Cristonian Kingdom

The Cristonian People

Cristonia was a sprawling kingdom. Their southern territory among the drier deserts and jungle-filled, expansive mountains offered a plethora of natural protections and resources along with picturesque views. They used their geographic location to an advantage, building their capital on a port which allowed them ease of access to other crucial areas around Ruvia. Cristonia was centralized mainly within one capital city with few smaller villages spread throughout their borders, the kingdom itself was fairly tight-knight socially, despite the massive amalgamation of cultures that called Cristonia home. Throughout Ruvia, the Cristonian Kingdom was known for its master of the arts— architecture, cooking, fashion, theatre, painting, music, and anything that craftspeople and artisans could get their hands on. Cristonian portraits and artworks were some of the most prized possessions of many, and their fashion, architecture, and style choices seemed to spread like wildfire across Ruvia.

Ruled under an extremely centralized absolute monarchy, Cristonia found itself at the heart of political debate and conversation. The monarchy was known for holding expansive galas, events, and performances, often to flaunt their wealth and share their surplus of artistic talent and resources with the other nations— to “let them live more lavishly for once.” As a kingdom of many different cultures, the government and enforcement of laws was fairly lax, and Cristonian society was known for being one of the most accepting in terms of culture, heritage, and personality. The economy flowed smoothly as they exported talented artisan’s works and other desirable goods, importing almost anything inaccessible or difficult to find in their territory— ore, wine, weapons, etc.

Their masterful grip of the arts had a downside— militarily, they were weak. Known as the “Jester’s Court” to the underground circles of Ruvia and the more outspoken of the lower class, Cristonia was nowhere near as powerful as their neighbors. While their government was certainly powerful, especially as they hosted the majority of Ruvian political summits, their military and physical strength were as powerful as the grass their artists so wonderfully painted; that is, not at all. It’s widely believed that Cristonia only stayed afloat through back door peace deals, barters, and alliances whose existence is still contested today.

Militarily they were weak for a number of reasons. Primarily, it was that regardless of Cristonia being a centralized absolute monarchy, the noble class had extreme amounts of political and economic power. They were the population that could afford such mastery of the arts. As their wealth grew, so did their danger. Nobles had then bought into private standing armies. Despite being a monarchy, the King of Cristonia were unable to pool together enough warriors to create a dedicated army for Cristonia.