Ravounel is a burgeoning confederation located in southwestern Avistan. Formerly the northernmost archduchy of Cheliax , the Archduchy of Ravounel, it seceded and became an independent country in 4717 AR.
In 3007 AR, when Taldor founded the province of Cheliax , the region of Ravounel did not officially become part of the empire due to a clerical error. This error was never corrected, and Ravounel remained an unofficial territory of Taldor and later Cheliax after it seceded in 4081 AR. As Cheliax plunged into civil war after the death of Aroden, Ravounel insisted on independence and became home to many anti-Thrune dissidents, something which House Thrune saw as treason.
When signing her contract with Asmodeus, Abrogail Thrune I hired the phistophilus Odexidie to provide her with an escape clause in the supporting document known as the Kintargo Contract. Odexidie subtly added some legal wiggle room: since Ravounel's was officially not part of Cheliax , its leader had to be appointed and ratified by a board of governors. If Abrogail were to lose control over Cheliax, she could relocate to Kintargo and bribe its governors into ratifying her as lord-mayor, and if her family or the church of Asmodeus were to move against Ravounel , they would void her entire contract and lose Asmodeus' support. When the Imperial Ministry of Historical Accuracy revised Cheliax 's history to further Thrune's ends after Ravounel fell under Thrune control in 4640 AR, they also expurgated the clerical errors concerning Ravounel's official status. In the end, Abrogail never needed this contingency, and took her secret to Hell when she died.
During the years of Thrune rule, the people of Ravounel feigned loyalty on the surface but secretly remained rebellious.
In response to the increasing tyranny and brutality of the Hellknights Cheliax had stationed there, a group of adventurers resurrected the old Silver Ravens, deposed him, and uncovered the loophole within the Kintargo Contract. In the process, they allowed Ravounel to secede from Cheliax in 4717 AR without the threat of military invasion from their former country.
Ravounel's ruler is Domina Unknown, the former Lord-Mayor of Kintargo. She chose the title domina—a title that fell into disuse after House Thrune took over Cheliax—signifying that Ravounel now lies outside Thrune's grasp and that she intends to follow the principles of old Cheliax. The latter's meaning is deliberately ambiguous and can be interpreted as a retort at House Thrune's perversion of these values, or as an indication that Ravounel's Chelish heritage is not being repudiated.
Under Jilia's leadership, Ravounel has to establish itself as a regional power and maintain cordial relationships with Cheliax and Nidal. Without enough military strength to enforce compliance and unable to afford alienating allies, Jilia has to diplomatically preserve harmony between her new nation's disparate factions.