Valoisa

**Valoisa** is one of the six countries of the Iridescent Continent. It is a Kingdom that was founded by Ezekiel Grace, the first Chosen of Valo, but is currently ruled by another bloodline, the latest ruler being King Ricardo Cortez. Its patron Deity is Valo, the Fire God.

## Ruling Family

Valoisa was founded by Ezekiel Grace, his descendants ruling Valoisa for almost three hundred years before they were assassinated and the throne was stolen from them. His bloodline is known as the true bloodline to those citizens that still have the old history books and have faith that one day they will reclaim the throne and restore their country to its former greatness. For almost 2,000 years the country has been ruled by the Cortez family.

King Ricardo Cortez

Queen Esmeralda Cortez

Crown Prince Haydn Cortez

Princess Saphira Cortez

## Military

Valoisa has one of the biggest militaries in all of the countries. All of the citizens are brought up in the war like country and are subject to being part of the military for at least a brief time of their life. The number of people in the military varies as people join and retire daily, no one knows for certain how many troops Valoisa has at their disposal.

#### **Training program**

At 19 years of age it is mandatory for the child to go through a years' worth of training in the military. On the first day of summer all of the 19 year olds are rounded up and are taken to a section of the palace that is reserved for the training purpose. They are then taught about everything in the military, not allowed to leave until their year is up.

### Parts of the military

There is no Navy. There are bases set up near the water to prevent against water invasions but they have a fear of the water due to their countries element being Fire.

#### **Army**

The number of the army is always changing, around a thousand new recruits joining up every year although members are dying off or retiring almost daily. The army is constantly trained with a variety of different weapons. It is considered a point of honour to have been a part of the army so most citizens have been a member at some point in their lives. They believe in being prepared for anything so all members of the military have some form of weapon training in all fields although they only have one or two specialties.

#### **Spies**

There are only 16 Valoisan spies in various countries at the moment, although most have gone into hiding. Most spies double as assassins, sent on missions to different countries to gather information and then kill a certain person or people. They are normally chosen at the age of 8, based off of looks, taken from their families and trained for life in another country.

#### **Assassins**

Like the spies this is a rather small group of people due to failed attempts and information leaking out about their members. They used to be around 200 strong but within the last year their numbers have dropped to 33. Their main aim is to kill people in secret and to stir up drama in other countries, planting evidence to frame rebel groups, royalty and other countries, they normally are skilled liars and thieves.

#### **Calvary**

This is actually a very popular area of the military, it does not include just horses however. In this branch of the military they are taught how to fight with or against animals in any country. They are about 4,000 strong at the moment.

#### **Archers**

Most archers are looked down upon in the military, seen as almost cowardly since they fight from a distance and not up close and personal. They do recognize the importance of archers however and each member of the military is trained in the skill. There are only about 1,000 official archers in the military however.

* All of the citizens aged 19 and up have military training, so if the country is ever invaded all of the citizens are willing to take up arms and defend their home country.

## Laws

* No one shall pass the borders unless given permission by the King or Queen. The punishment is determined based on what they did while crossing the border and what the land entered has to say about them.
* No one is to hunt larger animals without a license. One is given out per town with restrictions on how much can be hunted. Abusing this or hunting without a license results in the loss of the license and all hunting equipment.
* Any activities involving water are forbidden. This means no swimming, fishing, etc. . . . Failure to follow by these standards are brought before the King and Queen themselves to be judged.
* Killing someone else in cold blood will result in being executed.
* After being convicted of a crime you're branded, this allows them to keep track of their criminals. After three crimes you're forced into servitude at the castle, the length depending on the types of crimes committed. The fourth time involves banishment to the Outerlands or execution depending on the crimes.
* Lying to authority is not tolerated, doing so can result in fines or jail time depending on the seriousness of the lie.
* Any traitors or criminals who get executed do not get the honor of their body being burned, instead they are buried or their bodies are dumped in the ocean depending on the seriousness of their crimes.
* Any orphans that go into the training for 19 years olds are required by law to stay in the military as they have never been trained for any other jobs.

The King and Queen don't really care about the why or how crimes are committed, they just care for who did it and what they did.

### Marriage law (Royalty)

* The princess must marry the strongest suitor. Once she comes of age any and all eligible bachelors may compete for her hand, regardless of age.
* A prince may pick his bride, he only has until the age of 25 before the King and Queen are allowed to pick a suitor for him.

## Customs

* When someone dies their body is burned, this is so that their God can come and take their soul to the afterlife.
* Each home has a hearth.
* There typically tends to be a fireplace in each bedroom, to ward off evil spirits and/or bad dreams in the nighttime, if you keep it burning all night
* When someone in the family dies they keep all fireplaces in the home burning for a week straight, as a sign of respect for the person who died.
* Once a year all of the 19 year olds from across the country go to the castle to get trained by the military for a year, it is a point of honor to pass, and you only get one shot. From there they can enlist in the army or go back home, but it is mandatory to go.
* Going to one knee and inclining your head is a sign of respect usually shown to royalty, high ranking military officials and people who have shown you great hospitality (doctors, foster parents, orphanage workers, etc. ...)
* It is customary to shelter people during a storm