Kingdom App:
Name: The Free Territories of Gasdran
History (doesn’t have to be long): Following the collapse of Paralia, the lands were chaotic and ripe for the taking. The colonies of the empire fueled by ambition, greed, power-hungry politicians, and those wanting a restoration of the old order of privileges sent forth an expedition under Grand Marshal Livon. An exiled son of a formerly powerful house in charge of 100,000 men the fleet landed upon a beach and road inward to an abandoned imperial settlement. They rebuilt the fortifications and set out to demonstrate their power upon the squabbling states surrounding them. There used to be eight great families of the rich, and fertile lands surrounding the capital, but now there are only seven.
Livon's forces put the eighth house to the sword and forced ambassadors of the remaining seven to surrender or die. They chose wisely and became integrated into the new dominion. The Grand Marshal continued expansion, and within thirty-four years found himself the administrator of ten dominions of varying size. The truth be told, the grand marshal had plans for multi-generational conquest instead of conquest, and reunification of the empire within a lifetime. This lost him support back in the colonies, and with the fragile colonial government of cooperation fracturing, the man was truly on his own.
The aging Grand Marshal resigned from the idea of imperial reclamation, and named himself "hereditor". The ten dominions became the United Dominions and were named after the folkloric hero Gasdra, one of the key figures of the early empire. The autocratic structure focused on the assertion of Gasdran as inheritors of the empire in their way, with their concepts of nation, and people. Livon made sure to crush any rising powers and divide them up to ensure continuous, and never-ending struggle. Others were forced into the status of tributary states of the country.
The Hereditor died, aged 90 while resting quietly, but some claim that he died of a broken heart. Over time the Hereditor's successors came to realize imperial restoration wasn't possible, and within a few centuries established cordial relations with Marseille. Within time the dominions became the commonwealth, a tributary state of Marseille ruled at first by hereditary dynasties, but even the position of Hereditor became one of appointment. A governor like position that those who held it would fear the days their families lost power, and the favor of the royal court. Eventually, rebellion and the incompetence of the hereditor forced Marseille to integrate the commonwealth even further and send someone from the royal military to "administer" the area.
Over time the royal administrators became cruel and excessive leading to an influential Marseillan who had fallen in love with and married a Gasdranian to protest to the court. His protests went on deaf ears, and in disgust, he sold everything he had for a journey to the highest of holies, a sacred mountain space of Gasdran. He spent a year meditating in the timeless halls, home to monks believed to have been born outside of time and destined to reincarnate until the end. The man renamed himself Lama and began a series of anti-cooperative movements. First protesting the various census initiatives that the administrators were taking.
He encouraged people drafted to flee to the forest, and tax-paying citizens to hide their money or spend it cheerfully on one another. He encouraged farmers to keep their harvest and feed the poor. Doctors were given patients to take without pay in protest of repressive financial measures. People were encouraged to simply set up councils, and govern themselves for once. As a result order, taxes, drafts, and other measures were simply ignored. The Marseillan government was to say simply, not very amused and sent in troops to restore order, but met resistance in many ways.
Following "the year of disorder", the Lama retreated back to the mountain of holies and began to meditate. Yet a commander of the marseille deployment moved by the resistance met with the Lama on the mountain. At first attempting to get the Lama to restore order, and petition the court again, but the man left convinced of a new cause. In a series of rousing speeches, parts of the deployment defected forming "the order of black". They along with groups known as "code-breakers" led the resistance against the Marseillans, and ultimately overwhelmed the capital.
The administrator and their surviving entourage were escorted to the border and told to leave the land alone, and never come back. The order of the black merged with other code breaker groups to form the "free territorial guard. They created and maintained a series of strategic forts along the border in order to ensure the Marseillans never came back. Meanwhile, the Lama lead a grand procession to the capital, and while people expected him to take a crown he simply refused. Instead the land needed a spiritual mentor, protector, and guide in his view.
In a momentous speech, the Lama set forth a new religion, and a new political system deeming it "one fit for a free territory". Afterward, he took the position of "Pada" retiring to a simple farming estate with his family. In a decade the Marseillans returned with a well equipped, and vengeful expedition force. In the now-infamous battle of montagran the forces of Marseille full after a feast celebrating the capture, and decimation of the population of Montagran, a city near the border were too drunk to realize what was happening around them. By the time they did, they awoke in a stupor to a siege from the territorial guard.
The city had most of its supplies evacuated, and people evacuated, but not all of them. The men of Marseille had been too busy looting, drinking, and whoring to notice they hadn't moved most of their supplies inside during the night of feasting. The guard "appropriated" the foodstuffs, and weapons while locking the city uptight. The siege lasted for some time before the men inside drove mad by hunger began to kill one another and devour the corpses they could find. The Marseillans inside eventually launched a coup killing the general, and his loyalists, and opening the gates arms wide in surrender.
The Lama met them, and after a week rest marched alongside a detachment of the guard to the border. The prisoners were exchanged albeit reluctantly, and the Lama met to discuss terms with some of the bureaucrats. Peace was desirable to both sides as another disasterous expedition could not be afforded, but truth be told the Gasdranians simply wanted peace as well. The Lama was on his way to the capital before being killed by an arrow. His body was recovered by a delegation curious of his whereabouts and buried in the mountain of holies.
It has been 150 years since the conflicts officially ended, but unofficially the territories, and Marseille haven't anything more than a ceasefire. Yet the territories are content to deal with their own business, their own people, and their own faith. To a Gasdranian, being anti-Marseillan isn't just a matter of custom, but expected. The kingdom is viewed as the sign of peak degeneracy, but the Gasdranian knows that any war will only bring suffering so things are simply left alone. Now a new Pada rises to tend to the herds, guide the people, farm the land, and ensure the territories are protected.
Current leader: The Fifth Pada
Government Type (monarchy, republic, etc): The government operates as a confederative agreement, a voluntary one based on the cultural, and religious identity of the people.
Executive (nominal): The Pada plays a spiritual role more than anything else. The moral, and spiritual center of the nation they are guided by the hands of the oldest , a council reliant on the traditional experts of wisdom, and custom per the ten territories. The wisdom of the timeless council is given to them from time to time as well.
Legislative: The Highest Assembly
A) The Chiliarchs-local cities (the ten). Each territory sends its best, and brightest men, and women to their perspective capital. A rigorous lottery will draw one hundred winners to form a session. The session will form a vote to elect a person to bear the title of Unarch, city administrator for a year amongst a selected pool of candidates. Afterward, the Unarch will disband the session in order for it to report to the Chiliarchs (1,000)-currently the lowest form of the legislature in the assembly. Depending on the territory, and the tradition sometimes the Unarch will initiate a second lottery to send those winners over or keep the session as an advisory body allowing runner ups to attend the capital in their place.
B) The Duodecimvirates- The ten territories gather another rank of best, and brightest men, and women to their capital. Each capital city has a major council working alongside the Unarch or with the sessions, and unarch. Tradition varies, but yearly they choose a candidate amongst the established houses to serve as unarch, commence city responsibilities, and select a legislative representative to join the Duodecimvirate. While the Chiliarchs think of their territories, the duodecimvirates have to think of the nation as a whole.
C) The Petition of the Houses: The recognized houses (legal entities) serve as tiebreakers, and compromisers between the chiliarchs, and the duodecimvirates. 500 members with no major attachments to territorial governance beyond their house obligation mitigate the perceived issue of power dispute between the two other organs. The petition of the houses, to put it simply involve themselves as a countermeasure against the tyranny of the majority, and the disenfranchisement of the minority. They receive bills from the Chiliarchs and the responses from the Duodecimvirates. As such they must ensure an "agreement of compromise" is reached, and that political debates are kept orderly.
Special committees known as tiebreakers form in case "rumps" occur in which a compromise has been failed to reach. They negotiate favorable conditions and seek to resolve any disputes to ensure that the government doesn't shut down. Once completion has occurred the tiebreakers dissolve back into the regular fold.
Houses
-Land grants-those in possession of sizeable tracts granted by the government with the expectation of a tax fulfillment on the crops produced.
-The Admiralty- Created by the naval compact, these ships lead by the council of admiralty serve to defend the coasts of the territories, and preserve its waters for safe passage of travelers. Their tax is the defense of the waters for the good of the commons.
-The Marques- Privateer, pirate, mercenary, whatever the name the purpose remains the same. Bound by ancient rules, customs, and traditions they swear not to raid or operate in Gasdranian waters. In exchange for a tax on plunder, and loot the territories look the other way toward their activities so long as they have an official membership.
-The Armsbearers- Those involved in the territorial guard, the militias, or compacts of defense. They involve themselves in the security of the territories, and as such their tax is the tax of service. They dedicate themselves for a specific period of time, and then the rest of their service is voluntary.
-The peasants, and commoners- Those with a bit of land or property whether in the countryside or city. Their tax is the contribution their labors make in their time of service. Those in this category can move beyond as some peasants have become landgranters while commoners have become much more.
- The Merchants, and Traders- Those responsible for the conducting of trade, handling business, and economic aspects in that area. Their tax is the assurance of continued trade, making business deals, a profit from the portion made by banks or some other type of expectancy.
- The Laborers, and Guilds- Those who work by the sweat of their brow as day laborers, contractors, or those who band together to form guilds. Their labor's results are often the tax upon them more than anything else.
-The Tributaries- Those who choose to pay their tax obligation directly with currently through the support of an organ of governance. They provide funding to a specific area, for a specific time, and of a specific amount.
D] Assembly of the Bloodsworn: Those proven loyalty to the cause, identity, and body politic of the territories get chosen for the mysterious entrance rites of the Bloodsworn. They undergo a series of tests, and rites to prove their loyalties, and often end with them being given a drink to forget their entire experience or they prick their finger dropping a bit of blood into a bowl as a symbol of loyalty. In exchange for certain privileges, they root out treason, serve as the eyes and ears of the territories, and spread information through some manner of espionage. Should any traitors be in their ranks, and caught the traitor's name is cast in the fire to be forgotten, and they are stripped of everything to be humbled before the Pada for sentencing.
E) Court of the Eunuchs: The houseless, the abandoned, the downtrodden, the despised, and accursed. Those who truly have no hope in any facet of modern Gasdranian society come here. In the mountainous complex of the capital, they serve the Pada alone in furthering the interest of the realm. They ensure what bureaucracy the country has run smoothly to prevent nepotism as the eunuchs have no future, no families except each other, and no bloodlines. Some solve crimes, others collect taxes, and others mediate disputes, but regardless of the role they play everyone is them is identifiable. They wear paint on their face made from a source known only to a few select craftsmen that is one applied in fully sealed by a magical ritual, and permanent.
F) *Senate of the Octarchs: Every ten years, a game unlike any other is held. 100 contestants from the five ranks of governance all can apply equally and have a chance at being chosen. The games contain splendid pageantry and sportsmanship that brings in crowds of thousands. Only four may come out on top. The current octarchs come before the crowds stripped down to white sackclothe, and humble themselves before the people. They neither recite their accomplishments, or inflate their ego, but instead list their failures, explain their redemptions, and announce things that were good during their term.
The crowd's vote and those with the least votes are given a chance to plea to the crowd, but if the reaction is negative they are retired from the office and replaced by a winner chosen from the top four. The crowd furiously debates the merits, and qualifications of each one, and in one concise voice yells out the winner's name quite loudly. The crowd them comes into the lower stadium picking up the winner and carrying them in a rowdy procession through the streets. The Senate is headed by a chief octarch and rotates every two years to a one of the panel of three (the triarchs, those who served the longest) or the panel of four (quattuorarchs, the youngest or newest).
The position of Chief Octarch is decided by the power of majority vote, and the games every ten years ensure fresh blood is brought into the ranks of the Senate. If someone is kicked out or retires a junior becomes a senior, and the process continues as it always has. They inform the Pada of any top-secret developments, break a compromise if even the petition of the houses cant, watch the outside world with unease, and do so much to ensure the stability of the territories.
Religion: The Virtuous Movement
Named in the fact, the highest values of the religion are virtue and activism. The universe was bound by living, and breathing force that was benevolent, and sought to inspire its various creations with love, fairness, humility, and service to one's community. Magic is merely one extension of this God, and souls are intricately connected with it. All belong to virtue as it isn't a singular being, but an omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient deity ever forming, ever sleeping, ever awakening, and ever-growing. Injustice, darkness, corruption, and chaos are antithetical to the very order of the universe and must be opposed at all costs.
The Virtuous don't take kindly to atheism since they believe that humanity and others being a creation of the "endless, and eternal" meant that atheism is an illogical position. In short, they believe atheism is a denial of the self not in an honorable way, but to replace oneself with materialism, hedonism, and nonexistence. Places of worship are often underground, and in dark spaces to represent the repression the faithful messengers experienced while spreading Lama's message of resistance. Candles provide sources of light, but a single hole representing universal light would funnel itself into a sun-shaped symbol in the center. Entrances of the underground temples of worship are filled with gardens representing the beauty of the universe.
Worship was to be conducted in both home, and temple having at its centerpiece a plain altar. Covered with flowers, and fruits representing bounty, and the priest just as the leading member of the home commences with an invocation to justice, and virtue. Followers of the faith chant, sing, converse topics and reflect in silence sometimes up for an hour in prayer. At the end in the presence of full light, the faithful will have their heads covered with water from a jar representing purification. Other issues of the faith cover birthing rituals, sacred rites, marriages, and funerals.
Population: Ten million.
Imports:
Exports:
Stance on magic: Magic is considered an essential part of the faith that Gasdranians partake of as well as part of daily life.
Geography:
Culture (status of women, traditions/customs, marriage, etc):
There are several cultures within the territories, and each has its own varying belief systems.
1] The Azer- A primordial culture dating back to the ancient times of the empire. As such they spend most of the time bickering about lost glories, and ancient times. Cursed by something ancient, and long-forgotten these once proud people now live much shorter lives than they used to. Their bloodline subject to a wasting disease that often targets them by age 60 most die within years of it being diagnosed while others seek experimental treatments, and a few lucky Azer live to 125, a pale comparison of their races former ages.
Inspired by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Anarchist influence, and Revolutionary France.
