Athvrea

See also Athvrean Culture.

The island nation of Athvrea is a theocracy headed by the Clergy of Cyridia and is composed of five major islands. The nation is known for its cultivation of Blissroot and rich deposits of Iria Crystals. The leveraging of these two critical resources have allowed Athvrea to propel itself to a thalassocratic world power with Athvrean vessels sailing sea lanes around the world. This has led it into conflict with the continent as both vie to control the islands between them. While the clergy maintain a strong grasp and religious rule on the main archipelago, these islands are more culturally diverse and sparsely populated, leading to a weaker policing presence.

The largest island of Athvrea, Seris, is home to the capital, Drelvyndor. The island is island is the center of industry and education on the island and produces some of the most advanced Magitek in the world. The holiest temples and leadership of the Clergy of Cyridia also lie on this island.

From north to south, the remaining islands are Scara, Cerna, Myrcia, and Voris. The Archipelago itself is about 2400 miles long, stretching from 35 degrees N to the equator. Around 30 million people live in Athvrea.

Scara is considered the breadbasket of the country with its ample rain and lowlands. Major crops include millet, rice, and blissroot. Orchards producing persimmons, citrus, and papaya can also be found. The largest city on the island is the port city of Serrador.

The country's origin lies 700 years ago when a nomadic people were forced off the continent and eventually pushed all the way to the archipelago. This led them into conflict with the natives of the Athvrean archipelago. The nomad clans and natives engaged in combat with one another but trade and intermarriage also occurred. Eventually, the nomadic clans were subjugated and integrated into the military and slave forces of the country. This swell in population led to rapid advancement of civil infrastructure and merchant fleets. The conflict also led to unification of the islands under a single ruler and is considered the beginning of Athvrea as an empire. Still, these peoples brought irreversible changes to the island's culture, including worship of Cyridia, sacred weapons and sagas, genealogy, and horsemanship. Many denizens can trace back their lineage to these clans and one's clan is still a point of pride for many.

400 years ago, a fundamentalist counterrevolution on Seris led to the Clergy of Cyridia becoming the ruling force on the island. The clergy abolished slavery and made a number of social changes but kept the fundamental structure of Athvrean government intact.

The top of the Athvrea government is the Triumvirate, which consists of three elders elected by the upper echelons of the clergy. These officials hold sweeping power over the country, setting economic, foreign, military, and social policy at the national level. Below them is the Greater Assembly. The Greater Assembly is an elected body by all members of the clergy and all Athvrean citizens above a certain wealth threshold. It is responsible for the construction of specific laws and policies, diplomacy (though treaties are the domain of the triumvirate), the setting of budgets, and the appointment of admirals and other officials. Beneath the Greater Assembly is the Common Assembly. The Common Assembly is elected by all Athvrean citizens and makes decisions about the day to day operation of the country, the execution of laws and directives from the bodies above them, the appointment of secular judges, and the operating procedures of the country's bureaucrat.

Outside these major bodies are an array of judges, bureaucrats, and lesser officials. The country is known for its intricate political system with an array of checks and balances, permits requiring multiple signatures, byzantine regulation, and fastidious recordkeeping.

Citizenship is restricted to men who descended from either the nomadic clans or the native inhabitants as the Clergy see both groups as true Athvreans. Civic participation outside of national bodies is vivacious, with most towns and cities and their surrounding land being controlled by a Pontifex and a body elected by the citizens of the region. Assemblies are often held at theaters where any citizen may speak and debate. This right is seen as sacred, inviolable, and silencing someone is not done lightly. This is not the case with blasphemy, which no one who values their life would utter in a public forum.

The currency of Athvrea is called the klara. Klaras are coins that come in a number of denominations. Each coin's value is determined its composition as they are a copper-gold alloy. High value coins contain platinum instead of gold. Klara may be deposited at a temple in exchange for a note allowing the bearer to exchange it for the stated amount of klara. The obverse of every klara depicts a profile bust of Cyridia. The reverse of klaras depends on their denomination. Bartering is still common outside of urban centers.

The notes are colloquially referred to as blazes as they are stamped with a magical seal that embosses an animated flame that acts as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Blazes are created from parchment that has been waxed and chemically treated. Upon deposit, the value of the blaze is written and sealed with additional wax before another seal is applied. The ink, wax, and seal used all follow specific recipes that may be tested to detect counterfeits. Counterfeiting blazes is considered an act of heresy. Making multiple deposits to receive blazes is catching on among the wealthy, as most Athvreans do not have enough klara to necessitate using blazes for transactions.

Debt servitude is practiced in Athvrea. Failure to repay debts to the church will trigger this automatically while private dispute may be brought to the temple and permits and applications filed. The terms of this servitude generally run 5 to 10 years, but often ends in a vicious cycle. Critics call this slavery with extra steps but bite their tongues when the Clergy are near. Debt servants are marked with a tin anklet that is sealed around the ankle at the beginning of service.

Major raw exports of Athvrea include lapis lazuli, garnet, vanilla, nutmeg, and mace. Most agricultural activities feed the population itself, but foods that store well such as rice and millet are exported in small amounts. Persimmon wine from Scara is both consumed locally and exported. Blissroot is exported as a tincture stabilized in ethanol.

Iron and nickel are often imported, although Athvrean imperialism is seeking to solve this problem. Textiles aside from cotton and flax are often imported. Alchemical ingredients, particularly precious metals and stones that are not present in Athvrea, are imported to feed the industries in Drelvyndor and other major cities. While the tropical climate of Athvrea gives a bounty of wood, specialized timber for use in airships and ships is imported.

The Athvrean archipelago is known for its waterworks including aqueducts, water wheels, artificial channels, and public bath houses. Much of the water infrastructure of the island began as a need to reduce stagnant water and control mosquito populations. This, combined with a campaign subsidizing the cost of mosquito netting, has led to a drastic drop in mosquito-borne illness. However, malaria is an ever-present threat on the archipelago. Other concerning diseases include hemmorhagic fevers, chagas disease, and a host of flavaviruses ranging from mild to disabling.

Public bathhouses may be built on existing hotsprings or may make use of aqueducts and furnaces to fill and heat the bath. Public bath houses are often staffed with debt servants to maintain cleanliness and keep furnaces burning.