Albra
POPULATION: 1 MILLION
RELIGION: Green Mountain Chapter
ETHNIC GROUPS: Oŋshan, Hãol
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Pratsa - 600K / Havar - 300K / Hunarish - 90K / Borokaish - 10K
CURRENCY: Oupersh (0.5, T)
Albra is a rocky, sun-kissed island, technically a part of the Relan continental shelf but separated from it by the beautifully warming waters of Apolpho Bay. Being adrift in the Bolohai Ocean has caused popular traditions here to depart in appearance and substance from related ones on the mainland, even those presuming a high degree of continuity across cultures, such as religious ones: Like the rest of Rela, Albra belongs to the Congregation of the Ascended, being one of two adherents of its Green Mountain Chapter, along with Miesz. Locals, however, retain a larger number of practices from pagan days than any other community of the faith. The Sun is an especially potent symbol to the Oŋshan culture dominant in Pratsa, while ancient maritime deities continue to receive sacrifices from the Hãol in exchange for good fishing off the coast of their native Havar. Grand Festivals additionally weave in a patchwork of mystery traditions practiced for such a long time that no one truly has a perspective on what they’re all about, save that they’re an absolute pillar of Albran identity, and thus indispensable. Politically, too, the island goes its own way. The Oŋshan and the Hãol are two very different peoples, and Pratsa and Havar might as well be their own separate countries rather than provinces of a single state. About the only thing those groups agree on is that both are Relan in name only. The Pratsan government is larger and controls more, such as the island’s thriving cotton and limestone quarrying industries, and international trade, so Albra’s face for public relations purposes is for the most part Oŋshan. Their diplomats have learned how to play up Continental ties at court, while running things behind the scenes however it suits them. Spiritual and secular leadership within the Church and the Parliament of Leaves, centralized in Draksineon, abides the above tendencies because Albra in truth contributes little to Relan economic interests, its currency, the Oupersh, being the least valued among allied nations. And because Albra straddles the Autumn and Winter yields, it is furthermore a very hostile place for mages and by extension, The Council of Landezon, a major pillar of the Relan system. Albrans are famously distrustful of magic and conspicuously rejected having a Council Stronghold placed here, the only country on the Continent to do so. Interestingly, there is less Hex activity here than one might expect given the circumstances, implying a lack of perceived strategic importance for the island among dark sorcerors.
Grand Arms of the Mighty Isle of Albra
Type
Territory
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