Editing EternalEmpire:Gazetteer (section)

=== Clestrîca === 

	Clestrîca is an autonomous province in south-central Otovan, bounded in the east by the Ensistîria Mts., in the west by the Ponostîria Mts. and the Sequinia River, and in the south by the ocean. With a population of seven million, predominantly bilingual (Arqi and Clestri), ethnic Clestrîcan Crudag, the province is heavily urbanized and crisscrossed by extensive road and railroad networks. The Clestrîcan economy is highly diversified, but driven by heavy manufacturing and metallurgy, especially involved in the construction of engines, locomotives, boilers, and high strength steel. Coal mining and logging is also extremely important in the northwestern part of the province. Its chief cities are Stalanidro, the capital on the Sardoma River; Halion, the large port city and manufacturing center on the coast; Clestendo on Cape Maleta; and Frontostela, a large metropolis at the crossroads of trade routes connecting the Arqi provinces separated by the southern mountain chains.

Clestrîca has a proud history that predates their inclusion into the Eternal Empire. The Clestrîcans had been aligned with Arqualan since the 3rd century, profiting from extensive trade and military partnerships against their hostile neighbors, the Somuzans and the warlike Vengua tribes. Allied with Ectin the Great, they profited from his conquests both through the subjection of many enemies as well as expanding their own lands. The rapid Arqi territorial expansion and overawing military power soon showed the Clestrîcans to be the junior partner in the relationship, however, and they became a client state with little say in their own foreign affairs. In the mid-11th century, the last Clestrîcan King saw the writing on the wall and, lacking heirs, bequeathed the kingdom to Arqualan. Arqi administration was enlightened, so the incorporation was painless, and Clestrîca was allowed considerable freedom in domestic affairs. As a result, the province remains a peaceful and valuable component of the Commonwealth.