Radiarchy of Kor

We live in a harsh, cold land that often makes us struggle to survive, but because of this, we know to be thankful for what we are given - Wayfarer Yosehen Urber

Structure

Radiarch : Only those born with the gift of the light may take up this title and lead their people, using their power to protect them from the powers of the Gloom.
Counselor: Advisors of the Radiants, their duties are to aid them in making state decisions and being mentors to help them better understand their role as rulers.
Congregation of the Eternal Spark: The predominate religious authority in Embera; they are tasked with guiding the masses to ensure they never stray from the light.
Board of Industries: A division of the Radiarch that deals in day-to-day dealings of everyday life, such as agriculture, construction, and production, to ensure that the people are cared for and well-kept.

Culture

Social Dynamic

For countless generations, we have learned from our ancestors to respect the land that we live on and, in return, honor them as well. Our people have always known hardship, which we must endure to live properly. It may be a struggle, but we have learned what truly matters most in life because of it. We take what we need and give what we can to others less fortunate than ourselves, whether it be a familiar face or an unknown one. We always greet anyone with open arms should they find our way to us and ensure they one day do so in return for that kindness to us or another. For it is the bonds we forge in life that make the cold more tolerable and less cruel by standing by someone around the fire and sharing our burden with one another.

Influence

Due to the lack of technological progress and limited trade, Kor is often considered the least influential of the Radiarchies. Yet, they still have some sway due to their resource of precious metals and other unique resources that can only be found there. Most of the time, they keep to themselves in politics and continue their lives as always, with only a few people ever leaving to go out into the world or even going there at all. The Korish, despite their isolationist standing, are quite hosts when they have guests who treat them well and are open to trade as long as it is of use. It also depends on the time of the year, as it can be difficult to travel across their lands when the weather is bad.

Public Agenda

To live out our lives in peace and ensure the protection and safety of our home that we cherish.

History

Warmth in the Cold

During the Dawn Age, the lands that make Kor were once beautiful and fertile, with its people never knowing hardship and suffering. That would change when the Age of Shadow came to pass, and sickness came over the land known as the Dread Frost. This powerful curse was created using the first Gloomcraft rituals to create a storm of harsh cold and dreadful darkness that stripped much of the land's warmth and fertility, making it cold and the fertile soil turned stiff and swampy. Many would be claimed by Gloomification or perish from the harsh conditions they were ill-prepared for. It took some time, but some survived the cold and formed tribes that would become the ancestors of the Korish and would hold out until the curse was finally lifted. Only for their home to be forever changed and scarred from that dark time in their history. Yet they would still live on, knowing how to survive in this cold and harsh land they call home. In the centuries since, these tribes became strong people who breathed new life into the land. From the cold came new warmth from these tribes that sought to aid one another rather than fight each other for land and resources. They taught one another their ways of life and survival and formed communities, creating bonds of kinship as they grew as a people. It was through compassion and comradery that Kor became what it is today. The cold would no longer bother them, nor would they go hungry as they overcame the hardships that followed them and learned to live once more rather than survive. It created a warmth within themselves that could never be taken from them, no matter how cold it was around them. They all had chosen to see each other not just as others but as friends and family who needed to look out for one another in an unforgiving world, but they didn't have to be.

In Untamed Lands

The people of Kor have managed to prosper in their cold lands because they understand they will never be able to settle it properly. Its lands are often inhospitable due to varying environmental biomes and seasonal changes, making it difficult to maintain settlements and resources. To counteract this problem, they decided to choose where to build their settlement properly in areas that could survive all year round and find ways to get around these problems. They are selective in where they build their homes and what time of the year they can harvest resources without endangering themselves. They knew their lands could never be tamed, so they adapted as best. Often building secret paths and other structures to navigate these places during certain seasons.
While many had chosen to live in settlements and form strong communities with one another, some still chose to live a nomadic lifestyle and live in tribes within the wilderness. Living off the land and traveling when the seasons change to forage and hunt for game where they can find it. While their numbers have dwindled in the last few centuries, they still often embody the old ways of the people of Kor and have a strong spiritual connection to the land they live on. There is no end to danger and excitement as they live as they please without needing to be bound to one place for their entire life. Either way, Kor's lands are often considered the wildest in all of Embera and will remain as long as its people live this life of coexistence with it.

A Dark Foretelling

It could be felt in the wind and heard within the earth, say the wyldseers of the wilds, that the coming of another darkness will consume Kor once more. This prophecy, known as the Final Storm, came from a vision to those with a close connection to nature that shook them to their core for how real it was. It foretold that the land would be consumed by a winter far greater than that of the Dread Frost that would come. In a great gathering of mystics, it was concluded that this storm would bring about a winter that would never end and consume all in its path. Nothing would grow, and the people would turn on each other and destroy all bonds to survive. No one can say when this will happen or how it will happen, resulting in many trying to stop it from happening in the future from happening with thirty years passing since it was prophesized.
While many have forgotten about the prophecy, going about their lives like nothing has changed like they always have been. Yet an eerie presence has fallen over the land; it seems to have gotten colder and crueler as of late. Crops have trouble growing, and the wildlife has become more restless lately, with herds leaving their traditional grazing fields and predators attacking anything in sight. Fear has begun to grip the people, with many becoming paranoid as strange tales are told of troubling things in the wilderness that should not be possible. The radiarchy has attempted to try and solve these problems as best as it can, but not much progress has been made. With each day, it begins to grow shorter and darker as whispers being to be heard once more of the end of all things and the storm that shall see it come to pass.

Territories

Military

Watcher Corps: The military forces of the Radiarchys that are sworn to protect the lands of their Radiarch from all threats, may they be Gloomspawn or individuals with dark intentions.
Hearth Wardens: A group of former Watcher Corps members that have decided to protect their homeland on their feeling that their leadership cannot do so and wander the land to protect all they hold dear.

Technological Level

Kor is considered outdated by most other Radiarchies due to their society not developing greatly. Much of it has yet to accept Glintlight technology and uses outdated equipment and tools to work in its harsh environment. However, they manage to have a successful agriculture due to their ability to produce special soil and plants that allow things to grow in them no matter how rugged the terrain is.

Religion

Eternal Spark: The first light that came into existence and created the world, only to vanish shortly after. However, many believe it still exists by inhabiting everything that creates light in the world to protect it.
Aspects of Seasons: Four beings representing the seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter. They are often worshipped by those with a deep connection to nature.
Primordial: A being that was said to be the creator of the Wyldkin and is the caregiver to all things wyld.
Craft Weaver: The creator of the Circles of Crafting is worshipped by crafters to allow them to gain knowledge to master their skills.

Forebearers: A tradition of ancestral worship surrounded by two beings known as the Sun Mother, the giver of life, and the Crow Father, the bringer of death, that maintain a balance between the two.

Foreign Relations

For most of its history, Kor has always been friendly with its neighbors and openly trades with them when they can. While they have no ill will towards the Radiarchies of Esobrel and Ondelenia, they often seek better conditions with them, seeing that their cultures greatly differ. Yet their relations with Ondelenia are much better due to their radiarchs knowing one another and having a long history as friends. They also have some trade deals with render, but they are limited due to the time it takes to travel to their land and the changing of the seasons that make it difficult to reach them as it becomes difficult to traverse through their waters.

Agriculture & Industry

Farming, fishing, and hunting are the main staples of life in Kor, often growing whatever hearty crops can grow in the soil, with whatever grows much larger than other crops in other lands. The land is rich in game and is large enough to survive in the cold environment, making their meat and furs to feed and cloth many people if properly harvested. It can be said with the rivers and the sea, too, as they are abundant in fish that travel through the waters all year round and are caught in troves. However, there are not only resources that can be found here, as within the mountains and cold grow below lie mineral deposits that are greatly harvested for the wealth they bring to all who find them.

Trade & Transport

Most trade is done by road seasonally when traversable before the weather ruins them. This causes people to use old trails in the wilderness to get where they need to, with sleighs and sleds used during the winter. Old traveler tunnels can also be used when not damaged or infected with Gloomspawn or wild animals. The last way to travel is to go by water through the fjords and riverways to reach their destinations more easily; however, seasonal changes often cause these passages to be closed off or dangerous. To travel on with only those skilled enough in sailing can get through them.

Education

Education is not as highly valued as in Kor, as children are often made to work at a young age to earn a living and survive. They are often taught their parent's profession and stuck in it if they are poor. Even being taught how to forage and hunt when needed, and food was scarce. Those who have enough money can manage to elevate themselves to a much wealthier standing or attempt to become a part of the congregation clergy or a part of the government to escape poverty. The congregation mainly educates about the history of the Radiarchies and themselves, with all other education being cultural history and traditions of native groups passed down from generation to generation.

Infrastructure

Mainly, its settlements were built around citadels and generally remained as villages or towns with few cities to be found there. Many of these are made of wood with stone used to build much more important buildings such as temples, walls, mills, and towers to maintain welfare and safety. What roads exist are mainly comprised of dirt, which often becomes impassable during certain parts of the year. As a result, many people take underground tunnels to reach still functional and safe places.

Hearth and Home

Founding Date

1200 B.D

Type

Geopolitical, Theocracy

Alternative Names

Korsuhka, Hardened Lands

Demonym

Korish

Ruling Organization

Radiarchies of Embera

Leader Title

Radiarch

Founders

• Sura Dawnbringer

Head of State

Ruthen Davlos

Government System

Theocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Market economy

Currency

Dargan Stones: Polished metal stones used as currency covered with engravings and values differing depending on the material.

Official State Religion

Congregation of the Eternal Spark

Parent Organization

Radiarchies of Embera

Neighboring Nations

• Radiarchy of Esobrel
• Radiarchy of Ondelenia

Related Species

• Emberan
• Wyldkin

Related Ethnicities

• Korish

A Strong People

by midjourney

Most outsiders often ask how we can live in a land filled with danger and hardship; I tell them we endure it. - Ikan Roth, Hearth Warden

Kor has been harsh since the first Dread Frost arrived. It is a land that is either wet or cold for most of the year, making it a place that most people wouldn’t want to live in, yet the Korish have managed to do so since ancient times, long before the radiarchies, and continue to do so to this day. Their secret is to get over it and make a living where they can find it, being used to the harsh environment they call home. This allows them to be truly thankful for what they have to keep themselves fed and warm throughout the year.

Honoring of Culture

by midjourney

My people have followed our traditions since immemorial; we will not give them up so easily just because someone tells us to. - Revered Elder

Kor tradition means everything to its people, and they have refused to change it no matter how much time has passed. It is mainly because they seem to believe that it is especially a part of who they are as a people, and to remove it or change it would be as if a piece of them was taken from them. This has made their lands preserve many of the cultures found across them and keep them passed on from generation to generation, whether it be a time of celebration or an old religion with only a few members still a part of it.