Calandor (Aurora)
Realm of the Calandians Caladhan Viirali | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| History | |
| Location | Calandian Mountains |
| Formerly | Calandian Clans |
| Notable castles | |
| Places of note | |
| Government | |
| Type | Elective monarchy |
| Ruling House | Clan Shizin |
| Head of State | Farun Shizin Va-Ghan |
| Legislature | Emerald Court |
| Military | 2,000 Margrave Guard |
| Socio-cultural characteristics | |
| Motto | "Inshine Riabhan Ui-Calad" Under the Moon's Grace |
| Capital | Ui-Calad |
| Official languages | none |
| National languages | |
| Races | Cala Halfling |
| Religion(s) | Heavenly Court |
| Demonym(s) | Calandian |
| Population estimate | ~7 million |
| Currency | Emerald Goshi |
"Many hands make light work."—common Calandian proverb
Calandor (Calandian: Caladhan), officially the Realm of the Calandians (Calandian: Caladhan Viirali) is an elective monarchy established in the ancient Calandian Mountains, in the southern lands of Terra Aurora. Calandians lived high on the jagged peaks and steep cliffs of the mountains, where snow and sometimes blizzards often wreck havoc in the winter. However, the mountains are rich in ores and valuable minerals, including the hugely sought-after emeralds which plays a huge role within Calandian society and economy.
Calandor is the realm of the Cala halflings, or better known as Moon halflings outside of Calandor. For thousands of years, the halflings lived within the mountains, eventually forming warring clans that often went into bloody disputes due to the mountain's challenging terrains and harsh conditions. When their homeland was threatened, the halflings established the Emerald Court and the fortress of Ui-Calad. Guided by the Heavenly Court, the disparate clans united into a confederation of equals.
Etymology
In Calandish, Caladhan referred to the Lands of Moon-lings. The reference for the word Cala or moon appeared in many Calandian texts and daily proverbs, and had become synonymous with the Calandish language itself. In Zhinish, Cala meant the broader term of heavens as in sky rather than referring to the moon itself, which is called Shin-La or high-mother in the Zhinish dialect.
History
Great Migration
Animagi War
Heavenly Propagation
First Great Cala Wars
Second Great Cala Wars
Geography
The Calandian Mountains dominated Calandor's landscape. The realm's borders exclusively followed the mountains, and authority of the realm effectively dissipated beyond the mountains. The Calandian Mountains featured steep cliffs and jagged peaks composed of hard granite with some limestone sediments, often covered with snow. Glaciers interspersed in-between the mountains on higher altitudes, but green valleys can be found in lower heights. In these valleys, Calandian farms and tends to their herds of lambs, mountain goats, llamas, and alpacas. Calandian cities were built higher on the mountains, often on small ledges or even on the peaks themselves.
Climate
Being on mountains, the climate of Calandor is harsh in winter time, and can not be too warm in summer. Humidity and oxygen is low high above the mountains, where the Moon-halflings had adapted to live comfortably.
Ecology
Deep gorges within the mountains featured lush temperate rainforest that is difficult to traverse and filled with dangerous wildlife. Some gorges featured massive green ferns and even giant mushrooms, while in others, opens into deep caverns filled with fish and other creatures. Several caverns extended to many leagues, and some are densely inhabited by fishermen, forming villages within a cave. Calandians told of a giant serpent, living within a massive underground river networks and can travel between one cave to others. This 'Mashin-Laon', or 'sleepless giant' was told to grant wishes of good people and punish bad ones, while giving blessings to caves that it has visited, marked by abundance of fish to catch.
Authority
Calandor is an elective monarchy, where an elected monarch, the Farun (First Patriarch in common tongues), presides over matters between clans and beyond. The Farun is the ultimate commander of Calandor's levies, and has the prerogative to call some or all clans to war. Through decrees and proclamations, the Farun could grant clans special prerogatives, or in another case, stripped away a clan's authority and legitimacy. The Farun also dealt with the daily enforcement of laws, taxes, commerce, and distribution of wealth, as well as acting as the highest Judge of Justice in Calandor. The Farun is elected from amongst the members of the Emerald Court for live, after being granted by the Heavenly Court the 'Mandate of Grace'. However a plurality of Patriarchs within the Emerald Court could join together and present a motion of distrust to the Heavenly Court, and remove the current Farun's mandate to rule, triggering a new round of election.
The Emerald Court comprises all clan patriarchs of Calandor. The Court meets once every months during full moons. The Court became a place for debates and for the Farun to receive and deliberate on issues that came from amongst the clans. large cities, such as Li-Zhin and Ui-Doran was given their own special access to the Court, though they did not have the power to vote.
Calandor's society is based upon the clan system. A clan is a powerful landed noble family, directly owning certain parts of Calandor's territory and all subjects within it. The Clans have prerogatives to levy taxes, grant lands, and call for its subjects to arm. This made the clans the most powerful authority within Calandor, at least within their own territories. Disputes or inheritance could cause the formation of new clans, or the dissolution of an old one, making the clan system highly fluid and dynamic. A clan is led by a Patriarch, or in rarer cases, a Matriarch, which acts as the head of the family, and represent their lands in the Emerald Court.
Rural areas of Calandor falls directly under a clan's control, however cities with significant commercial activities usually establish their own Commerce Guild, which presides over not just matters between merchants and craftsmen, but also on local laws and customs. These guilds paid tribute to local clans, and became the main representative of the citizens to the local clan Patriarch.
Military
Calandor relies on levies during a massive conflict to hold their defense. In peace times, the Margrave Guard acts as border guards, defending primary choke points into the mountains, as well as guarding Calandor's primary fortresses. The Guard forms the main core of troops during conflict, and answers directly to the Farun. Utilising Calandor's many mines and foundries, Calandor could reliably arms its levies and standing force with gunpowder weapons such as arquebus and bronze cannon.
Beyond the Margrave Guard, law enforcement and civil peace is kept by the Baton Officers. A single Baton Officer maintained security in a community, and is usually helped by several 'Baton Carriers'.
Welfare
Calandian populace mainly tends to the fields and to the herds. Almost everyone in Calandor involved themselves in the production of food. The foods produced in Calandor include grains, maize, potatoes, flax, onions, and spices. A small part of the populace toils in Calandor's many mines, exploiting ores, especially iron, minerals such as limestone, and precious gems, predominantly emerald. A smaller portion of the population became craftsmen and merchants. Craftsmen lives primarily in cities, where they built workshops that produce all different things, from farming tools, clothing, to weapons of war. Merchants linked communities within the realm with goods from faraway places carried by herds of llamas or alpacas.
Major Calandian settlements are connected with a series of wide roads built by the order of the ruling Farun. Toll taxes are raised in these roads, though its price vary between locations. Great stone bridges are built over steep gorges that intercepted the toll road. Smaller roads are maintained by local clan lords, and usually in worse condition compared to the wider roads. These roads however are free to traverse, though its safety is questionable at best, especially its wooden or rope bridges. Massive height differences is tamed using the 'elevators', a carriage that utilise massive weights and animal power to move someone from a lower or higher elevations. In toll roads, there can be several of these carriages, and each are big enough to carry half a dozen of llamas and goods that they carry. Mines uses smaller version of these elevators to help people and materials move.
Inhabitants
Language
There are two main dialects of the Moon-halflings - the Calandish of central and southern Calandian mountains, and the Cala-Zhinish of the northern half of the mountains. Though sharing many similar features, including similar syntaxes and even many root words, the Zhinish received greater foreign influences, and has several root words that has no correlation with rest of Calandish, or not-often has similar words with blatantly differing meanings.
Religion
The Heavenly Court is the main religious body of Calandor. The name refers to both the Court that comprises priests and priestesses of Calandor, as well as the Court of Heaven, where the 'Great Judge' presides over the 'Balance of Virtues', the main doctrine of the belief. Many localities has an established local deities for millennia and a local system of worship. When the Court was propagated, it absorbs the local deities into the 'Juries of Virtue', a pantheon of celestial beings, serving the Great Judge in keeping the Balance of Virtues. The Balance of Virtues demanded kindness, generosity, and helpfulness from the living beings, which will be rewarded in the Heavens. While bad behaviour, uncalled violence and bloodshed will be avenged with wrath in the living world, and punishments in the afterlife. Calandian referred ancestors greatly, and believes that their spirits could visit from the heavens or even hells, to give blessings and curses to the living.
Customs
Appearance
The Moon-halflings dress plainly, even the clan nobilities preferred plain-looking clothing, though with a much higher quality fabric. They usually wear a beige or dark-colored loose shirt, and similarly plain-looking loose pants. Outside, the halflings always wear a beautifully patterned scarf, known as the 'caslav' or 'sky-scarf', and a round straw hat. The only gender difference in clothing is that women grew their hair long and braid them with fine detail. The braided hair then being displayed above the scarf and shirt. Men cut their hair short and their face clean shaven, though some elders grew their beards long. Noble often wore emerald jewelry, though wealthy subjects also can be seen wearing them. Priest and priestess of the Heavenly Court wore white clothing with black scarf and a white-painted straw hat. Priest and Priestess shave their head clean and is not allowed to display wealth by wearing jewelry or high-quality fabric.