The Holy Kingdom of Eastoia
Structure
The Supreme authority in the Holy Kingdom is The Pope. While the pope has no official authority within the kingdom, it is understood that to defy their will is to not only seek the ire of the zealous worshipers within, but the wrath of The Lord of Light himself. Thusly there has scant been an instance in direct refusal of The Pope. The King/Queen of the kingdom is the next most powerful figure within the realm. Officially the King/Queen is the protector of the realm, giving them full authority to rally nobles for war against other kingdoms. The King/Queen also has the ability to create decrees, notices, and proclamations all of which are various laws with various restrictions. Adjacent in power to the King/Queen is The Archbishop circle. The Archbishop council is the check to the King/Queens authority. Every law they make, duty they delegate, or title they strip is checked for moral consistency within the confines of the faith. The council is responsible for managing the tithes to be paid to the church, as well as the churches religious obligations to the serfs.
Culture
Eastoian culture is influenced heavily by their religion. There is a strong emphasis on law, order, subservience's to superiors, and knowing ones place in life. Seeking to better ones position is frowned upon by society, and those who do so heavy handedly are often exiled from their communities, or excommunicated from the church. There is heavy distrust of outsiders due to the long history of invasion by Norseka, which has led to deep levels of isolationism and religious bigotry. Art work, literature, and music are mostly all religious based, with only merchants and nobility consuming non-religious based works.
Generally the populace is afraid of things they don't understand or have deemed heretical. Monstrous races are often killed on sight, half monsters are treated with pity or extreme hostility, and non-Lord of Light clerics and other spell casters can even sometimes be the subjects of ire of roaming bands of serfs.
Agriculture is very important to the average serf living outside of huge cities, leading to the clergy organizing many festivals in which serfs can show of their crops and try different produce from fellow serfs. Different agrarian techniques are developed and it is encouraged that every farmer attempt to find their own way of growing crops effectively. Vegetables, especially corn and cabbage, are a mainstay of the Eastoian diet, and it is said that the Eastoians have found every way imageable to cook and prepare the two crops.
Amongst the nobility, freeman, and merchants mastery of chess is the great equalizer. No matter the noble title, freeman status, or merchants wealth, if you are not proficient at chess your social acumen is lowered. Tournaments are regularly organized by nobles to attract chess players from around the kingdom, with rewards often being huge sums of money or plots of land. Chess "arenas" exist in many towns and cities in which patrons can watch from stands as players face off with announcers calling out moves.
For most classes except for freeman, romance and marriage are more transactions than expressions of love. The word of mortals is taught to be looked upon skeptically by the faith, and bonds of blood mixing are distinctly heretical as they are common practices amongst the Norse Pantheon and Dark Dualism. So many contracts are instead sealed by marriages, trading of children, trading of spouses, trading of goods, or some combination of both. Because of this serf, noble, and merchant women are often encouraged to have as many kids as possible, leading to the early preventable of death of many women. Courtship often involves flaunting of wealth, goods that are planed to be traded, or land. Sometimes peoples families will be shown to boast about their size as a testament to the fertilely and virality of their bloodline.
Freeman enjoy a different form of courtship in which the two involved partners will take turns selecting locations for dates. The partner who chose the location will prepare, pay, or somehow acquire the meal. The partner who didn't chose the location gets a gift of some kind. It can be as extravagant as a statue, or as mundane and personal as a poem. 5 of the dates is the cultural minimum before one considers someone their beau (boyfriend), mayden (girlfriend), or beauden (neutral term).
Public Agenda
The agenda of the kingdom is to maintain the sovereignty of the Anglican people, convert as many people as possible to the divine mandate of the Lord of Light, and to directly oppose Norseka's expansion and aggression.
Assets
The Kingdom itself does not have a standing army and instead relies on levied militia of serfs and freemen as well as each noble's personal retinue. Estoia's navy has been lack luster for years with no signs of improving, however it's land defenses such as castles, fortresses, and outposts are heavily developed and able to relay signs of invasion for miles. Due to the kingdoms agrarian economy wealth in coinage is very low compared to similar sized kingdoms.
In The Aura of The Light
Founding Date
179 ABN
Type
Geopolitical, Theocracy
Capital
Alternative Names
Eastoia, The Holy Kingdom, The Lords Children
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Eastoian
Leader Title
Founders
Location
Official Languages
Related Ethnicities
Comments