For the noble's of the Astorina Imperium, there was no higher prestige than a private estate on the Imperial Mesa. The large mesa let the nobles literally and figuratively look down upon the rest of the imperium, and many attribute this view to the condescension of the imperial noble class in general. The mesa was treated almost like a seperate country within the imperium, and the nobles spoke of the mesa as if it were their true home, and not their ancestral holdings that gave them their wealth and titles.
During the breaking, Vanur cleft the mesa in twain, killing thousands as the centre collapsed, and breaking the mesa into two pieces separated by a large expanse. When the Rotting came, an outbreak occured on the south western mesa, but the north eastern Mesa was spared. Those on the eastern side destroyed their mechanical elevators to prevent any infected coming to their side, and the arcane teleportation circles deactivated along with the death of the arcane.
After several decades of isolation, those on the eastern mesa found that their idyllic lifestyles had remained unchanged. Even the servants lived lives of minor toil, and the estates had large tracts of arable land. They realised that their lands were an island of safety in a new and dangerous world, and they knew that others would come to plunder these resources.
The nobles families met to decide their fate. After much debate, it was decided that they would formally secede from the Imperium. They named their new nation "Dorial" after a nobleman from antiquity that had written a treatise on how the Imperium had become too large, and needed to break into smaller states.
Dorial now exists as an independant state, even though the Imperium disputes this and claims it as part of their territory. The western Mesa has been repurposed towards farmland and under the direct control of the royal family, but Dorial remains as the idyllic lands of manors and nobility.
Culture
In Dorial, nothing matters more than family. This is not to say that the people of the mesa, the Doria, are any more nurturing towards their children. Rather, family history, reputation and honour are considered a core part of who you are. The Doria work to further their reputations, and also to improve the standing of their families and bloodlines. Even the serving class trace their bloodlines back through to the servants of the old mesa, and take pride in their history of loyal service.
The Dorial nobility wear fine clothing that is reminiscent of pre-breaking Imperial fashion, with bare arms without gloves and light cloth, as they have avoided the cultural shift to more complete coverings that became fashion in the empire during the rotting. Those that are in the serving class wear clothing appropriate to their service, with those that work inside a house wearing darker colours and those that work in the estates outside wearing lighter colours.
Dorial is a warm land despite it's elevation, due to being above some cloud cover and receiving warm winds from the wastes nearby. It receives enough rainfall to keep the estates lush and green, but also more than enough sun to keep the estates warm and comfortable.
After almost 2 centuries of isolation, Dorial has opened its borders to trade, and allows visitors, though only a small amount are approved, and are monitored carefully.
Many are surprised to learn that their is a small elvish community in Dorial. A delegation of 500 elves were visiting the mesa to learn of imperial culture when the breaking occured. These elves no longer consider themselves Quesaran, and are accepted as Doria by the humans. They tend to the lands fertility, with druidic traditions having been handed down over the generations. Many have abandoned the elven language and names, but some survive.
Language and names
Dorial still uses the imperial tongue and naming conventions.
No comments:
Post a Comment