United Against Tyranny

Civiel

Civiel, formerly part of the Iksandi empire, is a kingdom located north of Iksand, which it shares many cultural similarities with. Divided into three main regions: Greylight, Northkeep, and Whitewatch, along with the free territories of Seahollow, Morede, and Ivorine. The united crest is blue and grey, with a black wolf. The blue represents justice, grey represents strength, and black represents determination.

GEOGRAPHY

Civiel is bordered to the north by the Northern Sea, on the east by the Kerenny Strait, and to the south and west by the Dragonback Mountains. It spans multiple biomes across its large territories. Northkeep is home to cold boreal forests, and is the only part of Civiel outside of the Dragonback Mountains. Seahollow is a coastal territory in between the mountains and the Northern Sea, bordered to the east by the Serkey Waterway. Greylight is home to conifer forests and mixed deciduous forests, with wide grassy plains on the eastern side. Morede is home to dry plains and rocky cold deserts, as it lies in the rain shadow of the mountains. Whitewatch is home to thick patches of conifer and deciduous forests, but the western portion has some plains as well. Ivorine is known for being a frigid, wet territory, and is dominated by tundra. The Glass River flows through Whitewatch and acts as the border between it and Greylight.

GOVERNMENT

The government of Civiel is a monarchy, with smaller regional governments. The dominant region is Northkeep, although the largest is Whitewatch. Most laws are made at a regional level, and the government is more similar to a confederation than Iksand.

CULTURE

Civielite folk are characterized by a simple manner and polite restraint. Since the fall of the Iksandi Empire, Civiel tries its hardest to seperate itself from the empire, going so far in recent years to discuss transitioning into a constitutional monarchy headed by a council, since the people of Civiel value freedom and liberation from strict governments in which they have no say. The nation is also in a process of making reparations with other former states of the empire, most notably Jehis, which it shares a border and many trade routes with. Civiel is responsible for introducing goats to Jehis, and the Jehisi people introduced the practice of falconry and caribou herding. 

Visual Culture

Civielite architecture is similar in many ways to Iksandi architecture, with many older houses having the same style of half-timber. However, newer houses are built in the Whitish style, which is characterized by detailed wooden trims and exposed beams on the top floor of buildings, and stone brick on the bottom. Many churches built during the Empiric age have been changed, and the New Empiric style has emerged, characterized by elaborate stonework, rounded arches, and decorated domes. Civielite architecture is known for the carved wooden designs on the outer beams, displaying animals and family crests.

The clothing style is simple and suited toward the cooler climate found in Civiel. The base layer is a shirt with a high, stiff collar and a pair of warm leggings made of cotton. Some women wear an extra layer of support, typically in the form of chest bands made of cloth and whalebone. Over top, city women wear a skirt that typically reaches to the calf or ankle. Most men and working class women wear pants that are secured at the waist and ankle with drawstrings, causing women in the workforce to be known as "Stringers" informally. The patterned tippet, or shoulder cloths, from Iksand have been modified into an embroidered waistband, which in some communities is boned with whalebone, similar to a corset. In the winter, both city and country folk wear waistcoats, also with high collars, and knitted scarves are common. Some western cities have adopted the Jehisi two-pointed hats for use in the winter.

Civielite trade is heavily centered around Whitewatch, more specifically three cities on the eastern coast: The White City, Andelvern, and Kenney. These ports recieve imports from all over the country, such as livestock from Siana and ore from Audhyll. Civiel exports a wide variety of materials, from wool and rice from Greylight to riding wyverns from Morede.

Daily Life

Food in Civiel is based around mainly foraged plants. In the southern regions, corn crops are imported from Iksand and grown, but in other regions wild rice is the dominant grain. Nuts like chesnuts and acorns provide an important foodstuff for many people and are used in place of some grains. Rice and cornmeal based dishes similar to shepherd's pie or are some of the most common meals. Outsiders speak of "mush", which in Civiel is called Minesh, and consists of ricemeal or cornmeal mixed with milk and root vegetables. Minesh has a grainy, moist texture not unlike mashed potatoes.

Outside of ceremonial feasts and celebrations, food is considered a private affair, so each family to their own. Unless one is staying the night at someone's house, it is seen as rude to expect a meal at someone's house.

DEMOGRAPHICS/POPULATION

The people living in Civiel are known as Civielite(s). Demonyms for the regions/territories are Greyish/greys (Greylight), Noric (Northkeep), Whitish/Watchers (Whitewatch), Hollian (seahollow), Morian (Morede), and Iric (Irsland). Most of the population is elves, although there is a notable population of Vityr in Greylight. Whitewatch is the most diverse, and there are a number of other races. Traits between the regions are not very noticable at first glance. Greys tend to have the lightest skin and are the tallest, Norics are the shortest, and Whitish people are the most diverse. The main religion of Civiel is Avonism, brought over from Iksand, although there is a growing population of Ervaju followers, as well as scattered followers of the Coven of the Ancients from refugee Magefolk.

Names

Feminine: Lisibel/Ilisabet, Rose, Anemiry
Masculine: Alric, Milio, Jokhan/Johan