Kingdom of Bordonia

## Description:

The Kingdom of Bordonia, more commonly referred to as the Kingdom of Bourdon or simply as Bourdon, is a feudal kingdom placed on the northwestern section of the western island of the Continent of Pilbo. Bourdon sits adjacent to Eochar and the Tsardom of Brastowia.

Those within the Continent of Pilbo know of Bourdon well, its reputation for its French-influenced culture, and the grand legends and stories that come from its courts. Those outside of the Continent of Pilbo have no knowledge of Bourdon.

### Organization:

#### Capital: Combreaux (Duchy of Chanes)

Bordonia, being feudal, is led by a king and/or queen; the current King is Enguerrand Cordonnier. Beneath the Monarchs sit their heirs, the Prince/Princess, and the other nobles under them. Below the nobility sit the knights, the minor nobles who swear fealty to the King/Queen and fight in the kingdom's wars in exchange for land, glory, and wealth. The servants and staff sit beneath the Knights, and beneath them sit the serfs and peasantry. Bourdon's court is influenced primarily by that of the Medieval French noble system.

#### Provinces:

1. Duchy of Chanes: Bordonia's capital province, held directly by the reigning monarch; known for its defensibility and proud garrison of Bordonia's standing army, Chanes is also referred to as the parallel to [REMOVED], a neighboring province of Eochar.
2. Duchy of Feins: The northern province led by the Estelle Family; known for its border with the lawless northern stretches and barbarian tribes, the Duchy of Feins is often the site of bandit raids, barbarian incursions, and border disputes that suppress its powerful potential.
3. Duchy of Champier: The most central province led by the [REDACTED] Family; known for its agriculture and rural nature as much as it is known for its small border with the neighboring country of Brastowia.
4. Duchy of Bacria: The southern province that borders Brastowia, the Ravacaryn Empire, and Eochar is led by [EXPUNGED], a family known for their diplomats and masters of intrigue responsible for keeping the three (3) expanding nations at bay.

Bourdon does not "recruit" like other organizations do. Being a feudal kingdom, Bourdon can only expand its borders through political maneuvering or warfare. Knights and nobles are granted titles by the Master of Arms, a ceremonial rank of high office granted by the reigning monarch to a powerful noble. Footmen and other soldiers are recruited from the peasant militias that protect the countryside. Bourdon's system of inheritance, cognatic primogeniture, excludes women from inheritance of land in all circumstances except in those where no other male heirs are available; if a man dies without brothers or sons, and if the daughters have no sons, then the inherited land goes to the oldest daughter until that daughter is married or has a son, in which case the inherited land passes on to the man. Women can, however, inherit private property, goods, businesses, and anything else not regulated by noble birth or inheritance (i.e. additional land owned by the family not granted by the kingdom).

The Kingdom of Bordonia dedicates most of its resources to defending its borders from external threats, primarily from the Ravacaryn Empire and Eochar who both seek to expand their territories northward. Bourdon maintains a relatively small sphere of influence, trading primarily with the other nations on the western island via boats and caravans over land.

#### Social Hierarchy:

1. Monarchy (King/Queen)
2. Royal Family (Prince/Princess)
3. High Nobles (Dukes/Duchesses)
4. Minor Nobles
5. Knights
6. Staff/Skilled Workers
7. Serfs

The Kingdom of Bordonia's culture revolves so heavily around Pilbo that the JPCU has deemed them a non-threat to the Continent's continued secrecy; very few individuals seek to flee Pilbo from Bourdon.

### Equipment:

The French influence upon Bordonia's culture are readily evident in their style of dress, which includes many bright colors, complex patterns, and expensive handcrafted jewelry. The troops of Bordonia's standing army adorn themselves in half-plate armor while the noble knights don their ancestral suits of artisanal plate armor.

Bourdon maintains a level of technology roughly equivalent to that of Renaissance France, although their means of governance lack this modernization. Unlike Yarland, Bourdon refuses to use muskets or cannons on anything but their small naval fleet, and instead relies on the classic infantry and cavalry of Medieval Europe for ground combat; archers and crossbowmen are also very common additions to their army composition.

Bourdon, like most of the Continent of Pilbo, maintains a higher level of magical capabilities than they do technological. Bourdon employs powerful mages within their noble courts, and controls a large Magic College within their territory. Many of Bourdon's villages include an Alchemist or Apothecary among their healers. Bourdon's use of Magic is also influenced by the neighboring Elves of the Ravacaryn Empire, many of whom flee the tyranny of their dictatorial Emperor and attempt to find a home in Bourdon; as a result, Bordonia is also known for its divided populace, a human majority defending their culture from Elven refugees and the expansionist invasions of the Ravacaryn's sizable armies.

Bourdon's armies are known for their quality over quantity; their mounted heavy cavalry, their noble Knights, are renowned throughout the land as some of the best warriors in the region. Their tactics are varied and adaptable, their Martial and Warrior King famous for their battlefield skill. The Knights of Bourdon are always brave and valiant, steadfast in their loyalty and prepared to face death if it means serving their liege.

## Religion:

Bourdon's semi-organized polytheistic religion is focused on a dichotomy between Life and Death, associated with the seasons. The faith has an outwards focus, dedicated to appeasing whichever deity is in control during the given season to ward off their wrath. Divine interaction occurs through the holiday-based rituals that occur throughout the year, and religious services held by the Druids and other clergy. The faithful of Bourdon believe in Geasven, their name for their afterlife, equivalent to the Greek Hades; Geasven is neither good nor bad, and barely differentiates between "good" and "bad" people, instead reserving "Ivory Lands" for the best and "Scourge Fields" for the worst of the worst. The neutral, more common Afterlife, is considered neither pleasant nor painful, and is more boring than anything else. The supernatural exists primarily in the form of nature, Souls, and Magic. Worship is conducted via personal prayer to shrines in and outside of the home, rituals, holidays, and sacrifices of animals; sacrifice of humans has never been practiced, much to the disbelief of those outside of Bourdon's borders. Holidays are relatively frequently, and celebrate changes in the seasons, lunar cycles, astrological shifts/alignments, and important historical events/figures.

### List of the Gods:

1. Maran, The Red Life: The Bordonian goddess of Life associated with spring/summer, life/birth, fire/heat, etc.; considered nefarious and volatile, responsible for kidnapping Talet for half of the year and allowing spring/summer to occur; associated with the Seelie Court.
2. Talet, The Amber Virgin: The Bordonian god of the Underworld (Geasven) associated with fall/winter, death, ice/snow/cold, etc.; kidnapped by Maran for the Spring/Summer, preventing people from properly dying; associated with the Unseelie Court.
	1. Quzorand & The Pale Procession: The Bordonian death god that leads the Pale Procession, a host of Undead responsible for rounding up the Undead Souls of those who die during Bordonia's Months of Life; associated with fate, peaceful deaths and proper burials, etc.
3. Qidon, The Wise Fool: Bordonian god of thieves, deceit, and trickery responsible for the neutral aspect of the moral spectrum; associated with lies, pranks and jokes, humility, disappearances (people and objects), fairness and justice, and court fools/jesters.

### Months of Life, Months of Death:

Bordonia's organized naturalistic beliefs have induced a unique magical phenomenon shared across the nation. According to Bordonia's traditional semi-Gallic beliefs, their goddess of life, Maran, kidnaps the god of the underworld, Talet, and keeps him imprisoned with her for approximately six (6) months out of the year, through the seasons of Spring and summer; this mythological cycle has a physical impact on the Souls of the adherents within Bordonia.

During the Months of Life, the people of Bordonia experience lifted spirits, increased vitality and health, reduced susceptibility to disease, and more. Bordonians are more resistant to injury and even natural death, as their Souls, prevented from entering Geasven, are quicker to return to their physical bodies. Additionally, Bordonian Druids find it significantly easier to resurrect the dead using Magic during the Months of Life, as Souls are more readily able to leave the gates of Geasven and return to their bodies. Bordonian culture reflects these Months of Life with great reverence; great leaders in the country's history have weaponized this period of time and waged war with this life-giving effect greatly diminishing their loss of life. Residents that do die during this period have a chance of returning to the land of the living as an Undead, however, unless the appropriate funerary rites are conducted and their bodies preserved; corpses which are not properly treated are almost guaranteed to return as Undead.

The Months of Death sit on the contrary to the spring and summer, and occur during Fall and Winter. During these months, the people of Bordonia experience a susceptibility to sickness, apathy or elevated negative moods, decreases vitality, and more. The people are also more susceptible to injury and more likely to suffer accidents (both fatal and otherwise) because Talet is constantly attempting to claim all of the Souls he was incapable of reaping during his time of incarceration; Bordonian Souls are passively drawn towards Geasven during this time, making it harder to reanimate Bordonians as Undead and tougher to properly resurrect them with Abjuration Magic. Bordonian leaders and clergy conduct frequent services and rituals to ward off unnecessary deaths and keep the Pale Procession at bay, although that ghostly host of hunting horrors still stalks the skies above Bordonia's quiet forests; should the Procession touch down in a village, it can be expected that few individuals will survive the night. Dullahans and Green Knights and other such Fairies also wander the countryside freely during the Months of Death, seeking out the unclaimed Souls due for their demises.

### Clergy:

Bordonian clergy are known as Druids and are responsible for leading the spiritual lives of the people, both noble and otherwise. Druids lead celebrations, hold sacrifices, lead religious services, and educate the people.