Sardia

When Ressik rose through the ranks of the Way of the Pure as a bastion against the evils of dark magic that surged from the Great Marsh and Monstromontes and a blade bent against the high mages of Nespania, he accrued followers from many of the communities in Sardia. As Ressik failed to uncover the hidden elven city, he turned the Pure against the demi-humans for the magic that flowed in their veins. The halflings and the dwarves were the last to lose the goodwill of the Way; due to their longevity in the land, much of their husbandry, craft, and architecture remain in Sardia’s larger urban centers.

The Theocracy and the Royal Family of Mavredor have ruled Sardia with an iron and lawful fist, drawing on the manpower of the Inquisitors to ferret out magicians, demi-humans, sympathizers, rabble-rousers, dissidents, and suspect foreigners. The watchful eye of the law is surprisingly keen for a system that so adamantly states its eschewing of the arcane. 

It is the order of the Theocracy and the strength and adaptability of the human spirit that will be Sardia’s salvation, the salvation for all of Orn. For all the violence and hate that the Theocracy turns against the non-human, it has nigh-infinite compassion for the humans that make up its industrial and economic machine (so long as they are devoted to the Supreme Lawgiver and his righteous law). For humans to conquer the shards, they must endure and prosper. Orphans are cared for by the state, often enlisted as Inquisition or Advocati according to their potential. The Theocracy provides financially for the relocation of young widows or the eligible young men in their ranks to provide child-bearing women the security they require to continue growing the Sardian family. Older widows who are unable to provide for themselves are hired by the state to care for children of statesmen or children who have been adopted by the Inquisitors. The strides made by the etiologists of Sardia cannot hope to match the efficacy of the druids and clerics of light, but they have stretched the capacity of naturally-occurring herbs and minerals far beyond other magic-reliant societies. All pure-hearted and law-abiding citizens have access to these remedies. However, enemies of the Theocracy do not hesitate to point out that communal labor obligations are a matter of law.

Language

The national language of Sardia and of the Theocracy is Steric, which has roots in Alaquan, Durnham, and local regional languages spoken by human settlements.

Demographics

Sardia is a land for humans. The Theocracy has made sure that it is so. In the midst of the Age of Ascension, the Supreme Lawgiver sought the annihilation of Nespania and its citizens: huge swathes of land still bear the scars of the Theocracy’s deforestation efforts. While the Way of the Pure despises all non-humans, elves are undoubtedly at the top of their list, alongside diabolus, vampires, werewolves, and other monstrous races. 

The cultures of the demi-humans (ulf, mau, etc.) were seen as disorderly, and many of their number were sorcerers or seers from their youth. Their villages were also often found to be near valuable resources once the Theocracy arrived. Though demi-humans were initially integrated into human society as third-class citizens, as part of the effort to purify for advances in the Humilitas Campaign, Ser Anselm the Enduring led the initiative to purge all demi-humans from Sardinian-controlled lands by either deportation or extermination. Any demi-humans remaining in Theocracy-controlled Sardian lands are in violation of the law.

Halflings populated the fertile lowlands of Sardia, and dwarves populated settlements and kingdoms in the eastern and western mountains. These groups coexisted with the Theocracy through the Vedrischtal and much of the Twilight, taking little issue with the hunt for Nespania as many halflings and dwarves shared the human aversion to magic. Had they known then the scope of the treatment of demi-humans, they may have taken issue, but violence in the streets would have been disorderly. The humans of the lowlands learned the agrarian wisdom of Drelani from their halfling neighbors and the mining and metal-working wisdom of Espidrel from their dwarven neighbors, though it was not articulated as such. 

During the Shattering, the zeal of the Theocracy was renewed in response to the catastrophe throughout Orn. To purify their society, they sought to remove halfling and dwarven culture from their lands, committing genocide against the small-folk, only allowing those who agreed to live like humans to serve along-side demi-humans as third class labor. Ressik himself led the final foray into Owi-clestas to drag the last of the dwarves from their ancestral mines: far fewer dwarves survived the purge than halflings. As part of the purge in the Humilitas Campaign, those smallfolk who remained in service were either deported or exterminated. It is not uncommon for enemies to weaponize their opponents stature, claiming they are descendants of a halfling-human union: a violation of Theocracy law.

Only humans may walk through Sardia with their heads held high, provided they do not seem to harbor sympathies for the impure or knowledge of magic. Sardians of note are likely to be skilled men-at-arms, ontologists, etiologists, or lawyers. 

Politics

The Theocracy of Ressik: After the ascension of Kreilos, chaotic high magicks ravaged Orn for nearly five centuries, doing most harm to the common folk. The Way of the Pure that took root among the common folk of Sardia found her champion in Ressik, whose first noted appearance was in the small town of Jastrey before he ventured west. The Way of the Pure organized under his leadership, becoming not just a path of arcane abstinence but of militant defense for the common man and, eventually, an orderly offense against the mages and monsters of the world. There are few records of Ressik’s appearances before he appeared to lead the Way of the Pure’s transformation into the Theocracy at the close of Vedrischtal. While their movement was rooted in the center of the continent, it expanded, absorbing all other cities and settlements until it reached Mavredor. 

The Royal Family of Mavredor: The Royal Family has maintained governance of their kingdom. No other leadership has survived their cooperation with or submission to the Theocracy. While it is speculated abroad that the royal family are no more than figure-heads, more critical minds will note that the Theocracy has no need for figure-heads and the upkeep of a royal family is a considerable expense. Speculation on this subject within Sardia is ill-advised. As it stands, the royal family appear to have significant power over the laws within Mavredor and are respected throughout Sardia. The Theocracy works with the royal family as a two-pillar system of governance with Mavredor as its capital.

Immortals

Orderly, law-abiding Sardians revere the Supreme Lawgiver Ressik, whose Theocracy rules the continent with a watchful eye and iron fist. Those who live the furthest from the capital, closest to the Great Marsh, also revere the ascendent human Lemesin for his work safe-guarding Orn from the Herald of Twilight. Those humans who do not subscribe to the tenets of law and order are sometimes bold enough to pray to Ferithisia and Kelvaros, awaiting the day that Nespania will unveil itself and cast the Theocracy from the continent.

Areas

• Aspenfort- [This lore is still being studied]
• Brellin- Brellin is the heart of the Ashfallen Rebellion.

• Covecrest- Covecrest is home to Sardia’s largest shipyard and naval administrative offices. It is also the home port of the Sardian Navy’s flagship, the SSS Absolution. The port city’s proximity to both Mavredor and Kaut ensure swift communication between three of the Theocracy’s governing and enforcing institutions.

• Desynatla- [This lore is still being studied]

• Egent- In the years leading up the Humilitas Campaign of the early 5730’s NB, a cell of Brellenes was discovered fomenting discontent with the Theocracy. The Inquisition thoroughly routed the Brellenes and their local conspirators. When they began the expansion shortly after, they conscripted all able-bodied men and unmarried women to serve the military. The Theocracy erected a prison to hold those suspected of magic, sympathy for non-humans, and objection to the war. Egent’s population has not yet recovered.

• Elmsgaurd- Elmsgaurd sits in an area once stewarded by druids who called themselves Elm Guardians. They were eradicated by the expanding Theocracy. Whether those who established the city named it Elmsgaurd as an homage, an insult, or a vow to guard the land from magic is lost to history, as is the reason for the misspelling of “guard”. Elmsgaurd has flourished in proximity to the nearby naval base of Lignea Phasellus.

• Faukrenost- [This lore is still being studied]

• Halfway- Halfway, along with Saldrim, serves as the breadbasket of Sardia. Initially home to a halfling society, farmers there continue to reap the long-term benefits of Drelani’s blessings generations after her followers were expunged. As a location more central than the capital, it is home to the Judicum, or, Judgement House, a theater built not for play-acting but mass hearings and executions. 

• Jastrey- In recorded history, Jastrey was the first documented sighting of Ressik. Apart from this, Jastrey has only ever been a farming town. However, those seeking fortune and adventure seem to find their way to this provincial town, which means the population has remained relatively safe throughout the centuries. Sometimes those thrill-seekers settle down and take up a local trade. Sometimes they group up and sally forth into the Great Marsh or Monstromontes. Sometimes they simply disappear without a farewell or trace. After generations of settlement from would-be heroes, courage and fighting spirit are in the blood of the city: the heroes of Jastrey worked alongside the Ashfallen Rebellion to combat the Theocracy, and faced heavy casualties for it. The city was razed, and, being adventurers in their bones, most survivors relocated to surrounding cities or answered the call to journey abroad.

• Kaut- If Mavredor is the crown jewel of Sardia, Kaut is the signet ring of the Theocracy. Resting on the bank of the Tarda river, a half-day’s ride from the Resden River, and, as the terminus for the old King’s Road, Kaut is Sardia’s most active hub of domestic trade. It is a model of prosperity that can flourish under the stern rule of law, both economically and intellectually. This is the home of the Lextome Academy of Inquiry, headquarters of the Advocati. The city is one half academy and one half marketplace, with citizens sleeping over their shops and squires sleeping on their books, dreaming of the day they become paladins.

• Kraylorn- The western side of the Monstromontes are full of danger, shrouded in the shade of the mountains. The perils that await strangers in the warm sun that falls on the eastern side of the range are often the violence of roach-like pirates and the heavy hand of the naval force of Kraylorn that seeks constantly to quash them. Kraylorn is a city and a naval port. Admiral Lucian Aurelius, the Dawn’s Order, acts both as a governor for the region and head of the navy’s eastern forces. Given the intervening Monstromontes and the pirates that trawl the Hook Strait, communication is difficult, and Admiral Aurelius is able to operate with unspoken autonomy.

• Mavredor- Mavredor is the capital of Sardia, seat for the Royal Family of Mavredor, the High Lawgivers of the Theocracy, and the High Inquisitor. Mavredor is a well-fortified city filled with merchants, soldiers, Inquisitors, and clerics of Ressik. Within Mavredor is another fortified city: the Palatium Iustitiae, the Palace of Justice. The gates are plated in gold and streets paved with fine, polished stone. The Palatium houses Bon Pouvoir, the estate of the Royal Family; the Acropolis of the High Lawgivers; Libertas et Bellum, the seat of the Theocracy’s land-force administration; and Domus Lex, the headquarters of the Inquisition.

• Owi-Clestas- The dwarven kingdom of Owi-Clestas had a strong economic relationship with the Theocracy until Ressik and his Theocracy turned on the smallfolk of Sardia during the Shattering. The dwarves and halflings that could escape the heartland and western mines sought refuge within the kingdom of Owi-Clestas until Ressik himself led the siege of their mountain halls, routing all within, and claiming the kingdom’s resources and fortifications for Sardia and the Theocracy. It is currently occupied and overseen by the third Royal Prince of Mavredor and his consort Dame Portia the Meticulous of the Inquisition.

• Resden- [This lore is still being studied]

• Riversdeep- [This lore is still being studied]

• Saldrim- [This lore is still being studied]

• Thricefork- [This lore is still being studied]

• Thrist- [This lore is still being studied]

• Trellis- [This lore is still being studied]

• Voldra-Setrae- [This lore is still being studied]

• Zephryllis- [This lore is still being studied]

• Westmarch- [This lore is still being studied]

Mysteries

• Monstromontes Range- The Theocracy has purged most of the heartland of its native monstrous creatures; however, in spite of the Venator sect of the Inquisitors who make their home in Thrist, monsters continue to thrive along this range. The shadowy forests on the western side of the range remain in fog until well into the afternoon, providing shade for creatures who prefer the dark and a unique ecosystem for rare herbs. These plants are utilized by the Venators in their notorious toxins and by the healing etiologists who provide their marvelous, mundane cures to the populace in the heartlands. 

• Nespania- Nespania was the capital of an Elven empire which spanned the areas now known as Rica, Rastemier, and Sardia. It was here that the Ageless Ferithisia lived with her children, from the Dawning through the Age of Ascension. During the Age of Ascension, the Way of the Pure rose to power in Sardia, eventually consolidating power and becoming the Theocracy of Ressik. During the Vedrischtal and into the Shunning of the Magicks, the Theocracy waged wars across the continent. While they were successful in destroying most of the demi-human civilizations in Sardia, Nespania was concealed by high magic, bestowed by Geddimus Blackthorn, Avatar of Drakerim.Through the Vedrischtal, the Theocracy led a campaign throughout northern Sardia and Rastemier seeking the city; between the Theocracy's attempt to destroy the Velysh, and the Velysh's not wanting to be found, there exist few records of what was once a great civilization. 

• The Sons of Secronus- While the Sons of Secronus are not organized exclusively in Sardia, there is more record of their wickedness in the Theocracy’s lands than elsewhere abroad. Whether this is a matter of more evil being found where more evil is sought or the Sons operating in the Lawbringer’s lands as a matter of especial spite cannot be verified.

Parlance

• “Working to live”- A derogatory remark made of one who does not commit to his work and, therefore, must have no concern for his duty to the larger community.
• “All bulwarks and bylaws”- A dodgy character who always has a defense and a loophole to get away with caddish behavior.
• “Plodding guiltful”- derived from “pleading guilty” to mean taking the easy course now in spite of the clear and obvious trouble it will cause later.
• "Lex docebit" - a formal parting, literally "The Law will guide/teach"
• "Major amicus veritas" - The Truth is a greater friend; a common response given to flatterers and those telling white lies, often heard in business negotiations with foreigners