Cyrnos
| Cyrnos | |
|---|---|
| Capital City: | Citrium |
| System of Governance: | Monarchy |
| Leader(s) | Queen Xanthippi III of House Dionuso |
| Primary Religion: | Thracian Pantheon - Ebude emphasis |
| Languages | Kretan, Doomstratsch |
| Majority Races | Human |
| Strong Minorities | Endrani Aristocracy, Paleteth |
| Real World Influence: | Real World Influence: Greece |
Overview
A hotly contested island bridging the straight between Thracia and the wealth of the Coda, Cyrnos has a long history of colonization. This period only came to an end in the sixteenth century when a noble house banished from Doomstadt arrived. Accompanied and supported by all of their constituent houses, they began setting up their own kingdom. Queen Xanthippi III ascended to the throne of Cyrnos in 2002 after the abdication of her aging mother, Queen Panagiotta. The matriarchal monarchy dominates an aristocracy composed entirely of four Endrani houses. These each, in turn, rule over robust and prosperous nations with largely Human populations.
Situated between the Athesia sea to the north and the Cyrnosian sea to the south, Cyrnos' closest trade partners are Thracia Unitas to the west and Hispalis to the east. Beyond these, they are within easy travel of Saimonia and it is possible to reach the Barbarian ports of southern Meridia with some difficulty. The land is mostly rich semi-tropical plantations and vivid rainforest, with the high peak of Chionistra overlooking the island. The capital of Citrium is located in the northwest, along the Cypress river, in the region of Paphos.
The island is generally wealthy and has a vigorous economy in sugar and tropical fruits. These commodities depend on the practice of slavery, as many economies in the region do. However, unlike Doomstadt, Cyrnos employs the Thracian model of slavery and thus has little difficulty interacting politely with its neighbors. Religiously, the people of Cyrnos particularly revere the goddesses Ebude and Collen. But secretive cults to Beshaba also exist, who view the island's volcanic remains as the home and sanctuary of the treacherous goddess.
Though dependent on its strong relationship with both Hispalis and Thracia to maintain the status quo, Cyrnos often profits from both the harmony and discord between the two nations. When a dispute centered around olive oil production caused chaos in the economy of Thracia between 2009 and 2014, Cyrnos took ruthless advantage of the situation. After buying vast stocks of the Thracian oil, they exported it as though it were their own to far-flung parts of the Coda. The nations that received it would never realize that Cyrnos was simply laundering the oil, never producing any of their own. This deception actually blunted the harm of Thracia's trade war with Sassania for all concerned, and Cyrnos profited enormously.
Culture
The people of Cyrnos blend the fierce ambition the Endrani are famous for with the languid opulence of Thracian society to bring about a firm reputation for merciless mercantilism. Though the upper echelons of society are all entirely of Endrani heritage, there are always Paleteth amongst the elite as well, and many Human families on the island have an assortment of Endrani ancestry blended in with far less concern than is present in Doomstadt.
Existing as a kind of rebellious counterpoint to the fundamentals of Doomstadter culture, the Cyrnosian aristocracy keeps all the ruthless and aggressive competition in place, but dispenses with much of the violence innate in the intrigue of the north. Instead, inter-familial strife is played out largely on an economic basis. Since they are shrewd economists, this includes never attempting to actually annihilate one another's wealth, and instead seeking to twist or subvert it. Noone wants Cyrnos to stop being wealthy. It is a much less cutthroat environment to be an Endrani noble.
When Endrani from Doomstadt visit the island, it is common for them to treat the locals with a certain amount of disgust for lacking purity, but the Cyrnosian Endrani regard Doomstadters as tragically misguided Barbarians and disdain such guests in return. Emigres from Doomstadt are uncommon, and no entire families have followed the first diaspora that seeded Endrani on the island in the first place.
The human citizen population of the island is fairly content with their Endrani overlords, regarding the circumstance as one that bears little significance - nothing more remarkable than if the prominent families of the island were all Hispalian, which had been the case previously in any event. The Endrani have deliberately mimicked Thracian sensibilities in order to be welcomed as good neighbors, and this has resulted in a sort of pragmatic semi-egalitarian approach to their rule which leaves the citizenry without too much to complain about. It is possible for Humans to become spectacularly wealthy and prosperous on Cyrnos, and for those spectacularly wealthy or prosperous Humans to marry into the Endrani families, so it is not regarded as a serious problem.
Religions
what faiths are present, what are the views on faith
Social Structure
The aristocracy is composed of four endrani houses. One, the royal house of Dionuso, is supreme amongst them, and the other three are considered subordinate to them. These are the Cyzicus, the Lydia, and the Dormika.
The Queen is the Matriarch of Dionuso. Each lesser house is led by a Matron, and the second-rank line of Dionuso likewise has a Matron and further land controlled by the house. The women of the houses control all aspects of power and influence while the men serve in more menial and military capacities. Men are severely outnumbered by women amongst Endrani, even in Cyrnos, but the birthrate differential is minutely less severe - likely as a result of how much Palateth mixing goes on with impunity on the island.
Each house controls a substantial portion of the land on the islands but does not universally own the property, instead acting as a subordinate lord over the local lands, collecting taxes and administering policy. Many Humans hold prominent positions within the government, and many Endrani are no more than mere citizens of the realm rather than proper members of the aristocracy. This blend serves to make racial inequalities much less apparent.
Instead, society is built upon a class structure that values merchants and bankers most, followed by craftsmen and the expertly educated, then followed by producers or cultivators of natural resources. These are not rigid castes but strongly influence place in society.
The bottom rung of society is occupied by slaves, called servas after the Thracian fashion. The slaves perform much of the manual labor required for agricultural production, as well as being extremely common as household servants. Enslaved persons make up almost half the population of Cyrnos, but it is among the least punitive places in the world to be held under the condition. To avoid riots or marronage, the enslaved are treated with a kind of patronizing coddling, and having happy, well-garbed, cheerful servas is a sign of prosperity. Additionally, servas are subject to a maximum term of bondage on the islands, and an entire minor bureaucracy exists to enforce this provision.
Abolitionist movements struggle to take hold without the underlying discontent other slave-holding lands can experience, but despite the minor glamor and gentleness of slavery on Cyrnos it remains a particular blight in the eye of some philosophers, who continuously and strenuously advocate for an end to the practice. This is also fashionable, and tends to go nowhere as a simple high-minded talking point at aristocratic gatherings.
Customs and Holidays
What days matter to the people
Arts and Exceptionalism
Politics
Government
Cyrnos is ruled by a matriarchal Monarchy heading an exclusively Endrani aristocracy, advised by a privy council of councilors representing industry guilds, military concerns, and diplomatic relations.
The royal House of Dionuso has ruled since shortly after arriving on the island with it's tributary houses in the sixteenth century, exiled from Doomstadt after losing a noteworthy power struggle without being annihilated. The Matriarch of House Dionuso is Xanthippi III, who has ruled since the abdication of her mother Panagiotta in 2002. Panagiotta had reigned from 1971-2002, preceded by her own mother, Arieste II. Queen Xanthippi and her house are directly responsible for governing the province of Paphos around the capital city of Citium, along the Cypress river.
The second family of Dionuso, sometimes called Dionuso Minorus, is ruled by Matron Stiliani, who governs the southwestern province of Kato. House Cyzicus, led by Matron Eleftheria, rules the province of Agland in the northeast. House Lydia, led by Matron Agapantha, rules the mountainous province of Limas in the midlands. Lastly, house Dormika, led by Matron Kalomoira, rules the southwestern province of Kyrenia.
Each house has its own Shurukai, house guard, as in Doomstadt, but Cyrnos also has an entirely nationalized navy, which they call the Armada. Both Shurukai and Armada service is not limited to Endrani but instead composed of a broad swath of citizenry.
Organization of the Land
How the power structure is divided regional (i.e. Duchies, Baronies, Lordships, etc.)
Demographics
Economy
Foreign Relations
History
History since the Dragon Wars
Early History
National History
Major Modern Events
What events will have shaped the experience of characters having grown up there
Geography
The physical lay of the land
Notable Features
The geography of the island is dominated by central mountain range, the Touros Mountains, and the wide surrounding plain called the Soria. The plain is divided by the Cypress River, which is the most substantial watercourse on the island. The Touros mountaings domnate the southern portions of the island and while not dominant in comparison to the mighty ranges of the world, they remain substantial. The highest point on the island is located there at the peak of Mount Chionistra, which looms over the island despite being lower than even modest peaks of the Dragonspine.
Geologically acitve, there are handful of ancient volcanoes on the island. The most notable of these is Milaevnos - "The mountain that speaks". A mountainous cave system in the southernmost reaches of the Touros mountains where a temple to Collen has been set up. Those whose minds are properly open may traverse into the caves and inhale the volcanic vapors to hear the whispers of the gods. Those whose minds are not prepared though may have violent halucinations which send them over the side of the cliffs, which is why the priests there put all who desire Collen's prophecy through proper training before allowing them to enter the caves.
Off the southeastern coast lies the slender arc of an island called Thera, thought to have been home to a booming and prosperous Thesallanaean city-state around 800 BT when abruptly the entire island erupted in a massive and terrible outpouring of the raw wrath of the Gods. Sparsely populated by a handful of fishing villages now, little remains of what was once a substantial island nearly 12 miles across. The central crater is 8 miles wide on its own, and Thera arcs around it on the eastern side.
The ancient eruption of Thera is thought to have caused vast calamities around the Cyrnosian and Athesian seas, quakes, tidal waves, and general disruption, and may have been responsible for entirely destroying an early, unknown nation along the west coast of Saimonia who have left behind only a handful of scattered ruins clearly damaged by the sea but not old enough to be pre-cataclysm.
The Cyrnosian Sea The namesake sea to the south of Cyrnos is itself a treacherous and dangerous body of water. Geologically active and comparatively shallow, it teems with life and exciting coral reefs, but dangerously unpredictable currents are created by hot spots on the sea floor, and the weather is tempestuous and aggressive. Additionally, particularly in the south near the dense and ship-annihilating reefs and rocks of Decima's Bite (so named for one of the Fates who serve Nul), the waters contain a desperately dangerous form of barnacle called the Chthamalus. This unassuming creature drifts on the current as a larva almost too small to be seen, but once it catches upon the hull of a ship it grows so rapaciously that it can bore holes through an 18inch hull in a matter of weeks. To sail any wooden craft near Decima's Bite is to doom your ship, and the abundant sharks weaving between the shallow waters on the Cyrnosian side and the depths of the Oceanum Orientalis beyond will see to the fate of those who sail there.
And this is not the only danger from Chtamalus. They will also cling to floating debris, notably including the periodic floating coconut that drifts on the sea, and can leave larvae in the flesh of the fruit. If eaten, most creatures will provide an ample home for the creature which will rapidly grow, destroying the internal parts of their victim in terrible and dismaying fashion, sometimes bursting entirely through the chest of their victim in the final agonies. Any but the most desperately starving sailor knows not to sample the flesh of a drifting coconut.
The creatures seem only able to reproduce in their home waters and have never spread beyond to the rest of the Cyrnosian Sea, and it took many centuries of mystery and misandventure to unravel the secret of their devasating effects. The Chthamalus were discovered and documented by famous naturalist Sir Charles Wyville of the Royal Society of Imajicka, exploring the Cyrnosian sea aboard HMS Challenger in the 1860s, which sank. Sir Charles then spent a decade on the Saimonian coast attempting to learn the secret of the strange phenomenon before unraveling the truth of the Chthuamalus.
Climate
The climate is subtropical and humid, with sweltering summers and stormy, rain-drenched winters. The land flourishes with rich deciduous growth, though the farmlands are over-watered and less than perfectly suitable for grain production as a result.
