Gaio Sylva

## **Government**

### **Government Type/Function**

The government of Gaio Sylva is a Monarchy currently ruled by Queen Aspen, who has been reincarnated through several iterations.

#### High-Ranking Positions

##### Queen Aspen

The queen of Gaio Sylva is reincarnated through the God Gaio, who nurtures the Druantia from within Yggdrasil. Whenever the previous queen dies, her body is brought to the roots of Yggdrasil and buried there. Over ten days, the queen is said to speak with Gaio about their end and new beginning until being reborn, slightly different than before.

##### Root Knights

The most elite of Aspen's soldiers who have been given the privilege of mating with the males, who are a protected but owned class. They are often given the choice of up to four males who are available for breeding, ranging from those who are just reaching maturity to those who have been used by other Root Knights.

##### Males

Men in Gaio Sylva society are property and used solely for breeding. They are disallowed from being educated, learning combat, or maintaining any kind of career. They are occasionally taught how to make art, but nothing more. if a Root Knight falls in love with a breeding partner, this almost always results in the loss of that male as her property and can lead to the knight's execution if she tries to resist.

Males are imprisoned within the country via a magical barrier that sets off alarms if one attempts to pass through it. Since males are so scarce among the Druantia, they are constantly monitored and disallowed from leaving. There are border soldiers who specialize in capturing men without bringing them harm so they can be safely returned to their housing in the region of Understory.

There is a special subset of males called Aspen's Sons who are sons of the queen. They are distributed only to the highest-ranking Root Knights as they are more likely to produce more male children with rarer Druantia traits. This causes them to be heavily guarded and watched very closely.

##### Sprout Mother

Sprout Mothers are responsible for raising and caring for children. Some specialize in raising either male or female children. Those who raise the male children must be emotionless and lack the ability to connect to people, lest they grow attached to those who they are raising and cause issues when they must be sent off to the Root Knights.

##### Messengers

They are the lifeblood of the Root Knights, choosing which males to assign to Root Knights and choosing the Root Knights themselves. Lower ranked messengers are literal messengers, delivering letters between stations.

### **Border Policies**

No race beside the Druantia themselves are allowed past the trade regions, known as the Upper Reaches. The treatment of males in Gaio Sylva is a closely guarded secret, so the other races are banned from traveling beyond the Upper Reaches to learn of it. Those who attempt to leave with a male are hunted down by assassins, and those who wish to simply live elsewhere are monitored to prevent the secret from being leaked. Due to their war with Ashen, the Kagutsuchi are not even allowed into the trade regions, regardless of their actual affiliations and loyalties to Ashen.

### **Currency**

Gaio Sylva's currency is referred to as "Bristles".

## **Geography**

### **Canopy**

Canopy is a dark region as it is covered by the boughs of a thick forest. Among the trees that shield Canopy from the sun is Yggdrasil, a massive tree that stands taller than any in the Gaio Sylva country.

#### Aisling

This is the capital city of Gaio Sylva. It is rooted around the base of Yggdrasil. Queen Aspen's palace is built around Yggdrasil's trunk, allowing her subordinates to easily return her body to it for the reincarnation. The city is where most mature males are kept and distributed to Root Knights. There are very few markets here as it is mainly used for government buildings and housing males. This city spans the entire region of Canopy.

### **Understory**

The purpose of this region is solely for nurturing the young and breeding. Sprout Mothers make their homes and livings here, raising Druantia children to either become warriors to serve the Queen or property to serve the country with themselves their entire lives.

#### Dartrey

This city is so expansive it makes up the entire region, much like Aisling. In the northern half of the city, male children are raised and distributed to the Root Knights in the city of Belvoir once they're mature. In the southern half, female children are raised and train to be warriors who can defend their country, though some will deviate from this to become lumberers or merchants.

### **Underwood**

The main residential area of Gaio Sylva. Soldiers who have not become Root Knights and Elders are the majority of the population here. Some Root Knights choose to make their homes here, but it's not common.

#### Ardan

Ardan is where most of Gaio Sylva's soldiers who aren't actively on duty live and work as town guards, merchants, or even performers. Young Druantia who have grown too old for Understory are also brought here to train under Root Knight candidates and prepared for the life ahead of them.

#### Rossmore

Known as "The City of Elders", Rossmore is a quiet and peaceful place where the old and retired Druantia rest until their final year comes to claim them. Some Sprout Mothers are assigned to this city not to raise children, but to watch over the elders.

### Marlogue

The largest city in Underwood, where Root Knights who have become pregnant are sent to relax and safely have their children, who are then sent to Understory. Doctors who haven't been sent out to the Upper Reaches are almost solely found here, looking after the Druantia women who will soon contribute to their population.

### **Upper Reaches**

The Upper Reaches region doubles as both a trade region and a military region. 80% of the Gaio Sylva army is positioned throughout this region, placed to defend against any invaders -but most importantly, the Ashen military that repeatedly attempts to burn down their forest. This is the only region that Non-Druantia are allowed into.

#### Lagan

Lagan is the most important city in terms of Gaio Sylva's defenses. It's massive, stretching over the entire western border. Multiple walls and thousands of soldiers are stationed here, to defend the country against Ashen's attempts to burn down their forests.

#### Belvoir

A pure utility city, Belvoir is where Males are given to Root Knights. Only the Messengers who carry out this process live here. Any other "inhabitants" will only be there for a week at most.

#### Rathwood

Arguably the friendliest city in Gaio Sylva, Rathwood often trades with the Rosale city of Rosetta. Because of the closeness between these two cities, Anthea will sometimes move there. It's a large and bustling city because of this, spanning nearly the entire southwest border of Gaio Sylva.

#### Merlin

Merlin is another city where Anthea have moved into, coming either from Rathwood or Isatra. This city is where many cultures melt and mix. It's almost become its own country and people because of how different the culture and traditions here are from the two origins countries that meet in this city,

### **Population**

**Ex:**

* 99.8% Druantia
* 0.2% Anthea

## **Culture**

### **Common Trades**

An incredibly overwhelming amount of Druantia are soldiers or Root Knights, with the small minority being Messengers, Sprout Mothers, merchants, or performers. There are technically builders, though they tend to be soldiers helping to make homes out of grown trees.

### **Traditions**

Buildings in Gaio Sylva are always made out of trees; within them, under their roots, or out of wood. Homes are usually not decorated if they belong to a soldier, but performers and merchants will decorate them with flowers, plants or souvenirs from other lands they've traveled to- though this is almost always only Rosale.

Clothing is usually armour or clothes that allow for full movement like tight fitting clothes or a small amount of cloth that barely covers them. While this can be seen as scandalous, the Druantia don't mind skin showing. They only wish to be able to move as freely as possible, as you need full circulation in your arms when pulling back a bow.

The Druantia do not need to eat, they gather energy from water and the sun. Because of this, there are no dishes originating from Gaio Sylva.

### **Religious Beliefs**

The Druantia only worship Gaio, and honour him not by praying but by sharpening their skills to protect the forest he planted. On top of this, they'll use their magical abilities to add to the forest and give it more life.

### **Magical Practices**

Because the Druantia are naturally skilled in druid magic -creating trees or plants from seemingly nothing- it's taught to soldiers to use in battle to use these trees for travel, cover, or confusing their enemies.

A more uncommon form of magic that can be used by Druantia is geokinesis, controlling the earth and that which comes from it. This magic is only used for creating walls or stone for weapons.

### **Values**

The people of Gaio Sylva believe in the purpose of men being solely for breeding so forcefully that if a Druantia woman forces herself onto a Druantia male, as long as he is not hurt in the process, she will suffer no repercussions. In fact, if the woman becomes pregnant as a result of this, she is rewarded for having done so.

### **Fighting Styles**

The Gaio Sylva military is trained in archery, hand-to-hand combat, and swimming -despite their country mainly being a forest. Higher-up soldiers like Root Knights or those who personally guard Queen Aspen are also trained in sword-fighting.

### **Commonly Used Weapons**

Bows made of cedar and arrows made out of a particularly poisonous type of tree's bark -called Wiltwood- are the most used weapons within the Gaio Sylva army. Arrows with tips made from stone can also be used, but are deemed to be less effective.

## **History**

### **Wars**

There have been no civil wars in the history of Gaio Sylva. However, the Druantia have been at war with the Kagutsuchi since Queen Anastacia came to power. After about a week in command, Ashen's Queen declared war on Gaio Sylva. This has been dubbed "The Burning War" and has been going on for 158 years.

### **Renaissances and Reforms**

950 years ago in the year 102, the god Appolyon lashed out at the Druantia in rage, upset over the event of his older brother's descent to mortal status. It's unknown why he chose the Druantia, but it resulted in the eradication of half their population. At the time this happened, the Druantia race was properly balanced and completely equal in their treatment of each other. After Appolyon's destruction, a mere fraction of males were left in their race. In a movement referred to only as "Survival," males were placed under lockdown and turned into breeding livestock to ensure the Druantia could survive.

## **Leaders**

### **First Leader**

The first leader was Aspen I, who was created personally by Gaio. She was known for her pleasant but commanding disposition, and closeness to King Ignazio of the Kagutsuchi. She had a special relationship to the God of Nature and fell into a deep depression once the Gods agreed to stop interacting with the world directly. This depression only worsened after the fall of Ignazio and Rosale's entire first generation of rulers- who she outlived exponentially. Her efforts to preserve the Druantia race after the events of the year 102 were cruel in her eyes but necessary. She saved her people with the process and is regarded as a hero amongst the Druantia. Aspen I is the only ever recorded case of Astiri's mortal inhabitants living past 500 years. She lived to 508 years old, and the reason behind her outlasting of this limit is unknown.

### **Past Leaders**

After Aspen II was reincarnated from underneath the roots of Yggdrasil, she undertook the process of militarizing the country. She set a quota for 80% of the country's inhabitants to be soldiers, banned travel into Gaio Sylva whatsoever, and had the best geomancers she could find create thick stone walls around the borders. She was a highly brash and ruthless leader, perfecting and ironing out the process at which males were utilized. The country saw a 50% growth in the male population and 20% crime drop. Unfortunately, her methods long outlived her, as the Queen suddenly fell ill 214 years into her rule, dying only within days of contracting the unrecognizable disease.

### **Current Leader**

Aspen III is the third generation of Aspen Queens and current leader of Gaio Sylva. She's rather reclusive and distant, and not much is known about her, even by her own people. She rarely shows up to events when invited to them or sends out diplomatic letters. The declaration of The Burning War was sent back with an infamous note- not a formal letter, nor a request for peace- a small slip of paper glued to the declaration that read "Good luck."