Thayrus

Thayrus is one of the oldest nations still standing on Utharia today and yet it still manages to retain the glory it had in ancient times. The Thayrusian Isle is a legendary region, drenched in myth stretching back centuries and filled with monsters, secrets, and history that has yet to be discovered. Because of this image of unfound fortune and legends to be carved, Thayrus is one of the most popular areas for adventurers wishing to make a name for themselves.

### Ruler

Danaxtrios II (de jure)The Tessera (de facto)

### Government

Constitutional Monarchy (de jure)Aristocratic Oligarchy (de facto)

## History

Thayrus' history stretches back thousands of years, even before written history, and has been the home to numerous heroes, great persons, and even the Shepherd herself. Because of its grandeur, however, it is difficult for scholars to find truth amongst the myths and legends, leading to a heavily fantasized view of the nation from the outside world. Much of Thayrus' history has been lost to time, whether it is from the destruction of ancient texts or stories being morphed into fairytales, and as such, most actually believe in its mythology, whether it is entirely true or not.

### Founding

While Thayrus was not the first civilized land on Utharia, it was certainly one of the largest ones in the past, and even practically served as the center of the world for a time. According to legend, a group of sailors from modern Helgrad built settlements in the region while searching for bounties to bring back to their homeland. What they found, however, was a sunny paradise surrounded by all sides that would practically ensure long-lasting peace and security for whoever lived there. As such, instead of returning home, the Helgradians built the first Thayrusian cities upon rolling hills and high mountains in order to emulate the settlements in their homeland.

Tens of hundreds of years passed as the once-Helgradian settlers continued to expand across the Thayrusian Archipelago, eventually forming a unified, prosperous island nation. The region's climate and resources were more than enough to supply the people even to this day with little to no need for trade. However, lurking beneath Thayrus' perfect facade was a legion of monsters from beneath the earth and soil who did not take too kindly to these newcomers, and the people quickly began forming their own armies to fight back the hordes of minotaurs, centaurs, medusas, and countless other beasts. Heroes such as the mighty Perasios and cunning Miteses rose and fell during this period of strife, carving legends during their battles with Thayrus' monsters.

#### Era of the Shepherd

Nearly a century of conflict with the monsters passed before Thayrus finally found some peace, with most of the monsters either being driven into the Darklands and the unsettled western islands or killed off by the armies of fierce, Thayrusian warriors. While some tribes of monsters decided to make peace with and even integrate with Thayrusian society, this was an exception and not a rule. With this peace came a new era marked by the birth of the legendary Vansus, a prophet who went on to become the current pantheon's Shepherd. Vansus' expedition around Utharia and introduction of the death god to much of the eastern lands' populace brought a massive amount of attention to Thayrus and thus beginning its long-standing tradition as a focal-point for explorers, both veteran and aspiring. Even to this day, tourism and the promise of adventure are the main trade goods for Thayrus.

### Present Day

While it may not be quite as glorious as it was centuries ago, Thayrus remains one of the most illustrious nations in the known world, made up of a multitude of different cultures from all reaches of eastern and central Utharia. Wanaka Danaxtrios II is the first king of Thayrus to begin importing arcanium and arcanium technology into the nation, a move which many believe could bring a new age of prosperity to Thayrus akin to the golden age in Vansus' time.

## Government

Ancient Thayrus, similar to Helgrad, began as a tsardom headed by an absolute ruler. However, over time, the people wished to move away from dictators and tyrants to give more equal power to everyone. As such, Thayrus became a constitutional monarchy, not too dissimilar to Sitrane. Wanakes and wanasses, the Thayrusian term for kings and queens respectively, are appointed in direct elections by eligible citizens. All people over the age of 20 who have lived in Thayrus for at least five years are considered citizens and may take part in elections. Citizens are expected to participate in these elections, as it is commonly believed to be the duty of each citizen to elect their leader.

### Noble Houses

Thayrusian citizens are officially treated equally regardless of social standing, however this did not stop fortunate and wealthy families forming a caste of nobles that own most of Thayrus' land and resources. In fact, while they are not officially in control of Thayrus, many consider the Tessera, a council of the four most powerful families, to be the true rulers of Thayrus. Throughout Thayrus, there are six major noble houses: House Dilitros, House Tzakleon, House Malsitrios, House Biades, House Marogines, and House Mercurio.

#### House Dilitros

House Dilitros is a member of the Tessera and is the family Danaxtrios II was born from. It is a family filled with innovators, thinkers, and inventors, having created many of Thayrus' more advanced weaponry and contraptions that have protected the nation from its greatest threats. While House Dilitros holds the least amount of land out of Thayrus' major noble houses, their influence over the nation is almost unmatched. House Dilitros has been around since the original Helgradian settlers fought against Thayrus' army of monsters and was one of the Tessera's founding members. House Dilitros is headed by Patriarch Isaios of Kestraia.

#### House Tzakleon

House Tzakleon is a founding member of the Tessera and is approximately as old as House Dilitros, if not older. Many of Thayrus' most glorious heroes and warriors were born from House Tzakleon, giving them a much more legendary image compared to the other noble houses. House Tzakleon holds control over most of the south-eastern portion of Thayrus and holds a great amount of naval power, thanks to their long-standing alliance with House Dilitros. House Tzakleon is headed by Patriarch Nikilaos.

#### House Malsitrios

House Malsitrios was a founding member of the Tessera and is the second oldest known family within Thayrus, however, due to their disagreements over the change from a dictatorship to a constitutional monarchy, they have largely distanced themselves from the other houses and Thayrus itself, instead mostly remaining on the nearby island of Byitrus. House Malsitrios is shrouded in mystery and intrigue, however what is known to the public is that it is filled with powerful evokers, diviners, and necromancers. Many of House Malsitrios' current members are not actually related to anyone in the family, instead having been chosen by its most powerful members due to their powerful magical abilities. House Malsitrios' head is unknown even to Danaxtrios himself, though most within Thayrus refer to them as the Skia, the Thayrusian word for shade.

#### House Biades

House Biades is the newest member of the Tessera and one of the youngest noble houses in Thayrus, having only been formed about seventy years ago. House Biades is a family of alchemists and thaumaturges who seek out forgotten knowledge through reverence of the Outsider and funding expeditions into ancient ruins around the world. While House Biades is viewed with distrust by many, this is almost entirely due to how new it is and how much control they gained in only a few decades. House Biades is widely considered to be the wealthiest of Thayrus' families and has most of its land in the northern region of Thayrus where many mines, marketplaces, and other enterprises have been constructed. House Biades is headed by Matriarch Thanasias, who is most notable for being the only undead house leader.

#### House Marogines

House Marogines is a major noble house that controls the majority of Thayrus' western region along with its trade routes. House Marogines is notable for how many explorers and merchants it has produced over the years, bringing both it and its territory prosperity. House Marogines shares a great amount of control over Kallaios with House Mercurio, who have formed somewhat of a rivalry due to their similar goals. House Marogines is headed by Patriarch Bellekron the Jackal.

#### House Mercurio

House Mercurio is a member of the Tessera that, similarly to House Marogines, holds a large amount of control over western Thayrus, though most of its reach is in the south instead. House Mercurio is filled with artists and conjurers who view their magic as the most beautiful form of art. As such, House Mercurio has built many universities and libraries across Thayrus, along with magical academies that specialize in conjuration magic. The greatest of these schools is the world-renowned Kazdraia Academy in Kallaios, where thousands of conjurers and other magicians have become powerful spellcasters. House Mercurio is headed by Matriarch Ferilias.

### Thayrusian Law and Military

Compared to many western nations, Thayrus allows a great amount of freedom to its people, including complete freedom of religion and treating sentient undead as regular citizens. This freedom is what allowed Thayrus' noble houses and the Tessera to gain so much power, though the wanake or wanasse is still treated as any other king or queen in a constitutional monarchy. Because of this focus on freedom and liberty, slavery is completely illegal throughout Thayrus, though indentured servitude is a common alternative to the death penalty for criminals. Thayrus is home to the Skiotepi, known in common as the Underknights, an elite military force made up of warriors who specialize in using a mix of necromancy and martial prowess to hunt down and destroy threats to Thayrus. The Underknights earned their name because of how often they delve underground, and even into the Darklands, in order to slay monsters plotting to start new wars against Thayrus. While anyone with the needed physical and magical strength is allowed to join the Underknights, many within their ranks are undead from Helgrad and Thayrus because of their innate affinity for necromancy.

## Geography

The Thayrusian Isle is a large landmass literally at the center of the world along its equator. It is a warm, sunny land and has an overall tropical climate, with much of its unsettled lands being made up of thick, red forests and large mountain ranges. While Thayrus is a large island, it is still an island. As such, it does not have that much land overall, leading to most settlements being in close proximity to one another. Thayrus' current capital, Kallaios, is located on the western coast of the Thayrusian Isle.

### Byitrus

While Thayrus is mostly made up of the Thayrusian Isle, it also holds control over a much smaller island to the south-west called Byitrus. Byitrus is mostly made up of a massive, temperate jungle with only a couple civilized areas, with most of said areas being under the control of House Malsitrios.

## Inhabitants

About one half of Thayrus' human population are ethnic Thayrusians, with the most prominent minorities being Sitranians and Helgradians. The tan-and-olive-skinned Thayrusians tend to be more in-tune with arcane and divine magic than other humans, though are mostly unremarkable otherwise. While many Thayrusian nationalists claim their ethnicity to be one of the most strongest ones on Utharia, citing their great heroes throughout histories, Thayrusians tend to be of average strength and endurance. Thayrus is home to a variety of non-human races, with elves being the second most common and dwarves being the third most common. Thayrusians tend to have rather positive or neutral relationships with other humanoid races, but because of their history with monsters, view non-humanoid races with noticeably more distrust than in other lands.

### Duskwalkers

Similarly to Helgrad, Thayrus has a notably high number of duskwalkers. Thayrusian duskwalkers are usually treated like humanoid races, though their discovery is often viewed as a good omen and many families are happy to accept them. House Malsitrios is known for having had about dozens of duskwalkers join their ranks throughout the years.

### Religion

Thayrus has been a highly spiritual nation since its founding, though this religious demographic has changed over the years. Thayrus' old pantheon was made up of legendary figures and gods who are typically agreed to be different interpretations of the Ascended. Today, many Thayrusians worship the Shepherd with a sizeable minority revering the Outsider, though all of the Ascended are worshiped throughout Thayrus, with a small minority keeping to the ancient pantheon. While Thayrus recognizes and respects the Holy See of the Archon, the church has little influence over Thayrus, with only a couple of minor Holy See temples having been constructed in Thayrus. All religions and gods are allowed worship within Thayrus, even those commonly considered dangerous or evil, though Thayrusian law does not allow excuse any illegal acts such as murder regardless of the perpetrator or victim's religion.