Novayan Military Governorate

The **Novayan Military Governorate**, also known as the **Military Governorate of Novaya**, **Military Governorate of the Novayan Islands** and the **Novayan Empire** after the collapse of the Avarasian Empire, is a military governorial empire and previously an autonomous military governorate consisting of the Novayan archipelago. Once formed by the Avarasian Empire, it became independent after the Fall of Avarasia, and has since then reorganized from a bureaucratic military governorate.

## Organization and society

### Administration

The governorate is formed and administered upon Eastern Aizegeran feudal principles, incorporating some of the Imperial Avarasian bureaucracy. The Governor-Militant is the *de facto* leader and is assisted by a council, composed of the various military commanders, the Potestate of Morales and their six-member council. This council had a major voice in the governance of the realm, especially in the regency periods where the Regent is/was dependent on their consent to rule granted to them by the Governor-Militant. This council mainly consisted of military commanders who were delegated some or most of the Governor's powers; some or most of these military commanders were of aristocratic origins.

The potestate was previously an extremely influential member, being practically independent of the Governor-Militant's authority and exercised their own authority over the Avarasian quarters and the Avarasian dominions within the governorate, assisted by a separate set of officials who made up their own council. Due to the ongoing Avarasian civil war and with the advent of governorial reforms, however, the Potestate of Morales had began losing influence over the governorial council before the collapse and balkanization of Avarasia into independent kingdoms, rump states and even governorates eliminated whatever influence they have. Despite this, the Potestate was kept due to their influence and currently served as the ambassador and spokesperson for the Governor-Militant.

As elements of the old Imperial bureaucracy was maintained after the reforms or even reformed, the military governorate of the Novayan islands has since become an empire in its own right. It has done away with the Imperial succession system in favor of a more hereditary succession system, albeit the heir/heiress is elected either by the Governor-Militant or the various military officers. However, the retaining or reform of the old Imperial bureaucracy as well as its incorporation into the feudal administration meant that the empire had become a sort of a military governorial empire.

Prior to its reformation the governorial bureaucracy was blatantly infamous for the fact it is too complex, designed to put the lower classes and sometimes the common folk, gentry and even the petty nobility at a severe disadvantage and put the upper classes and their lap dogs at a hideous advantage. The Novayan bureaucracy after the reforms had did away with the lineages, bloodlines and ancestries in favor of the skills, talents, abilities and experiences of all the people.

As part of the organization reforms, the Novayan Military Governorate's administrative personnel consisted of the following:

* **Governor-Militant:** *De facto* leader of the military governorate
* **Spouse:** Participates in court activities, manages domain, espouses patronage or chivalry, and assists the ruler, to whom they were married
* **Regent:** Handles the day-to-day governance should the Governor-Militant be away, dead, recovering and/or too young
* **Potestate:** The chief minister of the military governorate
* **Marshal:** The chief marshal of the governorial military
* **Treasurer:** Handles the economy of the military governorate
* **Spymaster:** Handles the intrigue
* **High Priest/High Priestess:** Serves as the governorate's realm priest
* **Captain-Major:** Tasked with administering regions
* **Captain:** Tasked with administering provinces
* **Lieutenant:** Tasked with administering castles
* **Magistrate:** Tasked with administering regions
* **Prefect:** Tasked with administering provinces
* **Judge:** Tasked with administering cities
* **High Priest:** Tasked with administering regions
* **Priest:** Tasked with administering provinces
* **Bishop:** Tasked with administering temples

This administration's organization and structure is hierarchical, as seen below.

### Economy

Prior to the Fall of Avarasia and the subsequent governorial reforms, the Avarasians had installed a poorly-planned, ill-equipped and disgustingly incompetent and unprofessional economic administration in areas they controlled due to the fact said economic administration is focused more on supplying the motherland's nobility, common folk and clergy with an abundance of items from Novaya. Economic reforms were made but utterly token, and it was only prior to or during the early days of the Avarasian civil war that extensive reforms were made to the economic administration, replacing the elite-administered bureaucracy in favor of a professional meritocratic bureaucracy. It is due to this reason that the current economic administration is designed to be very egalitarian as possible.

### Society

Prior to the subsequent reforms before or during the Avarasian civil war and eventual collapse, the elite of the governorate were the Avarasian nobility, led by the Governor-Militant, the barons and the lower-ranking vassals and liege lords, including many former Aversarian and foreign aristocrats. However, reforms had stripped away the powers and authorities of the Avarasian nobility and clergy in favor of the local nobility, some of those serving as military officers.

The bulk of the governorate's people were Novayans, divided according to the Avarasian system in income classes based on land ownership. During and after the reforms, however, the Avarasian system that kept the poor poor and the rich rich became utterly fragmented and completely washed away or in some/most cases reformed to be as meritocratic and unbiased as possible. The newly-established Novayan system in income classes had been specifically designed to allow the poor to sign-up for poverty and social welfare relief.

Various local native tribes were also victims to abuses by the Avarasians, and only some tribes were forced to accept the Imperials' ridiculous demands to the point they became the Imperial lapdogs. The reforms that brought down the hated Imperial nobility and clergy had lifted the misery off of the shoulders of the numerous natives (though most were distrustful), and the new policies on making deals with the native tribes show that the locals now have more say on their negotiations.

### Religions

Like the other governorates, the Imperial Avarasian Church had dismantled the native religions in favor of prelates, bishops and priests who hold secular control over areas they would come to dominate. Some of the religions were modified to serve Avarasian interests, while others were prohibited, forgotten or even destroyed.

In doing so, however, this led to the native tribes and even disgruntled Imperials to discover an eldritch god (and reportedly a few or several other gods) that were willing to take their side and free them from Imperial domination; while expecting worse, the eldritch god (and the few or several gods) only require that they worship them, no more and no less, without the worst of any war-like religions being used. In Morales and Nova Constantinople, the establishment of the Novayanas Aagiokratia and Nova Konstantinopolis Aagiokratia had upset the Imperial religious status quo and began acquiring new followers. To make the Imperial Church's day worse, the various pagan tribes gathered to combine and then reform their religions to better combat the Imperial aggressions.

Currently, the Novayanas Aagiokratian Conclave and Nova Konstantinopolis Aagiokratian Conclave were two of several dominant religions, with the first dominant religion being the Novayan pagan religions that had been reformed. While technically the *de jure* successors of the fallen Imperial Avarasian Church in the Novayan archipelago due to retaining the organization structure and rites and practices used by the Imperials, both Aagiokratian conclaves had taken their own approaches: the Novayanas Aagiokratia is organized as and led by an autocephalous hierarchy of loosely-connected high priests called Potentates while the Nova Konstantinopolis Aagiokratia is organized as and led by a strict hierarchy with an official religious head called the High Priest/High Priestess Sovereign. Both religions, however, have checks and balances which prevent abuse and corruption.

Meanwhile, the Novayan pagan faiths were reformed and reorganized in a variety of forms, shapes and sizes. Led by an autocephalous hierarchy of loosely-connected high priests and high priestesses, the reformed Novayan pagans were instrumental in resurrecting long-gone pagan religions that had been squashed in the archipelago by the Imperials.

### Military

Even before and after the reforms and the subsequent fall of Avarasia, the Novayan Military Governorate contain an outstandingly professional military force, consisting of regular levies, highly-trained legions, small but fast and powerful fleets and even allied native forces. Due to its military-oriented nature, the Novayan archipelago is home to elite forces chosen from the best of the best and administered by a military bureaucracy. Due to the distance between individual Novayan islands, it saw fit that each island's tribes, temples and cities be allowed to have their own militias, while each island's castles will be home to highly-trained and highly-equipped troops.

The Novayan Military Governorate had inherited from the Avarasian Imperium the legion system. It is home to a number of legions that were based around castles and castras, though only some existed since most stood down and had settled. These legions still existed technically in the form of the reserve legions, which were the legions that had been disbanded but allowed to retain their military equipment and can be summoned. While the Novayan legionaries were similar to their Avarasian counterparts, the former is distinguished from the latter by the fact they were called Novayan Armored Legionaries due to the fact they are covered in chainmail and armor that cover their limbs, head and body.

## Novaya, Military Governorate

### Lore

Novaya is roughly/loosely based on the Northern Captaincy (a military governorate) from the Crusader Kings 2 mod *After the End: A Post-Apocalyptic America*, as well as the Emerald Empire of Pythium and the Celestial Empire of T'ien Ch'i from the game *Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith* and the Aversarinas Aautokrata from the Crusader Kings 3 mod *Godherja: The Dying World*. The clergy (especially priests and thaumaturges) and their ceremonial magic are based on the lavish liturgy of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches and the Protestant churches. Similar to how the Roman Empire adopted Christianity and the Aversarinas Aautokrata the Aversarinas Aagiokratia, the Novayan Military Governorate had adopted the Cult of the Loop, a duotheistic religion centered around worship of the Worm-in-Waiting and the Elder One, with liturgical practices matching those of the Christian churches, especially the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. While it did suffer a schism, the Novayanas Aagiokratia and Nova Konstantinopolis Aagiokratia were formed after both sides agreed to split the religion into two as a result of their differences in leadership.

The Novayan Military Governorate is one of several splinter empires of the Avarasian Empire. As dark arts were practiced in the heart of the great Empire of old, the resulting cataclysm brought about the disastrous end of the Avarasian nation and its subsequent collapse into multiple kingdoms, rump states and remnants, among them the Ashen Empire of its namesake, the Emerald Empire of Sazarlia, and the Reformed Empire of Sceledaria. The Governorates of Novaya, Babylonia, Kalaidis and Yavana were far away when the fall of Avarasia occurred, thereby avoiding the fall. When news of its fall reached them, all four governorates went different paths, with the Novayan Military Governorate retaining its political, social and military structures but otherwise adapting them to be more inclusive, thereby allowing mystery cults and foreign beliefs to flood in; Blood Magic, however, is exempted from both public and private practices due to its inhumane sacrifices.

Reborn from the ashes of the fallen empire and the old ancient tribes, the Novayans had seen the rise of multiple mystery cults and foreign beliefs, most terrible even to behold as well as the deteriorating chaos brought upon by the fall of Avarasia and the fall of the star that birthed R'lyeh; such is the case that these events, among all others, had developed a cynical attitude, a departure from the normally friendly attitude. Now, however, the rise of the Communion of the Loop had influenced Novayan society towards a path that lifted their spirits, and two new Gods - the patron gods of the Communion of the Loop, the Elder One and the Worm-in-Waiting - promising to help put an end to the eternal cycles of the Pantokrator Wars that brought greater hope will reveal themselves, resulting in the governor-militant and their council adopting the Cult of the Loop, now split in two. Novaya uses a reformed legionary/combined arms army. Cities defended by so-called "Citizen Guard" militias and tribes by tribal warriors slow enemy advances while the governorial reserves of professional elite troops help fight off enemy invaders who made it past the first defense lines. In offensive campaigns the Novayan Legions were at the forefront of the battle, supported by archers and cavalry as well as hosts of tribal warriors and citizen guard militiamen sent as volunteers.

### General Overview

Novaya is a nation of militarism, light and otherwise peace, a melting pot of races, though the majority consisted of humans. It has access to all but two magic types: Fire, Ice, Water, Earth, Astral, Divine and Nature magic were more commonplace, but Death magic is heavily regulated while Blood magic is looked down upon for the gruesome and inhumane spells it had; the only Blood spells used were Banish Demon and Purify Blood, which doesn't require a blood slave but instead requires the caster or a number of willing volunteers to spill a small amount of their blood. Astral and Divine magic both hold the first place, while Fire, Ice, Water and Earth magic holds second place, and Blood and Death magic third place.

This is also one of few nations (them being Kalaidis, Yavana and Babylonia) which uses diplomacy to either ally with or assimilate other nations, which would then be reorganized and appointed their own governors (whether military, religious, or social) as well as being imposed with Novayan policies. It is also the only nation that aligned itself with Kalaidis, Yavana, Babylonia, Ind, Heijou, and Hagia. As a result, in the late stage Novaya, alongside its allies or puppets, would become the final bosses.

### National Features

	+ Light Infantry (Citizen Guard and Tribal Warriors)
	+ Medium Infantry (Citizen Guard, Tribal Warriors and Legionaries)
	+ Heavy Infantry (Citizen Guard, Legionaries and Phalangites)
* Tower Shields (Citizen Guard and Legionaries)
* Kite/Round Shields (Legionaries, Citizen Guard and Tribal Warriors)
* Human Cavalry
* Fire 3 (rare 4)
* Earth 3 (rare 4)
* Water 3 (rare 4)
* Air 3 (rare 4)
* Blood 2 and 7 (Banish Demon and Purify Blood)
* Death 2
* Average but costly (Holy 3) in Forts
* Holy 2 in Cities and Tribes
* 1 in Foreign Recruitment
* Free Magic Weapons (4) bless
* Standard Forts (citadel/fortress)
* Mystical off-fort commanders

### Capital Special Sites

* Enables Recruitment of Lord Knights of Avalon, Magister Militum
* Produces 3 Astra Pearls
* Produces 1 Astra Pearl

### Unit Overview

#### Commanders

Novaya as a whole drafts many of its units from literally anywhere, though it rely on those who were the best of the best - that is, above average. A large variety of mages is present, though Blood and Death Mages were usually rarer. It can recruit in and out of forts.

#### Troops

Novaya's Middle-Age/Late-Age army is based on the organization of the Imperial-era and Late-era Roman and early Byzantine and Aversarian legions incorporating some or most elements of medieval-era Western European armies, with cheaper Citizen Guard Militia drawn from the cities and Tribal Warriors from tribal provinces, cheaper Limitanei from frontier provinces, and elite Legionary troops from forts. They are all pretty well-equipped by highly-trained; however, this comes with high Resource costs in terms of equipment quality.

### Vassals and Allies of Novaya

While similar to Foreign Recruitment, Novaya has access to a diversity of troops belonging to T'ien Ch'i, Babylonia (aka Shinar), Yavana, Heijou, Yomi/Shinuyama/Jomon, Kalaidis, Outremer, Indus and a few/several others. Their units were recruited from non-capital forts, while heroes were recruited from the capital fort.

**Paths:**
Water 3, Fire 2, Air 2, Earth 2, Astral 2, Nature 2