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| Rotharia | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 26 2013, 10:10 PM (291 Views) | |
| Wanderlust | Oct 26 2013, 10:10 PM Post #1 |
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The Sleeping Soul
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History The Kingdom of Rotharia could easily be mistaken for an empire by one foreign to Athylon. It is a massive country broken up into thirteen provinces, each with their own cultural identity and history, that stretches across almost the entirety of the continent’s western coast and the Isirian Sea. In the distant past before Saint Alerion’s ascension, the Rotharian provinces were not one united kingdom, but a collection of nearly two dozen loosely affiliated city-states that began to form in the wake of Xenthia’s fall. With their great skill for commerce and the arts, the city-states were shining symbols of Athylon's economic and cultural prosperity – prosperity that the other countries came to envy and desire for themselves. When the Valnessian Dominion began spreading westward to subjugate the city-states into their fledgling empire, they united for the first time, and, after a fierce war, successfully held strong and drove the invaders back to the Great Divide. With their bonds strengthened, the power of the great cities-states grew stronger than ever, and many of their sovereigns declared themselves kings and queens. With their newfound martial strength, however, each of these kingdoms instead turned their hungry gazes upon their neighbors, gathering into loose alliances and warring against one another for control of the region. For centuries the Western Reaches were consumed by endless strife, until finally Saint Alerion’s pilgrimage across Athylon brought him to the warring kingdoms along the Isirian Sea. He forged a strong bond with the king of Valencia, Rotharo Pereira, and together they begun a cultural and spiritual movement that at last calmed the hatreds that had for so long engulfed western Athylon. With minimal bloodshed, six of the kingdoms answered Rotharo’s call and were united under the banner of Valencia; the five that refused to submit were eventually conquered in the decades that followed, and the twelve kingdoms collectively became “Rotharia”, an empire in all but name. Their days of imperial conquest over, Rotharia focused instead on building alliances with Al-Shahar and Valnesse and returning to their roots of cultural and economic dominance. With their control over the Isirian Sea and ancient Xenthian coastal roads, Rotharia became the center of commerce in Athylon until the birth of the Corvailian Republic. A relatively peaceful country, Rotharia was not engaged in any significant conflict against forces other than Aeserian raiders and local pirates until a large-scale invasion by the Saeronian Empire from across the western ocean. With the aid of their close allies of Corvail, however, Rotharia drove them back to their own land, and gained a final thirteenth province that had been colonized by the Saeronians. Peace returned to the kingdom, but it would not last. A revolution in Corvail resulted in the ascension of Aurelius Falbrecht as ruler of the New Xenthian Empire, which the previously neutral Order of Saint Alerion quickly threw their might behind. Valencia was taken by surprise by the empire’s airship fleet and betrayed from within by power-hungry lords of the outer provinces hoping to gain favor with Aurelius, and the royal family was forced to surrender early in the Great Unification. The other provinces soon followed. Rotharia is now part of the New Xenthian Empire, but they have fared well in comparison to Valnesse and Aeseri. Their cultural identity and wealth remain largely intact, and they are permitted to operate, for the most part, free from the influence of the Corvailian Senate. As a gesture of goodwill towards Rotharia’s support of the empire and recognition of their importance to Athylon’s prosperity, Princess Evania Pereira of Rotharia has been engaged to Prince Cecilius Falbrecht of Corvail, and is set to become Empress when he takes the throne of New Xenthia, forever uniting the countries. |
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| Wanderlust | Oct 26 2013, 10:13 PM Post #2 |
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The Sleeping Soul
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Culture Being that it is thirteen countries joined into one, Rotharia is the most culturally diverse country on the continent. Despite this, there are many characteristics common to every province. As a collective people, Rotharians espouse the traits and values associated with the Twin, the patron deity of love, beauty, prosperity, water, passion, sexuality, and the performance arts. These attributes permeate through almost every facet of Rotharian culture, and every act of love, fair trade, theatre, music, and copulation is considered a form of worship to the Twin. While there are also worshippers of other deities in Rotharia, primarily the goddess Avaleria due to Saint Alerion’s role in the country’s formation, none receive the same reverence offered to the Twin. Rotharians also value freedom of artistic expression, individuality, and high fashion. Freedom of speech is protected in most provinces, and there is very little in the way of censorship laws concerning what is allowed to be portrayed through art and writing, including political dissent, though recently justiciars of the Order have been known to harass artists overtly critical of the New Xenthian Empire in their work. Rotharian fashion varies wildly, and is often amalgamated from many other countries and cultures, but most common is the popularity of masks among both the upper and lower classes. Masquerade balls are incredibly fashionable amongst the Rotharian nobility, and a Solar Carnival and Lunar Carnival that extends the practice throughout the entire country are celebrated once a year on the solstices. A cornerstone of Rotharian culture are their Ensembles. Ensembles are, at their core, collections of wanderlust-stricken individuals from all walks of life; everything from orphans and outcasts, starving artists and wealthy nobles, and immigrants and military deserters can be found within their numbers. While their purpose and specializations can vary wildly, ranging from mercenary companies to theatre troupes, they are most often simply jack-of-all-trade adventurers seeking a new life or a chance to see the world alongside a like-minded but diverse collection of individuals. Some are wary of the Ensembles, considering them to be untrustworthy bands of avaricious ne’er-do-wells and criminals, but many more consider them to be the beating heart of Rotharian culture. Often, members of nobility will temporarily abandon their positions to spend a few years traveling with an Ensemble of their choice to see the world and build their fame. Rotharia is also the dominant naval power on the continent due to their control over most ports on the coast of the western ocean and the Isirian Sea. What they lack in an organized central army, they make up for in the strength of their massive warship fleet. Since the end of the Great Unification, this fleet is no longer used for warfare with other countries, but instead to combat the endless forces under the command of the pirate queen Svanhilde Skarsgard. Rotharia has a strong bond with northwestern Al-Shahar, as the two countries share many cultural ties and a flair for art and commerce, and there is much societal overlap within the border territories. This bond of friendship has not been weakened by Rotharia’s absorption into the New Xenthian Empire. Their relationship with Corvail, however, is more strained; while they had been close allies ever since the Corvailian Republic’s birth, and Corvail helped them to drive off the Saeronian Empire less than half a century ago, the Great Unification War was seen as an unforgivable betrayal by much of the populace. The engagement of Cecilius Falbrecht of Corvail to Evania Pereira of Rotharia was partly formulated as an attempt to mend the friendship between the two countries. While they had complicated, ever-changing relationships with the other countries in ancient history, Rotharians see Valnesse as little more than an extension of Corvail in the present day, and there is no general consensus on their feelings towards Aeseri and Sakharvos. Common symbols associated with Rotharia and prominent in the heraldry of its nobility are masks, flowers (particularly roses), sailing ships, the sea, anchors, dice, compasses, musical instruments, feathers, and birds of prey. The archetypal Rotharian weapons are rapiers, cutlasses, stilettos, crossbows, and flintlock pistols. |
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| Wanderlust | Oct 29 2013, 09:52 PM Post #3 |
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The Sleeping Soul
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Territories Central Rotharia Valencia Avareux Bausqé Ibarra Northern Rotharia Faulden Saerotha Quelyss Southern Rotharia Taedre Osorio Rajavera Tristal |
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| Wanderlust | Oct 30 2013, 09:00 PM Post #4 |
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The Sleeping Soul
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Dramatis Personae Main Characters Evania Pereira Portrayed by Karia Morsenia Princess Evania Pereira hails from the heart of Rotharia, a province called Valencia, and is the oldest of the two Rotharian twins and has been more groomed for the throne than her brother Elijah. Despite being taught war tactics and fighting techniques by her mother and diplomatic affairs by her father, Evania is a fiery, charming, and sarcastically funny spirit that's pleasantly comfortable to be around. She will also use her intelligence and body as weapons, sexually if need be, and has a heart for the people in her country. She is presented to be married to Prince Cecilius of Corvail. Elijah Pereira Portrayed by Wanderlust The twin brother of Evania Pereira and prince of Rotharia, Elijah is much less in tune with the politics of his country than his sister. He is more than happy to leave the future of Rotharia in her capable hands, as it gives him more freedom to be what he loves: a philandering vagabond fop with no worries or responsibilities. He is known to leave Valencia for long stretches of time in order to see the world, usually alongside one of Rotharia's many ensembles, but he always returns home. Despite growing up in his sister's shadow, he has a strong bond of loyalty towards his family. Markus Orelian Portrayed by Samus Markus protects both Prince Elijah and Princess Evania Pereira. He has done so for twenty-two years, ever since their father recruited him. He grew up with a sword in his hand and has been in countless battles and killed more men than he is willing to admit. Though bred by war, all he had ever wanted was a family, but it was cruelly taken from him during the Great Unification. His only living son, Samus, has not spoken to him since. Markus now lives only to protect the royal twins. Damian Faust Portrayed by arrogantRooster A military man from the kingdom of Rotharia. Promoted to lieutenant on behalf of his fierce sense of moral integrity and unshakeable loyalty to his kingdom, Faust is an iron-willed individual with little tolerance for crime or corruption. His specialty lies in dealing with pirates, for reasons that he refuses to elaborate on (not that anyone's ever asked). Marcia d'Aurea Portrayed by Archbass The Marquise of Taedre. She is a divorcee, but if this is a sore spot for her, she is quick to remind others that her clout is not affected whatsoever. She has made a name for herself among the Rotharian courts with her strong force of will, her steadfast refusal to let other nobles walk over her for her personal choices, and her adventurous experimentation in the policy of her province. She is the primary financial benefactor of the Twin Mask Ensemble as a part of her patronage of the arts. Priscilla Harmon Portrayed by Maria A refined but naive young lady of 19. Priscilla is an aristocrat in aristocrat’s clothing. Her ailing mother is the Duchess of Avareux who rules with a firm but fair hand. Under her wise rule, Avareux has enjoyed years of prosperity and peace. Since the untimely death of her older brother, Priscilla is now the sole heir of House Harmon. She was raised by tutors and governesses and rarely spent time with her mother, who is expected to die within the year. Despite being extremely well educated in the arts and social graces, she has lived a very sheltered life and knows very little about governing a duchy. She shows her people and advisers a strong, calm face but is secretly terrified of the responsibilities and harsh cruelties of the real world. Supporting Characters Rotharo Pereira XIV Elainoré Pereira Lucien Goethe Ravon Venoux |
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11:26 PM Jul 10