Realm of the Goddess of Harmony

The land west of the Elanxan Empire is covered in deep rainforests that stretch as far as the eye can see. The mild weather all year long and constant rains and mists feed the many swamps hidden in the area, with many of the wildlife adapted to hunt in these changing conditions. The terrain is hard to traverse, the many layers of vegetation joining together to create a nearly impassable wall of life, requiring all who traverse it to bring many tools to clean the forest and keep moving. In the dark, many species of felines stalk their prey, with many primates and great birds moving around in the treetops. Snakes and burrowing spiders cover the ground, with camouflage near impossible to detect. 
And yet, those who travel the forest claim to sense a great feeling of calmness and serenity, their senses focused and their mind clear of doubt. This is said to be the effect of the Goddess of Harmony, one of the most revered and esteemed divinities in eastern Giantstep.
== The Goddess of Harmony ==
The Goddess of Harmony is the patron and defender of nature, balance and inner peace. It represents the orderly change in nature, never staying the same but always following an orderly pattern: The circle of life, the changing seasons, day and night, the crop cycle… It represents the peace of mind that knowledge of the many patters of the world can bring to all, making the world a more welcoming place through familiarity with it. The Goddess of Harmony is seen as a figure of motherly care and affection, and many societies pray to it as a figure that protects families and pregnant women. The Goddess of Harmony rewards its followers though hard work, meditation and focus. The ability to never lose sight of their goals, despite all distractions, thrills and temptations. To keep a cool head even in the hardest of situations.There are temples dedicated to the goddess all throughout Giantstep, though they are mostly located in the eastern part of the continent. The Harmony Goddess is usually represented as a young woman caring for aspects of nature, with long hair twirling in seemingly never ending curls. The temples of the Goddess of Harmony also double down as lush gardens, places of healing and meditation. The priests who dedicate their lives to its worship try to reach enlightenment through the study of botany and mathematics, searching for all patterns in nature. Many convents of Harmony also dedicate huge efforts to apiculture. The bee is seen as the epitome of what the Goddess of Harmony represents: order, stability, the care for nature and patterns in the building of the complex nests.
The Goddess of Harmony is not a deity of peace in the war sense. Martial prowess, military proficiency, the strength of mind to survive the harshness of battle with their psyche intact… All these things are also part of its remit. It does frown upon starting conflict, since war breaks the equilibrium between people and harms nature. Likewise, the Goddess of Harmony also has an aspect of death within it, since many of the cycles of nature involve death: For there to be life, there needs to be death, and vice versa.
The Goddess of Harmony is said to be the sister of the infamous God of Action. These two deities are in many ways the polar opposites: whereas the Goddess of Harmony rewards calmness and premeditation, the God of Action rewards intensity of emotion and improvisation. Whereas the Goddess of Harmony rewards order and structure, the God of Action rewards turmoil, malleability and unpredictability. Whereas the Goddess of Harmony defends the search to enlightenment, the God of Action revels in the many adventures along the way, never focusing on the destination and just moving forward to the next big quest. It is said that the Goddess of Harmony is the big sister of the God of Action, and that the latter enjoys trying to pick on her. Considering the frequence with which the God of Action takes the followers of the Goddess of Harmony to its realm, it seems to be right. These devotees are frequently able to escape the realm of the God of Action, through blocking all feeling of exhilaration while surviving the many challenges laid in front of them.
== The road to the Temple of Contemplation and Peace ==
Deep within the Realm of the Goddess of Harmony there’s a great temple, one of the biggest buildings in all Giantstep. It is believed it was built around the days the Khenomeric Empire claimed ownership of the northeast of the continent. The temple was expanded over hundreds of years, bringing some of the greatest minds at the services of the Goddess of Harmony. The architecture of the place is monumental, being able to see the highest spires and roofs from great distances. The temple covers a great area, many of the rooms and structures built over time with different materials and techniques, and yet somehow creating a sense of union and togetherness. Multitiered rooftops and towering spiral spires are joined together with great arches both curved and spiked at once; creating rooms open to the outside. These open spaces are then dedicated to gardening the thousands of species of plants brought from all over the world, which grow in wondrous patterns of shape and color. From many of these hang many beehives, that pollinize the tens of thousands of flower that dot the terrain. The columns are covered in geometrical and vegetal patterns, as well as showing many of the constellations that have covered the skies of the world at some point or another. At the center of the temple, a great golden bell tolls every day in a slow but precise way, never stopping, never ringing a moment sooner or a moment later. The followers of the Goddess of Harmony pray to that bell, considering it blessed by the goddess itself. 
The road to that temple is an extraordinary hard feat. Many pilgrims who wish to go there to find inner peace have to walk over miles and miles of wild forest, avoiding all of the dangers within, both natural and unnatural. The Goddess of Harmony will test its followers along the way, creating situations that need the utmost strength of mind and determination to succeed. Many have compared this to the challenges put by the God of Action, both gods liking to test their followers in creative ways. Some of the recorded tests are looping sections of the forest that seemingly never end, creatures that follow the pilgrims and need wisdom and attention to deal with, chasing shadows that can be dissipated through meditation, puzzle-like blocks that need solving… All the different tests that the Goddess of Harmony creates are recorded in the temple’s archives, once the followers are able to reach it.
After centuries of many pilgrimages, some cities have popped up along the way, serving the many pilgrims that go to the Great Temple and becoming prosperous centers of trade. These centers worship the Goddess of Harmony in its many aspects, with the streets covered in flowers and beehives. It is said that those who try to steal or commit a crime in one of these cities will be attacked by the bees.
== History ==
The history of the realm of the Goddess of Harmony is a complicated one. The region has always been inhabited by the followers of the goddess, usually forming small communities that moved from one place to another. The region ended up absorbed by the Khenomeric Empire, who allowed the region a great deal of independence, as long as they paid their due taxes. The Khenomeri, as powerful as they were with magics, were not really interested in angering a god. They knew how powerful those beings could be, seeing that the Merfolk Empire lived in opulence and power thanks to the designs of Uun, and if the Goddess of Harmony opposed the Khenomeric Empire, it could let to unavoidable ruin. As it was typical for the followers of harmony, the realm was the birthplace of some of the greatest administrators and bureaucrats the empire ever saw, though it was always one of the least populated regions in the empire. 
After the rise and fall of the Magoclergy, the province began increasing its population. Many of the people whose lives had been ruined by the crisis that shook the empire during those days moved to the worship to the Goddess of Harmony, beginning the southern pilgrimage routes to the Temple of Contemplation and Peace. The birth of the Forest of Getting Lost and the Northern Khenomeric Empire also brought a lot of debate within the realm. The treatment of wizards was something quite discussed by the priests of harmony: as attuned with nature and the world around them as they were, the wizards had caused a great deal of chaos in the world. Not only by the chaos and suffering the Magoclergy had caused, but also by the tainting of the forests into the Forest of Getting Lost.
As such, the leaders of the cities within the realm aligned with the anti-wizard factions of the Northern Khenomeric Empire, though they never participated in persecutions. They also offered refuge to wizards, so long as they abandoned witchcraft and embraced the worship of the Goddess of Harmony, into monkish ways of life. This would be quite a success for the cities within the realm, as they would grow quite a lot over time, becoming renowned centers of healing and recovery. This would end up distancing the cities of the realm with the rest of the anti-wizard faction, which would cause the cities to become independent from the Northern Khenomeric Empire, dissolving their imperial administration altogether and becoming decentralized cities. The rest of the Northern Khenomeric Empire could do nothing against them, since, like the Khenomeric Empire before them, they feared divine retribution if the personal realm of a god was attacked. And considering that they had seen the Merfolk Empire crash and burn in a single day after the whims of its protecting god, they had no wish to try their luck. 
The Realm of the Goddess of Harmony has been an independent entity ever since, with each of the cities and towns that compose it ruling themselves without a real national structure.
== Government ==
Much of the population lives in or near one of the five main temple cities, each of which is essentially an independent theocracy. The smaller resting stations/shrines between the main ones are also theoretically independent, but rely on the nearest temple city for guidance.
== Economy ==
Most inhabitants have given up capitalism, but still fill some sort of productive role as they walk further along the path of enlightenment. Most tend to fruit gardens and rice farms, while others maintain the temple cities, guide pilgrims, fill bureaucratic roles, etc.
Most commercial interactions with the outside world occur at the temple city of the Tempered Body, where foreigners often visit to consult with healers, for a cost. The funds go to temple, who sometimes use them to purchase foreign goods.
Some foreigners will also pay to take carts to the temple city of the Calmed Mind to consult with philosophers and artists and such.
== Foreign Relations ==
The faith of the Harmony Goddess has gained a cult-like reputation, and are shunned in many nations, and outright persecuted in others. It doesn’t help that the Harmony Goddess is one of the few gods that still sometimes make major interventions even in modern times. Despite this, the Realm attracts people from across the world, and many minor sects continue to practice in their home nations.
=== Realm of the God of Action (Great Kingdom of Nes and Fitt) ===
The God of Action and the Goddess of Harmony have long been antagonistic to each other, though some believe the two gods are siblings or otherwise connected. It is said that the God of Action sometimes snatches followers of the Goddess of Harmony to violently test them in his hidden subrealm.
=== Frostlands of Khelek ===
The followers of the Harmony Goddess are aware some ancient evil lurks here, and one of the reasons for establishing the Chill Temple was to keep an eye on it.
=== Tarot, Lunatik 9, Kowloon, Seven Castles, The Chill Steppe, Drouchont ===
These nations find the creation, expansion, and possibility of further expansion of the Harmony Goddess’ Realm alarming, but feel they can’t do anything about it. The Seven Castles and The Chill Steppe in particular have pilgrimage routes and temples built directly in their territory, which is a major sore point.
=== Dia’Ul ===
The followers of the Harmony Goddess have gotten skilled at driving off the monsters of Dia’Ul, to the point that one of their pilgrimage routes goes straight through Dia’Ul. Though admittedly only experienced and combat capable monks travel that route.
=== Elanxa ===
Also fears the Realm to an extent, but still occasionally launches raids against them.
=== Avangar, Poker, Vilga ===
The expansion of the Avangar Empire has caused waves of refugees to flee to the Realm, though only those that are serious about converting to the faith are allowed to stay for long.
=== Erlkonig ===
This faerie lord/demigod was once a moderate threat to Zemyland, but ever since he was driven into exile his powers have dwindled to nothing and he now lurks in a dense patch of jungle within the Realm, far from hostile monks or potential victims.
== Geography ==
The Harmony Goddess’ Realm is mostly covered in near impenetrable, quick growing jungle. This was not always the case. The region once had a climate similar to neighboring nations, but following several attacks on the Temple of Contemplation and Peace, unnatural jungle formed a barrier around the temple and its outlying settlements and began slowly expanding outwards. This expansion stopped a few decades after the destruction of Old Elanxa, when the jungle reached the northern coast, though some fear it will one day begin growing again.
Although the jungle may seem dense and humid, and full of dangerous predators, those who walk the pilgrim paths feel calm and relaxed, and are rarely troubled by predators or pests.
Most pilgrims will be challenged directly by their goddess at least once as they travel the road of the pilgrim. Often these challenges don’t actually occur on the road, as “the road of the pilgrim” is about the spiritual journey rather than the actual journey. These challenges are occasionally dangerous, but almost never fatal, and are usually meant to boast confidence or force the pilgrim to confront character flaws.
== Five Temples ==
The Five Main Temples are the Temple of the Tempered Body, Temple of the Calmed Mind, Temple of the Pure Soul, Temple of Contemplation and Peace
=== Tempered Body ===
The second major temple city complex to be completed, work began not long after the destruction of the metropolis of Old Elanxa (located on an island off the coast nearby). This temple city serves as a filter of sorts, using months of lengthy calisthenics sessions, absence of vices, and a limited diet to help winnow out those who lack commitment or have ulterior motives. Even once someone is initiated into the order, they will still likely stay in the city for years doing basic tasks, memorizing scriptures, and doing more calisthenics. However, not everyone who comes here wants to join the order. Some just want to spend a few weeks in a calm and vice-free environment to deal with trauma or stake off addictions. Others come for healing, trade, or to pay for a trip to Calmed Mind to discuss scholarly issues there.
=== Calmed Mind ===
The third temple completed, not long after Tempered Body. It, along with Tempered Body, formed a pipeline of sorts, ensuring only the most promising individuals made it to the Grand Temple. Here, pilgrims are trained in a wide range of scholarly, philosophical, psychological, and artistic fields. The first steps are to come to terms with ones own needs and desires, and then understand others needs and desires. Following this, pilgrims switch over to natural sciences, mathematics, theology, alchemy, astromancy, planar physics, and other fields needed to understand the world around them.
=== Pure Soul ===
The fourth temple completed, it is actually build around an older complex razed during the time of the Magoclergy. It was likely rebuilt to provide pilgrims with an additional step between Calmed Mind and the Grand Temple after it was found that after years (sometimes decades) spent focused on scholarly matters at Calmed Mind, some pilgrims had begun placing too much importance on acquiring knowledge rather than selflessness and harmony. At Pure Soul, pilgrims go back to basics; spending much time doing calisthenics, often in isolation for months, before undertaking missions for those in need, some of which occur abroad and/or involve danger. Many pilgrims also do combat training here, and fighting off the occasional raid by the Elanxans gives them another opportunity to prove their selflessness.
=== Temple of Contemplation and Peace ===
See Temple of Contemplation and Peace
=== Chill Temple ===
The last major temple created, a long time after the others. Its location was partially chosen to watch over the threats posed by Kokaine and Khelek, though it serves as a command post of sorts for operations all around the world. Only the most capable pilgrims come here, those with significant physical and martial ability, intellect and knowledge, complete selflessness and a desire for harmony. Some also have some divine spellcasting abilities. It is located in a particularly desolate part of the Cold Steppes and is home to a small staff of researchers and spymasters. It is only visited by field agents, provision suppliers, and certain pilgrims the Goddess feels would benefit from travelling there for various reasons. 
Aside from the main temples, there are a number of smaller temples that serve as tomb complexes, centers of outlying farm villages, or roadside way posts.
== Demographics ==
=== Humans ===
Most of the population is human. The original inhabitants of the area were cousins of the people of Tarot and Drouchont, along with some Northmen along the coast. Over time, other folk from around the Khenomeric Empire began arriving, and then, from around the world. Some of the humans bear a resemblance to the Thuleans, though it is unclear if there are any ties between the two peoples. The Thulean-ish humans began appearing around the time the jungles appeared, and there are no known records where they migrated from.
=== Miscellaneous ===
Followers of the Harmony Goddess appear in the strangest places, so many other races can be found here.
== Religion ==
The Goddess of Harmony was once a part of several ancient northeast pantheons, but now most of her followers focus on her alone, and are now mostly concentrated in the Realm, plus some in the Seven Castles, though small pockets of her followers can be found just about anywhere.
Some believe she has taken alternate forms in a few other cultures, including the main god of the bombus, and Winter Night, a faerie lord honored by some Northman and Westerling cultures. 
Although officially a pacifist religion, it has a dangerous, cult-like reputation in many parts due to the tendency of pilgrims and other followers to allow it to dominate every aspect of their lives. The fact that the Harmony Goddess has a reputation as being one of the more active of the gods also doesn’t help their reputation much. 
== Military ==
Despite what some believe, many of the pilgrims are willing and capable of fighting. However, martial training doesn’t really start until a pilgrim reaches Pure Soul, which many never do.
The elite of the pilgrims are based out of the Chill Temple and keep an eye on a number of regional threats to the natural harmony of the world including Dia’Ul, Kokaine, and Khelek. Aside from their martial and intellectual abilities, many have divine magic that allows them to banish creatures of unnatural nature like undead or demons. 
To a certain extent, the land is capable of defending itself. Jungle creatures like big cats will leave pilgrims alone, but seem to instinctively attack those who would harm pilgrims. Likewise, stinging and biting insects seem to naturally gravitate towards thieves and other minor troublemakers.
Category:Geographic location
Category:Divine realm
Category:Giantstep