Commonwealth of Esotre

The Commonwealth of Esotre is a small but powerful nation located to the southwest of the Empire of Estellion.

History
The Commonwealth came about due to a disagreement between Ardite miners and farmers on which type of magic to develop. The miners wished to use earth magic to dig for mineral riches under a massive crater to the south of Canid Ranges, while the farmers wanted to use water magic to ensure better harvest in order to feed their population. Tensions rose when further studies of water magic revealed that it could be used to manipulate the frozen water in the mountains, allowing Ardites to settle mountain peaks. An attempt at using water magic to melt glaciers to the north of the crater resulted in the Hydroponic Disaster, when over a thousand people were killed by flooding and the mineral cache was buried underneath rubble.

The resulting rioting nearly led to a war, but eventually the miners and the water magic practitioners decided to part ways. The miners split from the Ard-ru and formed a new nation they called Esotre, stemming from the esoteric experiments they would run in pursuit of knowledge.

They built a great city in the crater with a massive 300-meter gate protecting the entrance. Being a practical people, their new city became known as Silvergate after its greatest feature. The Sotran people became dedicated to mining and science, eventually resulting in unprecedented technological advances within the Commonwealth.

Culture
The Sotran culture is a technocratic one, with bright minds being promoted to positions of authority in order to serve the good of the Commonwealth. The practical mindset also results in atheistic views among the Sotrans. The humans and Dwarves of Esotre live in harmony with one another with both races having equal rights. The main difference has to do with the King and the Hand of the King. The King, a largely ceremonial position, is typically chosen for a period of 5-6 years by the ministers from among the humans, while the Hand, the one who actually handles the day-to-day workings of the Commonwealth, is chosen for 3-4 years from among the more detail-oriented Dwarves. While the King can potentially remove the Hand, such a move could have drastic political consequences which may result in the King himself being removed by a super-majority vote in the Council.

The Royal Army
The military of the Commonwealth is significantly smaller in number than that of the neighboring Empire of Estellion. However, since the Empire and the Commonwealth have been allies for a long time, this is generally not an issue. In addition, recent advances in technology have allowed the Royal Army to compensate for its small size with destructive weaponry, such as firearms and explosives.

Ironically, the military's primary area of operations is on the far side of the Empire's borders, in the massive forests that are the domain of the Lyri tribes. Sotrans either cross the vast Empire the long way or make use of phylacteries to teleport to their forest camps and back to Silvergate instantaneously, having established a sophisticated teleportation network through their studies in cartomancy. As such, the Royal Army's primary combat experience is with the Lyri, although border skirmishes with the Ardites are also not uncommon.