Orkanan Realm of Stoldavia

Alternate Name: First Stoldavik Empire Flag: realm.png Seal: riket4b.png Location: Stoldavia in Northern Anaria Historical Overview:

The Orkanan Realm of Stoldavia, also known as also known as Skiuldawicks Konungariki and the First Stoldavian Empire, represents a significant era in the annals of historical empires. It covered most of Stoldavia in northern Anaria between ca 5091RH - 5713RH. This empire was a major force in northern Anaria, characterized by its unique governance, military prowess, cultural richness, and architectural advancements. A major driving force behind its formation and expansion was the organisation of Fyrirhugun Orkanan within the Skiuldawick Sokn.

The economy of the Orkanan Realm was diverse, benefitting from agricultural advancements like the Stoldavic crop rotation and technological innovations in milling.

History

See also: History of Western Stoldavia

The Stoldavic Crop Rotation was crucial in spreading the influence of Fyrirhugun Orkanists. The empire peaked in the 5500s, during which it looked beyond Stoldavia for expansion. The Orkanan Realm established colonies in Thultannia, which later became self-sufficient and integrated with indigenous populations following the empire's collapse.

It became involved in the Theomachy, a conflict in modern-day Istania between Orkanan and Sadarisnism followers. This escalated from supporting the Orkanan side to direct military intervention, driven by both religious reasons and a desire to further unify the empire. But, their military was ill-prepared for foreign engagements, making them costly. The most significant of these, the Alvarian Expedition in 5564 led by young Konung Alvar, ended in a devastating loss at the Battle of Ederra, triggering a succession crisis and marking the empire's decline.

In the late 5600s and early 5700s, the empire, already destabilised, suffered invasions from southern peoples during the Migration Period, leading to its collapse.

Government structure

Contrary to its name as an "empire", it functioned more as a confederation of fairly autonomous dependencies. Inclusion mostly came through strategic family alliances, though there were battles of conquest as well. Under the leadership of Arnfast in the second half of the 51st century, it began to expand by effectively merging religious and worldly leadership. The central government, based in Skiöldavik (then spelled as Skiuldawick), mainly handled taxation, recruitment for the army, and religious doctrines. Kings, titled "Konung," were the central figures in governance. Kings were chosen from an elite of nobility. The empire's stability was often shaken by succession crises, the most notable being post-Alvar's demise.

Divisions

Principalities (Fursti)

Baronies (Friherrdum)

Hundreds (Herad)

Parishes (Sokn)

Capital: Skiuldavik

Military

Realm military was dividied into an external and internal component. The Stoldavic Navy focused on transporting troops and supplies. It didn't evolve into a separate military division.

Här

The primary army, consisting of infantry troops, skilled archers, light cavalry, and heavy artillery groups. It featured unique military engineering, creating heavy weapons like catapults on-site, and utilizing trunkbull mastodonts for transportation and, in rare cases, even combat. These operated in border regions aiming at expansion, pacification and border security. Most often, the här lived of the land, acquiring basic supplies by force.

Vakt

The internal component of the military consisted of a domestic security branch tasked with safeguarding Orkanan rule. These troops were stationed within the principalities and hundreds as guests. They contributed to building and harvesting in return for food and lodging.

Culture and religion

The Fyrirhugun Orkanan in the Skiuldavik Sogn was a vital religious driver behind the empire's expansion. The empire's religious, military, and architectural practices left a lasting imprint on the regions it encompassed and influenced.

Architecture

Realm architecture is known by its massive quality, thick walls, round arches, sturdy pillars, barrel vaults, large towers and decorative arcading. Each building has clearly defined forms, frequently of very regular, sfunctional plan. The overall appearance is one of simplicity. Buildings primarily used large blocks of natural stone, mostly grey.

Recent archaeological discoveries in Skiöldavik offer insights into the realm's architecture. Important buildings like Orkanan sanctuaries, government buildings and noble manisons, were quite often plastered with natural pigments in ochre, orange, yellowish pink, and light green. This plastering has worn down during dozens of decades, making this a less known characteristic of Realm architecture since it i no longer present on remaining structures.

The empire was known for its ring forts and hill forts, which served both military and residential purposes. Even though most of them have been demolished, the structures of ring forts can still be recognised all over Stoldavia. The structures themselves are built in a specific geometric way to ensure defensive power and strength. Each fortress was built in a precise circular shape hence "ring fortress". There were four main gates located equidistant from each other with ramps located with each gate connected by roads. There is a main circle road that connects with these axial roads. Within the fortress were a number of longhouses that were arranged to compliment the geometric structure of the ring fortress. Outer ramparts were created from wood and dirt, larger fortifications had dry stone walls instead.

Apart from the ring fortresses, many of the religious and secular buildings were designed to withstand attacks and could accomodate the entire village. This made the presence of Orkanan settlers across the realm rather durable.

Many constructions were however wooden, resembling elaborated log cabins. Stone was reserved for significant constructions or hill forts. The realm is credited for introducing the watermill and, about a century later, the windmill.

The most know example of Realm architecture is being excavated in Östervallen at the Helags site. This is the location of the old Realm capital of Skiöldavik. Central feature was a low pyramid structure containing the royal palace, an arboretum and a zoo. Surrounding buildings were however mainly wooden and destroyed largely at the end of the Realm in the 58th century. On top of that, much of the stones used in the capital were re-used in the construction of what today is the Old Town. THe early imperial fortress Dämmanö is built on a Realm era foundation. The original building served as reservoir dam and had a watermill providing power to the Realm capital.

Language

Due to the long span of the Orkanan Realm, the language shifted a couple of times. But in general, the language used during the Orkanan Realm is the basis of many contemporary languages like Aedelish, Wortsproke, Stoldish and Hallish.

The northern proto-Stoldavic called Early Fyrihugn as common language evolved into a more southern variant when the influence of nobility from this region increased durig the 53rd and 54th centuries and then back to a more purist northern variation Late Fyrihugnafter that. Differences between the early and late variations include the shift from the voiced apical alveolar fricative /z/ to an apical post-alveolar approximant /ʀ/ (both represented by the runic r) and the introduction of umlauts in vowels influenced by the succeeding vowel or semivowel: Umlauts resulted in the appearance of the new vowels /y/ and /œ/.

The language was written in the Stoldavic rune alphabet, which in itself influenced the general Anarian alphabet being used an many languages today.