Zerif

Ruled by: Emperor Caladrel Vinland

Flag: Dark red with two black swords pointing at an upside down red pentagram, which is placed over the Zyrian coat of arms. The coat of arms is a red and black striped shield with a dragon coiling at the top.





GEOGRAPHY

Vast, rolling plains make up a majority of Zerif’s landscape, before steadily crumpling up into the mountains of the east. Forests pepper certain areas of the country, most notably the south. The most well-known biome is found in the west, and lives up to the name of 'Great Swamp'. Here, a gigantic bog spreads out for miles, making it a very popular place for both explorers and tourists. It is said that this swamp contains magical influence from a mystical realm, which can be evidenced to the rather large concentration of magical beasts in the area.


All provinces are ruled by humans, four being found in the plains, and one in the eastern mountains bordering Kalimourne. The sixth province, Valonde, is dominated by the Sylvan; who make their home in the vast swamp. It is thanks to them that travelers don’t find themselves lost in the unending series of trees and swamplands. Small groups of Kelpie tribes, who are often called ‘Sludge Elves’, are native to this part of Zerif; they often feud with the Sylvans of Valonde, and have taken many lives from those who enter their domain.



GOVERNMENT


Zerif is divided into six holds that are each maintained by a powerful Knight(referred to as a 'Legate'). The capital hold, Bellwich, is ruled over by the king himself. When the King dies, a new one is elected by having all of the Legate's noble families gather and select one of the King's heirs as next in line (in this case, house Vinland.) When a Legate dies, it varies; typically, their noble family is trusted to contain a worthy military leader to hold up their name. If otherwise, the King hand picks a Legate from his pool of war powerful war generals. When a Legate is selected, they can only be impeached if all Legates vote to do so.

The governmental policy of Zerif is focused upon maintaining order and quelling all forms of dissent. Criminals are punished rather harshly by the Zyrians, be it through soldiers or the Belian Church; the church has a specially made sect for hunting down the guilty, known as the Belian executors. The Executors are essentially the police of the state, and hunt down the guilty to personally dish out whatever punishment they deem necessary; most commonly death, or even worse.

HISTORY

First Dynasty: For the first few hundred years, Zerif was ruled over by house Brynmor. The Brynmor family line was what set most of the foundation for the Zyrian culture as we know it; but was far more extreme in their beliefs when compared to the current era. During the Brynmor dynasty, the Zyrians prosecuted any non-Belian clerics, believing only the Devil God or Amelia herself deserved worship on Zyrian grounds. Clerics of other faiths were enslaved or worse; with Murielle's clerics suffering the most due to their beliefs contradicting the Zyrian faith. Despite this era being long past, many Zyrians still inherit the disciplines of the first dynasty, and long for an era based around strength and order as opposed to acceptance and order.

Little did Gerallt know, his own Legates had conspired against him and his family line, with a majority of the Zyrian people growing tired of the oppression placed upon the state, it was beginning to feel like an actual literal hell; with the nobleman the devils, and the citizens the damned. With that, Merrick Traherne, Gerallt's most trusted Legate, murdered him and lead a full assault with house Versius and Hartwin. The houses and their loyal men easily swept through Brynmor castle and halted the Brynmor family line. Despite the death of the king appeasing many of the citizens and making all three of the noble houses quite popular, a majority of the other noble lines disliked the idea of a king slayer being given the crowned. As a result, the second Dynasty began: King Taliesin was crowned, and so began the second and shortest dynasty in Zyrian history.

Second Dynasty: Often considered a Dynasty marking Zyrian weakness, the rule of house Llewelyn conversely marks a moment of freedom to the people. When Emperor Taliesin was crowned, he abolished the harsh laws discriminating non-Belian religions, allowing for more faiths to openly establish churches and homes into the state, so long as it didn't conflict with other Zyrian laws or Belian doctrines. Naturally, this angered and upset some, yet also allowed tourism to be much more common in Zerif; for once, one could hike into the Great Swamp without fear of being prosecuted for their beliefs.

The Zyrians didn't take too kindly to all this change. Laws that Llewelyn abolished and created had strayed far from the Zyrian tradition, angering many in favour of pleasing the outside world. As a result, the Dynasty ended at only the 90th year; barely having time for the third and final ruler to properly name himself in history. Through the course of changing laws and loosening order, the 2nd King had eventually died of natural causes. While the 3rd, Vaughn Llewelyn was about to be crowned, the six legates had voiced their dissent and overrode the crowning of the King. Left Kingless, the six had decided to erase one last piece of tradition before restoring it: Abolish ruler ship by hereditary lines, and instead rule through election. The crown was then passed from house to house, depending on ones personal merit rather than familial rights. Naturally, this lead to several different ages with different families ruling, but the crown had bounced from person to person. Eventually, this lead to the crown falling into the Tyrel's hands, on the head of Mabon Tyrel.

The Mad King's rule: An era of madness and depravity. King Retinal's rule is marked as the worst times in Zyrian history. Born from the popular Tyrel family line, who managed to rule three successful and consecutive times before him, Retinal showed great promise. He was a young war general. He had a wide sense of humour, and a strong belief in most of the 1st Dynasty's ways (something that most Zyrians respected greatly). Upon gaining the crown, he only showed even more promise to his people; he was the kind of King that entered public parades, abandoned his royal guard for adventure, and even rush headlong into the frontlines of war. Some called him bold, and some called him stupid; whatever the case, these acts made him a beloved king in Zyrian history.

One day however, Retinal fell ill. Scholars say that he contracted a serious case of the devil chills, a disease spread from fiendish creatures such as devils and demons. While many Zyrians believed he slew such a beast in single combat, others think that a corrupt devil he spoke to chose to afflict him with a horrible curse. Whatever the case, the young king was bed-ridden for three long months. The public was left worried, being ruled under his loyal wife, Brilaun, who made all the decisions he did.

After recovering from his illness Retinal reportedly returned as the same man he once was. All was well, and the King everyone knew and loved showed no notable changes save for the lengthened hair and fingernails from the catatonic state(both of which, were trimmed down to size within the first hour.) However it took only three days before he took his first step into madness. Retinal began by bringing back the first Dynasty's law of inquisition; possibly the only law that many Zyrians debate upon. Nevertheless, this outlawed all non-Belian religions and, as a result, thousands of clerics, priests, and faithful worshipers were either butchered or tried for beliefs alone. Within three months of his rule, it was said that Retinal took in clerics or priests to duel personally. When the accused surrendered and managed to survive, he would have his royal guards torture them while he dined.

While many Zyrians were angered by this, some were pleased with it, and many simply thought he was trying to recreate the 1st Dynasty to the best of his abilities. After all, the 1st Dynasty was a high point in Zyrian power, so perhaps King Retinal sought to relive that height?


This theory was quickly quelled at Retinal's newly found love for dueling. While The Mad King always enjoyed knightly tournaments and contests, Retinal seemed to have grown increasingly volatile in nature, and eventually developed an obsession with challenging ANYONE -- man, woman, or child, to a duel anywhere, any place. He didn't stop at a surrender either, putting anyone who was gutsy enough to challenge him to the death the moment he had the opportunity to do so. Eventually it grew to the point that Retinal would demand duels during one of his many grand feasts, claiming that a feast without shed blood or death is a boring affair.

As time went by, Retinal descended further. He was driven by lechery and hedonism; which first began with rumours of The King taking women from Valonde as his personal concubines, much to the dismay of the Queen. Eventually his lecherous acts were shown to the public during the wedding celebration with one of his royal guards -- much to the crowd's surprise, shortly after the vows were made, Retinal had challenged the guardsman to a duel. The Guardsman, not having an inkling of power in comparison to the King, was put to the sword and fell at the altar, mortifying all who watched. When prompted why he did such a heinous act, he claimed it was his right as king to bed with The Guardsman's wife, to which the Guardsman, naturally, refused. Retinal's queen fled him shortly after, abandoning the throne and wandering out into the world. To this day, no one knows what fate befell Queen Brilaun.

It was during his 10th year of ruler ship that Retinal became the third and youngest king slain at the throne. The Tyrels, growing sick of their representative's antics, had plotted for Retinal's regicide. Together, the legates had gathered houses Kendrick, Hartwin, and Vinland. With the Trahernes having the fiercest soldiers and the Tyrels the devil binders, it was hardly an effort or surprise when Floyd Vinland ran his sword through Retinal's heart. With Retinal's royal blood spilled, Vinland in turn, was crowned King.


Current Era: So leads to the current Era! Floyd had immediately abolished the inquisition laws, bringing Zerif back to its former glory post 2nd Dynasty. In fact, many believe that under house Vinland, the state has been steadily growing in strength, and will only continue to do so. House Vinland has held the throne for a staggering 6 consecutive generations; essentially making this era a dynasty of their own.



INHABITANTS

Most of Zerif is made up by ethnic Zyrians; they're a proud people, believing their country to be the strongest and most able state of Erilen. As a result, they tend to see other cultures and practices as odd and will remain close-minded, eschewing other traditions in favor of their own. They center their culture on Belial; everyone in the country pays at least lip-service to their patron devil-god. Zyrians are primarily white people, however, the common trait found in Zyrian royalty is purple eyes -- something that's actually accepted as a blessing from the gods themselves.

Sylvan: Native to the great swamp, the Sylvan elves make their homes in large and beautiful communities. They're known for eschewing Zyrian culture in favour of their own, which often creates a tension between their race and the ethnic Zyrian. However, the Zyrians are thankful to the Sylvan for their aid in guiding others; being among the only race capable of naturally navigating through the swamp, Sylvan travel guides are one of the most common jobs among them. Still, Sylvan and Zyrians don't really see eye-to-eye due to Zyrian blood having ruler ship over their home.

Dwarves: Found nearby the Kalimourne border, the Dwarves of Zerif populate most of Nelbadin's hold. Most Zyrian Dwarves inherit the culture of Zerif in general; overly proud, and believing that Zerif is superior to other countries through sheer power and military might. The difference however, is that they tend to put focus on the two Dwarven gods; Aegir and Bulram.

Kelpies: Vehemently referred to as 'sludge elves', Kelpies are a race of Fey that once called the Great Swamp their home. Unfortunately for them, the Sylvan had driven them out and steadily extinguished their tribal ways, replacing it with their own and enslaving the race. Kelpies are despised throughout Zerif, as most have taken up the job of bandits or discontent tribesmen seeking to reclaim their people's home. Kelpie slaves are pretty common throughout the country.


Tiefling: Tieflings are a mix of things; on one hand, their unholy blood hints to their devilish ancestry, warranting respect and veneration similar to how other states would treat a saint. On the other, it could also imply demonic influence, which changes everything into a death warrant. Still, most Tieflings claim to have devilish ancestry, and as a result are selected to become prophets, priests, or priestesses of clerical communities.


NOTABLE PEOPLE (ask for details)

Lachanon Versius

Gareth Traherne

Caladrel Vinland

Nelote Talathel

Jaren Aneurin

Verres Tyrel

Ivor Hartwin





MILITARY

Being the strongest military in all of Erilen, the Zyrian military utilizes a unique fighting style that typically foregoes a shield, instead employing the use of a sidearm for two-weapon combat. They aren't above using their summoners to call upon devils to use as living siege weapons, making the Zyrian army a force to be reckoned with.


The Executors: Being the most well known unit in all of Erilen, the Belian executors use all within their power to dispose and dispatch of criminals through any means necessary. Rather than stop to interrogate or subdue their target, they'd much rather shed the guilty's blood. The Executors are only contacted when a severe criminal offense has been enacted; or if someone has wronged someone in such a horrid way that they're willing to pay large amounts of money to silence the criminal.



RELIGION

As you may have guessed from the information above, most of Zerif is dedicated to Belial. Other religions can be found, but the Belian faith finds its roots in every bit of Zyrian culture. The Belian executors are very prominent in Zerif; a day without the public execution of a single criminal is considered odd.

Formerly, non-Belian religions were harshly prosecuted and discriminated against. Clerics of other faiths would often find themselves thrown either in prison or doing slave labor for serving a god in place of Belial. However, shortly after the abuse that King Retinal had exploited this law for (and after his untimely death), new laws were formed. Despite this, some Zyrians still have trouble accepting other religions into their culture, and racial segregation is quite common among their people. Still, with the laws being there, the Zyrians adamantly follow it in the name of Belial.

The other common faiths found in Zerif include: Amelia, Aletrod, and Xalon.



RITUALS/CELEBRATIONS

Devilbinding: Forming a contract with a Devil of hell is known as Devilbinding; those who assist people in this ritual are referred to as Devilbinders. Devilbinding is very common for the noble houses of Zerif, and just about every family head has a patron devil that assists them in their decisions or other situations.

Bravery Day: Essentially a day that celebrates the Zyrian veterans. Bravery day is on the 12th of Lonx; it was created during the second dynasty when the ruler had decided it right to honour those who put their life on the line for the country. Bravery day is celebrated with a lot of festivities, all veterans are given this day off to carouse and drink themselves to a stupor.

Funerals: Zyrians burn the corpses of sinners due to it symbolizing the fires of hell. Those who die are buried in catacombs.