Disclaimer: This is a setting of my own creation.
The Elven Demergon Republic has been a nation with a tumultuous history ever since the Demevosi people threw out the corrupt monarchy and established a system of government unlike anything their neighbours have seen. For seven hundred years, a complex system of political offices and elections has helped to ensure that no one individual ever wields too much power. Instead, political competition is regular and boisterous, with every Demevos citizen (which means ‘Those With a Voice’) has an opportunity to choose their leaders, in a way denied to the subjects of the Human Kingdoms of Brennen and Dwarven Svikin lands to the North-West, or the citizens of the Kingdom of Biola, with their one Sun God to the South.
Yet there are those who cannot participate in the politics. Named the Vouvos (‘The Mute’ or ‘Those Without Voice’) these Elves hover in a strange limbo between disenfranchised second-class citizens and slaves in most cities. Their status has caused consternation throughout history. Ambitious Demevosi politicians have sometimes offered the Vouvosi greater political power, but such acts often incur the wrath of the political establishment. Likewise, violent uprisings and campaigns of civil disobedience in the past have been brutally repressed. It is a measure of the significance of these historical rebellions however, that it was one such uprising, rather than a foreign war, which encouraged the professionalisation of the Demevosi Legions. Many groups of ‘Vouvous’ now live in the wilder reaches of the republic, avoiding large cities and eking out a living as hunter-gatherers and wanderers.
Whatever their political label however, all who live within the Republic share the same religion. It is perhaps this religion itself which helped shape their political system. All Demergoni Elves believe the world in eight elements – Nature, Metal, Illumination, Blood, Conflagration, Tempest, Water, and Darkness. The Demergoni believe it is essential to maintain a ‘Quorum of the Elements’ with each element, represented by its epitome, being properly and equally respected. Thus each of the provinces is aligned with one element, whilst the central province of Demergo, with the eponymous capital city at its heart, is home to the ‘House of Balance’ a huge temple dedicated to all eight of the elements. It is traditional for particularly pious (or penitent) citizens to attempt a ‘circuit’ visiting each temple in each province before finishing their journey in the capital. The tradition harks back 3 centuries to a time of crisis, when a leading politician completed such a journey.
This story will begin in the city of Tavium, on the South-Eastern coast of Kymatria province. A bustling port-market, with advantageous naval trade routes to Biola, the city has flourished in recent years. Yet raids by the Ascomanni – raiders descended from the followers of an ostracised military leader banished centuries before, remain a constant threat, both for merchant ships and the men and women of the Classis Kymatrica, the Demergoni naval fleet responsible for protecting the southern seas. For now however, such threats are far from many citizen’s minds. The yearly elections are fast approaching, political campaigning is about to begin, and with celebrations marking the 750th since the revolution against the monarchy also planned for the next year, success will surely be a sign of an auspicious career to come. Not all characters need to be Demergoni Elves, the involvement of foreign elements in a candidate’s campaign is sure to provide additional drama.
Hosted and narrated by:
James Trigg (Triggladius)
Started 04/24/16.
Scenes played: 1
License: Community License
