Diversa

Diversa is the main continent in Ars Goetia; Legacy.

## Geography

Diversa is an elongated region delimited north by the **Molcastra Mountains** and south by the **Banbalunan Strait**. It extends north-east from the mountain range, separating mainland from the continent of **Banbaluna**. At its center there's **Lake Wund**, a large millennial crater that, according to scholars, used to be a volcano that erupted about 2,000 years ago. According to legend, this eruption laid waste to the whole of Diversa, with only one tree "surviving" the catastrophe. The tree, however, was petrified by the ashes and is neither considered alive nor dead. This tree, called the **Ash Father**, is located in **Aspatria**, the northern territory that extends from the mountains all the way down to the lake. The lake's initial acidic water is believed to have collaborated in the land's devastation, with only a few nomadic **Vetustus** inhabiting the region south from the lake. During the following hundreds of years, the lake had been filled with water from snow and rain and the volcano had become dormant, which in time restored the water's acidic level to normality. It also helped that the land seemed to crack in the south-western region of the lake, creating an opening into the sea by forming the **Cracian Marsh**. Both the marsh and the lake are popularly known as **The Wound and the Crack**. There are still some active volcanoes in the north-eastern region of the lake, separating **Galata** from the **Gardia Forest**.

## History

Legend says that **Elya** descended from the skills and brought humanity the power of words. Scholars think that the Goddess might have been a foreign traveller that arrived at Diversa and taught the locals their language and how to read and write, hence why we have no documentation prior to the arrival of Elya. She was worshiped as a Goddess and still is to this day while **Solomon**, also known as "The Other" started to build an army to seize her power away. In his failure, he found a door to **The World of Whispers** in what is today known as Lake Wund. Little is known about The World of Whispers but Alturi legends say it is a world filled with demons where Death itself inhabits. It is unknown what happened to Solomon but the events might have been correlated to the opening of **The Wound** and some have theorised that this meant the demise of both Solomon and Elya. After the catastrophe, only a few Vetustus remained in the area until about a thousand years ago, when Diversa's ecosystem self-restored, Banbalunan conquerors arrived to the land as well as travellers from mainland and the isles. Diversa was quickly repopulated and the tribes of Aldebaran, Dandelion, Antares, Lexana and Sparza became pretty dominant in all regions. It took 300 more years for most regions to form as we know them today. Four hundred years ago, with the invention of the printing press, the Vetustus separated into **The Faith**, the predominant religious force, and the **Alturi**, a tribe of nomads believed to be extinct nowadays. After The Faith became the main religion in Diversa, four of the five houses (all except for the Dandelion) expelled the Banbalunan descendants from Diversa by either conversion, massacre or in some cases by taking them to the strait that separates the lands.

The Alturi, who remained near the border with Banbaluna in what was then called **The Free Lands**, invited some of the expelled Banbalunan families to stay in a new settlement that would later be known as **Bohemia**. This infuriated the new theocracies of Aspatria, ruled by **Wylen Agares I**, together with **Belenus**, the seat of The Faith and its new **Pope Faustus Lexana I**, who tried to wage war against Bohemia but was threatened by the new Kingdom of **Trafalgar**. It took a couple of centuries more for the **First Witch-hunt** to take place. With the pretext of paganism, Aspatria and Belenus declared war to Bohemia. Trafalgar was then struggling with internal conflicts after their King was assassinated in the town market by an anti-monarchic rebel. People of Trafalgar also started blaming the Bohemian ideals of no-rulers for fuelling the rebel movement in the city. With no more external protection and the region of **Galata** staying neutral but selling weapons of war to both sides, Bohemia's demise was certain. Some say it was Bohemia's own ideals and their lack of central government and militia that lead to its end. **Valera Veltrono**, a sorceress appointed as leader of the Bohemian forces, lead a couple of strategical battles that quickly turned the tables in Bohemia's favour, but it was her own power that eventually destroyed the city. After Bohemia's destruction and Valera's death, a few towns were left as independent: **Gernika**, which the locals turned into a fort where they started raising their own sell sword militia; **Somorrostro**, a commercial port town and an strategic commercial settlement with Banbaluna; and **Cathays**, a small town where most Bohemian refugees ended up living.

Trafalgar’s civil war came to a conclusion in favour of the monarchy causing the rebels, now called republicans, to go into hiding. The civil war ended with a whole generation raised during this period of war or the subsequent aftermath. These children were later called the **Sons of War** (which were mostly illiterate) and the monarchy enacted a new law that forced all male children to work by the age of 10. As a consequence, homelessness became a crime in Trafalgar and both the poorer and those on the losing side of the war were forced to look for shelter and food in unthinkable places. **Dr. Feris Strauss**, member of the council of Aspatria, offered the refugees a place to stay on a remote island, which was actually a cover for his medical experimentation on human subjects. This island was later known as the **Hell's Kitchen**.

19 years ago, Banbalunan conquerors invaded seeking revenge for their people massacred in Bohemia and wanting to reconquer the land. There was little force to stop them as the Bohemian region was mostly unpopulated by that time. It was only a coalition of Trafalgar army forces joined by the Gernika's militia left to defend the territory. **Aldous Aldebaran**, a 14 year old soldier, together with a portion of the combined forces were ambushed forcing the boy to take command of the troops and successfully defeating the invading army by himself. After these events, Aldous was considered a war genius and a hero, nicknamed *Rohini* (the red one) by the Banbalunan invaders because of the blood he shed.

Aspatria decided to send a couple of squadrons to the remaining towns of Bohemia, burning down a pub where Valera Veltrono's sister performed as a singer and capturing the leader of the Alturi. This led to a massacre of the Alturi tribe, bringing them to near extinction.

In modern days, Aspatria has been prohibited by the Kingdom of Trafalgar to cross their territory for further attacks south of Diversa.

## Government and politics

Diversa is divided into 5 territories:

* **Aspatria** extends from the **Molcastra Mountains** all the way into the center of Diversa at the **Lake Wund**. It is the largest territory in all of Diversa. Although it is considered a theocracy, Aspatria has had a crown for many centuries. The crown belongs to the **Agares** family, who has pretty much stayed in power for most of its history. The crown sits in the **City of Aspatria**, which is considered its capital and it was built around the **Ash Father** tree. As a theocracy, they are natural allies with **Belenus**. They had a major role into the destruction of **Bohemia** which intensified its tension with the realm of **Trafalgar**, located south of it. They usually are in good terms with **Galata**, which remains neutral in all conflicts. Most notable towns in Aspatria are: City of Aspatria, Praetoria, Yeriko and the port town of Sogamoso. Most notable people originally from Aspatria are: Eryn Æzan and Wymond Selvamort.
* **Trafalgar** is a large city located in a cape just below the territory of Aspatria. It is located at an strategic port that allowed the settlement to become a large city thanks to its commerce with the islands and the continents of **Oxonia** and **Banbaluna**. Even though it is a very powerful city, it has always struggled with civil conflicts and rebel acts against the crown. Most notable towns in Tragalfar are: Trafalgar, Trocadero. Most notable people originally from Trafalgar are: Kyra Lonebolt and Aldous Aldebaran.
* **Belenus**, also known as **The Emerald City**,is the seat of the Faith. It's considered a sacred city-state and a theocracy. Most people travel there on a pilgrimage. Originally, the Faith was protected by the **Laica Vetusta**, a small squad of professional soldiers that protected the Pope in his travels. Centuries later, by the time of the first Witch-hunt, Belenus has its own army, called **The Silver Shields**. In modern days, Belenus army is not as large as it used to be and they are mostly fighting monks known as **The Emerald Saints**.
* **Galata**. Most notable towns in Galata are: City of Galata, Ravenglass. Most notable people originally from Galata are: Gally Gestalt and Theo Gestalt.
* **Bohemia**, was a settlement composed of people from Banbaluna, Alturi tribes and immigrants from the islands. It was destroyed by Valera Veltrono after the Witch-hunt and it is now known as **The Free Lands,** the name it received before becoming Bohemia. Most notable towns in Bohemia are: Gernika, Somorrostro, Cathays and Gardia. Most notable people originally from Bohemia are: Nash Aldebaran, Daito Sparza, Delmas Dandelion and Teio Dorama.
* **City of Justice**: The City of Justice is not actually a city. It is located right in the border between Aspatria, Galata and Belenus. It is a small town containing a big castle used as tribunal for affairs that concern more than one territory. The tribunal is usually composed by a judge from each of the three regions and their decision is considered binding in all three of the territories. Despite their differences, Trafalgar has been invited to participate in numerous occasions, but the crown has always refused.