Jeria (and the Second Jeriec Empire)
Long may we reign.
--The words of the The Emperor of Shyr, now the words of the Empire.
Tone
Jeria is a brutal land of wyverns, lycanthropes, extra-dimensional leftovers from the last Age, and massive cults of demons throughout the wilderness. It has been like this since the fall of the First Jeriec Empire in 2450 BBE (-2450). Despite all this, the Jerians decided to tame this ferocious land and make it their weapon, and so over nearly a millennia since the Burning, have conquered, cleared, reared, and made the land theirs. To this day there are no better architects, hunters, military, or beast-riders in Sartova.History
The founding myth of The Emperor of Shyr and the Second Coming of Jeria is known by any true citizen of Jeria, and is the basis for their religion, government, and military. The First Empire was the remnants on Evandyr of all the beings that did not go with Avernus when he was entombed, they rebuilt and carried on. The Second Empire was founded after the fall of Erinion, by the surviving Hobgoblins, Elves, Goblins, and Bugbears, and is now the most advanced civilization in terms of nonmagical sciences and society. It is an unlearned outsiders perspective that it is an uncivilized place of goblinoids, when in fact, humans and elves and gnomes are valued citizens as well.
--The scars of the ancient wars run deep, for the wounds were done unto the world itself.
Society
Life in Jeria is based not around a nuclear family or a descending house or the church, like in the Highlands, Gol, and Tharsis, respectively. Instead, the base unit is a large clan, which can be from three to hundreds of people, and it is not limited to just Hobgoblins. A clan can consist of the Jerian races (Hob, Gob, Bugbear), but also the Elven races, as their Empire was built from the ashes of Erinion, with the Elves an important member. A clan is a family, always appended on the base name with an apostrophe. Buruck'shyr, Vok'krion, Kra'zuul. Every clan is known for a far removed great act that the clan's original founding member accomplished. The greatest example is the Shyr clan, the Emperor's clan, who created the Empire after meditating in the blood of the Great Tartarian Dragon, Shyr'kathakoa, the Thing of Rages. All clans will have defeated a ferocious beast, captured a wily one, or tamed and bred one suitable for war or production. They take this creature or feat as their clan sigil, such as the Krion's Bat-Tiger. A child born into a clan will not be raised by it's biological parents, if it is born into a prestigious clan. Instead, it will be raised by the clan as a whole, with every wise elder and cunning tactician and warrior and warlock passing on their wisdom and guidance to the child until it comes of age, at an age relative to their species. (Hob: 15, Gob: 8, Bug: 16, Elf: 25. Human clans: 16. Hobgoblins live slightly longer than humans, but they still set their coming of age before a human's). Then, it is removed from the clan entirely. In the last few centuries Jerian cities and clans have created group training facilities, which are akin to gruesome tests and training of the Four Pillars, which helps younger Jerian citizens that were not born into a clan to acquire the same expertise, skills, and combat training that will allow them to possibly perform great enough feats to join a prestigious clan, or if they're lucky, create their own. This, however, is a minority, as 7 out of 10 are born into at least one of the medium sized clans. Great military enforcement is used to separate child from parent, and enforce that every citizen of the Empire gets the training, education, enhancements, and skills that are needed in order to build a stronger society. Ironically, this makes their empire have the greatest and only public education in Evandyr.
--Taking back the land from the Wandering Children
and other beasts such as Barghests and Demons was done by armies through history, but also by individual hunters.
Organization
The Shyr clan is the ruling military body, under the Emperor as the Lord General. Their crest is the Blackflame Spear-talon of Shyr'kathakoa, killed in 40 AB by the Emperor of Shyr. The Zuul clan is the covert Avernal Demon-hunting clan, working essentially as special forces to root out corruption through a sort of ruthless inquisition, under the Lord Seeker. Their crest is the flaming head of Balcoth, the Demon King vanquished during The Raiding of Hell, in 218 AB, by Kora'zuul.
--The Jerian Wargames.
Government and Military
The Empire is led by the Emperor in Talon, the capital of the Empire. Theirs is a Meritocratic Stratocracy, or a government run fully by the military. It is not fascist or a military junta, for the people willingly put their military leaders in charge, and they were given control constitutionally and did not take it through force. Additionally, because one only joins the ruling Shyr clan out of extremely great feats of Wisdom, Strength, and Essence, it is additionally Meritocratic. This means the ruling military is stratified by ability, so that the wisest and strongest tactician is always in control. The Empire houses the best sailors in all of Sartova, and fields the only ships capable of safe and reliable boarding (as in, more reliable than swinging from a rope). The front of the ship, and either side, have large vertically held steel and wood gangplanks, with large scythe-like blades at the top curving down with the arc of the hinge. When the rope is released with a switch, the weight of it will force it to fall with incredible force down due to its weight, stabbing deep into the enemy ship and locking the two in place nearly perfectly. Large warships have two of these on the starboard and port, to fully level out the ships and cause less damage to each, while allowing boarding to go seamlessly. This allows the Jerians to field heavier armor even in naval combat, though they do not have the great craftsmen of Gol to create a full platemail, no other civilization dares use anything more than light leathers in naval combat.
--The four pillars are said to be inspired by the Emperor of Shyr's victory over Shyr'kathakoa, and the four largest peaks of the King's Spine.
Religion
The religion of The Pillars in the Sky is Jeria wide, started by the Emperor of Shyr at the founding of the Second Jeriec Empire. In the new age, after the Burning, the elves were hopeless and decimated, their roles now reversed as the protected, and the Hobgoblins went east to the feral land of Jeria to reclaim their ancient home, shown in the myth of the Emperor of Shyr. In so doing, they saw the beasts, the temptation, and how their ancient brethren had devolved into mindless beasts (the Lost Brothers), and how feral Jeria was. The Emperor of Shyr created The Pillars in the Sky, based upon the natural world and its interactions with the soul within each being, in order to gain greater wisdom and keep ones self from the Beast. Contrasting this perfect, military-mandate religion, is the underground religion of the The Olde Faith. The ancient, cruel faith of might-makes-right, survival over honor. This was the first lesson of Avernus to his Children, and one the followers will never waver from. They have hidden shrines to Avernus, and whispers of him can frequently be heard. This is not approved by the Emperor, but it is very common in the darker parts of the Empire.
--Some dangerous locales such as the Tears of the Moon, may never be reclaimed. There will be no shortage of terrors, and the Emperor will supply no shortage of warriors to combat them. The Empire is at war, with the land itself.
Death
The Jerians practice burial at sea, to lose the subject to Memory. In the Simonian Age, the alchemists now coat the body in preservation oils that also aid to keep all aquatic life from ever eating the body. It will stay pristine in their underwater grave for a thousand years. It is said that when a Jerian dies, their soul may go towards the Sun or the Moon, depending on if they followed the light path of the Man, or the shadowed path of the Beast. If one succumbs to the Beast's temptation, they will be pulled clawing back into Avernus. On the other hand, if they remain civilized, wise soldiers, the ancient alliance and enchantments from the ancient Erinion Elves will allow them a peaceful death, and freedom from the Beast's temptations and manufactured strife.The waking world is the amnesia of dream. All motifs can be mortally wounded. Once slain, themes turn into the structure of future nostalgia.
--The Truth of the Pillars.
Location under
Included Locations
40 AB at Talon, and have expanded from there through conquest and warlike conflict with the terrors in the land.
Population:
2.4 million. 2.2 million citizens of the Empire, and roughly 200,000 non-citizens, such as merchants, slaves, and compulsive military soldiers.
Demographics
Jerian races 70% (31 Hobgoblin, 22 Goblin, 18 Bugbear), Elven 14% (11 City, 3 Menevali), Human 8% (4 Gol, 3 Reivantan, 1 Stav), Wandering Children of Avernus 5%, Gnome 2%, Dwarf 1%.
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