Holy Kaelthian Republic

Government

• Pre 251 AC:
  • Theocratic republic, much like Iran
  • Regional vote elects 24-member Senate which select Chancellor (Head of Government). High priests have significant pull and back-door veto power. Chancellor must have approval of Head Lecturer and Head of Oracles as well.
  • Towns and cities elect Mayor + Council under oversight of local Ecclesiarch or seated priests.
  • Villages and below work communally, almost pure democracy. Acolytes have significant persuasive power but little direct power (except as informants to higher-ups).
• Post 251 AC
  • Strict theocratic dictatorship under the Prophet of Law Unveiled.
  • Close-in villages are theoretically the same as before (communal consensus), but really the acolytes and agents of the Holy Hands are in control.
  • Villages and towns further out than about 60 miles have been abandoned to their fates.

Peoples

• Wall-builder humans. Plurality (~45%).
• Wall-builder halflings. Significant minority (35%).
• Dwarves. 18%
• Others (a few high elves, mostly). 2%

Religion

Pre 251: See Church of the Seasons. Almost everyone belongs and at least pretends devotion. Strongly evangelistic.

Post 251: The Church has collapsed (locally) and been replaced by the Law of Truth

Culture

• Strongly communal and devout. Sticking out is discouraged. Live by the consensus of your neighbors.
• Non-monogamous. Communities raise children together and share partners. Even the dwarves (who still have life partners) aren't nearly as rigid about it (no divorce, but no adultery stigma either).
• Everyone works. Begging and thievery are BAD THINGS that get you sent to re-education camps. Which are mostly labor/training + preaching. Repeated refusal to work honestly results in exile.
• No privacy. Everyone talks to the priests about everything and records are kept.
• Criminal behavior is punished harshly; anti-social behavior (defying consensus) is considered the worst.
• Temple or shrine is the center-point of village/town life.

Post 251:

• Split into "washed" and "unwashed" and "out-law".
  • "Washed" are the righteous believers in the Law of Truth and its Prophet. They have rights and status and can enter Kaelthia and conduct business (as much as it is) freely.
  • "Unwashed" were citizens of the HKR, but either weren't zealous in the change-over or held "unproductive" roles in society. They have some rights (the right not to be assaulted or enslaved or killed outright) but are decidedly second-class. They can live near the holy city, but can only enter it under the guidance of one of the Washed. They can buy and sell normally, but cannot carry weapons other than knives and are subject to harsh penalties if they injure or inconvenience the Washed.
  • Out-Law are the rest of everyone. They are "without the law". For purely political reasons, they have passage rights and sanctuary from assault, but cannot enter the holy city and cannot conduct any business (including procuring shelter) except at designated inns and markets, where they must sell to and buy from the Washed.
• Very inward looking.
• Drunkenness, idleness, sexuality (of any kind except to engender children), fancy dress, and "mercantilism" (meaning profit motive) are banned.
• Trade chits for labor value are used instead of currency internally, with Out-Laws required to convert coinage when doing business at a fixed, government-set exchange rate. That sucks.
• Black market activity is punishable by exile or death.
• Those Unwashed who don't want to follow the strictures are cast out; most head north with whatever they can carry.

Capital

See Kaelthia.

Economy

Exports

fibers, grain, beef and pork. Arcane items are a specialty. Major trade routes to Shinevog and Zhapai Karmap run through the HKR. Spidersilk is only produced in the HKR.:After 251 AC, very little, and no arcane items. No trade routes run through the area.

Imports

Lumber products. Dyes, fur and leather, and spices. Unworked metal and specialty metal products. Non-magical technology.:After 251AC, very little and only lumber to any degree.

International relationships

• Generally poor. As a hyper-religious, conformist nation with a history of being pushy, most other nations are wary of it.
• Especially poor with the Crisial Kingdom and the Duarchy. Too much history and bad blood between them.
• Considered "suspect" by the Adventurer's Guild.
  • Post 251 AC -- while they haven't withdrawn from the Federated Nations treaty, they have declared non-compliance with the Crystal Spire Protocols (specifically rejecting the right of the Adventurer’s Guild to police internal affairs and rejecting the rights of registered adventurers within their territory).
  • They have embargoed land passage in and out of Guildtown, the AG enclave outside of Kaelthia, claiming it was a "security risk" due to the tunnel under the mountain.
  • So far the AG has not taken direct action due to internal political turmoil as a result of corruption uncovered by Enigma.
• No active war, just enhanced border checks (on both sides).

Leadership

The supreme leader of the HKR post 251AC is the Prophet of Law Unveiled. His pronouncements are taken as the absolute, immutable truth.

Other significant organizational leaders are the High Hands of the Holy Hands. Their true identities are unknown.