Mercuria

**Mercuria**, officially the **Mercurian Empire**, is a formerly isolated empire rich in tradition and individualism. Having only large mountain borders to the North and the seas surrounding it, Mercuria has had little influence from foreign affairs until recently. As such, it has had a long time to create and evolve its own culture.

Mercuria's Earthen analogue is India.

## Geography

Mercuria is a massive peninsula, its borders marked naturally by the ocean and the mountain range to the North.

## Government and Politics

Mercuria is a Constitutional Monarchy, with the monarch retaining substantial executive power. The Monarchy itself is hereditary, with preference to males. There is an electorate, though only landowners may vote. Thus, the competing power in Mercuria is generally the aristocracy.

Mercuria's executive titles are the emperor and the Prime Minister.

## Economy

Mercuria is a mineral poor nation, but it boasts some of the most fertile land in the world. It has abundant livestock and many crops dedicated to rare spices. It recently overtook Palladion as the leading exporter of saffron.

Mercuria does have significant iron deposits in the Northern mountain ranges, though much of this iron remains within Mercuria for its own use.

## Demographics

Genasi and Elves are the most frequent races in Mercuria, then Humans, followed somewhat distantly by Orcs. There is a small minority of goblins, who typically keep to the North near Aurus. Very few Dragonborn travel as far as to Mercuria, and almost none settle there.

The official languages of Mercuria are Elven and Common.

## Culture

### **Tradition**

Legends and myths are celebrated throughout Mercuria. Every family has their stories, their morals, and these stories and legends are shared with other families at large gatherings. Dances, festivals, and holidays all serve to express and honor the memories of ancestors and local legends. Any single Mercurian would know their family history several generations back. For elves, this could even mean stories past through the Mists of Time.

In the same vein, Mercuria is also one of the more resistant societies to scientific and social reform. Not to say they do not adapt new technologies, but Mercurians are more famous for their bards, clerics, and monks than their wizards, per se.

### **Religion**

Of the three Great Empires of the East, Mercuria is perhaps the most religious. There are not as many sects as in Palladion, but each religious practice exists in greater vigor. Asceticism is most commonplace in Mercuria; several monasteries will dot the mountains and plains of Mercuria and even draw foreigners to see them. Either as tourists, or potentially new disciples.

### **Individualism**

Perhaps surprisingly, Mercuria's religious and conservative values do not reflect in all aspects of Mercurian culture. In particular, fashion and etiquette have evolved in almost complete contrast to the standards of, say, Palladion. In Mercuria, informality is the norm outside of addressing elders or nobles. Clothes tend to be vibrant and, in particular with youth, relatively immodest.

### **Magic**

Mercuria does not take to alchemy and the arcana as aggressively as Palladion. There are some universities and mage academies in Mercuria, but they are outnumbered by the monastic orders.