Parlus

Parlus is one of the oldest nations in Mithilian history and also the name of the island it resides on. It is the largest island that is not its own continent, being slightly greater in size than Taros in Iona. It is considered one of the most diverse and beautiful places on Mithilia with its windswept sandy desert in the north and grassy temperate region in the south. Founded by Suhriites who had migrated away from the city just before the arrival of the Death Growth and beginning of the Period of Destruction.

Over time, Parlus divided into two almost completely separate cultures while maintaining their unity as one nation as they saw necessary while they faced threats from Nolcenna, East across the Parlonii Strait and the aggressively expanding Yantuan's to the north who attempted to settle on the island many times. Their separation from the mainland had initially kept the isolated from the rest of the Magnamian nations but overtime as they became a prominent power and gained control over the South Magnamian Gulf and southwestern coastline, they attracted attention from the other major powers at that time.

Parlus would be one of the longest lasting nations in Mithilian history, outlasting their ancestors home nation of Nolcenna, and would remain a constant power in Magnamia.

Geography
Situated across the Parlonii Strait from Southern Magnamia lies the second largest island of Parlus. Parlus is considered to be one of the most diverse and beautiful locations in all of Mithila as its northern region is a sandy windswept desert known as The Flat Sands and is separated from Parlus’ southern temperate region by the Hazar Mountains that cut across the entire island. The northern region’s only other distinct feature is The Eye of Rushar, a large oasis lake in the center of the desert and is the regions only source of water. The southern region is home to the Royal Forest that lies southwest of the Hyptoko Lake, a small lake in the middle of the island. The southern tip remains snow covered for the majority of the year but in late summer is covered in Summer’s Peek which creates a beautiful landscape for the short duration that it blossoms.

The Parlonii Strait plays a major role in Parlusian history as a natural defense from the mainland and as a trade route for sea fare. The Strait, going south, turns into the Sardea (trident in Suhriite) with its sister island Reytus and the Western Foot of South Magnamia. The Lawika Sea and Lawikas Gulf form the Sardea with the waterways going in three different directions that direct the flow of sea travel in the area which impacts Parlus and the South Magnamian nations.

Just off of the western coast of Parlus lies four islands clustered together that make up the Tunot Gathering. The islands are relatively small in comparison to the main island but are surrounded by shallow corral reefs that make traveling in between the islands difficult unless you are familiar with the area.

History
Before the actual founding of Parlus, a group of indigenous natives inhabited the southern part of the island. Having a very dark skin tone, the Parlusian natives are believed to be descendants of the Darkmen of the Expanse who may have traveled to the island during or before the Tribal Period. The natives were still living in small villages and traded with the few other groups on the island but had made no attempt to leave the island or make contact with anyone else until the arrival of the Suhriites.

Discovery and Founding
At the onset of the spread of the Death Growth, a large group of Suhriites left the city in fear of the coming plight. This group had no real idea of what was to come but left on a “gut feeling” and narrowly escaped the plague by sheer luck. Though many Nolcennic people believed them to have had visions or were given warning by the gods who some revere them for and others hate them for. This group was led by a noble man whose ancestors came from the Scarlands long ago and passed down tales of an island west of Magnamia that was easy to reach. This story that had been told to his family and ancestors tribe resonated with him as well as the people he led from Suhrii and so they headed west to a small trading post at the north end of the Scarlands. It is important to note that it was already known that the island was there as many sailors that worked the trade ships between South Magnamia and the city of Kai had seen the island and told many about it. But no one had bothered exploring the entire island by this point as the coast land they saw was as dry as the Scarlands which is actually what gave many the idea that the Scarlands extended from Parlus to Magnamia.

The leader of the Suhriite group though believed that there was another island that his ancestors had meant in their tales and when seeking passage across the Parlonii Straight, asked to be taken to the island beyond Parlus. The man and his group were turned down by many though at first as ship crews laughed at their belief of an island beyond and warned them that the only land they would find would be barren and they would starve in days if they went. This continued until a group of small ships commanded by a former merchant agreed to take them but in reality was only fooling them and intended to take them to Parlus. The ships could not accommodate the large group of refugees and so the merchant agreed that he would make two trips but for a hefty price. The Suhriites spent every coin they had only to be fooled and taken on a voyage that circled around the area for days before unloading the people in an almost exclusively lush area of coast line where the Suhriite leader actually believed he had arrived at the fabled island. The merchant then vowed to return with the rest of his party in a few days but never returned and instead is believed to have taken the remaining Suhriites north where they sold them as slaves to the Piriksins.

It did not take long for the Suhriites to realize that they had been tricked and possibly doomed as they ventured across The Flat Sands of Northern Parlus. But despite the barren desert they now inhabited, the Suhriite refugees made due and were able to find land to cultivate and formed a small settlement on the western coast just north of the Hazar Mountains. It was not long before the group made contact with natives of the island.

Pirates and Sea Raiders
As the Parlusian population swelled to great numbers, more and more Parlusians began to venture beyond their homeland, with some seeking futures in trade or mercenary work, while others looked to establish their own colonies and stake their claim on the unknown world of Mithilia. Some however resorted to a life of crime as they joined other exiled Parlusians and groups that wrought havoc upon the major nations. Developing from a coastal war tribe that had formed during the Age of Rebirth on the northern tip of the island, these raiders and criminals began to focus their efforts on ship building as they attempted to make their living by raiding the trade routes that had grown in activity immensely since the Period of Destruction. At first, they were nothing more than a nuisance to the large Yantuan and Parlusian fleets that sailed through the area but as their numbers grew, they adopted new tactics and were soon a major issue for trading between the Expanse and South Magnamia. Yantua launched a large scale attack on the raiders early on that decimated their ships and forced them away from their settlement in North Parlus. The survivors though were reluctant to give up and resettled on the Tunot Gathering to the west where they rebuilt their home and fleet.

It wouldn't be until The Western Flight that Parlus took serious action against the pirates as they had not considered them a real threat until they began to attack settler parties sailing west. Thousands of Parlusians and South Magnamians had been killed before Parlus decided to strike. The pirate group had well positioned settlement among the Tunot Gathering that was difficult to reach due to the shallow reefs that would destroy any boats that they came into contact with, and the Parlusians knew it. So instead of attempting to eliminate the pirates entirely, they launched a naval campaign in which their ships would sail behind trade and settler fleets and engage the sea raiders once they attacked the civilian ships. Yantua and the South Magnamians were not pleased with the tactic as they continued to lose whole fleets of innocent people but the Parlusians reasoned that their success justified the means.

It took some time before the pirates were truly weakened and were forced to cease their attacks on the sea routes but they had been forced to less visited waters. Parlus maintained its new naval force in the north to ward of future attacks and eventually even bargained with the pirates that if they stayed away from the Parlonii Strait, they would force enemy ships around Parlus into the pirates waters where they could continue their sea raiding. This was unknown by many for much of the pirates history but explains the reason for their long survival among the Tunot Gathering.

Culture
The nation of Parlus is unlike any other of Magnamia in terms of culture. Developing its own unique culture early on in its history from being a part from the mainland nations and influence, the Parlusians became accustomed to fine wares and vibrantly colored things from their clothes, the foods they ate, to even their buildings. But what truly sets Parlusian culture apart from any other is that during the Age of Rebirth, when the population divided between the North and South, it manifested an entirely new culture in its northern region as the same resources weren't available in the barren Flat Sands; yet they made due with what they had in the area.

This division of culture started when trade between the North and South regions of the island were strained by the Nolcennic armies who took advantage of the split and invaded the Hazar Mountains in an attempt to strain the new northern settlement and then fight take the capital once the north capitulated. The Parlusians were unable to find a way to continue trade which forced the North to survive on its own which led to the adoption of a desert culture. The success of the North was credited to the leadership of Anulim, who would be deemed the first North Parlusian King after the war. The successful adaptation to the desert lifestyle and sense of northern pride garnered by their new leader and victory over the Nolcennic resulted in the northern Parlusians to embrace this new culture and expand it even further.

While the South continued their use of vibrant and extravagant wares, the northern Parlusians took on a simpler style but in no way less eloquent. The northern capital, Haloktoma, became a desert paradise at the heart of the Flat Sands with its beautiful architecture and towering walls and buildings. While the southern Parlusians were accustomed to heavier armor for their soldiers, the northerners used light armor to cover their thinly clothed or naked bodies as heavy armor would not work in the hot desert.

Even with the division of culture, government, and population, the Parlusian nation would remain unified and celebrated their differences as they had always been an accepting people of different cultures and traditions even before.

Government
Parlus is one of the few nations that maintains a successful dual kingship for its nation. Before the founding of the northern province of Parlus in the Flat Sands, Parlus had one king from the day it was founded by the Suhriites and native Parlusians. Having one king to rule over Parlus worked for the most part and only saw issues early on when the native Parlusians felt that they had been used by the Suhriites and had no right to claim themselves as rulers over the native Parlusians. This was remedied though when the second king of Parlus married the daughter of the native leader and began the line of True Parlusians.

Once Parlus had decided to establish a city in the north and defeated the Nolcennic army that invaded after their division, the idea of a dual kingship arose. Anulim, who had taken over leadership of the north when the Nolcennic attacked, had proved his abilities and gained the love and respect of the northern Parlusians. Having a close relationship with him from their childhood, King Maggi decided to split the kingship in two in order to give the north equal domain over the land they now inhabited.

The balance of power was to be maintained with no king having more power than the other and any new laws or royal acts had to be approved by both kings. It wouldn't be until later, but the kings decided that each would send their sons to live with the other king to be raised in the other culture in order to maintain the strong bond between North and South Parlus. For a time even, instead of the heirs taking over their fathers kingdom after being raised in the other's court, they would become king of the region they were raised in. In theory, the lines of succession would alternate back and forth which would maintain the bond between North and South, but when the southern line lost three kings in the one life of the northern king they saw an issue with being able to maintain equality with fathers and sons becoming kings simultaneously.

This style of government is rare and often times leads to the nation splitting as is the case with Hartham and Harlowe. With Parlus though, their emphasis on maintaining their bonds and embracing their different cultures has allowed the nation to stay unified through many years.

Military
The Parlusian army, not known for its size but instead for its versatility is actually like two different armies that form one larger force. With its north and southern provinces each having their own unique culture, each army too has its own style and tactics that accommodate for their soldiers and environments. The northern Parlusian army bears skilled archers and light infantry that can quickly traverse the desert lands they protect while the southern army is known for its heavily armored sword and spear men. Neither has much of a cavalry force as horses and other beasts of burden are scarce to the island. The North Parlusian army is the larger of the two with 30,000 men which includes light infantry, archers, and slingers. As mentioned before, the northern Parlusians are lightly armored and often wear a light tunic underneath and a cloth face mask the protect them from the desert sun. Their archers wear almost no armor as they believe it hinders their accuracy but like the other northern soldiers wear a cloth around their heads and faces to protect them from the sun.

The South Parlusian army utilizes its abundance of metals from the Hazar mountains to craft strong heavy armor that often covers the soldiers from head to toe and dyes to paint the armor and tunics they wear underneath. Similar to the north Parlusian soliders, the southern soldiers often wear a face mask made of cloth but more often of metal for protection. Only when fighting in deserts do they stick to cloth face masks. The heavy infantry though only makes up for a portion of the 20,000 man army as the others wear metal chestplates, bracers, and greaves while wearing dawning their vibrant tunics underneath.

The Parlusian military is also unique in that it is one of the few nations that allows women to fight among the regular ranks of the army and navy. Though the number of female soldiers has always been quite few, a number of Parlus' greatest warriors and leaders have been women as they have always wore different, lighter armor than their male counterparts.

The Parlusian navy, unlike its land army, is a sole product of the Southern Province with its large ship building ports that have existed since the early days of their nation. Many north Parlusians though sail with the navy as it is a sought after profession for many northerners who grew up and tire of the hot Flat Sands.