Cordonia

Cordonia is a fictional European country in the Choices universe. It is first seen in the Rules of Engagement series, and is the main setting for The Royal Romance, The Royal Heir, and The Royal Masquerade series.

Geography
In Rules of Engagement, Cordonia is implied to border Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. The document that Ex-Fiance tricks Main Character (Rules of Engagement) into signing is written in Greek and is passed off as a visa needed to enter Turkey (which shares land and sea borders with Greece). King Constantine (which is a Greek name) reads the document with no difficulty, and European Guy states he is also fluent in Greek. Main Character also says she remembers him telling her that he was from a small island. In The Royal Romance however, nobody appears to be speaking Greek, and Cordonia is vaguely implied to be in the western part of the Mediterranean, as King "Liam" is also fluent in French and Lythikos's mountainous region appears to be a part of the Alps. One can travel to Italy via train from Cordonia; and Cordonia has at least one harbor and two airports. Cordonia's capital city is shown to have a large casino district, where the rich and famous as well as top government officials gather to gamble.

It is also what was once known as The Five Kingdoms from The Crown & The Flame series, confirmed in The Royal Romance, Book 3, Chapter 2, as modern Cordonia celebrates the Festival of The Five Kingdoms, an event unifying the Five Kingdoms under one crown. As of The Royal Romance, Book 3, known duchies in Cordonia include Ramsford, Lythikos, Domvallier, Krona, Portavira, Castelsareillan, and Valtoria. The name of Valtoria can be changed by the player, but it is still the historical name for it. It is mentioned that Duchy Valtoria has existed since at least the Romantic Era (1800-1850 AD). Past duchies included House Fierro's lands in The Royal Masquerade but have long since been absorbed into current duchies. In The Royal Heir, Book 3, Barthelemy Beaumont states that House Vescovi's lands had been absorbed into House Beaumont, but in Chapter 12, he returns the lands and title to Cedric Vescovi.
 * From The Five Kingdoms, Abanthus eventually becomes contemporary Lythikos. In The Royal Masquerade, Abanthus is still known as Abanthus.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 2, it is confirmed that the Duchy of Castelsarreillan (also called the Castelsarreillan province) stands where the Kingdom of Bellmere once stood. It was historically a trade hub, whose citizens were woodworkers and archers. Currently, they are the site of some of the oldest castles in Cordonia. The Castelsarreillan museum is the Castle Thorngate, restored to vibrant condition.
 * The Kingdom of Ebrimel eventually becomes contemporary Portavira, as the latter is noted to possess a strong seafaring history and is the only province noted to be along Cordonia's harbor.
 * Fydoria eventually becomes Krona and within it, lies the county of Fydelia, run by Countess Madeleine although the duchy itself is run by Duchess Adelaide.
 * The Kingdom of Stormholt eventually becomes the Royal Palace and surrounding capital city region of Cordonia.

Monarchy and Nobility
Cordonia is governed by a constitutional monarchy. It was ruled by King Father Constantine until his retirement in The Royal Romance, Book 1, Chapter 19, and currently by his son, King "Liam", beginning from the time of his coronation in the same chapter. It is also the home of Queen Mother Regina and European Guy. In Rules of Engagement (if European Guy is the fiancé), he mentions Cordonia's national colors are blue and silver. The lion is the symbol of the royal line.

In The Royal Masquerade in 1600 AD, Cordonia was ruled by Queen Kendra Rhys until her assassination in Chapter 1. After a brief rule by Your Character (The Royal Masquerade), the throne was passed to King Fabian Rhys.

In Rules of Engagement, if Main Character and her husband spend their honeymoon in Scotland, they will listen to the audio tour about the castle they visit. The narrator tells the story of King Varden of Cordonia and Queen Ailsa of Scotland. The two kingdoms were sworn enemies at some time in the past, but Varden and Ailsa fell in love with each other. They both suddenly disappeared, leaving their kingdoms behind, which led to speculation by historians that they secretly eloped to be together. It is unknown if King Varden's reign was before or after Queen Kendra and King Fabian's time.

There are six Great Noble Houses and an unnumbered amount of Lesser Noble Houses. The Great Noble Houses correspond to duchies and/or provinces that govern the citizens within those regions. Each of the Great Noble Houses has a different sigil. House Ebrim, located in Portavira, is represented by the Majestic Narwhal. House Theron, located in Castelsarreillan, is represented by the Wise Owl. House Amaranth, located in Krona, is represented by the Great Tree. House Nevrakis, located in Lythikos, is represented by the Flaming Sword. House Beaumont, located in Ramsford, is represented by the Titanic Squid. House Vescovi, whose lands have been absorbed by House Beaumont, is represented by the Great Peacock.

Military
Although they are not seen in any capacity at the Royal Palace or Cordonia's duchies, the Cordonian military exists. They are mentioned by Liam in The Royal Heir, Book 2, Chapter 8 and the Leventis Military Academy (most likely named after Helene Leventis) is mentioned by Ana De Luca in The Royal Heir, Book 3, Chapter 18.

Intelligence
In Crimes of Passion, Book 1, Olivia Nevrakis mentions that Cordonia and Drakovia have had a backchannel open between the two countries for years. Cordonia likes to keep apprised of potential threats to royal families, especially in little monarchies. They don't take most news from Drakovia at face value, and regarding Juliana's death, they offered help looking into the case but Drakovian authorities flatly refused. Relations have improved since then, as Olivia has an arrangement with Marguerite Thorne.

History

 * In The Royal Masquerade, House Nevrakis is considered to be the oldest Noble House in Cordonia.
 * The Great Apple War of 1244 began when a prized apple tree sprouted on the border between two kingdoms.
 * In The Royal Masquerade, there is a kingdom mentioned north of Cordonia, Drakovia. In Foreign Affairs Chapter 2, it is shown that Drakovia still exists up to the present day, being a dark neighbor of Cordonia.
 * In Crimes of Passion, when Trystan tells you about an old Drakovian saying, you can say it's weirdly comforting, which results in Trystan answering that it's Eastern European cynicism. Since Cordonia lies south to Drakovia, it is by extension confirmed that Cordonia also lies in Eastern Europe.
 * In Queen B, Book 2, it is mentioned that during the Renaissance era, Niamh Beaumont - a 19-year-old spinster - fell in love with Eden, the baker's daughter from down the road. Before her father died, she sought another Beaumont to renounce her title and duties to, so that she could marry Eden and not be bound to their lands. Afterwards, she and Eden married and settled in the duchy of Lythikos, living their lives and dying naturally of old age. The remains of her journal texts span decades and are preserved in the Natural History Museum in New York.

Past and Present Laws

 * In Rules of Engagement, Rashad says that in Cordonia, inherited property/finances remain with the person who inherited them in the event of a divorce and are not subject to be divided between the ex-spouses.
 * In The Royal Romance, Book 3, Liam says his great-grandfather abolished the tradition of riding naked on horseback through the city over a century ago.
 * In The Royal Romance, Book 3, Chapter 12, Olivia finds an old law "Inheritance Clauses and the Cordonian Crown" which states if the Rys family has no heir, the Crown can pass to a Nevrakis.
 * However, in The Royal Masquerade, this law is not in effect as Percival Beaumont states a new king or queen must be selected from the Noble Houses when Queen Kendra passes away without a will. It is possible that the old law was only created sometime after the events of The Royal Masquerade.
 * In The Royal Romance, Book 3, Chapter 15, Liam says that Cordonian inheritance laws do not discriminate based on gender.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 1, Chapter 2, Liam (if not married) states that he is allowed to appoint a newborn child of noble lineage as Cordonia's eventual heir as long as the court approves.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 1, Chapter 6, Liam says he removed the 'no royal pets' policy when he became king.
 * When he was younger, he suggested a new festival to honor Cordonia's noblest pets to King Constantine. It is unknown if King Constantine implemented the suggestion.
 * According to Cordonia's Articles of Unification, the Great Houses can be revived as a ruling body through the Conventus Nobilis.
 * The Great Houses haven't been a ruling body for centuries.
 * Through Cordonian by-laws, article 15, section 7, sub-section 3A: the Great Houses can unseat the current ruler by a unanimous vote.
 * Per the original draft of the Cordonian Accords of 1653, if the aforementioned vote is not unanimous, the issue must go to a deciding vote in several months' time where the winner must have the majority vote.
 * If enacted and the heir is the daughter of King Liam and his wife, they would become King Father and Queen Mother respectively, figurehead roles while the Crown Regent runs the kingdom.

Customs / Traditions

 * In The Royal Romance, Book 2, Chapter 16, it is revealed by Liam that with the knowledge of their spouse, people can partake in relationships outside of marriage.
 * In Rules of Engagement (if Main Character marries European Guy), Regina talks about the Cordonian Apple-cutting tradition normally held at weddings. It is a symbol of the fruit the tree will bear (the bride being the "tree"). While they can perform the ceremony at their wedding, Your Character (The Royal Romance) and King "Liam" forgo the ceremony at theirs (if they wed).
 * Cured meats represent bounty and fortune. Consuming them on the wedding day is meant to bless the union.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 1, Chapter 10, the men partake in a time-honored Cordonian tradition that is reserved only for those closest to the Crown, the Apple Shoot. With weapons from the royal armory's most historic section (with contemporary blunted arrows and rubber bullets), the chosen person must hit an apple that is thrown in the air. If successful, he is dubbed a Knight-Marksman of the Apple Toss and Honorary Defender of the Realm.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 1, Chapter 16, it is mentioned that it is a Cordonian tradition for the heir's gender not to be revealed before birth.
 * There is also a baby shower game called the "Apple Gauntlet". It represents the poise and grace a mother needs to care for her baby.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 1, Liam states it is a Cordonian tradition where the queen (or mother of the heir) is thrown one last celebration - the Last Apple Ball - as her last appearance before the royal baby arrives.
 * A royal heir's anointing involves pomp, circumstance, and apples.
 * The Last Apple Ball is also used to honor allies and strengthen bonds.
 * The Red Apple Gala celebrates an heir's first one hundred days.
 * Royal heirs should be able to grasp an apple by three months of age.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 2, King Liam announces a "pre-signing ceremony" before the official betrothal signing as a tactic to stall should Your Character desire. He states it is an illustrious tradition and an ode to the glory of Cordonia. It is unknown if this "traditional ceremony" will become an official ceremony in the future.
 * In The Royal Finale, it is confirmed that like all European countries, Cordonia uses the Celsius scale.

Proverbs / Songs

 * The loading screen for The Royal Heir series gives an ancient proverb: "the Apple doesn't fall far before a Cordonian catches it".
 * "An apple a day keeps your enemies away."
 * An old Cordonian children's song goes:
 * "The apples on the tree grow strong and red... Grow, grow, grow! Strong and red! Apples on a tree grow strong and red! Grow, grow, grow! Strong and red! The sun shines down and makes the trees so tall! Grow, grow, grow! Trees so tall! Sun shines down and makes them tall! Grow, grow, grow! So, so tall!"

Sports / Games

 * Cordonian rules for games differ from American rules. For example,
 * the goal of hide and seek is to surprise people.
 * Cordonian blackjack is played similar to American blackjack (the player must get as close to 21 without going over and be higher than the dealer), however, doubling down is not allowed, and there are no rules for the dealer standing once they reach a certain score.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 2, Chapter 8, Eirik clarifies the rules of the Cordonian Honor Duel:
 * Swords will be blunted to avoid serious injury.
 * The duel lasts until one side surrenders.
 * Each duelist is allowed to pick a second.

Regional Notes

 * In Portavira:
 * There is an annual free-diving competition.
 * They have the Portaviran Sending ceremony. It is performed by the bride and groom on the eve of their wedding. They choose an item that exemplifies their love to set adrift on the waves, carrying their hopes with it. It is a test of love's endurance against the ocean.
 * In Ramsford, they export sparkling wine. Their most valuable resource is silver.
 * In Lythikos:
 * Traditional holiday songs include: 'Your Skull Is A Wine Cup Ripe For The Taking', 'My Love For You Is A Weakness I Must Smite', 'Silent Night', and 'Drape The Square in Ribbons Red'.
 * Children believe that Santa Claus is a reindeer-riding con man who may come to steal their prized possessions.
 * There was the Lythikan Rite of Union, which has been illegal for half a century. In the Rite of Union, the unmarried couple traverse the icy peaks of the Alps. On the dawn of the thirtieth day, they are wed, their officiant being survival itself.
 * They hold the Lythikos's Triumph Festival.
 * A wolf bonding with a Lythikan noble is considered a good omen.
 * In Castelsarreillan:
 * They host the Flower Festival as a way to build relations between nobles of neighboring kingdoms.
 * They also host the Auto Expo.

Miscellaneous Apple Facts

 * Apples symbolize wisdom and wealth in Cordonian mythology.
 * The Cordonian Ruby is the tartest apple varietal known to Cordonians.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 2, Bertrand states a Red Delicious apple is the apple of turmoil.

Rules of Engagement
In the Rules of Engagement, Cordonia is the home of European Guy, then Crown Prince of Cordonia. In Book 2, he abdicates to his younger half-brother, Prince "Liam". In Chapter 11's premium scene, Ryan Summers, Cassandra Leigh, and Alyssa Griffin, characters from Most Wanted, Book 1, all make cameos there.

The Royal Romance and The Royal Heir
In The Royal Romance series, Cordonia is the setting for the social season where potential suitors vie to become King "Liam" 's bride and the next Queen of Cordonia. In Book 2, the engagement tour starts in Cordonia and returns to Cordonia for a Homecoming Ball. In Book 3, the Unity Tour travels to the Grand Houses of Cordonia to unify the country against terrorists.

In The Royal Heir series, Cordonia is marked as the kingdom to conquer by Bradshaw & Isabella, King and Queen of Auvernal. When they are thwarted, it becomes the country that King "Liam" must fight for against Barthelemy Beaumont, and later Via Imperii.

The Royal Masquerade
In The Royal Masquerade, 1600s Cordonia is the setting of the assassination of Queen Kendra and henceforth the political manipulations of opposing ambitions of the Grand Houses as they gain and lose allies and vote for the next House to succeed in the conclave.

Red Carpet Diaries, Book 2
In Chapter 14, Thomas Hunt, Addison Sinclair, Chris Winters, Holly Chang and Your Character (Red Carpet Diaries) shoot scenes for The Last Duchess on location in Cordonia. Thomas Hunt mentions having a friend who is an acquaintance of the royal family who helped him with the location. Addison reveals that she once went to a wedding in Cordonia and almost never came back. According to Thomas, Cordonia "offers a wide variety of landscapes, many of which perfectly mimic the Scottish highlands." Holly mentions that Cordonia is the backdrop to many famous movies. At the end of the chapter, Your Character can order local food. If she does, the room service will bring butter-poached Portaviran salmon, some world-famous Castelsareillan wine, as well as a slice of the renowned Cordonian Ruby pie.

High School Story, Book 1
In Chapter 14, Myra Khandaar and Emma Hawkins both keep up with Royal Gossip and mention Cordonia by name.

Red Carpet Diaries, Book 1
In Chapter 8, Cordonia is mentioned when Seth Levine and Your Character (Red Carpet Diaries) bluff their way into the club.

Desire & Decorum
In Book 1, Your Character (Desire & Decorum)'s grandmother Dominique Foredale mentions that she is from Cordonia. In Book 3, Queen Charlotte offers you the opportunity to wear jewels given by Queen Kendra from Cordonia to England in your wedding. In Chapter 17's premium scene, Harry mentions to Your Character that Gideon (under the alias of Comte Renard) wrote him about your father's death and claimed to be in Cordonia at the time.

The Senior
In Chapter 3, Kaitlyn mentions Cordonia if Your Character (The Freshman) chooses to tell the hostess in the restaurant that the cost for renting the space is much too low; she makes up a story about how she considered inviting the Cordonian Ambassador to the restaurant.

The Heist: Monaco
In Chapter 16, if Your Character (The Heist: Monaco) unlocks the good ending, you can choose the crown jewels of Cordonia as your next target. If you do so, Your Character mentions having heard that the royal family is dealing with some drama and will therefore likely not notice anything, so Miranda will be sent there.

Bloodbound, Book 2
When Your Character (Bloodbound) and your friends arrive in Las Vegas, Klempf takes you to Kavinksy's hotel, named the Cordonia Grande, to wait until Kavinsky is able to meet with you in person.

Baby Bump, Book 1
In Chapter 12, when Your Character (Baby Bump), Mr. Covington, Mayor Dixon, Elijah Simmons, and Luisa attend the governor's gala, they have a casino set up where they play Cordonian blackjack.

Hot Couture
In Chapter 6, when Luz Estrada drops Your Character (Hot Couture)'s name to get them into the most exclusive club in New York, Jimmy Bae mentions that the club Rouge is the home of Cordonian nobles, Vinyl-nominated artists, and reality stars.

In Chapter 12, Travis McKenzie mentions that when he was working as a full-time fireman in Louisiana, they got called out to fly to Cordonia and help them put out a massive blaze. It was during the Apple Blossom Festival and an apple roasting pit had gotten out of hand. The fire started to spread over the kingdom causing some property damage, but they managed to contain it and put it out with no casualties. He inadvertently saved a duchess.

The Nanny Affair, Book 1
In a premium scene of Chapter 8, Your Character (The Nanny Affair) will mention she saw a headline about vampires in Cordonia the other day.

My Two First Loves
In a premium scene of Chapter 64, if Bad Boy decides to give Hazel a corgi stuffed toy, Hazel will mention the toy looks just like the corgi they have in Cordonia.

Queen B, Book 2
In Chapter 12, Bertrand and Maxwell visit a museum in New York City where one wing is dedicated to Cordonian artifacts. There Lexi Montgomery talks about one of the Beaumonts' ancestors and either impresses or offends Bertrand, depending on what information Your Character (Queen B) feeds to her via Zoey Wade. The Red Delicious being the apple of turmoil and the Lythikan Rite of Union are also mentioned.

Crimes of Passion, Book 1
Upon hearing that the missing person, Sonja Dormer, is a European aristocrat, you can ask your boss if the client is real, pointing out that you figured she'd be "too smart for the ol' Cordonian Prince scam..." To interrogate persons of interest in Sonja's murder, Your Character (Crimes of Passion) pretends to be Olivia Nevrakis's second cousin to attend a ball. Cordonia is mentioned and if you decide to talk more with Olivia, you learn information about their relations with Drakovia.

The Princess Swap
Princess Julivert tells Your Character (The Princess Swap) if you wear the premium dress in Chapter 1, the outfit will help you look like a princess even if you walk into the Cordonian ambassador.

The Royal Residences

 * -|Palace=

Duchies

 * -|Ramsford=

Past Duchies & Estates
House Aster/Everheart/Rosario=

Unknown Locations

 * -|Exterior (Historical)=

Trivia

 * Cordonia may be named after cordon, a tree or shrub, especially a fruit-tree-like apple, repeatedly pruned and trained to grow on a support as a single rope-like stem. This ties well to the kingdom's traditions revolving around apples.
 * In The Royal Romance, Book 3, Chapter 8, a fictional version of Cordonia named "Kortonia" is the setting for a romantic comedy called "A Prince's Bride".
 * In The Royal Romance, Book 3, Chapter 16, Olivia reveals that children in Lythikos play with flaming arrows, as they are practical cold-weather toy.
 * She also reveals that they have bobcats twice as big as Zahira.
 * In The Royal Holiday, you visit Lythikos and learn more about its traditions and also get to participate in some of them, such as axe-throwing.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 1, Liam mentions the Cordonian Baker's Festival.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 2, Chapter 4, the other names of the Great Houses are revealed: House Theron of Castelsarreillan, House Ebrim of Portavira, and House Amaranth of Fydelia.
 * In The Royal Heir, Book 3, Chapter 18's premium scene with Liam, he mentions a Cordonian astronomer recently discovered that one star was actually two stars (a symbiotic binary star system), and is given the opportunity to name the second star.

Real Inspiration

 * Some of the landscape pictures of Cordonia appear to be based on real Croatian city Dubrovnik.
 * The outside of the Royal Palace appears to be based on Wilanów Palace in Poland.
 * The view from Valtoria's balcony appears to be based on the Seven Sisters Waterfall in Norway.
 * Cordonia's gambling district seems to be based on Monte Carlo in Monaco. Its casino is called Casino de la Côte d'Or.
 * As a whole, Cordonia seems to be based on the Principality of Monaco, a real-life European country. This follows a trope in modern fiction of setting modern-day royal romances in tiny European countries that are easily overlooked, often based mostly on Monaco, the most famous real-life example.