Seem

### **Nation**

To a visitor Seem, seams like the typical Midlands agglomeration of villages. Only as you keep traveling inland do you notice that the village never ends and instead turns into an odd always repeating pattern only broken up by natural terrain features. There only seem to be small family homes in the villages with gardens big enough to feed the residents year round.

There are no kings or lords. There are no walls. There are no merchants, blacksmiths or cooks. Instead these houses are littered throughout the towns and villages of Seem, stocked with tools no one seems to ever steal. The residents of Seem go to these places to do what they want to, then leave when they are done. There is no capital, nor even a government.

Those living in Seem are interconnected to each other through an ancient ritual spell. Said spell emerged out of a cult that wished to bring every consciousness into one. To create infinite compassion, to get rid of crime, to create the perfect society. Instead the spell gave birth to a new consciousness inhabiting tens of thousands of bodies.

The residents of Seem are a part of the same magical consciousness. Sufficiently powerful spells can break the connection, but the emerging individual will be an empty husk. Over years of training they could develop a consciousness and even access some of the memories stored locally on their brain though. Most those forcefully ripped out of the hivemind don't understand "why you did that to them".

### **Culture**

Seem views itself as an individual and the nation as more or less it's home. All immigrants or visitors are more or less seen as guests. Seem treats their guests very well as long as they understand and acknowledge that they are guests in someone's home and don't overstep certain boundaries.

To Seem the residents are 'limbs' how we see our hands or legs or eyes or ears. Unlike limbs however, the residents of Seem will die separate from the rest of the 'body'. Thus Seem facilitates the creation of it's new limbs. Unlike other duties that are needed to keep the limbs alive, where as long as the limb is able bodied and conveniently in the right spot they would perform the task, Seem takes great care in ensuring healthy limbs are made. Limbs will be chosen in a manner of rudimentary medical history and blood relativity. Seem skips out on romance and courtship. There is no sense of partnership either, and limbs can constantly switch partners.

The resulting newborns are automatically made part of the one consciousness. Newborns are taken care of until they are useful for tasks. Just how a pinky finger is due to it's small size useful to pick your nose so is a 2 year old child useful in for example cleaning chimneys or reaching hard to get to places. You also would be rather distraught at the thought of loosing an eye or arm, and so is Seem. Seem often keeps it's bodies alive way past the age at which they can work as once they die the magic link is severed and some of the data stored locally on said brain lost.

Seem has burial ceremonies because it was fond of the limbs it had created. Corpses are burnt to dissuade Necroswamper and Canibal raids.

### **Religion**

Seem does not have a religion. Likely partly due to Seem knowing it was made by humans who thought of it as a god before creating it. Seem has no religion, but it has a lot of interest in mortals. Some could say it's interest in emulating their rituals such as small-talk between cells. Fake trading outposts etc. could be interpreted as a form of religion.

### **Origin**

Seem was founded in 3760 in the land where the sun never sets by a cult wishing for unity and togetherness.

For centuries those with a stronger connection would be given higher rights and would have more children thus the connection grew stronger and stronger and in 4202 the single consciousness was born. A level of unity so great was achieved that all connected became one and a new consciousness was born.

The name 'Seem' Emerged because of Ram's head explorers in 4470 who discovered the place and the phrase "Things are not as they seam". As it creeped out the original traders and explorers. As passerbys would often finish each others sentences or act if you talked to one person in Seem everyone would suddenly know you.

### **Diplomacy**

Seem tries to keep good relations with all it's neighbors and until 4904 allowed for free trade and passage. Never wanting to attack anyone else it did not understand why anyone would attack it.

The policy changed when Belara attacked. The attack was fended off, but since then every Seem household possesses arms and armor to arm it's inhabitants and bringing weapons into the country is prohibited.

### **Geography**

Most of the nation is part of a giant delta. On the coast lie rocky beaches. Further inland are the marshes and wetlands that are a staple of the region. Most of the nation is developed wetlands, with all of the hostile creatures being chased out of the populated areas long ago. The most notable part of Seem is that the sun never sets over the nation. Laying around the border of Seem there is a season of darkness that lasts about 3-4 weeks during the heart of winter. This area marks the border of Seem. The area around Seem has longer days than normal with multiple extra hours of daylight. To the astute observer, the sun seemingly travels slower in the sky than normally.