Bronze Isles

This article is a stub. You can help Stoneshard wiki by expanding it.

Bronze Isles a land with many names, for elves it's al-Burunz or Burons, Nistrians know it as Bronzos, in Aldor, the most common name is the Bronze Isles, while their native inhabitants called their country as Bronzia or Bronza.

Geography and Economy

Bronze Isles is an island Dukedom that consist of 2 big islands and 4 tiny islands with Lyrra island is the furthest island but nearer to the Continent. Because their islandic territories, there are many harbors, ports, and docks on their islands, housing many traders, seafarers, and travelers who exchange each other's goods and culture.

Because of their location controlling the significant part of the Southern Sea, most merchant ships heading to the West and vice versa have to enter Bronze Isles local ports to resupply and recuperate after facing many dangers that plague the waters.

And unsurprisingly, Bronza became the crossroad of cultures, where Skadian merchants trade maps with elven travelers, where Nistrian seafarers shake hands with Aldorian, while Bronzian people themselves busy counting profits and gathering important knowledge and information across the world.

All of this exchanges propel Bronze Isles rapid development for their sciences, arts, and craftmanship. This also factored that Bronza rulers had admirable foresight and enough common sense to reward inventor, sage, or sorcerer that had something to offer for the world.

For that reason, Bronze Isles became very lively, crowded, prosperous nation with many inventions and wonders that may not be found in any other place, not even in Jacinth Kingdom. One example of their invention and wonder are a mechanism that can count time of the day without magic or people involvement, majestically placed on their capital's city hall tower.

For economy, Bronzian people not only profited by providing shelters and services at their many ports, but also trading with many exotic goods or important information from each visiting merchants or travelers. The Bronze Isles bankers are the one who invented new way for trading by using bill of exchange instead using the method of bringing purse of coins who can be dangerous if not protected. This trading tool was so convenient that Brynn's bankers and merchants adopt this for their own use.

Government and Religion

Bronze Isles are government with Dukedom, which means their country ruled by a Duke from time to time. The Duke is the legal ruler that control every aspect of the nation's military, economic, and external relationship. There's no information on how Bronzian citizen elect their new Duke from time to time, but nevertheless most of them are accepting their Duke's orders.

But just like any prosperous and prudent nations, they are not immune for misfortune. And the misfortune of Bronze Isles is their current ruling Duke, Orro Denye, who is a very superstitious and indecisive leader. His timid and paranoid trait attract many sycophants and frauds, and one day some of them prophesied that his country will be raided by incoming disastrous tragedy from across the sea, giving an end of the order in Bronza.

From that moment, The Duke order to close every ports in the country and sever any connection with all other countries. Enacted isolation law and on top of that martial law to sink any wandering ships who dare or clueless enough about the current condition of Bronze Isles.

This new law brewed many discontent among Bronzian citizen and rebellion was imminent. But rumor said that the attempt was failed, costing many of Bronzian lives instead.

For Bronze Isles' religion, from decades of interaction with many nations from West to East, led many nations' path to The Host influenced the people that inhabit Bronzia itself. Most notably religion that practiced in Bronze Isles are Nistrian Hieornism brought by Nistrian seafarers, Gnostic Hieronism from Aldorian traders, and a little bit Eraffa teaching from elven travelers.

History and Culture

Historically there's not much known beside their islands being a bustling meeting point for many traders, travelers, and inventors across The Continent. And with their new law about isolation, almost no information can get outside their island beside any local smugglers who only interested trading smuggled goods or armaments that which were easily traded back in the day.

For the culture, Bronze Isles true culture almost became big amalgamation of many other countries' culture due to frequent interaction and influence they got daily with elven travelers, Aldorian knights, Nistrian merchants, or even the far far away land like Golden Cities of Aktum, Theocracy of Bahari, or even Princedom of Majayat.

But one thing for sure, Bronza respect people who have inventive mind or new idea to bring to the world. This shown by rulers of Bronzia who willing to generously paid inventors, sages, mages, or whoever that have great idea to fulfill their dream and claimed many unique and futuristic craftmanship that no countries ever think before. This led many newfangled ideas of crafts, weaponries, and even arts of magic supported and developed in this island. One such case was the rediscovery of Electromancy school of magic.

Military and Weaponries

There are one thing that separate Bronze Isles weaponries with other countries produced weapons, they craft weapons with artistic value that can match their killing potential. It's not rare many Bronzian craftmanship can shape the common weapons like dagger or spear into artistically beautiful weapon that make even the nobility of Jacinth or high commander of Aldor filled with envy.

Unlike the savagery weapons of Fjall, the antiquity of Nistra, the practicality of Aldorian smithing, or the perfection of elven weaponries, Bronze Isles crafts can sometimes becomes too bizarre that might confuse the enemies about its function or too inventive that can solve decades long militaristic problem.

Notably, there are many unique daggers and spears created by Bronze Isles that can turn this unassuming weapons of common folks into deadly and elegant tools of war. Some of this unique craft of weaponries adopted by other countries such as Aldor who makes guisarme as a result of them trying to encompass Bronze Isles' inventive design to be more practical in war.

For armorsmith, there's not much information about the uniqueness of Bronze Isles design unlike their weaponsmith. One debate about the origin of sentinet is still discussed today whether it came from Sentian refine taste or Bronzian inventive design. But nonetheless some of their armor have some kind of style that will be recognized across the Continent.

When talking about their warfare tactic, there's not much information about it because Bronze Isles was never active in open war with other nations and more interested to start trade agreement. That was until Orro Denye issued isolation law, showed just how dangerous Bronzian coast guard and maritime that can fend off even mightiest navy fleets who dare to force their way into one of their ports.

Beside maritime or coast battle, Bronze Isles also renowned for their duelists who still honor the art of duel between two rivals or just a mean to end dispute. But unlike the honor of jousting in Aldor, Bronzian's honor and principle always companied by guile and intrigues attached to their way of fighting duel. Because their history of duel, many daggers, swords, and rondache invented to outmaneuver their enemies, whether by bringing unique weapon, dual-wielding, using strangely shaped buckler, or just cheap shot to the unsuspecting rival.

For their military, there are several notable troops that ready in Duke's disposal.

• Bronza Coast Guard. They are Bronzian army that usually patrol and defend the many ports and harbors that spread across the islands. There are little information about their tactics or their weaponries, but one thing for sure, they are renowned to sink any ships that dare to dock at Bronze Isles after the isolation.
• Corsairs. As a country with many islands, piracy is not uncommon plaguing the sea of Bronze Isles. And one way to solve the pirates problem in Bronzia is to hire and paid them to defend your ports instead raiding it. This tactic quite useful knowing how many Bronzian corsairs patrolling across the sea and ready to board hostile ships with their boarding hatchet.
• Duelist. Bronzian duelist are famous across The Continent with their agility, unique weapons, and cunning tactic. They usually armed with parrying dagger, a rondache, or wielding another weapon on their off-hand with ease.
• The Castelliers Order. The famed Bronzian branch of the Triune Hand Order who relentlessly fighting pirates by constructing the impregnable fortresses that match the name of their order.
• Electromancer. Despite Electromancy Circle already established as the new and young circle in Maen Academy. It is thanks to the venerable Bronzian scholar, Alfano the Elder, who decipher ancient texts about this Lesser Element, and reviving the old neglected magic school, producing many aspiring electromancers in Bronze Isles.

Notable Bronzian NPC/Character

• Arno di Berro is from scion and noble family who fled from Bronze Isles to Brynn.