Official Name: Antiva
Demonym: Antivan
Government: Plutocracy
Capital: Antiva City
Religion: Chantry (majority)
Romantic Antiva is known for its wine, sailing and ritch merchant history. It's true leaders, if has any, are a body of argumentative merchant princes who have far more power than the weak monarchy that officially rules the nation. The merchant elite prefers to sue for peace when entangled in war, which is not often, as the nation is well known for its neutrality and passive approach to cross border conflicts.
While Antiva is not a military power by any means-there is no standing army-the nation keeps the deadliest assassins in all Thedas in the House of Crows. The guild's fame is such that entire kingdoms fear their silent blades, and few have dared to take on the nation in open war. The country's neutral political stance also helps.
Antiva is relatively prosperous, thanks largely to aggressive trading practices. It's only real resources come from the wine trade, fueled by its fruitful vineyards. Antiva would not be so ritch it were isolated from its many trade partners.
The people of Antiva are renown for their festive culture. Holidays there tend to be celebrated with uncommon enthusiasm. Satinalia, for instance, is accompanied by wild celebration, the wearing of masks, and the naming of the town fool as ruler for the day. In more pious nations, large feasts and the giving of gifts mark the festival, with none of the extreme revelry found in Antiva.
A Ritch History
Antiva's roots can be traced back to ne'er-do-wells and pirates who united, realizing a less dangerous life on land could still be lucrative. They put down the stakes on the west coast of Rialto Bay, only to realize they were all but squatting on land claimed by the king of a nearby city-state called Antiva.
Over the years, a fragile understanding between the neighboring settlements gave way to a single, unified nation where the merchants ruled and the royals grew fat.
In 1:45 Divine, the Chantry came to Antiva and the teachings of Andraste took root.
Although usually neutral, Antiva did join the city-states of the Free Marches to suppress advances by Starkhaven's King Fyruss in a war that lasted from 2:15 to 2:45 Glory. Fyruss was primarily interested in uniting the Free Marches, but his desire for expansion sent him north to Antiva to see if he might take land there also. He was unsuccessful on both fronts.
The Spread of Antivan Influence
In the Black Age, King Dario Campana wed Asha Subira Bahadur, Gana of Agyesleigh. King Dario was a weak monarch, but his queen more than made up for him. Queen Asha, the daughter of wealthy merchants, wanted Antiva to hold a stronger position in Thedosian politics, and she achieved this end by marrying off her children and grandchildren into royal and noble famileis across the continent. Historians sometimes call her the "Queen Mother of Thedas".
The Fourth Blight
Perhaps the darkest time in Antiva history was Exaulted Age, when the Fourth Blight ravaged the nation. It began in 5:12 Exalted, with the awakening of the Archdemon Andoral. Darkspawn surfaced in great numbers in northern parts of the continent, with most concentrated in Antiva. The entire ruling family at the time was slaughtered before the darkspawn advanced south and east to the Free Marches and Rivain.
Antiva was rid of the darkspawn following the tide-turning battle in 5:24 Exalted at the city of Ayesleigh, where the Grey Warden Garahel died striking the killing blow on Andoral. So many darkspawn were slaughtered that many in Thedas believed the darkspawn would never return. Antiva wasted little time rebuilding what was lost at great expense.
Antivan Crows
The Antivan Crows, also known as the House of Crows, are an infamous guild of spies, assassins and thieves. They operate under the control of a secret council said to be made up of the heads of a small collection of the wealthiest families in Antiva, including some royals.
the Crows are everywhere in their home nation, but also appear outside Antiva. Often they are identifiable by their unique tattoos-a tradition taken from the Rivaini. Some Crows display their tattoos proudly while others keep them hidden.
Various Antivan kings and queens have paid lip service to the idea of stamping the Crows out, tossing around sentiments like "menace" and "black mark on Antiva's peaceful reputation" The Crows are after all lawbreakers, however powerful and romanticized they may be. Nothing has come of these threats, as the fame of the Crows is widely believed to protect Antiva from outside harm. It is often said that nations avoid invading Antiva because, while their armies might find little resistance, the leaders of those armies who sent them will almost certainly end up dead. A target of the Crows rarely lives long.