Karviel (cahr-ve-el)

History. The modern nation of Karveil was originally a kingdom ruled over by the Willowdusk line, who were at best tolerated and at worst despised by the general populace. That was until the demented king Davian took the throne. He began an age of conquest, war, and bloodshed known as the Days of Dread, that lasted until his great great grandson lost his throne. In this time, Davian began to plunder and raid the villages on the outskirts of his kingdom, slaughtering the town's local militia slowly and painfully, and striking the fear of god into the townsfolk. He would then give them an ultimatum, allow him to claim rulership over their lands, or have their homes razed to the ground, and have their people suffer the same fate as the crown's guard. (Flayed alive, drawn and quartered, thrown in makeshift oubliettes, etc..). Damien would then send spies to modify the memory, and dominate the minds of those who ruled these lands, so they would not answer the pleas for help from the populace of the villages. This continued for generations, years and years of crusades and pain, until octavian (the final heir to the willowdusk line) attempted to conquer the villages that rested within the jurisdiction of the house of Karvath. The house of Karvath was made mostly of paladin’s of Salutaris, who through faith of their deity, eventually broke out of the spells of the Willowdusk line, and realized what was going on. The house of Karvath, after rescuing their villages and territories began their own crusade, spreading the faith of Salutaris to the other puppet houses of house Willowdusk. One by one, every lord, lady, dutch, dutchess, and count were freed of the potent magics of the Willowdusk line, and with each house that the forces of Karvath freed, their might and numbers grew. Eventually, the house of Karvath was able to topple the Willowdusk line from power, and the nation of Karveil has been under the Rule of the High council, with the house of Karvath serving as the new monarchy, ever since.
Governmental System. The hierarchy of the government of Karveil begins with those at the top, the 4 commissar's. The commissar of war, The commissar of welfare, The commissar of order, and The commissar of relations. These four elected officials are responsible for the areas of government that their name implies (The Commissar of war oversees the nations armies and defense, The Commissar of Welfare is responsible for keeping the economy on the right track and ensuring that company's and business's are following regulations, The Commissar of Order serves as the highest judge in the nation and crafts the legal code, and the Commissar of Relations covers the diplomatic relationships between Karviel and the three other nations). They also serve as four of the six seats on the high council. One of the few others who serve on the high council is the Pontifex, who is the ambassador and leader of the church of Salutaris, who has held a very important position in the nation of Karveil since the inception of the Nation. The final member of the High Council is the current monarch of the house of Karvath.
Population. Karveil is a nation mostly populated by humans, but is no stranger to elves, orcs, dwarves, halflings, and about every other race of people one could envision. Most of the populace lives on the exact middle point between poverty and the middle class, with enough funds and assets to their name to keep a roof over their head and food on their table, but are able to do little else. The church of Salutaris holds a great deal of sway over the inhabitants of Karveil, as the people have seen the priests and clerics of the church preform impossible miracles time and again, thus those who are not loyal to the church are seen as devils ans heretics of the highest order, while those who actively worship gods other than Salutaris are actively lynched and seen as damned sinners that have strayed from the light to delve into the darkness and risk dragging the holy and the sacred into sin. Due to this followers of religions other than Salutaris face a great deal of adversity from the generally zeal-filled population.
Culture, Tradition, and Atmosphere. Karveil is visually inspired by the stylized and highly gothic era that was Victorian Europe, with a practical twist. As Malum is a world in which humanoids are beset and attacked on all sides, the populous is more concerned with staying alive and protecting themselves than with fashion, so most clothing has some kind of padded/studded leather incorporated with it, and the clothing is designed with mobility and survivability as the top priority. Architecture goes through a similar change, Most Buildings tote a half dozen locks on their doors, solid iron shutters to cover windows, hidden compartments to hide inside of, and boast an exterior that makes scaling the walls or simply breaking them down very difficult. Additionally, most ordinary civilians carry some form of simple weapons for self-defense purposes, this includes all children at the age of 12 and up, as how they would hurt themselves with a short sword is nothing compared to the harm a monster could inflict on a defenseless child.
Karveil is normally a bleak and sallow nation, with little more than a few dim rays of sunlight being able to pierce through the thick rolling blanket of grey storm clouds that choke the sky. It is a nation of verdant taigas and rocky plateaus, existing in a landlocked area of the continent of Malum, its a dry and drained land that offten goes through areas of extreme drought, and seems to be locked in a perpetual state of late autumn into early winter, being pleasently cool to devestatingly cold depending on the time of year. The majority of the nation is hid behind or very close to one of seven various cities within the nation.
The culture of Karviel is one endlessly intertwinned with faith and religion. The church of salutaris, otherwise known as the cult of the anathama, is the main influence for the culture of Karviel. The cult influences the attitudes of the populous, buy spouting their religious beleifs and prosecuting groups, those being all non-humanoids. This along with other dogma has created a deeply ingraned faith and zeal within the hearts and minds of the population of Karviel, especially those who live within the cities that they dominate.

Type

Geopolitical, Country