Intro to Politics & Powerful Organizations

In the 4th Epoch there are two main types of major organizations: Nations, and Guilds. Find below information on main existing nations and guilds of Aropria. Additionally there are various Current Political Tensions and Clandestine Operations.

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Nations

Although the world was thrown into chaos during the Literary Purge so many years ago, the peoples of Aropria have managed to be extraordinarily busy over the last few centuries. There have been wars, uprisings, and political unrest that have shaped the map to what it is today. But there has also been great progress; new technology and knowledge has influenced events in ways that general unrest never could. I have seen much of this land and have found that through it all many of the peoples of Aropria have found new ways to prosper. I can only hope that more and more will continue to do so.

The Curathian Empire remains one of the biggest players. Their territory stretches all the way from the northwestern coast to the central plains. Whenever one visits their cities it is difficult to ignore the royal red standard their military carries with them everywhere. The troops proudly patrol the streets and keep the peace. There doesn’t seem to be any part of Curathian life that isn’t at least somewhat managed by those royal guards. Most of the people there seem content. Some influence from the military seems to be a small price to pay for safe commerce and conduct. The land owners that control their major cities collectively select the next emperor when a new one is needed. The emperor oversees the military and deals with foreign powers in the interest of these ruling elites. Although many who live here profit greatly from this status quo, many of the lower class have no real voice in their government. The wealthy make use of the peasant class, and the slave trade there is alive and well.

Their neighbors to the north in Rowlem are not so lucky. The priests there control every aspect of their citizens' lives. Indeed living in Rowlem seems to have become a sentence to near slavery. Completely engrossed with their idea of humans as some sort of divinely-chosen species, the high priests will stop at nothing to cleanse the world of what they view as lesser beings. So far their campaigns have not gone well. Years of failed military ventures into the south and east have left the Rowlem peasant armies weakened, and with no adequate workforce their economy has become a dilapidated shell of its former glory. Today they struggle to maintain control of their own townships, and the high priesthood has resorted to extreme measures to keep the people in line. With raids a constant threat from the north sea, their hold on power is slowly slipping, with only their great wall preventing them being conquered in the past. We will have to see if some opportunistic sovereign tries to take advantage of the situation.

In the Southwest corner of the continent lies the nation of Nashriam. The fertile valley there quickly led these people to prosperity. Without needing to constantly hunt for food, they turned to more artistic pursuits. Many artisans and scholars live here, and it is said that the beauty of their cities is second to none. They built many schools and universities, and a large portion of the people indigiounous to this region choose to pursue a life of learning and knowledge. As such they boast some of the most skilled congruence users when it comes to architecture and the healing arts. They also spend a great deal of time studying history and anthropology - their scientific expeditions can be found all over the continent. They are ruled over by a council, the members of which are selected by a rather interesting process called voting. In each region the individual citizens choose who they wish to represent them on the council at a gathering every four years. There each potential member gives a speech as to why they should be on the council and after each citizen indicates that they believe they should select this person by a raise of the hand. The raised hands are all counted and at the end the one with the most hands is named the council member for the region. There are only a select number of those living within Nashriam who may participate in this process. Only the Humans who can prove they were born within Nashriam’s borders may vote. Others may be granted this right, but first they must prove their worth to Nashriam by providing something substantial to its progress; often the applicant must provide some new insight into a technological advancement or a better understanding of an ancient artifact. This is known as the rite of ascension.

Across the mountains to the east of Nashriam is the desert lands of Vas’tek. They have made their home here in what many consider to be an arid wasteland and have not only survived but thrived. They control the largest oasis within the desert, their capital city of Wayat’ujan, and from here the King oversees a network of mining operations for precious gems, hunting of rare monsters, and archeological dig sites. Though many of the population travel through the desert for work and trade, they collectively think of the oasis as home. They consider the oasis their lifegiver and indeed without it almost no human could survive long. The Vas’tek have mastered desert life; anyone seeking to traverse the wasteland must look to them for guidance or face almost certain death. It is rumored that some congruence users amongst the Vas’tek have learned to create life from the desert itself. I heard a tale that a master congruence user was able to create an oasis out of nothing but sand that lasted a full day. When my story teller pressed to learn how this had been accomplished, the congruence master was ushered away by guards and he was told that it was merely a natural phenomenon. If this tale is true it would explain how the Vas’tek have been able to make the desert their paradise.

Along the Northeast coast of the continent is the federation of Caliharah. These were once a simple people who wished only to farm the earth and be left alone to make a life for themselves, but forces from outside have forced them into a harder way of living. Mostly a collection of farming communities that stretches across the northeastern plains, they sought only to live as themselves and to be at peace with nature. They worship many divinties of the land and earth, and at their core seek what they see as a complete harmony with the world (there is some dissension amongst them as to how exactly to go about obtaining this harmony). Sadly others outside this nation saw this simple way of life as a weakness. Many years ago the Rowlem invaded and occupied many of their western cites while raids from tribes living on the island to the north decimated the coastline. In response to these threats, the frontier towns and cities of the Caliharah banded together to form a federation. With their efforts now combined they turned their knowledge of the forces of nature against the attackers. Although outnumbered, the Caliharah proved to be effective warriors and many found that they could bend congruence to create powerful focuses of destruction. With their lands now restored they have returned to their farms, but they never forget the lessons they learned in those battles. Today all of the Caliharah learn at a young age to defend themselves and now have some of the most skilled congruence users when it comes to warfare. The threats to the north and west still remain so they retain their organization as a federation to maintain security. Every 7 years the various counties take turns sending one of their best leaders to act as president and oversee the readiness of the whole countryside. In this way all the regions can coordinate their efforts but no one area can assert too much control over the others. Through all this the people of Caliharah have maintained their connection to the land and nature but they have grown wary of outsiders. It is difficult for travelers there to find any sense of hospitality. Anyone wishing to establish trade with this nation would have better luck taking their business elsewhere.

At the far southeast coastline sits the throne of the Alvanian Matriarchy. Much of their leadership is shrouded in mystery. What is known is that the Alvanian’s are uniquely ruled over by a woman. While in most parts of Aropria a female or male is equally likely to lead, it is considered the norm in this tropical land. In Alvanian culture it is the woman who most often takes on leadership roles. The men do have their place and are considered some of the most skilled craftsmen and sailors in all of the continent, but when it comes to matters of business or state craft, one almost always finds himself dealing with a woman. Personally I find this change to be quite refreshing, the women there offer a unique perspective on many areas. However not all visitors here find this arrangement to their liking. The Alvanian queen is almost never seen in public save for a few public holidays where she makes a brief appearance. Most matters of government are handled by lesser officials and things only seem to garner the attention of the crown in matters of dire emergency. The inner workings of the royal court are an enigma, especially to outsiders. The Alvanian boast a vast merchant fleet and fighting navy. Their control over the northern trade routes have made them one of the wealthiest nations in Aropria.

The great island north of the continent is controlled by the Garshalla. Truly more a collection of tribes and settlements, they are loosely unified under their Warchief. The Garshalla worship warfare, and anyone living there is not considered a true member of their tribe until he had shed the blood of an enemy in combat. The Warchief acts more as a spiritual leader than any sort of government official. It is rumored that he teaches a unique type of congruence use though I have no inclination as to what it could be. It is said that the warriors he has trained on are nearly unstoppable in single combat. The Garshalla are well known for their frequent attacks on northern shipping lanes and raids along the northern coast. They are a constant thorn in many of the other nations' sides but all attempts to subdue them through direct invasion of the island have met grisley fates. Most have now decided to do what they can to repel the raiders but otherwise to leave well enough alone. Due to their overall disorganized nature, a major attack from the Garshalla into the continent remains unlikely but not impossible.

On the northernmost part of the great island, the Alium have made a modest home in their city-sate of Kende. They, somewhat surprisingly, live in relative peace with the Garshalla there. The tribe's people seem to respect the Alium’s alien nature and have no desire to quarrel with them, saving that honor for their human brothers. The Alium have been known to give some of their bits of technology to the Garshalla in exchange for protection.

The final nation on note is a rather peculiar settlement in the bay in the southeast part of the continent. They call themselves simply the Karg. They were founded on the principle that all sentient peoples, regardless of race or status of birth, are equal under the law. They used the concept of voting created by the Nashriam but expanded it so that all who live in their borders have some say in all major decisions. They are led by a president who serves for life, but the Karg always select their new leader using their voting system. This idea has been incredibly unpopular amongst the other Nations but they seem content to allow them their small piece of land to control. The area they inhabit has little strategic or economic value, being off of all major trade routes. They try to get by with what agriculture they can muster but often fall victim to marauding bandits and packs of Arak. Life for the Karg indeed seems difficult but their conviction in their ideology of individual freedom seems to have helped them endure. Many may scoff at them but the Karg have become a port of last call for those with nothing left to lose.

There are, of course, many other cities and townships that operate independently from these nations, but I think you will find when it comes to matters of broad politics across the continent these are normally the participants you’ll be dealing with. Of course an entire tomb could be written about each of these nations individually; I only hope that you have found this brief dissertation helpful in your studies.

Guilds

Guilds are groups of professionals that conduct business across multiple nations. In many cases their clientele would be the nations themselves. They would deal with things on a scale grander than what the nations could do independently. Most would try to have a headquarters in each of the major capital cities, however certain nations may not allow one or another of the guilds to operate in their territory for various reasons.

Primary Guilds:

• The Ion’cavar: Professional hunters that operate across the whole of the continent. They specialize in large and dangerous beasts, though they often are hired to supplement wagon guards and smaller hunts as well. They are for the hire of various nations and townships to take care of brown beast, prak, jhund, savulak and the like. They also make a secondary income hunting creatures with rare properties to sell off the body parts.
• Slaver’s Syndicate: This group works to obtain and sell slaves, both human and non-human. They operate in most of the nations but are banned in some (like Karg) and operate with certain restrictions in some nations. This is the closest thing in the 4th epoch to the mob. All activities forward facing are legal and “upstanding”, but they also often facilitate elicit activities related to slavery and otherwise.
• The Clerks: Unlike their roots as a mercantile guild, the Clerks primarily facilitate business between nations and individuals alike, with only small trappings left of the trader origins. The Clerks control Draas, the currency of Aropria as well as implementing new and confirming existing congruence signatures on contracts and the like.
• The Guardians: A critical piece of knowledge for individuals and nations alike is knowing what each persons congruence aptitude is. Fortunately generations ago a woman name Mona Sundri took in upon herself to found an organiztion to provide this service far and wide. They now help facilitate testing and transition depending on a childs aptitude and the particular nation’s laws.