Yzel Overview (YEE'zehl)
Overview
Yzel was originally the largest of the kingdoms on the continent and thus held a good deal of power over the others. They attempted to take over the other kingdoms but were mostly rebuffed by the alliance the others formed until they were able to capture one. This was the start of hostilities between them and what would become the Eoion empire. The subsequent war that freed the captured kingdom was the first time stitching creatures had been used for combat. Originally an oligarchy, they became a monarchy after Second Great War . History of YzelGovernment
At first, the country was ruled by a council of seven nobles who elected a ‘king’ or ‘queen’ from among themselves who would decide tie votes and acted as a unified front when negotiating with other countries. This broke down after the Second Great War . The dynasties have changed several times and the current one has been in power for approximately 60 years. The monarch is still nominally balanced by a council, which consists of representatives from the clergy, merchant class, peasantry, and nobility. These people act more as advisors than lawmakers, although they hold very limited lawmaking authority. For more on the monarchy, see Yzel Monarchy OverviewSociety
The classes are not as structured as other nations, but without marriage or money, it is difficult to move between them. Marriage is the most efficient method and thus a good amount of time and consideration is always given to who a person will wed. Merchants and nobles are more likely to intermarry as the money and influence between the two can be easily bartered. Peasants tend to stay within their class unless a strong case is made (ex, a peasant with a skill could marry into a merchant family to bolster their business ventures- this is rare). Status is generally shown through color of clothing as harder to make colors are more expensive. Blue dye is particularly hard to come by and thus is the color of nobility. While generally favorable to immigrants from outside of the continent, those from Eoion or who have ancestry there are often looked down on due to the hostilities between the two countries. People whose ancestors came from the empire often do their best to hide that fact (hair dye is a common tactic as two color hair is common in Eoion but not other areas)- Social classes are stratified throughout society rather than the strictness on one side and more or less open social movement seen in Eoion. Whatever class one is born into is taken as that person’s place in life due to the will of various gods. A peasant attempting to rise above their station is frowned upon, although in the rare event that class changes do happen (peasant rises, noble falls, dynasty changes), it is said that a chaotic force caused a disruption and a person was born into the wrong place.
- Meanings of colors: blue (riches, royalty, high social standing), orange (adaptability, poverty, competition), red (loyalty, success, passion), yellow (bright future, warmth, warning), green (death-body turns sickly green/yellow, respect, renewal), pink (trust, romance, calmness), white (foreign, other, spirituality), black (stability, science, level headedness), brown (earth, architecture, strength)
Clothing
The clothing is composed of mainly pants and tunics. Wealth is shown through material and embroidery on the tunic and pants are generally a plain brown or black. Looser pants are associated with the upper class, but tunics are almost always tight to the chest, with the rest falling much more loosely around the hips and down the legs. Tunic length has only a passing connection to wealth and is more associated with career or personal preference. The sleeves are worn close, but not tight, and often have a different colored cuff. Jewels were very popular in the previous dynasty but the new one only really uses jewels on shoes (to show wealth but to also remember that it is not important). With the mines gone, the jewelry tends toward showing gems in minimal settings instead of intricate metal work. Sashes tied around the waist are common and tend to be made of cotton, silk, or brocade depending on the wealth of the person. At formal events, sashes can be draped over the shoulder or settled across the body. Motifs tend to revolve around the sea and sometimes flowers are seen during the spring. Geometric patterns, representations of wind, and the sun are also popular. Saturated colors are used to show status and the more bright colors a person wears without becoming a mess is indicative of wealth. For more information, see Yzelian FashionHairstyles
Hair tends to be worn short as the climate is warmer than in the north. Both men and women will wear their hair, generally, no longer than shoulder length, although longer hair has a mixed reputation. Due to the wars and close association of long hair with Eoion, it can be seen as association with an enemy or as something exotic and people trying to stand out will grow their hair. Very little is used in the way of decoration and ties are meant more to keep hair out of the way than to show off style. Hats are much more prominent and what sort of hat, along with the color, can say a good deal about the person wearing them. In terms of color and fabric choice, the statement made is similar to clothing overall. The poor tend to wear only a single scarf or headband while the rich opt for jeweled brocade and silk hats in exotic shapes. Formal hats have become more understated with the new monarchy, just like all of fashion. The founder of the current dynasty, Luan Sranten, began the trend of wearing only an ornate jeweled headband to formal events, tying into his more humble beginnings.Entertainment
- Music tends to be loud, with bombastic instruments. They usually use it in religious contexts so most of the early pieces of music were written for this purpose. Music has begun to branch out in the last 200 years and secular pieces are starting to become more popular than religious ones.
- Theatrical works often show tales of love and tend to focus on romance more than anything else. People turn to plays for escape and thus want something happier.
- Du: This is a sport particular to the nobility. There are two teams of six who compete against one another. Two balls are in play at once and the nets are high up. The goal is to score more points than the other team. However, once both teams score one point, when one team scores, it will decrease the other team's total by one. Two goals in a row must be scored for additional points to be added. Nobility use this as a way to foster strong relationships between them and the monarchy.
Language
Yzelian is the official language of the kingdom and everyone there speaks it. Only nobility or merchants will learn Eoin and they would never speak it unless necessary. Those who emigrated from Eoion to Yzel tend to keep their native language secret to avoid discrimination. The name for the kingdom in Yzelian is "Yzel" when referring to the country. If speaking as the 'Kingdom of Yzel' or 'Yzelian Kingdom' it is 'Rayzel Debmelin', with the prefix ra- indicating a change from the noun form 'Yzel' to the form of an adjective form of the noun. The Eoion Empire would be 'Raeoion Idabmelin'.Currency
Yzel’s money system is based on paper rather than metal coins. The papers are called ‘pavac’ and are color coded with denominations of 1 (green), 5 (pink), 10 (brown), 15(red), and 20 (blue).Military
Yzel boasts a strong navy due to having access to the sea, much more than the other countries. Less advanced in mountainous warfare and rely mostly on open field combat. Magic is used for defense more than offense and they have a special forces team that is particularly skilled in essence magic based on void.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Constitutional
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Pavac
Legislative Body
Monarch and Council
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Official Languages
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Comments