Kingdom of Trésard

The Hexactic Kingdom of Trésard [tray-SSARD] is a nation in the Anrel Isles, occupying the northern half of the Mainland and the island of Mûul. The kingdom was forged in 238 ME as an alliance of city-states during the Long War, a unification of the states of the former Northern League under a single, comprehensive leadership.

Trésard occupies the northern half of Mainland, the largest island in the Anrel Isles. The kingdom also includes the island of Mûul to the east, and other coastal islands. It has a temperate maritime climate, cooler and wetter along the north and east coast, warmer in the south.

High mountains dominate the entire eastern coast of the island, so that the nation has a wedge-like topography, sloping steeply from mountainous heights in the east to the lowlands of the west. Numerous mountain rivers flow westward through virid-forested uplands into Lake Ondrere, and thence through fertile green farmlands to the sea. The west coast is the most heavily populated, particularly the city of Por Muel at the mouth of the River Lar, and the southerly Trenya Peninsular, with its warm summers, mild winters and rich soil. The northern county of Gomard is also well populated farmland, though the central region south of Lake Ondrere is grassy upland plain, sparsely inhabited other than the city of Beyan. This border region saw the heaviest concentration of bloodshed and destruction during the Long War, and has not been significantly repopulated.

Trésard is derived from trene-sard, roughly meaning “thirty counties”. This referred to the group of polities among the Northern League who came together to fight the Long War and joined into a single nation at its conclusion. The thirty counties included what is now Northland, as well as regions swamped by the rising sea level at the end of the Little Ice Age.

Trésard is a Hexactic Commonwealth. The king is its figurehead and executive, ruling from the royal city of Por Muel, but the Hexact is pre-eminent in law-making and setting taxation. It meets annually in the city of Beyán. The Hexact is a council of six, including the monarch, speakers for the four Hexact Orders representing law, health, religion and education, as well as a representative of the trade guilds. The Hexact appoints and approves the monarch, who reigns for life, although it is not unusual for king to retire when due to age or ill health. The position of king is not hereditary, but kings are often chosen from the senior ruling families.

The nation is divided into eight regions, each presided over by a Margrave, and locally ruled by other members of the anrel aristocracy.

The national currency is the Hexactic Alm, originally only available as single coins, but now issued in a variety of denominations, the most valuable being the silver fifty alm. The king also issues gold coins called crowns worth 500 alms. Originally these were for raising war funds, but today they are used for buying and selling property and high-price goods.

The Northern League emerged as a military alliance of city-states against the rogue city of Oracil, in the far southeast of the island. During the Long War the Margrave of Teranard, whose role as military and political leader evolved into the status of Hexactic King, led the alliance.