Soulforge Alliance
Structure
The head of this alliance has always been and always will be the immortal Hihaye, the Dawn Empress. Beneath her are the King Stallion of the centauricorn, the Duchess of the Shai'then, Speaker of the lunyari, and the king/queen of the naga.
History
Important Figures Involved
Al’hya – duchess of the shai’then
Deiyanra – Queen of the naga
Eialia – Speaker of the lunyari
Tanvihr – King Stallion of the centauricorn
The forming of the pact known as the Soulforge Alliance is generally known as the Forging.
Twenty five years before the Forging, small skirmishes between Hihaye’s knights and Hilandra’s kairyyl broke out all over Ardren. It became a point of honor to kill a kairyyl and to take its skin, teeth, and claws as trophies. The colored forelocks of the felinas subtype were braided and worn in the victor’s hair. In modern times, many Houses still have such trophies worn as jewelry or displayed in the House’s seat.
The fighting became more frequent and increasingly bloody until it erupted into a full scale war. The War of the Roses--so named for the flowers loved by both Empresses--broke out six years before the Forging.
Both sides lost and won land. Kaishivan’s territory, at one point, covered most of Miltan. Faced with loosing the war and, therefore, her chance at killing Hilandra, Hihaye called the leaders of the neutral races of Ardren to her palace. Tanvihr, the King Stallion of the centauricorn folk. Deiyanra, Queen of the naga. Atilhen, Speaker of the lunyari. Together, they made a series of agreements and created the Soulforge Alliance. This event became known in history as the Forging. Some believe that the name of that event is an indication that Thanos the Forger was involved in some way, but most don’t hold to it.
At the same time, a woman named Mithralyu of House Tarnithen created the Order of the Rose out of the assorted knights of Miltan. The Dawn Empress’s bodyguards were to continue to be known as the Knights of the Rose. The other knights would remain as they were, but would have the possibility of attaining the coveted place at their Empress’s side.
Hilandra’s forces were unable to cope with an attack on all of their borders. Within months of the Forging, Kaishivan fell. The kairyyl were destroyed en mass, their skins and other things harvested for trophies. The Rose Knights faced off against the Nightlords with their Empresses in between the two lines. Only one Nightlord survived the single combat against the Knights. No one knows what happened to her as there’s no mention of her after the battle. Historians claim that she was captured and executed, but there’s no proof and there are many Houses that claim one of their ancestors as her executioner.
Following the end of that bloody battle, there was an extermination order put forward on all kairyyl. The war ended a year following the Forging. As of the year 2 AF, there have been no kairyyl on Ardren and it is believed that they are now extinct.
Time is counted forward in the Alliance from the year of the Forging, establishing a new calendar.
Military
There is a standing army in each country but they do little more than sweep for bandits and maintain order.
Conflict is minor and mostly diplomatic in nature.
The last war was the War of the Roses, which was 1172 years ago. It destroyed Kaishivan, now known as the Forbidden Lands. It also eradicated several entire species. The cause boils down to jealousy.
There’s no one the Soulforge Alliance considers worth spying on.
Religion
The people are polytheistic with a large pantheon of gods and goddesses.
There’s technically one religion with many branches. Each god or goddess has at least one temple or shrine dedicated to them. People are free to choose as many or as few deities to follow as they like.
Sacrifices are largely symbolic and done rarely. A petitioner would sacrifice something related to the god or goddess they’re petitioning rather than making a general sacrifice.
Religion is openly available although there are individuals who are known to have the favour of the gods. These people are known as the Touched and they can talk to the gods. While it’s a great honour to be chosen, no one in their right mind would ask for it or falsely claim to be one.
Temples vary widely in design depending on which god or goddess they’re dedicated to.
Agriculture & Industry
The Griffin mountains are a rich source of several ores. Each country has different produce and mineral resources.
Education
There’s no formal school for young children. Parents are expected to teach them basic things.
They become eligible for a more formalized education at the age of thirteen (or equivalent).
Education is sponsored by the Crown and as such is open to all should they desire.
Each species has a different rate of physical and mental development. As such, it’s highly recommended that they attend schooling in their home country if it’s at all possible. If not, the schools will do their best to accommodate the different needs of the students.
Having an education doesn’t necessarily mean that a person can read or that they learned to do so at any point in their lifetime. Some people may have once been literate but lost the skill with lack of practice. There isn’t a great deal of use for literacy except in high society. Reading is taught in school and all students are encouraged to read and practice it, but a lack of reading ability isn’t a social stigma, particularly since books aren’t widely available.
Scholars run the schools. Many towns don’t have dedicated facilities for it so they meet in temples or in a public building. Classes are held on 2 consecutive days out of the 12 day week. Classes are never held on holidays.
School for children ages 13-18 covers broader topics than what their parents would teach, such as history, sums, an in depth study of the gods, and geography. Guilds teach only things specific to their guild. The Academa is a large school in Sunhame that anyone can attend to learn more about things. There is, however, a fee per class to attend. These fees pay the teachers for their time and the fees are generally low.
There are things that are appropriate for each gender to do exclusively. That’s not to say that the pursuit of knowledge is for men only. Women are actively encouraged to learn as much as they can within their means and the more promising students are sponsored to further education. Men are not so fortunate and so the order of Scholars is there to give men who wish to learn, who wish to have some means of employment a means to do so.
Infrastructure
There’s a guild for most professions.
Children of guild members wishing to join their parent’s guild have an easier time of it as they’ve spent their life watching and learning the requisite skills.
At the age of 13 anyone who is interested in learning a particular trade can apply to the requisite guild. That person is tested to see what kind of aptitude they have and if they’re suitable for training. If they pass, they’re assigned to a teacher. If they fail, they’re sent on their way. They can try again in a year or apply to a different guild.
Guilds help to ensure fair prices and to regulate quality. Guilds also give training to their members and protect them when they’re in trouble.
Founding Date
0
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Alternative Names
The Alliance
Leader
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Legislative Body
Both Keltos and the Alliance are governed by an Empress. These Empresses are immortal demi-goddesses. Each country has its own individual ruler but they ultimately bow to the authority of the Empress.
Most countries are traditionally led by women. Silvestri is the only country with an entirely masculine leader.
While each country’s ruler has their own honour guard, none are more famous than the Rose Knights and the Nightlords.
The Empresses have ruled for close to 2000 years.
Houses fall into different classes. The naga have a Caste system.
The governments want their people to be happy, healthy, and safe. As such they do everything they can to assist people who are struggling. This is largely accomplished by helping them to gain meaningful employment if they’re old enough to enter the workforce. Direct financial compensation is given only as a last resort.
Wealthy Houses have been known to sponsor these people. Good works are good for the soul and the gods look kindly on those who help the less fortunate.
The governments are trusted as they carried out their promises of defeating their enemies.
The vast majority approve of the governments.
Judicial Body
With the creation of the Soulforge Alliance, standardized laws were set in place in all five countries. These laws include magical practices.
Criminals and crime are sadly common. It’s not restricted to the Houseless, either. Just because a person is born into a House doesn’t mean they’re automatically a good person. If you’re convicted of a serious enough crime, you can be removed from your House among other punishments.
Towns have dedicated lawkeepers to assist the Order.
For minor crimes--public drunkenness, vandalism, minor theft, etc--the local lawkeepers dole out the appropriate punishment, such as temporary incarceration, fines, time in the stockade, etc. They have no need to consult with the Order on such matters.
A more serious offense, such as major theft, destruction of public property, etc--would merit a longer incarceration and might, therefore, require a consultation with the Order if no suitable facility is available.
Serious crimes--murder, entering or exiting the Forbidden Lands--are punishable by execution. No common lawkeeper has the authority to carry out this sentence and so the Order must be called in.
Condemned prisoners are branded with the death mark as soon as they are sentenced, right before they’re put in prison to await their scheduled execution in whichever form has been chosen for them. The mark isn't necessarily in the same spot. Shoulders and neck are the most common places, but it’s not unheard of for the mark to show up in places like the wrists, ankles, hips, or lower back. It really depends on who the prisoner is, what the crime was, and the taste of the person marking the condemned.
So many people dead in the last few centuries for things that they hadn’t done or for being different, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, condemned for their coloring or for saying something that went against the common belief. People had even been condemned for reading a book that had been banned for some reason or another. It was even known for people to be executed for which god or goddess they chose to swear to.
All executions took place no longer than three months after the person in question was condemned.
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
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