Attenveil

Demographics

It is said, that in the Province of Attenveil time has been mastered. Contained and controlled by historians and pioneers. Dictated by those who both guide the future and record the past. Those who venerate the virtues of a sharp mind and a pious soul. A land where the lines between belief and fact have been scrubbed away. The home of faith and discovery.

Comprising the majority of the Atten Isle, the Province of Attenveil is located to the west of the Greater Empire. Separated from the mainland by the Alto's Tear, a vast waterway stretching from the capital of Tolvira in the north to the coastal Haldon Fort in the south. Yet despite this divide from the rest of the continent, The Province of Attenveil is central to the modern world of the Empire. In the age of progress kickstarted by the discovery of Thermal Stones, it wouldn't be a stretch to say the mind's of Attenveil lead the way. As the birthplace of the Shoffen Engine, and the region most responsible for pushing the limits of what once believed impossible, Attenveil, and Attenveil's prosperity are vitally important to the long term growth of the Empire.

Yet just as they are known scientific pioneers, Attenveil has been firmly established as the religious capital of Byronsworth. Home to the Five Great Temples, and it's Arch Adjudicators. Tasked with recording religious texts and documenting history, the Praeten Ministry represents the second half of Attenveil. While Praeto is a relatively young belief when compared to its contemporaries, its growth has quickly propelled it into the most widely held religion in the Empire. Yet more than just accept Praeto, House Mynier and the culture of Attenveil embraced it, with theocracy working its way into the Provincial governance. Resulting in both the Grand Praeten Judges of high courts and the Praeten Magistrates of the civil courts and disputes. These orders required to keep the often relentless and inhuman pace of progress in check. Yet despite the implicit decree of Praeten officials to prevent unethical research, these two sects of Atteveil are rarely in direct conflict with each other. With them sharing a far more symbiotic relationship, as Praeten Technicians submit themselves to the regulations of the church in exchange for its funding and legal protection.

Yet, while the Province has a clear prioritization of the scientific community. This does little to affect the occupations of the general populace. The greatest impact that most feel caused by their proximity to Byronsworth technological hub is the often volatile dispersal of experimental or cutting edge technology amongst the population. While licenses are technically required when it comes to the public operation of unregulated Thermal devices, those who possess the funds required to acquire this technology rarely have a hard time finding ways to use them. As such, an attitude of one-up-manship is commonplace within high-class social circles, where affluent individuals attempt to boost their perceived power by flaunting their connections and wealth by bringing out never before seen devices. While this mostly amounts to little more than harmless posturing, the frequent use of volatile technology has led to countless accidents, ranging in severity. With high profile cases often forcing the Praeten Magistry to at least make a show of cracking down on this unauthorized use of Thermal devices.

Thus while the average citizen has long grown accustomed to the sound of revving Shoffen Engines, and flashes of overloaded Thermal Stones detonating. The strange technological future of Attenveil can often cause travelers and those partaking in religious pilgrimage to feel as if they're stepping into another world altogether.

Government

Beginning at the top, the Province Lord and ruling house of the isle of Attenveil has shifted throughout the ages. However, the position is currently resided by that of House Myneir. With the head of the house, Garm vus'Myneir appointed directly after the voluntary resignation of House Atlow. While the constant state of flux and political turmoil can make no reign truly stable, the recent and explosive boom of Attenveil's economy caused by the national interest in Thermal Stones has kept discontent low. Ensuring that so long Myneir does little to disrupt the Province's upwards trend, their place as the ruling house is likely to go uncontested for the foreseeable future. A future that seems quite likely, given that House Myneir has been shown to be a comparatively weak house when it comes to their rule. Doing very little to directly upset the balance of the Province, and instead shifting more power into the hands of the church. An organization generally well trusted by both the common folk and aristocracy. It is through the heavy incorporation of theocracy, that Myneir has traded power over the region for stability. While this has proven effective, the presence of religious beliefs within the government has begun to slowly blur the lines between Praeten values and law.

This blurring is at it's most severe within the two primary branches of legal prosecution, The Grade Judges and Magistrate.

The Grand Praeten Judges, tasked with trying both the Province's and in some cases the Kingdom's, highest-profile cases. Suc as acts of high treason and conspiracy, acts of terrorism, or other cases that rise to the national level. In some ways, they've been granted legal powers superseding even the nobility of the Provincial Lords, with only the divine right of the crown capable of unturning their decrees. The Grand Judges hold enough power that, while other provinces may not share the same tight union of church and state as Attenveil, few would dare contest their verdict. To face even ex-communication or exile by the Grand Judges is an effective banishment from all the Empire's lands. As the consequences would be dire for any found offering sanctuary to the heretical.

The Judges themselves are typically well-established priests or in some cases ex-Adjudicators or Magisters who grew too old to keep up with their tasks. Regardless, while not the highest level one can reach within the greater organized Praeten religion, the Judges are well respected by the order with public opinion generally following suit.

While a far cry from the venerated position of the Judges, in many ways the Praeten Magistrate is far more important to the safety and regulation Attenveil than the Grand Judges could ever be. Established after it soon became apparent that the Judges were becoming overwhelmed by not only the sheer amount of civil disputes flooding in but the growing desire for those outside the province to get the Grand Judges to hear their case. So while the Judges turned their attention towards these external cases, choosing to only take cases deemed important enough to warrant their verdict and laying the rest at the feet of a smaller branch of the faith-centered around internal affairs. This branch would eventually grow to become the Magistrate, the face of law enforcement within Attenveil.

Originally proposed to simply reside and rule civil legal disputes or criminal activity within the province. The process of coordinating with various, largely isolated, guard garrisons in each city when it came to issuing arrests or summoning witnesses drastically slowed the rate in which the Magistrate could operate. It became readily apparent that if the Magistrate was to handle legal proceedings on a provincial level, they would need a force capable of enforcing their will. And it was from this decision that the Magistrate began to evolve. Taking that enforcement into their own hands, with individual Magisters tasked with not only trying suspects but physically apprehending them. A single Magister was a court unto themselves, at times assessing evidence and rendering verdicts within moments of locating the suspects. It was during this shift that in order to better facilitate the new direction of the Magistrate, even churches were altered to simultaneously serve as precinct as the line between Father and Officer began to disappear.

Assets

Within the modern era, the impact of Attenveil's research and continual advancements within the field of Thermal Engineering cannot be understated. While individual actors from other provinces might often make substantial discoveries or make significant improvements upon existing technology and some extra-provincial companies have managed to accel in the mass-market manufacturing of civilian products, no other entity has been able to match Attenveil when it comes to sheer innovation. An extremely profitable reputation, especially given how rapidly the industry is expanding. With new properties and possible applications of Thermal Energy seemingly published every week.

While most of the mining of raw Stones are handled elsewhere, the bulk of treatment and refinement takes place within Attenveil itself. At which point they either ship these Stones out to manufacturers or distributors in bulk or send them to Colleges within the province. While the process of refinement had been replicated outside of Attenveil by various smaller parties, there has always been a distinct difference in purity between Attenveil Stones and the replicates. A difference many assume to be caused by slight differences in the exact method of refinement, differences that Attenveil seems to be in no hurry to reveal.

Despite this effective monopoly on premium Stones, whatever process used by the Attenveil production facilities seems efficient enough for them to sell at a price that while hefty is generally deemed fair. Especially when compared with how much it would cost to attempt to recreate their process. If anything the price has occasionally been theorized to be too low, causing some to wonder if the Atten refinement companies are intentionally cutting into their profit margins in order to allow for the creation of low priced Thermal Machines that would expand their customer base.

There are several reasons for Attenveil's dominance within the field of Thermal Engineering. With the frequent donation of high-quality Thermal Stones to Atten Colleges ranking among the highest. Yet even greater still, is Attenveil's arguably greatest asset. The Grand Index.

Commonly agreed to be the largest collection of both literature and scientific findings in the modern world, the Grand Index would technically be defined as a library. Yet all who have walked it's seemingly endless halls and gazed upon its towering walls of books can attest to the disservice such a definition is. Initially founded as the Revier College before even the Empire, the Grand Index has survived the test of time. Even dismantling as a College and focusing their efforts on the preservation of knowledge in accordance with the ideals of The Scholastic Pact. Eventually becoming the heart of Attenveil's capital city of Revierholt, a town first built and inhabited by the massive staff required to maintain and document all activity within the Index. Yet just as the amount of material in the Index grew, so did the city surrounding it as those eager to gain access to the Index's knowledge took temporary or sometimes permanent residence. To have a single study or book within the Index is a permanent mark one leaves upon the world, yet many aim for much higher. To leave behind enough work that sections of the Index are reserved for them, to stand among the greatest minds Attenveil has ever produced.

Alongside the Grand Index, and built directly into the corners of the massive structure are the Five Great Halls. Large temples built in dedication to one of the five Praeten Gods, and led by the appointed Arch Adjudicator to serve as each God's nexus of faith. Built first for Verus was the Temple of Wisdom, built second for Myrn was the Temple of Triumph, built third for Gracia was the Temple of Bounty, built fourth for Amun was the Temple of Demise, and finally built last was the Temple of the Father. While similar to churches these temples are distinctly different, with entrance and activity heavily regulated and open public services beyond grand event proving extremely rare. In order to gain access or an audience with the Arch Adjudicator, it can often take months or years of waiting. For this reason, a pilgrimage to one of the Great Halls is often only undertaken by the extremely faithful, or extremely desperate. Yet nevertheless, not a day goes by were another dozen names are added to each temple's queue.

"Harmony, the Balance of Mind and Soul."

Alternative Name(s)

Bastion of Thought

Type

National Territory

Inhabitant Demonym

Attens

Location under

West Uros

Owning Organization

The Empire of Bryonsworth