Cuprina and Stennia (Patreon)

Not all nations are great empires.  Some are smaller, humbler powers.  The southern most edge of Ferria are home to the twin nations of Cuprina and Stennia.  Located along the Sunset strait separating the continent from Northern Ossia, the two are the oldest settled nations in Quintus.

At the beginning of the third millenia, human sailors from the Pasht region of southern Ossia began to explore northwards, settling a series of small ports and trading posts with savage locals.  The jungles of Raja held an abundance of riches, but were poor for most colonies.  Thus when Ossian settlers arrived at the wide, grassy fields and subtropical woods of the Cupa river valley, they immediately set about building a major trade hub in the shallow bay at the mouth of the river.

The Cupa, unlike the Kol, was not a mighty river, but was adequate for agriculture.  The mineral wealth, however, was found in a rich band of red and green ore.  Cuprite and malachite were both found in abundance, and Cuprina became a massive producer of copper metal.  The copper trade became increasing valuable, with Ossian trading fleets sailing around Ossia to sell at Myrre, Aran, and Corsia.

Being founded by Ossians, the Cuprin society reflected that of the Pashtas.  A council of the richest families elected a spokesman who would then execute the will of the council.  A hierarchical society based largely on wealth and skilled trades extended down from there.  Laborers dominated the bottom teirs, with cripples and the infirm living in destitution.  Those who could not work were driven into the Braz mountains, usually to be killed by wild people.

Cuprins have dark red skin, ranging from brown to sienna.  Their dark hair trends towards black, browns, and red and is usually cut short in the hot summer sun.  Unlike Ossia, Cuprina has a milder climate, and rainfalls from the south are consistent and reliable.  The Ossians dress in linens in a style similar to Ossian, but generally covering more skin.  Cupins men and women are expected to cover their lower half, but both sexes can be topless without stigma.

The trade arrangement lasted for a century before the Cuprins sought independence from their Pashish overlords.  Due to the extreme distance, the Pash city states only made a token effort to reclaim the colony, with most focusing on preserving their position as middlemen in the trade of copper for Aurum gold.  However, as more and more ships became proficient sailing the Shattered Sea, less and less trade passed through Ossia.

By this time, Aran had decided to attempt to copy the Ossian colony by sailing further west down the coast and founding the colony of Stennia.  The Sten river was even smaller than the Cupa.  The colony was hard fought as well, with multiple fights against the wild people living in the region stunting the colony's growth.  However, while Stennia was able to produce lead, zinc, and tin, it never was able to export the valuable copper of their wealthier neighbors to the east.

While Cuprina was able to achieve independence fairly easily, Stennia was always more dependent on their parent nation than their neighbor.  The Sten could only support a third of the agriculture of the Cupa and the soil was both more arid and rocky.  It wasn't long before Cuprina eyed their neighbor with covetous eyes.  In 3500AS, the Cuprinas marched down the coast and over the coastal mountains of the Braz to invade Stennia.  The invasion, however, was poorly planned.  While the copper weapons were a step up from bone and wooden weapons, the long distance and logistic problems doomed the attempt.  However, over the next century, the Cuprins created a network of villages to assist invasion efforts.  By 3600, Cuprina finally brought Stennia under their control.

Unlike Cuprina, Stennia is a more egalitarian culture due to its Arani roots.  Rough and tumble individualism makes relationships loose and flexible.  Stennites tend to be a bit standoffish, reserving engagement for people who demonstrate commitment to a relationship.  Stennite cuisine is heavy on goat and sheep, and Ossian spices are in high demand.  Stennite phenotypes are more brown and tan than red skin tones, and their hair ranges from brown to dirty blond in tone.  Stennites tend to be a head and shoulder taller than Cuprin as well.

The merger of the two nations lead to the first Ferran military powerhouse.  Stennian tin and Cuprin copper was the first large scale production of bronze and brass in Quintus.  While both were known abroad, most weapons would be spear heads or rare arrowheads.  Now bronze swords, shields, and armor made nigh invincible armies that conquered the wild human people of the Braz mountains and dominated the Ossian colonies along the coast.  Cuprin armies then crossed the Braz and moved into the vast interior flatlands of the Irn.  Here, the dozens of nomadic and violent people were brought to heel by Cuprin metal.

For two centuries, the Cuprins used their bronze to grow rich, building out the city and using Irns as slave labor.  The growth necessitated a net work of aquaducts to ensure consistent water and food supplies.  Cuprina reverse colonized northern Ossia, using bronze axes and weapons to drive back monsters and savage hobbs and beastfolk living in the jungles.  Though these colonies were rarely self sufficient, they supplied hardwood and more exotic crops to the city state.

However, the Cuprins sowed the seeds of their own destruction.  On the far side of the Irn flatlands lay a deposit of magnetite nearly a mile high and more than two hundred miles wide.  Cuprin bronze picks and tools liberated the iron from the largest deposit in the world and iron weapons soon began to find their way into the Irns hands.  The normally quarrelling tribes had been forced into a unified population and that population now retook their territory from Cuprin settlers and then crossed the Braz.  The Cuprin, seeing hundreds of thousands of iron armed Irn warriors did the only thing they could think of: throwing a great feast for their conquering heroes.

The surrender of Cuprina is often lampooned as the most pathetic surrender in military history, but it preserved the country virtually undamaged.  By feting the leaders of the Irns, the Cuprins preserved their own city state and demonstrated it value to the Irns whole rather than burned to the ground.  A few aristocrats were executed, but the leadership remained largely intact.  The biggest assistance the city offered the Irns was their port.  The Irn has no salt water access.  Thus the conquered Cuprins became their gateway to the rest of the world.

Stennia hopes for independence were quickly squashed.  The Irns had no interest in letting the smaller neighbor slip free.  Stennites did not take to conquest lightly.  Their cultural identity helped maintain cohesion and Stennia would be known by Irn warlords as 'The great headache'.  Stennite rebellions were constant.  Disruptions, ambushes, and constant harassment made the entire city state hard to manage.  Crack downs were constant.  Finally, in 3800 AS, the Irns withdrew and Stennia was free.

Only to immediately be raided and pillages by Ossian pirates and Chroman raiders ranging down the coast.  Without an occupier to unite against, and lacking iron or bronze, the Stennites proved easy pickings for outsiders.  It was with grudging resentment that Stennia was forced to beg the Irns for protection.

In contrast, the conquest by the Irns proved to be one of the saving graces of Cuprins.  Irn soldiers now protected their colonies, and the Cuprins focused on trade and academics over conquest.  Cuprin schools educated Irn leaders, and Cuprin cultural attitudes circulated in the Irnish populations as the Irrynian Empire was formalized.  While there have been attempts to formally integrate both nations into the Empire, the geography of the Braz mountains and the cultural cohesion resisted full annexation.

In the modern day, most Cuprins would be abhorred by the idea of violence.  Scholarship, debate, argument, and scientific inquiry have replaced martial conquest.  The populace finds the tribute paid to the Irns is far less than what would need be paid to fight them.  Cuprin trading houses compete with each other via public works, grand displays of wealth, and conspicuous charity.  Cuprin jewelers and sculptors create elaborate goods and art of cast bronze and brass.  Copper pots and pans cast in Cuprina find their way to the far side of the world.  Cuprina is a vibrant port that welcomes outsiders and their money.

Unlike their cosmopolitan neighbors, Stennia is sour and unwelcoming of outsiders.  The mines still produce tin and zinc, but smelting has poisoned large swaths of their territory, and the poor are often forced to eck out a living close to these tailings.  Though their metals are valuable, they rarely bring much wealth on their own.  The Stennian port is shallow and ill suited to ocean vessels, and the river barely permits agriculture at all.  Cuprin excess, and Irnish military priority,  are the primary source of what little infrastructure exists.  The Stennian dialect, rich with Arani inflection, is of note to separate locals from outsiders.  Stennites often decry their longing for independence, but most realize it will never be achieved.

Ironically, both countries have loosely centralized power structures.  Cuprins split power across families, and Stennites are a factitious democratic republic.  The lack of central authority makes political unity difficult and only occurs in rare moments when public outrage demands action.  Otherwise, both are content with maintaining the status quo of life under the Empire.  Indeed, across Quintus, the two countries are often called the 'boots of the Empire'.

Cuprins embrace large sprawling families organized under patriarchs and matriarchs that direct family goals, while Stennite children leave home and are expected to be industrious individuals, and if they can not, to journey elsewhere and be productive.  Many Stennites travel to their Arani origins where demand for labor is high, but are beggered at the cost and wind up virtually enslaved by debt.  Another popular destination is Dyne, where the Dynehouses are not picky about whom they can get making their goods.

Religiously, the Cuprins are lackadaisical about faith. While the Dodecist faith predominates, Orrisan shrines to the small gods can be found, and even Irn shrines to ancestors are maintained.  In contrast, Stennia has strick observances of the Dodecanic gods, and tend to look down on those that suggest alternative forms of faithful expression.  The cuprins are more sexually libertine and the stennites conservative, but neither is excessively so.  Intermarriage is rare but not banned or unheard of.

Ironically, the one topic of unification is always the Irrynian Empire.  As they are both subjects, both can generally find something about the Empire to criticize, even if both have benefitted for centuries under their political thumb.  Cuprins talk of 'civilizing' the Empire, while Stennites are adamant that any day now they'll shake off their shackles once and for all!