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The land of Karanai is an expansive one, bordered to the east by the Sea of Knowledge, and to the south by the land of Moore. It is ruled by a pair of kings, husbands, the epitome of the phrase “opposites attract.” In the court of King Azazh, scholars of literature and history advise the good king on the best plans to maintain control of the South, the region of Friyekunste, and the many people who live and work there. In the court of King Arithem, scholars of math and science help to manage the mines of the northern region of Wissentem. The kings’ two children, Princept Rymh and Princess Reash, are darlings of the land and beloved by all. It is an idyllic land.
Or, at least, it was. Before something happened to Rymh and Reash, before the kings, wracked by grief, found their marriage could not continue, before the kings’ grief turned to hatred, which turned to war. The two kingdoms are now in constant flux, with trenches snaking throughout the border regions.
The Minstrative Church, or the Church of the God Akademos, attempts to mediate the conflict, as there are clergy members on both sides of the trenches. However, the king of the south holds certain religious relics hostage, which has turned the church against him and his “heretical quest for power”. The Papess of the Church has thrown her lot in with Arithem, for better or for worse.
The Divided Government
The Divided Government
Ex-husbands King Azazh of the Kingdom of Friyekunste and King Arithem of the Kingdom of Wissentim in constant disagreement and at war. Both claim that they have a right to the throne of the whole kingdom, and both have taken the title "True King of the Divided Lands". Arithem, the stronger candidate, is the descendant of the Karanaen royal line of Expre and backed by the Church of Akademos. Azazh, on the other hand, is a militarily powerful leader, with strong ties to the neighboring kingdom of Greenhold, and claims that Arithem went insane after the loss of their children, and thus, the legal right to rule falls to the other king.
The Minstrative Church
The Minstrative Church
The Minstrative Church claims to be politically neutral, and both the kings are subservient to it. After the split, the Church seems to have thrown its whole weight behind Wissentim. The Papess, the Prophetess of Akademos, is the head of the church. She is attended by her students, and each year one student gets the honor of doffing their robes in favor of simpler garb and tending to the Papess’s fires at the Chapel of the Ecclesion. This student, known as the Firewarden, is usually trained at the Papess’s right hand, and will, at the Papess’s death, take over the role and begin to commune with Akademos.
At the end of one’s time on earth, a person’s next of kin must receive in their place a document from a member of the clergy granting them access to the Lands Beyond-- the Death Into Promise document. As far as memory reaches, the Clergy of Friyekunste has kept the secret knowledge of the specific language of this document, which is always sealed and buried with the dead; it is heresy, punishable by death (without a DIP), to break the seal. Azazh now keeps this holy knowledge hostage behind enemy lines.
The Minstrative Church worships one god only- Akademos, the god of knowledge and wisdom. Though there are stories told of other gods and magical powers in the land, the Church professes all of these to be devils. Therefore, anyone who gets magical power from a source other than Akademos is deemed a devil worshipper, and taken by the church to be executed.
The Lost Children & The Ball of the Lost
The Lost Children & The Ball of the Lost
Nineteen years ago, the princess (12 year old Reash) and princept (15 year old Rhym) went missing in the dead of night, while on a diplomatic trip to Takar. Missing from their rooms, with nothing disturbed, no signs of struggle, no items packed for a journey. They were simply gone. In his grief, Arithem withdrew. He took to spending entire days in solitude, without food, without rest, expending every resource he has or can find to find his children. No one within these upper circles has seen the King be the same since then. Within two years, the kings were divorced and then at war.
Every year since then, the Update on the Search has been held, a meeting of the two kings in Takar during which both kings update each other on how the search fares in their kingdoms, how they have been looking, and everything else. The merchant class and the church enforce peace and a ceasefire between the kings, under threat of sanctions and ex-communication. The Ball of the Lost is held upon Arithem's return, during which he appears to update his people on the search. The names of those brave knights who ventured out to find them and never came back are read. The search has never returned any fruit. The Ball is one of Arithem's only public appearances each year.
The Knights of the Realm
The Knights of the Realm
The Knights of the Realm are beholden to their god first, and then their respective kings. Knights in the Northern Kingdom of Wissentim are members of the orders of St. Frage, St. Exetasi, or St. Erevna, the patron saints of questioning, analysis, and research, respectively. The Order of St. Erevna is most well known in these lands, as they are the honored few who send those of their number on the quest to find the Lost. Because of this, they are very small in number, and very loyal to King Arithem. The Order of St. Exetasi are known as war heroes, and most of their number remain at the front during the Ball. The Order of St. Frage is known to be the most pious order of the North, and they act as the personal guard to the Papess and her staff. Members of all three orders fight in the King's Army.
The knights of the Southern Kingdom belong to the Orders of St. Theama (patron of observation), St. Dedomena (patron of fact), and St. Ishvada (patron of conclusion).
The Merchant Class
The Merchant Class
The merchant class, or the Guild of the Undeclared, are the center of trade in Karanai. Their wares include spices, wine, food, furs, cloth, paper, ink, and any new form of technology.
The city of Takar acts as a center of trade and various negotiation meetings. It also hosts the annual Update on the Search, for which it and the Minstrative Church work in unison to enforce a week-long ceasefire. Takar is set up such that its government is independent of both kings- the "nobility" of Takar (the richest merchants of the season) meet in the House of Graid Point to respond to any problems that arise in the city-state.
The two kings often bribe merchants to participate in assassinations, as they are some of the only people permitted to cross the border consistently. Obviously, all of these attempts have failed.
MAPS!
MAPS!
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