Oristhane (or-ISS-thayn)
Aotra's largest nation is the equatorial state of Oristhane: a sprawling country that, despite its vast geographical area, has for centuries stood as one of the most unified nations of the Circle of Nine. Its unity comes from the unique and quickly-growing faith that sprung up from the wilds of Oristhane and has since swept through towns, villages, and cities, dazzling those caught up in it. The Cult of Istha, as the faith is widely known, is the beating heart of the nation of Oristhane. The country's theocratic government is bound up in the faith, and followers of Istha outnumber worshipers of other faiths nearly tenfold, a fact that makes this nation unique among the nations of the Co9.
Though its uniquely devoted populace is, on the whole, a very good thing for the nation of Oristhane, its status as a religious outsider amongst the predominantly-Dichotomist nations of the Co9 puts stress upon its diplomatic relationships. With the faith at its heart considered a threat to the hegemony of Dichotomism, few Co9 leaders are inclined to sympathize with Oristhane.
Structure
The nation's premier authority is the High Priestess of Oristhane, a title currently held by the young but already beloved monarch: Her Radiance Marini of Khara. The High Priestess is a spiritual leader, as much the acting head of the Cult of Istha as she is the ruler of Oristhane. On an international scale, she serves as the representative of Oristhane in matters of the Co9.
As a theocracy and center of the Cult's authority, Oristhane's government is sometimes difficult to separate from the hierarchy of the faith, but there are meaningful distinctions between the two. Oristhane's actual government is structured quite loosely. A network of free cities and their surrounding territories make up the nation, largely a practical matter given how few and far between tracts of habitable land are. These free cities are left to self-govern, though each local government is overseen by a Knight-Priestess, a spiritual leader vested with political power by the High Priestess. Historically, the Knight Priestesses interfere little with the affairs of the local governments, though they do possess the authority to do so.
The governments of each free city can take wildly different forms. Some, for instance, are territories that used to be monarchies of their own. Eschen is one such free city: its hereditary ruler no longer takes the title of King or Queen in deference to the High Priestess' authority, but instead reigns as Prince or Princess of Eschen. Other free cities, like Khara, are extant duchies of long-dead empires, whose rulers still bear the title of Duke or Duchess. And then there are those with political systems all their own, like the free city of Rapture's publicly-elected Lord, or Vault's Venerable Council of Elders.
History
At the time of the formation of the Circle of Nine, the territory now known as Oristhane was founded under the name of Lischia. That name was chosen based on the largest ethnic group in the area, the Lischin humans, who remain the most populous ethnicity in Oristhane. Over the next three hundred years, the brand-new Cult of Istha spread through more and more of the nation, expanding outwards at an exponential rate until it counted the vast majority of Lischians as followers. In 290 YC, Artasa Noringen, the Minister of Lischia at the time, abdicated his role as Minister, ceding authority to High Priestess Ebrini of Khara. Two years later, Lischia was officially renamed Oristhane, a name literally translated as "the crown of Istha".
Demography and Population
Despite being one of the largest nations in terms of land area, Oristhane's population of fourteen million (as of 710 YC) means it is relatively small compared to other the Co9 nations. Of course, that number is pre-Severing, so the population is smaller now, though because Oristhane has fewer massive urban centers, it is likely that Oristhane's population suffered less from the Severing than several other nations.
In regards to race, Oristhane has a very high concentration of elves compared to the general population of Aotra: nearly 25% of Oristhane's population are elves, and some estimate that at least 45% of Oristhanians have at least one grandparent of elvish descent. The majority of Oristhane's elves are dark elves, as dark elves thrive in the equatorial deserts that make up so much of Oristhane. Wood elves are relatively uncommon. Of the remaining three-quarters of the population, most are human. Roughly 10% of Oristhane's population are of orcish descent.
Some data suggests that Oristhane has an unusually high population of certain varieties of Otherborn: Oristhanian censuses do show that fire genasi and tieflings are significantly more common in Oristhane than in many other nations. However, some scholars debate whether this is actually true, or whether the population figures are artificially high due to the increased acceptance that Otherborn with an affinity for fire often find among members of the Cult of Istha. It simply may be the case that Oristhane's Otherborn population (at least, its population of tieflings and fire genasi) are less likely to live on the fringes of society, and thus more likely to be counted by a census.
In regards to ethnicity, Oristhane's human population is relatively homogenous: the Lischin ethnicity for which the nation was originally named remains the most common. However, because of the isolated nature of many of Oristhane's free cities, each city's people tend to have significant cultural differences from those of other cities, even though they may share an ethnicity. The Rozhov ethnicity of humans make up the largest minority; many Rozhov are a part of communities that hold on to Dichotomist faith.
Axatla dark elves are the most populous ethnicity of elves, though a minority of Elasi dark elves exist as nomadic clans in rural Oristhane. Three main ethnicities of orcs are all near-equally common: Jasar'at orcs are most populous in the northeast, as are Djarka orcs in the south, while Ulish orcs have large communities in the Ulisian Desert of the west.
Over the past several centuries, a sort of pseudo-ethnicity of elves and orcs has emerged within Oristhane that seems to transcend boundaries of traditional ethnic groups. This group, referred to as the Sunblessed people, are marked by a resistance to Oristhane's brutal heat, but more importantly, they are differentiated by the incredibly high number of Firewalkers born among them (nearly one in three). Many Sunblessed consider themselves to have a sacred gift passed down through their family line. Because of their manifestation of holy power and their shared hardiness to the desert heat, most Sunblessed see themselves as more alike other Sunblessed regardless of race than non-Sunblessed people with whom they might historically share an ethnicity.
PLAYING A SUNBLESSED CHARACTER As a Sunblessed elf, the following features serve as a subrace for you:
Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Desert Born. You have resistance to fire damage. You are also acclimated to extreme heat, and your daily need for drinking water does not increase when adventuring in a hot environment.
Gift of the Fire Goddess. You know one of the following cantrips: dancing lights, light, or thaumaturgy. You also know the cantrip fire bolt, and you can add your spellcasting ability modifier to the damage it deals on a hit. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Vivacious. Whenever you spend hit dice to heal yourself, you regain one additional hit point with each hit die you spend.
As a Sunblessed orc, the following features serve as a variant which replaces your racial features.
Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and a different ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Desert Born. You have resistance to fire damage. You are also acclimated to extreme heat, and your daily need for drinking water does not increase when adventuring in a hot environment.
Gift of the Fire Goddess. You know one of the following cantrips: dancing lights, light, or thaumaturgy. You also know the cantrip fire bolt, and you can add your spellcasting ability modifier to the damage it deals on a hit. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Vivacious. Whenever you spend hit dice to heal yourself, you regain one additional hit point with each hit die you spend.
The Crown of Istha
Maps
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Oristhane
Oristhane is a vast nation sprawling across Aotra's equatorial deserts. The birthplace and spiritual center of the Cult of Istha, Oristhane is a nation that has spent centuries at odds with the predominantly-Dichotomist Circle of Nine.
Founding Date
292 YC; founded as Lischia in 1 YC.
Type
Geopolitical, Theocracy
Capital
Alternative Names
Lischia (formerly)
Demonym
Oristhanians
Leader
Leader Title
Head of Government
Government System
Theocracy
Official State Religion
Related Ranks & Titles
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Items
Notable Members
Strong alliance
Strong alliance
Neither Oristhane nor Lar Aslaki are the other's most significant ally, but the bond between the two nations is meaningful nonetheless. Lar Aslaki's willingness to use its political clout to defend Oristhane's government is one of the driving forces behind the ongoing legitimacy of the Oristhanian government. In return, Oristhane pours money into the economy of Lar Aslaki; the two nations trade extensively with one another.
Ambiguously allied
Oristhane's willingness to back Ceryx in Circle of Nine issues stems largely from Oristhane's alliance with Lar Aslaki; as long as Lar Aslaki continues to be tightly allied with Ceryx and supportive of Oristhane, the Oristhanian government does its best to maintain a relationship with Ceryx. As the Ceryssian government has developed a stronger and stronger Dichotomist bent over the last few decades, though, its antagonism towards Oristhane has grown.
Neutral
Though Norsivar officially rejects Oristhane's right to be a non-Dichotomist state, neither nation considers the other to be a threat. Their international relations are defined by cool non-interaction.
Unfriendly but non-aggressive
Tense but non-combatant
The border between Solisvar and Oristhane is a fraught one. Solisvar resents the flow of Oristhanian Faithful across the border, and Oristhane resents what it sees as Solisvaran military posturing from next door.
Tense but non-combatant
Tense but non-combatant
While the rise of the Cult of Istha in Oristhane—and, even more so, its gradual spread beyond the nation's borders—has been a detriment to most of Oristhane's diplomatic relationships, there are few relationships among the Circle of Nine more strained than that between Oristhane and the neighboring Federation of Vay. The Federation is one of the loudest voices in opposition to Oristhane, and Oristhane largely regards the Federation as little more than a conglomerate of power-hungry lunatics.
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