The Castinellan Provinces (Cast inellan)

The southernmost nation of Etharis, the Castinellan Provinces, are found on a peninsula marked by scorching winds and dry heat, reflecting the turmoil of the citizens that live there. Castinella is composed of three main provinces: Toletum, Faro, and Therpena. Originally ancient enemies, the warlord Montego Valieda rose to power and united the warring provinces under the banner of the Arch Seraph Empyreus. Valieda proclaimed himself the Uniter, and those that defied him faced torture and death. Now a fully militaristic theocracy, Castinellans take their faith deadly seriously

The Arcanist Inquisition

After unifying the three provinces, Sagrado Valieda ordered the creation of the religious order called the Arcanist Inquisition, whose function was to control and limit the use of magic in the provinces. According to what the Arch Seraph Empyreus had told Valieda, that magic was a curse that endangered its wielders and everyone who associated with them. The Inquisitors patrolled the provinces, spreading their teachings about the dangers of magic, stirring mistrust in the population. After some time, they began to arrest those known to be magically gifted and brought them to their cells, where they would supposedly live a life of humble service to the Arch Seraph. The Inquisitors were eager to find these people at the youngest possible age, as they claimed the threat of magic could be more easily contained in the young whose magical abilities had not fully emerged. A recent pushback by the provinces against the Inquisition’s abusive practices did nothing to temper the theocracy’s actions. Those possessing magical gifts, children included, were burned alive by the Inquisitors. Arcane spellcasters passing through the Castinellan Provinces are advised to disguise their abilities or find a different route. As the Castinellan clerics often say, the climate of their land isn’t agreeable to mages. The Arcanist Inquisition is currently headquartered in the Cathedral of Embers, located in the Shattered Peaks of Therpena province.

Social Standing

Much has changed since Valieda became the supreme leader of all the provinces In the past, the Society was built with the Leaders of each province at the top; then the upper class; the metics, or middle class; the lower class, or freedmen; and the slave class. Now that all of the provinces are united in the holy fight against wild and dangerous magic, once standing in society is more dependent on military rank and combat training. Valieda has even offered some of the slaves freedom if they choose to fight in the holy war on magic and he has also imposed that Therpena and Faro should choose an Anax or Anassa (King or Queen) each so that they better could help in the holy war.

Landscape

The Castinellan Provinces are a harsh land pincered between mountain and sea. It is a windswept peninsula, bounded by sea to east and west, with an irregular mountain spine running from north to south. The west coast faces the Gulf of Lions, where trade routes lead towards the city-state of Morencia and the Charneault Kingdom. The east coast is wilder and less inhabited, exposed to the strong winds from the Great Eastern Sea. Although the sea is never far, the provinces mostly suffer from a dry climate, due to the combined effects of constant winds and scorching heat. In that context, water has become the most precious resource and the bigger cities have emerged on the shores of the few rivers flowing from the mountains, or, in the case of the great Salves River, from the northern part of Etharis.