The Holy Republic of Pakray

Pakray is one of the oldest and richest regions in Desmia, and is often known as the crucible of early Orthodoxy. It is as sophisticated and cultured as Avana (maybe more!) but twice as pious. Priests, philosophers, natural scientists, and crusaders all proudly bear the Red Hound of Pakray.
Pakray is boisterously unique in many ways: they boast gladly about their lack of deference to kings, their electoral system, and their religiously-charged government and culture. Sheltered by the mountains surrounding their land, they are untouched by "demonic" invasion and yet carry a long history of civil war and regional bickering. Their lands are highly developed and populated and centuries of peace have given Pakray prosperity- and yet they crusade relentlessly as if their country was at risk. Every attempt to turn away from crusading has led to internal revolts that have pushed the country again into pious and martial drives forward. To Pakray, the crusade is a force for internal equality and stability- it is not just a foreign war but a domestic revolution, that rekindles over and over again.
This endless revolution is part of a great romantic legend. Pakrayans are not only Desmians, but patriotic members of the Holy Republic. That every Pakrayan is an educated farmer-warrior-priest-merchant is obviously impossible, yet the Republic exists to chase the impossible. To some, this is a dream - a land where a virtuous person of any station can become anything, where the high culture of Avana can be tempered with the virtue and piety. To some, this is a nightmare, as government-defined virtue is policed with constant coercion.

Structure

The leaders of Pakray are two elected officials who rule for life, or until abdication: the Red Consul, who must be a priest, and the Gold Consul, who typically holds noble rank. These consuls manage the military and have sweeping authority. They can grant aristocratic titles, lead armies, grant bureaucratic positions, pronounce temporary edicts, and summon the Apellas (legislatures). There are three central organs of the Pakrayan government:

• the Noble Apella, a legislative body representing the noble families of Pakray. Seats are given based on family ranking rather than by land. This Apella is the primary legislative body of Pakray and is in charge of creating laws and selecting the Gold Consul.
• the Common Apella, a legislative body representing the people of Pakray. Townships and cities elect representatives, with voting done by local temple. This Apella can draft 'suggested' laws for the Noble Apella and must confirm any law or edict of the Noble Apella. The Common Apella is also needed to confirm the Gold Consul's selection. Taxes are typically raised here as well, and the Common Apella manages much of the treasury. Lastly, the Common Apella can lobby the Holy Apella for an estate investigation- essentially an investigation into the 'decadence' of a noble family, to have its estates confiscated and distributed to 'virtuous' peasant communities and merchants. Only people who own land can vote in Pakray, and if there is any suspicion of impiety your local priest can bar you from voting.
• the Holy Apella, a body elected by the priests of Pakray to act as moral guardians of the government. They can intervene in law-making, manage the court system by selecting Tribunals, and select the Red Consul. This is the smallest, least active, but most powerful of the three councils.

These three legislatures serve for life, making voting infrequent. Among the aristocracy, there are several ranks:

• Duke
• County
• Baron
• Vidame
• Knight

Though dukes are often under intense scrutiny and are therefore somewhat temporary. Tribunes select judges and have the ability to, with permission from the Holy Apellate, launch an investigation into aristocratic families that engage in intrigue, infighting, or fail to contribute to crusades. Depending on the severity of their decadence, they might be fined, have lands seized, or even be stripped of a title or rank.

History

Pakray, along with Avana was one of the first urbanized lands in Desmia, with settlements dating back to the early Divine Era. According to legend, it was Pakray that constructed a massive Temple to the Warrior God Ezerok in the 2000's DE, only to have it burnt to the ground by foreigners from the far East. It is said that the cult of Ezerok snuck the great trove of scrolls from the burning temple and departed into the four corners of Pakray to hide them, forming the first Schools. These schools were then hosted by the great monarchs of the early city states, who competed with one another in arms and philosophical partronizing alike. In time, demons were driven further and further away, and Pakrayan lords squabbled among themselves. This feuding only intensified as several schools became attracted to beliefs that others considered dangerous- they classified Cats, Octopeople, or Vesper as demons, became entranced with Ishkibism, or began arguing for the supremacy of a single group or belief.
In 210, these petty city-kingdoms were brought together by King Konathan the Wise, who brought the scholars of the more Orthodox schools together in opposition to those out of harmony. Konathan also sent tutors to the Avanan heir, Kaydren. Once of age, Kaydren would conquer the feuding city states of Pakray that had turned on one another following Konathan's death, bringing all of Pakray and Inara into the Avanan Empire. Unfortunately, after Kaydren's passing in 290, one of the Heretic Schools took over the empire- the School of Vigilance and Flame, a fringe xenophobic school. In 300, Pakray jumped into the rebellion against Kaydren's heretic nephew Dezenek, and Pakrayan forces captured the emperor in 303. Famously the Pakrayans placed Dezenek on public trial; when Dezenek claimed that, as the master of the throne and owner of the land, he was above their courts, the Pakrayans bound him to a rough stone "throne" and had him stoned to death while chanting "Have your Earth, master".
"Have your earth" has been the death chant for many deposed Pakrayan rulers (often accompanied by stoning, crushing under heavy rock, or burial alive). Many Pakrayan lords tried to proclaim themselves king from 303-440, ending with death every time. In 440, a warrior-monk named Arda was installed by mob, and began the impossible task of uniting the schools. Against all odds she did it- crushing heretics, winning debates, and winning public trust. Queen Arda of Avedra shocked the public with her final act of dissolving the monarchy. She ritually destroyed her crown and declared the First Holy Republic in 450. This republic was something akin to an elected monarchy with assembly and competing military-aristocrats. From 450 to 850, the republic expanded; a civil war in 660 saw the Cat Priests of Asharat/Corvis seize the military entirely and take over much of the power behind the republic.
Pakray was the hammer against heresy, pursuing the Ishkibites into Izekra and hosting the anti-heretical Council of Avedra in 868. But the republic's internal factions and civil wars slowly dragged it down, until it finally detonated in 1080. A massive civil war struck Pakray, tearing it apart. Increasingly disillusioned armies, tired of fighting for petty lords against fellow Desmians, refused to put down the rebellions in Adava and Inara. Gwenen, a populist lord general of the Republic, rallied the men to follow him South in his own rebellion, and he hijacked the fleet and army to attack Ishkibites in the Southeast in 1085. Following this spontaneous crusade, the Republic absolutely collapsed. In 1105, the Pakrayan heartlands were reunited by Tavrik, a young charismatic warrior that promised to return the Republic to virtue and eternal revolution.
The restored Republic fell to a religious revolt in 1390 as the School of Watchful Purity, a psuedo-heretical successor to fringe heresies, launched a mass takeover of the government. They secured control over Pakray as a military theocracy in 1400. In 1455, they were driven out and the Republic was once again restored (though said heretic priests would flee to Seruv, fueling the Seruvian Crisis in 1460 and the birth of a new heresy). This republic was dissolved in 1460 and transformed into a monarchy, ruling above the Apellas from 1460 until 1675. After the Crimson Death descended upon the land in 1674 and the monarchical bloodline began dying out, civil war began brewing. Nobles quickly elected a new monarch and began a system of elected monarchy, but rebellions began to break out. Increasingly weak and broken governments nearly fell into disintegration but held together from crusading alone, until rebels successfully executed the monarch not long after their election in 1770- and the Republic was reborn. Priests and crusaders began a great purging of the nobility and 'impious' elements of society, and a radical new system began. It has continued as such, only radicalizing in the face of rebellion in 1860.

Demography and Population

3,000,000 humanoids and 800,000 cats live in the Holy Republic. Of the humanoids, 96% are Human, 2% are Vesper, 1% are Haltia, and 1% are Kobold.

Territories

Pakray's heartlands make up 45,000 square miles of lush forest flanked by grassy plains and insulated from the rest of Desmia by the Sakoja Mountains to the North and the Esedal Mountains to the South and East. Two huge lakes, Lake Kadiok in the North and Lake Ukisa in the Southeast, sit in the Pakrayan interior, while a smattering of smaller-but-still-big lakes fill the coastal provinces.
Pakray also exerts control over the Sakoja mountain range communities themselves, fortifying them as a great wall in the face of the Empire of Avana

Military

Pakray's military organized by the aristocratic class, typically the handful of Dukes in conjunction with the Consuls. A small perpetual standing army within Pakray typically guards the Pakrayan heartlands while the majority of man-at-arm retinues are given to the Generals of Gold and Silver, who lead large crusading expeditions. These expeditions are not entirely altruistic or religious, but often generate revenue from loot and captives. The Noble Apella is heavily involved in the training and deployment of troops for these efforts.
Pakray's navy and marine troops are equally important to the Republic, and less aristocratic. Merchant corporations promoted by the state profit off of transport of crusaders and supplies and often run their own warship levies. A standing navy is also supported by the Republic.

Religion

Religion is incredibly important in Pakray, and religious authorities bear great legal powers. To even have Pakrayan citizenship requires being of Orthodox faith, and heretics and non-believers are rarely tolerated outside of trade ports.
In comparison to many Desmian kingdoms, Pakray is a priesthood that runs a state- the Ecclesia of Pakray is heavily involved in policy decisions and is semi-synonymous with the state Pakrayan state. Pakray has a somewhat bloated roster of priests for an Orthodox Desmian country. Unlike most kingdoms, which tie membership and rank in the priesthood to management of a physical temple, Pakray has a large number of non-physical religious positions that grant priesthood, known as "temples of the state" or "temples of the Ecclesium". Some of these are government positions, some are university positions, and some are more fluid religious positions working for the regional conclaves; all have associated duties and sources of income. With some exceptions, most of these 'invisible temples' are reserved for Pakrayan citizens.
Most priests of Pakray- invisible or visible temple- are associated with a School. Most priests pick up the school associated with their university, as even rural priests are often given Ecclesiastical and state subsidies to attend a university of their choice. Pakrayan priests are a lot less local for this, with even the priests of isolated villages often spending multiple years near an urban center. Priestly Schools are important in Pakray both materially and theologically- these are schools of religious thought, political parties, social clubs, and often have independent funds to support member-priests. Priests can choose to be unaffiliated, but risk undermining their legitimacy as a university-educated priest. Priests may switch schools for numerous reasons, though loyalty to a school over a career is often rewarding to the ambitious. There are three main schools that are taken seriously:

• School of the Holy Shield: this school values martial prowess and combat as the path to mysticism and enlightenment, and value asceticism and caution in all things.
• School of Divine Mystery: this school values knowledge, ritual, and education, believing that research, education, specialist-directed change can unlock the enlightened destiny of the Republic.
• School of Universal Struggle: this school values the struggle inherent in all lives, believing that the battle for virtuous living among tradesmen and farmers is just as valuable as crusading.

There are myriad schools beside these, but they are something of fringe groups at the moment. As the decades go on, schools can rise and fall, so this is hardly a permanent roster.
On top of all of this, there are also two kinds of priest that stand as uniquely trained and empowered: tribunals and watchers. Both often work with and train alongside the Orthodox inquisition of other countries, sharing theorems, techniques, and information. Tribunals work with the Court system and Apella to act as travelling judges, messengers, and detectives of aristocratic crimes or decadence. They also work to draft recommendations for redistribution of seized assets from noble estates. Watchers are priests who are empowered to form and lead Guidance Patrols- religious policing groups that work to 'guide public morality' in cities, towns, and troubled rural areas. They investigate witchcraft and heresy accusations, enforce cultural-religious norms, and provide spiritual guidance. They are the religious police, vanguard of the eternal revolution.

Foreign Relations

Pakray maintains positive relations with all other Orthodox nations, with a few snags. The republic never dropped its claim on Inara to the South, nor is it entirely friendly to the Empire of Avana north of it. Neither relationship shows signs of conflict as long as crusades remain a diversion for all three.
Crusading is Pakray's tool of influence and diplomacy, as it has accrued many favors and debts from fellow Desmian kingdoms in exchange or military aid. It has used these to create a web of very favorable trade treaties as well as bolstering its positive reputation.

Agriculture & Industry

Most citizens work Pakray's developed farmland, farming rice, maize, amaranth, sugar, cinnamon, berries, and potatoes. The inland plains also grow wheat and raise cattle and other livestock. Sheep and goats are herded in the Sakoja mountains and the mountain valleys are farmed for potatoes and mined for iron, copper, bronze, and marble. Urban and coastal areas participate in textile production, paper milling, dye-making from coastal clam farms, brewing, and artisan good production.

Trade & Transport

Powerful guilds across Pakray manage most trades and act as political advocacy and voting organization groups. They often also have ties to merchant corporations and the Pakrayan navy- guild coalitions often promote their own favored candidates for naval positions as allies in the consul's court.

Education

Education for the average poor Pakrayan farmer is not unlike what you'd find in most places: one or two days of education a week from ages four to seventeen. Priests, however, receive far more formal education and are typically educated for four years at one of Pakray's twelve universities. Universities are religious institutions, teaching theology for all students, along with a specialty in law, strategy, mathematics, natural science, medical studies, philosophy, social science, or engineering. Non-priests can also attend, and often do if they are aristocrats or from a wealthy merchant family.
Wealthier peasants, artisan families, and lower-level merchants have their own secondary options, as the Republic operates a number of Citizen's Schools to provide secondary education to upstanding citizens. The number and quality of these Citizen Schools depends on the party politics and budget in the Apellas, but they serve as a potential route for the lower-middle class to ascend to professional status or into clerkship work.

"Holy Crowns, Virtuous People, Buried Kings"

Founding Date

210ME/1770 ME

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Demonym

Pakrayan

Government System

Electocracy

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Asalay Dungeon Coinage: Gold Dragons, Silver Eagles, and Copper Bulls

Major Exports

Spices, paper, dyes

Major Imports

Silks, textiles, weaponry, tar

Legislative Body

The Apellas, a two-bodied semi-theocratic legislature

Judicial Body

The Red Consul appointed Tribunal Council

Official State Religion

Orthodox Desmianism

Location

Desmia

Official Languages

• Desmian language

Controlled Territories

• Nekiton

Neighboring Nations

• Empire of Avana
• Kingdom of Inara