Drakovia

Drakovia is a fictional European country in the Choices universe. It is first mentioned in The Royal Masquerade series, and is the former home of Trystan Thorne from the Crimes of Passion series.

Geography
In The Royal Masquerade, Drakovia is mentioned to be the kingdom north of Cordonia. In Crimes of Passion, Book 1, it is stated to nestled within the Baltic mountains and part of the Eastern European countries.

One of the cities is named Drakkos. In that city, there is a garden called the People's Garden.

Monarchy and Nobility
Drakovia is ruled by a monarchy, whose current king and queen are Maksim and Viktoria Throne. When Trystan Thorne, the eldest of their children, was exiled and removed as the Crown Prince/Princess of Drakovia, the title passed onto one of his/her younger siblings.

Past rulers include:
 * Dunstan the Terrible, who began construction on the palace in 1307. Due to financial problems, palace construction was halted for fifty-nine years.
 * Elaryan the Ruthless, great-granddaughter of Dunstan, completed construction of the palace. It became the permanent residence of the Drakovian royal family in 1532.
 * Queen Catalina ruled during the last two decades of the 1800s.

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 Georgescu'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
According to Trystan, Drakovia was being invaded for thousands of years, and that is why its citizens don't like foreigners.

Past and Present Laws

 * Drakovia is well known for its mercenary corps. Annalisa and her sister, the then-Queen of Cordonia discussed hiring them for dealing with Damon Fierro's coup.

Customs / Traditions

 * It is noted that Drakovians aren't generally open, honest, and upfront.
 * The Drakovian flower, Lunar nightshade, is used to make novogliterol.
 * Labirinta, the Art of the Maze, is the Drakovian aristocratic combat arts. The first rule is to never teach it to commoners or foreigners. The Sfera Potenti (the Sphere of Potential) is what sets the Labirinta apart from other fighting styles, and is the basis of all Drakovian martial arts. It is a flowchart of actions and reactions. The general idea is learning not to let others mess with your head in a fight while taunting, directing or misdirecting your opponent's actions.
 * Drakovia is known for its high fashion, largely in part by Princess Marguerite's fashion line.
 * Drakovian cuisine thrives on complexity.
 * The Belladi is a Drakovian dessert like a scone with a melty Cadbury egg in the middle, topped with a dusting of sugar.
 * Drakovian cocktails require lots of whiskey.

Media
Drakovian media (e.g. Drakkos Times and Regnos Gazetta) are state-owned. Thus, the "facts" reported or given to the public aren't always accurate.

Crimes of Passion, Book 1

 * Chapter 17: The Long Goodbye (Determinant)

Crimes of Passion, Book 2

 * Chapter 1: To Catch A Thief
 * Chapter 3: Drakovian Intelligence
 * Chapter 4: Objection
 * Chapter 5: A Rose Among Thornes

The Royal Masquerade
In Chapter 14, if Your Character decides to hide with Crown Shield in his/her childhood bedroom at the Vescovi estate, Crown Shield tells you more about his/her history with Cyrus Vescovi. When their father had returned from a trip to Drakovia, he had brought Cyrus a single gift but did not bring anything for Crown Shield. When Cyrus found out, he was furious and gifted Crown Shield the toy in secret.

Foreign Affairs
Professor Masako is mentioned to be visiting Drakovia during the start of classes, leaving Ayna Seth to teach World History until his return.

Crimes of Passion
When hired by Sonja Dormer's mother to find her, Drakovia is mentioned as her country of origin. Later, Your Character teams up with Trystan Thorne, former Crown Prince/Princess of Drakovia, to solve her murder.

Trivia

 * The Drakovian language: The verbs have over thirty conjugations. There are also two dozen different words for "beheading". Exilia means exile.
 * The Royal Palace's panic room entrance was a lever disguised as a rock.