Tsardom of Brastowia

## Description:

The Tsardom of Brastowia, often shortened to just Brastowia, is a kingdom located on the westernmost coast of the western island of the Continent of Pilbo, situated in the far north. Brastowia was originally founded by the shipwrecked survivors of a failed Russian colonial fleet meant for Alaska, but which accidentally found itself stranded on Pilbo instead; forced to survive on their own amongst a cold forest of monsters and barbarian tribes, the sailors established a civilization and carved out a section of land for themselves. Brastowia maintains negative relations with most of its neighbors, but is rivals with the Kingdom of Bordonia to the east.

Due to being located in the Continent of Pilbo, Brastowia is known only to the residents of Pilbo and those few individuals who know of the Continent's existence elsewhere.

### Organization:

#### Capital:

As its name implies, Brastowia is a Tsardom, and is run by a Tsar, equivalent to a king or emperor; currently, Tsar [NAME] leads the nation. The Tsar serves as Brastowia's autocrat, holding the large majority of political and military power. Operating under the Tsar are the various strata of Brastowian society, nominally the Princes, hand-picked individuals elevated to the position of nobility; these chosen few are given total control over their respective provinces and are charged primarily with keeping the peace and collecting taxes. Princes handle the secular affairs of their princedoms whilst the Church of the Firmament handles the rest; Church officials maintain the spiritual lives of Brastowia's citizens, but also manage taxes, help keep the peace, serve as spies and reporters and investigators, etc. The Princes and Church clash with each other for influence and power, each trying to sway the Tsar in their favor; this infighting gives the Tsars the breathing room to hold onto their absolute authority mostly unquestioned, as their bickering underlings are too focused on each other to question the Tsar's actions.

## Religion:

Brastowia's religion, referred to as the Church of the Firmament or the "Tserkov' Nebosvoda," is a polytheistic faith system featuring 2 primary deities; it is outwards-focused, patriarchal, and dedicated to conducting warfare and spreading the gods' influence. There is also a particular emphasis placed on the importance of a "good death" and the proper funeral rites. Divine interaction is reserved for only a chosen few, usually relegated to high-priests and the Tsar or the Tsar's family, who rules by Divine Right. The faith is highly organized and includes a specialized ritual language, taught to all priests and high-ranking nobility; a variant of this language, [REDACTED], is used by the [REMOVED] when in the presence of outsiders as a means of discussing discreet business in public. The Afterlife is a subterranean one, where the deceased, should they be buried properly, spend eternity communing with their gods; their funerary rites vary depending on the god(dess) an individual feels most attached to. The supernatural exists in the form of Magic, mischievous Spirits, and Undead. Worhsip involves solemn individual prayer, ceremonial shrines at special locations, and group masses in dedicated religious buildings. Holidays are fairly often, and venerate heroes, the solstices and eclipses, the harvest, prophets, historical events, victories, and the commencement of war. Most major holidays are week-long celebrations.

### List of Gods:

1. Paerun: Head god of the pantheon; god of the sky, rain, thunder/lightning, and warfare; associated with manipulation of the weather, the sun, and Evocation Magic.
2. Welges: Goddess wife of Paerun; goddess of the earth, mud, caves/underground, death, and warfare; associated with death, the Afterlife, burial, and Geomancy Magic.
3. [FOMORIAN GOD OF MOON]: God of the "Shadowed Sun," of the Moon, and of twilight; associated with peace, nighttime, and cowardice.

It should be noted that the Tsars of Brastowia rule by Divine Right; they claim either familial relation to or explicit permission from Paerun in order to justify their rulership. Some Tsars, particularly [REDACTED], the first Tsar of Brastowia, claim to be gods outright. This relationship and the popularity of Tsar-worshipping cults of personality has led to the rise of the Church of the Firmament as a political and military tool at the Tsars' disposal; Church leaders are used to sway the people in favor of the Tsar; Church crusaders and warrior-priests serve as the Tsars' secret police and death squads, as well as bolster the secular military; and Church funds can find their way into the Tsars' treasury should it be needed. As a result, the Church receives almost unmatched power and authority within Brastowia, and is known to be quite corrupt and tyrannical.

### Clergy:

The clergy of the Church of the Firmament are split into two (2) types: Clerical and Militant. Clerical clergy provide community outreach, provide acts of charity, organize and preside over religious ceremonies and holidays, and maintain church properties; Militant clergy protect church properties, provide security for nobility and Church officials, investigate matters of moral corruption and the misuse of Magic within Brastowia, and provide units of warrior-priests and War Mages for their Tsar's armies. The militant priesthood is exemplified by the [REMOVED], who serve as the Tsar's most loyal followers and secret police.

The lifestyles of the Church's clergy are just as divided as the organization's branches. Clerical priests live comfy lives residing in opulent churches or atop picturesque mountainside monasteries, usually living off of laypeople's donations. Militant priests, on the other hand, dress like ascetic monks, in thick black wool robes or cloaks; they are often adorned with scars or ritual tattoos and carry a variety of weapons; they live "piously," waging war on behalf of their god and spreading death and destruction wherever they go. The [REDACTED], with their unmatched power and authority drawn from both the Tsar and the Church, engage in raucous debauchery when at peace and perpetrate inhuman atrocities and acts of ravening bloodshed when at war; they are the worst of the Church's militant wing, living as hedonists high off their own power until they are killed or replaced or retired. Clergy are encouraged to have families, and some high-ranking Church positions, particularly the inheritance of Church lands, is hereditary; this creates an air of nepotism at the upper levels of Church administration but provides greater stability during individual Tsars' lifetimes.

The "chosen" or prophets within the Church of the Firmament are often the Princes or Tsars themselves; the Church's Patriarch and the Tsar are always considered to be prophets, blessed with divine insight by the gods, but others deemed worthy may also receive the title. These prophets are made into advisors for the Tsar or his Princes, and many go mad with their visions, knowledge, or newfound power and respect; they often receive immense sway with their lord/lady but are the first people accused of wrongdoing or ineptitude should a plan go awry or backfire.