Yoake

Yoake, oficially the Republic of Yoake and Regnum Yoake, was a large city-state located in the homonymous island of Yoake, in eastern Drakesland. It is named after its capital city, New Yoake. Originally within the state of Florandia, it gained independence in 68 TE. After a short vassalisation under the Drakaen Concordat, it became an independent Republic. It joined the League of Vircon until the vassalisation under Skjoldrbrodir.
A new Council declared independence from their overlords, after interference from the Valrean-Catanian Commonwealth. After a long period of stagnation, Vulcan Alfric Aulian was allowed to proclaim himself, Yoakenreiges, King of Regnum Yoake. Some years later, Yoake would be one of the founding members of the Nachtenreich, which would be dissolved and Yoake would be annexed by Valreach in 204 TE.
== Vexilology ==
The most prominent symbols of Yoake are its colours: white, light blue and red; and the Yoaken Rose, taken from the unique sub-species of roses that grow in the island of Yoake. The flag waved by the Yoakens changed several times throughout its history but always kept the key elements listed.
File:YoakeFlag1.png|Original Flag of New Yoake
File:YoakenFlag2.png|Flag of the Republic of New Yoake
File:YoakenFlag3.png|Flag of the 2nd Republic of New Yoake
File:RegnumYoakeFlag.png|Flag of Regnum Yoake
==Geography==
The Nation of Yoake sits on the homonymous Island of Yoake. It is yet unknown what was named before, but it is often pointed out, most likely the Island's name preceded the state's name. The Island of Yoake is divided between north and south by the Shield, a mountain range part of the greater Gustavic-Drakaen Cordillera, extending from Ruddersdam to Nidaros. North of the Shield, there are the narrow plains in which New Yoake settled, surrounded by a strange aura of permafrost.
The Shield is often described as “generally covered by snow and ice with fracture-like caves caused by the extreme cold”. These features extend to the north into the outer districts of New Yoake. The mountains also extend to the south, where they break off into two distinct cliff chains that span the whole southern region, giving rise to the Azath forest - commonly known as the Yoaken Wilds. The coastline is marked by rough eroded cliff sides and permanent ice-sheets. Going south, the forest opens up to the Town of Neu Zhall, the biggest settlement south of the Shield, and the Bay of Azath, positioned to the souther-eastern end of the island, providing a natural harbour for small vessels. 
The most important river, often deep under a thick layer of ice is the river Denial, which flows down the mountains and crosses the city of New Yoake. It springs from the mountain peaks and descends through the northern face into the plains, where it flows into the Bay of the Frostbite.
The Bay of the Frostbite marks the northern end of the island. It is a large bay shared between the historical nations of Yoake, Catania and Nidaros. Other than the Denial, the Blood River also flows out to the Frostbite. Folk Yoaken legends talk of the Frostbite as a place as dangerous as the Yoaken Wilds. It is said it was once the home of a powerful cryomancer. With the arrival of the Yoaken Royal Family, the activity of this mage intensified. It was finally sealed in the building that would become the Party Hall of New Yoake by Lady Von Yoaken. According to the locals, this cryomancer used to kidnap the Yoaken children and turn them into statues of ice. The locals claim that each iceberg present in the Frostbite contains the body and soul of one of these children.
==History==
=== Ancient History ===
There aren't many written sources that date back more than a century or two from the Florandian colonisation and the founding of New Yoake. It is accepted among scholars that there were developed societies that inhabited the island of Yoake before the Folorandian colonists, given the archaeological remains beneath the city of New Yoake and the many folk tales that share themes and tropes with nearby cultures. Most commoners of the island seem to share ancestry with peoples of the mainland such as the natives of the north-eastern Drakesland, descendant of the Children of Segres, and the Vioniri people of Treelords.
Even if most of the people descend from these native cultures, there are signs of Nido and Uyami presence in the island dating back to almost two thousand years bTL. The contact between these foreign cultures would have led to the formation of the Nido-Uyami subculture, which had presence in the island until the year 120 aTL.
From the begining of the 4th century bTL to the end of the 2nd century bTL, a unified Kingdom of the Island of Yoake seemed to have exist. There is no much information about this state, but many folk tales such as the "Tale of Sygfrid the Cursed" or "Sygfrid the Blind", orally transmitted for generations among the natives, together with the chambers found during the First Republic beneath the city of New Yoake, such as "The Ruins of the Blind", support this claim. By the arrival of the people of Florandia and the establishment of the Royal Yoaken Family, however, around the year 259 aTL, the natives were organised in tribal states, mostly gathered along the coast of the Frostbitten Sea.
===Founding of New Yoake===
Following the creation of the City of New Yoake by Pablo Yoaken on 66 TE, the Council of Truth was created, to rule over the city and its affairs. Soon after its creation, New Yoake declared independence from Florandia and became an independent City-State.
In the coming weeks after the seperation of New Yoake and Florandia, the nation of Regnum Drakaes had a dispute over territorial claims. The dispute ended in New Yoake becoming a Vassal to the Drakaen Concordat. Two years after its formation, the Drakaen Concordat would fall and Yoake would turn into a Republic.
===First Republic of Yoake===
As the Republic of New Yoake, the nation would join The League of Vircon, and became collaborating with bordering nations, such as Nidaros, for infrastructure and development. It was during this period when The Bridge over the Frostbite and the seaside Boulevard were built, as well as larger docks. The bay itself, The Frostbite, would be named by both Nidaros and Yoake.
====Vampires====
Vampires had been in New Yoake since the beginning. However, it was during the republic that they truly made themselves known to the world. With their distain of the sun the vampire Lady Von banished the sun from existence. During the 7 days without sun, Vampire Hunters, sun worshippers, and farmers tried their hardest to attack the vampires in the "Storming of The Castle". They had found all of the vampires except for Lady Von who escaped into the night.
===Jarldom in Skjoldrbrodir===
Eventually, right at the peak of Vircon, Lady Von declared a public auction of sorts to sell New Yoake. This led to most of the upper class and government abandoning the nation. Seeing the opportunity, and even if neighbouring states offered themselves to be overlords, New Yoake was purchased by Skjoldrbrodir and became a Jarldom with Soul Leyla-Earcala, daughter of Lady Von as its Jarl.
===Second Republic===
Yoake gained its independence from Skjoldrbrodir after a diplomatic incident with the Valrean-Catanian Commonwealth.
===Regnum Yoake===
From the year to , Yoake would be organised as a Kingdom, Regnum Yoake. This one would be formed by Royal House of Aulian and soon after it would turn into the Royal House of Canalopin.
Its origins are traced to the request from Vulcan Alfric, member of the Council of Truth, to its fellow members Fides Soul and Janus Lathien. These last members, uninterested in politics, would abdicate and allow Alfric to become King of Yoake. As monarch, he would adopt ROT as official religion and would name House Yoaken, nobility of the Kingdom.
====Member of the Nachtenreich====
Regnum Yoake would be a founding member of the Nachtenreich, formed in 188 TE. New Yoake kept being the most populated city of the Realm during the entire history of the Nachtenreich, being a beacon in culture and magic for the other Kingdoms of the Night's Realm.
During this period, right before the formation of the Nachtenreich, Delta Aulian-Drake had been resurrected by King Alfric. Delta would become an influential and mysterious character in Yoake. She became Imperina of the Realm after the previous Imperina, Kurai of house Al-Asidalah.
The Nachtenreich would be forcefully dissolved, with the treaty of Varasopolis, in 203 TE. Even the efforts of Imperina Delta to keep Valreach out of the city and making Yoake join Ashai, New Yoake would eventually be transferred to Valrieges.
===Valrean Occupation===
After the the previous leadership was found missing, New Yoake was given by Caretaker Garrigoyle to Katrina Garvus Moreau. Currently it is under the ownership of Katrina's son, Yorg F. Aulian-Sæncån II. It is currently a low-populated city of Valreach-Simulami.
==Government==
===Council of Truth===
Before declaring independence from Florandia, New Yoake formed its own seperate government called the Council of Truth. This Council was formed by three members chosen by the Yoaken aristocracy. The three seats in the council had different titles, High Fides, High Janus and High Vulcan. The roles of each are unclear and probably changed over time. By the times of Alfric I, the Fides was in charge of trade, economy and diplomacy, the Vulcan was in charge of development and infrastructure and the Janus was in charge of law and justice.Historical Councils<tabber style="width:400px;">
|-|First=
Landowner	Lord Pablo Yoaken
Fides 	Lord Snickee Yoaken
Vulcan 	Lady Von Yoaken
Janus 	Lord Lathien Yoaken
|-|Second=
Landowner	Lord Pablo Yoaken
Fides 	Lord Garri
Vulcan 	Lady Von Yoaken
Janus 	Lord Lathien Yoaken
|-|Third=
Caretaker	Lady Soul Yoaken
Fides 	Lady Soul Yoaken
Vulcan 	Lord Alfric Aulian
Janus 	Lord Lathien Yoaken
|-|Fourth=
Yoakenreiges	King Alfric Aulian
Fides 	Lady Sazane D. Kyani
Vulcan 	Lady Galene Fairfax
Janus 	Princess Maria Canalopin
|-|Fifth=
Yoakenreiges	King Alfric Canalopin
Fides 	Duchess Ilara Canalopin
Vulcan 	Queen Galene Fairfax
Janus 	Princess Maria Canalopin
</tabber>
===Royalty===
During most of its history and until the year 203 TE, the state of Yoake had a royal family. Even during the First Republic and Second Republic, the royal family and their rights were preserved, sometimes with the name of noble family instead of royal. From its foundation and until the reform into a Kingdom, House Yoaken ruled as royal family. On 175 TE, the Council of Truth ratified Alfric of House Aulian as Yoakenreiges and his branch of House Aulian became the royal house. Following the "Treaty of the Eastern Rift", Alfric took his daughter's family name, Canalopin, and her house became the royal hosue until the Valrean occupation.
The role of the Royal Family during the Republican period was mostly ceremonial. The Yoaken family acted as figure heads and even if they occupated the positions within the Council most of the time, it was this last institution the one that managed the state affairs. The Yoaken Family also built and lived in the Castle in the Royal District of the capital, New Yoake.
Yoaken Royal Family
*Yoaing Lady Dimi (Socialite)
*Yoaming Lord Pablo (Landowner)
*1st Yoaess Heiress VonObby (Dimi-Goddess of the Moon)
*2nd Yoaess Lady Snickee (Rat tunnel caretaker)
*1st Yaoen Lord Kuro (Bastard Son)
*Scion Young Lady Soul (The silver rose of the family)
*Scion Young Lord Bottom (Druggie son)
Canalopin Royal Family
*King Alfric Canalopin (The King in the Yoake)
*Queen Galene Canalopin Fairfax (Lady of Yoake, The Dreamer)
*Heir Princess Maria D. Canalopin (The Blood Dragon)
*Princess Delta Drake Canalopin (Nachtenreikina, The Rose of the Night)
*Duchess Ilara Drake Canalopin (Duchess of Neu Zhall)
==Culture==
The people of Yoake were hardly ever part of a single unified culture group. With plenty of societies and civilizations, together with several colonisations by foreign powers, the culture in Yoake has been constantly changing and evolving. By the late 2nd century TE, three distinct Yoaken subcultures existed throughout the lands held by Regnum Yoake: New Yoaken, Volasen and Azathin. A fourth one, which sprouted from the emigrants that formed the Serene Commune, can be considered, the Midori subculture.
While the New Yoaken and Volasen cultures, present in the cities of New Yoake and Volas Lunam, respectively, descend from the merchant aristrocratic class that formed out of the arrival of Florandian and Drakaen colonists, the Azathin subculture is more rooted on the native customs of the Yoakumasi, who descend from the sedentary groups that stayed in eastern Drakesland from the Children of Segres, also influenced by the Nido-Uyami settlements.
=== Language ===
The language of the Yoakumasi is the "Nayauhis", meaning "Tongue of the Land", which descends from the tongue of the Children of Segres. It has been influenced by the language of the Florandian and Drakaen colonists but keeps most of its original words among the Azathin. In New Yoake and Volas Lunam, Drakaeschlange and especially, the Traveller's Tongue, are also widely spread.
The Yoaken Royal family, ethnically foreign to the Island of Yoake and the Drakesland, adopted the Nayauhis as their own tongue, probably to legitimise their rule over the Island. Its social use, however, was residual in the capital city for most of its history, being outshadowed by Traveller's Tongue, Valdic, Drakeschlange and Valreigeslange.
=== Architecture ===
The architectural style in Yoake varies with its subcultures. The New Yoaken style is described as "simplistic, massive, and overwhelming yet stayed at a human scale. With brilliant white roofs and tall white pillars". This style sprouted with the construction of the city of New Yoake, that grew at a fast pace and acomodated many people from all across Eldham. Mainly describing the castles, palaces and towers of the Yoaken aristocracy, the New Yoaken became the main influence of the later Volasen style.
The Volasen architectural style mainly replicates the New Yoaken, yet the use of different materials creates an all new look. The addition of vibrant colours and delicate patterns and materials, added to the gravity defying magic, has created a style all its own. Volasen building blocks have more and bigger windows, not having to deal with the freezing temperatures of New Yoake. They also rise above unimaginable limits, flying on platforms powered by similar sources to the Heart of New Yoake.
The Azathin style, in constrast, represents a more rural and folky face of Yoake, often ignored, with a stron presence south of the Shield Range. The buildings are not as massive and mainly use materials obtained nearby, such as woods of the wilds and glazed terracotta tiles, used in all three Yoaken styles.
=== Clothing and Fashion ===
The three Yoaken subcultures also show different traditional clothing elements and materials. Most notably, the New Yoaken and Azathin clothing style is caracterised by its long dresses that completely cover the legs for the women of the city. To fight the extreme temperatures, it is also common to have the feet completly covered, often with leather and fur boots. Thick coats or capes are also present. The New Yoaken styles, however, use more exotic and delicate materials than the Azathian, that even if it is considered the oldest and more pure Yoaken style, it mostly uses local materials.
Volasen clothes are mostly weaved from the silk of Silk Wyrms who build their nests on the underside of the floating islands. The silk of a silk wyrm is delicate yet also durable and easy to work with. Though it takes time to process the silk to the state used in clothe making the final product is worth the effort.
Popular for women of Volas are the colors blue, pink, and green. High necklines are not a must but low necklines are seen as less dignified however is very popular amongst younger women. Shoulders coverings called calidum are considered the main focus of a women's attire along with the many delicate patters. Though long dresses that cover the legs completely are traditional Yoaken styles the more modern Volasen style is to have a tight form fitting dress with a slit to show off the legs. Because the salty sea is right beneath them straight hair is extremely hard to maintain as its easy to frizz. Most ladies keep short hair styles with curls, but long flowy straight hair is seen as desirable since it is so hard to maintain.
=== Faith ===
With the arrival of Florandia and the establishment of the the Yoaken Royal Family, ROT, in its Respiten branch, boomed in popularity and became the most followed religion of the people of Yoake.
ROT is the spiritual belief of the process of decay and how that decay drives the cycle of life and death. The core method of worship is to spread mushrooms and fungus. Other decomposers are also valid in veneration. ROT is decentralized, meaning; the branches of it that have their own practices and beliefs. Each branch still keeps the core method of worship no mater how radical the branch may be.
==Magic==
===Animancy===
Animancy is the type of magic used to manipulate souls and empower them into objects or machines. It is an advanced form of enchantment magic, for it requires the manipulation of the soul itself, turning it into a weave-able energy to manipulate in different forms. Animancy is an advanced type of magic, which mostly appears naturally in a wielder, or can be learned, although very little knowledge is recorded on it. One of the most powerful known animancers was Lady Von Yoaken, for she is the one that raised the city of New Yoake and created the different soul-powered contraptions that maintain its function long after her disappearance. She later used her knowledge to create the flying wonder-city of Volas Lunam.
Another form of animancy, which has become a valuable asset for the city of Yoake, and a skill that many sought to learn but few were able, is that of "Soul-forging", commonly known for the wielders of this magic, which are called "Forgemasters". This hidden art was made known by the famous member of the Yoaken Dynasty, Lathien Yoaken, who later shared his knowledge with a few select disciples. Lathien’s Soul-Forge, known as the Foundry, served as an important part of Yoaken economy.
Soul-forging involves an advanced form of animancy, which imbues weapons, tools, and armor with the souls of the dead. However, where it differs is in its application. Soul-forging allows for specific advanced enchantments to be created, no matter the soul or ingredients used in the forging - it is a precise form of enchantment, which combines necromantic manipulation of souls with the potency of animancy.  This is why the resulting products are of the highest value, and sought out throughout the continents for their unparalleled power and resistance.
The Heart of New Yoake is an object that constitutes the majority of energy source for all the contraptions of New Yoake, those being the Beacon (a device of many enchantments), The Gravitro, which allows the city to be built unnaturally without supports, and the Sealing Hall where the Frostbite evil is held. The Heart was created with animancy and necromancy, when Lady Von and Lady Snickee subdued a Wither and reshaped it into a fuel source for their city with enchantment magic.
=== Necromancy ===
Necromancy is the secret art of manipulating soul-power to reanimate corpses, dead matter, or to force mana in unnatural ways. It is a power of bending the laws of life itself, and must be treated with caution, for it interferes with the cycle of life and decay. Although seemingly threatening, necromancy was not uncommon in the city of Yoake in the past, though many of its wielders have faded out into obscurity or been hunted down after the Valrean occupation. Necromancy used to be highly valued for the ability to reanimate the corpses of animals of the inhabitants of Yoake, allowing them to have an eternal companion. That is why some species native to the Yoaken Wilds were sought out, for they served as extravagant undead pets for the aristocrats of the Cloud district. 
Though seemingly different, Animancy and Necromancy are often used together by the experienced magic wielders of Yoake. Many of the city’s contraptions have been formed by the combination of these two spiritual forms of mana manipulation. 
=== Dreamers ===
The Dreamers, or Seers, are those who possess the natural talent of farsight, clairvoyance, and prophecy. This ability is innate, and it manifests starting in childhood. It is believed that Dreamers are people whose soul is more exposed to the other planes of existence, allowing their mind to peek into the collective mana of the world, and see glimpses of the past, present, and even future. This ability comes at the cost of sanity, the dreamers often experiencing extreme emotions and visions for the entirety of their life. Though not all dreamers are telepaths, there is a link between them and the arts of mental magic.
== Economy ==
=== Natural Resources ===
==== Furs, Leathers and Membranes ====
In the woods of the Yoaken Wilds roam all kinds of monstrous creatures. Their presence not only offers one more layer of protection from any invader but also provides the Yoaken upper class with exotic leather and fur. 
The most common fur that fills the markets of New Yoake is the "White Mountain Lion" fur. It is gathered by hunters in the Shield Mountains. Its unique soft texture catches the interest of many dressmakers and foreign merchants. The popularity of its fur made the Council of Truth restrict the White Mountain Lion’s hunting season to a very narrow window during summer. Its seasonality led to an increase in this product during winter when it is most in demand.
The "Yoaken Bear", common towards the most mountanous areas of Azath, is also precious for local hunters, who seek the animal for both its rich meat and purple and black fur, similar to the obsidian colour. This species feeds on other smaller animals and the different varieties of berries found along the western coast of the island. Artisans from the capital usually use this unique pelt for capes, typically worn by the low folk all around Yoake.
==== Coolant ====
The Yoaken Gray Subterranean Murine, usually known as “Spiral Tail” due to its characteristic tail shape, is a quite common finding in caves all around the Shield. Throughout the years, Spiral Tail colonies have reached the Undercity of New Yoake, spreading diseases among the capital’s low folk. Around 84 TE, it was discovered that the urine from this unique rodent was a good coolant from the many devices powered by soul and whale oil. This animal’s manure began being collected and harvested by cave-dwellers who would sell it to manufacturers of the Heart District.
==== Woods ====
The majority of the wood comes from the different varieties found in abundance in the Yoaken Wilds. These are mainly coniferous trees, with the exception of one or two unique species that are the result of the otherworldly magic that fed the soil of the island of Yoake and its surroundings for centuries.
The different types of wood used in carpentry and as raw materials are: the dark pine, the black spruce, the Dusk Bane and the Stone Pine. The last two species are rarer varieties, and are sought out for their hardness, unique properties, and rarity, being almost impossible to harvest without employing the use of enchanted tools. The Stone Pine is a wood characteristic for its stone-like bark that is extremely hard, almost crystallized due to its layer of sap build-up that separates the bark from the wood. The Dusk Bane gets its name from its deep purple and blue color, which stands out and is sought out in the making of furniture pieces. It is also preferred by magic-practitioners, which believe the wood to contain soul-infused properties. 
==== Mushrooms ====
Yoake is home to a variety of mushrooms, some of them revered due to the city’s allegiance to ROT and the spread of fungi through natural and magic means. Colonies of mushrooms are not only being nurtured no matter the location, but cross-bred in order to allow new variants to spread. As a consequence, specific types of mushrooms have become the dominant species, although their use varies significantly. One such type is the Warped Fungus, a result of Yoake’s efforts to bring another plane’s influence into the world, which they partially achieved by merging the two planes on the island. The Warped Fungus is an important symbol for the religion of ROT, but also an important ingredient for magic practitioners, as it is a naturally forming  soul-absorbing material. Another important type of mushrooms are the Lord’s Lanterns, found predominantly in the deeper and darker parts of the Yoaken Wilds. They are tall, meaty white tree-like mushrooms that open up to a faintly glowing icy cap. Aside from the edible stems, these mushrooms also contain soul-absorbing properties, and one can often hear whispers emanating from the bioluminescent caps.
==== Berries ====
On the sparsely wooded outskirts of the Yoaken Wilds, where the flora and fauna are more tame, one can encounter an abundance of different species of wild berries, the most commonly found being blueberries, raspberries, and elderberries. These berries have been cultivated since ancient times, serving as an important food source, as well as raw material for artisan goods.
Category:Nations
Category:Eldham Nations
Category:Drakaes
Category:Traveler's Era