The Country of Scylkyr
Scylkyr is a small country on the southern tip of the continent, with a few islands off the coast. They are well known traders who trade in the fish and minerals common off their shores, as well as hunting goods. They are a peaceful nation, and don’t have any form of aristocracy, instead forming a confederation between clans. They don’t have much political power as a result, but some members would argue this to be a good thing.
Structure
Scylkyr is a confederation of 12 clans that work together to make national decisions. Most of the time, however, clans work independently as small direct democracies within their individual territories. Each clan has traditions separate from the others, and yet there is an overarching unity and culture that allows them to maintain their status as a country.
There border and country remains thanks to their mutual agreements, and they are generally incredibly peaceful, though they used to be quite the opposite.
Culture
The culture of the Scyrans is incredibly complex and multi-leveled. Each clan has their own central deity and symbol signifying their belonging to them. The polytheistic religion designates that each clan serves the purpose of their deity. For example, the indu clan (Induskyr) along the south of the peninsula worships the god of the sea, and their job therefore is to protect and expedite the fishing trade in that region, as well as maintaining the country's navy.
In addition, art and music focus primarily on the horrors of war, the thrill of hunting, and universal themes such as love, heartbreak, beauty and nature. Most art is painted on smooth stones and is stylized, resembling the paintings of cavemen. Music is played on drums, carved flutes, and a lute-like instrument known as a tona. Melodies are often described as haunting and sad to outsiders, and are slow-paced, with most songs taking an hour or more to complete.
Most traditions are competitive in some way, with all holidays introducing some form of it. The rock-painting festival irkhal has people’s art stones rated against each other, with the winner and their family being treated to a feast by the other villagers in their clan. These stones hold a spiritual meaning as well, and the winner is said to be more deeply connected to the divine on that day, and their favor requires the special treatment the feast provides. It is performed on the last full moon of their calendar, when the veil between the world of the divine and mundane is the thinnest and ond, or magic, is the strongest.
Public Agenda
They are a peaceful nation whose primary goal is to keep to themselves, retain their culture and traditions, and maintain their current territory. That being said, there are almost always internal territory disputes to settle, and many domestic issues to address.
One of those is the distribution of goods and services. Since each clan maintains a certain section of their economy, it is essential that they distribute such supplies evenly. However, retaliation is common and the confederation council often oversees such disputes.
Assets
Scylkyr has very little left over assets except for animal and fishing trade, one of the reasons why they are mostly left alone by other countries. The one valuable resource they have is iron, which they mine along the coast and trade with the neighboring Heinfelldba. Their bartering system allows them to gain resources this way they wouldn't otherwise have.
As a general rule, they do not deal with Worntel or Amystein in order to remain impartial in that conflict, especially since they are weak both politically and in terms of military force.
History
The clans of Scylkyr used to be a large, powerful militaristic presence spanning nearly the entire south of Felden. They were violent and only three generations ago, slaughtered all who opposed them. The leader Kurdath was largely responsible for this, as he preached a philosophy that promised paradise in the afterlife for those that fought for him. He was eventually assassinated by an unknown organization.
After this, they gained a new leader, Irkara, a powerful military general in her own right. She argued against such actions, claiming that the deities were displeased with them and that committing such atrocities led only to suffering. Under this new philosophy, the Scylkyr Confederation regifted many of the lands they had taken and retreated to their peninsula, dividing territories among themselves in order to maintain inter-clan peace. It is under this philosophy that they have lived ever since.
Demography and Population
The demographics of Scylkyr in terms of ages are very mixed, and Scyrans tend to live longer than Skelliens in other countries due to their lack of conflict. That being said, there are very few people of other species in their country, as they tend to distrust anyone outside of their Confederation.
Territories
They occupy the Southern Peninsula of Felden, in the Southeast of the continent, as well as a chain of islands that run along the coast. They are bigger than Amystein but smaller than any of the other countries, and share a single border with both Heinfelldba and Worntel.
Military
They do not have an official organized military; rather, each clan possesses a dozen or more warriors to help protect from things like wild animals, and the occasional criminal. They are no longer ever at war, and their standing army has been abolished for over two decades.
They are a peaceful nation and well aware of their weakness on the international stage, hence their avoidance of any and all outside conflict.
Religion
The most common religion among the clans is Tyratol, which states that the world was created by the being SaerTyra (literally "SunTree") as a mixture of opposing forces, such as Light and Darkness, heat and cold, etc. and that SaerTyra created smaller dieties to manage different aspects of the universe before disappearing into the Mists at the edge of the world.
This religion requires an avoidance of Darkness, though what "Darkness" is differs depending on the clan and even the individual. Arkanaskyrans, for example, generally view it as a path that moral failing may lead one down, such as committing crimes, angering deities, or shirking one's duties to the clan, and that certain people hold more Darkness to purge than others.
This religion holds the majority in every clan except the island clan, Liltskyr, based in the chain of islands along the coast. Other religions are allowed but few and far between, as very few outsiders are allowed to live in Scylkyr.
The few Elhavan which were allowed in due to their assistance against Worntel practice a mystical religion called "Vaelavara" which has a pantheon so complicated it takes literal years of study to learn. To put it simply, they believe that every existing object, plant, creature, or concept has a deity tied to it, and overarching deities, usually goddesses, oversee the smaller ones. There is a tribunal of goddesses, Vae, La, and Vara, who are said to have created the universe through cutting their necks and dying, allowing their blood to be lakes and their bodies the universe. Their spirits are still alive without their physical forms, and they oversee everything.
Foreign Relations
Scylkyr is a peaceful society with very little outside conflict, or even outside contact.
What little contact they have is generally with the kingdom of Heinfelldba, and usually consists of bartering for materials like wool and silk, which they can't produc on their own. Scyrans avoid any conflict with Worntel due to previous hostilities, and with Amystein, due to not wanting to anger Worntel.
They have little to no political power, and prefer it that way. They are domestically focused, and keep to themselves.
Agriculture & Industry
Scylkyr does not have its own agriculture, instead relying on hunting, fishing, and gathering, as well as agricultural imports from Heinfelldba.
As mentioned before, each of the 12 clans has an economic specialty, and inter-clan bartering is what allows each clan to get what it needs. This system was created by Irkara to create a situation of mutually assured destruction and avoid any inter-clan conflict. It worked as it should, and no clan has fought another since the assassination of Kurdath nearly 6 decades earlier.
Trade & Transport
As mentioned, their only trade is with Heinfelldba. They trade hunting and fishing goods, bark, and iron to get wool, silk, fruit, and agricultural goods that they wouldn't otherwise have. Their system is purely bartering, and they have no form of national currency.
In order to travel, many Scyrans utilize scalkorla, or ziplining between platforms. Although Scylkyr has to true mountains, the area is hilly enough that most scalkor function using pure momentum. For those that don't, Scyrans have organized a complex crank and pulley system operated by crank workers up in the trees. It is a respected profession, though more for people with physical ability than those with mental ability.
In addition to this system, Scyrans also ride the rare, winged creature called a Lonkol, which looks very similar to a wyvern, except that it is fluffy and has ears like that of a cat. Lonka are incredibly rare, and there are only thirteen in existence. Each clan has one, and there is one held captive by Worntel that used to belong to Olfskyr.
Lur Cordkra fun Kralolaranard try Iralkonard
Nurn.42.E09 - N/A
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
Sinskellia
Training Level
Trained
Veterancy Level
Decorated/Honored
Demonym
Scyran
Leader
Leader Title
Government System
Tribalism
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Barter system
Currency
None. The country uses a bartering system.
Major Exports
They export pelts, meat, fish, and iron, as well as certain barks that can be woven into different materials. The overwhelming amount of exported goods is iron to Heinfelldba.
Major Imports
They tend to import wool and silk from Heinfelldba, as well as certain types of agriculture that don't grow well in Scylkyr. This includes furn, a grain similar to maize, and various fruits, as fruit doesn't grow well in Scyran forests.
Legislative Body
A group of clan leaders come together in a central council whenever large decisions need to be made. Other than that, clans in Scylkyr operate through direct democracy, independent of each other.
Judicial Body
The laws for each territory is decided by direct vote, in each clan, and so laws can vary wildly. Only issues pertaining to all or multiple clans are overseen by the Scylkyr Confederation.
Punishments are enforced by the leaders of each clan, and regulated by the Confederation to prevent overly cruel procedures from taking place. Each clan has individual jurisdiction over their territory, and so they often have to contact other clans in order to keep track of and capture criminals on the run.
Crime rates in Scylkyr are very low, however, and so this rarely poses an issue.
Official State Religion
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Notable Members
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