Magnum Opus
A breeze kicks up, tussling a golden dandelion from its home in the grass, and carries off into the pure blue sky above it. Where shall this wind travel within the wide nation, the free man's nation? Shall it travel to the quaint farmlands, nestled into rolling, grassy hills or within the open tree lines of the forests? Shall it fly along the railroad, spreading its gift along with the connection it provides? Shall its breeze be lost in the thick canopys of the swamps, spreading the pollen and seeds of the grasses into its peat? Shall it provide the scholars in the flat, open plains to the south a bit of reprieve, or be a reminder to those in the harsh frosts of the north to bundle up tighter? Or shall it butt against the stone walls of Theogany, the capital of progress and unity, and mingle among the talk of thousands, spreading the scents of wares from around the known world? For as many directions as the wind can fly, so too can those in Magnum Opus take their lives, and they can soar just as high.The north-most country in the region of Edda, Magnum Opus is a nation proud of its freedom, and the adversity it's faced to grant it. Originally home to nomadic Beastfolk and Giant-kin, the wealth of the land caught the attention of two powerful countries on either side of the nation: the dark-forest kingdom of Atalanta to its west, and the desert Theocracy of Afallon to its east. Although these nations were owners hellbent on keeping the treasure trove of natural resources to themselves, the people of the land rose up against them and carved back their homeland, with the aid of those the nations deemed undesirable to their societies. Not even the chaos of the Border Wars, when claiming and reclaiming land and territory were the sole justification for more than 20 years of bloodshed, could deny Magnum Opus freedom from their shackles. Furthermore, a child of those ideals, the boy who would come to be known as King, drove the pacifistic rebellion that started the push to end the wars. In the modern-day, Magnum Opus can be seen as a beacon of progress and acceptance; taking all who would seek to live within it, giving them as many opportunities and resources as needed, and gaining promising minds and returns in the process. While every bright light casts its shadows, and there are those who can see the cracks that exist in the foundation, they can also know that Magnum Opus is a nation of change as well, and they need not choke down their words for the sake of societal acceptance.
Table of Contents
Structure
In the past as The Seat of Giants, the civilizations organized themselves into loosely packed villages, with various longhouses built along the more frequently used roads. There was a much looser organization at the time, with those with authority largely being either the heads of family units or the oldest/wisest of a village, looked to for guidance and advice. Other than that, organization and social structures were largely nominal or reputation based.
At its inception as an official nation, Magnum Opus was a full Monarchy, with Kings, Dukes, Marquises, and the like. In the modern-day, the only governing position still intact is the position of King. Houses can still maintain their nobility, having the titles of eld, but those that maintain those titles are negated from taking political office. Instead, county ruling is given to Earls, an elected position. The King's court comprises community experts and similarly elected representatives to speak on necessary topics when the Earls cannot provide enough of a specific scope.
Culture
A lot of daily life in Magnum Opus is based on the art of the deal. The precedence of barter and trade, the virtue of keeping promises, and the vast amount of resources available for craftsmen and salesmen.
There's also a large focus on community involvement throughout the country, even at the more aristocratic level. Community resources, large neighborhood events, neighbors providing what they can and helping when able, and being helped and provided for in return.
What's also important for the people of Magnum Opus is the concept of Freedom. Freedom from an iron rule, freedom from having to stay in harmful circumstances, and freedom to choose the life you want to live.
Public Agenda
King Diomedes has made no secret out of his goal to turn Magnum Opus from a Monarchy into a Democracy by the end of his reign and has thwarted plot after plot to ensure that would happen. This has been done in tandem with increasing social welfare programs and increasing opportunities for merchants with small businesses.
Magnum Opus is also one of two epicenters of a modern environmental awareness movement, the other being Hippolyta to the far south. As the country has long been home to Druids and Witches, long before those two terms were officially codified, their attention to the potential chaos and damage to leylines caused by damage to the physical land (or vice versa) is to be expected, even if it hasn't gained serious steam as of yet.
Assets
Magnum Opus is a very wealthy nation. Literally, in the sense that the wide amount of free-market crafting and merchants bring in a lot of revenue, both circulated within the nation and international trades, but also in terms of natural resources. From the wide rolling plains, full of fertile soil for agriculture, thick and healthy ore veins underneath the country, vast forests and abundant swamps on the eastern side of the land, and full islands of enriched unique resources within and beneath the thick snow to the north.
History
Origins
The land now known as Magnum Opus, referred to in archaic texts as "The Seat of Giants", was initially populated primarily with Giant-kin and half-Beasts, with full Beastfolk and your garden variety Humans having a notable presence as well. During these older times, there didn't seem to be much of a need for strict social structure among the people, as while they formed their own civilizations and settlements, no records existed of strict rulership, aside from the advice of the respected and wizened members of their communities. Perhaps that lack of strict structure saw the land split between its neighboring nations, Afallon and Atalanta. In 528 EE, a small series of skirmishes between the existing nations of Hippolyta, Agartha, Atalanta, and Afallon saw the creation of Kaguya (later the Kaguyan Federation) and the 'Oki Islands made the two northern nations, who got out of it relatively unscathed, reaffirm their borders and treaties with one another. At the time, Atalanta had a direct path to Magnum Opus in the southern part of the country via a large land bridge, and Afallon had a similar path in the north, where the nation's dry sands gave way to equally dry snow and frost. This presented a key opportunity for both. The north had mines full of metals and stones that could benefit Atalanta, whose natural mountains and marshes were too tough for them to capitalize on at the time, while the south had lush fields to grow plenty of produce that the sands and snows of Afallon couldn't sustain outside of rare oases. The two nations chose to split the land and trade with one another, knowing that by proximity or resources, they could cripple the other should the moment arise. Neither of them deigned to tell the natives of the Seat, who found the sudden influx of canvassers, construction teams, and full militias coming in the wake of countless nobles insanely troubling. While the middle land had been connected to its neighbors via land bridges, they had not had a history of interaction. In the south, some settlements situated near the eastern coast of Atalanta had braved the bridge to do some trade with the more trusting (or defense-capable) tribes nearby. Yet, in the north, the harsh frosts of the Seat, as well as those of the north-westernmost corner of Afallon, made it far too treacherous to travel. Yet, with the threat of destabilization at their heels, both kingdoms marched into the land, finding it much more populated than either had accounted for. But, this was sadly more of a hiccup than a roadblock.The time of Exiles
The time of ExilesOccupation
In the first few months, skirmishes broke out at occupying camps led by the fighters of unified villages and their nomadic allies, already seeing the red flags on the horizon. While they had the home-field advantage, and the surprise of numbers, they did not have the same military cohesion as the occupying nations, nor did they have the resources either army utilized. Slowly yet surely, the occupations pushed in, until belts of camps and forts were formed stretching out from the land bridges. By 530 EE, nearly 20,000 Afallon soldiers were based within the land, and Atalanta similarly had an estimated 23,000 of their own. The natives of the Seat were outnumbered and, for the time, outmatched. While it was mostly out of pity or underestimation, the nobles that led the joint occupations parlayed with the wise men of the Seated settlements, and a tenuous agreement was come to. The three sides of the occupation had a peace treaty with one another, and exploration, canvassing, and use of the land would go uninhibited by either side. In return, the people of the Seat would not be disrupted and would be counted on as navigators and environmental aides in the future. At the time, the agreement seemed tenable at the very least. Come the turn of the century, the land would be fully occupied, with all villages of the Seat being "adopted" into the "civilized" structures of either nation. Mining projects in the north went without Seated knowledge, and similarly too did the agricultural boom in the south develop. As for the people of the Seat themselves, many were either driven into small pockets of harsh land no one dared enter, or they assimilated into the settlements of the occupying nations, begrudgingly or otherwise. In 611 EE, the worldwide travesty known as The Grand Expulsion, a law put in place that heavily banned or restricted the rights of Beastfolk and those like them, rippled across the occupied Seat as well. While the Beastfolk of the Seat were not fully exiled from the land as other countries did (there were too many to try) they were tried and punished to a much harsher degree than others, which soon posed a problem for the ruling occupiers. Their prisons were getting too full. While insurrectionists, defectors, rebel soldiers, and your more common criminals kept the prisons full enough throughout the previous century or so, the sheer number of Beastfolk in the land pushed them to capacity several times over. However, as fortune would have it (for Atalanta and Afallon at least), this solved another problem they were having. A recent breakthrough in mountain mining and swamp filtering gave Atalanta natively a better local stronghold on natural minerals and ores, meaning many of the transplanted agricultural workers went back to the land they preferred, especially those who didn't take kindly to the native population. Afallon, for its sake, was also having a shortage of hands, as rising elemental monsters required most of the hardy and dutiful Mars Seers to return home as well. This marked the beginning of prison labor in the occupied Seat, as putting the prisoners in camps dedicated to mining, labor, agriculture, production, etc, would leave room for more in the prisons, as well as guaranteeing a workforce, one way or another. Eventually, this would become a handy tactic to throw undesirables where the nobles of either nation could monitor, control, and dehumanize them. But, this would also lead to the occupation's downfall.The Exiles
The practice of prison labor in the occupied land would persist for quite some time, albeit for different stated motives. For those from Atalanta, it was plainly prison labor. "Earning your freedom through effort rather than simply wasting space ruminating." This period saw the political powers back in Atalanta-proper use the territory and its systems as a dumping ground for their opponents and civil detractors as well, along with anyone they could find a reason to wish out of their proper society. For the theocracy that was, and still is, Afallon, it took the ever-useful slant of repentance, that it wasn't just your supposed freedom you were getting, but also recognition from the divine and the healing of the soul as well. Either way, the goalposts were always moved just out of reach to keep the exiles in line. This slant of religious redemption as well meant that people who didn't commit any crime, large or unfairly small, were sent to the camps if they were found to be lacking in divine acumen. While on paper this was spared to just those fully enlisted in the faith of Afallon, when your nation is a Theocracy, you find yourself roped into that faith sometimes without your knowledge. The slow worm in of this system, and the steady trickle between new prisoners and bodies driven to exhaustion, left this system in place and somewhat stable for nearly two centuries. While the people of the Seat did their best to preserve themselves and their cultures throughout this time, and the revolutionary and "undesirable" fought against the hegemony of their homelands, there was never enough of a foundation to truly rise. However, that began to shift towards the mid-700s. It started in the south, near present-day Theogony, as the nobles of Atalanta had made a major mistake. While they removed dissident leaders and revolutionaries from their homelands, they put them very close together in a new one, and by divorcing them from family, friends, home, and any hope for the future, they gave them nothing to lose. Fires that had been dormant for over two centuries were lit once more, as Exiles were reminded of the dehumanization and mistreatment they were handed, natives were reminded of their history and their land that had been occupied, bastardized, and mutated over the years, and those who grew up in nothing but camps and occupation were told the splendors of the path, the possibilities of the future. As time began to turn, the Exiles began to shout. Mass protests broke throughout the southern half of the nation in many forms. The North took more time to catch the fires of the Exile's fervor, as the fear for one's soul was paramount, but not every Exile of the North was entrenched in the faith, and not every faithful was so blindly adherent to mortal hierarchies. All it took was the right framework for messages, of self-ownership and governance, of mutual respect and trust, and of individuality and pure freedom to ring true in the ears of the star-worshipping Afallonians just as loudly as they did in the others. Thus did the Exiles sing in unison, thus did their chants grow louder and louder as they reached the ears of sitting nobles both occupying the land and those housed back home. At the time, they thought it was nothing, just another attempt at revolt that would soon be put down, and thus they erroneously named it "The Exile's Din." The underestimation would be their last mistake.The Leaders
After decades of gathering, motivating, uniting, and planning, the Exile's efforts would come to fruition. It wasn't without its roadblocks, as the nobles saw the writing on the wall and did their best to stop it, especially with assassinations, yet the fire of revolution persevered with these martyrs intact. In 796 EE, the match was struck. As it reached its fever pitch, the Exiles Din had four "leaders", each directing and inspiring their parts of the occupation. First was Tanguy the Reaper, a former Atalantian noble exiled due to a grab for his family's land and political stations. He had always bucked against the typical proceedings of the Atalantian senate, but his exile (a more fortunate punishment than others of his family) divorced him from polite society altogether, and learning the experiences and worldviews of his fellow prison laborers in the south only pumped air into his forge. Second was Gofaint the Fallen, a former Mars Seer and General of Afallon. While they had originally been tasked with routing out the rebellion, Gofaint was dedicated to serving the pleasures of their people rather than the wills of the state and soon found themselves allying with the Exiles. At first, it was simply turning a blind eye or giving subtle pointers to avoid evasion, but soon that wouldn't be enough, and they would use their military knowledge to help organize more focused tactics and assaults when the time was right. Third was Ermelinde the Uncaptured, a Druid of the Beastfolk who had a knack for utilizing the strange in-between places of reality that the Fae and their kind would leave lying around. While she had been active for nearly 60 years previous to the Din, her lack of resources and allies meant that she could do little more than smuggle a few people around. But as the years leading up to the Din provided more followers, more willing to help, and more of her people regaining the will to fight back, those in-between places became meeting grounds, rallying points, and secure bases from the watchers of either nation. These three met, brought together by Ermelinde, and vowed an oath of allegiance to one another to not stray from the path of freedom, until the Seat was for the people of the Seat once more. As part of this allegiance, Ermelinde gathered the few elders that still remained, those that had risen and still held to the traditions in the intervening years, and promised that if the yokes of Afallon and Atalanta were to be thrown off the land, then the Exiles would be treated as citizens, as they too had been thrown aside by their homes. However, Gofaint had one more concern at this meeting: the concern of numbers. While the number of Exiles was enough to confront the units already present in the Seat, either nation had ample ability to call more from the homeland, and both nations were much larger than the Seat. It was then that a mysterious fourth guest made their presence known. Kharis Floros the Wanderer, a brilliant Elven sage infamous for getting themselves into all sorts of shenanigans throughout history, had found their way into the in-between place and had an idea to get them the allies they needed. The northern portion of the Seat was always a harsh environment, religiously the resting place for the dead True Giants and in practicality a near-glacier, where the ice floes kept even the sturdiest boats of the Seated people at bay. However, Kharis claimed to know a way to bridge the gap, with the aid of Ermelinde's knowledge, and that there was an ally waiting for them. While the mainland had trouble reaching the North, those that lived in the northern islands were aware of their fellow's existence and had various magical and mundane methods for keeping an eye on them. They saw the flags of the occupation, but without a surefire way of joining the fray, they elected to lie low and remain safe from the invaders. But prior to the meeting, Kharis had (somehow) made their way there and spoken with the strongest among the Giant-kin who survived there, Vadimir the Unrelenting, and spoke with him on many matters, before finding their way to the mainland. Vadimir was a pacifist by nature, the kind that will draw the line in the sand and wait until you cross it to retaliate. While he didn't make a habit of drawing that line too close, he also didn't erase it when enemies had been effectively pushed back out of it. Thus was his epithet given, as he was unrelenting in his personal code and tactics of defense. Despite the other two's reservations about the mysterious traveler, Ermelinde trusted them, and the pair made their way through the various in-between spaces while their fellows made preparations. It wasn't an easy journey, as even the fae found it hard to leave their magic in the places where the wind cut skin and iron dotted the ground, but nevertheless, the two persisted and found their ally. Ermelinde found it easier than expected to speak with Vadimir, as the pair were both devout followers of the True Giants, even if their direct patrons differed. While the pacifist was concerned about the risks, he felt the tug of fate about them and felt that this was their only chance, the entire Seat's only chance, of truly winning. Thus, the Four Uncrowned Kings were gathered, with Kharis Floros as their faithful advisor and strategist. Kharis used their magic to relay messages to Tanguy and Gofaint, as all forces prepared.The Din
On the 6th day of the 5th month, Blooming Spring, the Mars Seers of the Afallon camps expected a protest, another sit-in, something that would just be a lot of noise, maybe some debris. Something that gave them plenty of chances for cathartic punishments against the Exiles. The generals of Atalanta in the south were expecting similar, although they wanted to test some new Hydromancy instead of tried-and-true steel and bludgeons. They got what they wanted, at first, as an uproarious showing launched in the biggest settlements in either location, present-day Gatsby in the south and Fairwell in the north. However, during the third hour of this protest, both sides overheard terrible news. While their visions were preoccupied with these protests, which were on the boiling edge of sheer anarchy, the first true act of the Din was launched. The massive land bridges between Magnum Opus and the other nations were shattered. Coordinated by Kharis, Ermelinde, and Vadimir, entire circles of Druids gathered, protected by defensive platoons, through the in-between places. While the intent was for the land to be swallowed by the sea itself, the Druids could only persuade the land and sea to shape so much. Nonetheless, the land between them became scattered and broken, meaning there was no longer an easy way for either side to bring mass reinforcements. This was the first victory of the Din. It was eighteen long years of combat. It wasn't always platoons, it wasn't always combating, and it wasn't always violent, but for 18 years the Exiles grew and fought and strategized as their numbers grew while the occupying nations kept taking losses on this front, and by the end of it they were hanging on mainly for pride's sake. It wasn't a bloodless battle. For as much as Vadimir and Kharis would keep it that way, no war ever is, and both Exiles and occupiers would face heavy losses by the time physical conflicts gave way to political machinations. Nonetheless, throughout the entirety of the Din, morale never dipped low enough for defeat or surrender to be an option. After 13 years of physical struggles and revolts, the land of the Seat was no longer being mined or tilled for Atalantan or Afallonian sake, and all the settlements that had arisen were firmly in the hands of Exiles and the communities that had formed there. Thus, The Epilogue began, as the final five years were focused heavily on confirming this independence from their would-be masters and creating a land for all of them. Kharis and Gofaint were instrumental to this struggle, as the Sage's wisdom and General's knowledge gave them the intellectual framework, not to mention the former nobles exiled to the camps paired with idealistic and gifted minds. During this period, Vadimir and Ermelinde focused on defending their holdings and working to establish proper community and resources for the Exiles, to hold out against any sieges that might occur in the future, learning from the past of the war. As for Tanguy, the most militant of the five that gathered, he made sure that no blind spots were present and snuffed out dissenters who snuck in the cracks, not to mention assassins that would leave any of the others dead. Afallon was quick to aquisce. They had already lost enough in men and resources, and having a well-liked Mars Seer be the political face of independence was doing more harm to morale than death ever could. They did not recognize the Seat as a sovereign nation but signed a treaty that meant they would not claim it as their land any further. In the eyes of Afallon, it was wild land. Atalanta was not so willing, however, and the political machinations of the Senate kept the pressure on the Seat up until the very end years of the Din. However, the Senate soon found itself stretched too thin, as discontent from their own working class was rising within the nation, especially in the city of Paris. Coming to the decision that their resources locally were far more valuable and hard to recuperate than those now overseas, as the land bridges were proving still too hard to cross, Atalanta conceded their territory as well. However, it came with a pact of non-aggression between the two countries, as well as one stipulation: for the Seat to be recognized as sovereign land, an offer Afallon had never even attempted to make, they would need a figurehead, they would need a ruler and system that the wider world would recognize, they would need a King. This was intended to cause division among the Exiles, especially those native to the Seat who had no need or desire for Kings or noble ranks. Surprisingly, however, their terms were agreed to."Proper" Founding
Tanguy had warned his allies that Atalanta would attempt to control the Seat this way, forcing them to play their political game or else. His family for generations had balked against that, as even as they tried time and time again to enact lasting change for the disenfranchised of Atalanta, there were no avenues to while trapped in Atalantan frameworks, as the rules were put in place to stop such change from existing to begin with. This warning, however theoretical it might have been at the time, gave the Uncrowned Kings time to prepare and plot out a plan. The four of them would remain just that, Uncrowned, and not risk anything by fighting for a crown themselves. They would instead become advisors for whoever should step into the role of King, and Kharis set out to find a proper candidate. Due to the forewarning, Kharis had settled on a candidate mere days after the treaty was proposed and found the first King of the land: Boreas Frei. He was a young man, passing 32 by the time the Din ended, but during the course of the conflicts had proven himself as a competent strategist and man of integrity. It was Boreas who, in some of the most hectic moments of the Din, made peace with a cabal of Witches who had remained hidden within the Seat and brought them over to their side. It was those witches, to aid and honor their agreement, that calmed the churning leylines that had plagued what now stands as Theogony, the capital. Kharis approached the young man, disguised as an old, hobbling beggar, who could barely lift a hand to feed himself, much less fight a war or till a field. Nonetheless, Boreas saw to his "wounds" and "ailments", and spoke honestly with the stranger as they gave him questions on morality, the nature of wisdom, and the purpose of a nation. After five days and five nights, Kharis knew the man would make a good King. And so, when the gauntlet was thrown, the Uncrowned picked it up and thanked Atalanta for the opportunity, and Boreas Frei was chosen to be the first King of the land. On the 23rd day of the 7th month, Heating Summer, in 814, the nation was declared independent and sovereign. Kharis Floros was given the honor of naming the nation and proposed the name Magnum Opus, a phrase in a lost language of old that meant The Great Work, as it was only through the hard work and effort of many that freedom was realized for all.Post-founding Years
It wasn't easy, getting a new nation off of the ground. While Magnum Opus had its original people at the helm, so much had been lost in the years of occupation, and so much was still foreign to them. Nonetheless, settlements were reinforced and rebuilt to fit the needs of the people, alliances were held and forged, and a unified group of Witches and Druids set to correcting some of the environmental damage caused by the conflicts, starting with calming the waters between the northern islands and the mainland, followed by restoring and rejuvenating the over-harvested mines and fields. All in all, Magnum Opus largely kept to itself, using its time as a new nation to find its unique niches to offer the wider world and establishing routes of trade, first with new allies, and then with former enemies. Over time, adopting a style of merchantry and trading from their forebearers, it came to be known as a haven for Merchants, with future Kings and Queens adopting more open policies and attitudes towards trade and immigration. While Magnum Opus wasn't devoid of conflicts, none would ever reach the levels of power and fervor that the Exiles Din did. Even as Kharis Floros left for lands unknown, Tanguy and Gofaint succumbed to old wounds, Vadimir passed from old age, and Ermelinde wandered to the in-between one final time, their memories and efforts lived on and inspired Magnum Opus to continue with strength and optimism and to not let the past repeat itself. Even as the tumult of the Border Wars ingratiated warmongers and bloodthirsty tyrants, the people of Magnum Opus worked towards defense and peacekeeping. Even in the later years, when a council of puppet leaders pushed the armies towards aggression and imperialism, the common folk banded together and stopped them. It was even in Magnum Opus where the radical group that ended the war, The Cobalt Committee, began to form and spread its message, beginning with the day known as The Calming of the Masses, helmed by the man who would later become King, Diomedes the 3rd. In the modern day, Magnum Opus is more open and accepting than ever, welcoming in all sorts of new innovations and cultures in the post-war era of peace and collaboration wafting throughout the land. It is the cornerstone of trade and barter, as well as the epicenter of Arcanology, the practical study of magical effects, for all of Edda. It is also the only nation to have public Witch Covens still active and one of three to have operating Railroad systems, the other two being their neighbors Laputa and Atalanta. King Diomedes is shaping Magnum Opus into a beacon of progress, community, diverse thinking, and most of all Freedom for all to gaze at and join, just as the Uncrowned would have wished for the land.Demography and Population
Magnum Opus, or rather the territory that would become Magnum Opus, was originally populated mostly by Beastfolk, Giant-kin, and a smattering of Humans. Following the occupation from Atalanta and Afallon, along with many Beastfolk either fleeing the country or being imprisoned during the Grand Expulsion, the former demographics lost their majority status, save for humans which have popped up just about everywhere.
In the modern-day, they still have not regained majority status. However, that is due to the open and culturally communicative nature of the state, as Magnum Opus has some of the laxest immigration laws, as well as a society and economy that's easy to integrate into without sacrificing your personal culture, making for a wide tapestry of people joining of their own volition.
Military
Outside of the Hill, Stone, and Crown Knights detailed in the Executive Body section (see sidebar), the main military force of Magnum Opus is known as the Riseridder, or Giant Knights, and the chain of command is represented by emblematic stars on their equipment, one star being the lowest, and 10 being the highest.
The style of star also denotes the division of the military a Knight belongs to. Three-Pointed stars are land-based footsoldiers or cavalry, Four-Pointed Stars are Naval soldiers, Five-Pointed stars are traditionally archers, spellcasters, or other such ranged experts, and Six-Pointed stars are support officers, either medical or tactical. Covert or discreet units are marked with a collection of rounded symbols that can easily be interpreted as mere decoration or metal studs.
In times of peace, the Riseridder typically take up jobs with the standard Guard, and will often have dual ranks within either section. Those that are more suited to the official militant life over the domestic guardian will often take the role of educators, monster-slayers, or explorers to dangerous territories in such times.
Technological Level
Magnum Opus' farming towns and basic cities are well-equipped with the standard amount of Magic-based developments that one could find in any successful settlement in Edda. The cities in the tundra to the north have to rely a bit more on developed technology to keep safe and secure from the harsher elements but are still rather average in terms of advancement.
In the capital, however, citizens are on the cutting edge of Magical technologies. There also exists a large community of Engineered technologies as well, although nowhere near as large as those found in Atalanta, and definitely not to the level of development that Laputa has engineered in its flying cities.
Where Magnum Opus and its people have developed the most is in the realm of Magical Study, understanding what makes magic tick more so than simply casting and making spells. This has led to a greater understanding of the give-and-take nature of the average person and the Leylines of Edda, which in turn gives Magnum Opus an edge on energy sustainability and environmental care, giving its natural resources a boost in their inherent properties due to the tight upkeep of nature and its power.
Religion
The most common religion among Magnum Opus natives is the True Giants faith. This pantheon is based around titanic humanoids, the titular True Giants, and how they shaped the primordial form of Edda's world at the dawn of civilization.
Those who believe in the Giants tend to follow the following Tenants:
While it is the most prevalent religion in the nation, there is no one state religion, as Magnum Opus is full of various cultures.
- Respect the Cycles of nature - Everything happens for a reason, and everything serves a purpose in the grand scheme. To interrupt or manipulate the cycle, especially for one's own gain, is sacrilegious.
- Seek out the Mysteries - The Giants crafted our world, further than the land we know, and what lies beyond our knowledge is meant to be sought out, not kept a secret.
- Judge not, and be not Judged - We are all but mortals under the gaze and machinations of the Giants. None among us are better or lesser than our fellow mortal, and to think one's self as higher is to think one closer to divinity, which is mere pride.
- Build for the Future - As the Giants gave way to their kin, and we mortals, we must pave the way and prepare the world for our kin, and those who come after us. Cherish the future, and the child, and plant the seeds for that which you will never see.
Foreign Relations
Magnum Opus, as a nation, is one that's kept up rather good relations with each of their peers. The mass amount of marketing and crafting that begins in the nation, with no small amount of pure magical talent alongside that, has made them very reliable resources to say the least. Even their previous owners, Atalanta and Afallon, are allies due to the benefits that Magnum Opus can offer them...for a price, of course.
Agriculture & Industry
As a nation fueled by not only merchants but item production for the sake of merchants, Magnum Opus is filled with a wide array of industries. While it would be exhaustive to list every available industry, the most lucrative ones in the modern day would be the Farming industry, particularly Magnian Wheat and Honey, the Artifice industry i.e. the creation of Magical Items, and the Steel-crafting Industry.
Trade & Transport
As one of the epicenters of trade throughout Edda, Magnum Opus has bustling port-side towns and islands for exporting, importing, and traveling merchants. Within the nation itself, the primary roads are kept and defended to remain safe and easy to travel, although less-common roads can be a touch more treacherous depending on the region. For the tourist or smaller-scale salesperson, the local railroads carry them through to the main cities of the nation, even in the harsh north.
Education
One of the key changes that King Diomedes the 3rd made upon coming to power after The Border Wars was to enact a nationwide educational standard. While a freely available school system was available beforehand, it was not the most open system, nor did the public system compare to the knowledge that hired tutors or private institutions could provide.
This would lead to the creation of the Pan-Eddan Educational Board, a council of 11 individuals from educational institutions around Edda to create a public standard that would be utilized and kept throughout the nine nations:
The current baseline for education is that starting at 3-5 years of age, parents are allowed to sign up their children for educational institutions, of which there should be teachers capable of facilitating a variety of cultures and learning styles. Educational Board-approved schools will not require tuition, as they are state-funded, and a student can stay in the same school system until the age of 18, in which case they have the option of attending higher general education or splitting off to an Arcane College or Vocational Institution. Currently, there are not any Educational Board-instated specialist colleges, but public educational counselors do have a list of Educational Board-approved schools and trade experts offering apprenticeships.Magnum Opus under King Diomedes has made every school an Educational Board-approved school, even formerly private institutions, including the primary magical institution of the nation; the Tausender Arcane Academy, located in the heart of the capital, Theogony.
Infrastructure
While every town and settlement within Magnum Opus has a functional baseline for necessary infrastructures, such as plumbing and magical power access, it is at its most efficient and advanced in the capital of Theogony. From said capital also comes a web of roads, both well-trodden and alternative, that connects the towns with each other, even across the various environments present in the nation.
Within the last 20 years, there has even been a rail system implemented known as Farskog's Trail, connecting the main cities of the country to one another as well as establishing a safer mode of travel among the harsh landscape of the north.
"Immer Weiter Vorwärts"/"Vsegda dvigat'sya vpered"/"Gå alltid fremover" (Ever moving forward)
Maps
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Map of Magnum Opus
The nation of freedom and merchantry, home to lush forests, fertile swamps, and a bustling tundric north.
Founding Date
4/12/815 EE, aka 12th of Growing Spring, 815 Eternal Era
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
The Merchants Crown, Opus, Goldheimat
Demonym
Magnians (hard g)
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Democracy, Presidential
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Market economy
Gazetteer
The land that is now Magnum Opus is the entirety of the territory formerly known as The Seat of Giants. While the nation has not been one for expansion or conquering, changing times have meant that the Gogol Mountains to the north and a string of islands to the south have been incorporated, explored, and in the latter case, inhabited where they previously had not been.
Currency
All of Edda's countries follow the Copper Value system, due to Copper, Silver, Gold, and Platinum being the most common metals available in that order.
Magnian Coins are minted with the image of The Pronged Crown, a symbol of the nation, on the backside.
Major Exports
While there are as many individual deals and paths of trade as there are stars in the sky, Magnum Opus also keeps a very steady flow of products to other nations on a government-to-government basis.
Some of the key materials to the various nations are as follows:
- Wiesestahl - Also known as Leysteel, a metal alloy that's uniquely capable of conducting magical energy that is solely mined in Magnum Opus
- Magnian Grains - Notable for making very sweet tasting products, whether fermented for alcohol or used in baked goods
- Magnian Fruits - Also known for being incredibly sweet, as well as being insanely nutritious
- Frost-Eisen - Also known as Frost Iron, another unique metal found in the northern part of the country that is able to conduct a higher amount of magical or electric energy and withstand higher temperatures, while also being able to store said energy and temperatures as well.
Legislative Body
King Diomedes is the one who officially declares any laws or changes after consideration and counsel from the various Earls and community representatives, but before he goes to speak on anything, he confirms decisions with the elusive and secretive Sapphire Court, a group of trusted advisors that act as a parliament of sorts to assist with fair and equal decision making.
The members of the Sapphire Court are kept entirely secret, only a select few even know they even exist outside of rumors, and where they meet or how they come to decisions is equally unknown. But, they are known to unite for a single interest: making Magnum Opus as much of an equal, and fair, direct democracy as they can.
Judicial Body
Magnum Opus' Judicial Body is made up of what's known as the Crowns Court. For minor proceedings, it's mainly just attended by the appointed judge, the involved parties, and a pair of witnesses from the community.
For more serious trials, a 12-man jury is assembled from the counties of the involved parties as well.
Executive Body
There are three levels of Guardship within Magnum Opus. First, there are the Hill Knights, which make up the general City Guard. These forces act mostly as civil watchmen and are often put to task assisting the citizens with minor tasks, such as directions or minor repair work.
Next are the Stone Knights, guards who mostly are positioned in areas of protection. While the Hill Knights see their fair share of civil protection, Stone Knights are responsible for aggressively driving back threats and defending high-risk areas, such as prisons, patrolling dangerous parts of the wilderness, or defending important people on the move.
Lastly, there are the Crown Knights, specialized and talented soldiers that protect the most essential and necessary areas of Magnian society such as diplomatic offices, hospitals, and the Country's Mint.
Official State Religion
Related Traditions
Related Ranks & Titles
Organization Vehicles
Notable Members
Related Myths
Friendly
Afallon used to be the owner of half of Magnum Opus and did not part with that ownership easily. Many still hold bitterness towards Magnum Opus for their uprising, especially the part it played in giving the Laputans the idea to do the same. However, in the modern day, tensions are mostly smoothed, and healthy trade routes are carved between the two, especially due to the friendship of their rulers.
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