Svean

The island of Svean is a forested island in the Midsea. It is the largest of the 5 Midsea islands and is known for its enormous quantities of wood.

Treaty of Utrond
Svean was assigned to Trinsulae as being in its sphere of influence with the sole right to settle the area in the treaty of Utrond, signed by Trinsulae, the republic of Tabard and Mideria. Svean had significant importance for the Trinsulaeans as its forests would enable the young democracy to build up their navy, an endeavor that was seen as absolutely necessary in order to secure the safety of the Island nation. Laurelorn did not sign the treaty of Utrond however and claimed the Island themselves, seeing that the island was forested, close and the culture of the two peoples were similar.

The Svean crisis
This section is still a work in progress Laurelorn claimed the forest island to be the rightful domain of Orion I, king of Laurelorn and protector of the forest. Initially this claim was supported by Apowidu, the Deutschmeister empire and, most importantly, the Council of the Horselords. Gekke I withdrew his support for the claim however by signing the Steppe accord, in exchange for giving up support for the Laurelorn claim Tabard and Trinsulae would refrain from any more intervention in the steppe after the battle of Jugurtha's crown. The Deutschmeister would revoke their support for Laurelorn and pledge their support for Trinsulae after a diplomatic incident called the squirrel debate. The council of Tards, although officially not supporting anyone as of yet has established friendly relations with Trinsulae after the Alexandrite war and it is a common known secret that Sulla supports Trinsulae in the matter. Thus, Orion I finds himself more and more isolated in the matter.

Geography
Svean is the largest of the 5 Midsea Islands and the most southern laying too. It has a mild Mediterranean climate and rocky coasts. Long ago the island used to be connected to the mainland but this landbridge came to be underwater, creating the Svean Strait.

Forests
The forests of Svean are covered mostly by the Svean Oak, an oak species which requires little to grow and can become 40 meters tall. They grow in large quantities and their resilience to insects and fungi makes them exceptionally useful in construction and shipbuilding. As the name suggests, the tree is native to Svean only and does not grow on the mainland. Experiments to grow the Svean Oak on the mainland have failed time after time again, many botanists suggest that the Svean Oak only grows there due to the presence of the Svean Forester, a bovine species whose dung is very mineral rich.

Coastline
Besides the forests the island is known for its beautiful coast line. The coast exists out of Bohus Granite, a rock species native to Svean. This granite is exceptionally hard and is valued as construction material, resulting in plenty of quarries working on the coast. The granite is grey in colour and it is due to this fact that the Svean coast is often called the 'Grey Coast' by foreign visitors.

Biology
Svean shares most of its animals species with the mainland with a few notable exceptions. These are: The Svean Forester, the Svean wild cat and the Kir Kir Goat.

Svean Forester
The Svean forester is a white bovine animal that shares many similarities with their common mainland counterparts. an important difference is the white skin and the diet of these animals. Svean Foresters eat mostly leaves from the Svean Oak as they live in one of the most densely forested areas in the world, its this specific diet that makes them hard to herd and Svean Foresters are more individual as a species than other bovines species. Small groups of Svean Foresters can be seen travelling around the island and the species is a very important symbol in the Sveantine religion.

Svean Wild Cat
The Svean Wild Cat is a variant of both the mainland wild cat as the mainland domestic cat and looks like a great pet. They are larger than regular cats however and avoid human contact. The species is extremely individualistic and mothers raise the kitten alone, the father abandons his mate as soon as the mating season is over. Normally Svean Wild Cats hunt for smaller mammals such as mice, squirrels and rats but there have been cases of strong male Svean wild cats taking down small Kir Kir goats. The cats are seen as a nuisance by the local population and Svean Wild Cats are seen as an omen of bad luck in the Sveantine religion.

Kir Kir Goat
The Kir Kir goats are the most important animal to the Sveantines as they provide milk, coats and meat. On top of that they are tamable which makes them more popular than the Svean Forester. The Kir Kir have a light-brownish coat with a black band around there necks, although some individual Kir Kir's have them further on their back. Male variants have huge horns which are used in crafting by the local population. Small Kir Kir goats are exceptionally popular with children.

Economy
Svean is quite a wealthy island in terms of natural resources. Its wood is wanted all throughout the Old World and Bohus Granite is popular abroad as well. The capital lays on the Svean Strait where it is an important town for many trade routes. Most of the population lives on the coast but the Svean Iron mine lays more inland. The Sveantines are skilled craftsmen as well and in the capital a small glass-blowing industry is set up in the year zero, exporting glass to surrounding area's. Control over Svean would thus provide wood, stone, iron and trade for those coveting its land.

Culture
The Sveantines as the population are called share many cultural similarities with the Kingdom of Laurelorn on the mainland. Differences include their religion as well as being more urbanized than their mainland counterparts. The more rural Sveantines look down on the City-dwellers but the divide between forest- and city-dwellers is less prevalent than in Laurelorn society. Sveantines live in a collectivist culture focusing on family and the community, the many independent communities all speak the same language (a language kin to Laurelorn as well) and share a common religion.

This religion revolves around a pantheon of Gods associated with important aspects of everyday Sveantine life, such as Odan, the father of the Gods, paralleling the head of the Sveantine family structure. These gods require grand ceremonial sacrifices, organized by a group of priests and shamans. The high priest of Svean is the closest the Sveantines have to a central authority and he is responsible for maintaining good relations with the Gods.

Politics
As earlier mentioned the Sveantines live in community based groups, in the forests these communities can be a few hundred families big, often led by a Hersir, meaning something as leader. In the coastal cities however many communities work together and as a result communities are smaller and more dedicated to a specific job or craftsmanship. There is the woodcutter community for example, which is the largest community in the capital of the region. This community has only 83 men and their families, clearly demonstrating differences between the urban and rural communities. Rule in the cities is therefore more dynamic as well as communities vie for power in their respective cities, often leading to more republican or democratic ways of ruling, tyrants are not welcome but some cities have a Hersis, much like their rural counterparts.