Kingdom of Ghostfordia

The Kingdom of Ghostfordia

The mainland of Ghostfordia is home to the great hunting beasts of the east. Giant carniverous creatures that necessitate the building of large walls between man and nature. The easternmost island is where the Ghostfordian's are said to originate from. Tales tell of grand Fjords and frozen seas that prevented the Ghostfordians from travelling oversea.

Eventually the great thaw came and the sea opened up and the Ghostfordians began to raid the mainland, before eventually conquering a weak and lost people and claiming their land for their own. It is said that the island itself was originally the skull-crown of the first primordial giant, slain by the great god, and that the rest of his body made up the continent of Pania.

Politics

The Kingdom of Ghostfordia is a constitutional monarchy, with the monarch holding emergency powers during times of war, and diplomatic powers at all times. The rest of the decisions are decentrilised to the local Jarls who rule over the various counties and their household councils.

Outside of emergencies the Jarls will meet on a monthly basis at the Capital city of Pudroek, it is here that they will pay regular tithe to the king, and inform of levy numbers etc. During emergencies the Jarls will leave the running of their local jarldom to their heir and stay full time in Pudroek to advise the monarch.

The current Monarch of Ghostfordia is King Cen Brethsson.

Culture

Ghostfordian Culture is based primarily on the Ghostfordian humans who make up the leading minority of the population. The culture venerates a concept of honour above all else. Etiquette is defined by maximising one's own honour, whilst minimising the negative impact on the honour of your allies, and maximising the negative impact on the honour of your enemies.

Martial bravery, proper hosting, seeking to only challenge those worthy of you, teaching and nurturing apprentices and children to maximise their learning and their own earned order. These are all virtuous methods to increase your honour. Villanious behaviour earns shunning at best and the legal practice of "Heiðursdráp" or an Honour Killing.

The Culture of the surrounding kingdoms, once a much greater state before the Ghostfordian incursions, persists. The people of the mainland tending to share values with the Ghostfordian but focusing less on the aspect of honour and more focusing on a "Morality of Purity."

The Ghostfordian citizenry is treated as a superior class of Citizen on the mainland, with many of the mainlanders being descendents of slaves. Whilst the practice of slavery is no longer kept in Ghostfordia indentured servitude persists, and descending from a slave is considered a grave dishonour.

Religion

The official state religion of Ghostfordia is the Pantheon of Guðir allra or The Gods of All. They are lead by The Great God Afoðiir who embodies knowledge and cunning. He is worshipped by almost everyone whilst the rest of the pantheon is more restricted to perosnal worship dependent on their deific realm's relevence to the person.

The other religion is the monotheistic religion of Grinianism. The deity Grinia created all and is said to guard against the evil pagan faiths. It is said that the Ghostfordian pantheon or the foil to Grinia by some, and that they are champions of Grinia by others.

Unrest exists between the two religions, and Ghostfordians often supress the rights of other practising faiths, especially those of Grinianism that places Grinia above Afoðiir.