Casilló y Réal. In the coastal regions, Avantana, Grejona, Liti, Málama, and Pinoa were forcibly integrated into one state by the Avantanan warlord and king Arturo Gael Andres de Naranza. The Arranzic Conquests of 1249 were instigated by de Naranza to remove the aggressive neighboring rulers and to spread Deusism, which he had converted to before his ascension to the throne. The King of Liti was also a Deusist, and was integrated into the Avantan hierarchy as a Duke. Grejona, Málama, and Pinoa still practiced Tunseism, resulting in harsher conquests. de Naranza utilized novel tactics against his enemies, including launching grappling chains with mangonels and digging ditches against cavalry.
Culminating in the Battle of Pinoa, the Avantan forces proved better trained and skilled than their adversaries when they trapped the Pinoan army against the city walls and decimated them. The new nation that de Naranza carved out would become known as Caza de Caziyho, and his line would rule over it as it transitioned to simply Caziyho, and by the modern day, Casilló.
The states of Cartaverde, Eleuvros, Imode, and Málama, making up much of the inland mountains and arid plains of Andora, would base a large part of their wars around the control of the fertile river valleys in the area. These conflicts became violent enough to render much of the civil and agricultural infrastructure useless. Nobility from the five states met in secret in 1257, planning to acclaim a single king in order to stop the constant fighting. After months of deliberation, Condessa Maria Platia de Carreteó was elevated to the Queen of the Mountains, Rivers, and Valleys.
Maria’s grasp of military tactics and the support of many powerful families ensured she met little resistance as she consolidated Cartaverde, Eleuvros, Imode, and Málama into the Kingdom of Valey di Rayal. Most nobles were pacified through hard diplomacy and the threat of war, and those that did not submit were quickly destroyed. This name would appear on official documentation until 1388, when it simply became Rayal, later spelled Réal.
Middle Ages
Casilló and Réal had little contact in their first century. The natural barriers of the Nevadres mountains made travel restricted between the states, so it was in 1320 that official exchanges began to take place. Initial cordial relations soured quickly. Casilló was between Réal and the ocean, restricting trade opportunities, and Réal had large mineral deposits Casilló required for metalworking and shipbuilding.
Instead of reaching a trade agreement, the kingdoms decided it would be less costly to strongarm each other. These shows of martial force quickly made it apparent that neither would be willing to give in to demands. Different religious practices exacerbated tensions; many Arranzic nobles were Andoran Deusists, while most Reórans were Royal Orthodox Deusists, including the king at the time, Marius Alejandro I.
The period between 1335 and 1587 is known in Casilló y Réal as the Horrible Two-Hundred. The Kingdoms of Casilló and Réal were at war for about 163 out of these 252 years. Starting in 1335 with the Battle of Cúnla, the Andoran states devoted most of their resources to overcoming each other through military might. The conflicts ranged from lesser nobles raiding rival territories to full-regalia field engagements with artillery and cavalry charges. The extent of the bloodshed is such that the red lilies that grow in Reóran valleys are said to be colored by the blood of dead soldiers.
Casilló is ideal for raising warhorses due to its wide coastal plains and gently rolling hills. This afforded them an excellent breed of destrier, the Avantana horse. Réal in contrast has much more rugged terrain, and breeds of horses bred there are more suited for work. They made up for this in the quality of their crossbows and heavy infantry.
The differences between their military preferences - Casilló with heavy wedges of armored horse supported by pike, and Réal with squares of swordsmen and halberdiers flanking crossbows - meant neither side could maintain an advantage when the time came to push into enemy territory. Arranzic charges were difficult in narrow valleys and on rocky slopes in Réal, and the heavy Reóran crossbows could pick off disoriented horses. In open spaces, the Reórans would be outranged by Arranzic bows, and the cavalry of Casilló had the maneuver room to sweep up and envelop the enemy foot.
Notable conflicts of the Horrible Two-Hundred include the Invasion of Valle de Maria; an occupation and massacre of an economically important Reóran valley, the War of the Red River; a twelve-year conflict over much of the territory of Grejona which was the furthest Reóran territory ever expanded east, the Sieges of Eleçeron; a successive series of assaults and counter-assaults against the city of largest city on the border of the two states, and the Infanticides; a blood feud that extinguished the Arranzic house of Deguerde and the Reóran house of Lavanesse.
Conquista
In 1557, King Felipe I of Casilló began the largest conflict of the Horrible Two-Hundred. The king had been born a second son, which allowed him to pursue more dangerous activities. He grew up as a squire in service to one of the Royal Captains tasked with keeping the peace outside of the main population centers. These experiences of seeing much of the west in poverty from centuries of conflict made Prince Felipe resolved to remove the threat Réal posed to his people.
When King Alejandro III and Crown Prince Teodore died in a shipwreck in 1550, Felipe ascended to the throne. He quickly gathered like-minded supporters from the nobility and upper-classes, including prominent generals from the Royal Corric Armed Legions. These individuals and their power bases would form the backbone of Felipe I’s fight against Réal. The king spent seven years training troops, funding military research, and acquiring a number of blackpowder weapons that were new to Andora at the time.
On 12 March 1557, Felipe I invaded the Réoran province of Marsabale with an army of almost 14,000 troops. This set off the Thirty Years’ Bloodshed, also known as the Conquista. Utilizing the newly-formed Kings’ Own Royal Arquebusiers, the Arranzic army was able to overrun the garrison of Marsabale and defeat them in the field. This left the province - consisting at the time of an estimated 150,000 people - at the complete mercy of Felipe I, who promptly ordered the city sacked, farms and estates plundered, and the plunder sent back to Avantana.
Felipe I earned his nickname, ‘the Bloody,’ from his treatment of the captured garrison troops. All of them had their hands removed and tongues cut out, to ‘never raise a hand against Casilló again nor speak ill of her name.’ They were then roped together and forced to march further into Réoran territory. Methods such as these were common by Arranzic forces during the Conquista, and had the three-fold effect of depriving Réal of fighting manpower, forcing them to spend resources taking care of the crippled soldiers, and delivering a harsh morale blow to any Réoran citizens that saw them.
Casilló was able to further conquer the neighboring Camplata and L’vontre provinces over the course of seven months before the armies of Réal were able to respond. The plunder gained from the conquest of Camplata was critically important to the Arranzic war effort; the Cathedral of Santa Verónica and the Camplata silver mines provided an estimated 200,000 Regnes in funding (approximately $400 million dollars today.) The amount of coin meant Felipe I stayed longer than intended in the area to consolidate his gains, allowing the armies of Duke Francesco de Palda and Count Javíer de Voco to catch him.
The Battle of Silver Fields was the first proper ordered battle between comparative armies during the Conquista, with 12,000 troops from Casillo and 15,000 from Réal. Though numbers, terrain familiarity, and positioning favored the Réorans, their morale was severely damaged by the blackpowder cannons and arquebusiers Felipe I had brought. The king had trained up a professional army for 7 years to get used to the weapons, while the mostly-conscripted troop of the Réoran nobles had never experienced such.
Though they sustained heavy losses while maneuvering, the Arranzic army eventually routed their enemies. The Duke and Count lost 3,000 men, with 8,000 captured, while King Felipe I lost 6,000 men, most to projectiles. While tactically a victory for Felipe I, the battle forced a strategic stalemate as he no longer possessed the forces to continue his swift attacks. This began the second period of the Conquista, which lasted from 1558 to 1575 CE.