We won it through revolution, through battle skill and military might.
After the last beloved monarch of Atalea passed away without a son his cousin took the throne. A weak man of little ambition, he was easily manipulated, and many of the higher standing noble houses of the city took advantage of the fool king, as he was known behind his back. The city's power and prestige faded every day, to great insatisfaction of the population and to the generals of the previous king, who conspired to assassinate the fool king. This action plummeted the kingdom into a civil war for the succession, as the noble houses and generals each tried to place a puppet of their own on the throne.
You saw your opportunity in this war, with a weak claim to the throne and little support from the nobles, you commanded only your family's personal guard and a few mercenaries, but with superior tactics and battle prowess you managed to win some key battles and gather the support of the people.
Eventually you took control of the throne, those who opposed you and remained alive either fled or recognized you as a worthy king and pledged servitude to your dynasty.
You now stand at the head of a battle ravaged city, and the nobles are resentful, but you've got the admiration of the commoners and the soldiers.
Where does Atalea stand on the world map?
The known world is centered around a great sea, filled with many islands inhabited by many diverse peoples.
Around this sea exist 5 distinct continental regions. to the southwest of the sea lies the scorched lands where farming is difficult and people suffer greatly at the whims of the seasons, but the soil is rich in gold, and the pelts of the great beasts that roam this land are greatly treasured by nobles across the world.
To the east of that land, southeast of the sea lies the great desert, a vast area of scorching sand that remains largely uninhabited save for a few nomadic traders. continue to the east and you reach a great river that feeds a fertile valley surrounded by the sands, great cities exist on the margins of the river. The sweetest fruits favour the heat of the desert and grow only in this land, and the alchemists treasure greatly the herbs of the desert.
North of that, to the east of the sea, lies very great island, a rich land of fertile valleys and mountains loaded with iron ore. The people here produce wine and expensive textiles dyed with exotic colors, and horses are abundant in this land.
Go further north, to the landmass north of the sea and the land begins to freeze. Cold, swampy lands that freeze during the winter are home to hardy men who fish in the rivers and hunt as much as they farm. Cities here are small and sparse, instead there is a great continuous forest punctuated by wooden villages with wooden walls. The people here don't mine, instead they dig the ore off of the earth itself, large boulders of iron ore grows in the fields and swamps and the people work it into a great steel. The winter furs of the northern animals are considered a treasure all over the world.
To the west of the sea, joining the northern and southern landmasses there exists a mountainous strip of land, subject to a fleety climate. people here are shepherds and fisherman, for farming yields little, but they grow grapes and olives to make wine and olive oil which they sell overseas. These people are great shipwrights and sailors