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Lendosan
Confederation
The Lendosan Confederation's
flag was first used by the Lendosan Alliance, the first united Lendosan
state. The central symbol, called the drinisi, is an ancient emblem
for the six traditional Virtues, although in
modern times, many people interpret it as representing Lendosa's six member
states. The gold stripes are believed to have represented the two main
islands, Lendia and Piolsa, although they are not given this meaning today.
The white background was intended to represent peace. |
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Free Republic of Lendia
The Free Republic of Lendia,
the Lendosan Confederation's most populous member state, dates back to
the Kingdom of Lendosa, founded in 1359 BP by the union of Lolthia and
Neonia. The colour blue (representing the sea) and the star were taken
from the flag of Lolthia (a white star on a blue field), while the yellow
octagon was an emblem of the Neonian royal house (although not Neonia itself).
The flag was later used for the first and second Lendian Republics, but
was abandoned in favour of a white-gold-blue tricolour by the Lendian Empire.
After the Empire's fall, the flag was restored. |
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Kingdom of Piolsa
The Kingdom of Piolsa currently
uses a flag that was originally used by the High Kingdom of Piolsa, a state
which united six smaller Piolsan states (Rezimano, Videc, Arcosta, Valar,
Sargon, and Meigan). The three original components (Rezimano, Videc, and
Arcosta) provided the basis for the flag - the diamonds and blue background
are taken directly from the flag of Rezimano (still used for the region
of the same name), while green was the official colour of Arcosta. The
layout of the flag was based on the royal banner of Videc (as opposed to
the national flag, which was deemed impossible to incorporate neatly).
The three diamonds were said to represent the three original countries,
although in fact, there were three diamonds on the Rezimanian flag as well. |
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Federation of Rabel
The flag of Rabel is based
on the traditional colours of the four datan of the islands, with
the white in the centre representing both peace and purity. The layout
of the bands in reminiscent of the traditional art of the islands, which
uses cross-like paterns to a great extent. The symbolism of the yellow
field is lost. |
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Republic of Ranha
The flag of Ranha consists
of two main symbols. The two blue bands indicate the unusual belief in
Ranhi religion that not only does land float on a huge sea, but that the
blue sky is actually the bottom of another sea, with the sea/land/sky cycle
repeating into infinity. The triangle and star have two possible explanations.
One says that the triangle is Mount Granata, and that the star is the position
of a star that was particularly holy to the Ranhi, at a particular time
of night on a particularly holy day. The other is that the triangle is
a symbol of the three-sided approach to tribal rulership. |
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Avatariate of Kha
The symbol on the Kha flag
is that of the Kha religion, still followed in the islands. The origin
of this symbol is unknown, but it is believed that they brought it from
whichever place it was the Kha originally immigrated from. The symbolism
of the background, however, is known; it represents the blood supposedly
shed by their people, in the genocide against the Kha that forced them
to leave their original homeland. The circle surrounding the symbol was
supposedly added after the Kha arrived in their new home, and represents
both solidarity and security. |
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Patricianate of Rioch
The origins of the Riochan
flag are completly unknown, even to the Riochans themselves. It has been
used by Rioch for longer than anyone can remember. The best guess for the
grey field is based in the obsession with mist, symbolising mystery and
secrecy (a positive attribute, to the Riochans). It is unclear why there
are two shades, however. There are hints in ancient documents that the
three stars, probably based on the constellation called Larinavai, somehow
symbolize eternity, another large concept in Riochan myths. Why they might
symbolise eternity, however, is unknown. |
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Region of
Aspalia
The flag of Aspalia is based
on the banners used by the historic Kingdom of Aspalia, which in turn were
based on the royal standard of the ancient Paspalhite civilization. It
is believed that it in some way represented the Aspala river, running through
the center of the region, which was considered holy to the Paspalhite religion.
While this explains the presence of blue on the flag, it does not explain
why it is on the edges rather than in the centre. Judging from various
comments made by ancient Lendian scholars, it is believed that it somehow
references a myth about the river that is now lost to us. |
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Region of Avris
The flag of Avris is based
on two flags, those of the old Lendian nations of Recuna and Pula. The
two fit together nicely, with Recuna having the two red stripes and the
centre orange, and Pula being plain white with the yellow and green stripes
in the centre. There is no real understanding of how either the Recunan
or Pulan flags originated, however. |
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Region of Lolthia
The flag of Lolth is based
on the flag of the historic Kingdom of Lolthia, which was in turn based
on that of the pre-colonisation Principality of Lolth. It is believed that
originaly, each of the eight points of the star represented one of the
qualities a person must strive for in the old religion of Lolth, similar
to the virtues that the drinisi once stood for. What these qualities
were, we do not know. It is surmised that the blue background stands for
the sea, as Lolth was quite dependent on the sea, and it was a major naval
power. |
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Region of Melhoria
The flag of Melhoria is
taken from the historic Grand Duchy of Melhoria, which covered much of
the same area. The symbol on the flag represents the geographic location
of Melhoria itself, centred at the northwestern tip of Lendia. It was readopted
when the region voted to adopt the name Melhoria in place of the old Kunn
Haliton, which used a grey-orange-red horizontal tricolour. When the flag
is used by certain branches of the Melhorian regional government, the white
is replaced by gold - this is the only example of a Lendosan flag having
state and civil variants, and is based on the distinction between national
and ducal flags in historic Melhoria. |
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Region of Neonia
The flag of Neonia has been
traced right back to the Regnosian Empire. The symbol in the centre is
believed to be a symbol used by either House Xacano or House Ichandi, the
two Regnosian noble houses that established themselves in the region. The
blue and yellow come from the colours of the capital city of Zolariza,
regarded as Lendia's second city. It was the royal house of Neonia that,
along with the royal house of Lolthia, formed the first Kingdom of Lendia,
and so blue and gold became the Lendian national colours. |
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Region of Rivania
The colours on the flag
of Rivania are based around the colours of the ancient Cahno civilization,
who once inhabited the area. The star symbol is also of relevance to the
region, being derived from the Star of Frezonia used by the historic kingdom
of the same name. The Frezonian star had sixteen points, some pointing
along the stripes as well as forming their edges, but the star on the Cahno
flag was modified in honour of the Lendian eight-pointed star. The concept
of the various lines actually forming the edges of the star is based on
many similar items in Cahno art. |
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Region of Xoxina
The flag of Xoxina is identical
to the flag of the historic state of Xoxina. It was claimed, at the time,
that the flag was the personal standard of Queen Achaexa, who founded the
first country of that name in 3089 BP. This is not universally accepted
by historians, however - many claim that the founders of the second Xoxina
would not have had any real information on the first Xoxina, making claims
of the flag's early origins fictitious. If the flag is indeed ancient,
however, the original symbolism is unknown, although some believe it to
be connected to the ancient Xoxinan religion. As we know almost nothing
of this religion except that it was polytheistic and worshiped an earth
goddess as "queen of gods and nature", we cannot make speculations. |
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Region of
Austenia
The Region of Austenia takes
its flag from the war banner of a prominent Regnosian House that existed
in the area, House Nebaraxa. It is believed that the House was formed out
of a local Aystirian state in the area, and that they took the colours
from that state. What they originaly symbolised is not known. Occasionally,
the flag of the historic city and kingdom of Sargon (a green-blue-black
horizontal tricolour, divided with white) is also flown in Austenia. |
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Region of Catania
The flag of the Region of
Catania is based on the flag used by the historic state of the same name.
This flag was in turn based on the banners of the ancient Katanai tribes
who inhabited the area. It is not absolutely certain what the flag originaly
meant, but the main theory points to ancient Katanai beliefs in the difference
between the real world (yellow), the hidden spirit world (white) and the
mystical bridge between them (the orange) that was formed by the human
mind. |
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Region of Dalvara
The flag of the Region of
Dalvara is based on the banner of the ancient Kingdom of Anton, one of
the first post-Regnosian states established in Piolsa. The original Antonine
flag, however, placed the star in the centre of the flag, with two vertical
red panels on the left and right. The form of the new flag was a simply
a design decision by the Dalvaran government, and has no particular symbolism.
Sometimes, the original Antonine flag is still flown. |
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Region of Lavaia
The flag of Lavaia is a
direct copy of the one used by the historic states of Piolsa to symbolise
the state of Regnos. It is believed that it was the personal banner of
one emperor or another, and was falsely assumed to be the Regnosian flag
by mapmakers and heralds. Even when the emperor changed, this flag was
still used on Piolsan maps to symbolize Regnos. It was subsequently adopted
by the Lavaia islands during their brief period of independence, and is
now applied to the islands and their neighbouring coastline. |
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Region of Regasia
The flag of Regasia was
originally used by the Archduchy of the same name. The original state of
Regasia adapted the flag from two historical sources - the green circle
on a white field was originally the banner of a kingdom called Arcosta,
while the red shapes (which, in their original form, met in the middle)
were the symbol of the lord who founded Regasia. |
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Region of Rezimano
The flag of Rezimano is
the same as that of the historical Kingdom of Rezimano. When a united Piolsa
first emerged, the symbols on the flag were placed the new Piolhosan flag,
albeit in a different colouring scheme. What the square symbols originaly
signified, vexilologists do not know, but the blue band is believed to
represent the river that runs through the region. The river was an important
feature of the region both in terms of strategy and tactics and in terms
of pre-Cruisian mythology. |
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Region of Videc
The Region of Videc takes
its flag from the ancient nation of Videc. The cross shape, and the white
outline, is a traditional Videcian symbol, thought to represent a crossroads,
historicaly significant in the founding of Videc for reasons too complex
to describe here. It does not represent Cruisianity, although this is a
fairly common misconception even among Videcians. The two shades of purple
and the white were the royal colours of Videc, supposedly taken from a
Regnosian house. |
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Region of
Manania
The Mananian flag is based
around symbols and colours common to the Manani tribe of the Rabeli people,
the tribe which this Region consists primarily of. Red and yellow are the
traditional colours of the Manani, often found in horizontal stripes. The
bisected diamonds are also frequently found in Manani artwork, forming
a grid not unlike the one on the flag (but larger). This flag was designed
to incorporate both elements. |
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Region of Nemenitia
The flag of the Region of
Nemenitia is based, like the flag of Manania, on the colours and artwork
of the tribal group which the territory encompasses, the Nemeniti. Green
and white have traditionally been the colours of the Nemeniti, and the
blue was added to represent the large Lendian population of the Region.
The particular arrangement of the colours is representative of Nemeniti
art, although has been somewhat modified. |
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Region of Tavatuia
As with the other two Region
flags for the Rabel Islands, the Tavatuian flag is based around indigenous
art of the native Tavatui tribe. The traditional colours, blue and white,
have been retained, but two shades of blue have been created, one to represent
the Tavatui and one to represent the Lendian population that has settled
there. |
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Region of
Delai
The flag used by the Region
of Delai, the region occupying the western half of Ranha island, consists
of two dark green triangles pointing towards each other from the hoist
and the fly, not quite meeting. The rest of the flag is a lighter shade
of green. The flag is actually the traditional flag of the Duchy of Ranha,
which existed as part of the Kingdom of Arcosta. The flag became identified
with the western half of the island because it was that part which remained
loyal to the Duke during the republican/nationalist uprising of the 10th
Century BP. |
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Region of Horokia
The Region of Horokia, the
eastern half of Ranha Island itself, flies a flag of unknown origin in
terms of its design. It was first used in the communities recovering from
the Plague, but the exact point of origin is unclear. The colours, however,
date back (as does Dalai's flag) to the monarchist-republican civil war.
Unlike Delai (see above), the Horokia region was mostly republican, and
became identified with the republican colours of pink and white. |
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Region of Rangania
The three islands west of
Ranha proper, known as Rengania, fly a flag which actually originated as
the banner of the Duchy of Tenan. Tenan was part of the mainland Piolsan
state of Arcosta, and controled the islands at one point. When the Duke
of Tenan rebelled against the King, his Duchy was disbanded. The Lord of
the Ranganian islands, a relative of the Duke, made a protest against the
decision by declaring that Tenan's flag would continue to fly in the islands.
The King, if he even heard about the decision, apparently did not consider
it worth bothering about, and the flag has been used in Rangania ever since,
despite all the political changes. |
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Region of
Kri'tan
The Region of Kri'tan, in
the west of Kha, flies a flag which probably dates back before the advent
of the Plague, although this is disputed. It is believed to have originally
been the flag of the city of Tzenkethi, currently Kha's most populous centre,
except that the Tzenkethian flag had a second red panel at the bottom.
The second red was replaced with white to represent the island of Be'rel,
which flew an orange and white flag when independent. |
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Region of Ikh'na
The flag flown by the Region
of Ikh'na dates back to a time of civil war in the old Kingdom of Ikh'na,
with both sides claiming a right to the traditional diagonal bicolour of
red and yellow. When the two halves were reunited, two flags were hoisted,
one above the other, to represent that the two nations were one again.
In time, this ceased to be two flags and was officially merged into one,
although the proportions of each part have been altered somewhat. |
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Region of H'gor
The Region of H'gor flies
a flag that resulted from the combination of two states. The island of
Inth'set, when independent, flew a red flag with narrow white stripes along
the top and bottom rims, while Quo'jhe flew a diagonally quartered flag
with the top and bottom quarters brown and the other two white. When unified
to form H'gor, the two islands merged their flags to retain both the red
field of Inth'set and the quarters of Quo'jhe. |
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Region of
Denderor
The Region of Denderor flies
a flag which is a slight modification of the flag used by its current capital,
Illandri. According to Riochan legend, Illandri fought a great war against
Lacasa (the capital of Rioch) over which city would dominate the Riochan
civilization, and tells of the Illandrian leader having a purple banner
with a golden star in the top hoist corner. This banner has been adopted
as the flag of Denderor, except that the star is now white. |
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Region of Riomana
The flag of Riomana, the
southern Region of Rioch, contains a decorative pattern that represents,
in some way, the traditional rulers of the islands, the Patricians. Quite
where this symbolism came from is not known, but it is believed by many
scholars to have originted from the personal emblem of one particular Patrician
and been continued. Riomana, on which the Patrician's capital is built,
has used this symbol for centuries, although the current Patricians no
longer use this symbol to represent themselves. |
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Region of Vuran
The Region of Vuran, consisting
of all the islands in Rioch other than Riomana and Denderor, flies a dark
blue flag with three white suns horizontally presented across it, with
the two on either end partially off the edge. This flag originates with
the temples of one of the islands, where this motif is found often, forming
decorative rings of sun-images. It is not known what the symbol originally
stood for, but it is almost ubiquitous. |
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City of Colchisia
Colchisia, the capital of
Lendosa, is administratively of Piolsa's Rezimano region, but still has
its own official flag. The traditional colours of the city are purple and
gold, stemming from the personal banner of the king who founded the city
of Rezimano. Today, Rezimano forms the centre of greater Colchisia. The
arrangement of the gold into three thin stripes comes from the fact that
Colchisia is a merger of three cities - Rezimano, Avili, and Caponio. |
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City of Gloria Libertatis
Gloria Libertatis is the
capital of Lendia, and the former capital of the old Empire. It is the
largest city in Lendosa, and the commercial and economic centre of the
Lendosan Confederation. Administratively, it is part of Lendia's Lolth
region, but has considerable autonomy, and flies its own flag. The flag
of Gloria Libertatis is extremly common within the city and with former
residents now living elsewhere, making it as recognizable (if not more
so) than many of the other flags here. The design is a traditional one,
but its exact origins are not known. |
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City of Frezone
The Lendian city of Frezone,
while not particularly important today, has been a major centre of power
in the past. The Principality of Frezonia, centred on Frezone, was once
the second most powerful state on the island of Lendia. The War of the
Stars, fought to halt the unification of the island under the Kingdom of
Lendia, is perhaps the most destructive war fought between two Lendosan
states, and devastated much of the island. (The name "War of the Stars"
derives from the star of Frezone/Frezonia's flag and the star of Lendia's
flag.) Today, the "radiant star" (as Frezone's symbol is known) is very
widely flown in Frezone as a memorial to the city's past. A very strong
custom forbids the display of the Lendian flag, even though Frezone accepts
its position in the Lendian state without complaint. |
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City of Valarium
The city of Valarium, located
at the eastern tip of Piolsa, has quite a long history. For a considerable
length of time, it was the capital of its own independent kingdom, Valar.
The flag of Valar is still used as a symbol of the city, perhaps more commonly
than the flag of Dalvara (the region to which Valar belongs. The origins
of the flag are not clear. |
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City of Sargona
The city of Sargona (or
Sargon, to speakers of the local language) is a significant historical
and cultural centre in Piolsa. The city is very old, and for much of its
history, has governed an independent state of the same name. Both the city
and the country flew a flag consisting of green, blue, and black stripes,
separated by thin white lines. This flag is widely used in the city today,
and also serves as the symbol of the Sargonese language, which a minority
still speak. |
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Free Confederacy
of Lendian Republics
The flag of the Free Confederacy
of Lendian Republics, or FCLR, was based around the flag of Lendia, but
with the central star reduced in size and with the addition of a saltire
in the background, passing behind the star. The saltire is said to represent
unity. The blue field, as on the Lendian flag, is representative of the
sea. |
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Lendian Empire
The Lendian Empire, which
the Free Confederacy of Lendian Republics was a short-lived evolution of,
flew a flag of white, gold, and blue stripes. Sometimes, the star from
the Lendian flag was superimposed in the middle. The flag was adopted specifically
to move away from the traditional Lendian flag, as that had been used by
the Lendian Revolution - Emperor Ravamiro, as a usurper of that Revolution,
wished to remove anything which might remind people of the democratic ideals
that the Revolution represented. |
