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

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

The cultural ideal of beauty for men is baldness and the wearing of beards. Baldness is worn from the age of ten and is considered as smooth as bells are, as bells play a large role in Gesorien, both for communication over long distances and everyday. Men of Gesoria are therefore often called bell heads, although not all men are bald - such as members of the Seer Order. The lack of hair is also seen as purifying. On the fifth day of the week, men are usually shaved.

In contrast, the ideal of beauty for women is to be wiry and hardy. Often women wear braided hair from a young age. On one they purposefully wear their hair down: For the wedding.

Gesoria is also 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.

Food

Variously prepared horse chestnuts are considered delicacies in many places. Gesorien is also climatically one of the few regions where chestnuts are found in large quantities.

Mysticism

Widespread mysticism is present in all regions of Gesoria. There are numerous sacred buildings whose purpose is often unclear to strangers. Travelers also often emphasized the extensive use of magic in all social classes. Many in Aerznia consider Gesoria to be on the edge of the world, largely due to its exposed location to the west and cultural inaccessibility.

As already mentioned, in many places in Gesoria there are apparitions, public rituals or recurring events that make sense only to the initiated. Such occurrences - depending on the region and the occasion - have a high status and are also part of the often ritualized social life. Occasionally, they are also centrally organized or perform relevant tasks.

Since the Gesorians inherited the art of bell casting from the Old Empire, bells often play a role in various traditions as well. But even beyond that, there are many local conspicuous features.

Dragon statues with lanterns in their mouths, for example, serve as lighthouses in the Strait of Tammeren. They were made in the image of a Dragon that once took on this task, an example of the posthumous veneration and mystification of relevant figures that is a tradition in Gesoria.

Especially in the western island areas, there are regular cultic gatherings on beaches, usually once a month. At the venues there are often five statues representing the founders of modern Gesoria. The lanterns are left floating in the water.

Politics

Domestic Policy

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.

Foreign Policy

The country maintains an extensive network of spies and contacts for its own security. In isolation, Gesoria developed into the diverse culture of today, which has absorbed relatively few outside influences and is now, for many, a symbol of strangeness and mystery.

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.

History

Gesoria originally belonged to the heartlands of the Old Empire. Since today's parts of the land lie directly in front of Dýrrách, the region was densely populated in the beginning.

Dýrrách and Tammeren did have some cultural significance as lands that were integrated into the empire particularly early. But many had been drawn to the core provinces of the empire. Therefore, the population of Gesoria doubled within half a century due to the migration of refugees.

With the fall of the empire and the beginning of the Imperial Cleavage Wars, many persecuted Dragons, Old Ones and Humans fled to Gesorien and the safe haven of Templar. Dragons in particular were drawn there, as Gesoria was also the place where their ancestors had first begun to explore the world. Gesoria was not as heavily populated at that time as it was in the era of the early empire.

Unification

The unification of Gesoria was peaceful. The four major regions of Tammeren, Dýrrách, Templar and Anath met under the leadership of five individuals in Templar. These were two Kehdei (one of them an Akradai), a Dragon, a Human and an Old One. They are revered today as the founders of Gesoria. However, not much is known about them, apart from the numerous legends. What is certain is that they brought together the different peoples of Gesoria and worked out the constitution of the country, which was to last for over a thousand years.

Isolation

This turbulent and unstable period was also the reason for Gesoria's later isolationism. In order not to become a victim of imperialistic encroachments of new regional powers in Aerznia, Gesoria sealed itself off. Therefore, they quickly attached importance to clear state borders, which had been less common in the Old Empire before.

Dýrrách

Since when Dýrrách is considered a forbidden land and why, is not exactly clear. It is conceivable that the island became unsafe due to volcanic activity and access was therefore restricted. Again, legends and stories abound in the face of missing facts. The sealing off of the island was gradual and only became more rigid over time.