Domeris

Appearance

Domeris is located below Basilicis and serves as an important part of Quattvia regarding literally all sorts of businesses. It's structure is quite unique built properties are what makes its appearance stand out, even if it's in a bad way.

Domeris has often grey weather. It's either a sunny day with barely some clouds or it's filled with mist or rain. More often than not, clouds will leave the sky and come out in the evening. It's partially the reason for Domeris' mist filled streets in the morning. Due to a lot of factories, especially in Peteudven, the smoke gets mistaken for clouds. However, Domericans don't have to worry about their air problems because of the pipe system below the surface (ref. Special places in Domeris ).

Domeris is seperated into an Overground and Underground part - all because of the massive rifts in its earth called Claws of Domeris. There are several layers in between those two parts, making navigating for tourists or newcomers somewhat difficult.

Poor state

Because a lot of Domericans served in the war of Matahari Bangun and came back scarred from it they turned into an unstable folk. Most of which resided in Werfall, and were known as "The Hounds" due to their aggresive behavior that came from mental instability and consumption of alcohol. After the war Domeris wasn't as quick to regain their stability and partially lost some of it, making Domeris the poorest province in all of Quattvia due to the inability and the king's discard for their wellbeing. The Domericans searched for a way to survive, and crime appealed to the the most. Even though Evander Collymore, the current king, established better ways for them to make money through businesses, they stop at nothing to have power and wealth for themselves. This made the different gangs and councils fight for more gain without leaving any crumbs for others as greed out of desperation overtook many.

Founder

Kalvius Domeris (often described as Kalvius Domeris the Strong) was the founder of Domeris, acting as one of the four travellers of Quattvia. He is often represented with a pickaxe that shows Domeri's mining pride and profit, a muscular body and beard that indicates the man-like stregth of the province.

Major events

The inflation after the The Banishment was something Domeris wasn't prepared for. Much like the after war effects on many men who came back as scarred for life soldiers, poverty began to rise with the incoming Senlyox immigrants. Even though there was place for most Senlyox, there weren't enough supplies or material nor food (which was already a problem after the war with Matahari Bangun ). This led to the oucasting of the immigrants and lack of respect because suddenly the prices rose out of nowhere.

Language

The language Domericans speak is Domericanian, and is actually spoken about anywhere, making it Quattvia's overall language.

Those who remain proud and traditional Domericans will shake their heads at the current situation of Domeris. After the The Banishment they lost their hard working spark and wil to work together through blood and sweat. What Kalvius Domeris intented for his nation began to fall apart and is now a mix of miserable lives that depend on survival of the fittest.

Day of Earnings

There is a feast called "Day of Earnings" that is celebrated due to the hardworking spirit of Domericans. It was firstly only something miners celebrated after a year worth of exhausting work and sweat. Over time the whole population began following this ritual.

Domericans see their jobs or occupations as something that defines their and their province's state and spirit. Many say that "A day's work is a life's yearning." This is their fulfillment, which is why on this day of celebration, once a year, all Domericans do not attend their jobs or work at all, savoring what they have earned for 24 hours. During that period of time, the usually busy marketplaces, merchant houses and the like simply stay at home to rest. with their families, colleagues or friends. If one were to come outside, they'd find their neighbourhood rid of people, like a ghost town. That is until next day, where everything and everyone comes to life again and tends to their tasks as usual. This "by honest labor defined strength" is a principle that nowadays not everyone clings to as confidently as they did in the pasts. All because of the desperation to survive through any means necessary.

A miner's life

The job of a miner gets a person as close to Domeris' culture as possible. They have a sense of working close together as a cammeradie, a bond one that of soldiers, as some might say. They have their own rituals. For instance, they asks for blessing each time they enter a shaft, similar to wishing luck to find something or simply not let this day go to waste. Some have adapted doing this when they leave their houses as well.

Proverbs

"A day's work is a life's yearning." Indicates that the hard labor one fulfills will fill thaty person's desires, values and aspirations. The small tasks done it a day are connected to the entirety of larger goals and the world itself. That's why death is viewed like a gift from life itself, giving the dead the piece of mind and body at last.

"A good turn deserves another". It implies that should one do a good deed for another person, then they shall return it in some way, as if to repay a debt that cannot go unsettled. Settled business like that is what original Domeris relies on, once again reminding its people of their needed traits of cammeradie among each other. As Domeris grew poorer however, the true meaning of this saying faded for most individuals, and instead turned into...

"If you give a friend a home, he will give you a shield in times of need." is a saying that has been devastatedly discarged by the Domerican folk. Not only because of their greed, but also because of the poverty caused by the inflation as the Senlyox came pouring into their province.

Red Remmedy

"Red Remedy" is a sort of duel that is only performed among Domericans. It's meaning is to settle a commotion or some sort of unpaid debt (etc.) between individuals or their communities. Similar to the "A good turn deserves another" saying, the opponents could demand a Red Remedy duel. In such a circumstance, such a proposal could be denied, but would indicate weakness or even shame otherwise. If the opponent does agree however, then they are forced to find a date on which the duel will be held. The winner will gain something from the loser, be it money, a place or some other sort of possesion. Alongside the challange being announced, the challanged is to decide what weapons, or no weapons at all, should be used.

The rules of such a duel are the following: Before the fight begins, both participants must state their proposed demands. The demands must not cause lasting harm or permanent damage to the loser, but may impose temporary comditions, such as temporary loss of territory, a favor owed, or temporary concessions. The terms of the duel should focus on resolving the immediate conflict and not involve permanent shifts in power or influence. During the duel, if an oppponent falls to the ground and calls out: "Remedy!" then the fight is over, and the shouter wins.

Art

Music and dance is Domeri's core in terms of art. Especially in the evening, after many leave their working stations to spend their remaining free hours to enjoy themselves. Folk songs are especially loved in taverns and were a part of any celebration since the foundation of Domeris. The style of their music changed over time, but those who have kept their traditional values will always keep on singing with a group of friends on a cheerful evening, knowing their work is done.

Gender/Race equality

If there's a place that has low equality, then it has to be Domeris. It wasn't always as horrible as it is now, but women were seen as something weaker from the beginning. Since hard work requires a strong body, women where cut from the picture of a proud Domerican. Of course, they weren't shoved or turned away from their society, but women had lower chances of finding a good job. Adiitionally, they simply weren't allowed to work in mines. This was a problem during the war against the Matahari Bangun while most men had gone off to fight: The women couldn't make enough for a living, so upon the soldier's return, there wasn't much to return to.

Currently there are many Senlyox , who have survived the The Banishment, which caused the inflation inflation Domeris. Having now become even more of a poor province, most Domericans began to hat them. They were discriminated and many had no choice but to live under oppression and work under terrible conditions.

Government

Like every other province, Domeris is ruled by the king. To make it easier and more efficient to control and oversee everything, each province has a State Official. The Official's task is to keep track of the commotion and mostly trade and legal matters of their given region. The Official is handling the state's police and has them in his hands, but when it comes down to it, the official will get orders from the councelors of the king, whom he orders. The Domeris' Ofiicial name is Codell Iross.

Or rather was, because the new State Ofiicial, surprisingly recrewed from Basilicis recently, is Laurent Duboise.

In Domeris, the police are officially called Cohorts, but due to Domeris high criminal and poor state most bestow them the title of Executors. The name came out of the hate towards the unfair and disrespectful treatment towards the common folk. The Cohorts make enough money to earn a living, which is exactly what gets the rest of Domericans riled up when it comes to associating with them.

The Collectives

However, the Iross is unable to fully control the trade and its ways for the tradesmen have their own ways of doing business, dirty and even more ditry business. Even with all his influence, he is in no position to simply stop a trading association or the so called Collectives, leaving him being regarded as weak by almost everyone and hardly seeing him as a real threat. Domeris' whole system depends on its criminal system and order of chaos, leaving the Official to influence it with other ways, attributing to minor changes within the trading matters.

There are a lot of Collectives within Domeris. It doesn't simply imply what trade one is assigned with, but more often that not implies what status one has. There are Collectives who are rather small and more dependened on what the big fish in the sea of trade have to offer for their word and materials. That's why many call them ragtag Collectives or rather "Lowsteps". Thoseare usually minor gangs, compared to the Council, and have little to no influence when it comes to changes within the trading commotion. That's also the reason many of them get hired by the TC-Council: They could have a good word put in for them or gain crumbs of recognition. With that comes a pay they might not be reluctant to ignore.

TC-Council

Then there is the TC-Council that overlooks the trade as a whole and is the major contributor of Domeris trade business. It consists of 4 Collectives who make the most wealth and have the power where the state Official's position fails, mostly resorting out of succesful family businesses. Due to their ties with Domeris "underworld" they have better ties and do what's necessary to keep Domeris, or at least their own group going. The TC-Concil is divided into 4 Collectives as such (started in chronological order of becoming official):

1. Firmwater = Led by Sorin Fettucor and is the oldest Collectives that is still active. This family business has never wavered in its work before, and even now Fettucor makes the most profit of all the other Collectives which makes sense, given that his Collective thrives in its trade that marks Domeris as the biggest contributor, and that is the stone materials he obtains through his family owned mines. Fettucor himself comes from a line of a very traditionally focused family, making him a proud Domerican himself. The image of the "old Domeris" still applies within his Collective's vision. Basically the "Work to earn" type of Collective. Because his business is Domeris' pride, his numbers of associates and employees is high when it comes to working in the mines. Others who work personally for him are people who forged their bonds with loyalty, as a traditional Domerican would expect it to be.
2. Bloodsteel Forgers = Led by Onel Bloodsteel has got to be the most dangerous group. Many say their brute force rivals that of the Executors, making most of the open commotions and troubles between Domericans and Executors the result of their neglect for settling their unspoken rivalry without physical force. The Officialm mof Domeris however, cannot simply neglect the trade the Bloodsteel Forgers input to the system. Because they forge weapons for the people of Domeris, and eluding them out of the equation would mean stopping Domeris from its known main trade offer of materials. Even so, the Bloodsteel Forgers are not very efficient in regards of the proficiency of their business as soon as Onel took over the family business.
3. Pulchra House = Led by Berin Van-Zafrack (nickname: the Peacock), and as the name implies, he has the most extraordinary business when it comes to the province of Domeris. He trades in garments and fabrics, which surprisingly makes him also a succesfull contributor to the TC-Council. Unlike Onel Bloodsteel, he has ties outside of Domeris and tries to sell his goods there as much as possible. His business started slowly, but skyrocketed soon after The Banishment all because he employed many Senlyox refugees (or rather forced and binded them with a contract). Since they were previously known for having the best fabric quality he applied their knowledge and made it useful for his Collective. He also named his Collective after his wife, and always implies that he does it all to please her. Wether or not that's true is up to debate.
4. The Den = Led by Logan Nelson is a Food Collective that was never supposed to join the TC-Council in the first place for it wasn't seen as possible. Lowsteps-Collectives never stood a chance of joining the TC-Council due to its wealth and income. The Den started out as such a small community and no one would have thought it would become more that that. Started by Laurelia Nelson, Logan's mother, it was a small association which purpose was to stabilize its members life. It was mostly a shelter and nothing more. After the sudden death of Laurelia Nelson however, Logan became the leader of the Den and took it up on himself to fix the mess and remains of the Collective. And he did. Logan quickly estaablished trade routes from where he could find them, mostly relying on Basilicians, and created peronal bonds and contracts between him and taverns and bars. He offers them the protection the Cohorts neglect, and he himself obtains a certain amount of their profit. At that time, it was the correwct choice, because due to Domeris' state and after war effects on many soldiers, drinking away problems seems like the best option. Logan used that to quickly obtain the necessary means and become more influencial. At some point he got a permit from Codell Iross to become a part of the TC-Council for his Collective was impossible to be ignored. How exactly he obtained a permit so easily with the Official who is difficult to agree with remains a mystery to everyone. There is one thing that is clear as day: Despite the other 3 Collectives not being cheerful about Logan Nelson getting involved like that they cannot work without his Collective now. Additionally, the Den may seem like a place to be a refuge for those who are under its protection (like the Senlyox emigrants from The Banishment ), but its force is not to be underestimated. Which is a mistake beginners make when they meet Logan Nelson for the first time.

While the TC-Council meets to check in on their associates and their binding and dependent trade once a month or so, they do this not at one assigned meeting spot. They have several areas for that king of gathering, and use different places at different times to show their ability for variety, something only few Domericans have. That's also a reason for safety and control measures too.

An important thing to remember regarding the TC-Council's line of work is the anual meetings all Collectives, including Lowsteps, have to attend to. These anual overlook meetings were created by the Official to avoid the possibility of the TC-Council disregarding the Lowsteps. Another reason is to prevent a monopol and distribute the businesses and their profits to all tradesmen and the like. These summits are held every half year in summer and fall.

General

Domeris might not be as advanced and ordely as Faz-Uhan, but despite the looks of it, it is identically advanced as Basilicis, if not even better.

Even though miners mostly use their hands to get a better overlooked and checked result, they also use drill machines and Coal Transport Lines (mining carts) to obtain and send coal as well as other materials away.

Transport

There are transports for people too. For example the Elevators used within the ground levels of all of Domeris. They are extremly big and can fit about 30 people in them, serving to get Domericans from higher to lower ground levels. Besides that there are also cars and the preferred Hightrains used all across Domeris. Tourists may find them not in their best state, because thousands of mixed folk use them every day to travel from point A to B and so on.

Usefullness

There are mechanical parts that have already been used sell well in market, and are used by those who want them at a cheaper price. That is, if they find something worthwhile and still usable. Many travel to Domeris just for the sake of getting something of that sort of parts for inventions or mechanics to obtain it for less Quona than elsewhere.

Then there are also the ships and the airships that come and go in and out of Domeris each day.

Since Domeris is known for its current instability, the medical attention is quite lacking, just as the provision for food once was (and partly still is). Many people, especially those forced to life within the Claws of Domeris, have little to no chance of obtaining such a basic thing as medicine. So besides the constant high alcohol consumption of Domeris, the reason more people die here than elsewhere in Quattvia is because of the filthy conditions that are unable to satisfy the whole province of a Domeris.