Praelium

"*What makes Praelium the great country that it is? Probably the constant threat of invasion."*

*- Lord Tyrannus Meredith Lunis, 12th Tyrannus of Praelium*

Although one of the smallest nations in Erelith, Praelium is no country to be ignored. Their military force is powerful and still of considerable size when compared to other nations due to all of citizens having been in/ are currently in their military. This required service to the country is not without reason, as Praelium has been at war with the desert tribes to the north for as long as the nation has existed. The military itself is also of high quality, always producing fierce soldiers and an army that is a force to be reckoned with. Praelium's manifesto is simply, to keep their land and have little plans to expand their empire, usually keeping them a defensive nation. However, with recent events stirring in Erelith, Praelium may have it's hand forced into action, resulting in a war for the ages.

## Political System

Praelium is a military based Stratocracy, with high ranking government officials earning their positions by rising through military ranks. Praelium governement consists of three different branches, the law making House of Decus, the single member and all powerful House of Tyrannus, and the incredibly mysterious House of Dominus.

### Tyrannus

The Tyrannus is essentially the king of Praelium and can steer the country to however they wish, as long as they act within the bounds of the law. The Tyrannus, in addition to leading a the country, also controls the military and can declare war whenever they so please. They are expected to attend to international affairs and represent the nation as a whole. When it comes to the House of Decus, they run the meetings and can also act as an individual Dec within the House.

To become a Tyrannus, a soldier must rise through the ranks of the military and be honorably discharged. If the Tyrannus dies, all soldiers eligible and willing to be a Tyrannus is selected as a potential candidate for Tyrannus. An election is held between all members of the military, and the Tyrannus serves until their death or they are deemed no longer fit for the position.

### House of Decus

Essentially the equivalent to the United States senate, but holds a bit less power as the Tyrannus holds most of it. Members of the house are referred to as "Dec"s, and create laws. To become a Dec, one must rise through the ranks as a soldier to a certain rank (obviously not as high of a requirement as a Tyrannus) and if they are willing, are granted to be a Dec.

### House of Dominus

Only few citizens of Praelium remember the origins of the mysterious Dominus, but they hold power that is much greater than the Tyrannus. A majority of the people consider the House of Dominus not a part of Praelium, but instead a mysterious cult that was there long before Praelium was established as a nation. While it is clear they look out for the best of Praelium, no one knows their protocol or reasoning. But next to that, most people only have rumors to what goes on with the House of Dominus. All the people know is that all the known Praelium mages are taken there. When a child is born, a member from the House of Dominus is always at the birth and takes the child before the mother even gets to hold her child. From there, a ritual is performed to detect whether or not the child has magical potential. If it does not, the child is simply returned to the family. If it doesn, the child is taken away and the family is notified by the doctor instead of the Dominus. It is said that members of the House go through rigorous study and come out infinitely wiser than most people. The House will insert themselves in situations where they deem necessary, such as a Tyrannus acting out of line or if there is corruption in the House of Decus, which they always somehow find out about. If the population of Praelium ever feel threatened by the government, the House of Dominus is where they go to seek help. The House has overthrown Tyrannuses and the House of Decus before, and the powers they wield strike fear and awe into the people of Praelium. Although their help in the military has been asked by the Tyrannus before, they always refuse, never clearly stating their reasons why.

## Territory Description

Praelium is a land of extremes, with either having great mountains as of the Mountain of Imperium or stretches of flat lands such as the Great Plains of Vaux. The diverse terrain provides good farming land and defensive military points. This rich land is part of the reason why desert tribes from the north are constantly trying to invade Praelium.

### Fort Gloria

An enormous fort with usually the best deployed troops, Fort Gloria spans almost the entire northern border. Most battles against the savage northern desert tribes take place here. The fort is equipped with heavy duty artillery equipment such as ballistas, hot oil defenses, and cannons. Very few tribes make their way to the actual fort without being slaughtered.

### Congus

Located in the Congus jungle, troops generally prepare here for fighting in over seas campaigns where jungles are common.

### Inclina majora.

A mountain side fort filled with archers. The archer to swordsman ratio is about 3:1.

### Viridi

located in the plains. Consists of almost only new soldiers. Used mainly for a boot camp.

### Artis Port

Trade with the penisula to the right usually occur here.

### Paline

Home to Praelium's navy. It is as busy as Fort Gloria to the North due to the ticking time bomb below them, Benaduza. Efforts are trying to be made to create a vast and possibly more technologically advanced navy to try and counter Benaduza's king's impressive naval skills.

### Pacala

A strange mix of a port and fort. Trade done with Benaduza, On'Hino, and occasionally Denegrim is done here, but regulations are strict. Guards are always on the watch for potential spies or enemies that come from other Kingdoms.

### Crementum Port

Trade with any nation to the left of Praelium is done here.

### Inclina minora

The sister to Inclina majora. Newly established, this fort is small and consists of as many soldiers as construction workers.

### Tandem

near the capital. Is a last line of defense if the northern desert ever breaches Gloria. A mix of veterans and new recruits make up the population.

### Great Praelium

The capital of the nation. The capital holds plenty of leisurely activites for the people of Praelium as well as all of its government policies. No one besides Praellium citizen's are allow here.

## Culture Description

Praelium holds great value in the honor of battle. They do not view it as a savage act, but instead view it as an ultimate test of mind and body. Everyone must have joined the military at one point and gone through training as per the law of the land. Those who do not show great promise in battle are often given peasant lives of farming or running a stand in a market. While not unappreciated, peasants are viewed as lesser citizens by military ones, but do not suffer from any harsh laws that forbid them from anything, except holding a position in government.

Praelium's people is xenophobic, as they are constantly surrounded by threats of other nations. This xenophobia is further supported by the people's intense sense of nationalism. Most people cannot imagine their life outside of Praelium and very few ever move from their home country. Almost all previous Tryannuses have promoted this xenophobic thinking, but Carver is desperately trying to change that and hope for a more friendly relations with other countries.

The country's main enemy is the warring tribes north to Praelium, and their feelings towards the north are generally nothing short of pure hate. Were it up to the average Praelium citizen, they would happily launch a military campaign of attack to the north and slaughter every last one of the tribesman.

As for other nations, the people take an out of sight, out of mind policy. They care little of the Jagged Mercantile Consortium or On'hino. However, they do watch out for the possible fate of Benaduza. With the direction the nation is going, they fear it will end up like the desert tribes of the north, a constant warring state that will eventually try and attack Praelium. Benaduzians are usually met with caution and avoidance, as they associate the countries unrest with their citizens as well.

The population consists of a human majority, with the human to non human ratio being 5:1. However, as long as one is a Praelium citizen, a human would show no more disgust towards and elf than another human. This tends to come from the bond made during military training and battle.

When it comes to magic, Praelium people are either mystified or terrified of it. The only contact Praelium people come with magic is the ever mysterious House of Dominus.

Praelium's religious culture is quite the opposite of how they view everything else. Religion is generally decided by a single person, and whether they believe a pre-existing one, one of their own, or nothing at all is generally up to the individual. However, borrowing power of favor from Gods is looked down on. Praelium's people believe that the power of Gods should be used strictly by the Gods, and to use it themselves would be disrespectful to any creature of higher power.