Sandoval Culture

The Sandoval culture is a population of *Animus xenos* centered around the Sandoval River. They are descendants of the ancient sailers who came to Gersemia from Folkvang thousands of years ago. The River City is the de facto capital of the culture.

## The River City

### Layout

The River City is a city-state located on an island in the Sandoval River. It is a densely populated urban city and the cultural, commercial, and political center of the Sandoval Culture. A section in the interior of the island is built up a few feet above the rest of the land and is where the palace and main market is. The rest of the island is used for farmland and residential housing. The northern portion of the island is the most densely urbanized. Bridges connect to the banks of the river and can be easily taken down to isolate the island in the event of an attack. The location in the Sandoval River makes the island a strategic trading hub.

### Government

The city is ruled by a monarch who lives in the palace. Aside from the monarch, priests and those with relation to the monarchy are the most revered members of the society and live in wealthy houses immediately outside of the palace’s royal grounds. Soldiers and merchants are typically less wealthy and live farther from the palace, and the lowest class and the majority of the population are farmers that live on the rest of the island. The land along the river is also inhabited by farmers. The monarch is said to have the divine right to rule, however, only priests are able to commune with spirits, and as such have significant political power. If the monarch dies, the priests decide who will succeed them.

### History

The River City began as a village located on the then swampy island and became a successful agricultural producer. Farmland expanded to the shores of the island as the population of the village grew. The early society was ruled by a sort of council made up of priests or shamans. An invading force of Gersemian warriors attempted to attack the growing city, but an improvised general successfully defended the island. Because of their competency in battle, this individual was granted the divine right to rule by the priests, becoming the First Monarch of the River City. Upon their death, the First Monarch became an important spirit in Sandoval mythology.

## Spiritual beliefs

In Sandoval mythology, the "universe" or "creator spirit" is an omnipresent deity that created the universe. It is not believed to necessarily be an entity, and is more commonly viewed as a natural force that influences the universe. As such, the Sandoval do not worship the universe spirit, and instead worship the many divine spirits that were also created during the birth of the universe. These spirits represent a wide variety of concepts, from aspects of nature to cultural values.

The Sandoval believe that after death their “souls” travel on the sun as it rises from the horizon and arrives at Vanir in the sky during a planetary eclipse. To the Sandoval, Vanir is a gateway to the afterlife, and spirits of the dead can also travel down to Freya and interact with the folk during these eclipses. Priests can communicate with these spirits in evocative rituals and family of the deceased commonly seek such rituals on a regular basis. A talisman is made and dedicated to the deceased, and these talismans are necessary to communicate to the deceased's spirit. Deceased monarchs often become powerful spirits and are sometimes viewed on par with divine spirits.

Priests perform divinations using pyromancy and the effects of hallucinogenic substances. These rituals are conducted in temples and most citizens must pay to have a divinition performed at their request, however, those with relation to the monarchy do not. The Sandoval Culture is superstitious and talismans and charms are common. Low class shamans not recognized by the royal priests are common in the poorer parts of the city and typically have far lower prices for divinations and other ceremonies.