An Introduction To Estoya

A Nation of Reason

The Center of Civilization

Estoya is the center of civilization. While it is not the only country in the world, it is one of the largest, and the best equipped due to its access to a variety of crucial resources. Being the homeland of the pathfinders, it is also the only region where time and space are stable. Roads do not seems to get longer and travel times are unaffected in Estoya.

Estoya is also the only place where reality sickness does not occur. This is the starting point for the expedition and will likely not be seen for a long time if at all after leaving. Estoya is littered with rolling hills and vast forests. In the north this landscape gives way to plains and then desert as one reaches Dis. To the south the forests become more frequent until one enters the grasslands of The Provinces of Mhirriah . The mountains that border Mhirriah end at the Estoya-Mhirrian border but can be seen for miles around. Plants and animals in Estoya would be considered quite mundane to most outsiders.

In Estoya, the wilds seem tame and conquered. Most animals in Estoya are used for food, predators have all but fled the land as they are hunted with prejudice. wolf packs and dire creatures however do make their home in the furthest reaches of the wilds.Due to the lack of predators, the populations of animals rise and as such meet the demands of the people.

Plant life in Estoya is equally bland. Cedar is the most plentiful tree in Estoya and a large assortment of herbs and flowers grow in its balanced climate. Wood, Iron, Gold, and silver are plentiful in Estoya. Farmers raise cattle, fowl, and other mundane animals as well as horses for cavalry. Fish of all kinds can be found in the oceans to the west and east and also in the many small lakes and rivers that flow within the region.

Estoyans

Estoya is a diverse mashup of several races and several ethnicities of those races. Its traditions and language are a melting pot of these cultures.

Humans

Humans are the most common race in the world. Coming in many shapes, colors, and sizes, Humans are known for mediocrity and also their fragility. All other races have natural immunities to the brutal world. Whether it be resistances to disease or thick skin to prevent damage. Humans are fairly exposed to the dangers that haunt the land and as such tend to have short life spans. They are however, ambitious and without a doubt admirable in their efforts

The High Races

The term "High Races" refers to Alfen, Greenskins, and The Dwarves. This title stems from their unique lineage. Any member of the high races who refer to themselves as Estonyan are often heavily urbanized and many have all but forgotten their cultural beginnings such as the wild elves who once lived in peace in what is now the Black March. The dwarves are often exiles from their subterranean kin and have changed their racial identity to match their position. These dwarves tend to have more color in their skin due to time in the sun as opposed to the more pale mountain dwarves. Greenskins who chose to be urbanized and are significantly different and less savage then those found outside of Estoya. It took quite a while for the other urbanized races to accept them as equals, which drove many to careers in the criminal underworld. While not as common this is still an issue to this day.

Tablin

The Tablin of Estoya are heavily influenced by Estoyan culture as most Tablin are native to Estoya. The tablin however have a very different culture all their own and many deviate from Estoya in favor of it.

Customized Beauty

Estoyan ideals of beauty stem from the big picture. Specific elements don't truly matter and are based on preference. Your overall beauty is judged by how you look as a whole. Do you look aesthetically pleasing with your blonde hair, green eyes, bubbly personality and comfortable but functional fashion? Then you are beautiful. This is highly based on preference but it is rare to see anyone who is with someone and not see why they chose to be so. This "up in the air" way of judging beauty has caused much undo stress in the nobility and probably on commoners as well due to the fact that one is unsure who they are attracting or how to attract what one prefers.

There are common trends that have become staples for those who can pull them off. Facial hair well styled and trimmed is a sign of status and attractiveness for men, as is martial prowess. Woman are considered more attractive when exorcising the mind. Most consider it a good sign when a quick walk turns into hours of intellectual conversation. Women also tend to be more desirable in form fitting clothing as opposed to Vanheim, where the more left to the imagination the better. You don't see many dresses outside of court in Estoya and even then, they tend to hug the woman's frame just as much as male fashion does.

Gender

Men are symbols of order in Estoya, a far cry from the matriarchal society of Ozlith. It should be said that few ever confuse order with control. The strength and raw physical power masculinity is thought to impose is balanced by the grace, creative, and chaotic concepts that are attributed to women.

Men and women are considered two parts of the same coin. The Masculine and feminine being aspects of the mind that all must have but are only born with one or the other. It is common for young woman to have more male friends than female friends and vice versa. This is a way of understanding their counterparts. This level of equality is a fairly recent development having occurred within the last several centuries.

Fun Fact:

It should be said that gender values actually stem from the mind to those in Estoya, not the body. Estoyans believe gender comes from within and has little to do with that biological sex one has. There are many individuals who appear as one gender but actually be another. These individuals will actively seek to fit into the gender roles of their true gender as opposed to the one that fits their biological sex. While sexual reassignment is impossible with the current advances in technology, many Arcanists are seeking out a way to do so for those who find themselves in this place, and wish to change it.

Even in death, never shall we part...

Relationships are official agreements of emotional and spiritual ownership in Estoya, and don't officially begin until marriage. This ownership does not branch into the physical, however, and it is a common sight for married men and women to frequent brothels, often with one another. The noble lords and ladies build harems and stables or both if it fancies them. Sexuality is open in Estoya and as such casual sex is frequent and sometimes encouraged as pregnancy has become a rare event in the world. Even the most promiscuous human women will likely only be pregnant once in their life.
Courtship in Estoya is not a complex ordeal, but marriage most certainly is. Marriage exists to combine assets and houses into one and for a select few a covenant with their gods. More importantly, marriage is a covenant to each other. Divorce does not exist nor would it ever be allowed. To marry someone is to give them yourself entirely, and even if they die, you will never be able to remarry for that reason. This isn't to say you can't develop relationships with others, emotional or otherwise.

Proposal

In marriage, the tradition is that the whichever individual has the most merit, whether female or male, keep their family name and the other changes or hyphenates their family name to match. This concept is not practiced among The Major Nobility (Noble Houses) as often, as one's name often carries weight in The Estoyan Government. Usually those who will become head of their house will keep their names and the other may change, if they so please. Proposal is an arranged affair where one party proposes to the other after consideration and discussion with both families involved. The proposal is rarely a surprise for anyone.

Maps

Map Of Estalia
a map detailing the plot centric locations and important places within Estalia

Names

Estoyan female names tend to end with soft vowels. Races often adopt the names they like and as such many members of other races have traditional Estoyan human names.

Examples include:

Jemma
Mari
Digna
Thay
Meerthala
Zeriya

Male names counter female names in that they rarely end in vowels save for o and it is always pronounced with the hard sounds as in Mario.

Other names include:

Jacob
Tammer
Paris
Luke
Kirk

Unisex names mix the rules in that they may have a series of hard sounds and soft sounds.

Examples include:

Jackobi
Marceen
Marshal
Shalion

Not all Estoyans are named traditionally. Many take names and words from other races and utilize them when naming their children and vice versa.

Given that Estoya is a melting pot of cultures, names often vary and don’t always follow these rules. Surnames are just as varied, but are cherished as ones family name is often a badge of honor in Estoya.

Type

Territory

Included Locations

Included Organizations

Owner/Ruler

Tammer Roux, King of Estoya

Owning Organization

The Estoyan Government

Characters in Location

Tammer Roux, King of Estoya

A Reasonable People

Estoya is known for its people's intelligence and reason. The people here are some of the most literate in the world. Innovations occur with great frequency on all fronts. Few give into emotion and romanticism is regarded as naive unless they accept, at least in part, some concept of the rational. Religion is unrestrained so long as its customs do not break the law.

Customs and Traditions

Language

The most common language spoken is that of the humans. Originating in Ozlith, its origin, This language has traveled with humans as they progressed along the same paths many other races did during the infancy of their species and several dialects exist, usually inserting common cultural concepts not found in common language. The language grew so prevalent, due to the Ozlolithian Empire's size, that even other races learned it over time.

Taboos

The varied cultures of Estoya don't leave much room for taboo, but some include infringement of personal liberty, interruption when someone is speaking and other forms of bad manners. It is especially taboo to judge one for more than their merits, which they can literally site for you with their Civil Ledgers. Someones choices are not nearly as important as their skill and contribution to society. Rudeness and lack of hygiene are the worst forms of poor etiquette to even the poorest Estoyan. Public baths exist in abundance for this reason.

A Love of Art

The Rouxs place a special interest in the arts, having brought about "the bardic rebirth" during their long rule. The family has routinely fed many a staving artist to help adorn public and private spaces. Sculptors, poets, writers, and musicians all gather daily in the central square of Rouxsgate in hopes of catching the eye of a passing noble. The nobles all playfully compete when it comes to being patrons of art. makers at Calhurst.

Architecture

Architecture places an emphasis on angled geometric spaces. Rarely do you see a curve or a dome save for The Calhurst Prison Colony. Buildings are made with brick and stone masonry with timber usually used for either decoration, support, or both. Large glass windows are often common as well, imported from glass

Dress Code

Formal wear varies and it is not uncommon to see many variations of the same style. A common to formal wear in Estoya is decadence. the more frills and decoration the better. clothing is usually regarded as unisex when it comes to formal wear. Skirts and trousers cut at the ankle are a common sight for both men and women. These garments are always in the colors of ones family or one’s lord, though one can choose the colors of the kingdom or the ruling house as well. The only universal element of formal dress in Estoya is that ones clothing be form fitting. The nobility tend to choose more lightweight and thin fabrics for this reason. The frock coat and overcoats are favored forms of dress as they match Estoya's cool climate. Waist coats are worn as well though women tend to choose it to accentuate curvature and bust lines. The showing of skin is a sign of sexual independence and therefore it is not uncommon for men and women to leave one or even two buttons undone or opt out of a coat entirely in favor of a dress and buttoned shirt to reveal their arms as well.

Casual wear usually involves whatever one wishes to wear and allows for multicultural fashions which may be cheaper or more comfortable. Corsets are also worn by women who wish to renew older fashions, though they are often looser are more comfortable than traditional counterparts. Shoes are usually high quality stained leather, polished, and are covered by the legs of one's trousers. Heeled shoes, another vintage fashion specifically for women, are a typical choice for woman. Some men use heeled shoes to appear taller but the trend has not been set in stone.

Undergarments often depends on preference. Generally for woman, the Brassiere or breast strap are only worn when being particularly active or wearing something that would be abrasive to the skin or obstructed by the breasts such as a chest plate. Some wear them for the lifting qualities they bestow as well but this is not their purpose. Men wear nothing on their upper bodies but often use fabric straps under armor similar to women. The lower body has generally two different types of undergarments that come in many forms. Long and short. Long undergarments are worn in colder weather and short in warmer weather. Many tailors and stylists make their own brands of all of these garments and some like to put their own spin on that clothing.

Holidays

There are numerous festivals held routinely. Their timing usually connects with changing seasons or moments of celebration.

Roux’s Festival

Roux’s Festival is in honor of the government change from a absolute monarchy to a meritocratic oligarchy with a central monarch at its head. This a week long celebration oddly loved by both nobles and commoners alike. Its held after a full year measured in sunsets. The nobility prepare for months before gathering their gifts to the common folk and the common folk save up earning to afford the formal wear required to venture into the official building within the kings estate, the king routinely gives small favors to local tailors to lower the prices in secret. The nobility dress as common folk during this celebration and mingle with the townsfolk often in disguise to hear what the people think of them and act accordingly. While mostly symbolic the nobles usually jump at the chance to live simply without responsibilities hanging over their heads.

Harvest festivals

A harvest festival is held at the end of every harvest and is put on by farmers to help move their crop. Volunteers help hall the crop into the city markets where any and all can eat what they like for one day. Farmers play around with breed and soil to add uniqueness to flavor. Brewers of the nation joined in on the celebration bringing the latest vintages of wine, their newest flavors beers, and liquors.

The Tale of The Alfen Glade

Estoyan culture and heritage, though multi-cultured, has always been steeped in human history. This heritage branches off with Estoya's official declaration of statehood. As a fledgling nation, several wars were fought ,primarily with Mhirriah, over the territory. Before the Tablin were officially a race, what is now the Tablwood was a vast woodland stemming most of the continent.
During the final war with the alfen who lived in the wood at the time, a young monarch of the Harrow dynasty burned a sacred glade to the ground. He witnessed the event and experience loss and pain as it was where he and his queen first met, and a place where they frequently took walks before the war began.

Bards tell this tale routinely and mark it as the moment It became clear to all that Estoya was not to be a warlike nation. The monarch, King Jarobee Harrow, was said to have ordered his soldiers to drop their arms and immediately assist the elves in putting out the fires. He himself shed his armor and aided in those efforts. As some bards tell it, He pulled the leader of the alfen from the torrent of flames. The wild elf king saw the king plainly, and stared in wonder at tears on the young king’s face, a sign of weakness to his soldiers, but a moment the elves never forgot. It showed them humans could experience true sorrow.

The respect this precious moment garnered between the too races led to mutual efforts to establish the city now called Rouxsgate, and what's left of the glade is found in the courtyard of the Rouxsgate Bardic University.

Technological Level

Technology in Estoya has deals mainly in the arcane arts and matters of convenience. A complex sewage system and aqueducts are prime achievements as well. Military advancement is actually behind the times. While other cultures such as the freeholds have invented gunpowder, the Estoyans have yet to do so. The latest piece of technology made in military efforts are the war wagons. Large steel wagons that hover in the air and propel themselves both due to magical enchantments.