| The Barony of Ethos
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Duchy: Draught
Leaders: Baron Regent Parsifal Soranus
Population: 190,000
Lordships: Codex, Meritas
Known For: Purism, Spices, Advocates, Scholars, Scribes
Major Towns and Cities: Grace (capital), Arbora, Pieta
Characters of Ethos: Here
Description:
Home to some of the oldest communities on all of Draught, Ethos is a beautiful land of rolling fields and deep morality. With a history that is tied to the very beginnings of the Purist faith so prominent here and in spite of a slim majority of non-Purists in the population, there is little distinction between the land's people and the temples that dot its countryside.
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| History
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The history of Ethos does not begin upon her shores, but rather, in the tumult of Guardians that existed little more than fifty years after the ascension of Providence's Champion. As a dangerous schism began between those of Guardian that clung to their burgeoning identity as warriors and those whom felt the young Empire better served by developing its own science and culture, a daughter of the latter movement went to Gateway and was taken by the Prince, Jordan Caprios, as wife. Their most impressive wedding gift, by far, must have been the raising of the Isle of Draught by the Champion, for the sake of his new daughter-in-law's people.
Among the first groups to explore this uncharted and virgin land were a collection of individuals yearning for the chance to foster a unique culture for the Empire, rather than relying solely upon what had come before and what other nations brought with their trade ships. Records have lost the name of the leader of that expedition save to record his surname as Soranus. It is claimed in the holiest book of Purism, the Libris Sancti, that this group traveled so far from the natural deposits of the currents in search of a place the Soranus saw in a vision.
It is recorded in the Libris Sancti that these travelers, later called pilgrims, sought out the miracle of a fully grown and formed forest upon the newly raised isle, a doubly miraculous thing given the land which seemed hardly worthy of supporting such a thing. For days the group traveled along the coast, west from where the port city of Draught would one day be built, and then north when the western coastline met the sea.
Doubt and despair began to set in as the group turned their trek northward, provisions and patience wearing thin as the promised bounty remained elusive. In small numbers, people began to trickle away, heading back towards the somewhat reliable environs where the currents deposited supplies and new arrivals from the other isles. Shaken but yet undefeated, those that remained continued on, hugging to the coast, the sea providing the only food once their provisions had been worn too thin.
It is unclear how precisely a pair of unchained demons found them, or had come to the isle at all. Some wondered if they were not drawn to the same forest as the pilgrims, though for designs far more sacrilegious, while others whisper that the very act of raising an entire isle must've stirred something free of its bonds. What is certain is that these manifestations of darkness, their own kingdom still within living memory, fell upon the pilgrims with a terrible vengeance.
They fled from that terrible threat, two demons with minds bent to the anguish of terror as much as physical pain. For a day and a night the pilgrims fled from the coast and towards the heart of the new isle, shouting out for Providence and Her Champion to save them. But the prayers went unanswered. Strewn along the way were those whom had earlier departed and left the pilgrims, their bodies cast aside like so much dross, a grisly sight that only served to further dishearten those that remained.
On the second day the edge of that much sought after forest came into sight, and for a moment the remaining survivors felt a flutter of hope. A sign of favour from Providence, some hoped, and others hoped for a place to hide. As one, the battered and starving pilgrims made a bid for the safety of the forest, only to be fallen upon by the demonic pair once again.
Divorced from their Guardians upbringing, some amongst the pilgrims were not wholly ignorant of it, and drew their weapons then in defense of the others, buying time for the remainder to escape into the woods and the promise of hiding and avoiding the slaughter. Hardly a match for two demons, one by one the men and their swords fell, and all the while the demons laughed their terrible laughter and basked in the heady moment, their sort returned to the mastery the Champion had thrown them down from.
Cries for salvation, cries for Providence and calls for the Champion went unheeded, one after another the surviving men thrown to the ground bloodied and dying. With death looming before them, several of the men followed the lead of one amongst them and drove their swords into the ground, taking to their knees and crying out for Providence to save them. Amused, the demons turned to strike them down and end the farce.
Instead, Providence's Hand reached out and vanquished them both, demons turned in a flash to naught more then dust. In their place stood a being of Light, one whom reached out a hand that the Soranus gladly accepted.
It is said in that moment both Ethos and the Purism for which it is synonymous were planted in that soil where blood was spilled, and men fell to their knees in prayer.
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| Politics
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Ethos has a history that dates almost as far back as the isle itself. The faithful of Providence having left Guardian to find themselves a new, more enlightened home upon the newly raised isle. And so, Ethos was established. Until more recent history, there has not been any major changes, politically, except the bloody death of Baron Solomon Soranus and his family after they had ventured out to spread the word of Purism to Gateway in the year 423, penning the Libris Sancti with Emperor Jonathan Caprios. After that, the Soranus line retreated back to Ethos and remained mostly sheltered within, spreading their word through strong and solid leadership until Athar Soranus, a new Baron himself, once more brought the word of Providence, and his family, to Gateway Isle to brave court again. A few years after, new trouble for the Soranus line surfaced when they found themselves overcome and exiled by two of their faith. One, the Lord of Codex at the time, another a leader of one of the paths of Purism. Most of the family did return to Gateway, though in a strange sequence of events, one of the men that was involved in the exiling, Parsifal Valens, married Ravelle Soranus. After the disappearance of Athar Soranus, and the death of his sister, Ravelle, it is Parsifal Soranus who now sits in the position of Baron Regent, until his son comes of age to continue to Soranus legacy.
Purism does play a great role in the politics of the region, given that all of the landholders are deep in their faith as Purists. However, it is actually only ten percent of the population of the barony that are practicing Purists. This isn't to say that the rest of the people are not faithful to Providence, for there is so very rarely a clash in the political realm. Historically, the Purist leaders have proven themselves both capable and greatly caring of their people, and Ethos has thrived under their strong leadership.
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| Succession of Barons
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October 508 – Present
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- Regent: Lord Baronet Parsifal Soranus
September 503 – October 508
- Baron Athar Soranus
- Regent: Lord Baronet Parsifal Soranus
??? – September 503
- Baron Galen Soranus
- m: Anjoli Noele Seraph Candide
??? – ???
- Baron Caius Soranus
51 – ???
- House Soranus
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| Geography
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From rolling hills to fertile plains, and even a forest of some size, the geography of the Barony is diverse and well cared for by the people. Divided into two lordships, with the baronial seat in the middle, all was in balance.
However, in October of 508 in the most devastating tragedy to ever hit the isle of Draught, Ethos lost approximately a third of its area in a cataclysmic earthquake that saw the southern portion of both Codex and Meritas crack off and fall into the Sea of Veils.
The first of two lordships within Ethos, it is the location of the only true forest upon Draught. Like all of the barony, Codex is steeped in history and tradition that reaches far back into the history of the isle. Many of the great scribes of the Empire hail originally from this land, where education and the passing down of information is held in high regard. The woods of the forest provide some of the finest parchment the Empire has to offer, as well as ingredients for inks.
The second of the two Ethosian lordships, it is known for its beautifully verdant and well draining fields that grow and harvest many different spices that are used throughout the Empire. Also deep into education, many of the notable advocates within the Empire come out of this region. Tradition is highly esteemed in Meritas, the same family holding the lordship since its inception over five hundred years ago.
The city of Grace, the largest settlement of Ethos, by far. All of the culture of the people of the barony are culminated here. Nestled between the borders of Codex and Meritas, neither can truly claim it a part of one, but shared by both. It is here the great Temple of the Purist Faith was built, along with the baronial Keep of the long line of Soranus leaders. It is not a city of other lands, but tradition is here as it is in the rest of the barony. One does not walk the streets of Grace and see women in pants, or swords at their hips. Many artisan shops line the cleanly kept streets, the sides of buildings painted with murals depicting colorful demonstrations of law, love and philosophy. Once a city further inland, since the loss of the land due to the earthquake in late 508, Grace now overlooks the Sea to the south, hovering right on the edge of the landscape.
Being the center of the Purist faith, there are many of the religion that reside within the city, bringing a morality to the culture there that is rather unmatched elsewhere.
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| Economy
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Ethos is a barony of honest, hard work mixed with an emphasis on education. The spice plantations of Meritas do bring in quite a lot of the barony's revenue, as does the high price the limited amount of very high quality paper and inks produce coming out of Codex. The works of the many scribes and advocates alike that come out of Ethos also bring both coin, and notoriety to the area in the training of such fields.
Of course, after the great earthquake that claimed so much of the beloved land of Ethos, the economy is in a state of massive flux, relying heavily on the aid of the Empire as a whole to rebuild what was destroyed, and reestablish itself as the stable holding it has been for so long historically.
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| Culture and Traditions
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Religion and tradition are the two words that could most easily define the culture of Ethos as a whole. Even most of those who do not label themselves as Purists are faithful to Providence and work daily alongside each other with little to no conflict. Most people are content with their lives, a community of people that reach out to help their neighbor in need, and come together when there is hardship to be faced.
There is a deep morality that can be found in the barony, women usually staying in more traditional roles and not crossing lines into more masculine pursuits. There is a higher rate of marriage in Ethos than there is on the rest of Draught, and a more familial way of living than in more scientific areas. Not that Ethos is against science, quite the contrary. Although there is not a large population of such, the people in no way stand in the way of progress they believe is for the best of the Empire. All in all, Ethos is a place of mostly peace, outside of some unrest with the northern border of Meritas, where there are some differences of opinions that swell up from time to time.
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| Holidays
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- February 2 - The Day of Silence
Celebrated as the day that the Champion rose from the dust and first heard Providence speak to him, giving him the strength to seal the demon overlords away and separate Gateway and Mists into two separate isles. Called the Day of Silence as most devout Purists will remain mute for the entirety of the day, reminding themselves of the importance of listening, both to Providence and to the people around them. Even temple gatherings are left in silence as priests and priestesses who typically lead sermons, fall into quiet prayer.
- March 27th - Cleansing Day
A Purist take on 'Spring Cleaning'; Cleansing Day is a Purist festival where women clean up the home or apartment and donate all that they no longer use or have need for to a local charity or orphanage. Men, on the other hand, perform random tasks, usually involving repairs of a neighbor's structure or business, be it Purist or not, just a random act of Light.
- June 5 - The Firefly Festival
A day where all machine work, alchemy, scribing, and everything done by 'modern' Gateway technology is paused and the citizens spend the evening focusing on how beautiful Providence is to have given them such talents to accomplish these things. Fireflies are captured in jars and only a few fires are lit for roasting pigs, and everyone finishes their work before sundown. No one lights a lantern or stays in doors (not without ridicule, anyway). It's a time to commune with the Goddess; tour the booths of those selling things not fashioned by oven, forge, or ink (e.g., massage or fortune-telling, riding, lessons -- some of which of course the Purists aren't too thrilled with but there are not only Purists in Ethos); and indulge in all sorts of orations (debates, story-telling, and some small plays). There is often dancing but without instrument (to a group of acapella singers where most imitate instruments in a percussive or hum-lined fashion). It's a celebrations which focuses on the unity of the people without the separation of technology, and Her blessings in our life to have given us such treasures as intellect and inspiration.
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