Llyne

Written by strawberryAle

Llyne has always served as the 'Holy Land' of the Church. As such, it is easily the most important kingdom in all of human culture, and unlike most settlements, is directly controlled by the Holy Church itself. The head of the country is the Pontiff of the Church -- the 'Father of Fathers', whose guiding hand directs both the interests of the Faith and the great nation of Llyne. The Pontiff is also considered to be the head of all Churches across the world, his word is treated as the word of God itself, even overseas.
Llyne has a relatively wholesome culture. The people generally live in rural or small communities that settle around the fertile rivers or where game is plentiful. Llyne’s island is synonymous with the capital city; while the island is also called the Promised Land, many generally just refer to the island as Llyne.

The Collapse

Alas, ever since The Collapse, the Church has had difficulties maintaining the standards they initially had. Adventurers and vagabonds alike flock to Llyne in hopes of traversing through the fabled Pit, which contains primeval treasures and potential power beyond understanding. The Collapse marks the beginning of an entirely new era in Llyne's history. Roughly 20 years ago, the entire city of Llyne was swallowed whole by an enormous pit that had suddenly formed beneath it. The city sunk, leaving little survivors behind, with only vestiges of the city left standing, the Church sent expeditions to recover any survivors and lost relics from their once-great city.
What they found instead shocked them. No lost city, no survivors, but instead, a seemingly endless and sprawling forest within the sinkhole, that opened into more strange biomes. Further exploration lead to the discovery of magical relics and artifacts, and soon after, adventurers began to quickly hear the news of this prospect. It had sparked a gold rush to achieve rare artifacts.
Since then, Llyne's capital city has been rebuilt, but is now entirely shaped around the enormous sinkhole. This new city is designed to provide access directly to the Pit, allowing adventurers to freely come and go as they please.

Structure

As the seat of power for the Holy Church, the Church's hierarchy is Llyne's hierarchy. Local churches are also designated as important government buildings where laws are established and taxes are gathered.
Pontiff: Also called the 'Allfather', the Pontiff is the head of the Church and designated as the ruler of Llyne. His word is generally considered to be brought straight from the mouth of God. The Pontiff is actually selected from a holy ritual where Bishops are hand selected to go through a series of grueling tasks simply referred to as The Labors. The first bishop to complete all of the labors bestowed the title of Pontiff, and are entrusted with the rulership of the Church. The only word higher than the Pontiff's is God himself; to stand against either is to stand against the other.
Bishop:A bishop is a high ranking official of the church. They are usually given the honorary title of 'Father', but are simply referred to as 'Bishop' in most cases to differentiate them from Deacons. Bishops are just beneath the Pontiff in terms of power, and form the main governing body of Llyne. They are what handle most of the laws and pass them onto the public. Bishops are usually appointed to Churches located in large cities within Llyne. Female equivalent of this is called the Abbess.
Deacon/Abbot: Beneath the Bishop is the Deacon or Abbot. Entrusted with the title of 'Father' or 'Mother', respectively. This role is assigned towards a high ranking member of Aine's clergy, entrusted to act as the head of a specific Church. They generally act as leaders of towns or settlements, but are sometimes entrusted to lead churches within cities when a suitable bishop isn't present. Their roles are very similar to the Bishop or Abbess.
Priest/Priestess: The Priests and Priestesses. called 'Brother' or 'Sister' respectively, are the enforcers of Llyne's society. They make up the members of the clergy and serve the community as both officials and police. They do most of the work as dictated by their respective superior; typically collecting taxes or patrolling suspicious locations in hopes of apprehending suspected criminals.

Public Agenda

Llyne's agenda is simple; to maintain a single, unified nation that shares all the interests to those who carry the faith of Aine.

History

The home isle of Tregaron was always one filled with danger. Humans were fractured, splintered into numerous feudal kingdoms that were at a constant battle with one another. Borders expanded and shrunk as the various noble lords fought and claimed lands...in time, a Church leader, growing weary of this, decided to gather those faithful to Aine and lead them into a pilgrimage overseas. At this time, they hardly knew where the ocean would take them, but hoped the waters carried lands much like their home.
They landed upon Llyne, which was immediately called the 'Promised Land' by the faithful. A nice, ripe country given to them by God to establish their own homer. In time, Llyne quickly began to develop into a flourishing colony, until it had the means to properly declare it its own nation. Unlike the feudal island of Tregaron, Llyne would be entirely united beneath the faith of God, and later flourish and prosper as time wound on

Demography and Population

For the most part, Llyne mostly consists of humans in terms of demographics. Other races are considered to be a large minority of the country, though recent events, namely the formation of The Pit, has lead to Llyne's population becoming far more diverse. Even then, humans vastly outnumber the other races and are considered the great majority. Dwarfs are considered a close second, while the remaining is considered to be a small enough minority to be placed into the 'Other' category.

Territories

Llyne is an entire island found within Veska; they are considered to own the entire island, and though the Church wishes to consider the Pit a location under their control, it still remains a frontier unknown to Llyne despite being so close to home.

Military

Llyne's military, called the Faith Keepers, are a group of zealots dedicated to preserving the country's peace while also protecting the interests of the Church. The Faith Keepers are divided into rather simple sects; in the chain of command, a Deacon or Bishop is considered to be the equivalent of a general or leader to the Faith Keepers.
The Faith Keepers are divided into several sects...
The Minutemen: Are designated to react to hostile crime 'at a minute's notice.' Minutemen enforce the law and act as city guards. They are tasked with the protection of the people.
The Inquisitors: Inquisitors have only recently begun to surface after the recent crusades against the Elves. While minutemen are expected to enforce the law and protect, they are not expected to actively hunt criminals or investigate misdeeds. That duty falls upon the shoulders of the inquisitor. Inquisitors are seldom called upon, but are hand picked from the pool of Minutemen. Inquisitors are treated as if they have all the power of a Bishop, but are still treated lower in the hierarchy than a Deacon. They are allowed to command Minutemen if necessary, and are given special tasks by the Church to hunt down threats to them or the faithful.

Religion

The only religion found present within Llyne is the faith of Aine, or the 'True Faith', as they call it. Faith outside of Aine's way is actually considered extremely taboo; those who pay lip service to what they consider 'pagan' or 'strange' deities is on grounds of being swiftly exiled to The Pit.

Foreign Relations

Tregaron: As the ancestral homeland of many humans across the world, Tregaron has always had close ties with Llyne. The two were once one and the same before the Church separated into its own governing body. As Tregaron later developed into several different kingdoms, relations with Llyne only grew closer as their faith become far more spread across the Kingdom. The Church and the Hunters work hand in hand together.
Dwarfs: Dwarfs have always been considered an ally to all of humanity; and Llyne makes no exception to them. Though faiths sometimes conflict with each other, many Dwarfs are known for having favored the Faith of Aine over the traditional Dwarven pantheon.
Rana: Llyne and Rana are hostile with each other; primarily due to the vast amount of holy relics and treasure that is known to be found across Llyne. This leads to the Rana seeing it as a prime target for raiding, and it is due to these raids that Llyne considers the Rana to be a dangerous enemy.
Elves/Elafi: Elves and Elafi are generally placed under the same exact family together for the same exact reason. They are considered 'strange' due to their faith being placed upon the Fae, rather than Aine. Elves have also always been considered an enemy of the Church due to the Mordencrast Conspiracy, while the Elafi are sometimes considered enemies solely due to them aiding in giving the Elves a place to hide from the crusades of the Church.

Agriculture & Industry

Llyne is a heavily agricultural country. Within Llyne, there are places known as 'Farm Towns', consisting entirely of farmers whom work together to create gigantic fields of various crops, which are then distributed and spread throughout the country. Alchemists are also entrusted with the preservation of these crops, utilizing special methods that help enhance the shelf life of any goods, which can then potentially be sent overseas for a steady profit.

Trade & Transport

Llyne typically transports holy relics and various goods from The Pit; Holy Water is an incredibly important export from Llyne, as is Silver. Silver and Holy Water are both frequently sent overseas to Tregaron or other settlements across the world. Relics attained from the pit are placed upon small, special ships escorted by multiple gunships. The transportation of relics and artifacts from The Pit is a very lucrative -- but dangerous trade. While the ships sent out on these expeditions accrue a small fortune from their trade, they are at risk of piracy due to the great value of the cargo they hold.
Crops are magically preserved through a special spell that places them into a stasis. This stasis is breakable the moment that the object is cooked, allowing for them to properly be sent overseas without risk of spoilage.

Education

Once a child turns five, they begin schooling that generally lasts for about ten years. Schooling is generally taught by priests and priestesses at proper buildings, and in some communities, it is taught early in the morning at Church. It is taught for two straight weeks, where a week long period of rest is given after. The years are kept track of for each and every child attending the school, and upon reaching ten years of schooling, they will be given a special certificate acknowledging their schooling.
Schooling is not mandatory; it is paid for by the parents, and is thus generally considered something of a luxury. Those who complete schooling and are interested in the magical or alchemical arts are given the opportunity to use their certificate for leverage to enter one of the esteemed mage colleges found within Llyne.
Mage colleges are much different from standard schooling; they are heavily reliant around the concept of self-teaching, and while they do provide resources that allow young mages to study and learn the arcane or druidic arts, they are expected to learn their own magics over time. Mages are drafted from these colleges as mercenaries, conscripted and paid to perform duties by the Church. Furthermore, these colleges provide housing and food for all students, free of cost.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts below.

"Faith is our family."

Founding Date

1002, 3rd of Saolsam.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Alternative Names

The Promised Lands

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Experienced

Demonym

Llyne

Government System

Theocracy

Economic System

Traditional

Currency

Silver and Gold coins.
Silver is called 'Cups', while Gold is called 'Crowns'.
This method of currency has long since spread across the human kingdoms.

Major Exports

Typically crops, silver, and various relics pulled from The Pit.

Major Imports

Llyne is a very self-sustaining country and manages to survive rather well on its own, thanks to the vast amount of fertile soil found across the nation. The profits and benefits of the relics found within the Pit also further help the growth and economy of the nation.

Legislative Body

Bishops are whom write the laws and establish the rules within Aine's faith. They are elected from a body of Deacons.

Judicial Body

The Deacons and Priesthood are both responsible for this; they carry out the laws and maintain order. Groups of priests frequently wander across cities and towns to help enforce the Church's interests.