The Country of Moshven

The Country of Moshven is located on the southern edge of the continent of Cellenda. Its northern border neighbor is Azin and the City State of Koalh is to Moshven’s west.

Moshven

The former ruling family of Kysten has ruled Moshven for over 600 hundred years. The ruling family has the final decisions over the laws and customs of the country of Moshven. The country is comprised of 26 shires each with a Ruling Council of Moshven. Each shire has a governing body called the Dwelling of Deliberations in which governing issues are deliberated. Each Dwelling of Deliberation chooses three members to represent the shire at the Ruling Council of Moshven. The Ruling Council manages day to day or month to month operations of the country and act as advisors to the Kysten family. The country of Moshven is a country of merchants and producers of fine goods. The Kysten family primary edict was to ensure the well being of their people by ensuring that there was an ample food supply and required goods for a good life. The Kysten family ordered schools for the ordinary populace and outlawed the practice of serfdom in all of their lands. The Kysten family fosters independent thought and ambition among its people. The three University of Merchants and Producers were created at Ghent, Staren and the harbor city of Oceanbay.

The Kysten Family

The Kysten family ruled Moshven with a velvet covered gauntlet. The Kysten’s have been merchants for over 1000 years and continue to profit and survive as merchants to this day. They began to acquire lands in their dealings and in less then 100 years their holdings rivaled many of the chieftains in the area. Many of the chieftains feared that the Kysten family would try by arms or trickery take their lands. The Chieftains banded together and began a campaign to destroy the economic empire of the Kysten family. The chieftains were taken by surprise when their own forces refused to fight for them. The Kysten family made it known of the prosperity their people had under their rule. This ended the chieftain’s campaign against the Kysten family and soon after many of the chieftains no longer rules their own territories. The Kysten family in less then a single generation controlled the entire area of Moshven after the chieftains failed attempt.

The Kysten family is thought to be blesses as economic prosperity grows with anything they touch. The Kysten family has not forgotten the people that serve them. The town, cities and villages of Moshven have prospered under the rule of the Kysten family for hundreds of years. This has allowed the Kysten family to consolidate their power and create a governing body that if affective and loyal to the Kysten family. Even during the dark times of the Horde invasion the Kysten family was in complete control of their country’s destiny. They sent negotiators to meet with the horde invaders on their beech head. The Horde demanded that the entire country capitulate and welcome Horde Rule. The Kysten family had these words from the Horde spread to every village; town and city with the statement that the Kysten family would step down to protect their people. The response was immediate from the people of Moshven. They would fight to the very last man, woman and child to stop the horde from taking the country or capturing any member of the Kysten family.

Moshven and Azin

As conditions improved within the country the greater, the surplus of food and drink began to accumulate. The Kysten family found their northern neighbors to be fine customers of their surplus. This relationship with Azin grew. The Nari’ family of Azin wanted to reduce their dependency on the goods from Moshven without destroying relations with the Moshven people. The ruling family of Azin arranged the sale and construction of a merchant fleet and three Gate Portals to Moshven. This allowed the goods of Moshven to be exported to any country. The country of Azin gets a small percentage on the returns from the Moshven merchant ventures through the gate and that use the merchant fleet. In return, the 4th Azin fleet is at the disposal of the Moshven merchant fleet. On midwinter’s day of 1015 TK the head of the Kysten family Lord Merchant Bradley Kysten and the High King of Azin Darius Nari’ signed the treaty of the Three Sisters which sealed the military, economic, and cultural alliance between the two countries. The first true test of the alliance was only a few years off.

In 1023 TK The horde sent an expeditionary force to Moshven to make way for the conquering of the entire continent. The Clan of the Broken Spear was led to believe that the people of Moshven would not put up much of a fight and that the treaty with Azin was not worth the paper it was written on since the King who signed it now lies in the temple of Heroes. The Moshven military acted quickly to create a bottleneck that the horde would need to travel through. Combined this with the swift action of the Azin people to fulfill their part of the treaty of the Three Sisters by deploying 1/3 of her standing army by sea, surprising the Horde troops. The Horde expeditionary force was destroyed never able to achieve a foot hold. The Horde expeditionary force was driven back into the sea.

TK 1046

In TK 1046 a mercenary force of over 15,000 strong stormed the capital city of Moshven. The mercenary force plundered, raped and murdered all in their path including the entire Kysten family. Azin Moshven’s northern neighbor and ally sent troops to fre the country. After the mercenary force was destroyed, Azin installed Duchess Morwenna Kysten who is a member of a cadet branch of the Kysten family. She was serving under the Duchess of Kent prior to her being elevated to the rank of Military Governess of Moshven.

Since her installation as Military Governess, the country of Moshven has begun to rebuild. In TK 1048 through her powers of negotiation, she has secured several exclusive lucrative contracts.

The Shires of Moshven

The 26 shires of Moshven each have a shire center of government either a city or a town fulfills this role. In addition the center of government functions as the military center for the shire. At the shire center of government will be located the shire stronghold either a fortified city or a fortified town that has been designed to accommodate the population of the shire during times of need. It is due to the economic prosperity that these fortified communities are able to lodge the entire shire population for up to two years.

Each shire is self sufficient in terms of food supply, water supply and resources for the population to live. Each shire has set aside 15% of their lands for the sole purpose of developing resources and or products for export. The people in each shire receive a percentage off of their taxes for working these set aside lands, mills and workshops. As an example, the people in the Shire of Ula harvest plant and wildlife from the sea. The land set aside in their shire is devoted to preparing the results of the harvest. If a member of the shire of Ula works 10 hours a week in the preparation of the exported good there is enough revenue from their work to negate their entire tax to their village / town / city, the shire and to the country of Moshven each year. This differs from shire to shire. The shire of Ula is one of the richest in the country.

The below table contains the names of each shire, what the names mean and the center of government town or city.

Shire Name Name Meaning Shire Center City / Town
Ghent Place of Judgment City of Ghent
Blair Plains Dweller Town of Blair
Yula Young Town of Yula
Oona Unity City of Carda
Tigris Tiger City of Kiffen (cub)
Falda Folded Wings Town of flight
Neala Champions City of Victory
Ethne Fire Town of Blaze
Ula Jewel of the Ocean Pearl Township
Gin Silver City of Aggen
Ruri Emerald Town of Jade
Alida Small Winged Town of Falden
Bryn From the boundary Line City of North-Hold
Elita Chosen City of Ellen
Cyra Sun Town of Gallison*
Melcia Ambitious City of Kysten
Aisla Noble Town of Lords
Maiba Serious Town of Arms
Chai Life Town of Viven
Thalassa Ocean Town of Turtlebay
Calypso Concealer Town of Heir
Beryl Sea Green Jewel City of Oceanbay
Galena Healer City of Litten
Cyanea Blue Town of Sapphire
Alda Elder City of Staren (capital city)
Berit Glorious City of Athena
* Formerly the town of sol

The City of Staren

The city is located in the center of the country. The Kysten family moved the capital to the center of the country over 300 years ago for military reasons. Staren is completely made of stone as it was the Kysten family’s wishes as to prevent catastrophe by fire in their city. The legends of the Great Imperial city burning to the ground due to an accident with a torch was the deciding factor when Staren was built.

The Trading Merchant Cities

The Port of Silk is located in the Shire of Gin
The Port of Spice is located in the shire of Thalassa
The Port of Grain is located in the Shire of Thalassa
The port of Oceanbay is located in the Shire of Beryl


Back