Aestus, officially known as the Kingdom of Aestus, is a sovereign state located in the northern half of the Saltlands. Its borders extend from the Naia in the southwest to the Jagged Coast in the east. Its capital and largest city is Abydon’s Forge, and its major port is Ondra’s Gift.

History

-Most settlements predate its founding (although obviously they have grown since then)
-Founded by their first king, Aeston, for whom the kingdom is named
-Aeston basically saw the advantages of having a ready source of easy salt early and was like “no do not abandon your villages we can totes make this work”
-He chose to make Abydon’s Forge the capital partly due to its proximity to natural resources and partly as a show of strength to his people (all “yeah my capital is located on a river that provides no potable water, and what of it? i can make the water come to ME”)

Government

It’s a monarchy, duh, but what kind? Defining governments is hard. Here’s some features:

• There’s a monarch, because it’s a kingdom. So: monarchy. Hereditary monarchy, specifically.
  • The original monarch, Aeston, was not special beyond being a little more forward-looking than his contemporaries, but in the time since his death he’s come to be regarded as a semi-religious figure (which isn’t surprising when you remember the forgeborn creation myth).
  • The current ruler is a direct descendant of Aeston, and his line has thus far been unbroken.
• There’s a legislative body comprised entirely of grandmaster smiths (which, again, isn’t surprising when you remember that the forgeborn are natural smiths who believe they were created by a god of smiths). Here’s where questions come in: How was this body established? What’s its relationship to the monarch?
  • On one level, it’d be pretty easy to establish this as a constitutional monarchy, with both the monarchy and the legislative body written into existence via a consitution.
  • On another level, this is definitely not a secular society, and the smiths’ guild is the functional equivalent of organized religion/a priesthood. And that has serious implications for the legislative body — both how it functions and how it was formed. …I should probably think more about the history of this body; that’d help.

Demographics

Aestus is primarily a human kingdom, but as its influence has spread, it has also integrated other races local to the region, specifically halflings, elves, and dwarves. Additionally, Aestus’s open borders with Myr have resulted in a substantial immigrant merfolk population, and the occasional tortle can be encountered in areas where merfolk are common.

Other races uncommon to the region may be sighted in major cities like Ondra’s Gift or Abydon’s Forge, but locals would be quite surprised to encounter them elsewhere in the kingdom.

Culture

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Major Settlements

• Abydon’s Forge
• Ondra’s Gift
• Merchant’s Refuge
• Fisherman’s Bounty

Minor Settlements

• Hunter’s Haven
• Traveler’s Rest

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