Aeria

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Though geographically part of the Allentrian continent, Aeria is its own separate territory, sitting isolated beyond the impassable barrier of Shivnath's Mountains.
Aeria has been so long separated from its parent country of Allentria that the memory of both lands has passed from both peoples. Hence, the Allentrians no longer believe Aeria exists, thinking it to be merely an old fable or bedtime story, and the Aerians believe their village is all that exists in the world. They staunchly believe the land beyond Shivnath's Mountains is a barren waste, inhospitable and unable to support life. This has given them a self-centric view of the world, which they consider to begin and end with their village.

Structure

There is an unofficial but rigid caste system in Aeria, with social standing determined primarily by wielding ability, and secondarily by general perception.
The village is led by the Elders, who are typically the oldest male members of the most powerful ancient bloodlines. New Elders may be elected and risen by vote of current sitting Elders, but the vote is not extended to the wider Aerian populace.
The Elders elect amongst themselves a Head Elder, who acts as their foreman and leads meetings and certain town ceremonies. The current Head Elder is Holden Sanvire.
As for the rest of the population, more powerful wielders are obviously prized for their abilities, and well-treated as such. They are assigned useful, important careers and are awarded housing in the prime sections of the village, near the central green or the growing fields.
The people in the lowest caste are those who are weak of magic, and/or those who have been publically disgraced or shamed in some way. They are relegated to the east, sitting in the shadow of Shivnath's Mountains, wallowing in the boggy land that is in a constant state of mush from glacial melt.
Finally, there is an officially recognized caste called the Lowers. These are the members of soceity who were so disgraced as to be thrown out of Aeria, stripped of all land, title, and standing. These individuals are forced to live in a cramped and dirty separate settlement, and are made to live and work as slaves to the rest of the populace. They come into the village at night, so as not to offend the Aerians with the mere sight of them, and perform the tasks deemed beneath everyone else: cleaning waste, dredging the cisterns, mucking out livestock fields and stalls.

Technological Level

Unlike their Allentrian cousins, the Aerians are incredibly lacking in technology. Limited to the use of earthmagic, and believing earthmagic to be all there is, made holy by Shivnath, they have scorned the idea of either magical or technological expansion.
They are naturally gifted earth wielders, so their crops are abundant and never suffer, even in dryer years; however, they have a rudimentary irrigation system which makes the process more laborious than it needs to be. This system is also connected to their water stores -- they use giant stone cisterns to collect rainwater, and these stores provide for the whole Aerian population, both human and animal.
Their animal husbandry practices are solid, but they are limited in terms of the livestock they cultivate. They have sheep, chickens, goats, and pigs, but no horses or cows. Some Aerians display an affinity toward animals, and these individuals are given careers that deal with animal care, but there is no large-scale infrastructure to house, feed, or treat the livestock.
They have fire, but no metal technology. There are no forges where they might smelt iron or other earth metals. They have little use for weapons, and the ones they do have are either carved from wood, rock, bone, or some combination of the three.

Religion

Although Aeria lies separate and independent from Allentria, its people still know of and worship Shivnath. Indeed, their worship of Shivnath is based less on scientific understanding of the gods, and more on the legends and superstitions passed down through the generations. Thus, the Aerians are much more zealous in their devotion to Shivnath, and justify many of their harsher laws, restrictions, and punishments by claiming these edicts to be Shivnath's divine will.
Unlike the Allentrians, who have knowledge of The Binding Laws, and understand that the gods exist not primarily for human comfort, but to maintain the magical balance of the world, the Aerians have a self-centric view of Shivnath. They believe her to be a benevolent deity, a force who constantly watches over them, a guardian who will grant their wishes if they are pious enough.
Many of their religious ceremonies are focused on worship of or sacrifice to Shivnath. She figures heavily in most of their other ceremonies, as well. For instance, in the Ceremony of Choice, it is believed that Shivnath will appear to children in the Felwood and grant them a sign that will show what they are to become in life. The children subsequently return to Aeria (if they survive the dangerous ceremony) and share their sign. The sign is interpreted during the Ceremony of Names, at which time they are also given a career and a place in society as an Aerian adult.

Mythology & Lore

The dragon-god Shivnath is the ruler of all that is good and just, and the evil god Helkryvt is her worst enemy. The two have been locked in conflict since the time before time, Shivnath fighting for balance, Helkryvt for power.
In the beginning, Shivnath created Aeria by raising land out of the sea. She took stone and made it fertile; she took saltwater and made it fresh; when she was done, she appeared to her people and gave each of them a portion of her earthmagic. She allowed them to cross over from the wasteland beyond, and they built their village at the foot of her mountains.

~ The Book of Shivnath, Aerian Text

The Aerians believe Shivath to be an almighty creator who blessed their people at the beginning of time, and led them out of the wasteland into paradise.
Thus, they have a rigid view of 'good' and 'evil', and the rewards and punishments that naturally accompany any person who lives a good or evil life. Over the generations, however, that original religious view has been skewed further and further to suit the Elders' needs and further their own agenda, making themselves mighty while the lower castes of the population suffer.

Divine Origins

It must be noted that while Aeria was once connected to Allentria, and they inherited their worship of Shivnath from the Smarlindians, to define them as members of the Shivnathian Sect would technically be incorrect.
While both the Smarlindians and Aerians are governed and guarded by Shivnath, the Allentrian branch of Shivnathianism is based in scientific understanding of the gods, while the Aerian branch is now based solely on superstition.

_{Credit: ShivnathProductions & atelierMUSE}

Type

Geopolitical, Settlement

Demonym

Aerian

Economic System

Barter system

Legislative Body

The Elders

Judicial Body

The Elders

Official State Religion

The Shivnathian Sect

Deities

• Shivnath

Location

The Smarlands

Official Languages

• Allentrian

Related Ethnicities

• Aerian