Midi

## Overview

Midi is a country on the planet Meia. Situated on the Continent of Galvasitz, the Midi Collective has mild, Mediterranean weather.

The Senate of Galvasitz is Midi’s official form of ‘government,’ if one can call it that, loosely uniting the city states under a banner of conduct and culture.

While Kohpoli, Aqivez, and Kiem are the biggest cities with the most power in the Senate, multiple minor towns exist under Midi’s collective.

Due to the disjointed nature of Midi's government, all cities under the Midi Collective have varying Artifice and Magic levels, ranging from the flying canal ships patrolling Aqivez to the traditional buildings in Kohpoli still lit by torch and candle light.

## History

### Kohpoli's Founding

While the Midi Collective was officially founded just a year before the Iconoclasm, the Midian city of Kohpoli existed long before that, founded in 723 by a group of religious scholars named the Ashcoats. Seeking a safe area, they settled in the Ohgar-no-Voda mountains, away from the various monsters that plagued Galvasitz's Eastern Region. There, they founded the Ashcoat Monastery, named for the volcanic residue staining their garments.

The Ashcoats studied rigorously how to conquer the lands, combining knowledge of the area's wildlife with alchemy, martial training, and even magic contained within the blood of a person to start creating the first soldiers capable of taming the lands. With the important assistance of Lachier, they quickly formulated their own Hunter's Bane and made Midi's first official Bloodhunter, Orsos Aschoat.

### Kiem's Founding

Orsos Ashcoat would travel down the coast of Midi to reach an untamed area. This became Kiem, and Orsos would be the first Emperor of Kiem.

### The Schism

However, not all went well after Kiem's founding. Two distinct sects founded after an incident that resulted in the death of a dragon. The School of Ash argued that Hunter's Bane was still necessary in the world, even after the beasts were exterminated. The Academy of Coats argued that Hunter's Bane would cause great harm in the world when there were no more creatures to kill, as evidenced by the dragon's death. Unable to reconcile their differences, the Ashcoat Monastery was split in two.

The Academy of Coats made peace with the local dragons, forming a long partnership between the two and forming a Dragon Knight Academy. Some extremists refused to remain with the Blood Hunters, and fled south to Kazzak, where they formed the Academy of Dragon Knights. The School of Ash continued their Bloodhunting ways, guiding people throughout the lands if necessary, clearing out areas for cities when needed. The Monastery, while still having devout members, built a new keep away from the two factions locked in a cold war. They renamed themselves the Rotta Monastery, and would solve any arguments between the two factions, should physical fights break out.

### Aqivez's Founding

Aqivez was the last major City State founded. Emperor Orsos wished for a place for Artisans and Arcane users to have a safe area to practice their craft, and he ordered a large city to be constructed on numerous isles. The lead architect, Maare Citta, was named the Doge of the new city, now named Aqivez.

### The Midi Collective

With trouble brewing, the three major City States agreed to band together, along with other small towns located nearby, in a government called the Senate of Galvasitz, meeting four times a year and discussing matters that loosely pertain to the Collective as a whole. And thus, the Midi Collective was founded, a year before the world-shaking war of the Iconoclasm. Staying neutral, or more so uninvolved, Midi became the host of some refugees from Keedronnor. Without a war to push Midi, the Collective as a whole stagnated, remaining rooted in traditions from decades before. However, individual cities within the Collective would evolve with the times, Kiem especially adopting new Artifice, and along with it, the problems of a booming city.

## Religion

While all religions are tolerated within the Midi Collective, the mainstream form of worship praises the Untamed. The Untamed is credited for the inspiration for Bloodhunting in Midi, the founding of Kohpoli, and ensuring Midi's continued success throughout the Iconoclasm and to modern times.

Emperor Orsos was a devout worshiper of the Untamed, and enforced celebrations of them at least once a year at the least. This law continues to exist throughout any city under the Midi Collective, and is the one trait that unifies the country as a whole. If a city is unable to participate in one due to hardship, Kiem will send supplies and manpower in a gesture to support their fellow Midians.

Celebrations often include lavish parties that extend well into the night. These celebrations are typically called "Invoking of the Untamed", named for the fact that the parties often get rather extreme, and the blame is placed on the Untamed.

## Society

Despite the country being more of a loose collection of cities, almost all people from Midi introduce themselves as Midian, rather than their city of origin.

### The Senate of Galvasitz

Midi's official form of government is the Collective, located within the Senate of Galvasitz. Situated in Kiem, representatives from each city and town under the Midi collective stay within the Senate, representing the interests of their area. Often, this is the ruler of each individual area, or a trio in the case of Kohpoli. The Senate also acts as the embassy to other countries, and important visitors such as diplomats are included in Collective's discussions. Constructed of glass from Aqivez, the Senate of Galvasitz prides itself on political transparency, although the average citizen is unable to attend a meeting.

### The Flag

Midi's flag was created at the first meeting in the Senate of Galvasitz. Using the main colors of the three major cities, the flag represents the unification of Midi under one banner. Kiem, with a purple banner, represents loyalty. Kohpoli, with a white banner, represents tradition and the past. Aqivez, with a blue banner, represents progress, and the ocean that connects the world.

### Food

While Midi has impressive wines produced from the grapes grown in Kohpoli's ashen soils, that is not Midi's only impressive edible export. With hostile mega-fauna favoring the climate of Midi, locals would often get creative in what they could eat. A likely dish in Midi likely consists of local dinosaur meat or fish, seasoned with herbs grown in Kohpoli, over some type of grain, likely to be bread or a dinosaur egg based noodles.

The official dish of Midi, however, is vegetarian by default. Called Abbaio, it consists of surprisingly soft and sweet bark from a common shrub-like tree called the Rosebark, as well as a mix of tomatoes, cheeses, and herbs. Olive oil is poured over the top to finish it off. Using the scrapped bark mashed into a thin paste, one can steam it with ingredients stuffed inside. For presentation purposes, the dish is steamed within the broad leaves of the Rosebark tree. Meat is often added, but most claim that Abbaio is just as good meatless.

## Geography

The most important feature of Midi is the Ohgar-no-Voda mountains. They separate Midi and the unclaimed land from Darastrix. The southern bits of the mountains are volcanic, and spew ash into the air around Kohpoli.

"Few people ought to enjoy the wilds of Midi, where the food pyramid is in fact, a circle.” - *Unknown Ranger from Aqivez*
Outside of major cities, Midi has rough, rocky terrain, with the local fauna still quite deadly. For this reason, anyone traveling off the roads should hire a Ranger and a Bloodhunter to guide and protect them.

The other major feature are the Lupa islands, where Aqivez is built. Prone to flooding, the challenges of building a city on them have inspired many architects.