A kingdom of archanomechanical progress, The Kircian Dominion is the youngest of the organized major powers at play in Orzadama, celebrating it's 300th year recently. To walk the streets of modern day Kircia as an outsider they say is to step into a different world. Complex baroque inspired structures covered in golden filigree line the blocks and crossings, People walking the streets with gears and other intricate clockwork designs woven into their everyday wear. Constructs resembling horses known as Equinex pull ornate moving metal carriages through the streets across carefully cultivated cobblestone kept pristine by smaller metal simulacra of mice and other rodents that diligently clean the cracks between the carefully laid stone. Despite being deep in the northern lands of Orzadama, most of the denizens of the Dominion have never seen snow or known the bitter cold that is carried through the north due to the marvels that float at the edges of Dominion controlled land. The great and mysterious archanomechanic Pulsars that float high above the outskirts of the Dominion create a barrier that prevents the northern frost and many of the larger monstrous threats from reaching the Dominion proper. These were the greatest of the inventions left behind by the founder of this modernist powerhouse, Kircian I, and they played a massive role in the consolidation and formation of The Kircian Dominion. Now, marvels of metal, Kircite, and ingenuity roam each street, and adorn many of the large golden and red filigreed buildings.
The Kircian Dominion is an autocracy, run by a single figure that sits atop the government, discarding their birth name to take on the mantle of Kircia, followed by the numeral representative of their place in the ruling line. Beneath this leader sits a council meant to advise and guide their absolute leader, who is expected to not simply lead, but innovate, with each Kircia leaving behind at least one great innovation to define their legacy. When the time comes to select a new Kircia, a search begins to find the most intellectual and talented inventors and creators in the Dominion at or under the age of 25, at which point these individuals are tested through trials and gauged in order to present the best potential for growth. Following this the council will lock themselves in their chamber until they have come to a decision on who will next lead their people to greatness. The current leader is Kircia XI, who is in the 7th year of her reign, appointed after the death of Kircia X, who succumbed to their old age.
The Dominion rests upon a multitiered plateau, separated from the vast sea to the north by a range of large crimson mountains, the primary source of the rare and powerful stone Kircite that plays such an important role in the day to day society of the Dominion. When manipulated properly and refined it is a key component in any number of wondrous things otherwise thought to be impossible without powerful and sustained spellwork. today Kircite plays a large role in day to day affairs as well as in the advancement of the Dominion, from the mysterious floating Pulsars, to powering the Equinex, to infusing objects and attire with arcane properties, and a myriad of other uses.
At the topmost level of this plateau sits Great Kircia, the capitol of the Dominion and one of the largest cities in Orzadama, the entirety of Great Kircia is a massive baroque castle built to house Kircia, the Kircian Council, their families, any foreign dignitaries, and a handful of others handpicked by the ruling parties for any number of reasons. Inside this great castle city are massive gardens and markets with only the finest goods and services offered, all with the intention of ensuring it's residents want for nothing and are able to fulfil their duties to the best of their abilities. Flowing through Great Kircia and down into the second and thirds tiers is the Red River, waters that carry the faintest hint of a red tint, and the primary source of water throughout the Dominion, though carefully filtered before consumed.
The second tier of the Dominion is comprised of cities which house the upper and upper-middle class, with most of the innovation that takes place in modern Kircia taking place here. Arcanomechanical marvels like the Equinex, with their carefully crafted and sculpted metal filigree and framework, powered by meticulously enchanted kircite, are commonplace. Politics have always played a large role in the Dominion, with favors and backtalk rampant through the cities, nobles and those hoping to be initiated into the upper crust always looking for any opportunity to manipulate, control, or otherwise cement their place in high society. This has come to be referred to commonly as "The Kircian Danse", and is often mocked by the lowest tier in the Dominion, which houses many of the factories and workhouses that assemble the mass produced products that are sent up to the more upscale cities in the Dominion.
Generally left to their own devices, the lowest tier of the Dominion is broken up into smaller towns, each effectively autonomous and self-policing besides the work orders that they are expected to meet and other occasional needs from the upper class. Once each year a committee is sent to the lower cities to survey and look for any promising young inventors, with orders to offer them the opportunity to be sponsored by a higher family, move to a better life and be granted the opportunity to devote themselves fully to their crafts and inventions. While far from being lives condemned to squalor in most areas, there is still a very clear distinction between life from those on the mid-tier and those who call the bottom tier their home.
Perhaps because of the unknown nature of the crimson mountains or the Red River that supplies most of Kircia with its water, 92% of the Dominion is born with some level of innate magical talent, with the 8% official referred to as the "Quellanque" (Kel-awnk) or more casually "The Quell", often look at with anything from pity to outright disgust, these Quell are generally treated as second class citizens.
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