Adaland

"'The Kingdom of Adaland... considered by some to be one of the finest countries in all Larineum, not just Stemma. Ruled for countless generations by the Adalbert family... and gryphons. No one could forget their pride in their gryphons.' A Traveler's Guide to Stemma, Vol. 3" Adaland, more properly known as The Kingdom of Adaland, is one of many kingdoms in the west of Stemma. It controls the Adalbert Peninsula, named after the kingdom's ruling family, the Adalberts, with its northern border being protected by the Gryphon's Roost Mountains.

People & Society
One of the more progressive kingdoms in Stemma, many of the world's species are welcomed there with open arms. There are large minorities of dwarves, firstborn, mesmlies, and florsiens, but you could expect to run into a minotaur or a jackalfolk in any of the major cities of Adaland. In addition, while the official language of Adaland is Adalish, they allow for others to speak their preferred tongue outside of official business.

Due to the Constitution of House Adalbert drafted in the final days of the Crimson Empire, much of the nobility has been uprooted and replaced with elected officials. While these elected officials represent their people in the courts of the country, the monarch still retains executive power, though there are checks and balances in place to ensure that they do not turn into a tyrant.

Government
The Kingdom of Adaland has a constitutional monarchy, though in the past they had an absolute monarchy. During the final days of the Crimson Empire, the then head of House Adalbert, Lavi Ornstein Adalbert III, faced mutinies from within her kingdom by opportunistic noblemen. At the end many of the noblemen's castles were empty, and Lavi III drafted a constitution that has stayed in place ever since. While some nobility still exists, they are in the minority. They are expected to travel to Gryphonburg and Castle Adalbert once a year to show their loyalty to the crown. Failure to do so incurs an inquisition against the noble house, which can end with their estate being turned over to an elected official from among the people. Whereas they used to have baronies, now they have more vaguely defined regions.

Regions
The country of Adaland is divided into roughly six different regions, each divided into smaller counties and then further divided into districts of their cities. Here are listed the major regions.


 * Leöineland - Southern most region of Adaland. Known for its lions. Ruled by the Lionheart family.
 * Gryphonland - Northern most region of Adaland. Known for its gryphons. No nobility rules this land.
 * Ælfland - Comprises the Magical Forest in Adaland. Home to all manner of fey creatures. The Cain family of firstborn rule this land.
 * Negbh Granilach - Encompasses the central mountain range of Adaland, the Black Granite Mountains as they are known in English. Ruled by the Granilach family of dwarves, but are also very democratic.
 * Adaland - The center of Adaland is, unsurprisingly, Adaland. Ruled by the Adalberts from the city of Gryphonburg.
 * Eagledale - The home to many eagles. No nobility rules this land.

Military
The military of Adaland is very powerful. While they have more conventional units ( knights on horseback, archers, etc. ) they are most well known for their gryphons and gryphhounds. By the decree of Lavi Ornstein Adalbert I, all regions of Adaland must maintain a military force, the maintenance for which comes out of their taxes. These individual forces then go on to make up the Adaland Royal Army, who are expected to man the country's fortresses, patrol its roads, repel invaders, and act as law-enforcement in certain circumstances. The soldiers are trained to use many weapons, ranging from halberds to daggers. This army is supplemented during times of full scale war by levies and professional mercenaries.

Of note is the usage of gryphon claws for arrows.

Culture
Adaland is sometimes considered the place where ideas blossom into possibilities. This may be because of the progressive nature of their leadership, but the arts and sciences have flourished in Adaland for a long time. Some of the most famous artists and researchers are either Adalish or moved to the Kingdom to have more autonomy in their research, or find wealthy individuals to fund said research. These individuals are in high supply, as the taxation in Adaland is generally thought to be fair until wartime.

Architecture frequently features gryphons in place of gargoyles.

As a force for Order, they have fairly good ethics. They seek to preserve life, not destroy it. While this has led to a butting of heads with other Order nations, Adaland is frequently seen as better than them due to their more regressive ethics and policies. Democracy is the way of the future, and many nations in Stemma still embrace feudalism. That being said, much like the rest of Larineum, gender equality is fairly high and undisputed.

Many traditional Adaland greetings incorporate gryphons on some level. Sayings such as 'gryphons watch over you' or 'you flew like a gryphon!' are common ways to say goodbye and hello, respectfully.

High fashion in Adaland incorporates gryphons. From feathered hats to gryphon skin cloaks; to afford to have anything of the sort is seen as a high status symbol.

Due to their closeness with the Church of Olyove, they follow many of the same holidays. However, they place special reverence on the Day of Thunder; the day dedicated to Lavi Ornstein Adalbert I. She ascended to godhood after solving a problem with time paradoxes in the Age of Heroes. The Doomsman ( one of Lavi's monikers ) rules over the Hallowed Garden, where all souls go when they die. So it is that Adalish people put special reverence on death, preferring to bury their dead rather than cremate them. They also place two coins over their eyes.

When an Adalish child enters adulthood, they are paired with a gryphon. This cements them as a member of the country and acts as something of a status symbol outside the country. Some who leave ( such as Vael Adalbert ) do not take their gryphons with them. These gryphons wait their master's return in the Gryphon's Roost Mountains. Some die before they see their masters again.

Customs
As stated previously, they follow the Church of Olyove, though they also practice some ancestor worship generally not accepted by the greater Olyove church. In particular they worship The Doomsman, with many of their churches decorated with the tales of her triumph over evil. However, they do not exclude other religions. Anyone is free to worship any recognized religion in the world; generally anything but Fiend Worship, Void Worship, or God Hand Worship. This included atheism, though that is fairly rare in Larineum in general and less so in Adaland.

Magic
Adaland is famous for its holy spellcasters. While powerful arcane spellcasters have come from Adaland, they are the exception rather than the rule. Adaland has some arcane colleges, but rich families send their arcane offspring to more prestigious colleges. Like many things, Adaland takes a laissez-faire approach. While there are laws against unchecked arcane power growing, this has rarely been proven necessary due to most spellcasters never progressing past the third spell level. They do employ some spellcasters in war, though they are relegated to support roles and not much use on the front lines.