Baylis

The People

Baylis is a nation divided, the people come from clashing cultures. With the merging of Nedlund and Baylis done on terms both sides can agree on, it’s left the people of Baylis confused as to who they’re meant to be. Those from Nedlund who remember the old days remain wary of Pure races, and some of those from Baylis still consider the mixed-race people of Nedlund to be inferior. Though this is largely broken up by age. 

The younger members of these cultures just want the fighting to stop. They want the focus to be on becoming stronger, together. Working on putting their historic differences aside for the sake of the country and their own survival. 

They are becoming a determined people, and forgiving. Believing that you can overcome past mistakes and be better, learning from your past and valuing history as a teacher. You must own those mistakes in order to move past them, and you must move past them to move forward. They want to be living proof that the even the worst can become better and stronger. 

The new Government have declared an end to slavery, deeming it illegal in all forms. Most of the people are happy with this outcome as very few of them still possessed slaves anyway. 

The majority of the populace are humble workers- working on farms or in quarries or woodland. They are fishers and bakers, trying to get by. Those with a sense of wanderlust often become traders for the Baylis Merchant Navy, taking their simple goods across the known world. Whilst they don’t do much in the way of luxury goods, what they do provide is good quality. 

Popular Clothing 

A simple but divided nation, their clothing reflects this. With the layman commonly wearing hose/trousers, tunics and tabards in divided colours that reflect their community. Each community is in charge of picking their own colours and crest and this can be put onto the clothes of the people who live there. Some are extremely proud of their newfound badges of honour, some less so.

It’s not uncommon for people to just wear neutral colours, with brown and black trousers and a shirt of an appropriate colour for the area. Tabards and aprons are also worn over the top to protect clothes from hard labour, or just for the aesthetic. 

As a lot of the nation works outside, their clothing is rugged and hard-wearing, built to last. Fabrics like wools and linens are common. If armour is being worn it is usually mismatched metal and leather, though chainmail is most popular among the general populace.  

Politicians, land-owners and other rich people may wear fancier clothing with luxurious patternings and fur trims. Though the wealth gap is not so large as it has once been, it is said that it is possible to tell if someone is from old Nedlund or old Baylis by the quality of their clothes, with Nedlunders wearing the lower quality, cheaper garments.

Culture and Customs 

The culture of Baylis is still settling into itself after the unification of the two countries, there are many customs from the past that are being removed from general practice due to insensitivity to the other half of the country. Some residents are stubborn and determined to continue their practices in private. 

The majority of the populace are working on building a culture of tolerance and unity, a culture determined to learn from its history. There is a drive for writing down and preserving the past, those with memories from before the multiple wars are being encouraged to preserve that so that people may learn from it. 

There is huge value placed on history as a teacher, but also as something that should be studied and not clung to. A distance placed between the new and the old, so that they can focus on moving forward. 

Local holidays includ the original separation day, when Bavania became Nedlund and Baylis and now there is to be huge celebrations held yearly for the unification day. 

There has been a cultural shift towards working together, working in communities and as a country to build something new and improved. Working together is important and communities are becoming considered ‘family’, with colours, banners, crests and a desire to help one another. Working together is seen as the best path to long term survival. 

History

The country of Baylis was previous the Kingdom of Bavania, a nation led by a monarchy who were in total control. They were a nation obsessed with blood purity, ‘pure’ races were seen as superior, any pure race it didn’t matter if human, elf or greenskin, so long as they were pure. Mixed-races or half-races were seen as inferior and were subjugated and enslaved by the pure races. 

Eventually, there was a slave rebellion, causing a long and bloody uprising which ended with a settlement negotiation that split the country in two. Forming Nedlund, where the mixed-race slaves were sent and Baylis, where the pure races would stay. The two countries were never really at peace with each other and there were many border pushes that saw the countries take land from each other. 

This changed in 1125AC when Noria invaded first Baylis and then Nedlund, taking both under their banner and conscripting what little military forces they had into their army. Both countries fought back together with the alliance and after the war was over, the decimation to their lands and the reparations they were given seemed like the perfect reasons to put aside their long, bloody history and attempt to build back stronger. 

Leadership

The land of Baylis has expanded following the War of 1125AC, with Noria handing over historical Hasselt. The land was then split into twelve portions, each of these twelve sections are ruled over by a Protector, originally from Nedlund. These protectors are voted in by the people, so their role is to serve the people.

Baylis is a constitutional monarchy, with a King as head of state and these twelve protectors sitting on a parliament who advise the King and help create policies. This prevents the King have ultimate power and keeps much of the decision making in the hands of the people.

Religious Beliefs 

Baylis is not an overly religious country, they worship the Gods as most places do. None of the Gods are illegal to worship and it is common for communities to have small shrines to a chosen God in their village center, or for people to have small shrines in their houses to a God of their choice.

There is a small contingent of former Baylish citizens who are devout Volcano God followers and preach his worship hard due to his associations with purity, however most are in agreement that this is a poor interpretation and a misunderstanding of the fundamentals of the Volcano God. Debates are ongoing and many who worship the Volcano God for other reasons attempt to distance themselves from this cult. 

There is also a small contingent of former Nedlund residents who worship Vengeance, as they are unable to let go of their hatred of the Baylish people and their enslavement at their hands. 

Waarheid is becoming more popular due to the push for preserving history.