Cieclya

Cieclya is a country in the North-Eastern portion of the continent. It shares land borders with the countries of Sevealia to the south and Kairann to the west. All it's land borders are defined by the Mountains of Dawn. The ocean borders along the northern and eastern sides of the country, making up approximately 50% of the countries borders. The country comprises the entirety of the Cieclyan forest, and the rivers which flow through it.

Politics
Cieclya is ruled by an Emperor and Empress who live in the Capitol. The Emperor is attended by 49 ministers, 7 from each of the 7 noble families that manage the districts of Cieclya. The Emperor dictates the laws of the nation, and oversees the matters of warfare. The 49 ministers serve to advise the Emperor, and bring him the relevant information that he needs. Much of the Emperors job is to pass edicts to the districts to balance out the resources, and react to unexpected disasters or events. For the largest part, the laws of the land remain static, holding to the traditional laws of Cieclya.

The Empress serves as a final adviser to the Emperor. An Empress never inherits her position, and is generally chosen as an outstanding example of the ideal woman, being both beautiful and studious. She keeps the archives of the realm, recording the events and decisions of her Emperor's reign. The Empress is also the sole possessor of the secrets of the realm, and as such her advice is heeded with the utmost respect due to her vast wealth of knowledge.

Each individual district emulates a similar system of rulership to that of the Emperor, with a single head of house surrounded by 7 ministers. These ministers serve a far more hands on and practical purpose in the ruling of the realm, overseeing the immediate area, and serving as the rulers of the cities of each district. They are expected to handle the maintenance of their charge, as well as the Imperial taxation. The ruler of each district is rarely concerned with the immediate governance, and focuses on managing the family, and it's interests in Imperial Court, as well as dealing with relations to the surrounding families and political bodies.

Law
Cieclya has a legal system divided into tiers of crimes. The most serious crimes warrant death, performed by a murderer who has been given a stay of execution in exchange for his services. Following from there punishments range from imprisonment and floggings down to fines and warnings.

The following crimes are punished by death:

-Murder

-Excessive Assault

-Rape

-Torture

The following crimes are punished with extended prison time and flogging:

-Grand Theft

-Assault

-Kidnapping

-Smuggling(Highly illicit goods)

-Misuse of magical powers causing harm

The following crimes are punished by prison time alone:

-Fraud

-Theft

-Disobeying instructions given by guards

-Smuggling(Minor goods)

-Possession of illegal goods

-Misuse of magical powers for profit.

The following crimes are punished with a fine:

-Misuse of magical powers for mischief

-Trespassing

-Unsocial Behavior

The law is enforced by guards provided by the ruling class in any given city. Judges oversee the police, and act as an investigator into crimes. During the course of an investigation a judge is allowed to enter any premises and confiscate anything as evidence, however all actions must be explained to the High Judge of the city with a letter, to be dispatched at the time of the action, to hold the Judge accountable. Damage done to a premises in the course of an investigation that does not belong to an offender is repaid by the city, and all evidence that is not used is returned to it's owner.

A criminal caught is questioned by a trio of Judges, one acting as the interrogator, and the other two overseeing him to keep the questioning on topic. Suspects are questioned within a zone of truth, and are magically compelled to answer all questions asked of them. Should someone questioned under a zone of truth be innocent, they are re-reimbursed for the troubles caused, as such Judges are typically very careful in making accusations about crimes. Some particularly wealthy cities however are home to very liberal Judges, who happily round up a number of suspects and question them all.

Gender Roles
The primary division in Cieclyan society is that of gender. Family is highly valued in Cieclyan culture, and for that reason gender roles are firmly rooted in the society, pushing families to operate as a unit, as opposed to a group of individuals. Status is the second division in Cieclyan society. While the customs central to the society are constant, each class and profession has it's own customs, and as such two individuals from different classes may find conversation awkward, as they are uncertain of the customs or sayings of the other.

Cieclyan men are considered to be the lord of their house. They are expected to provide for a family, an independent house, food, clothes, and any other needs. Physical labour, military service, and defending the family are all the realms of men. In theory men are expected to maintain the house as well, however in practice that duty is split between the family, as women often have more spare time. Young boys are usually delegated the simplest of these tasks as they grow old enough.

Cieclyan women, by contrast, are considered the keepers of knowledge. They are expected to be well-read, and well educated, so they may provide relevant advice and insight to the men of their family. The broad definition of knowledge leads to women's expertise ranging wildly, from largely academic pursuits, such as history or law, to more practical expertise, like cooking particularly complicated meals, or weaving intricate patterns, to the knowledge of a fighting style. Young girls are taught the essentials of that all women are expected to know at schools that are publicly available. When they are not in school the women of the family teach them the knowledge that the family has obtained thus far.

Marriage
Marriage is a two-fold custom in Cieclya. Due to the necessity of families operating as a unit, marriage cannot happen unless the couple is in love. However, marriage is also a union between two other families, the combining of the assets of one family with the knowledge of another,and for that reason both families need to find the arrangement beneficial. All children are raised on the ideal of family, and love is taught as a bond that grows over time. As such many marriages are built without love present, and instead an understanding that the couple merely finds each other pleasant at this stage. Following marriage the couple retreats from the world for a season, experiencing only the company of each other. During this time they learn about each other.

Social Classes
Status in Cieclya is a very complex system, however it can be simplified down into three classes. The highest class is the ruling class. It comprises the Emperor and his family, and the seven noble families. This includes all relatives of the noble families, and each family spans at the very least 100 people, and often 200 or even 300 people. Some of these people serve as ministers, or administrators in small communities, but the vast majority serve as the families military leaders, training as combatants and leaders of small bands of trained soldiers.

The second class is made up of the landowners who supply the nation with it's raw materials. Land owners hold territories outside of the major cities, where they run a farm, logging business, mine, or some other business focused around the production of raw materials. All land owners live and work on their land, and are often experts in their profession. Highly successful landowners are often able to marry their children into the ruling class, to one of the branches off from the main family, or one of the later children, such as the fourth, or even fifth born. By contrast, mediocre landowners will often marry down to a laborer who is skilled in the business that is being run.

The third and lowest class is the laborers. Laborers are themselves broken into two categories, those who work for landowners, and those who work in the city. Typically working for landowners is considered a less favorable situation, however a skilled laborer who works for a landowner has a much more likely chance of marrying up on the social ladder. Laborers who work in cities meanwhile typically run their own businesses, and work either providing a service, such as a tavern, or producing processed goods, such as blacksmithing. These laborers are often almost indistinguishable from landowners in terms of wealth and relative influence, however are set apart by the inability to purchase land in towns leaving them a little less stable. Marriage amongst labourers is one of the least calculated of all unions, and is generally dictated by love. Even so, marriage between labourers with vastly different skill sets is rare.

Demographics
Cieclya is made up primarily of humans, but has a not insignificant amount of Kehrno and Great Animals. While Great Animals blend into society without any question, and have a small presence in the nobility, Kehrno have caused some issues. In the Moon-Setting(southern) regions a noble family is comprised entirely of Kehrno. The Kehrno are largely focused around the two Moon-Setting districts. This has caused some tension, as marriage between this family and other families is not a viable option for continuing the line. In other classes marriage between Kehrno and humans, or Great Animals, is not unheard of, though is often frowned upon. It is assumed that most such unions are made exclusively for the benefits to the families, and while this is the case for some, inter-racial love is not completely unknown, despite it's somewhat frowned upon nature.

Religion
Prior to the revelation of the Soul Beacon Cieclya revered it's rivers religiously, praying to the spirits of the river. Since the revelation this reverence has not completely disappeared, but the rivers are no longer seen as gods. In accordance with the revelation, the Hall of the Dead has been established in the capitol for the Ruling Class. The Hall of the Dead serves as a method by which old practices of assassination, and warfare may be continued without defying the laws of murder. When a noble loses in war, a duel, or has an attempt made on his life that would have been successful, he if forced into the Hall of the Dead. The Hall of the Dead serves as a place for people who would have been killed to live out their lives in peace, unable to participate in the dealings of the world.

Each district has it's own unique church which teaches the edicts of Heaven, as well as teaching about the patron river of it's district. Attending church is a bi-seasonal event for most citizens, attending at the beginning and middle of each season. Festivals are held on both occasions during which respects are paid to the river for the life it has given them. Despite the Revelation and the decline in the reverence of the rivers, the Pool of Life is still considered a very holy site, and many people go on a pilgrimage to see it. As a mercy, the Hall of the Dead was built above the Pool of Life, so that the residents may see it every day.

Economy
Cieclya's coin of choice is the Wooden River. Unlike every other coin in circulation, Cieclya's coins are not made of metal, but instead the wood of their ironbark trees. The ironbark tree is just as tough as iron however, and so it makes for a durable coin. The River's value has been stabilized by the Werissan Bank, and as such has a perfect exchange rate of 100 River's to one Gold Plain.

The primary industry in Cieclya is the wood industry. Raw wood, as well as furniture and wooden goods are a very common export from Cieclya. Following that, silk and herbs unique to the rivers are the second highest exports. The mining in Cieclya is rather poor, and as such metals are a very common import. Blacksmithing within Cieclya is very well refined due to the requirements of working with the largely inferior native metals. As such metal end products are rarely imported. Food imports are relatively the same as all others, with meats of native animals being exported, as well as the most common fruits and vegetables in the region, and missing food products being imported from the surrounding regions.

Organisation
The military forces of Cieclya are organized and employed by each district individually. The military assets of each district are divided into two separate divisions. The largest division is the Garrison Forces. Garrison Forces comprise the guards of all the local assets in the area. They guard the cities, villages and forts of each district from outside invaders. These are forces are competent warriors, but largely basic troops, relying on quantity over quality. For this reason the average district employs approximately 5000 members of the Garrison Forces, with at least 10% of those located in the regional capital. The largest Garrison Forces are employed by the Imperial District, numbering 12,000 members.

The second division employed by each district are the Assault Forces. Assault Forces are comprised of teams numbering between 4 and 16 members. Every member of the Assault Forces are highly trained specialists, functioning in a similar capacity to an adventuring party. The average district employs around 100 members of the Assault Forces, with the largest force being employed by the Imperial District, numbering 500 members. During wars between districts Assault Forces travel in numbers between 30 to 100 members to launch attacks on rivals cities and villages, as well as for meeting in the field in battle.