| Lagoas | |
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| Derlavian Kingdom Darkness Fantasy | |
| Capital: | Setubal |
| Government: | Absolute monarchy |
| Status: | Active |
Lagoas was one of two countries sharing an island southeast of the Derlavaian continent, the other being its much larger neighbor Kuusamo to the east. Ruled by King Vitor at the outbreak of the Derlavaian War, Lagoas maintained a colony in the Land of the Ice People and possessed other settlements in Siaulia. Its capital city was Setubal.
History[]
Ancient Lagoas was conquered by the Kaunian Empire. After that empire's collapse, invading tribes of Algarvic stock seized Kuusaman lands and established themselves on the western third of the island.
Over the next millennia Lagoas fought several wars with Kuusamo, even as their populations interbred to a degree unheard-of on mainland Derlavai; centuries later many Lagoans had recognizable signs of Kuusaman ancestry. By the time of the Derlavaian War's outbreak, Lagoas and Kuusamo had been at peace for two centuries. Kuusamans still recited a ritual chant predicting that the Lagoans would one day leave the island as the Kaunians did but in practice accepted that the Lagoans were there to stay.
Lagoas also fought several wars with Sibiu at some point.
Laogas intervened late in the Six Years' War, sending troops to fight in western Valmiera where they helped stall the final Algarvian advance on Priekule. Despite its brevity Lagoas' intervention proved to be costly and unpopular at home, and the island kingdom adopted a neutral stance in the postwar period.
The Derlavaian War[]
Lagoas remained neutral when the war broke out, remembering how its intervention in the Six Years War had resulted in great financial and human cost for little gain. However, when Algarve seized Sibiu in a surprise attack, Lagaos immediately declared war, as Algarvian possession of the Sibian Islands threatened Lagoas' own well-being.
A Lagoan expeditionary force arrived on the Derlavaian mainland but was soon routed and forced off the continent when Valmiera was smashed in a lightning campaign. Most of the Lagoan soldiers were rescued but much equipment was abandoned and Lagoan behemoths had to be slaughtered en masse to prevent their capture by Algarve.
For the better part of a year Lagoas was unable to wage war against Algarve anywhere except at sea. The country also served as a haven for Sibian and Valmieran exiles who continued to fight against Algarve.
The Lagoan army became engaged in the war again when Yanina invaded the Lagoan colony on the austral continent. The Yaninans were eventually routed and driven back into their territory, but Algarvian intervention ended Lagoan hopes of a swift triumph. The Lagoan and joint Algarvian/Yaninan forces drove one another back and forth, and even the addition of Kuusaman troops and dragons following that nation's entry into the war was not sufficient to break the stalemate. Only Algarve's attempted use of Kaunian sacrifices gave the Lagoan/Kuusaman army the breakthrough it needed; the Ice People's gods, angered at the mass slaughter of helpless victims, turned the destructive energies unleashed against the Algarvian army. Shortly afterwards, the Lagoan army brought its campaign on the austral continent to a successful conclusion.
A year later Lagoas participated in the liberation of Sibiu from Algarve, and its dragon fliers undertook an ever-growing campaign of night bombing raids on Algarvian cities. During the massive amphibious landings in Jelgava and the subsequent ground campaign to liberate that country, Lagoas provided about a quarter of the allied ground forces; the size disparity between the two nations meant that Lagoas was the junior partner and its troops served under the Kuusaman Grand General Nortano. Lagoan soldiers invaded Algarve itself from both of the newly-liberated Kaunian nations, and undertook occupation duties alongside those of Kuusamo following Algarve's surrender.
Throughout the war Lagoas made other contributions to the victory over Algarve, sending material to Unkerlant and providing its mages' expertise in magical research for war-winning developments such as Habakkuk dragon carriers and the city-destroying sorcery that laid waste to Gyorvar, the capital of Gyongyos.
People and Society[]
Lagoans were generally Algarvic in appearance and mannerisms, being red- or sandy-haired and wearing kilts; their physical appearance sometimes caused discomfort within other Derlavaians who despised Algarvians. Lagoans were, however, unique in the habit of tying their hair in ponytails, while Algarvians did not, and many of them had noticeable Kuusaman ancestry, including the mage Fernao.
Setubal, Lagoas' capital, was the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan city in the world. This was due in part to Setubal sitting at the confluence of more ley lines than any other city.
Setubal had an extensive public transportation network and many unusually tall buildings.
Literary Comment[]
The Lagoan language is based on Portuguese. "Lagoa" is the name of many locales in the Portuguese-speaking world. The most relevant is likely municipality of Lagoa which is in the Algarve region of Portugal.
Lagoas in the Derlavaian War serves as a rough analog for the United Kingdom during World War II, though its role in the Six Years' War resembles that of the United States in World War I.
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