Thanatovia

The necromantic empire of **Thanatovia** (pronounced than-ah-TOH-vee-ah) is a cosmopolitan nation of enlightenment and magic, its people freed from the toils of daily labor by its heavy reliance on undead.

## History

### The Empire of Thanatovia

What is now Thanatovia was once the heart of a larger nation, an empire which had grown prosperous and powerful on the strength of its undead army and labor force and its numerous mages. This made it a natural site for the Three - the gods Arazni, Irori, and Qi Zhong - to seek when they had a vision of the disastrous aftermath of the Godswar and the doom it meant for the rest of their world.

Together, the deities came to the capital of Lastgate and sent word to the mortals throughout the nearby lands that destruction was imminent and only by joining them in Thanatovia could they find salvation. Refugees came in droves, joining the native Thanatovians in preparing for the end of their world; elves, dwarves, and stranger humanoids joined the human inhabitants near the capital. Despite the warnings of the Three, such disparate peoples could not set aside their old grudges and tension rapidly mounted as they awaited the approaching cataclysm.

### The Godswar

When the war between the gods began, the Thanatovians and their chosen protectors held their ground, letting the chaos rage around them. It did not last long; within the space of a year, the rest of the world as any of them knew it was gone, shattered to oblivion around them. All that remained was the area surrounding Lastgate, some three-hundred miles diameter; outside this bastion lay nothing, the edge of the new world beyond which lay only death.

The populace was shaken, the world literally come to an end around them. The tension that had burned within those dwelling in the remnant of the world exploded into open conflict; they set upon one another, bringing war to the mortal realm in pale imitation of that waged in the heavens. Even the Three were not spared the aftermath of the war, having survived but now cut off from their home realms, their bonds with their clerics severed; of the rest of the gods, there has been only the silence of death. Unable to deal with this new reality, many of the most favored servants of the divine chose to put an end to their own existence rather than adapt to the world now before them; even in this, they found themselves denied the afterlife they sought, their spirits left to wander the endless nothingness beyond the reach of their divine patrons or the immortality of undeath their mortal countrymen could offer.

It took the better part of two decades for the turmoil to calm, the survivors having realized their folly in conflict even as the Council of Archministers set their undead legions to brutally quell those who would not come to reason. When it was done, only ten thousand remained living within the bounds of the new world, dubbed the Shard by its now-inhabitants.

### The Reconstruction

Those left alive on the Shard were forced to rapidly adapt to their new existence. Necessity had made them more cosmopolitan than ever before, and now made other demands of them. While Thanatovia had never been a land of excess, moderation became paramount like never before as the survivors were faced with truly limited land and resources. Even the aristocracy came to value the quality of their comforts far beyond the quantity, and where once some level of feuding could be allowed it had become nigh impossible to truly strike at even the most hated of rivals without being exposed and recyced - the Thanatovian term for conversion into mindless undead. No matter the age or bitterness of a feud, none was allowed to continue, such that in modern Thanatovic society such unthinkable unions as drow and surface elf have become the order of the day, with only one-upsmanship allowed as a continuation of ages-old conflicts.

Reutilization grew ever more prominent as well during this time. Faced with the realization that the resources they now possessed were the only ones they ever would, the Thanatovians set about making sure not even the slightest bit went to waste, whether the resource in question was a mineral from the nearly-tapped mountains, wood from the forests, or the flesh and bones of the dead.

In the three hundred years since the world was shattered, Thanatovia's population has tripled, with more mixed-race citizens than could have ever been dreamt prior. For the better part of that time the Three walked amongst the populace as well, a rare opportunity for those of a religious bent to interact with divinity; only recently have they returned to their spiritual realms and reestablished the connection with their clergy, however faint. During that time, the long-established Thanatovian use of undead swelled more than ever, such that in modern days they far outnumber the living.

### The Emergence of the Hydraspace Lanes

Several years ago, the greatest change to Thanatovia since the Godswar was discovered in the form of a portal in the sole bay remaining on the Shard. At first, society at large thought it a hoax, as the vast majority of the population saw nothing but the ever-flowing spill of the sea over the edge of the shard, but then others began to confirm the sightings as well - all youths. Finally, the respected arcanists of the Ministry of Magic decided to put the claims to the test, and while they saw only the same endless waterfall most of the population did, their magics confirmed it; there *was* a portal, an immensely magical portal that only a handful of youths could see.

News of the discovery spread like wildfire, with questions as to what to do about this new portal on everyone's tongues. It was eventually decided that the portal must be explored; to that end, the Seven Ministries became the Eight, with the Ministry of Exploration formed and tasked with finding what lay beyond the portal, which the newly-appointed Archminister of Exploration dubbed a "hydraspace gate". The populace was tested to find out which among them were capable of seeing, and thus navigating a ship through, the hydraspace gate, and a team of the oldest among them recruited and trained by the Ministry of Exploration for the monumental task.

### Thanatovia Today

Today, Thanatovia finds itself poised to become a true empire once more. The discovery of the hydraspace lanes and what lays beyond promises the opportunity for new lands, new conquests, and new alliances for the first time in centuries. The first forays beyond the gate have already brought a massive source of food and land, the discovery of fallen dragon gods, and an alliance that promises much-needed iron and cultural exchange; all significant, and only a hint at what may be in store in the near future. Thanatovia waits eagerly for further discoveries and opportunities to be revealed.

For the common citizen however, while they may feel the ripples of such monumental discoveries, life has not changed significantly since the aftermath of the Godswar was calmed. Thanantovians enjoy a quality of life unmatched by any other peoples they have yet encountered, with hard labor a thing of the past for living citizens, education mandatory and provided by the state, and conveniences to shame tales of ancient arcane civilizations - magical lightning, climate control, food preservation, and more are all not only available but commonplace.

## Government

### The Comprehensive Aptitude and Placement Exams

Unlike many of its previous neighbors, Thanatovia does not ascribe to the right of hereditary rulership, nor divinely-appointed monarchs, nor even the experiments in democratic rule by the citizenry. Instead it follows a strict meritocracy, wherein those deemed most suited for a given station are placed within it no matter their origin. In practice, this does favor the upper classes given their access to resources and interpersonal connections to ensure their progeny are afforded the finest of specialized training, however their advantage is far less pronounced than in any other nation in what was once the world.

To determine each individual's suitability for the various roles required in Thanatovic society, every citizen is periodically tested from childhood on, and ushered into fitting duties and the training therefor as they show signs of aptitude; should an individual show equivalent suitability for multiple roles they are allowed to choose form among them upon reaching adulthood, however no amount of desire allows for an individual to choose a role for which they have been deemed unsuitable. To that end, and to relieve the pressure of rearing children from those whose aptitudes lie in other areas, children in Thanatovia are raised communally in creches; this applies regardless of the child's heritage or familial standing. Those who show too little aptitude for society's requirements, particularly a lack of at least near-average intelligence, are recyced so as to ease the burden on Thanatovia as a whole.

### The Ministries

The Great Ministries of Thanatovia, their subministries, and the ministers and archministers thereof are:

* Magic - Archminister Vholkas
	+ Academic -  ?
	+ Birthright -  ?
	+ Item Creation - Minister Zenvi
	+ Undeath - Minister Jaelle Krol

* Agriculture - Archminister Naevys Charro
	+ Fields -  ?
	+ Orchards -  ?
	+ Livestock -  ?
	+ Distribution -  ?
* Academics - Archminister Almar Zylus
	+ Basic Schooling -  ?
	+ Technical Schooling -  ?
	+ Advanced Learning -  ?
	+ Testing -  ?
* Production - Archminister Sorena Dinu
	+ Smithing -  ?
	+ Clothworking -  ?
	+ Carpentry -  ?
	+ Masonry -  ?
* War - Archminister Druk Stoutgut
	+ Training -  ?
	+ Intelligence -  ?
	+ Engineering -  ?
	+ Materiel -  ?
* Civics - Archminister Marcella Nica
	+ Library -  ?
	+ Records -  ?
	+ Administration -  ?
	+ Recycling -  ?
* Faith - Archminister Virgil Manescu
	+ Arazni - Minister Lucretia
	+ Irori -  ?
	+ Qi Zhong -  ?
	+ Other -  ?
* Exploration - Archminister Emil Groza

## Geography

### Political Survey

As the sole surviving nation on its shard, Thanatovia has no political rivals, nor does it tolerate dissent from within. That said, there are constant games of politics between the aristocracy and, especially, those who have been placed highly by the CAPE but do not come from the old nobility, as well as between the surviving cities. Nevertheless, to call Thanatovia extremely politically stable would be a gross understatement.

### Physical Survey

The geography of Thanatovia is hugely varied with each region having its own unique geography. However, the center of the Shard is dominated by mountains and home to two notable lakes, from which the Thanatovians draw much of their fish. The south of the shard bears both the capital of Lastgate and the hydraspace gate, and as such much of the nation's attention is fixed there.

## Inhabitants

Having been the last refuge for mortals during the Godswar, Thanatovia is home to an incredible variety of sentient beings, boasting communities of nearly every civilized folk and embracing them as full citizens. That said, though initially there were a small number, neither the halfling nor the gnomish populations surived the aftermath of the Godswar, and while signs of their presence can still be seen in the form of small skeletons and zombies here and there, none remain among the living.

At one time, numerous monstrous creatures could be found within the borders of modern Thanatovia, however they have been so thoroughly exterminated that today the largest predator not counted amongst the citizenry is the badger.

### Religion

While Thanatovia was once home to the temples of numerous faiths, since the Godswar only three have remained active - those of Arazni, Irori, and Qi Zhong, collectively known as the Three. Even before the cataclysm that destroyed the world around it however, Thanatovia was a nation of learning and enlightenment rather than strong faith, and since that event its populace has turned ever more toward secular ideals.