The Sacred Kingdoms of Diosia
Gold and Faith make for deadly combos
Structure
The High Priestess if the de facto ruler of the Sacred Diosia Kingdoms. She helps in deciding the laws and rulings of the church with her holy council of priests and priestesses. Under the council are the Merchant Princes, who are in charge of many of the cities of Diosia. However due to the fractured nature of the city states, many of these Merchant Princes rule as undisputed rulers of the cities.
Culture
In the resplendent cities of Diosia, one can find a strange land where even the peasents can afford cloth made of decent materials. That is cause appearance and style are everything to the Diosians. It is a common cultural norm to saunter around the city streets when one is done with work to explore the city and show off their stuff. However, one must be careful to watch their mouth while in a Diosian city, for Diosian's are notoriously quick to anger. This is due to duels with rapiers or pistols being a staple of Diosian society, and typically everyman has a rapier just in case they must fight for their honor or challenge some foreigner who greeted them in Arditan. Ones honor is ones bond, and this is due to how important family is to the Diosians. In fact, it is quite common for a Diosian to introduce themselves by also telling of the family they hail from, as well as the specific city they were born in. The romance of dueling is exemplified in the many fencing schools that can be found throughout the land, and many have long standing rivalries with other schools, with many competing against one another to see who's form reigns supreme.
Faith is all to the Diosians. Faith is all they have left in many regards, besides coin anyway. Faith is one of the few things the Diosians are united on still, for after the Crusade of Light, much of the city states fell to corrupt squabbling. The government is notoriously corrupt at times, and due to this the Diosians are a hardy bunch, thanks in no small part to their direct northern border being the Deadlands. Foreigners are seen as to simply weak for not embracing the wisdom of Eris. This has also led to a sense of supriority over the other nations to flourish in the Diosian people, for are they not the eager children of a goddess? Not only that, but a goddess who walked among them, and one who understands the struggle people go through. Eris is not some vauge god of a torch lit in the darkness like the Church of the Flame, Eris can be seen in all corners of Diosia, and so the Diosians are fanatically faithful to Eris, and heresy is dealt with swiftly. The Inquisiton of Eris makes sure that any heresy or impurity found is swiftly put to the torch.
The Diosians are a incredibly wealthy people, and due to this they are always eager for more. Many join the city state armies of conquistadors who seek to plunder new lands for coin and glory, with the most recent development being the Ruins of Ishtar through a secret riverway. This strange land holds many dangerous, but also incredible wealth with cities made of pure gold. Many Diosians believe that wealth and gold are the true mark of success, and so the rich are seen as social and political powerhouses, and the poorer seek to accumulate the wealth they can to raise their family into the higher social spheres of the world.
History
The tale of Diosia is both long and tragic, and incredibly bloody. Long ago, it is said the early Diosians were but a loose collection of tribal powers vying for control over the land and praying to strange gods. However, after sometime, the first city states would begin to form at around 300EC. However, while the Diosians were just starting to form, suddenly a great and terrible darkness would befall the land, as raiders from a strange land south (scholars likely suspect a force of Tajiran raiders likely independent from the city states of the south) would come and set much of the land to flame. Even in a time of a common enemy, the Diosians were unable to unify and would squabble amongst each other. This would all change however when she would reveal herself.
She was but a simple daughter of a simple farmer, but she was so much more. This young woman, named Eris, was an artist for the local Vizconde, when it is said the whispers of angels would fall upon her ears. She would wander out to follow the voices, and would come across a cave. None can truly say what happened in there, but some say she found out the truth of her future, and would emerge resplendent in armor and wielding a holy sword and torch. A nearby army trying to fend off the advancing tide of raiders would suddenly be left in awe as a woman glowing in golden light would suddenly emerge from behind them, flying on flaming wings and with one stroke of the sword would smite the army of raiders. The Diosians were left in awe and would march back to the city of Avilava where Eris would lay out what she had seen, a nation united under god, to be purer than any that did exist, and one that would survive no matter what. With that, she would ascend up into the heavens in front of the assembled council of the rulers, and become a goddess. In her honor, they would unite, and form the Sacred Kingdoms of Diosia, a nation so diverse yet so united under a common cause, the resistance of all those considered unholy.
From this the nation of Diosia would strengthen its borders, and overtime, the church would gain more and more power. Eventually around the year 3000EC, the Church of Eris completely ruled over the land with one unifying voice. This was mainly accomplished through political marriages and trade deals, and due to this would turn the nation into a vastly wealthy nation, and its borders were strengthened. However, worrying events would transpire when activity was sensed in the Deadlands, they would continue to raise their armies. However this would come to be wasted as the FIfteen Years War would occur, burning through much of their reserves. What's worse, is the Crusade of Light was called, and with that the dreaded events that followed.
The Crusade of Light ended in utter failure, and with that a devastating shockwave went throughout the world. Had Eris been wrong? Had the Diosians been lax in their faith? From this the once united city states would fracture from corruption and petty politics. To this day the political landscape of Diosia is one where only those who poison, backstab, and accumulate as much wealth as possible can rule. The People of Diosia are divided as ever, however some hope remains. The Church of Eris has begun slowly unifying the land thanks to the Inquisition, and a herald of Eris herself coming to rule the Church, one Isabella Giovana Luccelli, who is working to unify the land. Perhaps with what one suspect to be the reincarnation of Eris herself, the land can be reunified, and the heretics and impure scourge of undead to their north can be resisted and Eris’s once pure nation reign forevermore.
Demography and Population
A kingdom with mostly humans, but one does not have to look far to find a wealth of the many other species in the land
Territories
The ancestral lands of the original settlers of Diosians are the home of the Sacred Kingdom
Religion
Eris, the Goddess of Purity, War, and Light. She is a ruthless goddess, for one must be to defend the lands of Diosia from outsiders and the impure. The Church of Eris is absolute, and its power is to not be questioned. The fracturing of the city states was but a minor setback, as now the Church is looking to re-secure its position over the city states and fully unify the land once more.
Foreign Relations
They remain on mostly good terms with many of the other kingdoms. With Tajir, the relationship proves to be shaky, as the wars in the past against one another do leave a black mark on their history, the Tajir are also wealthy and proficient spice traders and merchants, so the Diosians can look the other way if the coin is good. With the Crypt Kingdoms, war is the only logical conclusion for the Diosian people, and to this day they remain in conflict with them as they have sworn a forever war against the undead and impure.
Trade & Transport
Diosia acts as a massive trading port, helping connect the Tajir and Catai merchants with a close and efficient trading hub for the rest of the world. Thanks to taxes and well kept roads, the Diosia profit off of the many deals and trades that take place in their city walls
"For Eris, kill the faithless and the impure!"
Maps
-
Diosia
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Demonym
Diosian
Government System
Monarchy, Theocratic
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Market economy
Legislative Body
The Holy Council
Judicial Body
The Inquisition and the Merchant Judges of each city
Official State Religion
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
