Porlanix

*Writers: Sithums, Theo#2512*

## Geography

Porlanix is a city state within the realm of Athena in Navarre. The city itself is located inland and towards the Southern border with Noblesse, amidst a bountiful forest called Magnesia. It’s fairly flat and has a lot of buildings that are built low to the ground. Due to its location, the people of Porlanix have incorporated a lot of the greenery into the city, if only for the beautiful sight of the leaves during autumn which is a special season for the residents of Porlanix due to its relation with death. There’s also a record amount of graveyards in the city. The mainstay of the economy in this area is predominately agriculture and fishing from lakes but also generates some income from the pilgrims that come to the area. Many of these agricultural areas and fishing spots exist outside the city walls, usually inhabiting some of the few flatlands and rivers in the dense forest.

## Religion

Porlanix is a city state that has dedicated itself to the worship of Shiv’il with many believing the site of the temple within the city to be of close connection to the underworld. Followers of Shiv’il often come here to offer prayer and patronage to their deity but many more come to see themselves ‘judged’ before passing on. While not an official offering of the local clerics, many come here with gifts for Shiv’il with the express intention of increasing their likelihood of passing favorably into the afterlife. Others condemn this practice as it is not the place of mortals to offer such judgment but the extra revenue it often generates, especially from the wealthy, is too great to turn down.

## State of Rule

The city state is ruled by a small council of elected noble landowners who own a piece of the farming and fishing lands outside the city. One of these nobles is selected afterwards to represent the city at the central senate of Athena. Usually, this is settled in between the noble houses and does not involve the clergy of Shiv’il, who nonetheless always have a guaranteed spot on the small council.

## History

Porlanix was founded some 1000 years after the elemental calamity. In the aftermath of the destruction wrought by the elementals, many were in search of answers and hope for a better future. It was at the sight of what is currently the Porlanix House of Judgement in the forest called Magnesia that these people first found what they believed to be a sign. The area was rampant with spirits and the undead as if the veil between this plane and the next was weaker here. Modern scholars can find no such phenomenon in the area and believe early settlers were merely overly superstitious. Nonetheless, those who stumbled across this region made it their task to put the spirits to rest and when they had pacified the area, founded a city at the very heart of it. After this, there were people who claimed that the forest was indeed a portal to the afterlife and that certain individuals could commune through it. From this, arose the practice of offering judgment for those who wished to ensure their status and fate when they passed. Few know if these judgements hold any meaning or help those who perform them, but it has remained a tradition for hundreds of years regardless. Porlanix joined with Athena when it proclaimed dominion in the northern territories of Navare in hopes that the government would be able to provide extra protection to the largely peaceful state.