Fact Box for Noavatur

Here is the fact box for the region of Noavatur, that will be the focus of the next Atlas map to be published next week. 

The High-res and textless versions will be available to shaper patrons next  week, and the low-res version will be available to everyone the week  after. 

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A History of Noavatur

Originating as a Korachani colony along the equinoctial line to the S–E of Kharkharadontis in the E of Sammaea, along the N–W coast of the Sea of Lethea in around 795 RM. Appropriating lands known as Kzanadem, the Korachani colonists subjugated thousands of natives, many of whom were enslaved.  

    The first Korachani settlers were drawn by the rich resources of the region and travelled there after the expeditions of the explorer Navah Berden first discovered the coast in 793 RM. Their arrival was met by resistance from the native Kzanademi culture, but more slavers and soldiers were sent there over the next 100-years, establishing the fortified coastal settlements of Sovrochan (now Sovroka), and Kekrachan (now Kekraka), though they had a hard time fending of attacks from native Kzanademi.

    Over the next century, the region of Ha Ath became a hotbed for conflict, and by 973 RM, when the coastal area became stable and Korachani colonists were able to set up a permanent infrastructure, they pushed further inland. This led to a decade of bloody warfare that ended with the genocide of the Kzanademi people, the renmants of whom fled to the N, settling down in Rhinocoloura.

    The colony of Noavatur was firmly established by 983 RM, and it occupied a 500-miles stretch of coast, from the mouth of the r. Hariid in the W to the fortress of Baurkha in the E. In between, various industries pushed inland taking advantage of the region’s plentiful natural resources, including wood, minerals, stone, game, and exotic objects. The densely-forested basin of Ha Akh was first to be exploited and logging operations commenced in earnest, leading to the rapid deforestation of the region.

    Over the next centuries Noavatur grew from strength to strength and a long overland trade route was established, connecting it to Karakhas, via the Umbra Sokhar, which in those days was less inimical to travel. The trade route was well-guarded and was home to many caravanserais along its route, and came to be known as the Noavaturi Trail. Meanwhile, ships travelled between Noavatur and Venthir, via the Sea of Lethea, the Eastern Sea of Mirovea, and the Iapetan, bringing trade goods to the E of the empire, bringing needed troops and provisions to the S - W.  

    Despite its successes the region was left in the hands of the Preceptors, who governed from the eponymous capital of Noavatur, which had grown into a bustling metropolis of over a million bodies by around 1200 RM, rivalling the capital of the empire itself in Khadon. 

    In around 1210, after explorations of the region to the S - W of Noavatur, a colony was established over 3,000-miles S in Daekisuh, where sulfur, nitre, porphyry, and gold were discovered not long before. The colony was initially profitable, but the upkeep proved too costly it was ultimately abandoned by 1289 RM.

    Patricians, magnates and merchant lords - many of them immigrants from Korachan, though there were amongst them many opportunistic and ruthless locals - based in Noavatur became incredibly powerful and by around 1280 RM the Preceptors had become puppets to their whims. They desired autonomy from the empire and reasoned that with their plentiful resources, wealth, private armies and their distance from the empire, they could achieve this. 

    The Preceptors in Noavatur were deposed in 1299 RM and a plutocratic republic instated in their place, declaring its independence from Korachan. There was little resistance to this in Noavatur itself. The Noavaturi Trail was destroyed just S of l. Akasm, in the Lower Donosoth Mtns. in an artificially-created landslide, and the tower of Lzashaem erected S of there to defend against imperial retaliation, even as its coastal cities were being fortified against an attack from across the Sea of Lethe.  

    Korachani reactions to this were slow, given the distance from the capital to the colony of Noavatur, and most efforts against the uprising were nullified. Korachani envoys sent to Noavatur were simply denied entry and sent back to Korachan. When this failed to slow down the Korachani response, envoys were slain in a show of bravado. 

    These exchanges culminated early in 1301 RM when a large fleet of Korachani ships entered the Bay of Rthas, intent on forming a blockade, effectively cutting Noavatur off from its trade contacts. The blockade lasted for close to two years and Noavaturi attempts at breaking it were largely unsuccessful. Trade dwindled, and its only major link to the outside world was Pnessa.

    The ruling plutocracy ordered attacks on the blockade, but its own ships were no match for the amassed might of the Korachani navy, which was amongst the most powerful in the known world. Desperate, by 1302 RM they commissioned three mighty battleships, each of which was a marvel of engineering,boasting stell-clad hulls and the largest self-propelled cannons available at the time. They put all their resources into their construction, and they were completed in winter of 1303 RM. 

    The admirals of the Noavaturi defence bided their time, and launched the ships at night, during a period of heavy coastal sea as cover. Christened Athiliel, Usolahon, and Palarael, after angels of the Church of the Machine, they surprised the Korachani fleet, alongside a plethora of destroyers and corvettes, and drove through the blockade, dividing the Korachani ships into two fronts as they destroyed many vessels.

    From the city of Noavatur, the horizon was lit as though it was on fire. The attacks continued throughout the night, with the battleships continuing their bombardment of enemy ships. Their mounted cannons were superior in every way to the Korachani ships, and were able to open fire even when the battleships were facing the enemy - something the Korachani ships could not do.

    By morning dozens of ships had been destroyed and as the fog cleared, a victor was revealed - the Noavaturi navy had scattered the Korachani blockade, reducing its numbers. But it was not without its costs. The Athiliel’s hull had been breached and she slowly took on water throughout the night. By dawn, she was submerged till her main deck and deserted, her crew either dead or rescued by other ships. She was later scuttled. The rest of the Noavaturi fleet was greatly damaged and over half its sailors were dead and wounded. 

    The battle had been won, but it was only the beginning of the war. Though Korachan had brought many ships against Noavatur, its fleet there had only been a small part of its total navy. Noavatur knew that another fleet would arrive, and the plutocracy did what it could in the time it had available - hundreds of merchant vessels departed Noavatur, intent on trading what they could. Many cities refused to trade with them though, following embargoes imposed by Korachan. The merchant navy did what it could, and much-needed goods made their way into Noavatur. This gave its armies and navies time to rebuild, in anticipation of Korachani retaliation.

It came, almost two-months later,in the form of a fleet over three times the size of the previous one. There was little Noavatur could do against such a force. Noavaturi patrol ships were rapidly sunk by the approaching aggressor. The Korachani ships sailed close to Noavaturi coastal cities and opened fire as a defence was scrambled. The fire devastated its fortresses and put pressure on the defence to evacuate, disrupting vital operations on the ground.

    The Usaloahon and Palarael, alongside other ships, did what they could to halt the bombardment, but their actions were never enough. Following a day and night of bombardment  and the near-destruction of the Noavaturi fleet, thousands of marines landed ashore to secure the cities in the name of Korachan. By then most of the coastal populace had retreated to the dense forests farther inland, where they took shelter. What remained was the Noavaturi armies - well-traoined and equipped soldiers that were easily the match for their Korachani peers, and they had the advantage of defending their home.

    Brutal fighting erupted in the cities, yet the battle was to be decided through fate, not the prowess of the mortal armies. 

    Unbeknownst to them a mighty Earthquake had levelled Uhbataur earlier, sending a mighty wave rushing N towards Noavatur. It gathered speed, and as it approached land it grew higher and stronger, drawing water from the shore to fuel its inevitable onslaught. It struck the Korachani fleet, upsetting its ships before impacting against the northern two thirds of its coastline. Lowland regions were devastated though the fortified cities were not as heavily damaged, but still, their streets were flooded and filled with debris. Soldiers from both sides were killed by the floods even as ships from both sides were slammed onto the coast, carried far inland by the sheer force of the tsunami. 

    When it subsided, the entire coastline east of the Lighthouse of Ensah, to the island of Brokezs, was destroyed, with dozens of settlements flattened and many more inland damaged, and cut off from the rest of Noavatur. The city of Noavatur itself was spared major damage, as it was protected by a peninsula that stymied the worst of the wave’s effects. 

    Fighting continued in the city of Noavatur until the Korachani troops, demoralised by the fate of their navy and their isolation from the empire, surrendered. 

    Elsewhere, people searched for survivors amid the debris. Rescue teams used traditional catamarans to search for naval survivors off the coast, and amid native survivors, came across the near-dead body of the Korachani admiral, Virriato Arroliabe. He was taken to Noavatur and was slowly nursed back to health in the prisoner-of-war camp that had been built outside the city.  

    Diplomats travelled to Korachan with the admiral and the other prisoners-of-war. Virriato was a member of a respected Patrician house and was a valuable asset in the negotiations that were to come. A ceasefire was agreed whilst negotiations took place and, after months of debate, peace was declared. The prisoners were traded to Korachan in return for recognition of Noavatur’s independence and trade arrangements with Korachan. And so, in early 1304 RM Noavatur was officially recognised for the first time as an independent nation.

    After a short period of official handover, where those who remained loyal to Korachan were allowed to leave, Noavatur began rebuilding following the devastation of the Upheaval of Lethea. The industrious region of Ha Ath had been unaffected and most of the surviving population moved there, where the Plutocracy pushed for new industries to be established to foster growth and renewed trade. The jungles of the area were stripped for wood, with the resultant lands handed over to mining and quarrying, or farming and grazing where no other resources could be found. Slowly, the region’s economy improved and coastal cities were rebuilt, larger and more fortified than before. Their harbours were made deep in anticipation of larger ships, and had great warehouses.

    By around 1350 RM Noavatur was considered a great industrial leader of the equatorial regions, and easily the most influential of the nations around the Sea of Lethea, whose amnesiac qualities were documented at the time to be on the rise. Yet, within its borders, the state of things was not as positive as its diplomats and proponents declared. Its people were downtrodden, living miserable lives of toil, enjoying none of the spoils of their hard work. The republic was divided into many prefectures, each overseen by a Plutocrat, who had a seat on the swelling ranks of the council. The plutocrats were either landowners, industrialists, magnates or the descendants of first generation industrialists. They were rich and powerful, and for the most part governed with an iron fist. Their security forces were tyrannical and well-equipped and it became a dream of most labourers to become a part of the force, if only because it meant getting out of the mines and fields. Yearly trials were conducted where only those of a particular character, loyal to the Plutocrats and easily manipulated by them, were selected.

    The council itself had grown to unmanageable proportions, and by 1416 RM it had 1,658 members. These included the governors of the many prefectures, as well as others who were given meaningless ranks and titles, and enjoyed an immodest salary and pension for simply appearing at meetings, if that. Council meetings were degenerate, often stretching for days on end as Plutocrats wasted time debating irrelevancies amongst each other as they feasted. 

    Though celebrated by philantropists and progressivists across Elyden for their abolition of slavery, few wer those outside of Noavatur who know of the pitiful state in which the so-called free people of Noavatur lived. And that was just how the Plutocrats wanted it. The borders were closed to travel, save for mercancy, which was restricted to specific districts in major cities, which then redistributed goods as deemed necessary. So secretive did the region become that the Plutocrats referred to their land as the Hidden Empire, a name that would later become twisted and used by outsiders. 

    The situation worsened over the centuries, and the Plutocrats grew obscenely wealthy as the people of noavatur wallowed in their shanties. Great jungle palaces were constructed on hilltops - hewn from the rock itself - as Plutocrats competed amongst each other for the most spectacular views of their home. Exotic goods and beasts were imported from across Elyden to satiate their epicurean tastes. Despite the claim that slavery had been abolished on a national scale, individual Plutocrats nevertheless maintained armies of slaves - servants and harems, as well as slave-soldiers bought from Zhariah in the south, and the Surrach to the west. 

    By around 1850, the situation had grown dire. There was unrest amid the worker masses, as deaths from overworking and perilous work conditions and malnourishment increased. Any uprisings were met with swift and harsh punishment. Without knowing it, workers drank Atramentally-treated water from the Sea of Lethea daily. This alleviated their sentiments and dulled their memory to their hardships, effectively making them more amenable, but even this was not enough to quell the oppression that had been ongoing for centuries.

    In 1876 RM, the entirety of the Plutocratic council - 1,863 members in all - were assassinated in one night as they held session. All doors and windows were sealed from the outside and the Palace of the Prefecturates - a baroque structure filled with delicate treasures, musty tapestries, and other displays of bravado - was burnt to the ground. It is unknown who or what was responsible for this ill-conceived act, but today it is believed that a shaper orchestrated the fire to rid the people of noavatur of their leaders.

    This threw the nation into chaos. Leaderless, martial law was declared and the people rose against the security forces. This culminated in a bloody civil war that lasted for weeks, leaving most of the security forces and a quarter of the population dead. The streets ran red with blood as palaces and villas across the nation were destroyed, and the riches of the Plutocrats plundered.

    Once the bloodshed died down the people of Noavatur realised that they were leaderless. Their revolt had been spontaneous and there had been no great leader behind it. Various groups coalesced, many of them made up of people with similar vocations or demands of whoever was foolish enough to desire to take on the mantle of the Plutocrats. There remained criminals and thugs who took advantage of the lawlessness, but the unions that had emerged did what they could to stop them, and took over various parts of the old nation, or districts of cities.

    In 1878 RM, after close to 2-years of anarchy, many of these unions, which by then had, through various means, amongst them election or intimidation, convened in the city of Noavatur, to decide the fate of their home. After much deliberation, it was decided that the unions themselves, which had formed naturally in the power vacuum, would act on behalf of the people. Each union would represent a particular demographic of the population, be it by vocation, race, religion, or any other determining factor. People would become members of one or more of these unions, which would have their member’s interests in mind. Failure to act on the needs of their members would lead to a change in leadership or people moving to other unions, which meant the union leaders had to work for the people, nor their own agendas. Speakers from each union, elected by all their members, would meet in the Representative Council of Noavatur. Convening in the Hall of Voices, which had been built atop the demolished ruin of the old Palace of the Prefecturates, the council would enact laws and enforce the leadership of Noavatur on behalf of the people. 

    In the centuries since gaining independence in 1304 RM, Noavatur had intentionally distanced itself from its Korachani roots. Imperial buildings were demolished where possible, and new structures in the native style were erected, first by the Plutocracy, and later the republic. Following the assassination of the Plutocracy, many of their more lavish structures had been destroyed to make way for more functional buildings. Though aesthetically minimalist in comparison to the effusive monuments erected by the Plutocracy, these new structures had a simple beauty - stark white and angular (some might say boxy or brutalist), their rooftops were covered in vegetation that celebrated their climate. The new republic embraced this cultural style and developed it, reaching its apex in 2753 RM with the Palace of the Sight - a structure dedicated to the study of the Materia Omna that has become famed across Elyden as a premier institute to scholars of the Atramenta and the Firmament.

    After around 2250 RM the supranatural effects giving the water of the Sea of Lethea its amnesic traits began to worsen. This made travel across its waters more dangerous to sailors, and many who had until then spent their lives aboard the merchant vessels of Noavatur abandoned that life for one on the safety of land, after seeing life-long friends lose their personality and memories. This behaviour increased with the worsening effects of its waters and sea trade suffered. Some settlements in the far east of Noavatur, where the effects were most pronounced, were abandoned, or saw their industries change to the production of Leth, taking advantage of the unique traits in the region. The Sea of Rthas acted as a buffer for much of the Noavaturi coastline from the worst of the effects of the Sea of Lethea allowing its coastal cities to function. In some areas, immersion in the waters of Lethea has become a form of punishment, in the hopes that the amnesic qualities of its waters may lead to reform.

    Today, Noavatur remains a hub of trade and though many of its first centres of industry, such as Ha Ath, are now abandoned wastelands, there remains a thriving industry of natural resources, which continue to be exploited to this day, albeit at a reduced rate to the region’s golden age, millennia past.