Principality of Marinor

'Never, never get a family name wrong, and please remember which hand uses fork, yes I know it's different each time!'- Butler Ranford of the Academy of Finery

Divided by Customs and Families

The Principality of Marinor is by far the most confusing nation for any traveller, as the land for its entire history has been divided between different families, each with different customs and even deities. This tradition of division can be traced back to the time before the Empire. When the race of humans and their cousins were still divided tribes.
Before the Empire was the great unifier of the realm, it was simply a tribal kingdom led by an avatar of the Gods of Order, Hanadrotus the Trailblazer. It was through this avatar's divine will that this early kingdom expanded and unified tribes of humans, halflings and gnomes. But, this kingdom's actions caused the remaining tribes to become desperate. They formed a grand alliance, countless tribes agreeing to work together to defend their traditions, their existence against this so-called holy kingdom. They were led by a chieftess, Marinor who's skill in battle was only outclassed by her diplomacy.
If the tribal alliance and this kingdom fought, it would have likely sent humanity and their cousins back several centuries. So high was the risk for such a level of destruction that a deal was struck. Sources heavily debate the exact manner of these events. Some say that Marinor proved her powers of etiquette as she seduced Hanadrotus, letting her negotiate unification with his kingdom from a position of great power. Such ideas were heavily repressed under the Empire, as such a thing would imply even an avatar of the divines could be corrupted. The Empire's official version is that Marinor and Hanadrotus spoke to one another, and Hanadrotus spoke of the Goddesses's future, a land without needless division, working for a shared purpose. Marinor listened, but could not let go of her loyalty to the tribes. Thus, Hanadrotus in his near endless kindness and wisdom helped forge a pact with this chieftess. As leader of the tribes, Marinor could marry him, unifying both realms without bloodshed. Yet, when she expressed doubt, he offered her one more boon. The customs of the tribes would not be erased, simply tempered to avoid the foul devils. He would even take many of Marinor's customs and make them central to their new unified state. This marriage and treaty is seen as the birth of the Empire of the Torch, and the start of Imperial culture. Though some tribes tried to rebel, they were either sent into exile or crushed under Marinor and Hanadrotus. With their defeat Marinor could now claim total control over the tribes, thus, keeping respect to their old ways, the Principality was formed.
Under the Empire the Principality was granted large amounts of autonomy, with the Empire granting this as long as the noble policed themselves and continued to pay their tithe. This agreement was a rare one, as most other nations were directly governed by the Empire, something which many a noble from the Principality gloated about. Though, such times were not to last. As when the Empire began to collapse, nobles began to panic, some picking sides in the growing Imperial disputes, while others hid away in their castles. It was during this weakened time that the Principality suffered from several civil wars, leading to the destruction of several ancient families. These conflicts would only end due to the Revolt of Hunger, in which the suffering peasants rose up. Such a revolt forced the nobles to put aside their differences to defeat these upstarts. Though the peasants tore down a dozen castles, they were eventually crushed and forced to return to their farms.
The Principality has partially recovered from these times. This mainly due to the introduction of mercenary armies, with them being used to keep order with the peasantry and to handle nearly all forms of war. This has ensured that the nobility of the land do not need to fear their levies joining a revolt, or peasants getting their hands on weapons. This sense of peace and self assurance has led to the Age of Pilfering in the modern day. This Age is driven by an urge now from adventurers and nobles to tap into the many ruins of the land, to seek out the riches of the past. Such adventurers are called 'pilfirers' by the locals, though who can complain about such a name when there's ruins to raid?

Princes led by Princes who lord over Princes

The Principality is officially led by the Princes of Princes, though their powers have been greatly limited over the years. With most accepting that the Princes of Princes simply acts as the face of the nation, rather than an absolute ruler like other nations. The next rank is that of Grand Prince, these Princes rule over the largest amount of territory, with all other types of princes pledging vassalage to at least one Grand Prince. It is the Grand Princes who choose the next ruler of the nation, while also deciding the laws of the land. Below them is the Princes, this the rank held by most nobility, with each Prince usually having a few fiefs to their name. Though, there is one more rank, Prince of the Land. This title is granted to those who provide great service to a prince. In other lands they could be called knights, yet unlike other cultures a prince of this rank does not use horse and lance. But, rather focuses on more elegant weapons, and instead of armour they choose to wear fine clothes. These princes often act as the champions or diplomats of their liege.
Those who lack a formal title simply fall under the category of peasant, with many restrictions placed on such a person. These include a total ban on weapons, a restriction on travel and ban of the practice of magic for non princes. Though it is possible to leave such a rank, this can either be done through becoming a Prince of the Land, or simply buying a title, as many a Grand Prince has been known to sell titles to wealthy merchants.

An Ancient Past

While many of the ancient beliefs have been removed due to both time and the Empire, some aspects of the old faiths of the tribes live on. This can be mainly found in the North East of the Principality. Such beliefs focus on the idea of the World itself being alive, and that without honouring it, the world will rot and turn against all. This 'Old Faith' places great focus on honouring ancient beings and spirits which are seen as avatars of the world. Such beliefs have grown in recent times after the rise of the undead, which to many simply confirmed the Old Faith. Though the Old Faith is still outnumbered as most still follow the Goddesses, and still present a hostile attitude in regards to the faith of the ancient tribes. Though even smaller than the Old Faith, worship of the Duchesses can be found. This is mainly in the Deep South, due to the cut off nature of many of the towns and castles there allowing such beliefs to remain unchallenged. Though, it has not been unheard of for rival nobles to push zealots down south to cause trouble for these Duchess worshippers.