Belain

Introduction

A massive continent between the Kenos and Northern Oceans, Belain is the largest country in Aurora. It has a diverse spread of climates, split into four regions – tundra, rainforest, desert, and plains – and is rich with natural resources of all types. Belain is mostly self-sustained and very rarely trades with outside countries, as they only use their resources when they need to and lack commercial trade.

Belain, though part of the ICMEA, is exempt from most of their laws due to the religious nature of their Alchemy. Other forms of magic are rarely practiced in Belain and are historically considered heretical.

Known Cities Include: Eagle’s Cry, Swift Wind, Night’s Rest, Crow’s Shadow, Morning Rise, Sand Burrow, Dragon’s Maw 

National Symbols

Capital: N/A

National Animal: Celestial Dragon

National Bird: Crow

National Currency: N/A

National Food: Huckleberry

National Language: Belaini

National Religion: Astralism

Racial Demographics

Forest Elf: 99.7%
Other: 0.3%

Culture

Belaini culture has altered only slightly since the pseudo-colonization of the country, though now there are permanent settlements whereas there were done in ancient times. Belaini people believe all people and animals are equal and treat each other with the utmost respect. At birth, the constellation standing over the newborn child is recorded, and at maturity, they will receive a tattoo of this constellation and it is treated as their personal god.

Though the regions of Belain are diverse, their clothing varies very little. They wear clothing made of fur or leather, with precious gems, bone, and metal accenting the clothing. Men often have no shirt and long pants, while women wear dresses made of woven cloth. Children wear masculine clothing, though girls also wear a band of cloth around their chests to protect their modesty. In colder climates, both genders have cloaks of leather lined with thick fur on the inside, while in warmer climates they are covered with silken cowls to protect their skin from the sun.

Belaini people will tattoo their arms with three constellations (in the Belaini religion, the constellations are their gods). Their bicep receives a tattoo of the annual constellation they were born under, the inner wrist will have one of four Guardian constellations (see Astralism) chosen by the mother, and the back of their hand will be given a tattoo of the person’s chosen personal god. These tattoos are the only tattoos they will ever receive, though many Belaini people have piercings and jewelry to symbolize more gods than their personal three.

Government

Belain has a very loose government with no official laws but a stout honor code in place. There is a monarchy with a king and queen (currently King Firth and Queen Whitetail), but they often do little aside from dealing with international disputes.

In each official town or city, there is an Erus or Era (lord or lady) who is in charge of making judgments when there are disputes. As many Belaini people prefer to live outside of cities, they will often come to the closest city if they need aid or someone to settle a dispute.

Geography

Belain is a vast country full of differing biomes with no neighboring countries. The northernmost part of Belain is pure ice that survives year-round, extending the landmass significantly. To the southeast of the icelands is a stretch of tundra while to the southwest, and extending below the tundra, is a boreal forest that transitions into deciduous. South of the deciduous forest is a large grassland, except to the southwest where there is a relatively small desert. A mountain range stretches from the lower western coast to almost the upper eastern coast and a pair of small islands off to the southeast contains the only jungle.

Due to the ecological disparity between the biomes of Belain, there isn’t a national climate. However, the entire country is prone to extreme temperatures and devastating disasters. The desert, Cruor, can reach temperatures of over 120°F, while the tundra, the White Crown, rarely reaches above 20°F. The rainforest is often flooded and extremely humid, while the forests that make up most of the country are temperate and mild. The only mountain range is the Wolf Fang Ridge (known as the Fangs to locals) and it is a notoriously harsh environment. Most Belaini people live in the grasslands, which is the safest area of the country (though it often has massive lightning storms).

Belain is the most biodiverse country in Aurora, containing almost 30% of the world’s biodiversity. Due to Belain’s close relationship with their environment and the animals living there, hunting and tracking efforts by the ICMEA is slim to none so the true number of species living in Belain may be even higher. Many endangered species including basilisks, phoenixes, and hydra are endemic (but not native) to Aurora. Mothmen, thunderbirds, chupacabras, grizzly bears, bison, and jaguars are native to Belain and held in high regard by the people. As a note, chupacabras do not have the same relationship with Belaini people as they do with outside countries, as Belaini people do not farm and thus don’t lose livestock to them.

Architecture

Belaini architecture is distinctive and very organic. Buildings are often set within naturally-occurring structures such as caves, large trees, or hills. Curor is pockmarked with many underground caves and a vast network of tunnels, with very little seen from the outside, while the buildings of the White Crown are not much more than temporary tents made of furs and logs.

The most common building in Belain is one grown from four trees which, as saplings, were bound together so that they grew in a tent-shaped formation. Hollows where the trees didn’t fully press into one another are used as rooms, and holes are carved into the wood to make passageways. These buildings are completely alive and many Belaini people take pride in caring for their home trees, often using magic to do only small changes at a time so as not to endanger the tree.

Society

The Belaini people have a very loose society that puts more emphasis on personal life than familial life. Men and women are considered equals and children are seen as adults who must take adult responsibilities starting at the age of twelve. Marriage does not occur in Belain and the idea of monogamy is unusual in most areas.

Oftentimes most couples only stay together for a season or two and most Belaini people live solitary lives with their young children (men will take their sons, women will take their daughters) or in groups of two or three close friends. The cities where some Belaini people live are more like traditional cities, with commerce and politics. Families are more nuclear, with couples staying together for many seasons, though marriage is still absent. Solitary Belaini people will come to trade for what they cannot produce on their own but rarely stay. The concept of charity is absent in the Belaini culture. Because the country relies almost completely on a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, most Belaini people view starvation and destitution as a failure of the person. The only notable exceptions are the sick and elderly, who are often tended to by the Erus or Era of the nearest city.

Belaini people live in abject harmony with their environment. They do not farm or destroy anything they cannot replace, they only hunt for what’s necessary, and they have a keen understanding of the natural forces around them. Most predator animals such as wolves, coyotes, and wildcats will live alongside Belaini people and it’s not unusual for birds, reptiles, and other such animals to cohabitate with Belaini people. They have an innate sense for understanding how the animals, plants, and the land itself feels about their actions and they react accordingly. When disturbances happen and the land is unhappy, the Belaini people will often gather to find and solve the problem.

History

Pre-Colonial Belain

The Pre-Colonial history of Belain is very hard to research. Before the high elves and humans settled, only the Ancients lived in Belain. Very little is known of the Ancients aside from their powerful magic as they never recorded their histories. However, the Ancients were a dying race and knew they wouldn’t survive. Therefore, they welcomed the colonial people and freely mixed with them, eventually producing the forest elves that now live on the continent.

Colonial Belain

When various countries sought to colonize Belain, they were surprised to find the Ancients were very welcoming and the colonials quickly became adapted to the Ancients’ way of life. Though the governments which had sent the colonizers assumed they would reform the Ancients, the opposite happened for most of them. They embraced the free lifestyle of the Ancients and the lack of restrictive government and social pressure. After ten or so years, the first wave of colonies ceased contact with their former government and disappeared into the heart of Belain.

The governments, mainly Suther and Parida, were intent on making Belain part of their own countries. They allied together and sent a much larger joint colony called the Verchi colony. Unlike the previous nameless colonies which were filled with volunteers, the Verchi colony was made up of hand-picked individuals that included craftsmen, nobles, scholars, and law enforcers. They repelled any attempts at friendship from the Ancients and took up extremely violent methods. When an Ancient was seen, they were killed on sight.

Unfortunately for the Verchi colony, the royals of Suther and Parida had failed to understand the true nature of the Ancients’ relationship with the country itself. Like current Belaini people, the Ancients lived in harmony with their environment. However, the land loved the Ancients as much as the Ancients loved it, and fought back to protect the Ancients. Feral animals attacked the colony, crops withered and refused to grow, livestock disappeared without a trace. Storms, earthquakes, and floods kept the colony weak and eventually, the few surviving people fled back to their countries.

However, the damage was done to the Ancients. Their already dwindling numbers had been completely reduced, with very few still alive. They left the country to the forest elves, their descendants, and disappeared. Some people believe a few individuals still survive, but there has not been a documented Ancient in thousands of years.

Post-Colonial Belain 

When the Ancients disappeared, some Belaini attempted to start a proper government with laws to protect them from future invasions. However, most Belaini refused and stubbornly stuck to the Ancients’ ideologies. Eventually a compromise was reached: the current government of a loose monarchy. Those who wished to live in cities like outsiders were free to elect a representative as a leader, though the titles are passed down from parents instead of an elected system.

Alchemy and Lord Kai

When Belain became an official country, there was much unrest about the potentially catastrophic abilities of Alchemists. These magic casters were able to use the same magic as the Ancients, though it was vastly reduced in power and diversity. Some Alchemists became violent and used their power to serve their own selfish needs, often hurting people in the process. Many Belaini wished that Alchemists were restrained and prevented from using magic if it didn’t benefit everyone, but others protested due to the fact that Alchemy had long been associated with their religion.

The problem came to a head when Dragon’s Maw and Sand Burrow, cities in the Curor desert, enforced a particularly hostile rule: all Alchemists were to be collared with magic chains that prevented them from using their abilities. Alchemists across Belain were infuriated and demanded an answer from King Slough, who was the first king of Belain. He was passive on his stance – he had not been blessed with Alchemy despite his mother being a full-blooded Ancient and many suspect he was envious of his brother, Kai, who had immensely strong Alchemy.

It was Queen Roe who finally took charge of the situation and demanded an answer. Gathering a force of trustworthy Alchemists, she placed Lord Kai in charge of them and sent them to handle the matter. Lord Kai refrained from using his Alchemy, though it was known he could have destroyed the cities on his own, and instead demanded that the Alchemists were handed over to him. The people of Dragon’s Maw and Sand Burrow complied readily, and Lord Kai took the Alchemists back to Crow’s Shadow, a small town filled with Alchemists.

With the help of Queen Roe, Lord Kai formed the Alchemist school of Ravenstone, where all young Alchemists would be sent to learn how to control their magic. Most Alchemists were also resettled in Crow’s Shadow, though Lord Kai insisted on routine patrols of Alchemists visiting every city and ensuring the safety of the people.