[doo-luhs]
1. Overview
Once a formidable region, and gatekeepers of trade with the west, Doulas now teeters on the edge of ruin. The betrayal and subsequent secession of its upper class, who formed the breakaway kingdom of Neodoulas, left Doulas economically shattered. To compound its woes, Neodoulas has returned repeatedly to raid its lands, pillaging resources and enslaving its people in staggering numbers. The kingdom, weakened and fractured, is struggling to hold onto its identity and territory. If decisive action is not taken soon, Doulas risks losing more than its influence, it risks erasure from the annals of history.
2. Geography
Doulas is defined by its sprawling valley, which widens as it expands eastward toward Lake Serenith. The region’s natural fertility once made it an agricultural haven, but decades of poor land management and overuse have depleted its soil, leading to steadily declining crop yields. To the south, the Dusk Forest looms across the Thrysa River, an inhospitable and foreboding boundary offering no refuge or aid to the struggling kingdom. On its eastern edge, Doulas meets the marshlands of Vasae, a challenging and murky terrain, foreign and uninviting to the inhabitants of Doulas. However, the northeastern plains offer a glimmer of hope. These vast, underutilized roaming lands could potentially breathe life into Doulas through grazing or new agricultural ventures. Yet, they are fraught with their own hazards, as these plains have long been the traditional territory of the centaurs. Over reaching here could lead to further conflict and trouble for Doulas. The land is otherwise unremarkable, a patchwork of neglected fields and valleys, the remnants of a once-thriving region, now left as the unwanted detritus of Neodoulas’ ambition.
3. History
Doulas was once a cornerstone of the Shattered Kingdoms, a proud and thriving region that served as a key waypoint for trade and travel between both the western territories and the northern realms. Its fertile lands, strategic location, and robust infrastructure made it an essential link in the chain of Siar’Morrin’s economy. However, the region’s decline began long before the devastating betrayal that would fracture its identity.
The seeds of Doulas’ downfall were sown in the aftermath of the Schism Wars. While many kingdoms suffered during the conflict, Doulas bore some of the heaviest losses, with large portions of its population decimated in prolonged battles. Leadership, already strained by the conflict, fell into apathy once peace was brokered. The young king, once a symbol of resilience, became detached, leaving governance in the hands of self-serving nobles and advisors. Under this weak leadership, the kingdom floundered, unable to negotiate favorable trade deals or defend its interests against neighbouring regions that began to bully and exploit it.
Agricultural mismanagement further compounded the kingdom’s woes. Wastefulness and poor farming practices drained the land of its fertility, leading to declining crop yields and increasing food scarcity. This agricultural collapse hit the population hard, forcing many into poverty and hunger while the upper class maintained their lavish lifestyles. Morale plummeted, and the kingdom’s once-proud identity began to erode.
It was against this backdrop of decline that Neodoulas emerged. The upper class, seeing the kingdom’s trajectory as unsalvageable, seized the opportunity to cut ties with their faltering homeland. In an act many in Doulas regard as unforgivable treachery, they took the region’s wealth, military assets, and key resources, declaring themselves a new kingdom. But their betrayal did not stop there. Neodoulas returned to exploit Doulas further, conducting raids under the guise of “recruitment” for Fort Logos. Villages were razed, citizens enslaved, and the kingdom was left in tatters.
To the people of Doulas, Neodoulas’ actions are seen as the height of opportunism, a deliberate and calculated dismantling of their once-proud region. Yet, even amidst their despair, there is an understanding that Doulas’ decline was partly self-inflicted. Despite the overwhelming challenges, some still cling to the hope that Doulas can reclaim its former glory. For now, however, it remains a kingdom teetering on the edge of collapse, desperately seeking a path forward.
4. Political Structure
Doulas technically remains under the rule of King Louis De Januris, though his authority is largely symbolic and widely unrecognised. Blamed for the kingdom’s dire state, King Louis has become a figure of scorn, seen by many as the architect of Doulas’ decline through his apathy and inability to address the kingdom’s challenges. In his absence, much of the region has splintered into self-governed villages and settlements, each struggling to survive amidst the chaos.
Few have the desire, or folly, to claim leadership over a kingdom on the brink of collapse. However, amidst the decentralised rule, there are individuals rising as de facto leaders with competing visions for the kingdom’s future. Notably there is Edric Carnoss, a former noble turned rogue opportunist who has begun rallying villages to form a unified defense against Neodoulas’ incursions. Jenna Valnor on the other hand believes Doulas is beyond salvation, and advocates for expansion into Hybla Gratis, believing these under utilised lands both offer agricultural promise and potential escape from Neodoulas’ wrath. Regardless of the approach, tough times and hard decisions wait ahead for any that seek to rebuild Doulas’ stability.
5. Economy
The economy of Doulas is a shadow of its former self, a relic of the once-thriving region that served as a crucial waypoint for trade in Eastern Siar’Morrin. Years of mismanagement, poor agricultural practices, and wasteful governance have drained the land of its resources, leaving many villages teetering on the brink of collapse. What little trade remains is fragmented and localized, with most settlements focused on self-sustenance rather than external commerce.
6. Culture and Society
In Doulas, the strain of survival has all but eroded the unified cultural identity that once bound the kingdom together. Most citizens focus entirely on enduring day-to-day hardships, leaving little room for the flourishing of arts, traditions, or communal events that might have once defined the region. What remains of cultural practices varies wildly from village to village, with no overarching identity to unite the people.
Religion and traditions are upheld in pockets by devoted individuals or small communities, often as a source of solace amidst the despair. While shrines to Statera can still be found scattered across the land, increasingly the people of Doulas are turning to more militaristic gods like Riero, Sthenos or Krenos. For some this search for protection in the gods has been taken to extreme and desperate lengths, with cults dedicated to Ormos beginning to appear.
7. Military
The military of Doulas is virtually nonexistent, a glaring weakness that has become one of the kingdom’s most pressing issues. Decades of poor leadership, economic decline, and the devastating separation of Neodoulas have left the once-proud forces of Doulas in shambles. What little remains of its formal military is poorly equipped, untrained, and disorganized, a shadow of the powerful army that once defended the region and played a crucial role in the Schism Wars.
Many villages have been forced to rely on local militias, hastily assembled groups of farmers and laborers armed with crude weapons and little training. These makeshift forces are barely capable of defending against bandit raids, let alone the more significant threats posed by Neodoulas or other opportunistic factions. With no centralized command structure and no resources to support them, these militias operate independently, further contributing to the kingdom’s fractured state.
The absence of a cohesive military force leaves Doulas vulnerable on all fronts. Neodoulas continues to exploit this weakness through raids and “recruitment” expeditions, while internal unrest grows as villages fend for themselves. The threat of centaur reprisal from the northeastern plains and the lurking dangers of the Dusk Forest only add to the kingdom’s precarious position.
8. Notable Locations
- Doulas: Once the thriving capital of the kingdom, Doulas now stands as a haunting reminder of the region’s former glory. Its grand halls and palaces have crumbled into ruins, with only a few die-hard families and lineages stubbornly clinging to their ancestral homes. These residents live in the shadow of decay, striving to preserve the vestiges of the city’s past amidst the rubble.
- Emerald Dawn: The first settlement established by Jenna Valor on her ambitious and risky venture into Hybla Gratis. Technically outside Doulas’ formal borders, this new settlement strives to provide a future for the embattled people of Doulas. How the centaurs will receive this blatant trespass, however, remains to be seen.
9. Significant Characters
- King Louis De Januris: King Louis is the figurehead of a crumbling kingdom, his rule marked by apathy and indecision. Once the proud ruler of Doulas, he has become a divisive figure, blamed by many for the kingdom’s decline. Sequestered in his deteriorating court within the ruins of Doulas, he clings to his title, more out of duty than ambition, as the kingdom around him collapses.
- Jenna Valor: Jenna Valor is a bold and determined leader who has taken her followers into the northeastern plains of Hybla Gratis to establish a new settlement, Emerald Dawn. Disillusioned by the stagnation in Doulas, she seeks to carve out a new life beyond its borders, believing the kingdom’s future lies in expansion rather than clinging to its broken past.
- Edric Carnoss: Edric is the de facto leader of what resistance lies within Doulas. An experienced military leader, and one of the few loyalist of the Doulas army that remained behind after Neodoulas separated, he is known for his unyielding resolve. Though deeply loyal to Doulas, Edric harbors a simmering resentment toward King Louis for his inaction, and many believe he would be a more fitting leader if the kingdom could be unified.
- Seriah Balto: A skilled and enigmatic Cia’an, Seriah has become a folk hero throughout Doulas for her relentless efforts to thwart Neodoulas’ raids. A devout follower of Kakurcia, she embodies his ideals of precision, cunning, and tenacity. Operating alone, she strikes from the shadows picking apart raiding parties one by one. Her actions have both made her a hero of the people of Doulas, while marking her as a prime enemy of Neodoulas.
10. Current Issues and Future Prospects
Doulas faces an existential crisis, teetering on the edge of collapse under the combined weight of Neodoulas’ raids, internal disunity, and economic devastation. With a powerless king and fragmented governance, survival remains the region’s primary focus. Efforts to resist Neodoulas or to rebuild in the fertile northeast offer glimmers of hope, but without significant unity or external aid, the future of Doulas hangs precariously in the balance.