Kingdom of Nobletrie

Culture

Goals

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Social Hierarchy

The rulers of the kingdom are known as the King and Queen. Their responsibilities revolve around the vital task of preserving the Dragonkin Covenant with the living goddess, Tiamat. Their word is regarded as law with little reservation, as they are seen as the speakers of the goddess, an extension of her will in mortal flesh.   After the crown on the chain of authority is the Commander, who holds near absolute authority over the kingdom's military forces. While they still answer to the crown, they have the ability to call up the armies at a moment's notice if need warrants it.   Following the Commander are the Provincial Lords and Ladies; mostly made up of families who had ruled their territory for generations before being pulled into the kingdom. While the crown has sovereignty over all the provinces and assimilated territories within their borders, the king has allowed many of these previous ruling families to continue governing so long as they submitted to the laws of his expanding nation.   From there, authority becomes dispersed rather evenly over various governing officials, law enforcement, and the clergy. Each has their own minor chain of command that maintains the delicate buffer of fairness between nobility and commonwealth. In certain cases, these officials can reach beyond their local authority figures and appeal to other powers of higher standing, should they believe their own overseers to be corrupt or unfit in some way.

Religion

Though the kingdom prides itself in acceptance of many different faiths and religious practices, there is a definate priority toward showing reverance to the Dragon Goddess, Tiamat. It is known that she listens through her worshipers and can cause great destruction as well as bestow great blessings. There are many ways to pay tribute, from offerings of gold to the flesh of an enemy defeated, though the latter has threats of punishment by the law. Families have taken to leaving treasures at the feet of her statues, asking for her blessings in either their future endevors, for fortune conceiving, or simply to keep misfortune from befalling them. These offerings, should they be accepted, will disappear over the course of the night. It is considered a high crime to steal from the temple, and offenders can only hope the law punishes them before the goddess realizes the theft.

Festivals and Holidays

Day of Morning

A nationwide holiday, marked by an aurora of the five colors of Tiamat filliing the skies. Despite the name, this celebration and its effects have been noted to last a full 24-hour cycle. This day is famous for being a time when all are immortal, and many youths use it as a way to safely satiate curiosities that would otherwise be to dangerous. Those who perish in these acts describe hearing a song in reverse and awakening, unharmed and restored.   Monsters and beasts across the land are gifted a full belly and calm temperment to discourage attacks, allowing for momentary safe passage through otherwise hostile territories.   It is common practice to sing and dance, many cities hosting grand parties with various feasts and competitions to celebrate another year of prosperity and to show Tiamat that her blessings are enjoyed to their fullest. Some believe that if enough offerings are made at this time, then the goddess will decend from her throne to join the festivities among the mortals; a truely divine occurance with great blessings to surely follow.

Government

Foundational Edicts

Citizenship

When someone reaches adulthood they are given a modest home in whatever city or town they wish to live in, paid for by a small portion of taxes that have been paid in by the people to the local lord. From there they can build up their own wealth on a clean slate, free of home-related taxes for the first year while they get established.   Refugees and newcomers to the kingdom are given a card with limited access to a bank account that is supplied from the crown, applicable anywhere in the kingdom for a full year to get them started. Each day this card allows them to use a set amount of gold to stay sheltered and fed. Additional luxuries must be paid for by coin they earn themselves.   If a group of people want to break away from the established settlements and start a new village, they all sell their homes back to the lord to be gifted to others who have recently grown up. They go on to use the gold to buy materials to build the starting foundations of the village where they want. They pay for the land by giving a portion of whatever produce they generate for the first few years to the local provincial lords, as well as standard taxes. [to be exported as trade or stored and given back into the province's economy.]   These villages are not protected by a Sigil Tree until it becomes large and established enough for Tiamat to take notice, so they are entitled to a small portion of trained soldiers for the first months. These soldiers will teach the villagers how to defend themselves as well as keep them safe from monsters in the summer. In the winter, when no crops grow and monsters are more dangerous, the villagers travels to the nearest town or city to live and work, staying with either family or inns built for this purpose. Once they have a Tree, they stay in their village year around, protected by its magic.

Healthcare & Education

Healthcare and basic education are free. More advanced education is paid for either by the person themselves or the guild they are training under.

History

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