Argonian
The people of Argo usually have dark curly hair, and their skin tone varies from white to tanned.
Physically they have a median height of 1.75m and are of average build.
Military
Argo has both a strong professional army and navy and legal conscription of both people and civilian ships, conscription can be enacted only in case of an invasion of the island and conscripts can only fight on the island itself. The argonian professional army although not numerous is possibly the best on the continent in training and equipment they use armor and shields made of orichalcum and are armed with two spears and one short curved sword, their armor does not cover their whole body but the soldiers are trained to fight defensively both in formation and in 1v1. Soldiers of Argo train 10 hours each day and their training regiment is known to be one of the hardest in the continent.Economy
Mercantile trade is done almost exclusively by sea exports including adamantium, wine, wool, and sheepskins, imports include valuable metals and dimerithium used to create orichalcum.Government
The island is governed by two kings both titles are for life one King follows a hereditary agnatic primogeniture, while the second king is elected by the Senate, the army is divided amongst the Kings, the elected king commands the professional forces and the hereditary king commands the conscripts and the guards (except for the royal guard which is equally divided amongst the kings). To distinguish the kings argonians use colors, red is associated with the one who is King by blood, and blue with the elected King. The Senate is formed of 60 citizens over 45 years of age voted by the populous, the role is for life but can be voluntarily relinquished if one wishes to retire, the title of senator is still used for one who retired but holds political power no longer. Other than electing the blue King, senators have the duty of proposing and acting laws, both kings have the power of veto, this veto is then put into a vote that needs the 2/3 majority of the senate and one king to overrule it. The kings can enact temporary royal decrees without the senate if they agree, these decrees last only a month at which time the senate can choose to modify them and enact a proper law that is aimed at solving the very issue the decree was enacted for, or they can simply ignore the decree if they disagree with the intent.Unique materials
Orichalcum is a special metal alloy made only in Argo, this metal absorbs magic and kinetic impacts, shields of argonian soldiers made from this metal are capable of resisting magic and artillery bombardments, such material permits the argonian shield wall to be an immovable threat that cannot be dislodged by long-range superiority.Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
The culture in Argo is homogenous, very few immigrants live on the tied island.
They maintained a strict belief in their gods and there are only a few small churches and temples dedicated to other gods including the Goddess of the white flame.
They believe in 12 main gods which form the Olympian pantheon and supervise the affairs of the living, and 6 Chthonic gods that deal with the souls of the dead, both pantheons also feature many minor gods and demi-gods one might worship.
Their gods are present in demi planes strongly connected with the material plane, it is believed that for this reason, they are not completely immortal, they do not age and are immune to diseases but although far more resistant than any mortal can be killed by a blade.
Their gods possess golden blood and when they mate with mortals the color of the demigod blood is purple, this color fades gradually in their children as the generations are less and less godly.
Their mythos feature many demi-gods but in the modern age, few are found.
The physical body of the deceased is burned after a coin made of magnesite, a metal that easily burns, is put in its mouth to pay for the ferrymen, it is belived that burning the body facilitates the soul separation from the world of the living.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Argonians believe that most mortal souls travel to Hades after their death, Hermes will bring the soul to Charon who waits in his boat in the river Styx at the entrance to the underworld Charon asks the soul for a coin to pay as a fee and if the soul can pay (a coin would be put in the mouth of the deceased for this purpose) he ferries them to their appropriate destination, the Styx divides into multiple rivers further into Hades each bringing to a different realm.
Tartarus is the realm for the worst of the souls, in this realm, the souls are constantly tormented by the denizens of the underworld the river that flows through this real is the river Acheron a river of misery and woe that cries with the voices of the tortured souls in Tartarus.
Asphodel is an infinite desert of ash where most of the souls end, those who were not particularly evil or good find their home here, no one tortures the souls in this realm but no one attends to their needs, so they are just ignored, an eternity of apathy, the river that flows in this realm is the Phlegethon a river made of blazing fire.
Elysium is a utopian, paradisiacal afterlife reserved for specially distinguished individuals the river that flows here is the Lethe the river of forgetfulness, which is made of fog and it is said that drinking from this river can help souls forget.
The last realm in Hades is The house of Hades, where Hades the god of the dead resides, one should reach this place only by invitation the river of this realm is the Cocytus the river of lament, that brings the complaint and laments of all the underworld denizens directly to Hades himself.
Any mortal who possesses godly blood will have a place in Olympus once they die and will be reborn as a proper minor god.
Olympus is both the name of the massive volcano at the center of the kingdom and the planes where the Olympians live, to reach it one must scale the mountain, an arduous journey filled with monsters and natural perils, only demi-gods are allowed in Olympus, and only for a short time.
Hades is both the Chthonic God of the dead and the realm under Mount Olympus reachable through the river Styx that flows from the top of the mountain to the bottom and then inside the deep caverns under the mountain, entry is permitted in this plane only by the soul of the dead and Chthonic Gods and demi-gods, demi-gods, like in Olympus, are allowed only temporarily.
This being said, there are examples in Argonian mythology of mortals who managed to enter both Olympus and Hades, although few managed to come back, and the truthfulness of those legends cannot be confirmed.
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