Kingdom of Shavenia

The Kingdom of Shavenia is a large and ancient nation in the south-eastern area of the Archipelago of Moribus, bordering the Protectorate of Flavevein on its northern side, and the Tsardom of Bobkai on a small strip of land to its east. Shavenia is known for having a difficult past, particularly with an evil line of sorcerer-kings known as the Bloody Crowes, but has since regained its reputation as a well-respected and honorable nation.

The kingdom is heavily tied to magic and the worship of Mystra, the ancient goddess of Mystra, and is incredibly traditionalist. It draws upon its ancient history in all things, and is very influential across Moribus.

## Geography

Unlike The Protectorate of Flavevein, the Kingdom of Shavenia derives itself mostly from its ancient mystical cultures and so it isn't separated into various regions based on cultural differences. Instead, its regions are based around Mage's colleges who are masters in a particular form of magic. These colleges, which are more like monasteries to Mystra (goddess of magic) rather than true traditional colleges, act as both religious stewards and Governers of their respect regions.

### Abjuration Monastery Region

This region believes that the use of magic to defend oneself and those that are weaker than you is the holiest use of magic in the eyes of Mystra. It occupies most of the northern part of the nation and is known to place many spells defending its borders and important buildings. Much like its preferred school of magic, its people are peaceful but wary of newcomers, and tend to be defensive of their property and lands.

### Conjuration Monastery Region

This region believes that the use of magic to create is the greatest way to honor Mystra. It occupies the Eastern section and spreads north of the capital district and is known as a great place of creativity and craft. Its people are hardy, and love to create items of both magical and non-magical properties, and it is believed that the craftsmen here offer some of the best craftsmanship and magic items in the world.

### Divination Monastery Region

This region believes that Mystra offers magic so that the truly blessed can use it to divine the future and make the world better for themselves and their kin. It occupies a small chunk of the southern section, resting in the Misty Mountain range that occupies the far southern side of the nation. Here the people are aloof and introspective, living simply in the high natural environment, trying to listen to the skeins of fate and divine the ways of the world.

### Enchantment Monastery Region

This region occupies in a small western chunk of the kingdom's land, within the Shaded Jungle (a large jungle of massive trees that shade the floor and prevent a the most of light through. They believe that Mystra's greatest and most holy gift is the ability to influence the mind of others and bend it to your will, and the people here are known to be melancholy and rather shady and pale. Were it not for the protection spells offered by the abjuration monastary from charms, and the incredible usefulness of the enchantment monks as investigators and political spies, its possible that the Monarchy might outlaw the study of this ability. Thus far however, they've been allowed to continue to operate.

### Illusion Monastery Region

This region occupies an eastern central section of the Shavenian territory and believes that ability to shape the reality of the world shows the truth that Mystra wishes to see in the world. The people tend to be tricky and intelligent, and in addition to the enchantment monks which make good political spies, the illusion monks tend to make better traditional spies and investigators, sneaking into land. While in this land, sometimes its difficult to know what is real and what is false, making it particularly difficult for travelers and is not often visited.

### Transmutation Monastery Region

This region occupies the central eastern section of the Shavenian territory and believes that Mystra's greatest gift to her chosen people is the ability to change themselves and the world into the vision that they see for themselves. The people of this region tend to be more in tune with nature, and some of the worlds most beautiful flowers and plants are cultivated here in greenhouses and fields. The monks here use their ability to become closer to nature and help the local farms grow a majority of food for the Kingdom. The people here are friendly and down to earth, and is considered one of the best places to visit in the kingdom aside from the Capital.

### Capital District

This small district contains the large expansive city of Shaven, the seat of the Shavenian monarchy and capital city of the Kingdom. This city is hard to describe to those that haven't seen it, as magic exists from every nook and cranny from the shops to the people. It is known to many simply as the "City of Magic" or "The Colorful City". The Shavenian castle is massive and ancient, built out of white marble bricks and beautiful multicolored stained glass, and serves not only as the home of the monarchy but also the home of Moribus's largest and most influential branch of the Mage's Guild, of which many historians argue is also the original. Unlike the other districts, all magic is welcome here aside from Necromancy.

## Shavenian Culture

As sorcerous blood runs in higher quantities here than anywhere else in Moribus, Shavenian culture has developed heavily around the study and use of magics. Countless festivals honoring Mystra, the old goddess of magic, are thrown throughout the year in various towns where mages show off their abilities and craft to those who are not magically inclined.

As far as religion is concerned, while Shavenia no longer forces its civilians to follow a particular religion, the traditionalism culture of Shavenians and the existence of a huge number of ancient temples to Mystra as well as how intertwined she and magic are in their culture, the vast majority worship just Mystra.

It is important to note that the Necromantic magics are not considered holy, and are greatly vilified and illegal in the nation. Despite this, a secret Necromancy Monastery definitely exists somewhere within the nation, and the Shavenian military is always on the lookout for signs of this secret underground group of heretics.

## Government

As it has been since its foundation in the ancient times of Moribus, Shavenia is ruled by one all-powerful Monarch who is said to have been chosen by the Old God Mystra (The goddess of magic) to be a steward for Shavenia's land and her people. As such, the Monarch of Shavenia has always been one with incredible magical power from birth, sorcerers, which Shavenians believe to be a sign of favor from Mystra. Were an heir to the throne ever to show signs that they had not inherited this magic, the line would end and a new Sorcerer-Monarch would be elected in a tournament festival known as the Night of a Thousand Sparks where the nation's sorcerers try and prove that they are the most blessed by Mystra.

Following the end of the Line of Bloody Crowes, the new Sorcerer-Queen Morgani Dane instilled a council of representatives of the various regions to oversee the actions of the monarchs of Shavenia to help soothe the citizenry's worry that a new line of evil monarchs may start. While Morgani made the council with good intentions and they did work for a while, decades of corruption have whittled the council away to nothing more than a false blanket of security full of rich nobles who spend their time enjoying the finer things in life rather than overseeing the Monarch's rule.

Regional governments are run by the Mage's colleges, or monasteries, in which each is run in accordance with that monastery's beliefs about the true teachings of Mystra and which college of magic they believe to be the most holy.

## Military

The Shavenian military is broken into four distinct branches who will work together during a war in joint operations.

#### Monastery of Evocation Monks

Unlike the other 6 monasteries, the monastery of evocation exists as a branch of the Shavenian military, where its sorcerers and wizards are trained in the combat arts and are kept ready as battle mages for times of war to aid the regular army. The Evocation Monastery is built upon a dormant volcano just to the east of the capital city of Shaven.

### Shavenian Regulars

Resplendent in their maroon tunics over chainmail and half plate, the Regulars are the non-magic military regular army for the Kingdom of Shavenia. They are well trained and plentiful, but these days do little more than act as guards for towns and cities of the kingdom.

### Shavenian Dragoons

Shavenian Dragoons are the elite of the Kingdom's army and are given the finest plate armor and horses. Many of these warriors are capable of some minor magic in addition to great skill with martial weapons on foot and horseback.

### Shavenian Navy

The Shavenian Navy is relatively small compared to other nations, as they don't tend to leave their lands much other than to protect their merchant vessels through Bobkai's waters where dark elf raiders are prevalent, however they tend to swing well above their weight class due to there being at least one Evocation monk being included on each crew to bring fire spells against enemy vessels on the sea, where fire is especially deadly.

## History of Shavenia

Shavenia is an incredibly ancient nation, of which historians believe spread throughout half of the archipelago, with relics of ancient Shavenians being found in archaeology sites as far North as the Turtle Isles. It is believed that differences in cultures between the islands over time led the closest culture to ancient Shavenia to coalesce into the south-eastern Island of Moribus where it resides today.

As the ancient relics found prove, Shavenians have always had a deep connection to the mysteries of magic, and it is believed that many of the schools of magic and their spells were derived from writings and teaching of ancient Shavanian mystics.

Modern Shavenia was born around 850 years ago at the end of the reign of a line of ruthless sorcerer-kings named the Bloody Crowes, after a chunk of the northern Shavenia rebelled and became the Protectorate of Flavevein.