🏵 Heraldic Roses 🏵
Heavy is the head that wears the Crown
Heraldic Roses is a late Renaissance/Early Modern Age inspired low fantasy world, loosely inspired by real life cultures.
The Eastern-most part of the continent. Mountainous in the West, rolling up to the stiff peaks and cold hills of the Verith, Most Holy seat of the Imperium, then rolling into the fertile plains of Valois and ending on the shores bathed by the Cynean ocean. In the southern part of the region, small countries fight to get relevance against the two northern warring giants, such as the small but ambitious Maritime Republic of Anthea.The main religion Serism.
THE SHATTERED EMPIREOnce the birthplace of an old, prosperous Empire famous for its military conquests and civic engineering marvels. In ancient times, this Empire spanned almost the entire continent at its peak, but has since dissolved into countless Sultanates (kingdoms), Emirates (principalities), and nomadic tribes. Its people still call the region with its old name: Hadiqa, the garden. The rest of the world calls it the Shattered Empire.The region is desertic, with patches of more fertile land. Through the lands of the Hadiqa lies the Sunset Path: the most important commercial artery of the known world, going from the lands of the North-Eastern Lords to the West, towards the lands of the Veiled Empress' Empire.The main religion of the region is the Luminous Way. Nomadic tribes often mix the new monotheistic religion with the old Empire's polytheistic faith, transforming the old gods into spirits or envoys from God.
THE LANDS OF THE SUNSET
Patience is a tree with bitter roots that bears sweet fruitsThe Veiled Empire is a large state, occupying the entire western part of the known world. Ruled by the Veiled Empresses, a line believed to descend from the Gods that created the world and gifted the People of the Sunset silk as a symbol of their supremacy. As they believe their Empresses to be the vessel of the divine, only priests and anointed consorts are allowed to see their faces (this includes any possible female heir, even if not crowned yet. This is why a special sect of the priesthood is especially trained to serve and educate the Imperial children). Imperial heirs that do not ascend to the throne are unveiled and treated as mortal again (even if especially venerable).The Empire is divided into three rough geographical regions: the mountainous Burkhan Uul, the fertile floodplains of the Barunveli, and the warm, tropical archipelagoes of the Nanyang. A fourth region, the swampy Goryam, is contested but hasn't been annexed yet.The Veiled Empire is famous for its silk and its tea, cultivated in terraces in the southern Barunveli and Nanyang. The Sunset path (a commercial artery spanning the entire continent) starts from the Empire's capital, Qaganbala.The official religion is called Tamiratek. The sexes are seen as equal in the eyes of the law, with the same rights and obligations (even if, for example, a woman wanting to join the military or a man wanting to tend children would be seen as odd).
THE LUMINOUS WAY
Monotheistic, worshipping an omnipotent, omniscient God. The Sun is seen as the 'eye of God', giver of life, but also harsh trials to demonstrate one's worthiness. However, its active worship as a deity is persecuted as a remnant of pagan times. Using the real name of God is forbidden; instead, referring to Them with titles (ex. the Wise, the Just, the Giver of Life, etc). The head of the religion is chosen within the priesthood and is considered the reincarnation of the prophet Amal, founder of the Way. The exact rites used to determine this are a closely guarded secret.Marriage is exclusively monogamous, breakable only by the death of one of the spouses or certifiable, extreme damaging actions from one spouse against the other (theoretically, both genders can enforce this. In practice, only men benefit from this possibility, as a dissolving marriage almost always damages the woman). Children are considered legitimate only when conceived within a marriage.TAMIRATEKThe main religion of the Veiled Empire. It reveres a pantheon of Gods (with the chief one being the Earth Goddess Taltamira, mother of the Imperial line), and follows a complex mix of Imperial and ancestor worship, plus complex rules that govern daily life.The head of the religion is technically the Empress, but a high priest (or priestess) is chosen by the Empress herself to manage the cult.SERISMNamed from the prophet Seris of the Hidden Flame, who declared himself as speaking the will of God around the time of the fall of the Shattered Empire. Most currents of Serism consider Seris an emanation of the divine, but some consider him merely inspired by God.God is considered to have fallen asleep after creating the world, leaving the world in the hands of stewards while he rests (hence why the 'modern' world isn't perfect). God is considered to have temporarily awakened to speak to (or incarnated into) Seris, and will awaken once and for all when all humanity has accepted the world of the Prophet (and has started to act according to it). The Word (Serism's holy scripture) details a list of moral imperatives and principles. The early priesthood built rules for daily life according to their interpretation of the Word. Priesthood has technically no ranks, but in practice, the scriptures are interpreted and enforced according to the interpretation of a senior council of priests.Marriage is generally monogamous and unbreakable, but admits concubinage in exceptional circumstances (generally, a spouse not being able to birth a male child). However, the use of concubinage is fiercely contested, and most of the priesthood is beginning to decry it as a product of pagan, barbaric times.
JALIPH
The Land of the Scorpion
الحركة بركة (movement is a blessing)Once poor, mountainous, and desertic, this Emirate knew its rebirth when the old Emir, Hassan, started to bring it to prosperity by discovering and excavating mines and quarries. His son, the reigning Emir Rashid, is continuing and expanding his work, bringing unprecedented prosperity to the land.They produce a soft, warm goat wool that is, however, seen as uncouth and low-brow. The Emir's palace/fortress is called the Citadel of Thorns.As of today, they are roughly on par with the older and more prestigious Sultanate of Rashani, bordering Jaliph to the south, in military power and influence. They have a fierce rivalry with the Sultanate.
RASHANI
The Land of the sweet rivers
إذا تم العقل نقص الكلام (the smarter you get, the less you speak)Located south of Jaliph. Since the fall of the old Empire, it has been one of the richest Sultanates of the region, spanning fertile, river-run land that provides a good part of the agricultural produce of the region. Famed for their merchants (who have an almost monopoly on the Veiled Empire silk in the region, and many workshops to process raw silk into cloth), and scholars.Currently ruled by Sultan Karim ibn Bashir, who succeeded recently on the death of his father and is nicknamed "the young Falcon", referencing the Sultanate's emblem.The palace of the Sultan is called the Garden of Silence, a nod to the Sultanate's motto.