Marakk

The Kingdom of Marakk is an nation spanning several large islands in the New World. It is covered with massive rock formations and bountiful temperate forests, with murky waters hiding a massive ecosystem below the surface of the waters surrounding it consisting of underwater forests of both kelp and trees alike.

It is led by a monarch, the current king being Saga Soten, however the true power lies within the Holy Church of Akthos, which under the guise of a religion institution has begun placing authority historically given solely to royalty into their own hands, steering the nation towards being under their control.

The nation does not have much farmland, seeing most agricultural production originating from only one of it's seven islands, with the exception of fishing. They do, however, have vast reserves of minerals and gemstones located within the large rocky formations that spread across the entirety of the islands within the Kingdom, as well as access to **Marakkian Pearls**, a pearl that glistens like a rainbow in day and like a constellation at night, dazzling to the eye and fetching a massive value on the market, with the Kingdom of Marakk being it's sole exporter due to it being created by a rare clam that lives only within the Marakkian kelp forests.

The people of Marakk live lives that see the majority of the working population employed in the mining industry, either delving to retrieve parts of the vast mineral deposits or sitting in a factory processing a variety of gems, crystals, and rocks. Others find themselves as disciples of the Akthos Church, the sole religious institution within Marakk, teaching values of beauty in a life guided by the God Akthos, represented as an omniscient divine being within the faith.

The nation has a sizeable navy, though it's make is normal relative to world standards, featuring battleships with similar design to those seen within the Navy. Most soldiers are trained by standard means as well, lacking any superiority to a soldier from the next nation over, however there is an elite group of Warrior Monks that reside within the nation as well, though most don't report to the Marakkian military, instead answering to the Church of Akthos.

While in the past the royalty was powerful and ties amongst other nations were strong, most relationships have since withered in favor of those construed by the Church, which most often value profit and material gain over that of true bond and friendship.

## Government & Philosophy

The Kingdom of Marakk is a Hereditary Monarchy, with the reigning monarch historically having full authority over the nation. It is primogeniture in nature, meaning that this title simply goes to the eldest child, though there have been occasions where the title has been ceded to the "most qualified" child over the eldest in the past. The current king, Saga Soten, only has a single child, being Saga Dawn, making her the sole heir to the throne.

However, in recent years, the Church of Akthos, the church leading the common faith of the nation, being Akthos, has seen itself gain a lot of political power, particularly in respect to domestic administration, and filling economic roles of the nation, such as having a stake in the nation's central bank, as well as having large claims over various mining operations taking place within the nation for various gemstones and minerals.

The nation itself is divided into territorial borders known as "**Hundreds"**, with each Hundred consisting of up communities ranging from a single town to several spread out towns within close proximity to each other. There are seven islands that make up the landmass of Marakk, and upon those seven there are fourteen Hundreds, with the largest being **Akna's Rift**, and the smallest being **Kodar Bay**.

Each Hundred is led by a **Jay**, which is a position dictating someone as the regional authority of a Hundred, with authority over nearly all domestic matters. Hundreds effectively loosely function as autonomous states, however they are all under the absolute control of the monarchy under all circumstance. Of the fourteen current Jays, nine are directly affiliated with the Church of Akthos, displaying how far into the nation's administration the church as delved.

## Culture & Lifestyle

The most noticeable aspect of Marakkian culture is that the population is extremely religious. Nearly the entire population follows the Akthos Faith, a polytheistic religion however one that emphasizes the glory of a single powerful god that has driven away the others and blessed the lands of Marakk, making it a makeshift monotheistic idol of worship. Yet, while all Marakkians are religious, there is a divide between those who follow simply the religion itself, interpreting it as a set of values and beliefs by which to live one's life, and those who believe that the Akthos Church is granted divine presence as those closest to the god Akt, seeing the religious institution as equally valuable as a source of authority when compared to the traditional mode of authority, being the crown and the Jays.

There is an emphasis on spiritual and martial training amongst all citizens, with many spending a minimum of a year of their childhood within one of the temples dedicated to training the mind and body, where they receive philosophical and combat training alike. Many stay at these temples for a majority of their childhood, them functioning as a means of schooling and education for the population. While there are some institutions and schools that teach trades and skills, these are usually attended later in life after a Marakkian citizen has passed the age of 17, when they legally become an adult.

Due to the prominence of the sea and it's bounty in Marakkian society, most citizens are great swimmers, with many of the nation's sports, recreational activities, and labor requiring the ability to swim to participate. In addition, the people of Marakk find themselves able to hold their breaths for a much longer period of time compared to the average person, and can additionally see clearly underwater without negative effect to the eyes even while wide open. The waters themselves hold a great many sights and marvels, seeing many spend their time submerged.

While all people are under the banner of the Kingdom of Marakk, most identify with their Hundred more-so than their Nation, having pride within the lands they were raised in, with strong patriotic values placed upon their towns, as well as great loyalty given to their Jays, assuming that a good relation has been harbored between the Jay and their people. However, should the time call for it, the people of Marakk are willing to serve under the banner of their nation without a doubt in their mind if need be.

There are two regions that find themselves with a lacking authority from the Jays, these being two of the Hundreds on the island of Koska, which see much power granted to a rising population of the mafia, though under various different names and banners. The mafia of Koska tend to maintain much of the authority in Koska, particularly within the regions of **Fellertown** and **Selten's Grove**, with **Kodar Bay** being exempt from this. While the Jays of each respective Hundred maintain official power, they have all but lost their influence within their lands due to the growing mafia presence, who run society behind the scenes, and ironically, bring a sense of order to the land, though they do quarrel amongst themselves.

## Geography

The Kingdom of Marakk's geography is static, with temperature and climate staying consistent year-round, however within a static environment it remains varied, and amongst the seven islands the terrain ranges from grasslands, to rocky forest ridges, to snow-capped hills and mountains. The surface of the waters of Marakk are extremely murky and dark, however diving mere feet under the surface will display a beautiful and vibrant system of kelp forests and reefs, alongside underwater caves that delve under the coasts of the islands themselves.

Map of the IslandsMap of the Hundreds
The population of people itself is not evenly spread amongst the islands, with almost 65% of the population residing on the three islands of Akarak, Noor, and Saara. The settlements on other locations tend to revolve around communities that maintain lifestyles around the natural resources they reside nearby, often being rich mines or reefs. The former two islands mentioned are the only ones that see temperatures drop below freezing in some areas, with the rest of the landmass being temperate climate.

Marakkian LandscapeRock Formations
The landscape of the majority of Marakk is similar to, or at least reminiscent of the images above, with long-stretching forests dotting the land, though trees tend to be rather far apart. Brilliant pink petals often soar along the winds here, and there are many rivers and small lakes, alongside frequent waterfalls that often lead from the tips of the tall rock formations that tower over the valleys within.

The temperature is cool, yet never reaches the cold temperatures to the north, nor does it reach towards the hotter climate to the south. It is essentially a massive equator between the two, and is the most prominent landscape of the kingdom.

Town in Cheshire CliffsThe Mansion of Ganya Katja
To the north of the main island of Akarak, and spanning through parts of Noor, the scenery changes dramatically. The sparse temperate trees turn to thick boreal forests, with temperatures easily and frequently reaching below 0, with snow pelting or laying on the ground almost year-round. While only a small part of the nation is subject to this weather, the two Hundreds that reside within it, Akna's Rift and Cheshire Cliffs, happen to be the largest and richest hundreds within the nation, in part due to the magnanimous reserves of precious gems within the region. Additionally, within the snowy landscape resides an elusive gem known as the Frost Crystal, which rivals even the Marakkian Pearl on the market in terms of price. It also has a rather unique effect: Frost Crystals take on the appearance of a frozen crystal, however they also are able to substantially cool the air around them, making them great for use in refrigeration and other utilities.

Blackjay Peak
On the Northern side of the island of Saara lies a massive vertical mountain range known as Blackjay Peak. It starts as a mild incline from the ground, with the appearance of many mountains mashed together awkwardly to eventually reach a grand height of 7.1 miles above sea level. Most of the residents of the Hundred by the same name do not live on the mountain itself, rather living around it and using it as their source of income.

This is for the reason that Blackjay Peak is the location of the largest mining operation in the nation, filled to the brim with riches and reward to be had. Upon the peak of the mountain lies a massive temple that once served as one of the primary locations of worship by those of the Akthos Faith, however it has been devoid of much activity for some time now.

True to it's name, Blackjay Peak is jet-black in appearance. However it actually illuminates very well at night, with a great many bioluminescent plants and animals making their homes on the mountain. Most are being driven away and to extinction due to the destruction of their homeland, though they yet remain a fascination of the terrain.

The Samoran FieldsOutskirts of the Samoran Fields Hundred
To the south of the Capital on the island of Amoria lies a vast grassland brimming with a rainbow of colors year-round. The grasses here can reach taller than the height of the average person, making them daunting upon first appearance, but more an ambient feature of the landscape once one learns that there are no real natural threats here. Moving Eastward, the grasses begin to level downwards, eventually becoming those standard of a typical grassland. It is here that the majority of agricultural production within the Kingdom as a whole is produced, with roughly 85% of all produce coming from the **Samoran Fields** Hundred alone. Even though there is such a massive importance placed on the crops here, the actual population is rather sparse, mostly consisting of farmers and gatherers, or on the Far-Eastern coast of the island, Divers who scour through the Amori Reef in search of treasures in the form of pearls and gems, generally residing within the Hundred that takes the same name of the Reef that provides its bounty.

Kelp ForestsSubmerged ForestUnderwater Caverns
The waters of Marakk appear to be unremarkable from a surface-gaze. They are opaque, murky, and altogether uninteresting from the outside, simply water as water goes. However, past a few feet of cloudy water, below the surface of the entire sea surrounding Marakk is a massive underwater biome spanning throughout the entire region, consisting of large kelp forests, as well as areas that seem to resemble actual forests themselves, though they remain underwater. There are some locations where these plants can be seen from the surface, though they are in pockets and not easily discovered by a simple passers-by. There are also many caves that lead under the islands themselves, vast and expansive, however with almost no pockets of air within them whatsoever. It is in these caves that the majority of Marakkian Pearls are found, alongside a treasure trove of other oddities and valuables submerged.