Rhosia

Content in green was contributed to Apotheosis by TomCat & Miflore.

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In the sprawling wilderness mixed with civilization, powerful families fight for political control of the seven provinces of Rhosia under the indolent eye of a teenage monarch. Monsters and magma spill from the mountains dividing the Ciashran Wastes from Rhosia. This nation is a land of extremes: breathtaking beauty and breathtaking danger, balanced on a knife's edge.

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Geography

Rhosia is a sprawling country made up of seven semi-autonomous provinces – Armera, Belar, Estoria, Kazakras, Kyrgryz, Lithvanis, and Ukra – with leaders who rule in the name of the presiding monarch. The taiga in the center of the country extends south into tundra and north into deserts and mountains that border Ciashra. The massive Olenyak river runs through the Eagle’s Reach Mountains of Rhosia and serves as a major source of fresh water and transportation from north to south.
Lithvanis, the second-largest by landmass and most populated province in Rhosia, serves as the country's economic and cultural heart. The capital city, Muzka, has long, frigid winters and hot, humid, brief summers.

Religion

Rhosians practice Rexism, the belief that their king (or queen) is a living god, that they are the only one deserving of worship. Rhosians learn that that God's spirit passes from one vessel to the next when an heir inherits the crown. Traditional religious practices are forbidden, and anyone caught violating this law suffers harsh penalties – though brave folk privately worship Evara’s pantheon anyway.
The God King speaks directly to His subjects, but there is also a caste of state-sponsored clergy called Kingsmen that preach his word and share His divine will. Rhosias believe that clerics and paladins of Rexism derive their power from the God King. His "churches" are town halls and other governmental buildings, which are often adorned with a statue of the current God King or His coat of arms. Some devout followers may have small, personal shrines dedicated to the God King at home.
When Rhosia’s zealotry for their living God-Kings first began, temples and churches that could be (relatively) safely repurposed, were repurposed, stripped of the iconography pointing at the existence of other gods. The government quietly hid houses of worship that could not be repurposed from the public view and let them deteriorate. Singi, a ruined city near Muzka, is the reason why the temples were repurposed or abandoned but not destroyed.
In the early days of the God Kings, the King's advocates demanded that iconography of the false gods be destroyed, starting with Singi's temple to the Adhara. Singi’s was widely considered the most beautiful Adharan temple in the world. As the elegant glass and stone were destroyed, Thara turned everyone near the temple to salt. The faulture stands in a dead city surrounded by statues of salt. Outside Rhosia, people believe that the gods cursed Rhosia for its hubris, and its so-called "God-kings" will bring about its destruction. A very different version of the Singi tragedy is circulated within Rhosia.

Politics

While the common folk may toil in the taiga, mines, or villages, Rhosia’s aristocracy toil in the capital city, Muzka, to expand their power and influence. The current ruling family had been in power for less than a generation when King Volodymyr died in a tragic hunting accident. His teenage son Krezisc inherited the throne. The young king is known for hosting extravagant (and extravagantly expensive) celebrations for the masses and nobility alike. These diversions are just that, though: distractions and drains on national resources, not that the King Krezisc seems to care very much. Although the individual provinces manage day-to-day affairs, they are merely middle management. The royal family has the final say in all matters and can reverse lower decisions.
Despite the appearance of absolute power, King Krezisc’s hold on the government is tenuous. The other members of the royal family and noble houses vie with each other for power. Politics are cutthroat. In the game for political power, you win or you die. A small number of advisors loyal to the country but not its king or aristocracy quietly run it in an attempt to keep everything afloat.

The Rhosian Inquisition

Rhosia’s Inquisitorial agents are its secret service. Broadly speaking, the Inquisition is divided into two departments; Judges (legal focus) and Executioners (martial focus). Whether it is the apprehension of magic users, confiscation of illegal contraband, destruction of compromising knowledge, or simply execution, the Inquisition is at the beck and call of the God King and His inner circle, working hard to keep up the farce spun by the regime. Yet, many of the Inquisition's members are not aware of the lies. They follow blindly, trusting that the regime knows what’s necessary to “keep the peace”.
By design, the Inquisition’s existence is an open secret to Rhosia's people. The Inquisition’s most powerful weapon is the influence Rhosians give it through their fear.

Border Security & Travel

Rhosia’s border control is incredibly aggressive and the many outposts around its borders are meant to prevent people without authorisation from entering or, even worse, leaving. Travel protocols are extremely strict for Rhosians citizens, and include a nightmarish visa request process, the inability to travel with your whole nuclear family, and routine check-ins with the Rhosian embassy in the destination country. Rhosia lacks embassies in , ,CarthadasEridania Kamaraha, and . Failing to meet the deadline established for one’s return is enough reason to be banned from the country entirely.Llyria

Magic Integration & Magical Protection

Performing artifice, magic, psionics, or anyhing similar is illegal for anyone who has not passed an arduous test and received a permit (cantrips are the exception). Additionally, Diviniation and Enchantment spells require a separate permit on top of the basic one, but the process is so difficult that most don’t bother.
Carrying your permit(s) can be a matter of life or death. Anyone found practicing magic without one - through eyewitness report, failure to produce documentation when requested, or other means - is detained and penalized on a case-by-case basis. Reports about practice of either banned school result in an immediate visit by the Rhosian Inquisition.

How is unauthorized magic use tracked? Sensors carrying a Detect Magic signature are installed in high risk areas or planted on high-risk targets. These may be physical (such as a poster or brick) or intangible sensors (akin to an arcane eye).

The nation's most vulnerable border crossings and capital city are protected an Abjuration barrier. The layer’s purpose is twofold; to block Divination magic - especially scrying - and to prevent crossing of the borders through teleportation magic. The magical barrier is upheld by smaller stations along the border, usually staffed by only a few guards and an arcane expert.
Divination is still possible within the country, as is teleportation. Teleportation circles to other significant locations are placed at various border controls just outside of the shield. Their use requires an intensive check by the stationed guards in both directions.

Treatment of Spontaneous Casters

When a Rhosian child is discovered to possess alluvial magic that predisposes them to sorcerery, they are separated from their family and escorted to a “Dubna”. At these special institutions, the regime oversees development and education of magically gifted children, bringing them in line with the doctrine of the country. This education ensures that those who have no choice over their connection to magic can follow Rhosia’s laws.
For the poor, this poses a unique opportunity to pursue higher education which they mightn’t have had access to otherwise. For the family, having a “Dubna child” in the family can mean a chance at social advancement, provided the child graduates. Children are prohibited from leaving their Dubna until graduation, but children may write letters to the outside, receive visitors, and take field trips as a group.
Earning their magic permit is the final step that allows Dubna children to reintegrate into society. Though they are allowed to retake the test as many times as they wish, until they succeed, they are detained at what is - despite its high quality of life - a prison.

Culture

• The official axiom is abbreviated as "Seven Swords" for a battle cry or as a swear.
• Nobility can be identified by the particle “Af” before their surname. Nowadays, such a particle is treated as a blessing of the God King, and having your family be raised to nobility is equal to stepping into the presence of the Divine.
• Open worship of the Evaran pantheon is forbidden in Rhosia, so people who hold with the gods do not share that information with others. Covenant magic is more common among Rhosians who devoutly follow Rexism, the state religion.
• Rhosians outside their country are a novelty. The most well-known ones are those with unwavering faith in the God King, deployed by the regime to spread their propaganda and doctrine. Though these Rhosians only represent a small and most extremist percentage of the population, their voices easily leave outsiders with a negative perception.
• Due to the shared border with Ciashra, the monster population is high, and the citizens of Rhosia almost universally have some combat knowledge. Rhosians are also extremely prejudiced against Ciashrans.
• Military service is not compulsory, but is highly celebrated. It is considered the highest service that the laity can provide to the God King. Their mage units are rather small, but their forces excel in nullifying enemy casters. Sorcerers who excelled in their training at a Dubna often get recruited to the magebreaker unit.
• Residents place a high value on having close relationships with family and close friends. They tend to be untrusting of strangers.
• They are highly affectionate and seeing family members hug and kiss each other on the cheeks in public is not uncommon. It is also not uncommon to hold hands or platonically kiss close friends on the cheek or forehead.

• Clothing typically is made from either wool or cotton. Layers of fur-lined wool is worn during the winter and light cotton, during the summer. Shirts and dresses bear long but loose sleeves usually fitted at the wrist. Clothing also bears large stripes or intricate patterns in vivid colors. Greens are prevalent.
• Monster bones, pelts, claws, and other parts are often used to accessorize as well as jewelry made from precious metals
• Rhosia was once the center of the artistic world. In particular, dance and orchestral music originated from Rhosian composers. However, many recent releases have fallen flat outside the country. Outsiders believe this change in Rhosia's artistic fortunes is due to losing the favor of The First God, Adar.
• Though Rhosia had lost its status as “Evara’s centre of artistry”, entertainment as a whole is still quite prominent. Art is just as censored and surveilled as any creation, but that which is allowed aims to be as entertaining and mass appealing as possible. After all, a distracted population feels happier, asks fewer questions and is easier to control without necessitating military action.
  • The highlight of this is grand parades held in the honour of the God King, often featuring many magnificent performances and spanning several days.

"Seven swords salute the one true god."

Pamukkale Turkey by Overlok Machine

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Alternative Names

The Seven Kingdoms of Rhosia

Demonym

Rhosian (Rhosians)

Government Type
Absolute (Divine) Monarchy
Common Races
Human, Half-elf, Minotaur, Changeling, Half-orc, Kalashtar
Common Gods/Religions
Rexism (False Idol Worship)
Primary Industries
Farming, fishing, foresting, mining, monster hunting