Gesoria

General

Gesoria [gəzo:ʁi:a] is a country in the southwest of Áváhé.

Geography and Climate

Gesoriea is located in the southwest of Áváhés. The climate in the country ranges from humid continental in the north to mediterranean in the south. The northernmost islands consist of desert, while the island of Dýrrách has several climatic zones between humid subtropical and subarctic continental.

Both the islands of Tammeren and parts of the western expanse, as well as the island of Dýrrách and Anath belong to the cultural sphere or the sphere of influence of Gesorie.

The country is a direct neighbor of the Aerznian Empire and, like Quanar, is at enmity with it. However, since Gesorie is quite isolationist, much less is known about the country in Aerznia than about Quanar. Besides Aerznia, Gesorie also has the Free Riverine Peoples as neighbors to the east. Both parties have a positive attitude towards each other, as they see Aerznia as a common enemy. Traditionally, the Riverne Tribes repel Aerznia's attacks coming from the north, while Gesoria claims the west for itself. A constant source of conflict between Aerznia and Gesorien is the island of Elusia west of Haliodarnasos, which is half occupied by each party but claimed in its entirety.

Culture and Politics

Gesoria is home to Humans, who make up the majority of the population, but also to numerous Dragons, Kehdei, Old Ones, and also Wolves.

Gesoria sees itself as the successor of Imperii Draconi. In fact, there are some parallels between the two realms; for example, citizens enjoy basic freedoms and rights, men and women are equal, and the person is considered inviolable. However, compared to Quanar, the country today has little in common culturally with the Old Empire. It mainly functions as a refuge for the magically gifted, the elderly, and people who have left Aerznia for various reasons. This is also the reason for the internal heterogeneity of the country.

The time calculation in Gesoria also functions according to the principle before and after the end of the Old Empire. The week has five days, oriented to the five founders of modern Gesoria.

Languages

Most of what is known about Gesoria in the outside world comes from the stories of travelers who have visited the country specifically. Spoken languages include High Templic, an ancient Aerznian dialect, including some subordinate dialects, but also modern Aerznian, as well as Dýrráchic - an ancient Dragon language.

The culture of Gesoria is quite closed to strangers, some would say purposefully designed to be confusing. However, it can be said that west of the Tammeren Strait, an island culture with a strong connection to the water stands out, while closer to the mainland and around the capital Templar, the Templar culture dominates. The south with the landmass of Anath is also influenced by the Riverlands. Building is preferably done with stone, so that even simple people often have solid dwellings. Shipping is brisk because of the numerous islands that belong to Gesoria. While the world knows little about Gesorien, Gesoria collects a lot of information from outside via spies and networks. There are organizations responsible for this as well.

Fashion

Gesoria is the only country south of the Scarlet Hights where obsidian can be found and exported on a larger scale. The possession of objects - especially ceremonial swords made of obsidian - is therefore also a status symbol.

Internal Organisation

Basically, the country is organized federally, but at the same time it is a kind of unitary state in disguise. The four major regions are divided into local government districts, which are quite autonomous. However, the central government in the capital, Templar - which is headed by the High Templar - has important powers. This government consists of a council of representatives from each district.

Supra-regional Organisations

In most of the regions there are supra-regional organizations.

For example, in most communites in Gesoria there are blind people who come from a community of blind people. As spiritual and magical seers, they perform duties as counselors, including occasionally being able to tell if someone is lying.

Humans who can transform themselves into animals - like eagles - keep watch on Dýrrách. They are organized in the Conclave of the Guardians, a similar supra-regional organization to the Order of the Sighted Blind.

Special Case Dýrrách

The island of Dýrrách is considered a forbidden land in Gesoria. It is a duty of all districts to deny access to it to strangers. Only two cities exist on the easternmost spur of Dýrrách, and these serve mainly to facilitate maritim navigation and otherwise function mainly as bastions.