Veilderan

Veilderan is a cursed land, caged on all sides by deep rivers and mountains that claw through the clouds. Despite it's apparent lack of any substantial military force and lands rich in resources, no neighboring nation, not even the Kheravazan Empire, dares to foray into Veilderan's borders. They all know the truth of Veilderan - it's mountains and rivers do not make it an impregnable fortress but an inescapable prison, their military are not palisades against foreign invasion but wardens to keep their people under lock and key. Veilderan is a cage that was sealed shut long ago to keep the rest of the world safe from the horrors of those star-scarred lands.

Veilderan is shepherded by the Radiant Church, the clergy of a nameless god who protects His people from the aberrant horrors that prowl the dim cities and plains of the nation. Their core beliefs are two fold. The first is a conviction that true goodness is an immutable trait of the strong. The second is that no matter how dim the night must become, the dawn shall burn away the night: a fundamental hope in the future.

A Nation Thrice Broken

Veilderan is officially and dominantly ruled by the Radiant Church, who grasp their power with a fist of iron cloaked in radiance. However, there are, in truth, three major factions in Veilderan that hold significant power.

The Radiant Church

Sparked by divine revelations of the Prophet, the Radiant Church's rise to power was a slow build from a candle, a niche faith of a few scorned people clinging to hope of a woman's comforting words to the blazing sun it is today, the light that illuminates the whole of Veilderan in His holy light. The Radiant Church’s god is nameless, but he was known by many titles: the Being of Light, the Hope Bearer, the Light Bringer, and, most commonly, the Radiant One. He granted his worshippers divine blessings, the most devoted of whom had their pupils transformed to shimmering gold.

The Church holds two beliefs at its core. The first is a conviction that true goodness is inextricably linked to strength. Weakness is a vice, a flaw to be condemned and expunged rather than a virtue to be upheld. The Radiant Faith expects, or more accurately demands, their flock to be brave, to have a steadfast heart in the face of the horrors of the stars, and to be a beacon for the others around them.

This belief in strength is grounded in the understanding that those who are weak act out of fear, rather than a genuine desire to do good. This is not to say that acts of kindness are without merit, but the Radiant Church asserts that the only true benevolence comes from a place of fortitude and resilience. It is a difficult yet powerful philosophy that has led the church to many victories in the past. Leading by example, many of the major figures within the church stand out as giants amongst their fellow citizens, capable of impressive physical displays of power.

Their second belief is one of hope for the future. Despite the maddening monsters that descend from the skies to Veilderan, the Radiant Church holds firm in their belief that bright and prosperous tomorrow is within reach. They recognize the immense progress that has been made over the centuries; their lives are far more advanced than their forebears could have ever dreamed. It is the church’s duty to ensure continued prosperity, and devout followers are confident that they are the vanguard of a brighter future. Their faith and devotion ensure that progress continues in the years to come, and that none lose the light of hope throughout the world.

The Starochian Loyalists

Before it was church-ruled Veilderan, the land was known as Starochia. A duchy of beautiful landscapes, expensive vineyards and wineries, and horse breeders. Starochia was always secluded, but never before were they so isolated as the land is now. They traded freely with the other peoples of Irulia. When the Lunafaction Wars broke out, however, all of that changed. A war against the stars and moons themselves broke the land of Starochia, and it reformed as something different. As Veilderan. Guided closely by the teachings of a religion that was once a niche community of people following a seer woman. Someone who was, in her time, thought to be a madwoman. But after the Lunafaction Wars, she was heralded as the great Prophetess.

The Starochian Loyalists, more derisively referred to as Royalists by other people of Veilderan, do not believe these stories. They do not believe the Prophetess, whose name was scoured from history by the last Starochian duke, is anything but a madwoman.

The Chalice

The Chalice of Sankt Zlokiri, sometimes called the Comet of Sankt Zlokiri or the Separatists, are a faction of rebels and firebrands founded and led by Falke Erdekrev, more widely known as the Blood Eagle. Once a mercenary band sent to face the horrors of the Scourback Peaks, they returned changed and embittered to the Church. Now known as freedom fighters for the outcast, especially to those outside Veildernam's walls, and monster hunters, the Chalice has pioneered many ways of fighting the tide of star-born monstrosities that plummet to the lands of Veilderan like moths drawn to a flame. Most infamously of all, they are the inventors of biomancy and mutagenic alchemy, employing both to even the odds in the ongoing war against the stars.