Sjöland

The Principality of Sjöland Furstendömet Sjöland
Flag of Sjöland Flag Coat of arms of Sjöland Coat of arms
Motto: "Hårda sam jarn" "Hard as iron"
topographical map topographical map
Capital	Kängruborg
Official languages	Imerian
Religion	holy chronicles 87%, 13% other native religions
Demonym(s)	Sjöläning
Government	Absolute Monarchy
• Duke	Duke Erling auf Fjarörna
colonisation by the absolute royal federation
Area
• Total

This article is about the Imeriatan realm. For the Meriadni region, see Sjoland.

Sjöland is a poor realm lacking much in the way of industry even if a growing ship and weapon manufacturing industry is slowly starting to establish itself in the realm, often combining the two to make warships for the federal and royal navy and it is also the home for a large naval base. Traditionally however so is the realm the home of large farms and massive fields for sheep and cows and the realm is known for it's food, wool and leather exports in the federation.

Geography

Sjöland consist of 4 larger islands where the majority of the population lives and hundreds of smaller ones that are either entirely or mostly uninhabited .Most of the islands are in general flat and where once mighty forests spread out does now farmland and fields dominates the countryside even if the two central islands have their own mountains in the central regions of each island where the highest mountain reaches a height of 3201 meters above sea level.

Climate

Sjöland enjoys a mild maritime climate where temperatures that varies between -2 degrees Celsius in the winter that occurs in july and 22 degrees in December. However Since the central island is surrounded by islands on every side so is downpour affected and the annual rain levels varies greatly from 300 mm in the centre of the main island to over 2000 mm in some coastal regions.

Flora and fauna

While Sjöland once was the home to a large and unique biosphere so have the realm today changed into mostly large wheat and potato fields or large fields for sheep and bovine just as large cities have been built around the coastal regions. While this is true of most islands so does still the smaller south eastern island contains a still somewhat undamaged ecosystem owned by the natives of the realm.

Here can one find most of the animals that used to live all over the island, while animals oddly enough is all but non-existant so have the echo system been taken over by birds and the realm is well known for it's flightless birds like Kiwi, the predatorial Varga papegjoan or wolf parrot, Takahē, Kakapo and on the mountains of the central island so can one find not only the Haast's Eagle but also the mighty Sjöland wyvern.

The ecosystem is also made up by several species of reptiles, snails, frogs, and bats which amongst seals and whales represents the largest and so far only native populations of mammals on the islands while rats, ferrets, sheep, foxes, rabbits and bovines have been brought to Sjöland from Scandera and other places in the federation to aid colonists or by mistake.

Fauna is dominated by large southern beeches, kauri and Podocarpaceae treas, more so is it the home of several species of fern that covers the under vegetation in the few remaining forests.

Culture

In scanderan term so is Sjöland known for it's simple and more laid back culture compared to most other scanderans, as their clothes are coloured in brown, grey and green rather than the blue, red, golden and white that are favoured in Scanderan clothes back on the home continent. Even the nobility is often seen as poorer than the rest of the federation and they are often living closer to their commoners with little or very few servants in small and dark houses compared to the massive golden palaces so favoured in Scandera.

This have resulted in very few books and music being made in the realm even if libraries, book stores, theatres, concert halls and arenas are common in the cities and often provides Sjöläningarna with entertainment from all over the federation.

History

File:SlaveFortress.JPG

A model of one of the old save fortresses built in Scanderan style whith large levees and round cannon towers designed to absorb cannon fire rather than shrug it off as older forts had done

The history of Sjöland is brief and had not been discovered by humans nor sentient creatures before being discovered by the federal explorer Fridul Garverssen in the late 16th century and claimed for the crown in 1622 when a small federal colony were established to live of whaling and sealing. However the realm truly gained it's importance due to the slave trade and raids against what one day would evolve into the kangaroo republics were constantly launched as large fortress were built, both to fend of retaliations and to provide the ships and men a place to resupply their ships and to keep their slave cargo before selling them to local farmers and plantation owners.

However with the greater unification of the kangaroo republics and the threat their own navy suddenly posed towards the federal slaving vessels and the realm itself so did raids slowly decline before they were abandoned entirely in the 19th century even if the forts themselves were maintained for the fear of invasions or retaliations from the Kangaroo republics.

The fears of such invasions did however not show to be unfounded as in the early 21st century did a joint Lycosian-kangaroo invasion force land on the islands and swept inland. While they were mostly met as liberatiors by the former slaves they liberated so did human commoners and nobility put up a strong fight and in a counter attack launched by the native armies stationed in the realm were they able to halt the invading enemy forces and forced them into a trench warfare stalemate. A kind of warfare where the federal forces showed themselves to be remarkably good at and a white peace were signed between the federation and the kangaroo republics while the kangaroo forces withdrew to the cheers and celebration amongst the human population that saw the war as their giant triumph and the day Sjöland proved its worth as warriors.

Even today can one see the fortresses and a few of them serves as either a museums or a modern prisons or just historical landmarks from a time long since gone past. However due to the recent change in policy for slavery in the federation have the crown prince officially apologised to the federal kangaroo subjects living there and a more realistic portrait have been shown in the museums rather than the previous romantic image that were shown before.