Shaia

Shaia is a Kingdom on the western outskirts of the known world of Drisenheim ruled by a king, considered a living God of those he rules over. The kingdom is split into two islands and three parts, with the western island being separated in two by an artificial chasm. The eastern island is also the largest known floating island in Drisenheim, and produces much of the lift crystals required for sky ships. As such, Shaia has the largest fleet of sky ships in Drisenheim, though it lacks many of the secondary resources, such as Vaplium, to use these ships as effectively as the Eastern nations.   Nearly three centuries past, a rot of fungi began spreading through the northern kingdom, pushing trees and farmland away and making the land uninhabitable. Concerned, the God-King sent a decree through the land, that any family who would move into the land and begin the process of exterminating the fungi would be rewarded with land, as well as decreeing that all yeomen and nobles must send a portion of their slaves to aid. Undeterred, the fungi continued spreading, leading to another decree to split the island into two through digging a massive canal to stem the flow. This stratagem proved effective, though the rot has recently begun affecting the eastern isle, causing widespread panic once again.   As a political level, supreme executive power is held entirely by the God-King, and all other warrants of power within the nation are at their leisure. There is no line of succession; Shaia claims that the God-King is eternal and has ruled Shaia since the inception of the nation and that they hold total de-jure power. The governor of the eastern island is typically considered the second of the king, as he is responsible for continuous production of the lift crystals that power both Shaia's military and economy.   There are four distinct social classes in Shaia. The lowest rung is that of slaves, used to work the mines and fields that keep Shaia alive and prosperous, and have no protection as more than property. Above the slaves are the citizens of the northern part of the western island, who maintain and farm the land, forbidden by time-honored royal decree from being enslaved, though they hold little actual power beyond their self-determination. Those who own land, typically merchants and tradesmen, but do not have a warrant of royal power, hold the freedom of a yeoman, capable of purchasing property and maintaining full rights, as do their children, regardless of whether they themselves own land. The highest class, those granted power by the king's decree are the nobility, who are typically granted a packet of land, money, and slaves to govern and make good a portion of the kingdom, as well as power to create laws and punish those who live in their lands.