#araventian

[evernyth]

Nud'um Mines

In the Mountains near the border between Aedrenad and The Araventian Republic, there are a series of Mines populated with slaves of different races, though mostly human children due to their abundance both across the land and for sale in black markets. Here these people are marked with glyphs for digging and clearing rock and are sent down into the earth to mine for minerals and precious commodities. Due to the blood poisoning effect of the glyphs, most miners die within a number of years of intensive work. Conditions in the mines are terrible, being stuffy and cramped, but everyone is given two square meals, once at the beginning and then at the end of each shift to keep up strength- the handlers would burn through people too fast otherwise. Unfortunately this doesn’t stop them from making examples of disobedient or lazy workers though, often pitting children of different races against each other for sport or to resolve arguments between them. Despite the horrid atmosphere, singing is a common pastime in the mines- older children teaching each new generation what they have called the ‘Songs of Sunlight,’ a combination of verbally invoking their working glyphs and reminiscing of the world above.

"He looks strong- I’ll take him for Nud’um"

[evernyth]

Ancient History of The Araventian Republic

The Keres, Ermete, Aysu, and Ehecatl are the ancient four of Araventia. Back in the beginning when the countries began to expand and explore other countries, they reached out and welcomed people to their realm, but war began to brew as greed grew in the hearts of people and they began to fight for territory so three of the four retreated deep into Araventian. The Aysu migrated to the sea floor and the lake and river beds. The Ermete masked their capital city. The Keres built homes beneath the Samil trees of Alastor forest. They were named Samil, venom of God, as such because they are highly toxic and they have grown to be monstrously tall and wide because they’re avoided by all others; the perfect place for the Keres. The Ehecatl decided to rely simply on their speed and size to hide out of site. And so the four became legends told to the children of other countries to encourage them to stay away from Araventian after the humans created cities and their own capitals and the People’s Revolution occurred.

[evernyth]

The Araventian Republic

Not much is known about the Republic due to the face that it’s the most isolated country. Protected by the Muhjah (heart’s blood) mountain range to the west named as such for its deep red color which due to tremendous amounts of rain runs like blood seemingly from the heart of the mountains. Its neighboring forest Alastor (Avenging Spirit) is home to the Keres, an entirely female race of Death Spirits, which are born with every death and die with every birth of their sibling races of Ermete, men born of the earth that live in the capital city, Ehecatl- serpents that move so fast across the ground it’s like they move through air, and Aysu a nocturnal race that live in the marshes and rivers making up the border between Dagramir. Despite being very peaceful in nature, none of the other countries will encroach upon their territory due their unity and wisdom, as such much of their culture and appearance is merely speculation and the flora and fauna deeper in their land is entirely unknown.

[evernyth]

On the History of Araventia

Until recently, the Araventian Republic was known simply as Araventia. Located at the center of Evernyth, it was one of the first nations to see civilization, and has a rich culture all its own, stretching back centuries and incorporating bits and pieces from its neighbors. With the outbreak of the People’s Revolution, however, things in Araventia changed drastically.

For quite some time, Araventia existed under the rule of a line of kings and queens said to be given the right to rule by divine favor. Simply being born into the line meant that the gods smiled on a child and deemed them fit to guide the nation. But in the modern age, atheism became more and more common, as a trio of influential writers tore down the common thought, and the people of Araventia began to wonder if their rulers were truly suited to their positions.

The beliefs put forward by Evenard Krill, Letice Ansardo, and Murielle Shadding served as the kindling for the revolution, proposing new ideas on religion, politics, economics, and just about everything that made Araventia what it was, but the real fire started when a noble-born professor at the Acadamae Arcana, named Jan Voolsey, began assembling his students into an organization he called simply the People’s Voice. Members of the Voice spoke out against the royal family and the oppressive laws of Araventia in public places, and though progress was slow, more and more citizens turned to their school of thought.

The revolution itself began unexpectedly. Though Voolsey had planned on overthrowing the current queen, Noria Thedan II, he wanted time to build up a significant following, and lay out the basics of what life would be like after the war. But the people of Araventia could not wait. Spurred on by the fiery speeches of Voolsey’s students, a group of rioters attacked the queen’s palace. Armed with only tools of their trades and with no strategy to guide them, many were slaughtered by the queen’s guard. All that changed was the way the other citizens saw the queen, but it was enough.

Riots began to break out across the nation, and Voolsey fell into the background of his own revolution, replaced by younger, rasher firebrands who demanded the complete destruction of the royal line and an end to religious influence in politics. The death toll was immense, especially among the revolutionaries, but every person who fell was replaced by two more, appalled by the queen’s treatment of her subjects. It was this that inspired a number of artists within the capital city to begin representing the revolution with a hydra, a trend that stuck and became the new symbol of the People’s Voice.

The final result of the People’s Revolution was far different than the writers and thinkers of Araventia had desired. The entire nation was left in ruins, with the architecture and statues that made it famous tarnished with smoke and blood, or torn apart and left in pieces on the streets. One of Voolsey’s students, a charismatic woman calling herself Citizen Vianne Moore took the mantle of President, elected by her fellow revolutionaries, and what little resources the nation had left were ordered distributed equally amongst the people.

Although it seemed things would improve, Moore immediately began enforcing radical change, abolishing all religious practice within the nation’s borders, and declared speaking out against the president in any capacity to be treason. Curfews were enacted, a secret police force stalked the streets in search of traitors, and mysterious disappearances became commonplace. Citizen Moore knew exactly what had allow the People’s Voice to overthrow Queen Thedan, and she refused to allow the same to happen to her.

The complete lack of religious influence - aside from cults and hidden worship that continue without the knowledge of Moore and her secret police - and the turn from divine right to rule makes the newly minted Araventian Republic a frightening place to the other nations it borders. Most have closed off relations completely, and built up military presence where the radical thought might spill over, but the problem appears to be contained. For now. But who knows when the writings of Krill, Ansardo, and Shadding, and the actions of Voolsey and Moore might inspire a similar rebellion elsewhere? The People’s Revolution was a game changer for the politics of Evernyth, and there’s no going back.