obsidian:aurii-setting:3-7-ferre [Aurii

//motto

Key Info
Government Type:	Theocratically Occupied Oligarchy
Capital City:	Lithis
Symbol:
Primary Religion:	Worship of the Earth Mother
Hallmarks:	Cliffs, Kouneli, Fishing

Ferre is located on the south western island called Verrel. Verrel is dominated by Hilia and Laine Lakes, making the island almost hollow in nature. It’s southern location makes it warm and comfortable. Verrel is mostly rolling hills with forests at the north and south ends. Verrel’s lowlands are often flooded, very little exists in the valleys as it will be washed away with the next major rain or heavy storm at sea.

Ferre has existed as nation longer than any other on Aurii. The Kouneli people have existed on the island since Lyarlel created them there, during the Age of Gods. Their remote location and status as one of Lyarlel’s creations meant they were ignored during the Battle of the Twin Gods. While they only had a fledging civilization at the time, it was a far cry from the haphazard status the mainland races found themselves in.

Ferre continued to exist peacefully on Verrel, unaffected by Aurii at large. This proved their downfall on the Night of Broken Burrows, the day when Eraia invaded the nation. Not prepared for war, Ferre was completely occupied. While the Ferrians remain under Eraian rule to this day, they strive to keep their true nation alive in any way they can.

The traditional religion of Kouneli is worship of the Earth Mother. The Earth Mother is seen as a shapeshifting, matronly figure who watches over the Kouneli race. Many Kouneli still worship the Earth Mother, even after the occupation by Eraia. Most Earth Mother places of worship were already either in the woods or underground and items used in worship are simplistic, so it was easy for the religion to figuratively move underground. Few Kouneli have converted to the Church of Light, though many have attended services at the Church Eraia built in Lithis to avoid the ire of the Eraians.

Ferre is the home nation of the Kouneli, a race of rabbit like Laguz. Ferre is needless to say, not discriminatory towards laguz. Even after being invaded by Eraia, the Eraians that live or visit the island know better to comment on Laguz negatively in a nation full of them.

Ferre is currently under occupation by Eraia. The church built in Lithis also serves as a seat of government for the Church of Light Cardinal placed in charge of Lithis. Despite attempts to appear benevolent, the Church’s insistence that the occupied Kouneli follow Eraia’s laws have come off as draconian to the Kouneli people. Kouneli tradition and politics live on underground in the form of resistance movements.

Before their occupation, Ferre was run by a council of elected officials, one from each district of Lithis. In addition, one person is elected from the nation as a whole to serve as overseer to the council, who can dispute ties and focus the council’s voices towards solutions.

Ferre architecture is dynamic and rolls with the hills it’s built upon. Buildings are mostly wooden in nature and are frequently multiple stories built into an incline. Some even include sections dug into the hill itself. Ferre has no roads to follow, owing to the hilly nature of their land. There are well worn paths, but asides from that the land of Ferre is swath with green grass. Home built in the lowlands (usually those related to sea trade) are built on stilts as an attempt to avoid flooding. The stilted homes and lack of roads make Ferre look like the buildings were simply grown from the ground with the beauty of the island untouched. Ferre smells earthy as well, which some dislike but it’s praised as one of the greatest things about the island by the Kouneli.

Ferre’s comfortable weather, transforming populace, and general isolation have encouraged Kouneli to dress lightly over the years. They have little need for clothing warmer than a cloak and frequently spend time in the open air and around water, so fashion in Ferre tends to be quite revealing by other culture’s standards. It is not uncommon to see exposed arms, legs, chests, and so on in Ferrian culture. While the occupying Church of Light has tried to stamp this out, it has had little success doing more than encouraging the use of cloaks when Eraians are around.

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Traits for Characters from the Nation

Culture

Ferre’s largest industries are those built around the sea and architecture. Sea fishing supplies a large portion of Ferre’s population with food, meaning shipwrights are always in high demand. Fishermen are just as in demand, as are able sailors and navigators. Ferre has a unique career in the form of reef divers as well, pulling crabs, oysters, and various other reef dwelling sea life to the surface.

Ferre’s architecture is top notch even compared to the mainland nations, due to the limited space and supplies they’ve had to worth with. Dealing with the unique challenges of island living also keeps Ferre’s architects on their toes. Ferre also has dedicated Rangers that preserve the environment of their island home. Rangers ensure the forests and wildlife are not consumed in excess, that fishing is regulated, and that new development won’t damage the island’s ecosystems. Rangers also supervise what little crops are grown on Ferre, including the coffee bean.

Ferre gives workers two days off a week in most professions. Ferre family values are very important and this trickles down from business owners to workers.

Ferre has limited options for wild game, so meats common elsewhere are considered a delicacy. Ferre makes up for it with fish and the many creative ways that Ferre has found to cook (or not cook) them. Ferre’s limited farmlands produce as much planted vegetables as the space allows, but wild grown greens are more commonly used in dishes. Berries in particular are a staple in Ferrian cuisine. Ferre is also home to the Coffee bean, which can be used to brew coffee. This bean has become their number one export and thus far, no other nation has been able to get the bean to grow.

//coming of age, education, how is history preserved

Schooling in Ferre covers basic skills and ends at age 14. Schooling is mandatory for all children and children are unable to work before finishing schooling. Continuing education exists for a few specialized fields (particularly engineering and construction, due to the architectural challenges from building on the island) but is not required.

Since the occupation of Ferre by Eraia, The Church of Light has mandated Eraian history and religion lessons in Ferrian schools. Teachers who do not follow these mandates are replaced with Eraians who will. While Ferrian elders don’t support this, they have no way to prevent it. Instead, many children are taught the true history of Ferre at home in secret.

Ferrian history used to be preserved in Lithis in a Tower close to the shore. During the Night of Broken Burrows, the tower was burned “accidentally” by the Eraians and now Ferrian history exists only as oral tradition. Those who worked in the library have been spirited away by the Resistance and reported as dead. These masters of Ferrian history work in secret to restore as much of Ferre’s history to print as they can.

Magic isn’t native to Ferre. The first use of it Ferrians saw was during the Night of Broken Burrows, where it was used against them in the invasion by Eraia. Magic got a bad reputation due to this and even today magic is looked down on as a shortcut in Ferre. Ferrians insist anything that can be done with magic can be done by hand better.

In Ferre, a criminal is punished via community service. Ferre believes that the failings of one member of the community is a failing of the community so the community strives to rehabilitate criminals together. For those who are unwilling to cooperate or are simply deemed too dangerous for the community, they are banished to the main land with only a boat to get them there. Following the Eraian occupation however, Eraian criminal punishments have been introduced.

Ever since the occupation by Eraia, there has been an underground Resistance movement working behind the scenes. They shelter Ferrians that have drawn the ire of Eraia, preserve records that Eraia would destroy, and perform guerilla attacks against Eraian operations on Verrel. They operate in small cells on Verrel, while on the sea they have a few large ships that serve as their base of operations. The latter serves a dual purpose in appearing as pirates rather than a Resistance movement, leading Eraia to believe the movement is smaller than it is.

Ferrians, especially after the Eraian occupation, tend towards being distrustful of non Ferrians. Most Ferrians are of the mind that if they could continue to exist on their island alone, they would. Foreign goods don’t sell well with older generations because of this, despite Eraians bringing them in frequently.

Military

Unit	Skill Level	Size
Infantry:	⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕
Cavalry:	⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕
Magic Forces:	⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕
Navy:	🔴🔴🔴⭕⭕

The only military asset that is technically Ferrian is the Resistance movment against Eraia. They have a handful of ships to their name and enough people to crew each. They’re hardy, motivated, and passionate fighters but are fighting an uphill battle.

Cities and Sites

Lithis: Lithis is the only city in Ferre and it’s capital. The city is built into the hills and cliffs that lead down to the sea. Homes built on wood platforms in order for them to stand straight and survive the tides, in some cases. There are sections of the city that are even built into the cliffs, accessable via the many walkways that connect the city. The cities definiting feature are the massive docks by the water line, filled to the brim with boats for fishing.

Foreign Relations