Tesserroki

Tesserroki also known as the The Grand Empire of the Four Kings under the Sun or The Holy Land Saints of the Aglio Gitolun is one of the five Empires that appeared after the collapse of the Empire of Islasol, it is located on the Eastern Coast of Phainfara and is the smallest of the five Empires. It borders Vatrachia to the West and shares Sea Borders with Sokida.
==Geography==
Much of Tesserroki is recognized as Tropical Plains, large rivers stemming from the Psitindy Mountains to the West serve as origin points for the rivers within the country's territory. The region known as Koshi Island has a fairly distinct environment from the mainland with large swampy rivers covering much of the terrain allowing for a more vibrant and varied degree of life to evolve on the island, in addition it is dominated by the Tykano Volcano in the North-West which coats the land in ash periodically although has not been active for several centuries at this stage.
Tesserroki also controls a series of islands to the East, these islands are mostly tropical with a series of high plateau environments providing a buffer from the ocean and are notable for their difficulty to invade as the sharp cliffs limit the access points onto the islands.
The comparatively young addition to the country, the Xenilenko Lowlands is generally regarded as a less hearty area, although high in population the area is somewhat barren as it lacks in a strong vegetative presence with relatively few large forested areas and generally is seen as being more arid and dry than the rest of the country.
==History==
Although much of Tesserroki's history is tied to the Islasol Empire, over time it has diverged from its parent nation. Due to the religious fervour that exists in Tesserroki, the country pivoted towards a belief of religious absolutism, developing into a theocratic republic autocracy where the Senators and Holy Ministers elect an Emperor to lead the nation.
In the first year of this new system, the great Bronze Statue of Tiberius was constructed to commemorate the first Emperor of the new nation. The statue stands as one of the largest of the ancient world at 45m in height and has a massive marble base structure which also serves as the gathering building for communion of new Autocrats. To many within the nation, the statue represents man's agreement to the gods with the phrase "Servite in Deorum" engraved on a plaque recognizing that the Emperors of Tesserroki perform their duties for the appeasement of the gods.
==Flag==
The Flag of Tesserroki, also known as the Uniting Lands Flag is the official flag of Tesserroki and can trace its roots back to the Islasol Empire, where the flag has the distinct diagonal stripe that was representative of the two halves of the Islasol Empire at the time (Phainfara in the West and Osidynia in the East). Tesserroki's Flag is dominated by a Tricolour-esque design. The outer two thirds comprise of a white and burgundy set of colours split by a golden diagonal band. The white represents the Peace and Unity that Tesserroki brings through its divinity while the Burgundy represents the flames of conflict that spurned the country's very creation. The Gold Band is both a call back to the Islasol Empire and denotes the Golden Grain the quintessential food of Tesserroki lifestyles. It should be noted that the inversion of the colours from the left and right sides of the flag represents how Peace can overcome Conflict but also how a Righteous War can overcome inferior religious systems.
In the center of the flag is a red background, denoting the strength of the Tesserrian people with the Three Lances Icon surrounded by the Flames of the Four Suns represented as well. The Flames of the Four Suns is indicative of the Four Kings under the Sun with each spurn of the fire representing a different king, although the original design was slightly different as Partoria's section has been increased in size due to its importance. The Three Lances represent the Reunification of the Three Lands which was the event following the collapse of the Islasol Empire which saw the Partorian Region, Galmaniz Region and Koshi Island reunite into a new country rather quickly after the collapse of the old empire.
==Culture==
Tesserrians generally revere themselves as the rightful heirs to the keys of the Islasol Empire, supposedly a forgotten branch of the royal lineage of the Islasol Empire lives on in Tesserroki although the claim is disputed due to poor documenting. The culture of Tesserroki also changes depending on where in the empire you are. In the North on Koshi Island you have the ages long rivalry between the Kevasilians and the Varnari who had been united under the Islasol Empire although still are viewed as significant economic rivals to this day.
In the main heartlands of the country you have the dominant Partorian lifestyle, which is denoted by its strong focus on the faith in the Aglio Gitolun which is more dominant in the North compared to the South. The region also being home to the capital holds a lot of sway in decisions made for the entire country and as such is viewed as being somewhat above the other major regions of power for the country although this is often quelled by the Partorian King.
In the South the culture shifts to that of the Galmaniz, their powerful military presence instills a strong sense of honour and duty bound within the peoples who live there and an old saying in the region goes that "Sons are born into the Battlefield", it is also the only part of the country with its own standing army making it rather distinguished from the rest.
Although technically part of the same region, the people of the Xenilenko Lowlands also known as the Xenileks are not recognized as true heirs to the Islasol Empire and as such are sometimes treated as second-class citizens even among the other Tesserrians, although this is often more seen in the Galmaniz peoples than those further away. In addition the Xenileks are sometimes referred to as the Sun Tribe as they were among the first non-Islasol people to join one of the descendants of the Islasol Empire and as such are regarded by some of their neighbours as traitors.
Although part of Tesserroki, the Pennefi Archipelago and Valfeige Island have quite distinct cultures that have developed as a result of their relative isolation from the rest of the country, the Pennefiry are generally seen as a rather laidback group, although almost as strong in their beliefs as the Partorians, they tend to live their lives in a more peaceful and free-form setting. It is unsurprising then that their chieftan deity is the God of the Flow.
The Valfeige Island is sometimes mistakenly compared to the Galmaniz way of life as like the Galmaniz they're a more militarized culture, however the Valfeigi are actually quite open to outsiders by comparison and instead have channeled their militaristic history into a strong sense of architecture, it's believed that the great Builder Families of Valefeige Island have their roots in constructing military fortifications across the Islasol Empire. The island itself is also one of the most homogenized territories in Tesserroki as the people often strongly share the identity of being Valefeigi.
===The Four Kings under the Sun===
The Four Kings under the Sun denotes the four major city-states that once existed in the region before being consumed into part of the Islasol Empire. It is generally considered to be a means by which the Tesserroki Empire helps to maintain itself as the four Kings herald from different parts of the empire; Partoria, Galmaniz, Kevasilia and Varnary. The Kings follow a successive lineage and although called the Four Kings on numerous occasions there have been Queens in the position as the successors follow the eldest child's lineage, a tradition all four inherit from the Aglio Gitolun religion.
Although not considered to be part of the Four Kings, the greater Council of Seven is comprised of the Four Kings as well as the Great Lord of Xenilenko, the Grand Chief of Pennefi and The Colossus of Valfeige who represent the three major territories not governed by one of the Four Kings.
===Aglio Gitolun===
Aglio Gitolun, is the official religion of Tesserroki and stems back to the Islasol Empire where it was the governing religion during the time. Aglio Gitolun is considered a difficult religion to pin down precisely as it adapted over the years to the expanding and contracting borders of the Islasol Empire and the iteration that appears in Tesserroki is only somewhat similar to that of the Islasol Empire, it is a polytheistic religion.
It is believed by the Tesserroki that in the ancient past there existed the First God of the Sun, Eni who came into being by thinking their own existence to be as such. Eni found himself surrounded by darkness however and so turned inwards on himself, carving open his chest, which in the process created Fos and Zes the manifestations of Light & Warmth who told Eni that the darkness that surrounded them would only go away if Eni filled his existence with meaning. Fos and Zes supposedly left for a time allowing Eni to dwell on his thoughts.
Eni eventually came to the conclusion that he should look inward to find meaning once more however instead of tearing open his chest again, Eni peered through the wound he'd left behind, looking within he saw his own heart, beating to create the rays of sunlight that would spread across the cosmos. The rhythmic beating of his own heart made Eni tired and so to help soothe his heart Eni created the Star Children who would dance around Eni to help him sleep and make his dreams pleasant. Although this caused Eni happiness it did not give his existence meaning and over time the Star Children left Eni to pursue their own desires becoming the stars in the night sky. Little did Eni know, when he'd gone to sleep, the Star Children played a trick on Eni and cut his shadow away from him.
Although Eni's shadow was a manifestation of darkness it still retained a reflection of the light that Eni held, and as such the being known as Kani was born, the God of the Moon. Eni never knew of Kani as the two could never meet, and so Kani could not give Eni meaning either. Eni continued to search and thought on the answer for an eternity, eventually becoming deeply troubled by his inability to find an answer, and so to purge himself from the pain of living in the darkness alone, Eni decided to fill his heart with dirt, as he did so however, the dirt reacted to Eni and tore out Eni's heart. Although Eni appeared to die, he realized that the potential for something to grow in this dirt, something completely out of Eni's control was the meaning he was looking for and so reincarnated, becoming the Second Goddess of the Sun, Dylo.
Dylo watched over Eni's heart, not knowing what it was, Dylo attempted to mold it, rolling it into a ball and thus created Ciedalsa as a result. Seeking to replicate the planet she'd created, Dylo created more although she always regarded Ciedalsa as her favourite for it was the one she did not understand exactly what it was. Over time life began to develop of Ciedalsa, spurned on by the energy that Eni had left behind, which manifested as the Golden Birds who would roost across the planet becoming the various animals that exist on the planet today.
Dylo, impressed by her efforts decided to relax, watching over all that she'd created, Dylo was greeted by Kani, who had learnt over time to appear briefly just as Eni was about to fall asleep or just as Eni was waking up. Dylo was initially confused as to this strange individual however the two eventually developed a bond and worked together creating the Gods of Ciedalsa, also known as the Ciedalsian Gods who would govern over the planet itself, ensuring its safety. These gods, creation of Dylo and Kani each were always paired, ensuring that the balance between Day and Night would be achieved.
It was through this cooperation however that Dylo and Kani fell in love, as a result creating the Twins, Paros the Goddess of Chaos and Agani the God of Love, who were born from the unrequited feelings that Dylo and Kani held for one another. Eventually tempering their emotions, Dylo and Kani created the god Sithera, God of the Forge who controlled Paros and Agani, which eventually lead to the rise of the intelligent peoples of Ciedalsa as their minds were tempered by Sithera's great hammer focusing them away from procreation and insanity.
Eventually Dylo and Kani bore offspring, known as the Four Gods of the Sun, they were the true children of Dylo and Kani and the third generation Gods of the Sun. Afavax the Goddess of the quiet dawn, Korporos the God of the shining crest, Lykira the Goddess of the soothing twilight and Kater-Klei the God of the Eclipse. Koroporos, the eldest of the four children took over his mother's place as the God of the Sun seizing the position when Dylo sought to bring life to the other worlds. Afavax and Lykira supported their brother in his claim creating the Dawn and the Twilight to break up the Day and Night, as such Kani favoured them both, giving them his own strength allowing them to create their own times of day.
Only Kater-Klei did not follow in his brother's decisions, constantly at odds, the two brothers quarrelled over leadership until eventually one day, Kani having watched his sons fight for an eternity decided to banish Kater-Klei, sending him to the realm beyond darkness where he was adorned with a blindfold and forced to wander aimlessly. Whenever he would return, it would only be for a moment and any who would gaze upon Kater-Klei's being were blinded much like he'd been.
==Gallery==
Tesserroki.png|The Territories of Tesseroki
Category:Ciedalsa