[Culture] The Athalian-Folk

[Ragnio 510]

The Athalian people are modest individuals who have flourished throughout the years with their teachings based on naturalism and preservation of the natural balance within the ecosystem. They represent not as much strength but instead presenting to others the creative and gentle way of life they have refined upon the tidal cliffs for themselves. As such most of Athalia’s buildings and structures are created with the usage of plants and other natural materials, causing the citizens to carefully maintain the vegetation to further allow the growth of the city and flora itself. The process of conserving such a unique culture is not something easily obtained, the people of Athalia are known to avoid conflict at any cost, as an alternative, they bring new citizens to their safe harbor with their innovations for peace.

 

 

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History

 

The Athalian people have a deep-rooted history alongside with other cultures and religions, unlike many settlements, the cultural dispersion of Athalia is a rather leveled out one with a majority of elves and humans dwelling within the settlement but also a fair amount of orcs and other races having influenced the lifestyle within the kingdom. There have been many unique laws set into effect which prevent racism between the races and individuals inside the settlement, as such the relaxed ambiance of the city attracts more people to its wondrous existence. Granting all of this, the people of Athalian have been around for many realms though only now they have decided to become familiar with their neighboring settlements, while the objective of nonaggression that they strived to acquire would only be something they obtained presently.

 

During the beginning of these ancient realms, various geographical environments allowed civilizations to form and utilize the area, one being a militarized group made mostly of humans and the other being an advanced architectural group of elven ancestors. These two settlements gathered their strong hatred for each other due to a dispute between borders and natural materials that became scarce in certain areas of the lands. After some time of conflict and bloodshed, the elven settlement presented a treaty that would allow them to share the given land and all peace may be restored. The humans had a different approach when attempting to deal with the situation; sneaking into the elven settlement and slaughtering few members. While this would have provoked the elven people, they only continued to show kindness and peace until a formal treaty was given and looked over once more. After the conflict had passed and the treaty was agreed upon, only then did both settlements and cultures unite and completed the balance they both sought out.

 

Peace is more than the absence of war, people learned that after the troubles had ended that to live with love is the only way to achieve true peace. When they began these teachings of guiding your actions by a love that is not tainted with self-serving motives and does not cause harm to the balance, you will find the paradise your soul craves. These words enlightened the people of both settlements as the unity showed true tolerance to people unlike them. This idea of neutrality is what brought peace to Athalia, currently allowing them to form alliances with their neighboring settlers and different cultures, religion, and race.

 

 

The current period of Arcas is one of pure conflict and war between the races, something that would be known throughout the rest of history as did the other wars. The mainlands of Arcas continued to pose more dangerous each moment, bandits taking their chances to ransack people moving along the road, armies of each nation attacking anyone who seems to be an enemy, natural disasters, and so much more. With the Isles of Korvassa growing and becoming much more advanced, people began to seek safety and somewhere of peace away from the wartorn mainlands. Those people formed the new city of Athalia, hailing near the coastal lining of the isles and surrounded by its magnificent vegetation.

 

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Religion

 

Originating from their druidic and elvish influence the state religion of Athalia is Aspectism, yet, most other religious forms are accepted within the kingdom. As such people can freely worship most religions and be part of the kingdom without having any trouble with the laws of Athalia or other citizens. Excluded from such rules are religions which are overly aggressive towards other forms of beliefs or which break the balance itself, such as Necromantic beliefs in demonology and worshipping of dark beings. Due to the strong influence of Aspectism many rituals, often those tied to nature and the seasons, are practiced within the walls of Athalia, often resulting in colorful and rather entertaining festivals.

 

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Military and Warfare

 

Known as the Silverwood Guards the military force of Athalia is known to be lead by a singular leader, which is often being assisted by a council of other fighters. The leader and council members can be of any gender, as all members of the guard force can be, allowing both men and women to partake in the defense of Athalia. Often wearing silver-colored armor each individual is also known to hold a leather-version of their armor to act within the deserted lands to the north without being cooked alive.

 

Normally guards are being trained in swordsmanship, yet, over the years the focus changed to a more refined usage of spears and tridents to carry out their work, which is often said to originate from their location near the sea and the easier usage of such in their daily work near the waters. Often said weaponry is made out of Ferrum, yet, Aurum weapons are also known to be used by the guard force.

 

However, while Athalia may hold a guard force of their own they are barely found in battles against other kingdoms and nations, due to their alliances with said nations. Most commonly their alliances are created to maintain peace and order on the Isles of Korvassa, allowing the settlements on the isles to flourish and grow.

 

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Politics

 

Currently, the kingdom of Athalia is ruled by a monarchy and a formed council of ministers that conduct different aspects of the settlement. Each of the Ministers directs their own Ministry which work on their assignments. The function of the Athalian government is based on trust and agreement, while meetings are held almost every few elven weeks.

 

The Ministry Of Magical Affairs often is in charge of the documentation and granting of permits for casting legal magic. They have been trained in various ways to be able to counter and capture any criminal and or rogue mages that wish to bring harm down to the kingdom. They are to accept only trusted individuals that do not have any criminal record or other foreign issues that could cause problems for the ministry.

 

The Ministry Of Internal Affairs is in charge of the stewartry and enforcing taxes upon the citizens and owners of homes, shops, et cetera. They are usually seen helping newcomers gain citizenship and homes within the kingdom, while they collect taxes and make sure that no one avoids paying.

 

The Ministry Of Militaristic and Defensive Affairs documents new recruits for the Silverwood Guards and keeps the kingdom's defenses intact. The Minster tends to do more paperwork as the lower ranks conduct more training regiments, et cetera. The ministry was formed at the beginning of the formation of the settlement as it was to protect the monarch and citizens from harm's way and or any conflict that was presented to Athalia.

 

The Ministry Of Diplomatic Affairs is one of the most important aspects of the kingdom, used to form alliances between different nations and settlements while keeping good ties with them. The recruitment of different diplomats with good foreign affairs and skills when staying within different kingdoms to bring Athalia’s necessities first.

 

The Ministry Of Healthcare and Welfare has been created to keep good health conditions throughout the kingdom and to give out legal medical permits to whoever wishes to use their medical knowledge for assisting the kingdom in times of needs.

 

The Ministry Of Educational Affairs was created to allow young citizens to study and learn about the world outside of Athalia, as such the Ministry is holding school classes for interested people, teaching them about religions, magic, history and even different languages.

 

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Marriage and Divorce

 

Unlike most nations or states, marriages and divorces are a lot easier to get through, mostly due to the simple fact that any minister is allowed to divorce a couple. Yet, marriages still need to be approved by the spiritual leader of Athalia, while any priest is allowed to perform them, making it fairly easy to get married or divorced.

 

At the same time, same-sex-relationships and poly-relationships are also allowed within Athalia, meaning that a person can have multiple partners, living in a form of family. They aren’t allowed to marry, yet, are seen equally to married couples, creating the feeling of safety within everyone.

 

 

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Infrastructure

 

Athalia’s architecture is mostly influenced by the naturalism and elven aspects of their culture, as most buildings maintain the thick vegetation of flora that spreads throughout the kingdom. Most of the buildings don’t cause harm to the natural terrain and geography of Athalia but actually utilizes it in order to create a unique ecosystem between the citizens and nature itself. They have refined and formed various designs for the structures of the city, while also being adaptable enough to construct their city upon the tidal cliffs of the northern end of Korvassa. Vines and leaves often intertwine with the stone patterns of their roads and foundations of the buildings, natural streams of water flowing down the hillsides as to aid the watering of the nearby land, allowing new flora to grow and to bloom. While the city is closely tied to nature, ancient forests of thick and old trees are scattered across the lands outside of the walls, allowing the natural ecosystem to flourish as intended.

 

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Economy

 

The economy of Athalia is based around numerous trade agreements with other nations and settlements which reside within neighboring lands. The kingdom of Athalia usually trades natural materials such as spices, herbs, and medicines of varying rarity. Athalian merchants are often found within nations and settlements which are allied to Athalia and don’t pose a threat to the individuals, such as Sutica, Urugan, and a few others.

 

While Athalia is known for these herbal and natural based materials and products for trade, there was often insufficient earnings to be made, causing the people of Athalia to adapt. Through the creation of new wares and new products to sell, thanks to the integration of new cultures and citizens into Athalia itself, the economy is flourishing once again.

 

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Magic

 

Magic is well-known within Athalia and is most often seen as something respectable and something one needs to work for to obtain it. As such, most forms of magic are legalized and allowed to be used within the walls of Athalia, including voidal forms, deific forms, and forms which don’t fall under the Dark Arts. While this is the case, Druidism is the most prominent one and is often seen as the most liked and preferred form of magic within the lands of Athalia, either due to the fact that nature is constantly surrounding a person, as it is part of the city itself, or due to the fertile soil that the citizens walk upon. However, while magic is popular and mostly legalized, the Dark Arts are still seen as dangerous and impure, forbidding such mages the entry to the city as a whole.

 

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