Eoion Overview (eh'OH'ee'on)
The largest and only empire on the continent of Seleim. Eoion was once a single kingdom, but under the Divine Founder Ilya Shiroko, became an empire that has stood for 700 years.
History of Eoion
Overview
Eoion was originally a monarchy when it was composed of one country and this monarchy created close allies in the other four smaller kingdoms on the continent. However, the ruling king when Ulena was freed had become extremely unpopular due to his reckless use of the treasury funds and ineptitude when dealing with corruption among government officials. Ilya’s successful return to the kingdom as a war hero for an allied nation, the anger of the people at the current king, and the support of Ulena’s newly reestablished military allowed Ilya to overthrow the original dynasty and place himself at the top. After conquering (or annexing) the remaining kingdoms, the empire was established with a hereditary monarchial system. Or at least, that's what the history books say. For more on the monarchy see Eoion Monarchy OverviewGovernment
At the center of the empire's government is the Shiroko Dynasty . The governmental structure of the empire is regional and partially class based. Previous kingdom borders have been abolished and instead the population is organized into counties and provinces, which often cross the borders of the previous kingdoms. These counties are overseen by nobles, usually from the old kingdoms’ noble houses or those who were given noble status after great deeds in wars. Regional governors are beholden to the will of the emperor. Each regional governor reports to the twelve central departments, which then are in daily contact with the emperor. Department heads have authority in their own departments, but cannot enact laws and must always be careful of the emperor as their titles, land, and power are given or taken at the monarch’s whim. The structure of the government is parallel. Each of the twelve departments has a representative or office in each province, depending on the size of the area. Provincial heads and the regional department heads work closely with one another. The county governments are structured in the same way. County leaders are required to personally attend the royal court 3-4 times per year for large meetings, but often have representatives present throughout the year for better communication with the emperor. A semi-public network of officials travels around the country, monitoring the actions of provincial and regional officers and aristocracy. They are not an official department among the twelve and report directly to the ruler. Some members are known, but some are not. They act as spies within the empire to ensure that the monarch's will is carried out properly and that the nobility are behaving correctly. Regional and provincial governors come from aristocratic families and the titles are often inherited, whereas positions in the departments are merit based, although nearly all of the high ranking members are from the upper class.- Departments and Heads: Treasury(Zora Shiroko and Avel Shiroko ), Foreign Affairs (Zhenya Moshinati), Conquest (Catarin Shiroko ), Law (Galyna Shiroko ), Public Programs (Rustem Shiroko ), State Affairs (Kyarlo Shiroko ), Defense (Hristina Uenemet), Architecture (Biyana Anivu), Education (Ioran Lidebe), Workers and Agriculture (Orina Ule), Historic Significance (Genadi Uenemet), Public Health (Mina Hishu)
Society
There are two main classes within Eoion society: aristocracy and regular citizens. Slaves rank below everyone regardless of status. The aristocrats tend to come from noble families of the previous kingdoms or have been granted titles due to service to the empire. These people most often serve in high government positions. Within the aristocracy, there is a rigid hierarchy, with the monarch at the top. Movement between classes is almost impossible without a title change given by the emperor, something lower end aristocrats compete for often. There are as many as 20 different titles that can be held within the aristocracy (translations to Eoin in italics).- High to low: emperor/empress (regents fall in this category) (baejan), royal consort (tsudaeba), high prince/princess (the heir) (tajanji), prince/princess (younger siblings of the heir) (janji), grand duke/grand duchess (tahin shakuger), archduke/archduchess (tashakuger), duke/duchess (shakuger), vice duke/ vice duchess (vlahu shakuger), conda/condessa (kordeshu), marquess/marchioness (vlahu kordeshu), earl/earlla (tajagae), count/countess (jagae), viscount/viscountess (vlahu jagae), baron/barnness (tsansha), baronet/baronet (vlahu tsansha), vidame/vidamme (tadzaiwo), seigneur/seigneura (dzaiwo), esquire/esquiress (vlahu dzaiwo), dom/doma (nandzur), gentleman/gentlewoman (vlahu nandzur)
Clothing
Aristocrats tend to imitate whatever fashion the royal family is wearing, particularly the reigning monarch. Regular citizens have clothing that changes by region. At first, the clothes of their ancestral kingdom were common but as the people became more and more assimilated into Eoion itself, the clothing became more homogenized. The garments generally have shorter sleeves for poorer people or laborers (long sleeves and layers are seen more in the rich as they have to do less manual work that would be hindered by fabric). Whites, pale blues and light purples are seen in aristocracy while darker colors (things that won’t show dirt) are for lower classes. Embroidery and trim are more common with nobles than lower classes and become more intricate the higher the social status. Animals are a common motif in embroidery, although the Shiroko are the only ones allowed to have a tsirin on their clothing- Meanings of colors: white (authority, status, wealth), green (peace, stability, health), purple (freedom from evil, Bolu, bravery), blue (calmness, flow, dominance), yellow/gold (prosperity, love, respect), orange (passion, change, friendship), red (vigor, military success, trust), black/grey (elegance, contemplation, loyalty/service), brown (determination, resilience, medicine)
Hairstyles
Those who had time to study did not fight often and long hair became a symbol of intelligence and magical ability. The Shiroko in particular wear their hair long to show their connection to the Ilyannoi magic. Hair is often tied in intricate braided patterns and adorned with hairpins, ribbons, etc. The ornateness and materials of the accessories, along with how intricate the styles are is indicative of wealth. Within the nobility, hair styling is rigidly dictated by status. Rulers can wear their hair in whatever style they like, although the basic tenets described above are generally held. Lesser nobles will have fewer accessories and braids, until reaching the gentleman/gentlewoman class where one ornate hairpin is seen accompanied by a thin braid tied back. The lower classes tend to vary. Rich merchants will imitate the styles of the nobility while those even lower will have their hair shorter to keep it out of the way. Braids are common as are accessories to “make up” for their shorter hair, although they will be significantly less ornate.Entertainment
- Music: Eoion's music is more wind instrument heavy and softer. They do not use it very much with religion at all and so pieces tend to be inspired by historical events and to celebrate them.
- Battles: Gladiator-like games are very popular. Slaves and free people can participate, although if a slave wins, their owner receives the prize money. Tournaments are held throughout the empire, with a large festival coming during the celebration of Dea Ilya's birthday. At this festival, the final tournament is held. The winner there will either receive their freedom (along with the prize money) if they are a slave or money and land if they are free. This is the only time a slave would be permitted to keep the money. Betting on the games is common among nobles and commoners. Not all battles go to the death and there are certain types of games reserved for different occasions.
- Theater tends to focus on historic battles. Drama and action are prized in entertainment, a contrast to the refinement people strive for in their daily lives.
- Fan dancing is a common performative piece seen at festivals. Such dancers are trained for years in both traditional dances and newer styles and there are several schools of dancing that specialize in different techniques.
Language
The language spoken by most of the population is Eoin, originating from the Eoion empire. Before the empire rose, each country had their own language (ex. Fareness). However, after four of the five were taken over by Eoion, their native languages were forbidden from being taught in schools and instead children learned Eoin. This left the language in the hands of previous generations and at present, there are very few who can speak their original language fluently. Most understand them as almost completely dead languages and learn them only if they are studying ancient texts. Some accents of the old languages still remain and it is simple to tell a person's ancestry by how they speak Eoin. In Eoin, the phrase "Eoion Empire" is "Eoionsu Gandya", literally "Eoin Empire" or "Empire of Eoion". To refer to their southern neighbor, the Yzel Kingdom would be Yzelsu Kirolar, or "Yzelian Kindgom". Merchants and nobility will often learn Yzelian as they have many dealings with people from the southern kingdom. Regular citizens generally do not learn Yzelian.Currency
Eoion currency is called ‘shir’ and divided into 5 types (small copper, large copper, small silver, large silver, one size gold). They are in groups of ten to the next denomination. For example, 10 small copper shir go into one large copper shir. Silver coins are shaped like triangles so they are sometimes called trishir. Each coin has another name, like pennies, quarters, dimes, ect. Small copper- saqushir (coppers are square shaped). Large copper- laqushir. Small silver- satrishir. Large silver- latrishir. Gold- goshir. The conversion rate between Eoion and Yzel is 1 saqushir to 2 pavacsMilitary
The main military force of Eoion is composed of Ilyannoi and humans. The creatures themselves are loyal to the Shiroko family first and the country second, which gives the dynasty a great deal of influence over the military. Ilyannoi are able to reproduce naturally along with being created by the ruling dynasty and thus their ranks grow faster than those of the human soldiers. People tend to be split into two categories: foot soldiers and officers. Foot soldiers fight on the front lines with the more aggressive Ilyannoi and are often very close to them, something that strengthens their ties with the Shiroko. Officers tend to come from noble households and rarely work directly with the creatures. This gap makes the foot soldiers more loyal to the royals than the officers and keeps the officers in line to a degree. Land and air combat are their specialities. Foot soldiers are highly trained, the best on the continent, with harsh training regimens and strict discipline to produce such fighters. Air combat is handled entirely by flying Ilyannoi, making the Shiroko the only country in the world with aerial combat power. Their navy is almost non-existent as their only access to the sea is north of them, which is extremely cold. A few swimming creatures patrol, but this is a small number. Field and air combat are the specialities of the military. Eoion is much more mountainous than Yzel so their soldiers are better in rough terrain even if they can fight in open fields. The border between the two countries is a mix of both mountains and flatlands, thus the wars tend to be more about who can lure the enemy where, at least until the flying creatures arrive
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Alternative Names
Shiroko Empire
Demonym
Eoin
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Shir
Executive Body
Emperor and Twelve Departments
Official State Religion
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Manufactured Items
Related Items
Organization Vehicles
Comments