The Theocracy of Melderi (Mel-dehr-EE)

While The Seasonal Court looks over the foreign policy, commerce, and overarching happenings of the nation, the day-to-day affairs of most Melderians are helmed by the local Temple. Led by Exemplars, Druids , and others who commune directly with the gods, each Temple works essentially as both parts Guild and Town Hall. While each temple and therefore town has a 'main' god, representatives for every god live in the temples for all the citizens to rely on. The exception to this is Jerinheim , where the High Temple representing all gods stands, the one that all other temples report to. Every town's temple has a mortal leader, called a Meridian , and a spirit leader, one of the Essence-folk known as an Elehmain. Almost all, but especially ones with many foreigners, will also have a leader of secular affairs known as a Barristan(title)

The Cycle of Seasons

See Also: The Seasonal Court  Melderi's main governing body works on a rotation - every 100 years, a new Seasonal Court becomes the head of the nation and its representative Goddess the functional Head of State. With this comes a ceremony known as the Riothacarassi, or "Wheel-Turning", and is seen as the entering of a new Historical Period, with the old age being named and the new age being ushered in. These periods are structured as "The Cycle of [Season]'s [Moniker]", with the current period being known as "The Present Cycle of [Season]" - often shortened to "Current Season".

"Thy neighbor, thy brother."

The Melderians are a very community-focused people, the epitome of the 'it takes a village' mentality. It is expected that you take care of your fellow, especially children, the elderly, and those unable to work. This originated from an emphasis on the household but later expanded out to community-wide interreliance and accountability. It is common that Melderian villages and neighborhoods will rotate tasks such as cooking for community events, cleaning public spaces, and tending communal livestock by household, and it is taken very seriously. It's not a crime to forget one's chores - but one's neighbors will definitely act like it is. Foreigners moving to Melderi, no matter their faith, must make themselves known at the local temple at least once to become antiquated with their community and be placed in these rotations and be told about local events. It's the new person's choice about whether or not to attend, but many foreigners are seen as odd for not attending. In addition to the focus on community, Melderians place a great emphasis on the stages of life, and more especially the transition from childhood to adulthood. Around the ages of 13-17 - depending on the city - a young Melderian goes through what's known as the Gealgana , and its considered one of the most important events of a young Melderian's life. Any celebration of transition, be it birthdays, graduations, weddings, baby showers, or funerals, are held in the highest of degrees. See Also: The Fellowship of Aniadicism

A Society of Flesh and Essence

Something that one might not expect upon visiting Melderi, especially f they have visited neighboring natures such as The Queendom of Prismer or Rafaria , is the casual hierarchy system put in place across the nation. As Aniadicism is a faith that relates closely to the family and the community, issues of faith and workplace follow a similiar familial structure. As mythology states, the Essence-Woven were made to serve the Flesh-Woven as caretakers and leaders known as Elehmain, so it is these creatures of magic and mystery that often hold positions of leadership in towns, Temples, and many workplaces. The Melderian people see these spirit-people as between a local leader and a local god, seeking them out for anything from advice, to settling disputes, to in times of famine and need see who shall get what.

"We shall be a living mythology"

As one of the Ancient Kingdoms , no is quite sure how the nation of Melderi was founded. As Anaidic myth would tell you, when the sky-island Cirri fell due to the wish of the young goddess Ania, she made a pile of earth from the remains and named it Melderi after her mother. She then made Melderians from the excess clay and gave them life from her own desire tto be a mother weaving the Essence into them. It was from there that she made the The Seasonal Court to watch over her creations and give them the gift of passing time.  Archeological data is scarce, but remains found near Port Filirine imply that at the very leaast the coastal regions of Melderi were under the jurisdiction of the late empire of Erkalta , but its still up for debate as to what extent or for how long.

 Notable Cycles of Melderian History

 

• The Cycle Where Autumn of Bled Laurels (~2000 BUE) - A time of great diplomacy and warfare in the nation, often cited as the beginning of Melderi's on-and-off tension with The Greyj-El Empire
•  The Summer of Travellers (~900 BUE) - While not many records exist of this era, Melderian historians record this as this being the time where many fled the comforts of the motherland to explore the distant seas, leading to the later founding of the nations Auzwei , Sigurdrif, and even The City of Mir .
• The Cycle of Spring's First Sister (34 BUE-65 AUE) - In this cycle the Prismer Archipelago was united under one crown into The Queendom of Prismer - a long and trusted ally of Melderi up from the Queendom's founding to Melderi's collapse in 1096 AUE. 

The Melderian Dragon Crusades threw the nation into anarchy, completely destroying the political structure and leaving many Temples in ruin. Without the Gods to guide the day to day activities , the structure of the nation crumbled under its own hysteria. The last Cycle before the Gods went silent was written into history as "The Cycle Where Winter Gave Her Final Breath", or the Silent Winter.

The major cities of Melderi congregate around temples, with each city having a God "sponsor" that rules the main temple. Villages dot the landscape on major roads, along the An Narega , and in critical Essence Wellsprings in the various forests. While many villages have their own temples, for certain High Holidays, many families will travel into the city to the larger temples.

The lands of Melderi extend from the Taffari Mountains down the An Narega to Cirrian Ocean , considered the "Sacred lands" chosen by the Aniadic gods to give to their people. Their only land border with Rafaria is maintained by a small border town, Fenil , and otherwise not very strictly upkept.

Melderi strictly maintains a self-defense Navy and Army stationed at the major ports and entrances into the city, devoted to the protector god [X]. As a generally pacifist nation, this military serves a mostly ceremonial purpose and can also be seen as security in the cities during High Holidays.  The defense posts cycle out every half-year, the soldiers staying on base for half the year and remaining at home with their communities the other half - which lets them 'make up' the time they spent working High Holidays . For the most part these posts are served alone, but married soldiers will sometimes be allowed to bring their spouses onto posts with them, if they recieve the community's blessing.

"What luck is it, that we are a people so blessed by our deities?"

  The nation, as a Theocracy, is both the home and an extension of The Fellowship of Aniadicism . While not all Aniadics are Melderian and not all Melderians are Aniadics, there is no seperation of church and state in the most literal of ways. During Aniadic High Holidays, the nation grinds to a halt, the populace caught up in the festivities they often spend weeks preparing for. There is no higher honor than to be a member of Temple Staff, and their coming of age ceremonies are based on swearing oneself to the alleigance of a Aniadic deity. Despite this fervor, there are plenty of pockets of non-Aniadics in the country, mostly for work but are considered part of the community nonetheless. In particular, Filirene has quite the population of devotees to The Church of Illia and Astriadicism. Notably, in villages in Southern Melderi closer to the border of Rafaria has a particular brand of the faith known as Sufiyic Aniadicism.

Melderi, as a whole, is very uninterested in border disputes as their borders are deigned by their deities, as is every other nation's border in their own mind. They held a very tight neutrality by strictly giving their goods to Prismerese and Rafarian merchants, which has led them to having a few spats with The Confederacy of Laebaime and The Greyj-El Empire when trade ships would come to Filirene and Melderian artisans refused to give them any product, but the skirmishes were settled quickly with their policy remaining resolute. Their foreign policy is broadly - "Leave well enough alone".

Aniadic word is law, and the copies of lawbooks are kept in temples across the country, new pages and addendums brought down from The Seasonal Court by couriers. While its the larger cities that keep detailed codexes of every law copied down to their minutiae, every temple has at least a copy of The Melderian's Birthright , which details the rights of every Melderian. Despite the name of the document, these rights apply to anyone with permanent residency in the nation, as quoted in the text;

"Not every Melderian is born in Her Highlands, nor do they always stay within her embrace. If Fate has led One to Melderi no matter how brief, this be their Birthright."

Notable laws of Melderi are as thus;

• No matter any previous crime or circumstance, a Melderian is due proper and swift healthcare - only a healthy man can be judged by jury or God.
• Children belong to their community, not nessecarily their parents - should a parent be unfit for parenting, it is the duty of the community to find them proper care. This said, the parents are always entitled to a "fair and unbiased assessment of care"
• No Melderian shall work on a High Holiday unless it is to help provide structure and entertainment to the festivities, in which case they have to "make up" the time off after the holiday
• Haggling is illegal, as it is "up to the eye of the craftsman to value their own work". Despite this, bartering is legal and often how transactions are handled outside of the cities.
There is an entire books of law dedicated to the prosecution and handling of non-Aniadic individuals under Melderian law, that the non-Aniadic is given a copy of upon taking residency in Melderi. Their local temple is also given a copy if not already in possession of one.

A very agricultural society with plenty of farmland, Melderi , alongside their neighbor Rafaria , are considered the "Breadbasket of Memdia", providing hearty grain and meat to places without the climate for such things such as The Kingdom of Prismer and Sigurdrif . Staple crops include rye, wheat, potatoes, and carrots, and common livestock include sheep and pork.  Melderi is also known for its great craftsmanship and artisinal goods, especially woodworking, that is coveted by people internationally.

Most people in Melderi travel by horseback, often carrying goods and other passengers with them by cart. Cities tend to be fairly far apart, so small settlements will pop up along roads with merchants and often communal soup pots for people to rest and recharge along their journey across the countryside. Horses are traded for oxen upon getting close to the mountains, and once it gets steep enough, anything that can't be carried upon your back gets left behind. Ferries run along the An Narega connecting Taifalia, Jerinheim , and Filirene, and many carts-taxi systems in the cities by way of public transportation.

Due to the relationship between mortals and gods, the Theocracy is more based on specialized trades than general education. Children are to be taught at some sort of schoolhouse until they come of age, in which they are to be taught how to read and write, as well as basic arithmetic and history. After they become old enough to be delegated into a church, they are to take an apprenticeship and find their way in the world. Those with scholarly pursuits may continue their education in a variety of schools and colleges in the cities, and many will even go abroad in pursuit of knowledge. Education is seen as a blessing given by the gods, and the Courts often give scholarships to those seeking education abroad.