#asketios

[loominggaia]

Beholde,,,the majestic chieftess and chief of Etios Nation!

If Hethor's design is shocking to you, then you weren't around in ye olden days. This is actually a callback to her very first design from over 10 years ago!

Hethor and Denu show up to fancy galas, flappin' tit and hangin' dong, and everyone else just has to try really hard to be normal about it.

Chad behavior. B)

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[loominggaia]

Have you developed any Etios subcultures?

Just a few so far!

Freebillies - Satyrs who wish to return to a more traditional way of life. They reject the concept of civilization and instead live “free” nomadic lives. Etio Nation is one of the very few Great Kingdoms that not only allows satyrs to live this way, but actively encourages it by designating special nature preserves for these individuals. These preserves are essentially lawless zones where satyrs can do whatever they want. But as a tradeoff, these satyrs must revoke their Etiosi citizenship and lose all benefits that entails, including access to hospitals, welfare, police protection, schooling, etc.

There are different types of freebillies, some more dedicated to the feral lifestyle than others. The most radical of them refuse to interact with townsfolk or set foot in permanent structures at all, while the less dedicated freebillies might camp in the woods and rely on civilization for supplies.

Freebillies are stereotyped as rowdy, hedonistic, and sexually aggressive by outsiders. Females are sometimes called “freenannies”. While this subculture is largely dominated by satyrs, other species may occasionally be accepted into the group; particularly nymphs and fauns.

Horners - Also disparagingly known as “horny boys”, this subculture is exclusive to horned gaians: satyrs, fauns, and minotaurs. They are vain males who are obsessed with their own horns, particularly their size. For horners, bigger is always better. They often decorate their horns with paint, jewelry, and intricate carvings to make them stand out. A cracked or chipped horn is emotionally devastating to these men.

While female horners are rare, so-called “ivory queens” are common. These are women who lust after horners and fawn over their majestic horns. Ivory queens may or may not be horned species themselves, but horners always are.

Friends of Fae - This is an Etiosi political movement that fights for fae equality. They want Etiosi's leadership to let go of the past and welcome fae across the border. Some even call for the border to be erased altogether, and the reunification of Etios Nation and Matuzu Kingdom. While this is a rather small fringe group, its members can be quite loud and disruptive while trying to get their point across. They are stereotyped as aimless people with nothing better to do but fight for a pipe dream.

That’s all I have for now, but there may be more in the future as I develop Etios Nation’s culture further.

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[loominggaia]

Wars in Looming gaia history?

I think realistically there have been thousands upon thousands of wars in Gaia's history, both big and small, so I'll narrow it down and talk about some of the most notable ones. I'll try to keep each entry here short, but if you want more information on any of them just let me know and I can make a separate post.

Gold River War: Yerim-Mor Kingdom was once the richest of the Great Kingdoms. One day a massive earthquake struck the land, bringing great devastation all across this kingdom. The earthquake also exposed a ton of gold in the Sunglow River, the lifeblood of Yerim-Mor. This river was renamed "Gold River" as Matuzu Kingdom moved in to take it all for itself, kicking the Yerim-Mor people down while they were still reeling from the disaster.

Matuzu really took advantage of the situation, using it as an opportunity to occupy chunks of Yerim-Mor's territory and steal its resources. This event was known as the "Gold River War". Yerim-Mor tried to defend itself, but it was no match, as other entities such as the Divine of Hate moved in to take advantage as well. It went from being the richest kingdom to the very poorest. The effects of this war are still very apparent today.

The Ogre Wars: This was a series of many battles fought between the ancient Evangelites and the native ogre tribes of Noalen. The Evangelites had successfully conquered or assimilated all the other peoples of this land, but they were struggling with the ogres, who just seemed to be too powerful. Long story short, Evangeline was not successful. They sunk a lot of lives and resources into trying to conquer these ogres, and in the end, the ogrish tribes still stand today in the middle of Evangelite territory as independent little nations. The Evangelites just leave them alone, and in return, the ogres keep to themselves too.

Because they have not been conquered, these ogrish tribes are not bound by Evangelite law. They have their own laws within their walls. This means that escaped Evangelite slaves, refugees, and defecting soldiers often seek these tribes as temporary safe havens while they make the journey to other kingdoms. As you can imagine, this really irritates the Evangelite government, but there isn't much they can do about it while they're stuck in this ongoing war with Folkvar. Which brings me to my next war...

The Evangeline-Folkvar War: You can read more about this one in the main Evangeline and Folkvar articles, but basically Evangeline's slavery laws led to a civil war, in which many citizens and slaves defected from the kingdom and founded their own kingdom, called Folkvar. Folkvar Kingdom has been at war with Evangeline since its conception, as its people continue to fight for their own freedom from Evangeline even today.

Sovereign's Bloodwave: This wasn't exactly a war in itself, but it was the event that incited the war between Zareen Empire and the Aquarian Alliance. Sovereign pleaded with Zareen Empire to stop polluting the sea and his his people for long enough, and he decided it was time to take drastic measures to be heard. So, he sent battalions to capture thousands of children from Zareen's coastal territories. These children were violently executed in the sea and their corpses were carried by a great magical wave, directed towards the city of Driza.

The wave devastated the city with a flood that left a grisly mess when the waters receded. The streets were choked with sewage, trash, and the severed body parts of innocent Zareenite children from all over the empire. The aftermath of this led to disease spread, and the epidemics caused even more death and destruction for several years afterwards, not to mention the emotional toll on all who witnessed such a horror...which was the entire megapopulated city of Driza.

Sovereign's message was heard loud and clear, but the response was not what he hoped. Instead of meeting his demands, the Zareenites doubled down on their pollutive ways and officially declared war upon his nation.

The Battle of Driza: Poor Driza can't catch a break, can it? That's because this city is a major industry hub for Zareen Empire, and that makes it a big target for enemy attacks. It produces much of the empire's energy with a massive dirty fuel plant, and the waste from this plant is dumped right into the sea. Sovereign once sent a few thousand dorikori (brainwashed mermaid soldiers) on a suicide mission to bomb this plant and take down Zareen's power grid, in preparation for an even bigger attack. This battle was a major plot point in the story "Chains of Melody".

(((SPOILERS: the attack failed because a spy from the Oceanic Resistance tipped off the Zareenite military ahead of time, giving them ample time to intercept it. The result? Thousands of dorikori lie dead for no reason. Smooth move there, Sovereign...)

The Matuzu-Etios War: There is more info about this in the main Etios and Matuzu articles. The short of it is, Matuzu Kingdom once had a ruthless fae regime who decided that all gaians were inferior species who should be enslaved. The kingdom's gaians were like "fuck that" and put up a much bigger fight than the regime expected. Matuzan gaians organized a mass exodus to the southern, more undeveloped part of the kingdom and colonized it for themselves. They formed their own kingdom called Etios Nation, a place where gaians dominate and fae are not allowed. Matuzu has been trying to reclaim this land from Etios ever since, but has not been successful...mostly because Matuzu can't mind its own business and has like 2-3 other wars going on at any given time. They really shot themselves in the foot with this one, as the two kingdoms are still at war even today and there is no sign of peace anywhere near the horizon.

There are definitely more, but that's all I can think of at the moment. I might add some more later.

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[loominggaia]

Thanks for answering my quesion. I didn't realize it was so bad! What are the upsides to living in Etios then?

Etios Nation can either be a paradise or a nightmare, depending on what you want out of life.

First I should mention that if you're not gaian, it's going to suck no matter what. Gaians are the chosen people here--commoners are second-class and fae are not even allowed within the borders.

I will also mention that even if you're gaian, your species can make a big difference in your experience too. Minotaurs and centaurs seem to dominate this region culturally, and fauns have decent communities too. But gorgons are underrepresented and satyrs are pretty much treated the way they are everywhere else...and by that I mean, they're treated like shit.

So with all that said...what can you look forward to in Etios Nation?

-Clean environment. Etios Nation takes the Nymph Pact to an extreme, and that means clean air, no litter, pure food with no chemical additives, and low rates of cancer because of it.

-True wilderness. The wilderness is largely undisturbed, so you can really live in harmony with nature.

-Peace. Most of this kingdom is rural, meaning you will likely own a big chunk of land with some distance between you and your neighbors. This leaves less room for noise and all the drama that comes from living in the city.

-Community-focused culture. The Etiosi embrace a herd mindset, meaning you are never really alone. Whatever your problem is, your fellow citizens will rally to help you, even if you are a total stranger. The Etiosi take a lot of pride in their communities. Families stick together here, for better or worse, and support eachother financially and otherwise.

-Wealth equality. There are rich and poor in every land, but the wealth gap is much less pronounced here in Etios Nation. Some have more resources than others, but you won't really see ultra-rich billionaires here, nor will you find starving beggars. Everyone has at least the bare minimum they need to survive.

-Biome diversity. Lakes, rivers, beaches, forests, grasslands, and snowcapped mountains...you can find all of this in Etios Nation. There's a scenic view no matter where you look!

-Competent leadership. Okay, there are plenty of reasons to criticize Chieftess Hethor. Her anti-fae rhetoric is disgusting, and many say she's too stubborn and old-fashioned for her own good. But let's give her credit where it's due: she ain't stupid. She also has a genuine passion for her culture, her people, and her nation, so she isn't easily swayed by greed like most politicians. She makes smart decisions in regards to civil policies and diplomacy. So, you can rest easy at night knowing your leader won't throw you under the bus for a few coins or whatever. Hethor rejects all policies that she believes will cause harm to her people, even if they would benefit her personally. That's pretty damn respectable.

-Sex and LGBT equality. Men and women are more or less considered equal in Etiosi society, having all the same legal rights. Same-sex relationships are also normalized in this culture, no one even bats an eye at it. After all, Etios Nation is technically a branch that fell off Matuzu Kingdom's tree, and they have kept a lot of those progressive Matuzan sensibilities over the years. (Too bad they couldn't leave the anti-fae stuff in the past!)

-No slavery. You might take this one for granted, but considering how many Great Kingdoms have issues with slavery, this is actually a pretty big deal. Slavery is not legal here in any form. Even fae, who are culturally despised, are protected by anti-slavery laws.

There may be other benefits, but that's all I can think of at the moment!

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

So polygamy is the norm in Etios. What are these poly relationships and marriages like and the typical Etios family structure? And what are the beauty standards of etios as well for men and women?

Polygamy is common in Etios Nation, mostly among minotaurs due to their traditional culture in that region. Monogamy is still a thing, but the majority of Etiosi minotaurs are polygamists.

Most often you will see a male with a bunch of wives, usually 2-3 for poor men, 4-6 for middle class men, and 6+ for rich men. More rarely you might find a female with a bunch of husbands, or even same-sex arrangements.

Here is how Etiosi law works regarding marriage: when a couple gets married, one of them must be legally registered as the "head of household". This person becomes financially responsible for their spouse and children. If they do not pay their bills or provide adequate support for their spouse/child, the law will get involved and they can be fined, jailed, or their marriage can be nullified.

The head of household is allowed to marry as many spouses as they can reasonably support. They must pay a tax every year for each spouse they have. In return, they get benefits like ownership of property/assets and a bank account, among other things. Meanwhile their spouses cannot legally own property or have bank accounts, so long as they are married to a head of household. To get these things, they must register as a head of household themselves. A head of household cannot marry another one--there can only be one head per household.

Let's say an Etiosi man is designated the head of household and he has 4 wives. If he dies, gets too sick to manage things, or he just doesn't want the responsibility anymore, he can legally transfer his head status to one of his wives. Now all of his property and assets, including his bank account, belong to that wife. She now acts as power of attorney for him and his other wives.

If he dies and none of his wives accept the head status, the whole marriage will be nullified. All 4 wives are now considered single again.

Now let's say one of these wives buys herself a house. She is unmarried, so her status defaults to head of household. But if she gets married again and her husband takes the role as head, then the house she bought now legally belongs to him. This also means he is responsible for paying it off if it isn't paid off already.

Getting married might sound like a raw deal for the spouses of a head, but there are actually many legal benefits to doing so. Married Etiosi citizens are entitled to free childcare, food bank access, retirement benefits, special medical care, and even financial help in some situations. They get preferential treatment over unmarried folks in all federal business.

Being unmarried in this kingdom actually kind of sucks. If you’re single, the government pretty much doesn’t give a fuck about you. Etiosi society expects you to live off your parents' support until you get married, then you live off your spouse's support (or support them, if you are the head of household). It's an extremely family-oriented culture. You're going to have a very bad time in this kingdom if you don't get along with your immediate relatives.

As for beauty standards, I really can't say much on that because it differs wildly depending on region, species, and culture. There are many smaller cultures operating within Etios's borders, and each of them have their own opinions about what is considered beautiful.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

are their fae hunters not conneted to etios

Yes, Evangeline Kingdom has something similar, although they hunt both fae and gaians. Fae and gaians are not allowed to be citizens of Evangeline Kingdom, they are only allowed to be slaves. Evangeline's fae hunters (called "slave hunters" in this region) roam around and question random fae/gaians they see. If these fae/gaians can't prove they're registered to a master, the slave hunters capture them and send them to Kelvingyard.

All other kingdoms have something kind of similar to fae hunters, but not exactly. They have "Arcane Task Forces" which specifically hunt down rogue, criminal mages. Mages can be gaian but the vast majority are fae, so these task forces could be considered something like fae hunters.

The reason true fae hunters are unique to Etios Nation is because this government doesn't allow fae within its borders. Unlike Evangeline, fae are not even allowed to be slaves in this kingdom; they are not allowed to exist here at all. So these fae hunters are tasked with hunting fae and deporting them (but often they are killed instead).

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

If the Hogmen’s continued existence was to be made public, do you think that they could find a place within Etios?

Yes, I think Etios Nation would be their best bet for continued survival. The Etiosi government would make an effort to protect them and accommodate their culture.

How successful will they really be though? It's unclear, because remember that this population of hogmen is going to be completely unprepared for this new world and society around them. They just stepped out of the darkest ages into the modern era with no buffer. What they're used to is a culture of violent raids and cannibalism, but that will not be tolerated under Etiosi rule. So they would have to abandon huge chunks of their culture, and that kind of thing won't happen over night.

I think their success depends on how smoothly the Etiosi government is able to assimilate them. It would take at least a couple generations to get them up to speed, and Etios' other peoples may grumble in the meantime.

That's just my personal take though. I think anything could happen.

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Lore Masterpost

[loominggaia]

For good health is soooo wholesome, I love it. A question I have is why Etios hasn’t advanced in technology? I know Gaians are pretty strong on their own, but even then, aren’t there other Gaians in Matuzu, with much more advanced weapons, armor, and magic? Does the kingdom actively stop the advancement of technology?

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked it! :D

Etios Nation hasn't advanced very far technologically because...well, it simply hasn't had to. For example, humans and dworfs advanced very quickly out of necessity because they weren't going to survive otherwise. So too did most fae, because their bodies are squishy so they had to compensate with magic.

When a nation has a mix of commoners, fae, and gaians (like Matuzu) certain cultures will make advancements and the cultures that don't will eventually get roped into that new way of life naturally.

Etios Nation is unique in that it's a kingdom almost entirely populated by gaians. Gaians, on average, are naturally much stronger and tougher than other species. They're resistant to harsh temperatures, they can shrug off wounds, they're immune to more illnesses, etc.

As a result, species like centaurs, minotaurs, and satyrs are a bit underdeveloped in certain parts of their brain. Humans and dworfs have an overdeveloped sense of innovation, but it's the opposite in some species. It doesn't mean some species are dumb and others are smart, it just means their evolution prioritized different things for their survival.

In nerdy RPG terms, minotaurs put most of their skill points in strength and didn't have many left over for intelligence. It's the opposite for humans. (Of course minotaurs are still intelligent creatures, they're just intelligent in a less obvious way than humans are.)

Some cultures in Etios Nation have fairly advanced magical technology, but it's more of a niche thing that's more common with fauns and gorgons. In addition, Chieftess Hethor is repulsed by the Zareenite way of life and doesn't want her culture to resemble it in any way, shape, or form. She believes in maintaining a close relationship with the gods and the land, taking pride in the sweat of your own brow, and fears "cultural degradation" due to advancing technology. So, she actively suppresses any technological innovation anyway.

Basically Etios Nation is the epitome of "Don't fix it if it ain't broke".