Lazberia

Lazberia (ラズベリア Razuberia) is a continent in the TearRing Saga Series that serves as the setting for Berwick Saga. Based on descriptions from Shouzou Kaga's blog, it is believed to be situated north of the continent of Lieberia. There is known to be an unseen continent situated to the east of Lazberia.

Historically, the first widespread settlement on the continent was the Lazberian Empire, which fell roughly a thousand years before the present day.

In the modern period, the two main factions on the continent in the modern period are the Berwick League in the north and west and the Raze Empire in the east. Centuries of on-and-off warfare between these two great powers have largely defined the history on the continent since the fall of the Lazberian Empire.

Geography
Lazberia is covered in a significant amount of mountains and highlands, especially in the west. Significant ranges include the Amtyre Mountains (アムタイル山岳 Amutairu Sangaku) and the Goran Plateaus (ゴラン高原 Goran Kougen), located around the Highland Duchy, the Pesil Mountains (ペシル山岳 Pesil Sangaku) in the Kingdom of Pesil, and the Neam Mountains (ニーム山脈 Nīmu Sanmyaku)

Forests and grasslands are known to be plentiful in most areas between these highlands. A forest called the Devil's Woods (魔神の森 Majin no Mori) covers the vast majority of the Morra Region (モーラ地方 Mōra Chihou), corresponding roughly to the Razite province of Garna, while the Barmoar Forest (バルモアの森 Barumoa no Mori) and Danae Forest (ダナエの森 Danae no Mori) cover significant swaths of land in Veria.

Harsher regions of the continent include the cold regions roughly corresponding to the Northern Lands; the hot Sakiria Desert (サキリア砂漠 Sakiria Sabaku), which covers most of the Razite provinces of Sakiria and Boar; and the largely uninhabited Liga Desert (リガ砂漠 Riga Sabaku) owned by Veria.

The most significant body of water for Lazberia is the Sea of Berre (variously ベール海 Bēru Kai or ヴェール海 Vēru Kai), a massive inland sea in the center of the continent that has enabled maritime trade to flourish. In ancient times, the sea had been a great freshwater lake, but the earthquake that destroyed the Old Empire split a narrow strait through the southern edge of the continent and connected it to the ocean. The only major landmass in the Sea of Berre is called Berwick Isle (ベルウィック島).

Significant rivers branching off from the Sea of Berre include the Sevall River (セヴァール河 Sevāru Kawa) in northeastern Veria and the Remagen River (レマゲン河 Remagen Kawa)

Calendar
Two main calendar systems are in use in Lazberia, called RAC and VAC, or the Razite and Verian calendars, respectively.

The RAC calendar, which is used in the Raze Empire, counts years starting from the Empire's founding. The VAC calendar, used in the Berwick League, is counted from the death date of High Priest Aramgraz. The 1st day of the 1st month of the 1st year of VAC (0001/01/01 VAC) corresponds to the 14th day of the 11th month of the 27th year of RAC (0027/11/14), giving an offset of 26 years, 10 months, and 13 days. It is not mentioned what the lengths of the months or years are, but it is known that days are 24 hours, both calendars use 12 months, and the world has the same four seasons as the real world.

In the fan translation, RAC month names are taken from Irish, while VAC months are from Latin:

Rise and Fall of the Old Empire
The Lazberian Empire, or Empire of Lazberia (ラズベリア帝国 Razuberia Teikoku), also called the Old Empire (旧帝国 Kyuuteikoku) to distinguish it from the name of the continent, was founded by Zoan settlers from the continent of Lieberia roughly in the year -1200 RAC (Lieberian year 34), roughly 1800 years before Berwick Saga. These Zoans were originally loyal followers of Gerxel who had fled from Lieberia for fear of persecution after the uprising of Carluon and Utna and the fall of the old Zoa Empire. Some time during the next millennium, their religion became ditheistic, following the Sky Father Raze and Earth Mother Veria.

These founding Zoans, calling themselves the Sons of God (神の子ら kami no kora) and claiming to hail from the celestial land of Altesia (アルテシア Aruteshia), used advanced technology and their knowledge of magic to oppress the native peoples of Lazberia. They destroyed the tribes' original ethnic identities and enslaved them, creating a harsh caste system. Due to the massive workforce this provided, they were able to create a powerful state in the ancient Morra Region.

The descendants of the Sons of God enacted laws that further distanced themselves from the lower classes, such as forbidding mixed-race marriages and exiling dissenting citizens from the capital. The descendants of these dissenting voices, largely followers of the goddess Veria, would eventually carry on part of the Empire's legacy. The higher classes, however, remained almost exclusively in the Old Empire's capital (named Heliki in the fan translation), a fact which indirectly helped cause the downfall of their civilization. About a thousand years after the Empire's founding, a massive earthquake sank the Empire's coastal capital into the Sea of Berre, dragging its inhabitants down with it. Only a few scattered individuals living outside the capital--mostly slave-owners and exiles--survived the destruction.

After the Empire's fall, the land fell into disarray. In the next two centuries, the cities that remained of the once-great Empire were consumed in civil war. The final blow was dealt when mighty barbarians invaded from a continent to the east and sacked the Empire's former lands. Former slaves revolted from their masters, and what remained of the Old Empire's civilization was shattered.

Rise of Raze and Eltana
A chieftain of the eastern barbarians, hearing of the great nation that had gone before, slowly began to pick up the scattered pieces of the Old Empire. With the assistance of a chance survivor of the Old Empire’s priestly order—who had preserved bits and pieces of the near-lost knowledge of technology and magic—led a brave army to reclaim the majority of the Old Empire’s territory, uniting the east under his banner. And in doing so, he ultimately created a successor state to the Old Empire, he founded a new autocratic regime following only one god, the Sky Father Raze. The Raze Empire (ラーズ帝国), as this new Empire was called, has continued to flourish for the past six centuries.

Aside from this, the formerly enslaved farmers and exiled clergy of Earth Mother Veria had founded their own state, the Free Commonwealth of Veria (自由ヴェリア共和国 Jiyuu Veria Kyouwakoku) in the western regions of the Old Empire (roughly the northeastern tip of modern Garna province). These people were particularly devout followers of Veria, and they took in freedmen and fugitive slaves from across the surrounding area, growing to a massive size of over a million citizens.

However, it was not to be a peaceful time for them. During the era of the new Raze Empire’s initial expansion westward, the fight to remain independent grew more and more dire. Before the power and numbers of the Razites, the Commonwealth was forced to gradually cede their borders, and a terrible religious crackdown by the invaders was feared to be inevitable.

In those days, a man named Aramgraz was a priest of the Commonwealth. He was a pure-blooded descendant of the Sons of God who had devoted more than thirty years to liberating and providing relief to slaves. He entreated the people of the Commonwealth to try for peaceful coexistence with the Razites, but his opinion was a minority against his vehement contemporaries.

However, he then called for a different solution: a great migration westward, far away from the Empire. In 22 RAC, Aramgraz led over a hundred thousand migrants on a journey to the west, the Exodus (逃避行 Touhikou). They traveled across the burning Sakiria Desert, defending themselves from the hostile mountain-tribes of Pesil along the way, until they finally reached the great Sevall River in the following year. No one from their homeland had ever set foot beyond the Sevall, but the region's remoteness would prove to be a valuable defense against the Raze Empire. From there, they traveled further west, coming to a great conifer-dotted grassland overlooking two large lakes with small rivers in between. It was here that Aramgraz would found a new city-state, the Republic of Eltana (エルタナ共和国 Erutana Kyouwakoku) so named after a mythical land of wheat, milk, and honey.

After Aramgraz's death (the start of 1 VAC), his disciples went on to found the Church of Veria based on his teachings and writings, swearing to pass on his wisdom to all future generations. His granddaughter, Valentia, became the Church's first Apostle. However, a crisis soon came to the young republic. The region they settled in was sparsely populated, but not empty. They began to make contact with the surrounding tribes; many of them were kindred spirits, providing much-needed trade partners and coexisting peacefully, but others began to raid and wear down the republic's defenses. The more Eltana grew, the greater the threat became, and after VAC 50, it was a crisis of life and death.

Surrounding tribes had begun to feel threatened by Eltana’s rapid growth, and they formed a confederation, besieging the capital in a fierce battle that lasted three years. As an infant republic, Eltana was unable to respond efficiently to this emergency. Even when the city walls were on the verge of collapse, the senators were still trudging through bureaucratic debates. The Apostle Valentia, greatly troubled at this situation the dissolved the Senate at the behest of an emergency civil society that had formed. Instead, she temporarily placed all authority in the hands of a trustworthy leader, General Arless. He was a prestigious and intelligent nobleman whose family had served at Aramgraz’s right hand from the earliest days, and he had overwhelming support among the citizens.

Under Arless’s leadership and quick thinking, the people of Eltana were able to unite against their besiegers, and in less than a year, all the barbarians were subjugated; the crisis that threatened the Eltana Republic was averted. Due to Arless’s overwhelming success, the civil society resolved that the republic should transition to a monarchy under his rule. This motion eventually passed among the civil society in 62 VAC, when the Kingdom of Veria (ヴェリア王国 Veria Oukoku) was born with Arless I as its first absolute monarch. The city of Eltana became the new royal capital, Valemtine. However, the kingdom would still have much growing to do, as it was still a small state with less than 20% of its modern territory.

As for the citizens of the Commonwealth of Veria back in the east, they eventually would have to flee north as well during the next centuries. Around the time of their migration, legend says that the goddess Veria selected three maidens as her Chosen Ones: St. Leia, St. Riana, and St. Selenia, who wielded anima magic to defend her followers. They settled north of the Empire, where they founded the Kingdoms of Leia, Ishs, and Pesil (collectively the Eastern Three or the Leia Region); some of them also moved north and west, founding both the Kingdom of Riana (by St. Riana) and later the Duchy of Selenia (by St. Selenia). From the earliest times, these nations have been allied with their close neighbor, the Kingdom of Veria.

Beginning of the Holy War
Half a century after the founding of Veria, disagreements arose with the Raze Empire regarding jurisdiction of the Leia Region. The Empire claimed the former Commonwealth of Veria as having been their own territory, and so also claimed that the kingdoms of the Leia Region were therefore Imperial colonies. The Kingdom of Veria and others sided against them, supporting the Leia Region's claims of independence from the Raze Empire. No agreement could be found, and the conflict escalated into a long-standing war that has lasted nearly five centuries to the present day.

In order to better combat the threat the Raze Empire presented, the other nations formed an alliance of eleven nations, signing a pact on Berwick Isle, forming the Berwick League (ベルウィック同盟 Beruwikku Doumei). The original signatories to the alliance were Veria, Leia, Ishs, Pesil, Riana, and the six other kingdoms of the Northern Lands. They have since been joined by the seven Verian Duchies (Yutoria, Selenia, Bornia, Narvia, Diana, the Highland, and the Lowland), the five Verian Marches (Mineva, Sinon, Lombard, and two unknown others), and the Autonomous See of Danae (the seat of the Church of Veria).

The League was originally meant to be an equal alliance among the eleven founders, but since Veria also was the seat of the Church, it naturally became the leader. If any of the dukes or margraves ever disobeyed this unspoken agreement, they would be executed as rebels; kingdoms like Leia and Riana are not held to such strict requirements, but obedience is still expected.

Kingdom of Veria (ヴェリア王国)
The Kingdom of Veria proper is a roughly rectangular region in the northeast of the realm. It rules over seven duchies and five marches, and it has control over various unincorporated regions as well. It also provides land and protection to the Church of Veria in the form of the Autonomous See. The royal capital is at Valemtine (バレムタイン), formerly known as Eltana.

The Seven Duchies
The seven duchies are ruled by dukes (公爵 koushaku), who rank just under the royal family in stature.

Duchy of Yutoria (ユトリア公国)
Yutoria's capital city is Berion (ベリオン). In early production drafts, its duke's name was Garlant (ガーラント).

Little else is known of Yutoria save that it sided with the Raze Empire along with Serenia during the recent invasion.

Duchy of Serenia (セレニア公国)
Serenia's capital city is Zaltzheim (ザルツヘイム). Its duke is Piers (ピアス), whose daughter is Lynette (リネット).

Along with Yutoria, Serenia betrayed the Berwick League and joined the Empire during its invasion. After Serenia was counterattacked by Berwick forces, Margrave Bernstol of Sinon took in Lynette as his own daughter.

Duchy of Narvia (ナルヴィア公国)
Narvia's capital city is Navaron (ナルヴィア城). Its duke is Roswick. Roswick has two children, Catherine and Vanmilion. Roswick has one deceased brother, Carron, whose daughter is Tianna. Catherine is married to Duke Mikhail Warrenheit of the Lowland Duchy, and they have an adopted daughter, Enid Warrenheit.

Narvia's other settlements include Sara (サーラの村) and Aryuza (アリューザの街). Narvia also contains the Neam Mountains (ニーム山脈), Mount Neville (ネーベル山), Demias Forest (デミアスの森), and Ogre Valley (オーガ谷).

After the fall of Valemtine to the Empire, King Volcens and his court fled to Navaron and re-established the Berwick League there. Much of the plot of Berwick Saga takes place in Narvia, especially in Navaron.

Duchy of Bornia (ボルニア公国)
Bornia's capital city is Menas (メナス). Its duke is Reed, whose son is Vester.

Bornia's other settlements include Ruan (ルーアン城) and Fort Turon (ツーロン砦).

During Berwick Saga, the dukedom is usurped by Theodore, and most of the duchy's soldiers subsequently side with the Raze Empire. Vester then defects back to the Berwick League and struggles to reclaim his homeland.

Duchy of Diana (ディアナ公国)
Diana's capital is unnamed in-game. Its duchess is Sienna, who is married to Bernard, a disinherited prince of Veria.

Duchy of the Highland (ハイランド公国)
The Highland's capital is Myuhen (ミューヘン). In early drafts of Berwick Saga, its duke was named Arnest (アーネスト). Duke Arnest was to be married to a certain Maria (マリア), who would've been a child of Roswick of Narvia, and would have been the adoptive father of Enid.

The Highland Duchy is so named because it is largely covered in high-altitude terrain, including the Goran Plateau and Amtyre Mountains. During Berwick Saga, Myuhen falls to the Raze Empire, and Reese must help the Berwick League's retreating soldiers escape as they are pursued by Imperial forces.

Duchy of the Lowland (ローランド公国)
The Lowland's capital is Hariheart (ハリハート). Its duke is Mikhail Warrenheit, who is married to Catherine, the daughter of Duke Roswick of Narvia. Mikhail and Catherine's adopted daughter is Enid Warrenheit, the daughter of Ferianne Groudel of Leia.

The Lowland's other settlements include Baston (バストンの街), Kanne (カンネ村), Lebron (レブロンの街), Fort Remagen (レマゲン要塞), and Fort Damsarl (ダムサル城砦).

The Five Marches
The five marches are ruled by margraves (伯爵 hakushaku), who rank beneath the seven dukes.

Other Places
Many other unidentified places are named in Berwick Saga, including:
 * Anatolia (アナトリア): a place where wine can be bought
 * Lonsania Region (ロンザニア地方): a place where tigers are found
 * Wallachia Region (ワラキア地方): a place where wild boars are found
 * Apollonia (アポロネア): Sylwiss's homeland
 * Port Gaillard (ガリアドの港): a port on the Sea of Berre where Sylwiss encountered Weiss
 * Morachia (モラキア): the home of Morachian horses