Deity of Deceit and Planning

Indirect, or Direct: Indirect relationship

Appearance: Kelthis adopts various forms, each time changing a slight facet of the appearance, a quirk of his personality. His most common figure is that of a tall man concealed in a cloak of oily black which does not react to natural effects, remaining motionless no matter the action or surrounding conditions. His face is shadowed by the hood, although one can sometimes glimpse a cold, gaunt face filled with malice staring out from underneath, darkened eyes gleaming dully. Apart from the gods and select mortals which he seldom appears to, Kelthis appearance and even physical form is always unique in each appearance, adopting the guise of a woman as frequently as that of a man, although most refer to the deity by its masculine pronoun.

Personality: Although normally reserved, Kelthis personality is what he requires it to be for a specific situation. His preferred personality is that of a calculating, passionless individual, treating others as pawn, allowing no anger to slip through, only pity. He cares not for the specific ties associated with an event but rather its execution and results.



Population: 604,900

Denizens: The inhabitants of Faeros inhabit three distinct environs: the coastal plains, the marshes, and the deep forests. Most share the same lithe stature and tolerance to cold, although the specifics of a person depends on which of these locations they inhabit. Intermediate areas where the terrain transitions plays host to grand merchant fairs, arenas, brothels, and a multitude of illicit and gold-sealed dealings. Clothing is generally made of cotton when it can be had. Approximately half of the population lives in the forest cities, with the remaining half weighted towards the coast. All in Faeros, more so the upper classes, play the game of houses, for to do otherwise is to invite ruin. These states may appear divided to foreign powers, and so they are, but a threat will see the unification of these great cities.


(Claim is the brown-red area)

Government: A collection of city-states, the most common form of control is that of a despot or small oligarchy that wields influence over the factions in their areas, although some of the more moderate city-states have larger councils. This fact does not detract from the ruthlessness of politics in the slightest.

Military: The military of Faeros is a composition of household troops, city levies, and mercenaries, with each city bringing a unique or balanced approach. Many of the professional troops are skirmishers or heavy shock infantry, effective within the confines of the Faerosian cities and the forests which most inhabit. Cavalry is a comparatively small portion of the overall military, although the coastal cities field them in higher numbers. Most skirmishers utilize atlatls to be able to engage at a distance and still have power while freeing themselves of the constrictions of both javelins and bows, though the weapon has its own drawbacks. Shock infantry normally utilize swords and shields, although some of the more elite units arm themselves with flanged maces or axes.

Culture: Faeros is a culture divided and unified, each city-state an independent polity that bears similarities to its neighbors. Begun as a small series of forest settlements which served as stopping posts for the hunter-gatherers of the society, these camps, called faers in the native tongue, would slowly grow, clearing and occupying more area of the forest as they grew in importance. Some faers would move to the coast, plying the seas for more food and trade albeit with less success than their land-locked cousins. In time, the camps would establish seats of power, walls, and larger, more permanent buildings, the start of the city-states. Continuing unabated for decades, the cities would host a majority of the population of Faeros, so named because of the origins of the collective.

The larger each city-state became, the more of an emphasis was placed on the ability to outwit and manipulate one's rivals both near and far. Whether bloody or peaceful, good-willed or malicious, intrigue and convoluted plots became the premier tenets of Faerosian society. While one would normally correlate scheming with nefarious purposes, many plots are formulated and enacted to bring peace and prosperity with the least amount of disruption possible, for trade and industry is the heart of Fearos. Temples to Kelthis are few, with four in any given city considered a plurality. Instead, worship, as it can be called, is private, with individuals or groups sending prayers for guidance and fortune to their sovereign for success.

To be touched with the gift of magic is to be honored in Faerosian society, for the touch of Kelthis is rare indeed. Wielding sorcerous powers invites jealousy as well, making those who wish to survive some of the most able manipulators and leaders in Faeros.

Cities in Faeros are densely populated, host to more than two-thirds of the total population of the collective. Food is primarily supplied through the coastal cities, interspersed farms, or trade, placing a modicum of reliance on the outside world for comfort. Many sorcerers themselves own plantation estates, using their gifts to help their harvests and its sale.

Name of God
Orugoru

Deity of...
Transition, Procreation

Indirect or Direct
Indirect

Appearance



Personality
Orugoru is, by nature, a loner and an outcast, with a ruthless streak to him that makes him extremely dangerous when provoked. Despite this outwardly cold nature, however, his colleagues have noted that that behind his exterior lies a fiercely loyal friend, and a man of good humor and giver of sound advice. Records have shown that him to have many good friends throughout much of the world. He is also shown to be extremely adept at defusing difficult situations, and as a man who would much sooner have everyone return home than to draw his weapon. His experience of century upon century in the world makes him a world-weary man, often expressing disdain and veiled insults to those he considers cruel and foolish.

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Republic of Henrūda



Population
578,300

Description of Denizens
The Henrudan population is split between humans and Konpasu, the latter of which makes up a majority of the population by a miniscule margin. The Konpasu can be described as a "near-Human" species, distinguished by their blue skin and glowing red eyes, which grow darker depending on the oxygen content of their surroundings. The more oxygen present, the more intense the color of both their eyes and skin tone. While their hair is typically jet black, it does, on rare occasions, go gray with age (many Konpasu believe that the development of gray hair is an indication of the siring of exceptional children). Their physical form has led to some speculation on whether they are an offshoot of some near-human species' ancient expansions into the region or whether their physical form coincidentally matches that of humans. However, recent anatomical and psychic analysis indicates that they are an offshoot of near-humanity, and it was believed that moving underground led to a divergence between them and baseline near-humans. Furthermore, this analysis indicates that their unique skin tone is the result of exposure to glacial minerals. Their blue skin, jet black hair and red eyes generally command attention once they are in a crowd of regular humanoids, and these features make them physically striking and instantly recognizable. Male and female Konpasu tend to be more powerfully built when compared to humans but exhibit the same variances as humanoid sexes. A Konpasu typically stands between either 1.6 to 2.1 meters in height, though an average height of an adult is closer to 1.7 meters.

Studies have concluded that the fact that all Konpasu often appear in very good physical shape is an indication that the species possesses an active metabolism which is responsible for their trim figure. Thus, this is believed to be responsible for preventing obesity that is commonly found within more sedentary humanoids. While the report concludes that they are indeed "near-humans," they have not determined a specific point of evolutionary divergence. Rumors persist that there was, in fact, a number of human settlements established throughout many of the northeast extremes of the mainland, though records of this are virtually nonexistent and it remains unknown how a remote area of the continent could have existed in isolation so far back. They do display, physiologically, very few signs of evolutionary adaptations to their original icy environment with even their skin pigmentation not providing any apparent benefit. Beyond the obvious physical features, physiologically, Konpasu are similar to humans to the point that they possess a comparable circulatory, neurological, digestive and reproductive systems. The Konpasu vocal mechanism is noted for being similar to those of humans but there are apparent differences which is evident in their capacity to speak their native language.

In addition, Konpasu experience a greatly accelerated growth rate compared to humans, which contributes to their reaching maturity faster than humans. Thus an Konpasu at the age of ten-years holds the physical maturity of a twenty-year old human. This in turn results in a culturally-imprinted emotional maturity that is many times above that of their human counterparts. They are capable of living up to eighty years old, at which point an Konpasu is considered venerable; children are between the ages one to ten, and they experience a rapid adolescence from eleven to twelve and are considered full adults by thirteen or fourteen. Middle-age follows between the ages of fifty-one to sixty-two, and those aged sixty-three to seventy-nine are considered old.

Lands



Description of Government
In the early years of the Henrūdan Republic, when it was largely under control of warmongering noblemen and merchants, power was distributed equally between the emperor and the Henrudan Senate. However, within a decade of the Republic's founding, it was decided by the senate that the emperor's power was to be considerably limited. As a result, powers were shared between the Great Council, composed of nearly 500 members taken from patrician families, the Senate, which was dissolved within a month of the Great Council's founding, and the emperor. Several years later, aristocratic families further diminished the emperor's powers by establishing the Minor Council, composed of dozens of advisors, and the Great Court as a supreme tribunal. Within a year, these institutions were combined into the Promethean, which consisted of the emperor, the Minor Council, and the three leaders of the Great Court. The Promethean acted as the central body of the Republic's government.

Also created were the Elders, two bodies that combined with other groups to form the Board, which formed an executive branch. Over the course of the next two decades, the Board of Intellectuals, a senate, was formed, being 100 members elected by the Major Council. These developments left the emperor with little personal power and saw actual authority in the hands of the Major Council. A year after that, the Council of Ten was established, becoming the central political body whose members operated in secret. Within a matter of months, its dominance over the Major Council was considered a threat and efforts were made in the Council and elsewhere to reduce its powers, which were met with limited success. Then, the Supreme Court of three municipal inquisitors was established to guard the security of the Republic. By means of espionage, counterespionage, internal surveillance and a network of informers, they ensured that the Republic did not come under the rule of a single leader, which many conservative politicians had hoped for. Soon enough, the Great Court gradually assumed some of the powers of the Council of Ten.

Following the dismantling of the Council of Ten, however, the Promethean, Board of Intellectuals, Supreme Court, and the Council of Ten were all completely dissolved, with power instead resting solely with the emperor, the Major Council, and the Great Court.

Military
The core of the Henrūdan army is its sizable elite regiments of infantry, although their composition and role have changed greatly since their extensive (and brutal) reorganization in recent years. These soldiers are trained as riflemen and grenadiers, utilizing extensive caches of modern weaponry. Regiments are totally self-contained organisations, and even include their own medical and logistic services. Alongside these elites, the bulk of the Henrūdan armies are made up of Renzu regiments – conscript light infantry given basic training and equipment, and which form the mass manpower of the emperor's armies. Lastly, Henrūdan armoured regiments are crewed by a special class of soldiers known as Shian. Originally irregular, almost exclusively immigrant, light infantry units who also serve as guards and watchmen, the Shian regiments have evolved to become custodians of the emperor’s war machines, and are busily building a whole new military tradition based on the resurgence of cavalry.

Alongside the regular Henrūdan forces, there are many irregular troops from various quarters, such as mountainous nomads, who fight more or less as guerrilla forces. Company commanders allow such troops a high degree of autonomy, understanding that they operate best when left to fight as they know best.

Culture

Work in progress.

Other
The territory of Henrūda is extremely rich in resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers—pulp and paper, lumber, and furs are still some of the nation's most important industries. The far north of the province, Pisotoru, is nearly arctic and is mostly inhabited by tribesmen. The most populous region is the Handon valley in the south, where the capital, Doitsu, and the largest city, Arukari, are situated. South of Arukari are the Gorofukuren, a range of ancient mountains, and to the east are the Hisuterri Mountains which extend into the country's northernmost regions. The Gorofukuren Plains, located at the southernmost tip of the country, is a fertile agricultural region, producing dairy products, fruit, vegetables, maple sugar (of which Henruda is the world's largest producer), and livestock.

Henrūda has three main climate regions. Southern and western Henrūda, including most of the major population centres, have a humid continental climate with warm, humid summers and long, cold winters. The main climatic influences are from eastern and northern oceans which move eastward and from the southern and central points of the mainland that move northward. Due to the influence of both storm systems from the core of the continent and the neighboring oceans, precipitation is abundant throughout the year, with most areas receiving more precipitation than the entirety of Lemuria, the majority of which is snow. During the summer, severe weather patterns (such as tornadoes and severe thunderstorms) are far less common than in most of the continent, although they occasionally occur. Most of central Henrūda has a subarctic climate. Winters are long and among the coldest in the east of the mainland, while summers are warm but very short due to the higher latitude and the greater influence of northern air masses. Precipitation is also somewhat less than farther south, except at some of the higher elevations. The northern regions have an arctic climate, with very cold winters and short, much cooler summers. The primary influences in this region are the neighboring oceans' currents and continental air masses from the continent's northernmost points.