Rivain

The nation of Rivain is located in the Northeastern part of Thedas. It's a nation surrounded almost wholly by water except for a bridge of land connecting it to its neighbor, Antiva.   It's a country where blood has stained its lands for centuries over. This has lead many Rivaini to lose faith in the world they once believed in. Racism and fear plague these lands, for good reason.  

Culture and Society

The Rivaini have skin tones ranging from dark tan to ebony. Social standing in Rivain is often marked by tattoos and body piercings. The more elaborate one's decorations, the higher one's rank. This is often accompanied by extravagant jewelry.   The Rivaini, despite having a currency-based economy as other nations do, place no real value in it. They instead use a system of bartering or performing tasks for one another. Between fellow Rivaini, it's usually for a fairer price. For foreigners, they can sometimes be shrewd.   Despite many communities being geographically separated, none are too far from one another, particularly due to the Rialto Bay. Communities work together to support each other, sending supplies to other communities when needed. The Rivaini feel tight bonds between one another.   They may be kind to one another, but they have many deep seated hatreds. Generally, Rivaini despise goliaths for what the goliaths did to them. Crazed intellectuals have dedicated years of study to find a way to eradicate them, with little success. Interestingly, Rivain has shown peaceful relations with Dalish unlike many other cultures.  

Magic

Most also hold great fear for the power of magic, and thus exile any who possess such traits. Some elders are allowed to possess such powers, only due to the horrific events that had to endure during their lifetime. These elders are often referred to as Seers.  

Religion

Unlike the majority of people in Thedas, the Andrastian Chantry no longer has any sway in Rivain. Before the goliath invasion, most Rivaini people believed in the Maker. Following that, the Andrastian Chantry lost almost all sway in the nation. Most Rivaini are now pantheists or animists, and believe in a natural order rather than an individual deity. They hold the belief that their god and the universe is the same.   A well-known Chantry scholar, Ferdinand Genitivi, recorded his thoughts of Rivain as follows:  

"The Chant of Light never truly reached the ears of these people. Resistance to the Chant goes deeper than the Goliath Wars. The Rivaini refuse to be parted from their seers, wise women who are in fact hedge mages, communicating with spirits and actually allowing themselves to be possessed. The Chantry prohibition against such magical practices violates millennia of local tradition."

History

Rivain was originally an Eastern colony under the Tevinter Imperium's control. Due to the distance between Tevinter's capitol and Rivain, laws were often loose. With this freedom, the people found a way to hang themselves. After more than three centuries of occupation, the Rivaini people began a rebellion and attempted to defect from the Imperium. Not surprisingly, such a small nation was mostly crushed by such strong opponents. This did not stop them from trying countless more times until it finally worked. It was at the Battle of Temerin that Rivaini soldiers baited Tevinter warships into the Venefication Sea. It was there that a beast of the ocean depths tore the ships asunder and crushed the attacking fleet. After such a loss, Tevinter abandoned any further attempts.   Upon finally being free, a monarchy was formed. Queen Asha Campana was crowned for her ingenious battlefield tactics at the aforementioned battle. Under her wisdom and foresight, a nation of intellectuals was born. The University of Treviso was formed and with it the Grand Library of Rivain. Over the long course of history, many non-magistrates fled to Rivain seeking the wisdom they had to offer. Due to this, the Grand Library became the most venerated place of study. It held complex knowledge about the natural world, secrets of the Tevinter Imperium, and magnificent pieces of art. The university and library combined were, to this date, the most impressive sources of knowledge throughout all of Thedas.   Queen Campana saw more foreigners coming to her land. To become a full fledged nation of Thedas, she allowed the Chantry to make a head quarter inside of the capitol. With that, Templars began training and a tower for the Circle of Magi was erected.   Shortly after the Goliaths landed in Par Vollen and conquered the island, they set their sights on Rivain. They sent the strongest of their people in a blitzkrieg-like surge that no Rivaini could have ever expected. Within less than a month, almost all of Rivain was under Goliath control. The Templars were able to pull forces from Antiva and stage a defense in the Southern city of Treviso. However, they couldn't hold back the onslaught of forces against them. The city was lost. Rivain felt its greatest defeat when the Queen looked upon the city and saw the Grand Library aflame.   Eventually, the Goliath force fled for unknown reasons. The people of Rivain, beaten and defeated, were never able to really pull their lives back together. Thousands of tomes had been lost by those great intellectuals slaughtered and the whole library ransacked and burned. The Templars returned to the Circle tower to find it completely out of control. The First Enchanter had been killed and the remaining mages had opened a gateway from the Fade into the tower, letting abominations and demons run rampant. The Templar-Commander Duunar called for and performed the Right of Annulment on the tower and all the mages. For about a century, until Knight-Divine Danforth called for the annulment in Ferelden, this was the only time in history this Templar right has ever had to have been performed. All the Circle mages of Dairsmuid were killed on that day.   Ever since then, Rivain has never been able to return to the nation it once was. Many hope that one day such beautiful cities will rise up in this coastal nation, but as of now it looks bleak.