Edelweiss
| Edelweiss | |
|
| |
| Subdivision type: | Canton |
| Capital: | Trappsbruck |
| Population: | 650,003 |
| Largest Cities: | Trappsbruck |
|
| |
| Local Leadership Title: | Deputy |
| Local Government: | Grand Council |
| Current leader: | Kristof Vluumer |
|
| |
| Local language: | Lac Glaceian (official) |
| Local Religion: | The Alpine Temple |
Edelweiss is a canton of the Grand Duchy of Lac Glacei. It was retaken by the grand duchy in 1696 AN and reinstated as a canton. Edelweiss means "noble and white" in ancient Crandish and refers to the snow-capped mountains of the region and also to the native edelweiss flower that frequently populates the alpine meadows. The region has deep roots in the area dating back to Cranda some five-thousand years ago and despite the lapse of many centuries has retained a primarily Crandish culture. This is evident in the royal arms, which still bears the flag of Cranda within the shield.
History
Edelweiss began as a colonization effort initiated by the Royal Crandish Republic around 1502 AN (2040 ASC) and sponsored by the Prince of Stromblum (an early confederation of neighboring Lorelei and Heathersland. Ludwig Trapp was appointed by Prince Wulf of Stromblum to lead a contingent of Crandish soldiers and settlers into what was then considered Tatary and push the frontiers of Cranda further west. Trapp was successful, and established the city of Trappsbruck along a small valley river. He named the region Edelweiss, after the small alpine flower that grew profusely along the mountain meadows. Trapp's success was short-lived however, as Cranda soon collapsed with the untimely death of the ruling Fonn Klosso family. After the collapse of Cranda, Stromblum united with the royalty of Lac Glacei and became an appendage of the Grand Duchy. But even this was not enough to save the fledgling state, as the Crab Plague soon spread across the continent and devastated the population. The plague caused the collapse of not only Edelweiss but all the Arminian successor states, and the region reverted to barbarian warlords.
In 1693 AN (7870 ASC) the Grand Duchy of Lac Glacei was restored and the Grand Duke signaled his intent to reclaim the country's historic lands. Inroads were made and about half of Lorelei's lands have been restored. Only recently has attention been given to reclaiming Edelweiss. Following Operation Maximus in 1696 AN, Edelweiss was successfully reclaimed from the Green and incorporated once more as a canton within the grand duchy. Kristof Vluumer was elected Deputy to represent the canton in the Lac Glaceian parliament.
In the three decades since Edelweiss became part of Lac Glacei, the canton has seen considerable development. The alpine climate has helped to attract significant tourism and sightseers come to hike the mountains and enjoy seasonal sports such as skiing. Crandish architecture has also been a draw, attracting tourism to the towns and villages, where cafes and red have prospered. Some manufacturing has also appeared, mostly in the metallurgical field, with several factories producing iron products; mostly for the military.
