Polisia

To many, Polisia represents a bastion of civilization, a beautiful land of grand temples, good wine, and a beautiful, lively people. This collection of islands is the land of the Olympians, passionate gods that rule over a people who value wit, beauty, and strength.
To the Polisians, themselves, this land is many different things. Indeed, if asked, no one is truly Polisian. The natives of this land think of themselves as residents of their city-states first, and of Polisia itself second, if at all. The land is merely the stage for players such as Thetera, Aresene, and Pasedonis, among others.

Structure

Polisia, itself has no true overarching organization. Instead it is more properly defined as a unifying culture overseeing a handful of independent city-states. These city-states have their own methods of governance, subcultures, patron gods, and politics. Due to their rivalries and differences, wars between them is quite common.
One thing that does unify Polisia is religion. The Olympians are possibly the most active pantheon in all of Covenant. As such, they are paid the highest respect in all of Polisia. Their priests tend to have a certain unity no matter where they are from due to their shared devotion.
How these individual cults are organized depends on the god. Followers of Artemis and Dionysus, for instance, are very loosely organized, gathering in the wilds to perform their rituals in secret. Others, such as Athena and Aphrodite have organized cults whose highest temples are found in Thetera and Eratheon, respectively.

Culture

More than anything, the gods of Polisia value competition. Heracles only favors the strongest, Aphrodite the most beautiful, Athena the smartest, Hermes the fastest and cleverest, and so on. This attitude carries over to the Polisians as a whole. This leads many to work as hard as they can in the pursuit of perfection.
Often, this leads to unhealthy conflict, but there are exceptions. One example of this is the Enotitia Games, an athletic competition held every five years that gathers competitors from across Polisia. For a time, wars are ignored and bad blood comes out in the form of boxing and wrestling rather than battle.
This devotion to exceptionalism is not limited to the physical. Most Polisians value learning and philosophy. Thetera in particular is known for its thinkers, and Theteran schools of philosophy and rhetoric attract students from even other lands altogether, such as Kemet and the kingdoms of Acitern.
This love of knowledge also leads to a respect for wizardly magic. This is true across Polisia whether the mage in question uses their power as a weapon as preferred in Aresene or a field of study such as in Thetera. Arcane magic is often seen as a way to honor the goddess Hecate, and she is known to bestow blessings upon powerful mages.
The Polisian way of life is hardly all hard work, competition, and study, however. In fact, that can't be further from the truth. Polisians are a passionate people who value joy, beauty, and pleasure. They tend to celebrate any event they can and more. Such parties are social events which involve wine, music, and lively conversation that serve to honor both the community and the gods.
Their love of beauty is also matched by their love of storytelling. Stories are told by poetry and song, honoring the god Apollo, and as plays in honor of Dionysus. Many of these are stories of heroes slaying monsters with the aid of the gods, but just as many are of the downfalls of such people-- often the very same ones-- due to their own disrespect and hubris.
The people of Polisia also value emotion of all kinds, but especially love. This includes both a deep, spiritual romantic bond, and a wild whirlwind passion. Most Polisians give in to these feelings quite freely and take lovers often, usually of both sexes. This tendency is often looked down upon by those of other lands.
Seemingly paradoxically, they also place great value in family. Marriage is especially sacred to them, and is overseen by the goddess Hera, who harshly punishes infidelity. In addition, familicide is seen as the worst of taboos and is anathema to Zeus, himself. Terrible creatures known as The Furies are often sent after those who kill members of their immediate families.

Pandora's Daughters
It sucked to be a woman in ancient Greece. Period. Women had no say in who they would marry, and sexual assault of any kind wasn't even recognized as wrong. This is reflected in the mythology over and over again. Pandora, the first woman was created specifically to screw humanity over and Zeus was constantly assaulting random women, who would then by punished by Hera for "adultery".
Now, these cultures are idealized versions of the real thing, so if there are problematic elements not central to the culture... boop. Gone. So Polisian women are equal to their male counterparts in every way while Greek women were very much not. For example, Aresenian girls recieve the same harsh, suspiciously Spartan training the boys do. Lucky them.

History

It is said that when Covenant was created, no land was able to meet the standards set by Zeus and the other Olympians. Eventually, he threatened the other gods, saying he was about to back out of the project. The others in the Covenant refused to allow this, saying the problem was his alone.
It was Hermes that came up with the solution. According to legend, he stole the best part of the land claimed by the Sakkalan gods. They were distracted by Marduk's usurpation of Enlil and didn't notice part of their land was missing until long after the battle was over.
The Olympians wasted no time bringing their people to Polisia, while also populating it with deadly perils in an attempt to ensure that they would be the strongest and smartest in all of Covenant. According to the legends of the various city-states, the gods themselves founded them in their image.
There was never peace among the Polisians, but the greatest war began during the Enotitia Games, ironically for such a time of peaceful competition. It is said Eris, goddess of discord was in attendance, and she somehow lost her greatest treasure, the Apple of Discord. As soon as each person laid eyes on it, they desired it for themselves.
The battle for it was immediate and bloody, but in the end Aklistion, one of the kings Aresene left with it, taking it back to his home city in an attempt to claim its power for his own. However, there was another present at the games with much different plans for the Apple.
One of the Aresenian competitors, a runner who would become known as Athiope the Swift, a hero, was immune to the Apple's power. She offered her services as a mercenary to the rulers of the other city-states to claim the Apple for them. Driven mad by their desire for the Apple, they made her very wealthy.
What was already a terrible and chaotic war was made that much worse by her interference. Each of the major city-states was invaded by the others, and there was a string of assassinations of their leaders. After over a decade of constant warfare, Athiope left Polisia with the Apple. No one knows where she took it or why.
This did not stop the violence right away, especially for Athiope. Not only did the armies of the city-states of Polisia search for it desperately, but many tried to pull the answer from Athiope, herself. When she was killed by these hunters, the Apple of Discord was truly lost. The battles continued for a time, but the War of the Apple was over.
No other war, whether internal or against external enemies, such as Sakkal ever reached the level of importance that the War of the Apple did. It changed the Polisian city-states into the forms they currently hold.

Demography and Population

Due to their location on a series of islands, Polisia doesn't have the diversity of other lands. Almost all Polisians are human except for the children of foreign adventurers. Such children are surprisingly common due to the Polisian tendency to be free with their affection. A fair portion are half-nymphs, which have a fair amount of internal variety due to the different varieties of nymph.
Humans are not the only intelligent race known to Polisia, although the others are not recognized as Polisian. The next most numerous are centaurs. These are deadly raiders that strike fast and leave just as quickly. The next most common are minotaurs, rare, bull-headed creatures that are often employed as guards. It is whispered there are snake-like folk in the forgotten places of Polisia, but none have been found.

Territories

Polisia is the name of both the archipelago and the largest island. The overall climate of the islands are very warm and forgiving for most of the year, only snowing occasionally on the northernmost part of Polisia. Occasionally, there are intense storms striking the islands, often seen as a manifestation of the wrath of Zeus.
The island of Polisia is the northernmost, and is far larger than the others. A low mountain range rises above the center of the island, and much of the unsettled land is covered in woodland. The city-states of Thetera and Aresene rest on the southeast and northwest coasts, respectively.
Off the southern coast lies a string of islands. The city-states of Pasedonis and Eratheon exist here, in addition to so many smaller communities. However, these civilized islands tend to be closer to Polisia's coast. There are many more, however, that are unexplored. These are places of mystery and magic and most who find themselves here are never seen again.
The creatures of these islands are varied and often majestic, to include deer, lions, and wild bulls. Magical creatures include werewolves, satyrs, hydras, medusae and the occasional dragon or sphinx. Nymphs are almost exclusively found here and come in many varieties based on environment, such as the tree-bound dryads or the oceanic nerieds.
The seas surrounding the Polisian islands are also home to many strange and magical creatures, especially in the more mysterious places. Many of these are unique beings such as the dreaded Scylla and Charybdis. Others are entire species, such as the cetae. This is one of the reasons so many of the Polisian islands are unexplored.

Military

The individual city-states of Polisia each have their own military, which is inevitably turned towards each other more often than not. For most, this is a force of full-time professionals, most often promoted through merit. The primary exception to this is Aresene, whose entire population is trained for battle from a young age.
Polisian tactics usually involve tightly packed formations of heavily armored warriors known as hoplites. These soldiers interlock their shields and use primarily spears to attack their enemies in relative safety. Such forces are usually supplemented with calvary to attack the flanks of enemy formations.
These formations tend to have an unfortunate vulnerability to offensive magic, such as the fireball spell. As such, magic-users are highly valued by the militaries of the Polisian city-states, both to carry out such assaults and prevent them. It is not uncommon for mages to be officers, commanding troops and carrying out battle plans.
Divine magic is sometimes used for magical attacks, especially among priests of Zeus and Apollo, however it is primarily used behind the lines, for healing purposes, often from priests of Hera and Demeter. Priests of Ares and Athena frequently fight on the front lines, using their magic to aid their fellows and fighting alongside them through force of arms.
Most of the major city-states also maintain a navy, most often of ships known as biremes and triremes, multi-level ships designed to attack by ramming. Pasedonis is the city-state most known as a naval power, but they have occasionally been challenged by Eratheon or Thetera in that regard.

Foreign Relations

The people of Polisia consider those of other city-states to be foreigners and treat each other accordingly. In particular, Thetera and Aresene have a harsh rivalry and have fought terrible wars between each other. In addition, Eratheon has occasionally attempted to challenge the Pasedonens' rule over the sea to no avail.
That being said, there are some that the Polisians interact with as a culture. They have fought a few wars with the Sakkalans, and have had a rich relationship with Kemet. The various kingdoms of Acitern have occasionally had a fascination with Polisian culture, although this has been mostly one-sided.

Agriculture & Industry

For food, the Polisians grow grains, fruit, and olives. They also herd cattle, sheep and goats. Some portion of these are burnt as offerings to the gods. They also grow grapes for the creation of wine-- the consumption of which is enjoyed by many and is sacred to the god Dionysus.
Polisian armor and weaponsmithing is quite advanced. Their arms and armor are made of steel that is surprisingly light and strong. Polisians are known to be talented weavers, not only for simple things like clothes, but also tapestries, some of which are incredible in their complexity.

Trade & Transport

Polisia is a very in-demand trading partner for many different cultures across Covenant. They primarily trade with Sakkal, Kemet, and various kingdoms on Acitern. Occasionally, they welcome traders from even further away places, like Jiayuan or Bjornland.
They import luxury items such as gold, gems, and especially silk. They tend to export arms and armor, pottery, and especially wine. Their main exports, however are far less material. These include such abstract things as art, magic, and philosophy.

Infrastructure

The Polisians are skilled engineers, especially architects. Temples are built with grand columns and massive statues and often painted in bright colors. The city-states make serious attempts to look as grand as possible in competition with each other, building grand palaces and colossal statues.
The many communities of the island of Polisia are connected by an intricate series of roadways. In a very real sense, these roads are an offering to Hermes, and road markers often serve as shrines to him. These roadways ensure that despite their differences, the city-states of Polisia are much closer connected than most.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Demonym

Polisian

Government System

Oligarchy

Power Structure

Autonomous area

Economic System

Traditional

Controlled Territories

• Aresene
• Eratheon
• Pasedonis
• Thetera

Notable Members

• Athiope the Swift