Broken Throne (Red Queen #4.5)(48)

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Possible but not advised.



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Red society is entirely restricted, with no representation in government. Red citizens of Norta are subject to conscription laws that require all Reds over the age of eighteen to be employed or drafted into the Nortan military. Job scarcity is an issue in most Red communities outside tech towns, where techie Reds are forbidden to be conscripted, leave their city of birth, or change their profession. Conscription lasts several decades, with intervals of leave before discharge, or until a Red is no longer physically able to serve due to injury.

Education is usually poor among Reds, who tend to focus on their professions or on preparing for conscription. Red travel in Norta is outwardly restricted, but impossible to fully enforce. It is not unheard of for Reds along the southern border to make their way into the Disputed Lands, the only bordering country without a Silver-dominated government.



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Or any government at all.



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Black markets, crime syndicates, and underground trade thrive in Red-majority communities. In cities such as Harbor Bay, Red communities organize themselves, maintaining their own laws and enforcement where Silvers will not.

Blood intermarriages are outlawed, and intermingling is frowned upon on both sides of the blood divide. Upon birth, Reds are subject to blood registration. Their blood samples are given to the Nortan government for the stated purpose of tracking and control. However, it has been suggested that the blood registration began several decades ago when it became clear to Nortan officials that a shift had begun in the Red population, giving rise to the newblood phenomenon.



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THE KINGDOM OF THE LAKELANDS is an absolute monarchy, wherein supreme authority is retained by a single ruler. The Silver nymphs of House Cygnet currently hold the throne of the Lakelands. The dynasty is quite large, with both QUEEN CENRA and KING ORREC hailing from different branches of the Cygnet tree. Queen Cenra is the ruling monarch, and, as is custom in the Lakelands, her heir, PRINCESS TIORA, is not permitted to leave the borders of the Lakelands, to ensure the survival of the bloodline. Queen Cenra herself is also confined within her country except in times of great need.

The Silvers of the Lakelands are deeply religious, with their faith based in a pantheon of dozens of faceless, nameless, all-powerful gods. People worship in shrines, often built around water or fountains. The Lakelander religion is strongly rooted in balance, as well as the afterlife. Silver Lakelanders bury their dead in their abilities, and those who live evil lives are said to meet punishment in the afterlife. Red Lakelanders do not follow this faith, and very little is known about their religion. Not because they do not believe, but because their faiths are numerous and carefully guarded within their communities.

The long-lasting war between the Lakelands and Norta was ended by a peace treaty proposed by King Maven. He then married Princess Iris Cygnet to cement a new bond between nations in alliance against the Red rebellion that was brewing across both countries. The Scarlet Guard, a Red rebel organization, had begun in the Lakelands and trickled across the Nortan border to fight both nations.



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by their definition



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Despite their tumultuous history, Norta and the Lakelands have similar societies, with noble Silvers serving in government, common Silvers possessing little but still-existent upward mobility, and severely restricted Red citizens. The Lakelands have fewer tech towns than Norta, and mostly keep their Red workers in agricultural work. There is food in abundance in the Lakelands, though electricity is scarce in Red communities.



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THE PRINCIPALITY OF PIEDMONT is an oligarchic aristocracy. The government of the nation is shared by ruling princes and princesses, each with their own territories, families, and resources at their disposal.

Ultimately, rule of Piedmont is ceded to the most powerful prince or princess in the country. The oligarchy can elect this position through popular vote, though sometimes it is taken through military strength. At present, that title belongs to PRINCE BRACKEN of the Lowcountry, the largest holding in Piedmont, with valuable access to the coast and fertile farmland. Other ranking Silver nobles within Piedmont include PRINCE DENNIARDE, PRINCESS ANA, and PRINCESS MARRION. One of Bracken’s strongest supporters, PRINCE ALEXANDRET, was killed while visiting the court of Norta, putting undue strain on the once-strong alliance between Norta and Piedmont.

Unbeknownst to the monarchs of the north, Prince Bracken is currently under the control of the Scarlet Guard, aided by the Republic of Montfort. His extensive resources are at the disposal of the Scarlet Guard and Montfort. His military base in the Lowcountry is the first solid foothold for either in the east.

As in Norta and the Lakelands, the lives of Reds in Piedmont are severely restricted, and the population largely works in agriculture or industrial production. Piedmont also utilizes conscription, both to bolster its armies and to control the size of the Red population.



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THE PRAIRIE LANDS are strange in comparison to their neighbors to the east, due in large part to their sprawling geography and lack of centralized population. Their government can only be described as a feudal kraterocracy. The will of the strong rules across the endless plains. Warlords and warladies control their varying fiefdoms through power and cunning, and land often passes between Silver bloodlines from generation to generation. The son of a warlord is just as likely to lose rule of his father’s territory as he is to gain it. For this reason, bloodlines and dynasties are not so important to the Silvers of the Prairie lands. Sometimes the Prairie rulers will even adopt or choose successors from outside their own bloodline.