Principalities of Jarm

Overview

The Principalities of Jarm are an old, confident nation that lies several weeks sailing to the east of the Empire. It is a little larger than the Empire, but regularly riven by internecine bickering between the various factions that rule the Principalities. It is often engaged in conflicts with the various smaller nations that border it, occasionally engaging in wholesale wars of conquest against those neighbours for resources.

Terrain

The Principalities cover a wide strip of land along their western coast, roughly divided into three broad areas. The Southern Principalities are the oldest, and the land there is widely settled and agrarian. The Northern Principalities are cooler, with more hills and bounded on two sides by high mountain peaks. Much of the Eastern Principalities is covered in forest, and many of the people here are the descendants of conquered peoples; the eastern borders are prone to regular raids from nearby nations and at least one tribe of orcs.

People

The Jarmish people are human. All lineages are known, but there are strong lines of changeling and naga - scions of these lines rule several Principalities. Orcs are known in several parts of Jarm, especially in the Eastern Principalities, but they are exclusively of low station. Those orcs who are not labourers serve in the military and have a reputation as ignorant savages, surly bandits and primitive barbarians incapable of appreciating the various fruits of Jarmish life.

The rulers of Jarm are all magicians; only someone with the ability to cast spells can hold any position of authority. Those who cannot master magic are consigned to the ministerial class or even the smallfolk - non-magicians are allowed to own property and wealth but they cannot hold public office.

The people are roughly divided into four classes, and there is comparatively little social mobility. The Magician-Princes are of the Noble class, and their families control most of the wealth, land and magical power in Jarm. The Ministerial class serves the Principalities as educators, scribes, merchants, diplomats and judges and form an educated middle-class under the Magician-Princes. The Smallfolk are labourers and shopkeepers, and their standard of living is generally much lower than that of the equivalent Imperial citizen. The lowest class are the Slaves who are considered property, and live short lives of hopeless drudgery.

Each Principality maintains it's own military forces, and it is only among the soldiery that any semblance of meritocracy is encountered; the Jarmish people are oddly practical when it comes to matters of protecting their nation, and it is entirely possible (if extremely difficult) for one of the Smallfolk or even the Slave-class to rise to a position of authority within the army of a Principality.

Poltics

Jarm is made up of a number of self-contained Principalities, each ruled over by a Magician-Prince. The principalities tend to be around the same size geographically as an Imperial Territory. Most Principalities have a single small city at their heart which is the site of the Prince's palace and where the governance of the Principality takes place. While individual Principalities choose their ruling Prince in various different ways, the power rarely moves beyond the control of three or four long-established families; it is rare for a single family to completely dominate a Principality. The Noble class sets the law within their domain, and while they are rarely subject to it they are constantly aware of the need to maintain the respect of their peers within the Principality and in neighbouring domains .

Each Prince also holds a seat in the House of Princes in the city of Vezak, where they constantly conspire with and intrigue against each other for position and control of their nation's resources. There is traditionally a good-deal of cut-throat maneuvering between the Northern and Southern Principalities who both seek to exploit the resources of the Eastern Principalities.

While the nation appears chaotic, it is governed by a small body of shared laws. For example, no Jarmish may shed the blood of another Jarmish citizen - this law extends from to the Noble class all the way down to the Slave class. A Magician-Prince.who ignores this law will face the censure of her peers, and several Princes have been toppled by their neighbours for ignoring it. A peculiar side-effect of this universal Law has been the creation of a caste of "untouchable" doctors and chirurgeons; because they often have to shed the blood of their patients for their own good, they are both disdained and valuable to the Jarmish people. Still, given a choice, any Jarmish citizen would prefer to seek out magical healing over mundane healing.

Magic

For the most part, only the Magician-Princes and their retainers are allowed to practice ritual magic in Jarm, although many of the citizens know an incantation or two. Jarmish ritual magic tends to be a combination of Astronomancy and Music of the Spheres. Only members of the Noble class are allowed to form or participate in covens, and members of other classes found to be practicing ritual magic as part of a group are dealt with very harshly.

Magical items and potions are rarer in Jarm than they are in the Empire, and the majority of Jarmish artisans focus on crafting robes, implements and ritual paraphernalia for the Magician-Princes.

Religion

Jarm has no dominant religion; rather the Principalities embrace religious freedom. With the exception of a few theologically minded Principalities, spiritual beliefs are seen as relevant only to the individual. While many Jarmite citizens cultivate an attitude of amused indifference to religious matters, many more wholeheartedly embrace the tenets of one creed or another.

Consequently adherents of the Way rub shoulders with members of the Gemeinwesen sects; spiritualists and necromancers loudly debate with materialists and ancestor worshippers; and temples of various gods and powers compete for congregations with the shrines of Eternal cults.

The closest Jarm gets to an established priesthood are the astrologers of the Ministerial class. These magicians combine combine minor rituals from the Realms of Day and Night with the study of the heavens to offer advice to their fellows. Many Jarmish will consult an astrologer before embarking on any major endeavour. While the people often consult these diviners for advice, they do not necessarily follow it - the astrologer fills a cultural role, but few Jarmish place their advice above common sense or their own desires.

Kavor (Northern Principalities of Jarm)

Fortified Kavor controls access to the richly forested hills of the northern Principalities. The magician-princes are canny merchants, more civil and more ruthless than their southern cousins.

Vezak (Southern Principalities of Jarm)

Traders from across the southern Principalities bring their wares to the teming city of Vezak; a riot of colour, sound and spices where the cosmopolitan magician-Princes engage in an endless round of intrigue and conspiracy.

Look and Feel

Jarmish costume is strongly influenced by Indian styles. As befits such a cosmopolitan nation, a very wide range of materials, colours, degrees of ornamentation and styles are found here. Men and women alike enjoy loose fitting, flowing clothing made of loose, wide strips of clothing wrapped around the body and often accompanied by a shirt or blouse. Another popular style involves a long coat cut to just above the knee worn with tight-fitting trousers similar to the [sherwani].

Jewelry is extremely common among the Jarmish, made from a variety of precious and semi-precious materials. Delicate chains are especially common, and the Jarmish love pendants and intricate head-pieces. Wrist and angle bracelets are much more common than rings - ornate rings are often seen as a mark of indolence as they imply that the wearer does not work with their hands.

Languages

The principalities are polyglot, with languages from all over the world spoken in various Principalities. The Jarmish are the descendants of a wide mix of forerunner kingdoms, immigrants and the children of subject peoples; there is no dominant language, and many Jarmish are multi-lingual as a consequence. The languages most commonly spoken in Jarm are shared with many of the surrounding nations, and can be represented by any language belonging to the [Slavic language group].