Wraith's Characters and Worldbuilding

[Wraith]

This here is a nifty little thread that I will use for cataloguing all of my characters and worldbuilding. This post here is reserved for my directory.

 

[Wraith]

Characters for (Insert Story Name Here):
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Name: Grazyna Kowalczyk (pronounced gra-ZHI-na Ko-val-chick)
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Spoiler: Physical Appearance

Spoiler: Clothing Inspiration

Spoiler: Informal Clothing

Spoiler: Formal Clothing

Personality:
Grazyna, or Zi, as she is often called, is a woman of many faces. She's taken on so many different personalities that she's honestly not sure which one is really hers anymore. The one that most people associate with her is the prim and proper lady, always doing what is expected of her with a calm expression and total lack of visible emotion. This is the persona she wears at public events and when meeting allies, or potential allies. But behind the scenes, alone with her mother and her mother's trusted advisors, she's entirely different. She's a shrewd politician who has shown her ability to understand complicated matters, steer Polenia in the right direction, and manage even the toughest of situations. But there's a third side as well- her friendly, carefree nature that is rarely seen around court. She uses it to make friends with the palace servants, and she often discards the trappings of her noble status and sneaks out of the castle in plain clothes, pretending to be a commoner under the name of Iza. Obviously she keeps these escapades a secret, and uses these trips as a way to connect to the commoners and learn about the problems they're facing so she can better know how to serve her people.

Backstory:
Grazyna is the only child of Lyudmila Kowalczyk, the Duchess and highest-ranking lady in Polenia. Grazyna was raised with expectations as a child. Her father had died when she was still very young, and after the power struggles Lyudmila had gotten into her previous husband she had decided not to remarry so as not to have anyone else challenge her role. So Grazyna's childhood was spent mostly with tutors and nannies, with her mother often being too busy to spend much time with her. Fortunately, with Polenia being the only region in Europa where women are allowed to hold titles, Grazyna was allowed to learn politics, as she was expected to someday inherit her mother's title. Her mother had a habit of dismissing advisors and other nobles that she didn't agree with, so there were few other noble children in the palace, and those that were there didn't stay long. As such, Grazyna made friends with the servants' children, the start of her affiliations with the common people. She eventually learned to be the person her mother wanted to be in public, and hide her own thoughts and feelings most of the time.

With King Éibhear dying without a clear heir and Lady Lyudmila being the daughter of his eldest sister, she has claimed that she is the rightful heir, making Grazyna a princess, supposedly. At first she viewed her mother's ambitions as silly- the rest of the country would never accept a female ruler, and besides, Polenia wasn't strong enough to succeed on their own. But once it seemed Polenia would be making an alliance with Espanya, she began to hope. The other contenders were all self-centered and power-hungry. Their courts are full of corruption, and she knowns they care little for the common people. If she and her mother can win then there's a chance they could improve the country significantly, so she has turned her attention to helping her mother gain the throne.

 

[Wraith]

Europa World-Building

(This post is very much still a work in progress, and will be changed and added to frequently. Thanks!)

Click Me For Map!
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Espanya: @TheCrowmuse11 is handling this region in this thread.

Polenia:

Spoiler: Real World Inspiraton

Polenia's naming conventions, as well as some other aspects of their culture, are inspired by the country of Poland. However, please be advised that this country is not, nor should it be taken as, an accurate representation of Poland, either historical or modern.

Spoiler: Geography and Climate

Polenia is the southernmost region in Europa. Lisowska, the capital city, is located on the southeastern coast. Climate is mild, with warm summers and relatively moderate winters, with temperatures only falling below freezing about a month of the year. The region is bounded by the Orroux Rivière (a river) on the north, the Kallittos Montibus (mountains) in the west, and the sea to the south and east. Most of the region is made of open plains with occasional hills. The majority of the land is devoted to agriculture.

Spoiler: Economy

Polenia's main trade is in food production. They have some of the most fertile land in Europa, and they have a lucrative fishing trade, both in the sea and along the river to the north. But they are also known for their craftsmen. They have a wide variety of skilled painters, sculptors, and even architects as well.

Spoiler: Politics

Polenia, as a region, is a duchy of the country of Europa. The duchy is headed by the current duke or duchess, who answers only to the king of Europa. Unlike the other regions of Europa, here women are actually allowed to inherit titles and hold their own property. The current leader of Polenia is Duchess Lyudmila Kowalczyk. Her father, Vasilli Kowalczyk was duke before her. Her mother was Princess Nora, eldest sister of King Éibhear, which is why the duchess now has her eyes set on the throne.

Polenia's closest political relationship is with the region of Espanya. Most other parts of Europa have little interest in the small region, considering it unimportant. Their dealings with Gallia are relatively friendly, mainly because Gallia is one of Polenia's main trading partners, although it is mostly a one-sided partnership, and Polenia is in the process of shifting many of their trading contracts to Espanya. Polenia and Ealga have previously had friendly relations, but the duchess has had a long-standing feud with Prince
Garbhán, the nephew that King Éibhear has named as heir, and with him set to inherit the throne the relationship between Polenia and the capital have weakened significantly. The region of Brittanica usually pays little mind to Polenia, and Polenia reciprocates that view. And Polenia has little to no contact with Diutisc due to the large difference between them.

Polenia has a pretty friendly relationship with Italia as well. Since the leaders of each region have a large degree of autonomy, Polenia has formed some favorable trading alliances with that country as well, although they know that Italia refuses to get involved in politics of other nations, instead insisting on staying neutral so as not to end up on the losing side. As far as Scandia, well, no one has friendly relationship with that country of raiders. Still, Polenia's southern location means raids here are rare, although not completely unknown.

Spoiler: Inspiration Pictures

Spoiler: Clothing

(For more pictures, feel free to look at the clothing inspiration pictures for Grazyna in the above post.)

Spoiler: Locations

Spoiler: Lisowska

The City of Lisowska:

Zamek Smok:

With a name that literally translates to "Dragon Castle," Zamek Smok is located in the heart of Lisowska. It is the seat of the duke or duchess of Polenia. It's name stems from the rumor that there's a dragon sleeping deep inside the hill the castle is buried under.