Going through some files on his laptop, Sabullo finds an old history class paper.

"Oh, yeah. I remember this project. Heh. Paxlia, huh?"

Out of nostalgia, he begins to read his paper, curious as to what he had written.

Paxlia

Geography

Paxalia was located on an island, to the west of mainland Ransei. It was practically a straight shot west of the "tail" of the island-continent. The island had the same name as the nation.

The island was formed by an undersea volcano. It rose steeply out of the sea, surrounded by cruel currents on almost all sides. The only sane place to land was at the port city of Nova Concordia. There, a strange break in the currents left a small, safe path for ships to sail through.

Inland, the island was mostly rolling hills and farmland, dotted with villages. The exception was Mount Sagax. Gently rising from the hills around it, this mountain stood near the center of the island. At its base lied the capital city, Pacemnas.

The island's soil was very rich and good for farming, thanks to the volcano that created it.

Halfway up Mount Sagax, built into the mountainside, stood the Arx Vatium, the palace of the nation's ruler. It was considered one of the Wonders of the World for its time period.

People

Rulers:

The official title of the ruler of Paxlia was The Poet-King. His palace, the Arx Vatium, was where he traditionally spent most of his time. He wore the Golden Laurel Crown, and sat upon the Balancing Throne, symbolizing the country's traditional position of absolute neutrality.

Culture:

Paxlia is considered to be the artistic and intellectual capital of ancient Ransei. Most of the greatest artists, in all mediums, were either born on the island, or came to learn in the schools of Pacemnas. Because of its peaceful history, Paxlia had been able to freely develop the greatest achievements in the arts and sciences of its era.

Paxlia was also the host of an odd custom. Every five years, the Ransei Ultimate Championship was held in Nova Concordia. It can be best described as a hybridization of the modern Olympic Games, and Ancient Roman gladiator battles. Each nation sent a group five representatives, to fight in the Championship, and they each paid a certain amount of money to enter their representatives. Though there are five per nation, those five aren't on the same team- each battle was one v one. Whoever won the final match brought great honor and glory to themselves and their nation. The winning nation also received 45% of the total entry money. The rest of that money, as well as the profits from the ticket sales, went to Paxlia.

Foreign Relations:

Due to the difficulty in reaching the island, Paxlia had been for the most part left alone by the constantly warring nations of mainland Ransei. This had also been aided by its strict policy of neutrality. In fact, the Peace-Kings were known throughout Ransei to be wise and just judges, and were often requested to mediate between nations during peace negotiations.

During the rule of the 59nth Poet-King, an astonishing event happened. All of the nations of Ransei, in an unprecedented move, unanimously agreed to a single treaty. This treaty was known as the Treaty of Pacemnas. In essence, it meant that if any nation should attack Paxlia, all of the others would be obligated to go to Paxlia's aid and fight against that nation. The reasoning behind this was that all of the nations wished for this neutral nation, remote and impartial, to remain that way so that they may have a place to meet, to talk, and to negotiate.