Terravia

**Population**: 95% Westrasi Human, 5% Other

**Capital**: The City of Deru

**Government**: Deocratic State

#### **History of Emotism and Terravia**

The first Emotist Religion which came to exist were the Hedonitists. The Hedonitist Religion was founded by Gear Zano in 4793. Gear Zano was Morlouxian explorer who became fascinated with the last remaining Westerasi barbarian people and spent his lifetime studying them as he grew old his fondness for said barbarians became apparent and he wrote what would later be known as the "Hedonitist Manifesto" in said manifesto he postulated dangerous ideals which elevated some traits of barbarians above those of the civilized world. Happiness, kindness and joy were for the first time put above the ultimate value of bringing fourth civilization.

Sadly at the time of Gear the Church of Divine Duality was still a powerful state unrivaled in Westerasi in their influence. As such after the Sarkation Hedonitist uprising of 4798 the Hedonists were mercilessly hunted down all over Westerasi.

Hedonitits survived only in tiny communities hiding away from the Church's wrath, that is until the arrival of Owens Hue. Hue was a young noble from an influential Westerasi noble family. He converted to Hedonitism very young, but started incorporating teachings of GE into it. His version of Hedonitism prioritized happiness of people above all else, above productivity and order, but it also saw that the best path towards happiness was to progress both technological, social and individual. Thus trough his influence and the less radical version of the faith he espoused the first in decades legal community of Hedonitists was established who would soon rebrand themselves as Emotists.

The Emotist faith very quickly gained popularity as at the time of it's official establishment the now infamous Splintering of the Church happened and the Church lost large amounts of it's power to many newly emerging Chapels and growth of power of existing ones.

In this climate of religious turmoil Emotism quickly grew and it's semi-secular belief structure lent itself to many people following both Emotism and GE-derived faiths.

As Emotism grew in power it's more orthodox adherents became apparent and started openly criticizing the concept of both nobility and royalty. Thus as as the religious wars in the continent died down Emotists started being expelled from various nations and slowly hunted down. The only nation fully accepting of them was Terravia, which during their war of independence from the Sarkation Empire had large amounts of Emotists fighting on their side. This openness to Emotists lead to the King's downfall as slowly Emotists became the majority of the population and overthrew the king and riled up the peasantry to have all of the nobles locked up, expelled or executed.

Since the creation of the Terravian Emotist Republic more than a 2 Gloriades (Crussades) have been launched, unsuccessfully. Mainly due to the large mobilization rates Terravia can muster. Whereas most Westerasi nations still rely on knights and mages for warfare the Terravians will not shy away from mobilizing their entire population. The Terravians thus using clever Wagenburg tactics and high rates of mobilization managed to establish themselves as "not worth the troubble."

With the death of Owens, the democratic system of 4 year therm limits was firmly put into place and a policy of peaceful relations with the outside world established. Trade was once again made legal and as a sign of good will GE missionaries were permitted entry.

One of the main sources of early Terravia wealth was the "Terravia Dukat" a currency based on ornately carved stone. Unlike other Westerasi currencies it's worth is derived from trust in the state not directly tied to soft metals, the Terravians often use clever currency prize manipulation to that way enrich themselves.

The 2nd Policy which made Terravia Great was the policy of "Spies and Bankers" Emotists were encouraged to establish banks in foreign nations as well as Terravia itself shepherded a reputation of having it's banks be the safest in all of Westerasi, with valuables of many foreign magnates and nobles in Terravia they are always inclined to side against an invasion of the country.

The last time the dark side of Terravia has shown itself was in 4988 during the Unitist Genocide.

From the old Hedonitists a new faith has formed Unitism, a magocratic faith in full rejection of GE ideals instead believing in the unity of mind and body among people which they wished to achieve trough magical exchange of thoughts and emotions. As the Religion grew in Terravia, the state promised 20 Dukat's for each Unitist head driving the peasantry to slaughter Unitists in a manner so thorough not even the president could have expected.

Currently Terravia is considered the 'happiest place in Westerasi'. The state survives thanks to it's non-expansionist nature and importance to Westerasi banking and has a strong alliance with the Chiefom of Uraka and a soft alliance with the Chiefdom of Voroi. The people of Terravia have an average living standard in comparison to the rest of Westerasi, but they live free and pride themselves in their freedom and happiness.

#### **Culture**

Terravians pride themselves on their sophistication as a people. However, instead of priding themselves on their wealth and social power, they instead focus on philosophy, happiness and freedom. The Terravians believe themselves to be the most free and happy people in the world, and reject the yearning for power, wealth and 'civilisation' as more primitive. Their occult practice of Emotism and its teachings is practiced by nearly every citizen, which manifests itself in the eagerness to meet new people. To the point that all Terravians are expected to know each other, as such it is custom to always pretend you know the other person and treat them as a friend. One of the most popular pastimes of Terravia is to meet new people, and adventures from Terravia can be found all over Westrasi and beyond. Because of their doctrine of maximizing happiness it is not rare to see Terravians sharing their material wealth with others. As in Terravian society wealth means little, while making someone else happy gives you a large amount of social status. Thus especially politicians are often seen giving away all their wealth in a bid to be the one to win the election.

#### **Religion**

Emotism is an occult religion which focuses on the emotion of the human body. They believe that everyone is connected, and that emotions travel from person to person. They believe these ties to be the most important part of a mortal body, and practitioners spend their time deepening their ties to those around them through magic and deep connections with other people. The happier the community is, the happier the person is, and so people strive to make sure their neighbors are the happiest they can be.

#### **Organization**

The state is rules by an every 4 years elected president, who can only serve at most 1 therm and a senate which is comprised of the 10 next failed presidential candidates from the last 4 elections. (40 people in total)

#### **Diplomacy**

Terravia in a lot of ways acts as a bridge between the GE Worshipping and Barbarian people's of Westerasi not being liked or disliked by either of them. Due to it's important role in Westerasi banking Terravia is safe from being invaded and Terravians can also often be found as advisors in many noble courts.

#### **Geography**

Terravia is a fertile and developed land, with most of it being used for agriculture.

#### **Economy**

The Terravians economy is based of mainly farming the climate of the region is very well suited to locally growing many of the plants imported from foreign far away countries, though their emphasis on happiness makes them work relatively little compared to other Westerasis as such they don't make good use of the land. The only reason they keep up in living standards with the rest of Westerasi is their important role in banking as well as the manipulation of their currency. Terravia also produces unusually many Adventurers which also often contribute wealth to the state.

#### **Player Character Notes**

Terravians are a common sight outside the boundaries of their nation, and are popular due to their focus on sharing wealth and making others happy, though they seem sometimes ignorant of the rigid social structures of feudalism and often don't show the level of respect a noble would expect from them.