Posts : 96 Join date : 2014-02-23 Age : 31 Location : Manchester, England
Subject: Saint-Astan Sat Mar 01, 2014 1:00 pm
"Under the eye of Virgil and Ariél, there is no road but that of our destiny. We are protected, and our sins are punished accordingly. It is a blessing not to be forsaken."
Quote :
The Holy State of Saint-Astan is a nation located just south of Ostia. Steeped in centuries of tradition and devotion to their two patron deities, it has remained a strictly conservative land untouched by the progression of time. It does not interest itself in matters of trade or openness and maintains a strict isolationism with regards to the world beyond a border infamously difficult to cross. Its unwillingness to welcome visitors is reflected in the country's laws, with a large number of limitations and restrictions placed upon outsiders that choose to enter. There are no preventative measures in place, however, and though the air is polluted with a thick sense of disaffection in the larger towns and cities, the less densely populated areas of the country can prove to be quite welcoming.
The white dove is a national symbol of Saint-Astan, and is considered to be sacred. It features very commonly upon Astanian heraldry, usually paired to represent their gods.
The cathedral city of Armélle is as much a fortress as it is a place of worship, with towering walls and a tremendous citadel.
Quote :
Situated in the north of the country, past the river Aurore extending northwards past the border, the capital city of Armélle towers over the surrounding landscape. Whilst not the largest city in Saint-Astan, it exists as the oldest and most ancient settlement in the nation's history, and stands certainly as the most fortified. The growth of the residential area surrounding the city's huge citadel is stunted in no small part by the thirty foot high wall of dark grey stone encircling it, an imposing construction finished in another age to keep its inhabitants safe. Archers and siege engines sit atop the battlements, or in hexagonal ramparts jutting out at key locations such as at the flanks of the many gates granting entrance to the capital itself. Though mainly repaired, large sections of the walls bear marks of battles that once transpired, ranging in severity from frequent pockmarks to huge gouges revealing the bare stone within.
The country places a huge importance upon a system of nobility, with those born into power remaining there by right of name. A key part of this is the process of knighthood, in which a more common individual is able to serve with honour and skill to earn both a title and a granted status of nobility, or simply have been born highly enough to become a knight by way of a shorter and more direct entry into the famous Grande-Ville Académie d'Astanién. The academy functions as a prestigious centre for learning both martial and scholastic, and is home to the finest swordsmen and teachers Saint-Astan has to offer. Entry comes at a significant cost, unless an individual is granted entry by way of merit, and thusly most Astanian knights are of the higher nobility. Would-be knights spend four years in total training to be an exemplary fighter, honed and well-schooled in their craft before they are knighted and given the honour of entry into L'Ordre Astanién - known simply as the Astanian Order.
Upon entry to the Order, a knight is given a weapon of the highest quality. Forged from Astanian white steel, the l'arme du chevalier is a two-handed broadsword intended to carry its recipient through the rest of their life as a fighter, and is wielded as a mark of the highest honour and prestige. The signet of the Order, a fleur-de-lis, sits masterfully worked into the pommel, and it is given a unique name of the knight's choice which is engraved into the sword's grip before it is wrapped. This name is logged in an aging tome, and in the event of the knight's death the sword is found by a group known as the chercheurs and returned to the capital city's armoury. The blades of the most famous warriors of the Order are kept preserved and honoured, though lesser knights may find their swords melted down and reforged.
Knights are given a choice to serve the gods and the holy state, during which time they are granted land and wealth in return for their services, or they may choose to venture forth on their own path. Doing so is not frowned upon, but it does not allow a knight to hold land whilst they do not take arms in service of Virgil and Ariél. These come to be known as hedge knights, and remain part of the Order albeit with a much less active role. They are only likely to be called upon when personally required for a task, or in times of desperate need such as warfare.
Ariél, First Child of Dawn, is the Astanian goddess of light. Alongside Virgil, she presides over the mortal realm with a sentinel's eye.
Quote :
Saint-Astan is governed by a theocracy, in so far as that they name their deities as the eternal rulers of their holy lands. A circle of thirty-two prophets are elected from a selection of the most devout within the capital city of Armélle, at first through a democratic process until eight prophets are named and the circle itself begins choosing for itself. As long as prophets occupy the circle they themselves hold ultimate authority in interpeting the will of the gods, and as such decide who is inducted upon the death or resignation of one amongst their ranks.
The world may have a common acceptance of the four gods presiding over the seasons, but the people of Saint-Astan follow a narrower creed. Whilst accepting the traditional pantheon, they devote themselves entirely to two deities known as Virgil and Ariél, who they believe to have walked their lands before history itself began.
Virgil, Spear of the Night, is the god of life, justice and war. Ariél, First Child of Dawn, is the goddess of light, hope and prosperity. Though both are given their respective titles, they are said to watch over every last part of Saint-Astan together, and the rest of the world to a much lesser extent. Astanians believe the world outside their border to have turned to their own salvation, and thusly unworthy of any great deal of attention, and worship their own two gods before considering others.
In life, Virgil and Ariél were lovers so pure that they reserved a place for their continued existence in the world beyond. Their followers observe a life of righteousness accordingly, treading a path between moderation and disciplined joy with unflinching obedience. Astanian legend has it that a sinful life reaps only a painful execution upon the keen of Virgil's blade, and an eternity spent not in bliss but in the darkness of damnation. Murder itself, however, is not a forbidden act unless an Astanian is the one you mean to use your weapon against. Love is another freedom given to the otherwise stoic religion in accordance with the past lives of their guardians, though many choose a life of chastity in the hope of guaranteed salvation.
Astanians follow both Virgil and Ariél, but are able to worship one more dedicatedly should they feel more closely associated. A knight, for example, may worship Virgil for his council and guidance in matters of war, whilst a merchant may pray to Ariél for luck and prosperity.
Abandonment of the gods, that is to say the act of turning one's back and simply rejecting them outright, is a deeply shameful act. It is not punishable, but instead widely condemned even by those exploring wider pantheons. The title of autrevaillé, literally meaning "forsaken", is a derogatory term used to describe those who are known to have abandoned both Virgil and Ariel, and those labelled with it are subject to fierce disdain even within their own families. Autrevaillé are banned from service in the Order, and amongst many discriminating laws are barred from entering the central parts of most cities as these are often pious and complex cathedral-like establishments.
The landscape of Saint-Astan is hardly lush, littered with uneven outcrops of rock and sparse litterings of foliage.
Quote :
Much like the lands of Aldinor lying to the east, Saint-Astan is a relatively flat land characterised by a bleak lack of forestation. With an abundance of stony hills and the mineral rich cliffs lining the coat the land is far from barren, but aside from a thin layering of grass only the eastern woodlands close to the town of Lilou, the land is largely unremarkable. A few abandoned forts lie overgrown and for hundreds of years disused, with the majority of them disassembled and their matierials repurposed. Like all buildings constructed under the doctrine of Astanian architecture the forts are entirely made of stone for purposes of both longevity and convenience, as Saint-Astan is blessed by a near inexhaustible supply of dark slate-coloured stone. Rarely are buildings ever constructed with wood, and even then only with what little Astanian maple is left spare from matters of furnishing.
Where the land raises, blackened scars of rock make passage almost impossible. Griffons often nest in these highlands, descending often to harass those travelling by road.
