Viriskali

Thalassia's Artosi Orthodox cathedral

Geographical position

> "Magic has proven to be a destructive force time and time again. I believed people would learn to control it but history has proven me wrong. I cannot keep standing idly by, balance is a necessity and this responsibility seems to have fallen onto me."
>
> - Voris, Lady of Sunlight

Viriskali is a snowy forested nation located within the region of Artos. Viriskali is ruled by King Ragnvald I but is extremely faithful to Voris, Lady of Sunlight. The capital city of Viriskali is Thalassia located near its border with Astaria. Viriskali is home to the Artosi Orthodoxy and is known for its religious zealotry. Viriskali’s territory Valadis recently won a civil war and declared its independence with help from the Wind Thief, Balasar.

## History

Viriskali has always had a strong sense of justice; they always do what they believe is right even if it doesn’t align with the beliefs of those around them. During the Era of Ancients Virskali worked closely with Astaria to protect and foster the development of smaller Tanarian and Artosi nations. The era of ancients was dominated by monsters and sorcerers naturally blessed with frightening natural magic. A Viriskali adventurer named Robilar decided to reject the notion that the world should entertain these immortal god-like magical beasts’ whims. Robilar travelled the world murdering these tyrannical monsters. Robilar’s hunt became an obsession and he lost the favor of the people and was imprisoned by the Immortal Zyan. During the Era of Beasts a woman named Vetia was peacefully uncovering the secrets of magic but was terrifyingly powerful. A Keladrian assassin named Alarak following in the footsteps of Robilar attempted to kill Vetia but was unable to so strove to just keep her occupied. Zyan came to mediate the conflict and refused to imprison Vetia because she hasn’t done anything wrong but decided on capturing a shard of her soul so if she ever became the monster Alarak feared she would become Zyan would have a method to pacify her. During the Era of Dreams Alarak founded an organization called the Artosi Orthodoxy with Voris, the Lady of Light and Angali, the Witch of the North to establish their philosophy as the way the world operated on a cosmic level. A group called The Guardians began doing this before the Artosi Orthodoxy and the two warred. During this war the Lifestream was destabilized in an event known as The Shattering causing the whole process of reincarnation to get completely screwed up. The Artosi Orthodoxy won the war but the chaos of the war left the world in a much worse state than when they started. Recently with the assistance of Balasar the Wind Thief a southern territory of Viriskali successfully rebelled and gained independence establishing the Kingdom of Valadis.

## Culture

    The people of Viriskali as the originators of the philosophy that would become the Artosi Orthodoxy are very devoted in the beliefs shared by their pantheon. The idea that those who are in power should use it to guarantee the freedom of choice among citizens. People should be given the liberties of living wherever they choose and choose work based on passion. Tyrants and slavers are injustices that need to be cleansed.

On a more cosmic perspective the Artosi Orthodoxy is repulsed by any and all dark magic. Natural mages such as sorcerers and clerics are tolerated by those who pervert the fabric of reality to serve their whims are seen as a sort of spiritual tyrant. Although the Artosi Orthodoxy hasn’t been embraced by the entire population it has created a set of cultural expectations. Those who practice dark magics tend to do so behind closed doors without making it known outside their own personal circles and sometimes not even then.

    Although the Viriskali seem to possess good morals the strictness of their cultural values has a tendency to weigh them down leaving many with a dreary disposition. The irony of the values of freedom serving as shackles to most citizens is not lost on the people however it is seen as a nessisary sacrifice for setting the precedent that other kingdoms should follow.

## Locations

Remote Artosi Orthodox churchFort securing northern borderCastle BethleheimForest in south Viriskali