The Rownor Kingdom was a human-hobgoblin state on eastern Balebu.

Society and Government

The kingdom was ruled by a single person called king. The position was not democratically elected or hereditary, however: only the nation's greatest hero could become king, and when he stood down, a next hero had to rise up and take his place. Accordingly, the king was a very prestigious persona, and he had many government powers attached to his position; he was notably the ultimate authority on all matters, though he generally focused on the executive and major policy or legislature decisions.

In contrast to many other polities in the area, which were primarily government-based states, Rownor was a true nation. It was born out of popular revolt and belief in a single hero (Rownor, who became the first king), and fostered popular unity primarily based on nationalist sentiment and Brok culture. Some of the kingdom's unique traits were derived from its strong national spirit: notably, the tax system, and the kingdom's exceptional economic performance.

The Rownian economy was unique, primarily thanks to the large influence constructivists had during the state's formative years. It had a free market with open competition, which was different from all its neighbors, but this encouraged production and allowed Rownor to match Bromalnor, despite its smaller size and less accessible resources.^[1]

The Rownian taxation system was also special. In contrast to the relatively weak governments of neighboring states (except Bromalnor), Rownor had very high taxes. However, these taxes did not have to be exclusively paid in currency or food as in Bromalnor: instead, Rownian citizens were allowed to pay their taxes in a wide variety of ways, including coins and commodities, but also public service: ten years of military or civil service were equivalent to a life's worth of taxes. Accordingly, Rownor had a well-trained and large army with an especially large reserve force, and its large civil service force was very effective, making large public construction projects like road or fortress construction easy. And, by merging the systems of public service and taxes, the preferences and abilities of individuals could be optimally applied to the system.

History

The Rownor Kingdom was founded in 625 b. OW, when the hobgoblin officer Rownor decided to found a nation out of the distinct Brok people; his primary goal was to protect them from external oppression, initially that of the Drummir government. He engendered a rich period known as Age of Heroes; during this time, the young state flourished, and Brok notions like heroism had a strong presence.

After King Endrang laid down his sword and left the kingdom, the great age ended, and King Astamourn started the Big-Table Age; an established elite class of guildsmen and military officers ruled the kingdom.

Rownor finally fell to a devastating orcish assault in 393 b. OW.