Kyero
Three Thousand Club
(Please do not post in this thread, thank you!)
The Nations
The following is a rundown of how each of the twelve nations function and what life is like on the surface for the people living there. When it comes to interaction between nations, politically speaking it's fairly straightforward and peaceful. However, on a more subtle and social level, some nations require more tolerance and caution than others when walking the streets. These will become fairly obvious in time, so for now just familiarize yourself with what it's like to live in each nation and decide which one you'd like your character to be from.
Aandural - Run on a Monarchal system, the reigning king and queen are beloved by their people as being fair and just rulers who are not afraid to lay down the law when necessary. In essence, it’s the perfect kingdom. The people live in peace and tranquility, rarely seeing any forms of violence due to how well the law is preserved by the king’s special ‘police’ force of Royal Guards who regularly patrol the city. Trade is open to all peoples and social class means little as far as who gets along with who and who may participate in what activities.
Men and women are viewed as equals, and as such they are granted equal opportunities for all manner of professions such as politics or any other form of employment they may seek. However, as Aandural is young in this social mentality, there are a few remnants of those from a time gone by when Aandural was under a dictatorship by a tyrant before the current king and queen took power from him fifty years ago. Though few and far between, some men still view women as weak and belonging in the home and nowhere else save for having a babe strapped to their chest.
Aandural is, technologically speaking, considered advanced as they have access to powerful mage academies, vast libraries, and the latest in technological and scientific advancement such as the use of lightning magic as a form of energy to power devices such as lights where some nations still rely on oil lanterns. Technological advancement is kept consistent in Aandural, and though they make regular use of advances, they are not known for bringing these advances to the table. They are known more for their scholars and their politics, having established the most powerful bonds between themselves and the other nations.
Aandural is considered one of the four superpowers among the twelve nations.
Esthenheim - Also run on a monarchal system, the current king comes from a long historical bloodline dating back to the 4E.6A, 12,000 years ago. This is one of the longest reigning bloodlines in existence, second only to Tyaznarak’s king whose bloodline dates back just three hundred years further. Esthenheim’s king and queen are well respected, but they rule with a more iron fisted approach than Aandural’s king and queen. They create and enforce the laws with a similar Royal Guard ‘police’ system, but they are more heavy handed in the punishment that is dealt. For example, the punishment for theft is twenty public lashes. The penalty for murder, if found guilty, is death by beheading.
Despite their heavy emphasis on their laws, the king and queen are benevolent towards their people and hold a great deal of love for them. Their manner of thinking is that by enforcing strict laws, they will protect more of their citizen’s lives. A bit naive to some, but again it is a viewpoint respected by the majority of their citizens. The king and queen hold regular public events and are often in attendance for such events, proving to the public that the king and queen enjoy walking among them and being a part of the kingdom in which they rule.
Esthenheim is a bit behind the curve when it comes to technology. They still use oil lanterns for lighting and rely on more traditional methods of living such as the hammer and nail rather than the use of magic. One thing that Esthenheim is known for, however, is their weaponry. Their blacksmiths are the finest in the world, crafting weapons rumored to be capable of slicing through a Dragon’s hide. Since the Dragons have disappeared for thousands of years, this is only a rumor as it has never been tested, but still Esthenheim steel is always instantly recognizable and respected the world over.
Gilfaryl - Gilfaryl is run by a democracy, with a single Emperor supported by a citizen elected senate. The senate is the body through which the people communicate with their Emperor, and he then makes decisions and laws based on the majority vote and necessity. It is a system that is young and in development, and it has its obvious flaws. However, both the Emperor and the senate both have proven themselves capable in the eyes of their citizenry, and are thus well loved and respected.
Laws are fair and punishment is even handed. The use of magic is well established and even though technology is only average at best, the people make do with what they have. The people here are some of the more modest and respectful people you could encounter anywhere. You’ll always be greeted with a smile, and you’ll receive welcoming bows and handshakes from almost anyone you meet. The one downside to Gilfaryl is that they are one of the youngest societies and thus some of their customs can be seen as a bit odd by outside travelers. Such customs as the bowing previously mentioned is not practiced anywhere else, as well as a few odd festivals they hold every few months where the people basically just dress up in anything and have a good time so long as the outfit is deemed “appropriate” for public display.
Holnmoniik - Run by a dictator named Csargil, this nation is much more heavy handed in its rule and the people here are close to a civil war. There are those who support the current dictator, and those who call him a tyrant. His laws are largely unfair and in favor of the wealthy and leave little breathing room for the poor. Such laws as higher taxes on the middle and lower class and close to none for the upper class coupled with a very sexist view that women do not belong anywhere outside of the home with a babe on their chest makes this one of the worst nations to be a woman. However, the women here have lived with this life for so long that many of them don’t even realize they’re being treated unfairly. To them, this is life.
Holnmoniik is technologically very advanced despite the lack of social tranquility among the people. They’re almost always on the cutting edge of technology due to the political savvy of their ruler and the fact that he is an intelligent man and a brilliant inventor in his own right. Csargil is a bastard and a heavy handed ruler, but he’s a genius inventor who created the first method of utilizing lightning magic from his local mages guild as a source of power for the first light bulbs. He is currently believed to be working on a project now with other renowned scientists of his nation to create what could be the first non biological means of transportation. The rumor is that it’s called a “train,” but no evidence of its existence has yet been proven.
Kernzah - Kernzah is also a dictatorship, however unlike Holnmoniik the current dictator is actually an evenhanded ruler who happens to hold supreme authority. The current dictator’s name is Kernzah, having taken the name of his nation in an attempt to earn more credit with his people. His predecessor was a true tyrant in every way, and so he means to turn things around and it could very well be that Kernzah turns its entire governmental system around within the coming decades. The way that the current ruler runs his nation, Kernzah could well become a working democracy by the end of the century.
Kernzah is known for its magic. The single most powerful mage in history, Rahgdagedon, was born in this nation and was the first to found the mage guild concept back in 3E.5A. The mages here are some of the strongest and most dedicated to their art anywhere in the world, and it is one of the primary nations for aspiring mages to come and train to become one of the fold. However, as an elite core, these mages are the most strict and only 2% of applicants and trainees make it to become a true mage by their standards.
Luthrad - Luthrad is a monarchy with the reigning king and queen behaving more like dictators than anything else. They both claim absolute authority and frequently disregard their advisors and the needs of their people in order to ensure their rule is secure. The people live lives that are usually peaceful, but full of silent tension wondering whether or not the king and queen’s rule will cause problems for their own economical or social environment. That silent tension causes many of the people to have short tempers and become naturally cautious and somewhat hostile to outside visitors and people they don’t know.
Luthrad has no special talents, skills, or claims to fame or fortune, and as such it only further bolsters the citizen’s hostilities. Coming from a nation without any secure trade routes that are free from bandits and which has no police force system to keep everyday crime in check makes it a difficult place to live. Travelers come here at their own risk, as bandits on the road make travel dangerous and the people are not always welcoming.
Nazkohr - Also run on a monarchy, Nazkohr has a single claim to fame that makes it one of the premier places to be for aspiring warriors: the world’s only Warrior’s Guild. This guild is very much a brotherhood where warriors of all strengths and backgrounds where your choice of weapon doesn’t bring you anything but respect. Every warrior in the guild has learned what it means to walk the path of the warrior and very much respects each of their fellow warriors regardless of their being male or female, of any particular skin coloration, weapon choice, armor choice, or fighting style. All are welcome here.
Nazkohr’s king and queen are benevolent to a fault but are very strict in matters of crime and punishment. In that respect they are much like the king and queen of Esthenheim. However, their punishments are slightly more severe, and a theft will not get you a public lashing, but a public removal of one of your fingers. The removal is slow, via the use of a serrated “ceremonial” dagger, and the wound is tended to only after the residing judge gives his “warning” speech to any who would think to perform similar acts. The speech is rather lengthy, and many have passed out from pain and blood loss before having their wound tended to.
Quezrevah - The last of the monarchal nations, the ruling king and queen are quite attached to their people. They spend much of their time heeding the pleas of the common folk in the wake of the fact that they are new to the throne and are succeeding a pair who believed that only the wealthy and powerful deserved to rule and thrive. The rift between the lower classes and the upper class is quite high in more than one respect. Socially, economically, and from a point of education the lower class is far below the upper class. The current king and queen aim to change that, and they have been threatened by some of the wealthy as a result. To that end they hired some of the finest warriors in the land as their private bodyguards to ensure their safety while they work on bridging the gap between the classes within their kingdom.
Quezrevah’s main claim to fame is their access and control to what is known as the Eaglin Straits. It is the small passageway between the two continents and is the most frequented trade route in the known world. They have stationed several hundred guards across the Straits to ensure the safety of all merchants and travelers who cross it, and this attention to safety has won the newly appointed rulers much respect and admiration from all who make use of it. As a result, it is the wealthiest nation of the twelve, but that also makes its upper class the most corrupt and dangerous to cross. The current king and queen have received many, many threats to their lives for their attention to the lower classes and as such they are on edge much of the time worrying about the lengths to which their upper class citizens will go to protect their own private profit margins and personal wealth.
Radvekahn - Radvekahn is run by a democracy with a single ruling empress supported by not only a senate, but a secondary unit of “voices” for the people, all of whom are voted upon by the citizenry. The current empress holds her authority with absolution, but never fails to heed the words of her senate and her people. She is well respected, but her seeming lack of empathy for the different classes is a small point of tension. She believes that if one cannot pull themselves out of debt, they should receive no help for it. Should one fail to find the means to live comfortably, then that is on them and they should not be granted special privileges to funds or assistance from their government.
Despite this, the empress rules evenhandedly and stresses hard work and education for her citizens to make the best lives possible for themselves. Her emphasis, as well as those of her predecessors, on education is what makes the nation one of the most scholarly pursuits in the world as well as boasting the single greatest library with the largest volume of ancient texts and lost artifacts in the world. As such it is a focal point of those with scholarly interests.
Tyaznarak - Tyaznarak is one of the youngest of the twelve and the most socially unstable. The rift between the lower class and the middle class is bad enough, but the rift between the middle class and the upper class is even worse. As an example, the lower class can barely afford to even rent a small twelve foot by twelve foot hut and call it a home. The middle class can afford a small two to three room house sporting a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. That’s all. The upper class has access to eight and ten bedroom homes to say nothing of all the other rooms they possess.
The reason for this inequality is because of the fact that the “democracy” is entirely backwards and ruled by the upper class. The current democratic emperor is actually of the nobility before his ascension before running his predecessor out of power, and the only ones allowed to vote are those who can afford to vote. So basically, only the upper class can vote while the middle and lower classes are forced to roll with the punches and take whatever scraps they can find. The inequality is causing massive tension among the people, but because the upper class has access to the money necessary to pay for thousands of highly skilled soldiers to patrol their specific districts, a civil war would only end with the complete annihilation of the middle and lower classes.
The only good thing about living in Tyaznarak is the fact that it’s one of the most beautiful countrysides in the known world with the most pristine beaches and clear rolling hills anywhere to be found. The lush and beautiful landscape has caused many to seek out a life in nature to get away from the pressure of “modern” life under the thumb of the upper class.
Tanmaek - Tanmaek is run on a dictatorship ruled by, of all things, a woman. Her name is Druuba, and she is one of the most hypocritical and ruthless women to have ever lived. She enforces a strict policy of women being locked in the home and never doing anything but abiding their husband’s orders and caring for the children despite the fact that she lives a life of luxury and complete independence. She has no husband, and doesn’t want one, as in her personal time she treats the men in her palace like dogs for amusement. Women are not even allowed to go outside without approval by their husband, so even doing something as simple as drying ones laundry requires permission.
Tanmaek is, along with Tyaznarak, one of the younger nations. However, what provides these social problems is the fact that it has constantly been changing its method of government between monarchy and dictatorship. Each new ruler has brought differing ideals and tried to change the entire nation’s way of life to suit their beliefs, and always it has caused nothing but a decline in the nation’s overall wealth and the happiness of its people. Today, the people live in shambles, even the upper class, and are forced to hope that someday their country finds a ruler who actually knows what they’re doing and can run it efficiently.
There is no upside to living in Tanmaek. It is economically the weakest nation and socially the most unstable (even worse than Tyaznarak). Despite having a decently bearable landscape and some fine art here and there, the tiny slivers of hope are outweighed by the sheer corruption in the government and the fact that their ruler cares little to nothing for them. Tanmaek is by far the weakest of the twelve despite their rulers insistence that it is one of the strongest.
Zuthrunm Sitting on the edge of a mountain range, Zuthrunm boasts the largest access to precious metals and gems anywhere in the world. Their mines almost never seem to run out of valuables, and as such it is one of the second most wealthy nation among the twelve. This wealth is what keeps the social balance going, and the people live very comfortable lives here. The craftsmanship of the artists in this nation is second to none, and the current Emperor’s throne is made of pure gold molded for him by some of the finest artists in the land.
The democratic system here is similar to that of Radvekahn, with the current emperor emphasizing hard work, determination, and artistry among his citizens. The people in Zuthrunm almost always learn at least one of the arts, be it painting, sculpting, woodworking, architecture, landscaping, or anything else involving the use of artistry to create something unique and beautiful. Some of the finest and most awe inspiring architecture in the world can be found in this nation throughout its numerous temples to the Gods and the palace of the emperor.
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