Welcome to Iridia
Iridian Encyclopedia
History of Iridia
Iridia is a nation formed from disparate tribes that migrated to the region from the south following the fall of the Rubidim Empire in 527 PC (post calamity). Due to their advantageous trade position, these peoples interacted heavily with the Bromian culture that would go on to dominate the internal politics of the Osmic Empire.
Horseback raids from the south continued to plague the region for roughly three hundred years and several portions of northern Iridia were conquered by Bromian kings and dukes. However, the peatlands of the region were often seen as undesirable conquests, allowing proto-Iridian culture to flourish there, particularly in the village that would become Aureline, Fenwick, and Iridale.
Tribal voting to determine leadership of the area became commonplace some time in the early to mid 800s, installing leaders for life. This coincided with the spread of manorialism into the region from the north. These small warlords lobbied and coerced one another for votes, leading to factions forming and conflicts throughout the region. Inter-tribal feuds also prevented the formation of dynasties with candidates often unrelated to their predecessor. Still, trading enriched these tribes and wealth was concentrated in the hands of clans within them. These clans are the ancestors of modern Iridian nobility, although the precise genealogy was not recorded at the time.
In the year 1098 PC, an abbot named Rado founded the Autrian heresy in a monastery outside Aureline. While acknowledging the other dieties of the Rubidim pantheon, it held Autria above all else and held love to be the most critical virtue. This precipitated a rapid wave of reformations across Iridian monasteries as well as consternation in the kingdoms to the northwest and south.
This culminated in an invitation from the king of Bromia in 1107 PC, asking Rado to come to his court and guaranteeing him safe passage through Bromia. However, Rado was detained by a Bromian baron while traveling. Rado appealed to the king, citing his invitation, but the king sided with the local nobility and allowed his execution.
The news caused widespread social unrest in Iridia, with followers of Autria vandalizing and destroying the temples dedicated to other deities and attacking their clergy. Border skirmishes between Iridian and Bromian vassal also occurred. Rallying around their martyr, a series of raids on Bromian holdings were conducted by radical Autrians in early 1110 PC.
In the year 1111 PC, the king of Bromia met with religious leaders as well as clergy who had fled Iridia and declared a holy war, seeking to vassalize Iridia and cleanse both its temples and nobility of heresy. While officially staying neutral during the conflict, the kingdoms to the south and east used the opportunity to plunder regions bordering them.
initial Bromian offensive was disastrous for the Iridians, costing them most of the northern coastlines and its ports. Using their knowledge of the fens and waterways, the Iridians were able to take several advantageous battles in the Iridian heartland before being routed in the seige of Fenwick. Aureline and Iridale fell in 1113 and the remaining lords and their levies fled to the highlands.
Here, Verdiclav Blackmere, so named for his ancestral castle, took command. Known for his even-handed judgment, Verdiclav proved to be a formidable commander. He managed to frustrate Bromian encroachment into the foothills by using deceptive tactics to draw the enemy into ambushes or unfavorable terrain. This started the counteroffensive in 1115 that recaptured Iridale and eventually pushed the Bromians out of Iridia. Despite being outnumbered and outfinanced, Verdiclav never lost a battle.
For this reason, he was made the king of Iridia and subsequently abolished the electoral system of the past, replacing it with absolute cognatic inheritence.
Iridia is a country where moral and social order are one and the same. The hierarchy is divine and just; maintaining it is more important than truth. Nobility are inherently virtuous. Peasants labor because it is their divinely appointed lot. The Temple of Autria reinforces this, its ranks filled with nobles' and wealthy merchants' children. Everything that doesn't meet the ideal is labeled a punishment at best and heresy at worst.
Each class has an ideal paradigm it must strive for. Disabilities are retribution for one's bloodline. The illegitimate are spat on. Marriage and reproduction are tools and queerness and consent are rebellion. The wealthy gain magic with temple sanction, the poor make their own deals and risk execution.
Houses of Iridia
Above, from Left to Right: The heraldry of Houses Blackmere, Lowbridge, Redwyn, Starstone, and Thistledown.
Temple of Autria
The Temple of Autria is the dominant religion of Iridia. Although part of the larger polytheistic faith tradition of the continent, Iridia has gravitated towards worshipping the goddess of love and beauty, Autria since the Autrian Heresy of 1098 PC. Worship of other gods in the pantheon is legal and small offerings are made for requests in their domain, but the Temple is the de facto state religion of Iridia and going against their word is political suicide.
Despite this power, the Temple is happy to stay out of secular affairs with a few exceptions. Most manors designate a proportion of land and taxes for serfs to give to their local temple. This has led to an accumulation of wealth that the Temple hoards behind closed doors. Second and most important, the Temple regulates under what conditions a deal may be made for greater magical power. The Temple also constitutes the largest single patron of the arts, sharing musical and visual beauty with the masses.
Their holy symbol is a peony.
Autrian symbolism is primarily based on flowers and the insects that pollinate them. At the center of this is the peony and the temperate leafcutter ants that suckle nectar from the opening bulbs. This religious connection to flowers has proliferated into Iridian floriography, the Iridian language of flowers. It has also affected the motifs of Iridian art, which often features bees, ant, butterflies, among other insects as well as a broad range of floral motifs.
| Flower | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aster | Monasticism, Scholarly Pursuits, Learning |
| Azalea | Authority, Nobility, Honor |
| Camellia | Ruthlessness, Cruelty, Anger |
| Carnation | Cowardliness, Duplicity, Manipulativeness |
| Chrysanthemum | Wealth, Trade, Business Acumen |
| Forget-Me-Not | Truth, Honesty, Justice |
| Foxglove | Fear, Illusions, Madness |
| Gardenia | Rejection, Disdain |
| Goldenrod | Forgiveness, Absolution |
| Hyacinth | Innocence, Virginity, New Beginnings |
| Holly | Revenge, a Declaration of War |
| Iris | Trust, Alliance, Partnership |
| Lavender | Courage, Calm, Endurance |
| Lilac | Laziness, Indolence, Sloth |
| Lily | Moderation, Patience |
| Lily of the Valley | Grace, Humility, Beauty |
| Marigold | Excess, Imbalance, Gluttony, Greed |
| Morning Glory | Chastity, Doubles as the flower of Paramours |
| Mums | Tradition, Ecclesiasticism, Virtue |
| Pansy | Vapidness, Superficiality, Boring |
| Peony, Pink | Love, Marriage, Harmony |
| Peony, Red | Potential, Inner Strength, Resourcefulness |
| Peony, White | Intuition, Spirituality |
| Poppy | Warning, Imminent Danger, Vigilance |
| Poinsettia | Illegitimacy, Questionable Pedigree |
| Rhododendron | Magic, Spirits, Contracts |
| Rose, Red | Childhood, Playfulness, Innocent Love |
| Rose, White | Foolishness, Recklessness |
| Rose, Yellow | Surrender |
| Snapdragon | Willpower, Determination, Self-Control |
| Sunflower | Fortune, Luck, Chance, Gambling |
| Tansy | Masculinity, Virility, Physical Strength |
| Tulip | Fertility, Abundance, Femininity |
| Tulip Poplar | Hope, Faith, Renewel |
| Violet | Grief, Death, Loss |
| Waterlily | Infidelity, Disobedience, Promiscuity |
| Zinnia | Heresy, Blasphemy, Hatred |
Beauty of Autria
Beauty of Autria is a compilation of texts spanning several thousand years that serves as the canon text of the Temple. The text includes myths of the goddess herself, the chronicles of her prophets and champions, and hymns and poems dedicated to her. Though scholarship and internal discussions within the clergy agree unequivocally that the text has been edited and redacted over the centuries, that some sections claiming a single author likely were written hundreds of years apart, and that translation of the multiple languages comprising it introduce error, publicly the text is considered divinely inspired.
The inherent message is that love in all its forms is beauty. Love between spouses, love between parent and child, are love.
Love is beauty. Beauty is virtue.
This is the argument behind Iridian justice, that discipline is love, conflating it with disciplining a child.
Sex and Gender
- Iridian proverb
The common Iridian sentiment is that women are flowers and men are pollinating insects. This is so pervasive that 'honeybee' is shorthand for husband and 'petal' shorthand for wife. The Temple maintains a rigid gender binary and straying from it is heretical. It condemns adultery and queer relationships, these being punished by the state by tattooing. However, sex is considered a gift within the context of marriage and couples are free to engage in whatever acts they wish as long as it is between a husband and wife.
Tattoos and tattooing are heavily gendered and sexualized in Iridian society. Only women are tattooed and displaying a tattoo in public is akin to nudity. Upon coming of age, Iridian girls are tattooed on the inner thighs and lower abdomen. These designs are traditionally floral, representing a bouquet of desirable traits from Iridian floriography. Among the lowborn, these are black ink designs done by family members, usually a grandmother or other older female relative. The wealthy and nobility often pay for skilled artisans to create colorful designs.
Sex workers are tattooed with a waterlily on the right shoulder. This design is done by the Temple of Autria with special, color inks that carry additional taxes, passed onto the worker as a debt. The tattoo must be kept on via a shortened or rolled sleeve and any infection resulting from tattooing is left 'in the hands of the goddess.' The colloquial term for these workers is "waterlily women." Waterlily women are often banned from entering city limits without a waiver from a noble or their representative.
Intersex people, referred to as the beflowered, are seen as divinely appointed to serve the Temple and are placed in specialist magical roles such as mantises. This is certainly a way to reach a different social class as a peasant but is a catastrophe for a noble house. Still there is a degree of pity around the beflowered and they are seen as having made a sacrifice in this life to serve Autria. They are the only class to have any flexibility in gender expression.
Regulation of Magic
Humans in the world of Iridia are only capable of minor acts of magic. The nature of this, often called a divine spark or sliver, is heavily debated. Acts feasible for a human include illusions in the palm of the hand, weak wards, cleaning the face or small areas of cloth, or delivering a weak shock. Any human who wishes to transcend this limitation must make a deal with a spiritual entity. The power given is proportional to what the person offers.
While the gods themselves are unreachable since the calamity, Harbingers do appear. These spirits claim to be Autria's servants and are willing to grant power simply in an exchange for an oath of loyalty to the Temple. Though more tightly regulated, the Harbingers of other accepted divinities may legally grant power as well. These are found in the Practitioners Guild, an organization of secular mages who obey and resent the clergy's demands.
The secular magical organization of Iridia with smaller outfits in urban centers throughout the country, the Practioner's Guild is the gatekeeper to anyone wishing to practice magic who doesn't wish to enter the clergy. Membership and tuition fees are steep, although apprentices of exceptional intellect or talent may have these waived if the Guild sees fit.
Deals outside these constraints are considered heresy or sorcery and are legal grounds for execution. Such crimes are treated as matters of national security and all suspects are expedited to the capital. As Temple and Practitioners Guild membership requires a noble bloodline or sufficient wealth, prosecution is often aimed across class lines.