Listenesse
From Breaking Worlds
Part of a series about the nations of the world of Arginet.
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A rich and fertile land ruled by a powerful warrior caste.
In the distant past, Listenesse consisted of nothing more than petty states and small chiefdoms, but a warlike people from the southwest, the Genz de Clas, conquered the land and forged it into a mighty nation. To this day Listenese society is highly stratified - far more so than in Arginet - and the noble caste hold the power of life and death over their serfs.
It has a long and turbulent history punctuated by civil wars, feuds, and revolts. Accordingly its noble warriors, the chevaliers, are renowned for their martial and equestrian prowess as well as for their ruthlessness.
Listenesse is largely rural aside from its capital city, Corbenic; elsewhere, the centres of society and trade are the castles and fortified estates of the nobility.
Arginese characters may have visited Listenesse to trade (especially in fine food and wine), as mercenaries, or for political or social reasons. Many believe that Arginet and Listenesse share a common heritage, and nobles in each country may have connections in the other, while the more radical among the Reformists see it as a nation ripe for revolution.
Listenese names and terms are mostly French, although Dutch and German names are also appropriate for peasants.