Bastollo
The southernmost of Patriam's Five Nations. Second only to the Empire of Lights in its size, Bastollo is a land of living dreams and waking nightmares.
Structure
Geographically, Bastollo is broken down into 40 individual provinces. Every 5 years, the constituency of each province elects a single representative known as a 'campagnard', who advocates for the interests of their province in the Gamelhouse. Together, they make laws and allot resources to different endeavors deemed to fall within the realm of Bastollo's national interest.
The campagnards are pulled in opposing directions by a variety of opposing factor, and oftentimes these directions lead them into one of two opposing camps, otherwise known as 'caucuses.' These are the Elder Caucus and the Sable Caucus, and in many instances throughout the country's history the two have been dramatically opposed across various social and economic spectra. There are several more caucuses, but these are too small to stand alone, and so they often fall under the umbrella of whichever large caucus best represents their interests.
In an election held amongst the forty delegates, one is nominated as the Grand Campagnard. This person is the highest-ranking elected official in Bastollo, heading proceedings of the Gamel and acting as the nation's official representative on the world stage.
There are several other important organizations in Bastollo, most notably the religion of Volorisma. This broad religion survived the death of the old empire, and persists to this very day. There are several sects of Volorisma.
Culture
Many aspects of contemporary Bastollan culture are informed by the implicit dichotomy between freedom and bondage.
This dichotomy expresses itself in many different ways, such as a broader opposition to many practices of the old empire. These practices - enchantment, ear-clipping, and slavery, among others - are thought of as abhorrent and vile stains upon the nation's history.
There are also broad cultural convictions of socio-economic parity and the separation of church and state, though these are much more demographically skewed towards the human and gnomish demographics.
However, these cultural inclinations towards liberty are counterbalanced with more conservative inclinations, largely conditioned via institutions of elvish cultural doctrine. This is most apparent in the realm of Lomb, a spiritual reality whose existence is unconcerned with the personal spirituality of one's individual consciousness. This dreamscape, along with other cultural influences, define a myriad of strange customs and beliefs that are commonplace in Bastollo.
History
Religious doctrine groups history into Ellypses, an enormous portion of time. Each Ellypse is divided into 3 smaller sections known as Periods. Like many things in Bastollo, these periods are placed according to a grand parabolic arc - ascending, cresting, and descending in that order).
The First Ellypse lasted 500 years, roughly overlapping with the Age of Rebirth in the broader Patriam timeline. According to doctrine, this period began marked the beginning of creation, when Lombra dreamt the world into existence. Unless it concerns specific events like the Nine Days of the Parable, knowledge of this time period is quite hazy in the public consciousness, with a referential body more composed of esoteric religious verse, ancient myth, and timeless fairy tales rather than any kind of historical survey. This makes it very difficult to identify how much fact is to be found within the fable. This haziness makes it easier for the Church of Lombra and similar groups to moralize about such ancient historical events, and it is thus quite beneficial to their interests to keep things this way. The First Ellypse ended when the Lombraides reached the Sabelseide mountain range.
The Second Ellypse began with the Elves' first Crossing of the Lingua la Lafaman, which marked a point of no return. The burgeoning Elvish Empire would grow into a continental superpower over the course of the Second Ellypse, overthrowing ancient superpowers such as Old Rhasland and coming to rule over all lands south of the Lombraides with an iron fist.
The Third Ellypse began with the Elvish Empire's largest colonial acquisition, when they conquered the Catavarran Desert. But its downfall began with the loss of that territory in the Great Catavarran War, otherwise known as the Great Mistake. Such a devastating loss led to a large influx of refugees and dead soldiers to bury, both conditions which contributed massively to an outbreak of Tomb Rot that swept the nation. The disproportionate death rate of human slaves added the fuel of emancipation to the fires of anti-monarchy sentiment which had been blazing since the end of the War, and the resulting fever-pitch boiled over into the Bastollan Civil War shortly afterward.
This marked the creation of Bastollo as it is known today - a nation reborn amidst the ashes of empire.
Demography and Population
Humans: Though they are far and away the largest population in Bastollo, humans make up the bulk of the lower classes, and are kept from the rungs of power in just about every possible way. Not too long ago, the systemic barrier for humans was even deeper. They are found in large numbers all across Bastollo.
Elves: Demographically speaking, full-blooded elves are the second-smallest population in Bastollo, a reality obscured by their general position at the highest echelons of Bastollo’s power structures. They make up a larger segment of the population in the grove provinces (with the exception of Fe Loudon), where they have the most ancestral and spiritual roots, and many are gainfully employed for work in the surrounding forest.
Half-Elves: They occupy a very curious role within society. While their elvish heritage makes them more valuable in the eyes of the institution, their human heritage has historically been used to keep them perpetually one step down from fully-elvish relatives. They make up the second-largest demographic in Bastollo, and are found in basically the same areas as humans.
Gnomes: While they are the smallest demographic in Bastollo, Gnomes form tightly knit communities in the places where they choose to settle. They are more often seen in far eastern Bastollo, keeping them closer to their ancestral homesteads within the Sabelseide mountain range.
Territories
The Federal Republic of Bastollo encompasses all lands west of the Sabelseides range running to the Western Maw. Its northern border is defined by the end of the Great Central Desert, which was taken from Bastollo by the Empire of Lights in an old war between the two nations which ended decidedly in the Empire's favour.
Technological Level
The development of Bastollo is remains rapid, yet incredibly disparate among its many provinces, with some industrial centers which coastal metropoles of the NVR to the east dotted across the vast plains that carry the songs of spirits and the roars of beasts along their winds.
Religion
Bastollo is the historical center of Omb, a spiritual tradition which has been traced all the way back to the Age of Rebirth, making it the oldest-known religious belief in Patriam. Omb is a foundational aspect of Elvish belief, which goes on to inform the belief of all Bastollids, is centered around the worship of Lombra, an towering goddess-tree within the enchanted Lombraides.
Agriculture & Industry
Bastollo maintains its relevancy in the modern world through its status as an agricultural superpower. Blessed with long summers and fleeting, rainy winters, inside a climate that could almost be described as tropical (especially in areas closer to the south), nearly every fruit, vegetable, herb, and grain in the known purview of wider horticulture can be found growing somewhere in Bastollo. And due to the strict vegetarianism mandated by the majority religion, more animals are sent out of Bastollo than consumed within it, creating an incredibly profitable (though highly-localized) industry that bolsters the agricultural powerhouse all the more.
Trade & Transport
Several well established trade routes winding through the country that transport goods to their northern and eastern neighbours. Several train lines and container ships connect Bastollo with the New Voltaic Republic, an ancestral trading partner. Several key trading lines tracing through the Lombraides are protected by a dedicated branch of Bastollo's military service, and are warded against much of the powerful dream magic hanging over the rest of the forest.
This fairly complex web of transport stands in stark contrast to the few official roads and waterways bridging the gap between Zarayadin and Bastollo. Nearly the entire western border is closely monitored by the military, who maintain many border patrols, outposts, and toll crossings within the region.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of this nation was built on the backs of mass human labour. Enormous mills, refineries, water pumps, etc. that would be powered by large teams of humans working day in and day out with little time spared for breaks. The infrastructure of the kingdom has slowly been growing out of these practices in the days since Emancipation, with more automated technologies from the Voltaic Republic gradually being imported into the nation's industrial centers. However, many of the abandoned mills and plants have been left standing, as unspoken, crumbling monuments to Bastollo’s oppressive history.
Cosmological Views
The Parable is the central creation myth of Lomb. It describes the Nine Days of Creation and the ensuing Night of All Nightmares, when an evil being born of a single Dreamer's Profanity introduced death to the world, killing Lombra and almost sending the world into unending darkness. It was only thanks to the intervention of the Great Serpent that all creation was saved in Lombra's three eyes, and kept hidden from the darkness outside within an eternal Enchorn.
Then, two children of Lombra were born, and were curious to see the outside world. They broke the Enchord, and in doing so irrevocably brought mortality back into the world. It is here that the seeds of modern creation were laid, in the ethereal Lombraides that bridge the gaps of Divinity. However, As the Enchorn grew closer to death with every passing day, the Night grew in power once again, threatening to consume the entire forest.
But with the last of its strength, the Enchorn sired a child with a mortal woman. This child went on to drive back the Night and bathe the world in light once more.
Ethics
Consuming the flesh of any animal is forbidden.
Priesthood
The ecclesiastical authority of Bastollo is headed by a single scholar known as the Grand Vector, with additional legislative authority and leadership responsibilities being disseminated through a small council of high priests. All members of this governing body are quite important, but it is the Grand Vector's duty to remain in constant contact with Lombra and act for the church as her voice, meaning that they are held in particularly regard. The position of Grand Vector is not based on inheritance, and is instead determined through a joint decision of the head Vector with their council. When members of the council expire, it falls to the Grand Vector to choose their replacements, effectively creating a structural ouroboros.
Founding Date
3930
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
The Federal Republic for a Free Bastollo
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Bastollid
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Government System
Democracy, Parliamentary
Power Structure
Federation
Economic System
Mixed economy
Major Exports
Any and all foodstuffs, and building materials lumber, including that used in the construction of magic wands. Also natural minerals and fossil fuels.
Major Imports
Glass from the Catavarran Desert.
Legislative Body
The Gamel
Deities
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Comments