[PF] Cimique Lore

A Tourist's Guide to Cimique

Cimiquean Philosophy and Politics

The Elven Pantheon:
An assembly of six influential elves - individually referred to as Exemplars - who are more akin to great heroes than gods. Each member of the Pantheon is the champion of what the elves see as aspects of nature. Due to their widespread influence, the Pantheon has great authority over elven politics despite not being an official governing body. The authority of the Pantheon is not religious in influence but philosophical as the elves do not worship them as gods. Despite this, adherence to the Pantheon’s philosophies is all but mandatory in Cimique and foreign religions are heavily suppressed. The only religious practices accepted within Cimique are decidedly agnostic or atheistic, instead worshipping more abstract concepts in alignment with the Pantheon's philosophy. Common practices are assorted variants of druidism or differing methods of ancestor worship. While powerful mortals, Exemplars are not immortal and thus the composition of the Pantheon has changed over time due to the death of an Exemplar. However, each replacement for a deceased Exemplar unerringly takes on the name and general manner of the one they are replacing. The exception to this rule is the Exemplar of Love, who has still yet to be replaced despite the banishment of Snykyl.

Cratyth, Exemplar of Life
• Alignment: Lawful Good
• Discipline: Professionalism
• Adherents: Physicians, emergency servicemen, scientists
• Favoured Weapon: Dagger

Gyodyth, Exemplar of Earth
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Discipline: Diligence
• Adherents: Monks, rangers, craftsmen
• Favoured Weapon: Mattock

Malygyth, Exemplar of Magic
• Alignment: Lawful Evil
• Discipline: Duty
• Adherents: Spellbreakers, law enforcers, lawyers
• Favoured Weapon: Bardiche

Marityl, Exemplar of Sea and Sky
• Alignment: True Neutral
• Discipline: Wanderlust
• Adherents: Seafarers, rangers, cartographers
• Favoured Weapon: Longbow

Solquinyl, Exemplar of Seasons
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Discipline: Reliability
• Adherents: Farmers, merchants, labourers
• Favoured Weapon: Greataxe

Thanatyl, Exemplar of Death
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Discipline: Certainty
• Adherents: Warriors, morticians, civil servants
• Favoured Weapon: Mighty axe

Snykyl, Exiled Exemplar of Love
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Discipline: Passion
• Adherents: Drow, spellcasters, exiles
• Favoured Weapon: Longspear
• Domains: Chaos (Revelry), Charm (Love, Lust), Community, Healing (Restoration, Resurrection), Trickery (Deception)

Banishment of Snykyl and Restrictions on Magic:
At the behest of Malygyth, all magic usage within Cimique is extremely and violently suppressed, with the restriction being aggressively enforced by the Spellbreakers. This radical mandate was caused by the actions of Snykyl and her followers prior to their banishment. In the past, Snykyl had taught the art of resurrection to a large number of her followers so that they may circumvent death to be with their loved ones. This caused a multitude of crippling problems within Cimique due to sharp decrease in mortality rates and resultant political and economic upheaval. Sudden overpopulation caused overwhelming stress upon the elves’ infrastructure and resources. Elves began to flock to Snykyl so that they may be blessed by her gifts, which caused great declines in the other Exemplars’ – particularly Thanatyl’s and Malygyth’s – authority while amplifying Snykyl’s. In an attempt to restore the balance, the other Exemplars banded together to force Snykyl and her disciples out of Cimique, citing that her teachings were causing great damage to Cimique itself. Bitter fighting ensued between Snykyl’s adherents and the rest of the elves. Snykyl’s forces were dominating the battlefields due to their ability to resurrect fallen comrades and wreak havoc with offensive spells. However, the tide of war was changed when Malygyth began to train warriors in disrupting the restorative and destructive magics of their enemy. The sudden change in battlefield tactics allowed for the combined forces of the Pantheon to drive Snykyl and her followers back, which culminated in their total retreat into Vearpi. There Snykyl with her adherents established an underground society in order to hide from the other elves, evolving rapidly into the drow due to magical enhancement. In the aftermath of the war, it was the opinion of the Pantheon that magic was a dangerous, destructive threat to the balance of nature and had to be contained. It was decreed that the unsanctioned usage of magic, or being resurrected through magic, was an unnatural act that would deny an elf’s achieving Aelfheim. The warriors trained by Malygyth were officially reorganised into the Spellbreakers to enforce this new law within Cimique.

Military Factions Within Cimique:
Cimique Rangers - an independent faction charged by ancient oath to protect the borders of Cimique by whatever means necessary
Disciples of Thanatyl - bloodthirsty followers of the Exemplar of Death, sizeable number of elder elven warriors
Gendarmerie - military police and guardsmen that act as rank and file soldiers in case of war
Knights Chevalier - several distinct orders of wealthy knights that fill the role of officers and elite cavalry in times of war
Phantom Units - fearless suicide squads of 'undead' warriors intent on redeeming their supposed curse
The Ascetic Circle - a collection of monk temples that train their bodies to the utmost limits, oft forsaking 'unnatural' ki
The Spellbreaker Order - fanatic antimagic warrior-mages that wish to eradicate any and all magic from the world

Rebel Factions Within Cimique:
Evergreen Avengers - a large paramilitary composed of mainly fey and druids that use terror to incite a green revolution
The Eldritch Syndicate - skilled smugglers of magical goods, other contraband, and people into and out of Cimique
The Prismatic Order - escaped members of the Spellbreakers that vengefully aid rebel factions in countering Spellbreaker operations