outland regions [Lore] Republic of Aquellia

[Dio]

Republic of Aquellia

With claw and beak we carved out our place in the desert, and with claw and beak we shall carve our place in history.

 

Introduction

Aquellia is a land of contrasts. Carved out of a desert canyon on the western shore of the Equestrian continent, the land of the Griffons is mostly arid sand and rock. What the griffons lack in greenery, however, they make up for in natural resources. Coal and structural metal ores are abundant in the canyons and mountains, and much of Aquellian industry, economy, and culture is based on these critical materials.

 

Key Geographic Features

Northern Border

Northern Aquellia contacts The Badlands along most of its border. The bitter winters, challenging terrain, and thick taiga forests act as a natural barrier against foreign incursion. The Northern border serves as a training ground for RAMC mountain troops and as a crucible for adventurers from all over Equestria wishing to test themselves against the unbridled fury of nature in the raw.

 

The River Valley

The Ripclaw and Raptorclaw Rivers find their headwaters in the north, fed by rainfall and snowmelt from the Aquellian highlands. The White and Blue Raptorclaw Rivers merge near Talonopolis to to form the Raptorclaw proper, which empties into the Reigntight Sea via the Neighples Delta. The rocky composition of the canyon walls and the prevalence of rapids hampers riverine navigation north of the intersection of the White and blue Raptorclaw. However, between Talonopolis and the Delta, the Raptorclaw is deep and calm enough to be navigable. Periodic flooding in the middle of the canyon region allows for small bits of agriculture in central Aquellia.

 

The Low Country

The Delta region is a soggy, marshy wetland choked with mangroves and sawgrass. Because of the difficulty of navigating an area with unpredictable flooding and extremely challenging terrain, the area is largely unmapped. The Soggalong Swamps form the bulk of the marshy low country near the sea while Clopton Shores are rocky beaches overlooked by precipitous drops into the sea. The Talonclaw Mountains form the western edge of the canyons, their forests supplying timber to rapidly growing Aquellian industry. The Harridan Range marks the southern boundary of the canyons. The Raptorclaw flows along this range until it fans out into the Delta region.

 

Eastern Border

The Tarpan Range marks the edge of the Canyons and the definitive geographic boundary between Equestria and Aquellia. While the canyons are irrigated by the Raptorclaw and the Low Country is kept verdant by constant coastal rain, the Painted Pinto Desert which occupies most of the Borderlands falls firmly within the rain shadow of the Tarpans. As such, the Tarpans are only wooded on the Aquellian side, the Equestrian side being largely comprised of weathered rock and sparse desert shrubbery.

 

Politics

Government

Aquellian politics has a long and storied history filled with intrigue, drama, and tragedy. Suffice to say that by the time that Equestria began its ascension to power, Aquellia was sorting through the ashes of a broken nation. Out of chaos rose the triumvirate and from the triumvirate, the modern Aquellian Oligarchy. The whole of Aquellia is controlled by The Triumvirate, three families each controlling a portion of Aquellian industry and thus Aquellian society and politics.

 

The Oligarchy

The overarching ruling family, the Razorclaws control both Aquellian heavy industry and the military and by extension much of executive power. The Goldplumes are shrewd entrepreneurs and merchants. They staff the Aquellian hospitality industry and own most of the commercial shipping for both aerial and surface fleets. Silverbeaks are ambitious scientists and engineers. Their research paved the way for many Aquellian innovations in steam technology and aeronautics. The Silverbeaks have invested heavily in experimental technologies and are developing processes for improved metallurgy, electrical power generation, and arcane research.

 

North and South

While Rockwington and Talonopolis are the two major cities within the canyon area, there are smaller towns and villages scattered all throughout central Aquellia and the western coast. Aquellian industry is mostly divided between these two cities. The north, where Talonopolis is located, focuses on heavy industry and commercial air shipping. Harbors to the south of the Harridans and in some navigable coves along the Clopton Shore provide surface shipping options for the Griffon nation.

 

To the south, artisans, scientists, and specialist manufacturers dominate. Rockwington proper has many small specialty shops that custom manufacture equipment to consumer specifications. While Talonopolis factories can produce more by volume, few can match the quality workmanship of Rockwington’s machine shops and metal smiths. Laboratories and research offices can be found tucked away in the hills and canyon walls.

 

Society

Culture

Griffons are a proud people. Most griffons that hail from the canyon regions are fiercely patriotic and proudly proclaim both their clan lineage and their allegiance to the Triumvirate. Patriotism seems to taper off with increasing distance from the capital, but clan pride remains strong throughout Aquellia. Their great emphasis on strength of body, mind, and will leads many fledgeling griffons to join the military both to test themselves and bring honor to their families.

 

Some might see them as mean-spirited, rude, or arrogant, but that is mostly the product of a society that respects and rewards strength and directness, whether it be in contests of will or contests of brawn. A griffon will rarely back down from a fight, even if it means certain defeat. To be beaten in a fair contest is preferable to giving up without a fight. Most Griffons will go out of their way to prove a point, though they will rarely come to blows about it.

 

Griffons have little use for niceties and pleasantries when there is business to be done. To ponies who are used to dealing with other Equestrians, Griffons may seem cold and aloof at best and aggressive and hostile at worst. However, if treated with respect and shown that the pony they are dealing with is worthy of being treated as an equal, the average Griffon will quickly warm up to their host.

 

Griffon families are usually close-knit units and anyone who has befriended a griffon can attest to their fierce loyalty and the great pride they take in their friendships. Those who are strong and loyal enough to gain a griffon as one of their closest friends will find themselves accorded the same stature as a blood brother or sister. Strangers, however, often have their work cut out for them.

 

Though carnivorous by nature, Griffons have grown to be omnivores, consuming both meat and vegetable and grain derivatives. Their primary subsistence foodstuff is fish, which is supplied by fisheries both within the river systems of the canyons and along the coast. Farms along the Raptorclaw’s alluvial plain provide cereal grains for bread, confectionery, and spirits.

 

Aquellian architecture is mostly vertical in nature, given that griffons are naturally gifted with wings. It is not uncommon to find Talonopolis housing blocks stacked atop each other with entrances mostly accessible via balconies that double as landing pads for their inhabitants. Those without the ability to fly by either natural or magical means sometimes find it difficult to navigate certain stretches of Talonopolis’ spires. Smaller hamlets and research-oriented settlements in the south tend to adopt a more austere, down-to-earth design.

 

Relationship with Equestria

Aquellia has something of a friendly rivalry with Equestria. While they lack the complete and utter control of nature that the ponies have, the Griffons have substantially more advanced technology and a robust understanding of engineering and the hard sciences. Competition between the two nations is mostly economic, with industrialized cities like Stalliongrad competing against top Talonopolis-manufactured goods and ships. The Princess has expressed her appreciation of Equestria’s Griffon allies and commends the great efforts to keep the peace between the two nations in spite of prior disputes over the Borderlands in centuries past.

 

RAMC troops and airships regularly patrol the border along the Talonclaw range, on the lookout for sky pirates who would prey upon the airshipping lanes. It is not uncommon to find RAMC aeronauts and Royal Equestrian Army Airborne units swapping salutes over their ship decks as they pass while on patrol.

 

Relationship with the rest of the known world

Aquellian merchant fleets ply the waters and skies beyond Equestria as well. They have established trade relationships with the nations beyond the seas and maintain foreign military presence as well as diplomatic consulates. The Aquellian mindset is firmly “peace through power.”

 

Economy

Domestic

While there are timbered areas in Aquellia, there is little arable land in the canyons. Agriculture and fishing occurs mainly along the coast and in the foothills of the many mountains that surround Raptorclaw Canyon proper. The myriad fishing and farming operations across the whole of the coast and rivers provide enough food for the Griffons to live comfortably, allowing them to focus on honing their engineering and scientific skills.

 

The core of the canyon region’s economy is fueled by resource extraction. Abundant deposits of anthracite coal and metal ores line the canyon walls and form the hearts of many of the mountains in the surrounding area. It is coal and metal that forms the basis of the Griffon manufacturing industry. In spite of their reliance on fossil fuels, the Griffons have done their best to minimize environmental impact in the canyon region, as weather in Aquellia is not favorable to dispersing smog and other miasmas typically associated with early industrial societies. Griffons are also insistent on recycling used metals, running airship-breaking yards in Beakbreak City on the Equestrian side of the desert and near Talonopolis on the Aquellian side that break down old airframes into recyclable scrap.

 

Urban areas specialize in manufacturing. Aquellian manufacturing runs the gamut from small-town smithies turning out handcrafted tools to small machine shops producing precision machine components to factories producing structural components for buildings, air and surface ships, and railroad running gear. While not all urban griffons work in the factories, the vast majority do, supplying the necessary manpower to ensure that the Aquellian machine does not grind to a halt.

 

Because of their overseas commitments, Aquellia has a substantial investment in shipyards. Surface ships are built in protected drydocks along the west coast and airship berths are embedded in the canyon walls above the Raptorclaw’s floodplain. Various drydock structures can accommodate everything from small civilian pleasure craft to massive cruise-liner, heavy freighter, and military dreadnought airships.

 

Finally, the mountains and canyon walls near Rockwington are sprinkled with libraries and laboratories, most of them owned or established by the Silverbeak family. It is here that the Griffons conduct research into all things scientific, including but not limited to electricity, high-performance steam engines, and Equestrian aetherodynamics. It could be said that most of the Aquellian breakthroughs in engineering in recent times have happened in these labs.

 

Foreign

Aquellia’s primary export is manufactured goods, specifically metal goods. Girffon-manufacture structural components of surface and airships, completed airships themselves, and machine components are well known throughout the world for being rugged and dependable. Imports consist of a mixture of textiles, art, foodstuffs, educational materials, and laboratory consumables. Many griffons have an eye for Equestrian art with its ornate and unique designs.

 

An extensive network of rail lines runs throughout the canyons to link together Rockwington, Talonopolis, and the myriad towns between them. Talonopolis companies are often in contest with Stalliongrad manufacturers to deliver the most of the best product at the best price. The result is a thriving industrial exchange of both goods and ideas between Equestria and Aquellia, though naturally the Griffons maintain certain trade secrets to hold the competitive edge. Talks are currently in progress to improve integration of the Equestrian and Aquellian railway systems to promote further trade between the two nations.

 

Airships also ply the skies between the two nations, though at the moment only Canterlot and Stalliongrad are equipped to handle large amounts of airship traffic. These ships are mostly merchant vessels, providing rapid ferrying of manufactured goods between Aquellia and Equestria. These are mixed in with the occasional passenger transport and personal craft. A small flotilla of surface ships run heavier cargo between Aquellia and faraway lands such as Unyasi. These ships usually find berth in the navigable coves around Clopton Shores or coastal Equestrian cities such as Hoofington, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Okeanos.

 

Military

Republic of Aquellia Marine Corps

Because of their commitments abroad, Aquellia maintains a substantial standing military in spite of its comparatively small geographic size. Griffons of the RAMC are highly trained, well-equipped, and highly motivated. Unlike the REA, the RAMC has a high proportion of combat-ready troops and professional soldiers making them arguably the strongest military on the continent, if not the world.