Bumi

Bumi, officially known as "Republic of Bumi", is a nation north of Arangea and south of Etera.
== History ==
=== The Beginnings ===
Bumi's history has always been intertwined with that of its twin city of Arangea. Both cities are old, almost as old as the Drow city-states to the south, and both claim to be the descendants of ancient Etera.
Arangea and Bumi were founded shortly after the disappearance of the Eterans, and were for more than a millenia under a single state, with Arangea at its helm. Many wars were fought between them, and after decades of fighting Bumi finally earned its freedom no less than five centuries ago, with emancipation from slavery being one of the main motivating causes for independence. As the decades passed, these two states enjoyed cordial relations, often engaging in trade, with many wealthy merchants and aristocrats from either city owning property in the other.
=== The Devil's Scourge ===
That, however, changed approximately 150 years ago, when the Hithlonean explorer Skor Lodygin returned from his voyage to the city of Terminus and the uncharted jungle that surrounds it, bringing with him a horrifying disease known as "the Devil's scourge". 
This disease wiped out a large portion of the population of Scimitaria, as well as many cities in Azan, Changrila, Azhar Nar and Lorient. Bumi was the city that was devastated the most. Some say that 9 out of 10 people had perished, with every orifice in their body bleeding copiously. The Red Keep of Bumi had also fallen to the disease, and with its nobles dropping dead like flies, Bumi soon turned into anarchy.
Many people turned to religion, some saying that the disease was a curse bestowed by Irem, the goddess of the moon, while others cursed and spat upon mentions of her name. The most prominent of those was a heretic, a priest of the dark god Mg'umba. This priest gathered his followers and blamed the priesthood of Irem for their demise. In a horrible pogrom, he rallied his followers and captured the priests and priestesses of the moon, burning them alive in large pyres whose smokes formed large columns in the sky.
In this blood sacrifice of unprecedented dimensions, the priest of Mg'umba evoked the powers of the blood moon God, and used that power of to eradicate Bumi of the plague that had haunted them for so long. The priest's name in history was engraved as "Lord Justinas of the Advent". He, alongside his followers, treated the diseased and after many months of sacrifices and blood magic, succeeded in eliminating the "Devil's Scourge".
=== The founding of the Blood Ministry ===
Lord Justinas was the founder of the Blood Ministry, an order that soon became the religious and political authority of Bumi. Its official purpose was the appeasement and worship of Mg'umba, as well as the treatment of the ill and downtrodden. It's real goals, however, were far more sinister. The Blood Ministers and their Church of Mg'umba minions hunted down the worshippers of Irem, continuing to sacrifice them all in the name of their Blood God. 
According to their teachings, through old, blood magic was the only way they could ascent to the plane that the old Eterans had transcended to, and for that, they would need to wipe Bumi off any heretics and blasphemers.
Today, Bumi is a shadow of its former self, and although hunted and persecuted, many pockets of Irem worshippers still reside in the city. 
== Government ==
The Republic is -in name only- ruled by Burgomaster Doadric Narjes, although he's merely a puppet chosen by the Blood Ministry, while they hide behind the shadows and a mask of charity.
The Blood Ministry, in reality, is split between many different factions. The Church of Mg'umba is in charge of feeding the poor and arming them for their cause, as well as hunting down any Irem worshippers. 
The Blood Moon Communion are entirely devoted in seeking out to commune with Mg'umba and His servants. They do absolute everything in their powers to bring upon the Eternal Eclipse of the Blood Moon, in order for Mg'umba to descend upon their world and punish the sinners. The Blood Moon Communion don't get along with the Blood Ministry itself, who don't want to achieve an Eternal Eclipse, but rather break down the magic barriers of Etera through blood magic. 
The Hunters of the Eclipse are fanatical warriors of Mg'umba, who act as the Blood Moon Communion's enforcers and assassins. They bear symbol of the eclipse on their forearms, a mark made of magic far older than any city in the world.
The Blood Moon Communion faithful drink a deep purple concoction made of blood and nightshade, something that's said that allows for the Communion's cultists to see visions and communicate with Mg'umba Himself. However, many of them have gotten addicted to this horrible drink, their minds nearing insanity and their lips having turned into a hue of blue.
== Geography ==
Bumi is split into three parts. The city of Bumi, the Bumi outskirts, as well as the island of Heccu.
=== Bumi ===
Bumi is a city whose size rivals that of Arangea, their victorian and gothic architecture - which includes many large cathedrals and grotesque gargoyle - is something they have in common. The city itself has still not recovered after being ravaged by the Devil's Scourge, despite more than a century passing since then, as well as the Blood Ministry's best efforts to rebuild the city. The Old City of Bumi - a walled section of the city, where most of the nobility used to live - as well as the Red Keep now lie mostly abandoned, since the vast majority of the district got burned down during one of the many pogroms incited by Lord Justinas and his followers. It's now home only to vagrants, scavengers, and other lowlifes, as no one with any decent intentions would ever set his foot there.
Towards the eastern part of the city lies the Grand school of Mg'umba, a large campus-like district where most members of the Blood Moon Communion reside.
=== Bumi Outskirts ===
Most of the countryside consists of fertile, green hills and small picturesque, mountains. The north of Bumi is usually more mountainous and colder.
The plague also ravaged large part of the countryside, and many of its inhabitants abandoned their ruined farms and homesteads and moved to Bumi in search of a better future. Nowadays, the outskirts are starting to repopulate again, but the farmers are struggling to keep up with the production that's needed to provide most of Bumi with the necessary food.
North of the outskirts, just shy of the mountain pass that separates Bumi from Etera, lies a castle known as the Duhelburg Castle. The Duhelburgs are one of the last remaining noble families of Bumi, and their lands were one of the only ones to have remained relatively free of the plague. Even though not openly antagonistic to the Blood Ministry, they occasionally shelter pilgrims from Arangea that are heading towards Etera.
=== Heccu Island ===
Heccu is a relatively quiet island of steep cliffs and wide pastures that's often embroiled in thick fog. Few settlements reside in Heccu, most being small fishing hamlets or mining towns. An incident many decades ago where many of its residents were abducted and experimented on has led the majority of the population being firm haters of the Blood Ministers and the Church of Mg'umba. 
== Economy ==
Bumi imports an influx of food from their neighboring nations, especially Chrysovica, the Sea Elves and some settlements on the Isle of Wizards. Many curious travellers from all around the West find themselves in Bumi, in search of a cure for an obscure element, or perhaps to dwindle in blood magic. Bumi is known as the centre of blood and dark magic in the west, although the Blood Ministry imposes heavy control in its use for any foreigners. 
Advanced weaponry such as blunderbusses, rifle spears and flame bottles circulate from the underworld of Bumi into many western cities such as Moreelse, with the Blood Ministry profiting from that.
== Culture and Religion ==
The worship of Mg'umba is the dominant religion in Bumi. Although an obscure cult before the plague of the Devil's Scourge, after the founding of the Blood Ministry and the persecution of the Irem clergy, it soon rose to prominence. Mg'umba is considered by the Church as a more harrowing aspect of Irem. He resides in the dark side of the Moon and only appears during the Blood Eclipses. 
The Blood Ministry believes that only through unlocking the secrets of blood magic through sacrifice can they appease their Lord, in order to unseal the magical barriers of ancient Etera and ascend to Mg'umba himself as the Eteran Elders once did.
Meanwhile, the Deacons of the Blood Moon Communion are in disagreement with the Blood Ministers, and their goals entail invoking the Blood Moon Eclipse so Mg'umba can descend down upon the earth.
== Demographics ==
=== Humans ===
The vast majority of the population in Bumi are humans, mostly natives. Many smugglers and shady merchants from other western nations such as Moreelse and Terusia find themselves in Bumi in order to supply themselves with the innovative weaponry created by the Hunters of the Eclipse and the Blood Ministry. An Arangean embassy stands in the centre of Bumi.
=== Non-humans ===
Unlike Arangea, every non human in Bumi is actually free, since slavery is outlawed. Many escaped slaves from Arangea find themselves in Bumi, seeking the solace of the Church of Mg'umba. Those are mostly dwarves, hobbits and some trolls, who are used by the Church as soldiers.
== Foreign Relations ==
=== Etera ===
Etera is considered to be both the ancestral land of the Bumians, as well as their Holy Site. They believe that one day they will be able to reunited with their ancestors through one way or another, and that belief forms the basis of their worship of Mg'umba. 
=== Arangea ===
Despite their shared history and alleged ancestry, these two nations are fierce rivals. They consider each other as abominable heretics due to their opposed religious views. The Arangeans consider the Bumians as fanatics and demon worshippers who the Eteran Elders would be ashamed of, while the Bumians see the Arangeas as too conservative in their prohibition of magic, looking towards conquering Arangea and wiping off their heresy. Despite their hatred, wars and conflicts between the two have been far and few between since Bumi's independence, often joining their strengths against the threat of the Drow to the south. 
=== Isle of Wizards ===
These wizards consider the Bumians' use of blood magic as an abomination, and many wizards have tried spreading their agents at the island of Heccu, as well as sowing dissent amongst the members of the Church.
=== Blesire States, Belsirya, Calcabra, Aurous Highlands ===
Trade is rare among these nations, and although dislike is mutual, they have established a defensive pact against the Drow.
=== Sea Elves ===
Many wars have been fought in the past between these two, but were often brought to a stalemate thanks to a narrow passage in the Eteran Mountains that separate these two lands. Nowadays, the Sea Elves are one of the main trading partners of Bumi.
=== Moreelese ===
Many Hydra's Eyes agents roam the streets of Bumi, in search of any dangerous weaponry they can acquire. Although many agents have established good relations with immoral members of the Blood Ministers, usually by offering them bribes in the form of white death powder, the Deacons and the Hunters of the Blood Moon Communion are less lenient with them.
=== Scarred Phantoms ===
Before the times of the plague, Scarred Phantoms assassins were often hired in order to carry out high profile assassinations. Since then, however, their presence is a rarity in Bumi, as the Church and the Communion use their own underlings to do their dirty jobs in their stead.
=== Hithlone ===
Both nations have mutual interest of each other. Many adventurous scholars from the Citadel of Hithlone are intrigued by the Bumian's use of blood magic rituals, with some even travelling to Bumi itself in order to witness them first hand. 
It's been rumoured that there is a particularly nasty Hunter of Bumi in Hithlone whose name goes by "Leonhard De Wett". This Hunter has been lurking around the darkest halls of the Citadel in search of a forgotten key that will lead him to a section of the library where he'll be able to unearth the forbidden secrets of Etera and the Eternal Eclipse.
Category:Nations
Category:Scimitarian