Commonwealth of Mysidia

Mysidia is one of the seven great nations of the Crystal Dimension. For the entirety of its history since the fall of the ancient Xsian Empire, Mysidia has been a magocracy -- a nation ruled by its magic using class (although in modern Mysidia, since practically everybody is capable of some degree of spellcraft, it's not quite as elitist as it sounds).

A fairly recent coup installed a socialist leadership in Mysidia, and marked the nation's entry into the Communist Protectorate. It has styled itself in many ways after the example of the Merge League, but in several respects Mysidia represents a return to a kinder, gentler brand of socialism.

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The Mysidian Flag

(slogan on the bottom added after the establishment of the Commonwealth)

Land

The Commonwealth of Mysidia occupies the whole of South Eastern Crystal, stretching from the Dragonmaw Peninsula to the Ordealan Mainland, on up to the Silveran Islands. It is through the Silveran Islands that Mysidia shares a border with Fabul.

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Population

Mysidia's population is largely human, and concentrated in villages on the Dragonmaw Peninsula and larger cities across the Ordealan Mainland. The Silveran islands, however, have a population of midges and intelligent frogs and pigs. These creatures were liberated from fascist rule by the Mysidians, and now happily form part of the Commonwealth to avoid being subjugated again.

Religion

Mysidians practice a variant of Lunarianism, which differs from the Eblanese religion most noticeably in that it does not include worship of any specific deity. The Mysidians believe that gods do play an important role in the celestial bureaucracy, but that humans (or, more accurately, mortals of all races) play just as important a part, if not a more important one. The moon goddess Seliane, therefore, is in the Mysidian view but one of many celestial administrators, who plays her part just as each man, woman and child must play theirs. So Mysidian "worship" revolves instead around the writings of the Lunarian teachers, the prophesies handed down by Mysidia's sages over the courses of centuries (proof, in the Mysidian view, that men are as important in the workings of the universe as Gods) and the study and practice of magic (the quintessential way in which man realizes his destiny to shape the universe). The only prominent religious figure in Mysidia is the Sage himself, who resides in the Tower of Wishing and communes with the Heavens to be empowered with the wisdom to rule.

On the Ordealan mainland, however, most folk are Tahranist, because of the association that Tahran is thought to have with the sacred Mount Ordeals. While some Ordealans are Lunarists, and some even follow the Eblanese tradition of Lunarianism and worship Seliane, by far Tahranists are in the majority here.

Silverans, on the other hand, have their own deity and their own faith. They worship a trimorphic god, called Shahm. Shahm has components of all three Silveran peoples -- the human-like head of a midge, the body of a pig and the hind legs of a frog. Shahm heads an entire pantheon of Silveran deities (who are either his children, siblings or cousins; the mythology is unclear on this) with the following aspects: the Sea (a Frog), the Earth (a Midge), Greed (a Pig), Lust (a Frog), Fire (a Midge) and Wealth (a Pig). These gods, strangely, have no names, but are familiar images in Silveran arts and crafts. The most celebrated rivalry in the Silveran pantheon exists between Greed and Wealth, the former of which is decidedly villainous and the latter of which is more or less neutral, though plagued with the bad reputation of his fellow pig-god. Together, this cast of characters acts out a series of morality plays that are meant to teach the Silverans to live in harmony with each other, and that no one people of Silvera could survive without the aid of the other two. During the reign of Snoutwit in Silvera, a perversion of the Shahmist religion was spawned, in which Shahm was mostly pig and was said to favor the pigs above midges and frogs. This variant, as a tool of propoganda, died with Snoutwit's regime, and is not practiced on the Silveran islands anymore. A few shrines of Shahm dot the Silveran islands, but priests of Shahm do not pursue the priesthood as a full-time vocation. Like Raineric priests, Shahmist priests hold "day jobs" as well, often working in the mines alongside their parishioners.

It could be said that the Commonwealth is the most religious member of the Communist Protectorate -- though that really would not be saying a whole lot.

Economy

Mysidia is the primary manufacturer of magic potions and accessories in Crystal. These goods, which do not take well to mass-production (and often have high price tags), have been the primary export of Mysidia for as long as any can remember. The formation of the Commonwealth is centered, however, around the Silveran islands, which hold vast reserves of Magilyte. This is a great boon not only for Mysidia (which could use the reserves to become a major Magilyte exporter), but for the Protectorate as well (which will immediately benefit from Mysidia's magilyte extraction operations in Silvera).

Law

Mysidian law is ancient, though it has undergone some revision in recent times. With the rise of Sage Vortigern Pax, Mysidia changed and became a socialist state, following the model of the Merge League's brand of magocratic communism. Then, with the conquest of Silvera, and the subsequent interventions of Eblan, Scande and Toroia, Mysidia changed again into a commonwealth.

The five states of the Commonwealth (see below) each have their own leaderships, which are in turn able to determine each individual state's laws. These laws tend toward ensuring the kinds of political freedoms that would have been denied the Mysidian people as members of the Merge League; the Mysidian people (through labor unions and guilds) are ensured a say in their government. The laws of all five states are governed by the Mysidian Precepts, a document which was written by the Mysidians, Ordealans and Silverans together, and which guarantees things like social services, the right to organize labor concerns and the right to higher/arcane education for all citizens.

Government

The Commonwealth of Mysidia is divided into five states: Dragonmaw (being comprised of the city of Mysidia and the rest of the Dragonmaw Peninsula), Ordeals (comprised of the Ordealan mainland), Dragonpaw (comprised of the westmost Ordealan island), Dragontail (comprised of the eastmost Ordealan island), and Silvera (comprised of the seven southern Silveran islands). Each state has its own government, and its own laws, which ultimately answer to the Sage of Mysidia. The purpose of the Commonwealth is that it exists for the benefit of all, and all the states in turn work for the benefit of the larger Commonwealth.

These states are not entirely democratic. The Sage appoints an Overseer to each state, who is responsible for the administration of that state of the Commonwealth. Overseers are always drawn from within the population of a state, following the principle that a state's citizens know best how to govern their own people. In addition to the Overseer, most states have some form of governing council/legislature, which are not always democratic in nature (Ordeals and Dragontail have democratically elected councils, the rest do not).

The Overseers and the Sage meet in council in the city of Mysidia to determine the direction of the Commonwealth. Overseers generally spend the balance of their time in their home states, and meet the Sage in Mysidia once every two months -- more often if necessary.

Internal Politics

After all the struggle that went into obtaining the Silveran Islands for Mysidia, the northern seven islands broke away from the Commonwealth and are now under the control of the Porcines -- fascist pigs (so to speak) who are believed to have the support of Eblan. Small-scale naval skirmishes occasionally break out between small boatloads of Silverans and Porcines, but as yet the Commonwealth has made no move to reclaim the lost islands.

Foreign Politics

The tension between Eblan and Mysidia over the Eblanese invasion has left some of the hopes for a unified Crystal dashed in their infancy. The Protectorate spacefleet now has a presence in the Crystal Dimension, perilously close to Toroia's SRAN contingent, and Eblan's growing closeness with Guardia means the likely involvement of Guardian troops in any future wars that break out in Southern Crystal. Mysidia, it seems, is less concerned with these tensions, nor with the hopes of a unified Crystal, than it is for simply bringing its own house to order and ensuring the happiness of the citizens who now find themselves under the Commonwealth's banner.

Military

The Commonwealth has an army comprised of wizards and stone golems (quarried from the various mountain ranges on the Ordealan mainland and Dragontail island). An elite force of Merge League Leviathan War veterans commands and trains the Army of the Commonwealth. In addition to these ground forces, Mysidia has several ports on the Dragonmaw Peninsula which have been given over to the Scandian League to use as Protectorate naval bases. A makeshift spaceport has been built just outside the city of Mysidia, for use by the Protectorate Spacefleet.

The Commonwealth is a fairly large country, but for all this territorial girth it has little in the way of its own protection; it relies in large part upon the Protectorate to secure its borders, and pays for this service in precious magilyte. In addition, Mysidia has coaxed the Order of the Paladins Templar into a kind of alliance by ceding Mount Ordeals and the city at its base to them, for their use. They have established training facilities and a good-sized base there, and though they have not committed themselves to it, Mysidia expects that they can now rely on the Paladins to provide additional protection (if such a need should arise).

People

Sage Vortigern Pax

Vortigern Pax is a portly, balding old wizard who is learned in the disciplines of Mysidian Black and White magic. Once he was Alkar's tutor, when the Black Magic Grand Master made his tour of the Web to learn of other magical traditions outside of Merge. It was their association that paved the way for their friendship, and Alkar's support of Pax's coup to take control of Mysidia. Originally, Vortigern wanted to bring Mysidia into the Merge League, but after being spurned by Alkar, the Sage has chosen to forge his own destiny. The Commonwealth is what has resulted.

Mandeimos Phlan

A bookish black mage of some skill, Phlan is one of Pax's most talented students and trusted advisors. He is a disshevled young man, with messy brown hair, a stubbly unshaven face and silver-rimmed glasses that fit haphazardly atop the bridge of his nose. He is quiet, reserved and serious; the opposite of his counterpart Nyx. It is rumored that, though polar opposites, Phlan and Nyx are part of a greater whole, and that together they can cast powerful spells to devastate any who oppose them.

As of the formation of the Commonwealth, Phlan has taken on the title of Interior Minister. His duties include overseeing the Commowealth's public works as well as mediating any disputes that might arise between the five states.

Nyx

A slim, attractive young white mage, Nyx is one of Pax's most talented students and trusted advisors. She dresses in form-fitting black gowns, wears her raven hair long so it spills down over her shoulders, and is never seen anywhere without her pet snake Mucalinda, her magical familiar and protector. Nyx is adventurous and outgoing; everything that her counterpart, Mandeimos Phlan, is not. For all their differences, Phlan and Nyx work well together. It is said that when they team up, they can cast special magic spells that are far more powerful than what either wizard could cast alone.

As of the formation of the Commonwealth, Nyx has become Mysidia's Chief Diplomat (appropriate, when you consider the respective assignments of Phlan and Nyx; Phlan the introvert is responsible for the interior, and Nyx the extrovert for the outside world).

Bleda Hernandez

Bleda is a stalwart, dark-skinned white mage who acts and fights like a Paladin. He was the Captain of the People's Militia of Mysidia during the Eblanese invasion, and for his brave service was carried over to become the Commander in Chief of the Army of the Commonwealth. He wears the robes of a White Mage, but carries the enchanted sword and shield of a paladin. He is also the highest-ranking Tahranist in the Commonwealth's government, and is the Sage's appointed liason to the Templar of Mount Ordeals.

Zulena of the Clock

Zulena hails from the Merge League, originally a court Time Mage attached to the King of Worus before Lord Alkar issued the call. She is a decorated Leviathan War veteran, and a leader among the Mergers who live in the Commonwealth. She dresses in a manner similar to the Time Mages of Merge, in a soft purple gown with a white-fringed collar. Zulena's collar is especially high-backed, forcing her soft cornsilk blonde hair to spill out over her shoulders. She does not, however, sport the conical orange hat that was so popular among other Time wizards; she finds it to be a bit on the ridiculous side. Zulena is the Overseer of Dragonpaw state, the island which Sage Vortigern gave to the Mergers who joined his cause and fought to protect Mysidia from the Eblanese. She was instrumental in turning the Merge League garrison over to Vortigern's control, and securing the loyalties of the Merge League veterans who successfully held the Eblanese out of the city during the invasion (though Zulena herself was not at the battle, as she had been sent with the Golem army to capture Silvera).

Zulena has set up a magic school on Dragonpaw devoted to Merger schools of magic not found in Mysidia (Summoning, Time magic and Blue magic). She has done this in the hopes of being able to recreate a little slice of her home in the Crystal dimension.

Fevel Morrigan

Fevel is a wealthy Black Mage from a prominent Mysidian family. He has something of a reputation about Mysidia as a playboy; a charming, silver-tongued rogue with more than a few broken hearts to his name. He was put in charge of the golem factory along with Zulena of the Clock, and with Zulena was in charge of golem production when Mysidia was dominated by the League. Fevel helped secure the factory for Sage Vortigern, and now in the Commonwealth he serves as the Minister of Labor and Industry. His job is to interface with the quarrymen, lumberjacks, metalsmiths, chemists and miners (and the unions and guilds which represent them) who fuel the Commonwealth's economy and bring their concerns to the government.

Wartswerth

Wartswerth is a strapping, muscular Midge fast approaching middle age. His hair and beard are wiry, iron-colored bristles that jut, rather than grow, out of his head. His eyes seem to bulge from his face; they are large and wide, almost as if the creator of the Silveran races had stuffed a pair of human-sized eyeballs into the head of a creature much too small for them. His voice, despite his stature, is deep, resounding and powerful; for so small a person, he is a commanding presence. Wartswerth is the former Guildmaster of the Silveran Mining Guild, but after the formation of the Commonwealth he was named Overseer by Sage Vortigern.

Batrachus Belchington

Belchington is a fat, purple-skinned frog, who rose to fill the position of Guildmaster of the Silveran Mining Guild after Wartswerth became the Overseer. Belchington is a self-described Silveran exile, who left Silvera to pursue magical education in Mysidia rather than languish in the mines under Snoutwit's oppressive regime. An accomplished caster of both Black and White magic himself, Belchington's credentials as Guildmaster are sometimes questioned by those under him because he hasn't set foot near the Silveran mines since before his "exile." Still, he is a committed public servant, and has so far done his best to represent the desires of the laborers under his care.

Selected Major Cities

• Mysidia

The city of Mysidia is the capital of the Commonwealth. It is the seat of the Sage, and the home of the Crystal of Water. Its most well known feature is the Tower of Wishing, without a doubt the most important cultural/religious structure to the Mysidian people.

Along with being the capital of the Commonwealth, Mysidia is also the capital of Dragonmaw state. Sage Vortigern serves as the state's "overseer," and is advised by his wizardly cabinet council: Mandeimos Phlan, Nyx, Bleda Hernandez and Fevel Morrigan. Just as Vortigern is the ruler of both the state and the larger Commonwealth, so too do the members of his council have authority and powers that extend beyond Dragonmaw to the rest of the country.

• Southjaw

Southjaw is a wealthy suburban district just across the bay from the city of Mysidia, literally on the south "jaw" of the Dragonmaw. It is home to Mysidia's elite upper classes, the wizardly families who have made fortunes from the parts they play in Mysidia's trade in magical items. Some of the more important sorcerous families in Southjaw include the Morrigans (whose stock in trade is magical fireworks, and whose favorite son, Fevel, is a member of the Sage's cabinet council), the Woolthgrens (who hold the international patent on flying carpets and brooms), the Haveldores (who specialize in the trade and preservation of rare scrolls and books of a magical nature) and the Benbournes (who are one of the more prominent potion-brewing houses in all of Mysidia).

• Throatport

Throatport sits at the southernmost point of the Dragonmaw peninsula. It is the largest port facility in the Commonwealth, and the heart of the Protectorate's military presence in the Crystal Dimension. It sits just across the water from a naval travel portal to the Dragon Dimension, and is home to a small contingent of the Scandian blue water navy.

The people who live in Throatport are both Mysidian and Scandian. For the Scandians who maintain the garrison in the city, the relative freedoms of Mysidia are at once a strange and exhilarating experience. Learning from the example of the Merger expatriates who now live in Mysidia, the living conditions of garrisoned Scandian naval personnel are closely monitored by the Scandian League: Scandian personnel in Throatport are required to maintain their residence at the Protectorate Garrison Complex, are held to an exacting curfew, and require special permission to travel beyond the city limits.

• Mount Ordeals

Mount Ordeals is the name of the city that rests at the foot of the sacred mountain of the same name that strikes up from the center of the Ordealan mainland. The city (and the mountain) are technically no longer under the direct control of the Commonwealth, for they have been ceded to the Order of the Paladins Templar. However, in practice, Mount Ordeals still functions as part of the Commonwealth, and still serves as the capital of the state of Ordeals. Mount Ordeals' mayor, Dame Alfreda Hernandez, is the twin sister of Bleda Hernandez, the Commander in Chief of the Army of the Commonwealth. Like her brother, Alfreda is trained as a White Mage, but she has also recently begun training as a Paladin of Tahran with the Templar who have come to her city.

In addition to being Mount Ordeals' mayor, Alfreda is also the Overseer of Ordeals state. She presides over a State Council of twelve members, who are elected by the populace. Because the Paladins now control Mount Ordeals, they are accorded the right to vote for State Councilmen, and to run for said offices.

• New Tule

New Tule is the capital of Dragonpaw state, and was founded by Merger expatriates. They don't comprise the majority of Dragonpaw's population, but they do control the capital, and their leader Zulena of the Clock is the state's Overseer.

The center of life in New Tule is the Academy of Sorcerers, where Zulena has set up a state government that mirrors that of her native Merge League -- a true Magocracy. Six Schools exist within the Academy, one for each of the schools of magic in Merge (Black, White, Red, Blue, Time and Summoning). Each School has a Principal, who together with the Overseer form the state's governing council.

The Academy has set up branch campuses in most of the towns and villages of Dragonpaw island. Zulena hopes to bolster the ranks of all the schools of magic not found natively in Crystal by offering scholarships to people from all corners of the Commonwealth to come to Dragonpaw and study at the Academy.

• Dvergenhom

Dvergenhom is the capital of Dragontail state. Centuries ago, the island was colonized by Dwarves from the Underground (by way of Agart), who took up residence in the Dragontail Mountains and lived in relative obscurity until the ascendence of Sage Dean. When Dean became Mysidia's Sage, he made contact with the Dragontail Dwarves and began to trade with them for the precious gems they mined in the mountains. These went mostly to the city of Southjaw, where the wealthy elites employed them in the creation of magical items. All sides prospered from this arrangement: as the aristocratic wizard families of Southjaw became wealthy, so too did the Dwarflords of Dragontail.

The lord of Dvergenhom, and the Overseer of Dragontail state, is Harald Forkbeard, who retains the dwarvish title "Dvergherren" (Dwarflord). The Dvergherren is advised by a Riksdag (parliament), which is divided into two Kammars (chambers): the Forsta Kammar, which is comprised of the heads of each of the five Dwarven Noble Houses of the Dragontail Mountains, and the Andra Kammar, which is comprised of thirty three elected legislators from across the island. By necessity, a majority of the Andra Kammar is human, for though the Dwarves rule the island because of their great wealth and power among the wizards of Mysidia, most of Dragontail's population is, in fact, human. Dvergenhom is only one of a number of underground cities on the island; most of the civilized people on Dragontail live in towns and cities that are build above ground, either on the coastal lowlands, on top of the mountains or at the bottom of the rocky canyons between the jagged, snowcapped peaks.

• Silvera

Silvera is the capital city of Silvera state, located on the largest of the Silveran islands (itself also called Silvera). Like Dvergenhom, Silvera is known for its mining and mineral wealth; however, rather than precious gems suitable for item-craft, Silvera's mines put out large quantities of silver and, as recently discovered, magilyte. Silveran silver has recently (with Silvera's coming under Mysidian rule) become a desired item among the Southjaw artisans, but the cash crop of Silvera is likely to become its Magilyte. Export of Magilyte is expected to become the primary driving force of a massively huge upward surge in the Mysidian economy, making Silvera an indispensible part of the Commonwealth.

Silvera's Overseer is Wartswerth, formerly the Guildmaster of the Mining Guild. The council of Silvera is the Union Council, which is indirectly democratic. Guildmasters are elected by each island's branch of the Mining Guild (there are, in total, 14 Silveran Islands), and then each Guildmaster is allowed to select two Councilmen who will represent the island in the Union Council.