-City/Realm name: The New Dominion of ViVire
-Flag/Banner:
NATIONAL
-Capital: Grand City of Vilrest
-Government Type: Oligarchy
The Remains: The Dominion of Vivire is ruled by the Remains, currently twelve families that have managed to traced their origins back to the Royal Family of the Enlightened Dominion. Anyone that can trace their origins back to the royal family is allowed onto the Ruling Council of the Remains. While the royal family of the Enlightened Dominion was very extensive and it is largely believed that there are far more than twelve families that could possibly trace their origins back to it, due to increasingly tough restrictions brought on by the Remains, the amount of required proof is often far too much for anyone to gather. There hasn’t been an accepted application for two centuries. One of the only ways to guarantee acceptance into the Council of the Remains is to gather birth documents from the Vault of the Royal Family. But the location of the Vault had been lost over the centuries, and remains buried deep within the Great Forest. Still, many desperate and power hungry individuals often go to their deaths in the hopes of finding the Vault.
The Governance of the State: The Remaining Families operate from keeps located within one of the major cities. Four reside in the Grand City of Vilrent and eight in the Grand City of VIlrest. The Council of the Remains meet monthly to decide all the laws for the Dominion but laws within the cities are decided by the local families. As such the Council of the Remains is unofficially divided into the Council of Vilrent and the Council of Vilrest. The cities are even further divided by members of the councils. Each Head of Family controls a specific section of their city and often laws will apply to one section yet not the others. Most of the land outside the major cities are divided among the council members, which is further divided into smaller divisions ruled by lesser nobles of the Remaining Families.
Struggle of the Weak: Politics within these outer regions is often referred to as the Struggle of the Weak, due to the relative power between outer nobles and city nobles. Yet navigating this complex system requires a genius mind, as you must gain control of divisions through puppets, due to extreme restrictions set by the Council of the Remain, and avoid corruption officials that often roam these lands in the name of the Remaining Families. These officials are appointed by the heads of Remaining Families to root out powerful nobles that could possibly challenge their position on the Council of the Remains, yet these officials often ignore powerful outer nobles in exchange for bribes.
Struggle through the People: Politics within the major cities are referred to as the Struggle through the People. In order to expand their area of control within their city, the head of the Remaining Family must convince the sub-sector owner to change their allegiance to them instead of the other Remaining Families. This can be done through a number of options, such as bribes and threats. But this sort of system has created two unique areas within the city, the Border Zones and the Dead Zones. Border Zones refer to the sub-sectors that are located on the border of two sectors, these areas are often extremely volatile and unstable due to the competition for them. Dead Zones are a truly unique area within the cities, the term refers to sub-sectors not controlled by any of the Remaining Families, usually due to the owner of the plot refusing to bow to any of the Remaining Families. These areas are often in shambles because the Council will often refuse to provide any funding and even the poorest of the poor often refuse to live here. These areas are home to many criminal organizations though, as they are the safest spots to operate from.
-Currency: Dragon Head
-Population: 310,000
-Unique Trait #1: Cities of Stone: The Dominion of Vivire is built on the spine of the Vilmounts, literally. Due to stone being the only accessible building material in the local area, nearly all the buildings within the Dominion are built of stone. This has also created a culture of stonemasonry within the capital city of Vilrest, which lives and breathes on the slopes on the Northern Vilmounts. The Grand Guild of Vilmasons is largest group of stonemasons within the known world and have created a number of famous structures including the Vile Citadels, and Vilrest Barricades.
-Unique Trait #2: Vile Intelligence: Three centuries of political maneuvering have made the nobles of ViVire vile creatures of intrigue and cunning. While ViVirens hate outsiders, they have no problem with infiltrating foreign organizations to gain power. They are masters of disguise, being able to learn and copy every aspect of a culture almost perfectly. Not even a ViViren can recognize a ViViren in Disguise.
-Unique Flaw #1: The Orphan’s Curse: No one is sure why the people of Viviren suffer from “The Orphan’s Curse”. Since the Fall of the Enlightened Dominion nearly 300 years ago, the population has greatly declined. This is due to a combination of a staggeringly low birth rate and a staggeringly high maternal death rate. The population of the Enlightened Dominion at its height was more than three quarters of a million yet the current population of the New Dominion is barely above three hundred thousand. While there exist no proven explanation, among the peasant population, the Myth of the Vile Prince is believed by many to be the source of The Orphan’s Curse.
-Unique Flaw #2: Only Trust a Viviren: Vivirens are deeply distrustful of outsiders, they blame the Fall of the Enlightened Dominion on foreigners. This has led to a very isolated government both economically and militarily. Foreigners are often met with extreme(mostly physical) hostility among the population, cases range from rude treatment to stoning deaths. Foreign ambassadors are also met with riots in the street and often require a major deployment of soldiers. The only foreigners tolerated within the Dominion are Vrentians. But only due to the realization among the general population that the Viviren economy largely depends on the neighboring nation, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t met with silent hostility.
GEOGRAPHICAL
-Major Towns/Colonies: Please describe any smaller cities, towns, villages, or colonies under your city's control.
The Grand City of VilrestThe capital of the New Dominion of ViVire
The Grand Port of Vilrent
-Major Castles/Fortresses:
Old Vilrest: The former capital of Vivire, the Dominion was forced to abandon it during the Fall of the Enlightened Dominion. The city now lies within
The Vile Citadels: Great stone castles on the border of the Great Dominion of Vilrest. Many of these citadels have been claimed by the Great Forest
-Buildings of Interest:
The Old Orphanage:
The Eternal Light:
-Geographic Features of Interest:
-Territory Description:
RACIAL
-Majority Race: Human
-Majority Race Appearance: Average human, look at yourself, look at your mom, look at the creepy hobo outside.
-Majority Race Characteristics:
Male Average Lifespan: 60-70 years
Female Average Lifespan: 40-50 years(factoring in maternal deaths)65-75(Without factoring in maternal deaths)
-Minority Races: Currently none
-Minority Race Characteristics: N/A
RELIGION & MAGIC
-State Religion: The True Faith
-Religious Information:
General Information: “The Gods are dead”, Manci, Last Priest of the Path of Light.
It is truly believed that the Gods of Light are Dead, they only exist as Shadows. Yet this has only strengthened the people's’ faith in the Gods. It is believed that if the First Light is reclaimed, the Gods of Light shall return, the After Realm shall be reclaimed, and the Vile One will be destroyed. The dead shall finally be able to leave the realm of the living, the living shall be able to reclaim happiness, and magic shall return the world.
The Key Aspects
Follow the prophecies given by those Blessed with the Sight of Shadows
Don’t blindly follow your faith, you must be careful that you only help the True Gods of Light
The True Faith is not a complex religion but rather a confusing one, followers of the faith often questions if they are truly following. Many of the less religious have actually began to question if it is worth it to follow the faith as many of the original teachings were lost in the Fall/Collapse, and those that still exist are largely ignored and overshadowed by the preaching of the need to reclaim the First Light.
Extra InformationThe Court of Light and the Gods of Light: The Gods of Light are dead, they only remain as Shadows. When the Enlightened Dominion was attacked in the Invasion of the Forest, the Gods of Light were weakened by the sudden lost of Old Vilrest and, more importantly, the First Light which located within the city. The Vile One which had been forced into the Great Forest eons ago, returned and claimed the First Light, which was the key to the After Realm. In the Eternal War, the dead were the soldiers of the Gods of Light, with the gate to the After Realm closed off, the Gods of Light eventually collapse from the onslaught of the forces of the Vile One. Being gods, the Vile One was unable to kill the Gods of Light. As such, the Vile One sealed their minds within their shadows and banished their shadows to the physical realm. Now the shadows of the Gods of Light wander the realm of man, granting the Sight of Shadow, so one day the First Light might be reclaimed and the gathering forces of the Gods of Light can re-enter the Enlightened Realm and drive off the Vile One. Yet the Vile One isn’t the only enemy of the Gods of Light, from the ashes of the Enlightened Dominion and born from the minds of those who began to question the Gods of LIghts were the gods of the False Pantheon.
ViVir the Old and True
Eliv the Old and True
Nohj the Old and True
T’nerv the Old and True
Xuca the Old and True
Pimb the Old and True
Iosu the Old and True
Aita the Old and True
Yddad the Old and True
Zydia the Old and True
Muada the Old and True
Senob the Old and True
The False Pantheon: Arisen from the Fall of the Enlightened Dominion and the Collapse of the Court of Light. They are like the Gods of Light in nearly every aspect but one. They seek to do the unimaginable, they seek to enslave the spirits of the dead once the Court of Light is reclaimed. In the centuries following the Fall and Collapse, the False Pantheon has grown immensely in power, they have corrupted many minds, so many that they are actually more powerful than the Gods of Light. They can’t influence those blessed by the Sight of Shadow though.
ViVir the False
Eliv the False
Nohj the Old and True
T’nerv the Old and True
Xuca the Old and True
Pimb the Old and True
Iosu the Old and True
Aita the Old and True
Yddad the Old and True
Zydia the Old and True
Muada the Old and True
Senob the Old and True
Vile One: The Vile One, the Evil One, The Usurper, his titles are endless, yet he holds no name. The Vile One’s true name was lost long ago. The tale goes that at the beginning the Vile One was once part of the Court of Light. But following a failed coup, the Vile One and his followers were to be executed. The Vile One escaped and started the Eternal War. From his base within the Great Forest, he led an endless onslaught on the Gods of Light both in the After Realm and their followers in the Realm of Man. Chaos was brought upon the world. While the After Realm held off the Vile One, the Realm of Man was quickly collapsing. In an attempt to save their followers, the 99 Gods of Light attacked the Vile One. Out of 99, 87(or 86 depending on who you ask) were killed, the remaining 12 were able to take away the Vile One’s power, his name. The Vile One was forced to retreat deep within the Great Forest, his forces in the Realm of Man were destroyed, and peace rose from the dead to bless the living. There had been no sign of the Vile One until the Fall of the Court of Light when forces of the Great Forest overtook the First Light and the Vile One invaded and took the After Realm.
The Shadows:
The Old and New Minds:
After Realm
Fun Facts: The correct way to praise one of the gods is “Praise the True and Old Shadow of *Name*, Rival of the Vile One, and Former God of Light.” *This applies to all Gods of Light.
-Religion Demographics: 99.9% Most ViVirens are firm believers in the True Faith, and due to the hostility to foreigners, few foreigners of other faiths stay in the region for long. But It is estimated that only 15% of the population truly follow the Gods of Light, as many are unknowingly following the False Ones or the New Minds.
-Holy Relics In Possession:
-Holy Sites Under Control:
The Eternal Light: A shining pillar standing at the exact center of the ViVire Clearin
The First Light(Not under the control of the Dominion): The original pillar
-Magical Schools and Curriculum: According to ViVirens, magic in the Dominion died with the Fall of the Enlightened Dominion. The only form of magic that still exist is the Sight of Shadows among members of the Remaining Families. One member of each Remaining Family is blessed with the Sight of Shadows, the ability to read the future and ensure the survival of the realm and the eventual restoration of the Gods of Light. It is believed that this gift is granted by the After Pantheon.
MILITARY
-Military Details (Focus on unit types, ect. You can keep numbers vague)
NATIONAL DRAMATIS PERSONAE
-Head of State/Monarch:
-Ruling Dynasty (If applicable):
-Military Chief (If applicable):
-Religious Head (If Applicable):
-Persons of interest:
CULTURAL
-History:
Old History
The Invasion of the Forest
The Fall of the Enlightened Dominion
The Rise of the False
The Great Confusion
-Historical Relations and Grievances
-Cultural Notes