Costeno

Costeno is the southernmost province of Lauchenoiria, and a historical nation prior to Lauchenoirian unification. Costeno was the founder of the Costenan Empire, which claimed territory in a number of locations, including modern-day Slokais Islands, Aredoa and Wosteaque.

History

Pre-imperial times

Historically, Costeno was the name given to the territory between the Ecanta River, the [insert other river name] and the Bay of Kås. The area first became united around 600 C.E. following a period of feudal conflicts and city states. Between 600 C.E. and 1500, Costeno formed into a united kingdom, sharing a language with their northern neighbours Yervia and Fleura and with trade routes stretching to Iustos across the sea to the south-west. From around 1260, Catholic settlers and preachers from the Sanctarian Catholic Church began to arrive in the area, slowly driving worshippers of Secadualism, the previous majority religion, out of the area and establishing Catholicism as the primary religion of Costeno.

Costenan Empire

Main article: Costenan Empire

In the 1500s, a Costenan expeditionary force left seeking new territory. They sailed to lands unknown to them and colonised part of modern-day Slokais Islands, establishing San Bernardo colony.

In the 1730s, Costeno managed to achieve what they had been attempting for centuries: the colonisation of Aeluria. Costenans had been attacking Aeluria with an aim to colonisation since the formation of the Empire in 1503, however previous attacks had always been fought off, making their neighbours one of their strongest foes despite having far fewer numbers.

In 1820 the colony in Slokais was lost, as Costenan forces were defeated and their colonies taken under the control of [other empire]. The death of the empire began in 1876 with a declaration of independence by Aredoa and was cemented in the 1880s, when the north of Costeno (present-day Ecanta) and Aeluria united against the Costenan authorities, managing to provoke a revolution in Costeno in order to end their oppression, ending the monarchy in Costeno and the empire.

Lauchenoirian unification

In 1920, now-republican Costeno was approached by the leaders of South Fleura to their north and invited to a conference with the leaders of Yervia and the now-independent Ecanta in order to discuss the possibility of uniting into one state in order to protect the republican status of the areas, after numerous threats from monarchies and internal monarchist groups. After two years of negotiation, the four united with Melissa and Ulinaria to create Lauchenoiria.

As a province of Lauchenoiria

Following the unification of Lauchenoiria, Costenan influence gradually began to decline as the local economy suffered following a prolonged drought in the south of the country. The new state was dominated by Fleurans, who had proposed the initial unification. Many in Costeno were dissatisfied with unification, and there were several attempts by groups to encourage the regional Costenan authorities to secede from Lauchenoiria; though these attempts had mostly faded out by the time of the Lauchenoirian Communist Revolution.

During the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War, Costeno was the site of much of the fighting, with the Battle of Summersea alongside the First Battle of Carville and Second Battle of Carville taking place in the province. Infrastructure damage following the war was extensive, and the province continues to struggle to carry out all necessary repairs in 2023.

Geography

In the present day, Costeno covers the territory in the south of Lauchenoiria below the Ecanta River in the west from the coast to Butterfly Point, and below a line stretching from Butterfly Point to the easternmost border of Lauchenoiria; with historical Costenan territory also covering the modern-day province of Ecanta which covers the area above the Butterfly Point line and below the Ecanta River.

The province is the hottest part of Lauchenoiria, with summer temperatures reaching upwards of 35ºC. Costeno is prone to heatwaves and a lack of rainfall, meaning that food stores often need to be imported into the area from the north of the country. During the imperial period, many trees were chopped for wood, resulting in the deforestation of the province and the damage of soil in the interior of the province.

Culture

Costeno remains the province with the highest percentage of Christians in Lauchenoiria, and the lowest percentage of Secadualists. Due to the hot weather, Costenans often swim for leisure in the sea, or engage in other sea-based sports. There is little agricultural tradition in Costeno due to the damage to the land, with most Costenans working in manufacturing or the hospitality sector. Costeno remains a popular vacation spot for domestic and foreign tourists.