The
Bláthaofa Kingdom (/blaθ'əuf.a/
listen) is an
elf kingdom that began their spread through the Sora roughly 300 years ago. Many older generations of Bláthaofa had parents who were among the first to set their boots on alien realms and begin the expansion of the Bláthaofa way of life. Their society is heavily influenced by their militaristic religion, the
Canárlia, which permeates nearly every aspect of life in the kingdom.
Despite being a militarily-focused society, the Bláthaofa are rather amiable and primarily concerned for nature. Their religion is focused on the preservation of the natural world, something they see the other empires as defiling. To this end, they focus their colonization efforts on wild, untamed realms, tree realms, or other areas of high natural affinity.
Social Structure
The society of the Bláthaofa Kingdom is highly structured and revolves around the Canárlia. The Canárlia serves as both the central religious authority and the armed forces for the Kingdom, with every citizen expected to be involved in both to some degree. Every adult in the Kingdom is legally required to serve 10 years in the military, which means they also serve 10 years in the clergy. This service is not limited neither to combat nor proselytizing, with many performing duties similar to civil services. These individuals are responsible for providing a number of necessary social functions such as maintaining orchards, caring for the sick, or shaping trees into housing for others.
This universal service applies no matter how wealthy or poor a person is, thus society at large tends to be rather equitable. While the Kingdom does have a nominal nobility, they do not own land or holdings which give them access to large amounts of wealth. Rather, the nobility are charged with tending to the sacred groves across the Kingdom. This carries high prestige and the families are able to make a small profit off the products of the orchards, but this compares to the money a trained artisan makes for their craft. Nobles are somewhat over-represented among those who stay in the Canárlia as a career, though not significantly so. The current head of the Canárlia, the
Breimú, is non-noble, as are 40% of the Archdruids.
Bláthoans live in sprawling cities, though those unfamiliar with them would be hard pressed to spot them. Rather than constructed buildings, they live and work in forests which have been shaped by druidic magic. Woven branches, arching roots, and expansive hollows create massive, interconnected structures composed of dozens or hundreds of trees. These cities can cover thousands of square kilometers, virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding forest. Within these cities, those of noble birth live, work, and walk side-by-side with even those with no hint of aristocracy in their family trees.
The nature of their cities ensures that the basic needs of most are met; there are extensive public places to sleep and find shelter, food free to be picked from available trees, and well-maintained wells for water. This allows many within the Kingdom to survive without engaging in traditional work. Instead, they spend their days engaging in mirth, merriment, and the pursuit of personal pleasures. These individuals, called
nuachtaomú ("wonderers"), are largely accepted by most Bláthoans, who believe that forcing work upon those who do not want to do it will only result in inferior results.
History
Prehistory and Antiquity
Origins
The Bláthaofa Kingdom traces its history back 10000 years, to shortly after the creation of the first elves on Thelire, a wild, untamed realm. Each of the twelve gods created one tribe of elves, with all collaborating to create a thirteenth. The leaders of each tribe drew lots to determine how to divvy up the realm, with the thirteenth tribe drawing the thirteenth lot, giving them whatever lands were left over. The other tribes selected the oceans, the rivers, the forests, the jungles, the savanna, the plains, the islands, the taiga, the mountains, the marshes, the deserts, and the tundra. This left only the wastes for the thirteenth tribe; barren, harsh lands with little plant or animal life, where life struggled to survive.
The ancient Bláthoans accepted their lot with quiet dignity, for they considered themselves the most blessed of all the tribes, having received gifts from each of the gods. They gathered their supplies from the Divine Gardens and departed for their lands. They walked through the wastes for thirty-eight days, seeking out a place where they could settle and live. On their thirty-ninth day, with their supplies having run out, they came upon a solitary tree in the wastes. Despite the harsh conditions, this tree appeared to be thriving and its branches were heavy with fruit.
The weary elves collapsed beneath the tree, too spent and tired to even climb into its limbs to pluck the fruit. Fortuitously, several of the largest, ripest fruits fell to the ground. The joyous elves filled their bellies, sating their hunger and quenching their thirst. The leader of the tribe declared this their new home and the people proclaimed him as the King of the Tree.
Early Years
For the first several centuries of the Kingdom's existence, it eked out an existence in the wastes, making due with scavenging for food and slowly trying to nurture the land. It was during these times that the Canárlia began, with the earliest druids arising as diviners who would find underground springs. Over time, the diviners learned more and more about the land and began to realize the truth of nature and the wilds. Though life was hard, the struggle made the Bláthoans strong and canny. The only luxury they had was their Sacred Tree, which continued to bear succulent fruit despite the infertile terrain.
Eventually, the early diviners unlocked the secrets of primal magic. They began spreading the seeds from the Sacred Tree throughout the wastes, using their primal magic to nurture the land. Though there were many failures, slowly they began to sprout, grow, and bear fruit. The druids used this knowledge to slowly transform the wastes, coaxing plants to sprout from barren soil, pulling water from deep beneath the earth, tending to small herds of animals, and fertilizing the land.
Slowly and surely, their territory grew both in size and bounty, while their druids grew in wisdom and power.
Expansion and Conflict
Initial Recontact
Around 8000 years ago, the Bláthoans had managed to expand to the very edges of the wastes, having transformed the inner region of their territory into verdant forests. Soon, they had begun to encounter their neighbors, those tribes who had claimed the plains, the mountains, and the marshes. The Bláthoans had assumed their cousins had progressed much as they had, coming together in common need to expand and care for their territories.
Instead, they found the other tribes remained much as they had been initially. They lived free and in small groups, having advanced little beyond hunters and gatherers. Even the marsh tribe, who had a more difficult time surviving, had not reached the same level as the Bláthoans. Their knowledge of magic was limited as well, with only a rare shaman casting a few cantrips to make life easier.
The Bláthoans reached out to their cousins, but found fear and mistrust instead of open arms. The first time a party of Bláthoans encountered a group from the plains tribe, the plains tribe reacted with violence, firing arrows and hurling invectives at the Bláthoans. Three of the Bláthoans were killed before they fled back to the wastes. While later contact was less violent, it never went poorly. Their cousins related that conflict between the tribes was common. None could remember who started it, but now each tribe remained in their own place outside of infrequent raids for resources.
War with the Mountain Tribe
After another hundred years, the Kingdom had managed to completely transform the wastes into a lush garden. The druids of the Canárlia looked at their cousins and despaired, as they still lived primitive, destructive lives, not caring what they took from the land or how they used it. They began to travel to the other lands in disguise, bringing proof of their bounty with them. They were careful not to reveal who they were, often claiming that they had traveled into the former wastes, found the Bláthoans peaceful and kind, and been given food and gifts aplenty. While this did manage to convince some to join them in their lands, many viewed them with jealousy.
The mountain tribe, in particular, came to despise the Bláthoans. Several of their clans came together and raised arms against the Kingdom, launching numerous raids. They attacked outlying settlement, killing the adults, abducting the children, and looting all food and goods. Several settlements were destroyed in this fashion before the Bláthoans discovered what was happening.
Enraged, the King of Trees demanded retribution against the mountain tribe. He tasked the Canárlia with leading the assault to demonstrate the full might of the Bláthoan druids. They sallied forth from their homes, riding on the backs of tamed beasts, armed and armored with wooden equipment hardened to unbelievable strength through druidic magic. The mountain tribe, mostly wielding stone arrows and clubs and wearing hides, were no match for the Bláthoans. Within a few years, the mountain tribe had been overrun, fully conquered by the Kingdom.
The King of Trees showed mercy to them, however, and allowed them to stay in their homes. He assigned a Canárlia to each clan, ordering them to teach the cowed elves the ways of their faith. The mountain tribe, their will to fight broken by the assaults, accepted their fates. Within three generations, their culture had ceased to exist and they were completely subsumed into the Bláthoans.
Conquest of Thelire
Absorption of the Tribes of the Land
While the other tribes made no moves as hostile as the mountain tribe had, the Bláthoans came to view the other tribes as primitive, dangerous barbarians. Each successive King of Trees launched invasions of another tribe. Understanding the power of the Bláthoans, the tribes banded together and developed their own magic. Each successive tribe held out for slightly longer, having learned from the prior conquests. But fall each eventually did, first the marsh tribe, then the plains, then the forest, then the tundra, then the desert, then the taiga, then the savanna, and finally the jungle tribe.
After two thousand years, only the ocean, river, and island tribes remained. Each of these tribes were inaccessible to the Bláthoans to some degree. The river and ocean tribes, living beneath the water, could not be touched by the air-breathing Bláthoans. These two tribes in turn protected the island tribe from being assaulted, attacking and sinking Bláthoan ships whenever they tried to cross the seas.
The vast majority of the surface of Thelire had been conquered by the Bláthaofa Kingdom, however. The former tribes had lost their original identities, giving in fully to the Canárlia.
Final Subjugation
Thelire existed in this equilibrium for another thousand years, the Bláthoans controlling the mainlands, with the remaining tribes holding out, inaccessible, in their territories. But the Bláthoans continued to grow their strength, becoming more proficient in magic and learning more about the natural world. They began woodshaping at this time, creating magnificent cities entirely from living trees. Life in the Kingdom was idyllic, easy, and free. Most spent their days tending to their gardens, orchards, and animals, making more than enough to survive on.
Meanwhile, the other tribes continued to lag behind. Everything changed, 4000 years ago, when a clan from the river tribe emerged onto the banks of the
Blue River bearing no weapons. The clan begged for help, telling the Bláthoans that their clan was starving from a famine. The river, which had once teemed with fish and plants, had been overharvested by the tribe. Now, elves died by the dozens every day.
The Bláthoans welcomed them into their midst. They gave the clan food and taught them the means to cultivate their river sustainably. The famine soon ended and within a generation the clan had transformed the Blue River into bountiful waters. This brought them into conflict with the other clans of the river tribe, who demanded they share their wealth and the secrets that had allowed them to achieve it. They shared some of their food, just enough to make life easier for their siblings, and shared the secrets of the Canárlia as well. The other clans did not think this was enough and demanded more, unwilling to change their ways to make use of the Canárlia magics.
The other clans attacked, but the clan had not shared all of the Canárlia secrets. Armed with hardened weapons and armor, they turned aside their siblings. Angry at having what they saw as betrayal, they then attacked the other clans and subjugated them, pledging their allegiance to the Bláthaofa Kingdom. As before, within a few generations, the river tribe became completely part of the Kingdom, fully embracing the Canárlia faith.
With the river tribe under their sway, the Kingdom now had a method to conquer the remaining two tribes. Canárlia druids from the former river tribe launched attacks on the ocean tribe, while the rest of the Canárlia assaulted the island tribe. The combined might of 11 former tribes united under one banner was too much for the remaining free elves. Within a generation, the entirety of Thelire, beneath the waves and above, was under the control of the Bláthaofa Kingdom and the King of Trees.
Expansion into the Sora
Discovery of Soraflight
For the next 3000 years, the Kingdom lived in relative harmony on their home realm. While occasional troubles reared their heads, they were always handled and brought peace and prosperity to the people. With such ease, the Bláthoans had little impetus for further improvement. Developments in magic were few and far in between, only coming in occasional spurts during particularly creative times. However, this ease of life eventually brought trouble, as the growing population soon outstripped the ability for their sustainable production methods to feed. Unwilling to use less sustainable but more productive methods, the Bláthoans realized they would need to find more land to utilize.
A little over 300 years ago, the Bláthoans learned of the Sora and came to believe other realms might lay within it. Shortly after, they created their first soracraft. The first Bláthoans entered into the Sora, seeking out new realms to help feed their growing population.
Ascendance of the Breimú
From the very first conquest of the mountain tribe millennia prior, the Kingdom had divided its territories up among the druids of the Canárlia to oversee. While they were under the command of the Breimú, they all owed allegiance to the King of Trees, who wielded total power within the Kingdom. However, as the Kingdom expanded into the Sora and settled new realms, the ability for the King to wield his influence waned. Rather than a matter of days or weeks, it now took months or even years to send orders to colonies.
In fact, many young Bláthoans had never even seen the King of Trees, having been born on foreign realms. Additionally, those inhabited realms which the Kingdom welcomed into the fold had no particular love for the King. All, however, lived with the Canárlia holding an important, even central, place in their lives. Thus the druids and archdruids assigned to realms far from Thelire held much greater loyalty for the Breimú than they ever had for the King.
Over the next several centuries, the Breimú became more independent from the King, who became more and more of a figurehead. Today, the King holds little true power, and the Breimú is the real power behind the throne. Some older Bláthoans still remember the days when the King held primacy and grumble about the current way of things.
Politics
Due to the lifespans of elves, the Kingdom tends to be politically stagnant for long periods, punctuated with sudden swings as new generations take power. The new generation tends to hold significant differences to the previous, moving from conservative to progressive, isolationist to interventionist, and pacifist to aggressive. Historically, the Kingdom has been divided into four major factions; the Traditionalists, the Welcomers, the Ancients, and the Preservers. A fifth unofficial faction, the Apostates, rounds out the major political divisions within the Kingdom.
The Traditionalists are the largest faction and has held power most often, though they have fairly recently fallen out of it. The faction largely believes the Kingdom should primarily concern itself with its internal affairs and the promotion of nature within its own borders. It believes that just as the Kingdom has the right to shape its own destiny, so too do other nations have the right to determine their own paths, free from the interference of the Kingdom. To that end, they largely support an isolationist policy, including restrictions on trade which might interfere with the livelihoods of native Bláthoans. Expansion should be slow and measured, limited primarily to garden and tree realms on which elves naturally thrive. The Traditionalists see themselves as a stabilizing force in the Kingdom, preventing it from moving too quickly or reaching beyond its grasp. Opponents tend to paint the Traditionalists as complacent and stagnant, bringing no improvement to the Kingdom as a whole.
The Welcomers are second in size to the Traditionalists and have been growing significantly over the past several centuries. The current Breimú is a Welcomer, as are a significant minority of the Archdruids. In contrast to the Traditionalists, the Welcomers believe in establishing close ties to other nations and encouraging the exchange of goods, ideas, and people. They see the other species of the Sora as each possessing unique strengths, histories, and ways of thinking, each valuable in their own way. They believe the Kingdom can only grow stronger by encouraging diversity and opening their arms to outsiders. In addition to pushing for open trade with others, they also advocate open borders and free migration of people. They see restrictions on trade and immigration to be unnatural, pointing that neither animal nor plant are prevented from relocating other than by their own abilities and suitability. The Welcomers see themselves as a necessary agent for change, constantly pushing the Kingdom to be better and adapting to the realities of life in the Sora. Opponents view them as idealists who ignore the disrespect other empires show toward nature, fail to consider the disparity in lifespans between elves and other species, and lack respect for the Kingdom's culture.
The Ancients are a relatively small but vocal faction in the Kingdom. It has not held power for thousands of years, but it has remained an influential player in the Kingdom's politics. The Ancients believe that the Kingdom rose to power on the back of conquest and that it should continue to do so. They see other nations as barbarous despoilers, expanding and consuming faster than is sustainable. Like the Traditionalists, they are opposed to trade with other nations, though their reasoning differs. Instead, they see the goods produced by others as being inherently immoral, having come from the exploitation of the land, animals, and plants who were unable to provide consent. They frequently push for the Kingdom to take an aggressive stance, using the might of the Canárlia to enforce environmental restrictions on the other empires and prevent them from doing harm to nature. The Ancients see themselves as righteous protectors of nature, hearkening back to the days when the Kingdom conquered Thelire. Opponents consider the Ancients to be dangerous warmongers, blind to the harm their aggression would cause to both Bláthoan citizens and the realms on which other empires live.
The Preservers, like the Ancients, believe that it is the Kingdom's solemn duty to protect nature throughout the entire Sora. Rather than advocate for violent intervention, however, the Preservers believe in nonviolent proselytizing. Preservers push for open trade with other nations, not as a way to embrace the ways of the outside, but to export the ways of the Kingdom to others. Additionally, they regularly argue that the Canárlia should send missionaries to other empires to encourage a respect for nature. They often do outreach to the followers of nature gods in foreign pantheons, seeking to work hand in hand to protect the environment. This outreach is not always welcome, with the Preservers often times apparently seeking converts rather than partners. The Preservers see themselves as the Kingdom's strongest advocates, building peaceful relations with other empires while advancing the core beliefs of the Canárlia. Opponents either dismiss their efforts as ineffective and missing the big picture or as imperialistic and dishonest.
The Apostates are not an actual faction, but are instead an umbrella group which covers those whose beliefs fall far outside the Kingdom's mainstream. While the other factions can each arguably claim to adhere to the teachings of the Canárlia, the Apostates reject its authority. Within this umbrella sits a diverse set of beliefs; some believe the reverence for nature is backward and restrictive, keeping the Kingdom from achieving its true potential and reaching a power comparable to the Dranomyr Archive. Others instead believe that the Kingdom does not respect nature
enough, having warped nature into a parody of itself through druidic magic and artificial order. Still others find the all-encompassing presence of the Canárlia in Bláthoan life to be oppressive. This extreme variation in beliefs, along with the demonization of Apostates in general, makes it difficult to gauge how large the "faction" actually is, though it lacks real political influence regardless of size. The Apostates have no unified view of themselves, often treating other branches within the faction with more contempt than they would any of the proper factions. The other factions largely see the Apostates as anathema to the very way of Bláthoan life, radicals to be suppressed and marginalized at any opportunity.
Alliances between the factions tend to be flimsy. The Traditionalists largely find themselves opposed to the other factions entirely, while the Preservers regularly vacillate between working with the Welcomers and the Ancients. Opposition to the Ancients tends to be the sole common ground between the Traditionalists and Welcomers, which is one of the major checks that has prevented the Ancients from gaining widespread political currency within the Kingdom. Sects within the Apostates occasionally align themselves with one faction or another, but these tend to be short lived.
Government
The Kingdom is a officially an absolute monarchy, but in truth it is a theocratic military dictatorship. Nominally, the head of the Kingdom is the King of Trees, who reigns from the
Evergreen Palace on the homeworld of Thelire. However, true power lies in the hands of the Breimú, the head of the combined Bláthaofa religion and military, the Canárlia.
King of Trees
At the top of the Kingdom's hierarchy sits the King of Trees, proclaimed as the leader of all things material and secular. The title passes to the eldest child of the royal family upon the death or abdication of the previous king. According to tradition, all property within the kingdom belongs to the king, who only through their own largess allows all others to utilize it. Thus the king is responsible for the creation of all laws and their word holds absolute power throughout the Kingdom. While the king once wielded these powers fully, in the centuries since expanding into the Sora, power has shifted almost entirely into the hands of the Breimú.
Today, the King of Trees technically retains ultimate power, but functionally takes no action and makes no decrees without approval of the Breimú first. The Breimú continues to pay fealty to the king, but this is purely a ceremonial action. The few powers the king retains are the ability to call the Breimú before him at any time and the ability to refuse the appointment of a new Breimú. This later power is rarely invoked, however.
Breimú
The Breimú is a non-hereditary title given to the elected leader of the Canárlia, the Kingdom's combined religion and military. The Bláthoan religion has long been an important part of life for the citizens of the Kingdom, being one of the primary influences in life. For centuries, the Breimú was subservient to the King of Trees, acting solely as the head of the military rather than as ruler. However, once the Kingdom expanded into the Sora, the Breimú quickly found their power growing along with the size of the empire.
Now, the Breimú serves as the true power in the Kingdom. They are responsible for enforcing the laws and decrees issued by the king, thus they alone determine what actually becomes law. In addition to their role enforcing the law, the Breimú has the right to set and collect taxes, thus controlling the entire economy of the Kingdom. Finally, the Breimú is responsible for crowning new Kings of Trees.
Aside from their secular power, the Breimú also serves as the primate of the Canárlia. They are responsible for setting the policy of the church, as well as making rulings on matters of faith. The Breimú is considered infallible in making proclamations regarding the natural world; their word is final. As head of the Canárlia, the Breimú appoints all
Archdruids across the Kingdom, allowing them to control the loyalty of regional governments as well. Finally, as head of the military, the Breimú also controls all naval ships and ground troops in the Kingdom.
Breimú serve for life or until they choose to retire of old age. New Breimú are selected by the archdruids in a secret ballot. Any member of the clergy may put themselves forward as a candidate for the position, but in practice it is another archdruid who is elected. Frequently, the previous Breimú makes their wishes known for their successor, who is usually elected. By tradition, the Canárlia must seek approval from the King of Trees before the new Breimú is officially anointed. In practice, the king cannot reasonably refuse and thus always confirms the appointment.
Archdruid
Archdruids serve as the overseers of an entire realm. Each realm within the Kingdom is assigned its own archdruid, called the Archdruid of
Realm. The Breimú serves as the Archdruid of Thelire. On their realm, the archdruid wields tremendous power. They are responsible for enforcing laws, conducting the collection of taxes, overseeing the realm's navy and army, and organizing the religion beneath them. Archdruids typically also serve as the druid of the largest or capital city on their realm.
Druid
Druids serve as local mayors of a jurisdiction on a realm, typically a city or collection of villages. Druids are responsible for the local law enforcement and policing, coordinating tax collection within their jurisdiction for their archdruids, and conducting major religious duties. They each have their own sacred grove they are responsible for, organizing worship, sacrifices, and divination. They also hold the power to expel people from religious observances, marking them as outcasts. Druids are selected from local auspicies by the archdruid responsible for their realm.
Auspex
At the lowest level of the governing hierarchy are auspices, who are responsible for caring for minor groves and shrines. They are lead daily worship and see to the spiritual needs of the people. Additionally, they preside over both criminal trials and civil disputes, serving as both judge and jury. Their verdicts are typically considered final, though those who disagree with the decision can appeal to higher powers. Appeals are rarely heard, however.
Laws and Criminal Justice
The Kingdom has an extensive and comprehensive set of laws, many of them thousands of years old, divided into two major categories: natural laws and mortal laws. Natural laws concern interactions between people and nature, regulating everything from the minimum amount of space between trees in a cultivated orchard to the proper processes for handling livestock to the allowable density of woodshaped trees per kilometer of forest. The majority of these laws revolve around protecting nature from actions which are considered exploitative or destructive. Penalties for infractions tend to range from fines to adding time to the guilty party's mandatory service with the Canárlia. Most violations against these laws are a result of carelessness or mortal error rather than deliberate malice, though this has little measurable impact on sentencing.
The major exception to this is prohibitions against magic which is considered harmful to the natural world simply by its employment. In addition to the common prohibition against necromancy, any magic considered to pervert nature is also forbidden. This includes schools such as chronomancy in general and unlicensed manipulation of anti-elements. Even minor breaches of these laws can carry significant penalties, often imprisonment or magical geas, with more serious offenses being considered capital crimes.
Mortal laws are similar to the typical laws in most nations, being concerned with interactions between people and organizations. They include topics as diverse as property rights, contract law, bodily harm, taxation, and the like. Penalties vary greatly, but tend to be proportionate to the harm caused. Though the Kingdom prides itself on being safe and crime free, statistically it differs little in the number of major crimes committed within it. Its social safety nets largely prevent crimes of need such as petty theft or tresspassing, but citizens of the Kingdom are just as prone to greed, violent passions, and anger as any other people.
Diplomacy
The Bláthaofa are dedicated to bringing harmony to the Sora, even if they have to engage in violent bloodshed to do so. They believe this can be accomplished through protecting and expanding natural wilderness. To these ends, the Kingdom lays claim to realms and promotes and protects the wildlife there. When they find barren realms, they often make attempts to bring life to them, planting trees and other plants in the soil and using druidic magic to coax them to health. While this is not always successful, the successes are hailed throughout the Kingdom. In addition to protecting their own worlds, the Kingdom makes efforts to safeguard the natural order on other realms as well, particularly tree, wild, and garden realms.
The Kingdom typically takes a neutral posture toward its neighbors, staying out of their affairs as long as they are left to their own devices. However, the Kingdom does maintain embassies with most other empires, ensuring both that they have a way to handle diplomatic issues as well as providing them with eyes and ears to monitor the exploitation of nature. When they do find an issue, they usually attempt to handle it diplomatically, always veiled with the threat of military action. So far, the Kingdom has only rarely needed to make good on their threats, as most other empires understand the might of the Kingdom navy. If diplomacy fails, they will not hesitate to send a fleet in to force the issue. This has led to numerous conflicts with the other empires of the Sora, especially the
Confederation of Doflein Realms and
Koganusân Kingdom.
Territory
The Kingdom is composed of 187 major realms and 232 minor realms, the majority of which are tree, garden, or wild realms. Realms of other types only tend to be settled due to proximity to one of their favored realm types or as a strategic location on an important eddy between their other realms. The realms tend to be rather scattered throughout the Sora, with large distances between them, making the Kingdom one of the more geographically dispersed nations. Travel times between Bláthoan worlds can often be significant, numbering in the weeks or even months, an issue which is only somewhat obviated by the speed of lepicephs and the long lives of the elf majority. In addition to this territory, the Kingdom has laid claim to several other realms throughout the Sora that are contested by other empires, including several in the
Neahmidath.
Trade and Economy
Despite being a sorafaring empire, the Kingdom's economy remains largely centered around agriculture. The vast majority of the Kingdom's civilians are engaged in some sort of agricultural-related job, such as farming, animal husbandry, or forestry. Aside from agriculture, most other citizens are engaged in artistry and crafting. The Kingdom is well known for its nature-crafted goods which are slowly shaped as they are grown into a variety of objects, both useful and artistic.
Agriculture
The Bláthoans take a unique approach to agriculture. Rather than planting seeds and breeding animals, they cultivate existing wild populations of nearly everything they need. They seek out fields growing wild grains, natural orchards, and wild herds of animals and help tend to them much as farmers in other empires do. They will help cure any diseases or blights, divert natural disasters, and minimize (but not eliminate) natural predators. This allows the yields to be larger than normal wild populations, but still provides less than fully cultivated fields and domesticated animals.
However, they will only take the barest minimum from the land, allowing things to go through most of their natural life cycles before harvesting. With plants, this means allowing a fair portion to come to full seed, while animals are only culled if they present a danger to others. This accounts for the much larger percentage of people involved with agriculture, as they require more to ensure enough food is produced.
This deficit is somewhat made up for by the barren realms colonized by the Kingdom. On these realms, with no natural plant or animal life, they are able to introduce plants and animals as they like. While they do attempt to maintain some balance through introducing predators, they are much more able to control the environment, allowing much greater yields.
Crafts
Those Bláthoans not involved in agriculture tend to be artisans and craftspeople. They are responsible for creating both practical items such as furniture, clothing, and tools, as well as luxury items such as artwork and jewelry. The vast majority of Bláthoan crafts are made from sculpted wood. This is wood which has been grown using minor nature magic and physical techniques, allowing it to be grown into essentially its final shape. This allows the artisan to create goods without having to cut down trees for lumber. The process tends to be slower than other methods, as even with magic the growth period can take several months for larger objects, but the final product tends to be exceptionally sturdy and long lasting. Even items not normally made from wood, such as horseshoes or nails, can be crafted from specially treated wood, giving it the hardness of iron or steel.
For those items such as clothing which require non-wood products, the techniques tend to be similar or identical to those used outside of the Kingdom.
Foreign Trade
The Kingdom trades fairly extensively with its neighbors, mostly exporting excess wooden crafts in exchange for additional food and metals. The Kingdom does very little mining, preferring to avoid damaging the realms they inhabit, thus metal is in short supply. While they do not use metal for many applications, preferring treated wood, there are occasions where metal is superior, necessitating importation. Importation of food is also used to cover the shortfalls caused by the Kingdom's inefficient agriculture, as well as to bring delicacies not produced within the Kingdom.
Demographics
The Bláthaofa Kingdom is currently home to roughly 314 billion individuals, most of whom are elves. Elves of various stripes and ethnicities make up 90% of the populace. These elves come from a number of cultures, as the Kingdom often absorbs elf-majority realms into their Kingdom when they reach the Sora. Their intense respect and worship of the wilds often keeps other species from making the Kingdom a place of permanent residence. Uniquely, the Kingdom occasionally integrates
fae into their society, living and working alongside them. While other nations certainly inhabit worlds with extensive fae presences, the fae rarely interact directly with society, instead being content to remain within their own domains. These fae, including fairies, satyrs, nymphs, and dryads, account for 8% of the Kingdom's populace. The remaining 2% of the populace is a mix of other species, with none dominating in particular.
Languages
A diverse array of languages are spoken in the Kingdom, though Theliren is the primary language in which all official business of the Kingdom and religious services of the Canárlia are conducted. Worlds annexed by the Kingdom are allowed to retain their native languages and many have. Older elves on these realms tend to be native speakers, but younger speakers are often bilingual, speaking Theliren as a second native language. The omnipresence of the Canárlia in Bláthoan life requires at least a basic understanding of the language and most pick it up in time. A few of the older realms incorporated into the Kingdom have almost entirely lost their native tongues, with the primary speakers being aging elves a generation or two removed from the coming of the Kingdom.
Religion
The Canárlia is the primary religious authority for the Kingdom, though it is not dogmatic or exclusionary. While it is primarily centered on the Theliren pantheon, the religion emphasizes connection to the natural world and wilderness over worship of individual deities. This is reflected in the religious festivals and ceremonies of the Canárlia, which typically invoke numerous gods as appropriate for the occasion. While each deity in the Theliren pantheon does have their own holy and feast days, these tend to be minor and observed as times for specialized sermons at worship rather than any great ritual.
This lack of religious fervor for singular deities has led the Canárlia to be highly syncretic. It often absorbs the gods of new realms it welcomes into its territory, allowing locals to continue worshiping them while overlaying the greater Canárlia structures. The only gods excluded from this are those who promote undeath or otherwise damage the natural world. Local rituals and traditions are respected, though whatever emphasis they have on their gods is deprecated until the rites are slowly brought into line with Canárlia orthodoxy.
Education
Most Bláthoans attend school from a young age into late adolescence. These schools tend to be very unstructured, featuring open classes which students can attend or not as they choose. Typical subjects include botany, animal care, medicine, druidcraft, language, mathematics, history, and religion. Individual schools may have other subjects depending on the experience of the teachers and interests of the students. Most Bláthoans do not advance past this level of education, becoming apprentices in some profession shortly after finishing primary school.
For those that do wish a higher education, numerous universities exist across the Kingdom. These universities tend to be highly focused, teaching only a handful of related subjects. Depending on the difficulty of the subject matter, this level of education can take as little as four years and as many as twelve. The Canárlia also provides higher education to anyone wishing to become a member of the clergy. These theological schools exist on nearly every realm and major city in the Kingdom.
Military
In addition to being the central religious authority, the Canárlia also serves as their armed forces. As religion is such an integral part of Bláthoan life, the military is equally part of their society. Every adult must serve in the military for ten years before their 100th birthday, though these years need not be served consecutively. Most Bláthoans serve their first year shortly after reaching adulthood in order to receive necessary training. Afterward they are reserves until their 100th birthday and can be called up at any time, should the need arise. This policy has caused problems for the Kingdom's few shorter-lived citizens, whom are still responsible for the ten years of duty and may be unfit for service well before their 100th birthday.
The Canárlia navy consists of roughly 1000
lepicephs, specially raised and trained by specialists. Their lepicephs come in a variety of forms and sizes, from the titanic
hamilandrae to the minuscule
notoculid. The primary tactic of the navy is to swarm foes with smaller vessels, slowing them and allowing their larger lepicephs to tear the opponent apart.
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