Syradonia is governed by four Orders developed to handle every aspect of a Syradonian’s life. Each handles an element of society that Syradonia believes it needs to function and thrive.
Order of Stewardship
The Order of Stewardship is vital for making sure the city can function and the nation can thrive. This Order deals with maintaining everything from the lightstones place around the city to ensure visibility, to the famed furnaces known for giving the main industry of this nation its wealth, and finally in ensuring clean water is constantly drawn from safe underground sources. Many of the institutions that raise citizens from birth to death are also under this Order’s purview – hospitals, schools, cafes and canteens and sporting venues to make sure Syradonians are educated, well fed and healthy.
Order of Luxury
This Order was formed as a result of the leaders of the nation realising very quickly that a population that had been forced out of their homes and into a new and potentially hostile environment could make for a very unhappy and rebellious populace. The initial idea for this Order came from the nation’s forges. With such a focus on excavating the earth and producing the materials needed to sustain the massive societal changes they were undergoing, the Nation decided to use the residual heat to create a series of spas, and it became common practice for both miners and forgeworkers to use these for rest and relaxation as well as for maintaining hygiene in an enclosed space. The Orders mission was then clear; to ensure the nation could maintain its citizens’ happiness in as functional a way as possible. To achieve this, the order took up responsibility for trade and for expanding the influx of goods from beyond their own borders, with the mission of providing the luxuries needed for everyone else to focus on making the place thrive. Their Tyrian caravans are a regular sight as far afield as Avereaux and Morvalis, regularly collecting curios for its people to have access to, and experience a taste of life beyond their home. While sometimes seen is seen as a pursuit for the Stewardship, taking care of the mind, body and spirit does sometimes fall under the remit of the Order of Luxury and looking after and ensuring the populace has what it needs for these things that are not found within Syradonia is key.
Order of Faith
The Gods have a special place in Syradonian society. They have been instrumental to them holding their resolve during their initial choice to head underground, and in their bravery to literally carve out a new life. The Order of Faith is the vast system of priests that organise religious life through the grand churches that are the hub of each district. Given the contrast between the Gods and the different theological outlooks they inspire, this can cause fiery debates between the faithful. In past decades religious schisms have been close to breaking out between districts, though on the whole these have been managed by emphasising the need to work together to survive. The knowledge that internal disagreement is as dangerous as external invasion is something that all priests are taught, in the hope of preventing further violence as years go by.
Order of War
Expanding underground through potentially dangerous terrain and occasional skirmishes with invaders on the borders mean the city must have its defenders. The Order of War is there to provide. Everything from exploratory forces of Hewers that break open new areas in the earth, to defending the entrances to the city from incursions both above and below, to working with the Guilds to help maintain law and order throughout the nine nations, the Order of War trains and maintains some of the most skilled fighters in Elandra.
Apostles and other fighters are also some of the Syradonians who are the visible face of the nation, accompanying Tyrian caravans from the Order of Luxury that leave their underground sanctuary to trade with far-flung nations, providing protection and an impressive display of martial prowess.
Politics
Internal politics
Syradonia’s strong community spirit has managed to keep any formal factions from erupting and disrupting the fabric of the nation, or outright trying to topple the ruling elite. The population understands that rulers are broadly trying to make sure that the populace is safe and secure and ready to retake the surface, although there will always be those who disagree on specifics within the political hubs of the city.
Over the years, political factions have cropped up that bristle against each other within the government due to disagreements about how best to deal with the contentment of the population. Some leaders of the Orders put effort into increasing the overall “happiness” of citizens, attempting to make the society as efficient as possible to achieve this aim – at the expense of individual citizens. Other leaders attempted to fix problems with harsher punishments for wrongdoing, which led to more instances of crime overall.
There have also been some who focus on conforming to the point of blindness to problems – refusing to fix them has led to periods of societal neglect out of sheer refusal to accept that something could be wrong.
These three positions represent the biggest internal political threats to the system and have the possibility of destabilising it.
The leaders of the four Orders form the ruling council of Syradonia and are responsible for managing the internal issues of the nation. Syradonia is very community focused, given their enclosed state, and works together to provide a high quality of life for its citizens – ready to take the fight back to the Corruption.
Foreign policy
Generally this nation gets along very well with its immediate neighbours that due to their reliance on them for imports and their access to unique exports mined, refined and made into items others cannot make.
Kairos and Morvalis are their closest neighbours, and the alliance of the Sanctuaries is as much a cultural alliance as a strategic geographical one. The land that Syradonia inhabits was considered unusable and inhospitable by the ancient Kairosi, and much of the surface is still a wasteland that is incompatible with mortal life. In much the same way that Morvalis brought a society to an area of Kairos’ land that was no longer able to be sustained due to natural disaster hundreds of years before, Syradonia began as an expedition of Kairos miners and mages who built an explorationary mining colony underground. Though the information about the initial creation and foundation of the nation are lost, the connection to Kairos is felt on a cultural level. An annual festival which celebrates those who have been lost brings the Realm of the Sanctuaries together, though there are differences in the ways that each commemorates it. Broadly though, there are more things tying the nations together than that cause them strife.
Morvalis’ relationship with Syradonia is strengthened by their extensive trade network. The subterranean nation has limited access to food, beyond very simple subsistence options and those spices that can be cultivated underground. Most of its nourishment is provided by the other Sanctuary nations, especially Morvalis whose agricultural fields are well-known, tended as they are by unliving servants. In return, Syradonia provides a resource it has in steady abundance – the dead. Space is limited underground, and disease could easily spread if the dead were left unchecked, so instead of burial Syradonia has a policy of giving almost all of its late citizens to Morvalis, to aid their manual labour forces through Athria magic in the mutual spirit of the utilitarian community.
The realms further away have more tenuous links with Syradonia; new information about life being lived differently and stories from afar brought back by from the journeys of Tyrians in the Order of Luxury are examined for new ideas.
Syradonia enjoy a rivalry with Hammerstadt as to who are the best crafters and they will often eagerly compare crafts when they do meet people from the nation. This is often good natured in nature on a personal level between crafters simply talking shop. but can be more heated when it comes to international commerce as they are ultimately competing in difficult times in the world.
Portavians also produce in abundance a material that Syradonia always has a need for – salt. Necessary in both the culinary arts and the forge industry, massive amounts of salt are imported from the city of Ravessa to Syradonia via overland networks. In recent years this has been stalled from time to time from Corrupted attacks, causing some strife between the Apostles who guard the trade caravans and the nations along the route.
Syradonia and Portavas are almost opposite in temperament and situation. Where one prefers to dig in and fortify the other roams the seas. This culture clash sometimes appears in their dealings with each other but both recognise the benefits that such trade brings.
The Crownlands are very far away from Syradonia and often seen with a mix of wonder and bemusement on both sides. Some of the taller tales from the nations and their idiosyncrasies are viewed as fanciful in comparison to what can sometimes be a harsh reality but The Pact brings people together, and Syradonians are taught to never dismiss a people out of hand. They are largely respectful on an individual level as they learn more about the troubles people face. A life underground has taught them that troubles are part of life, but that everyone’s are different and can be overcome through solidarity above all else.
Economic Interests
Syradonia is above all rich in metal and mineral, and its primary exports are these raw materials as well as finely crafted goods made from them. Its artisans pride themselves on perfecting their craft, and there is a demand for Syradonian weapons and armour as far afield as Valdraeth.
Utilising another abundant resource, stonework is a craft that originated with the Kairos masons who were part of the founders of the nation, and adapting to the subterranean environment over the centuries they have developed a lot of unique techniques for working with vast amounts of stone. Their main resource, other than food, which is in demand in Syradonia and needs to be imported is timber to prop up new shafts among a myriad of other small daily uses. Largely this is imported from the other Sanctuary nations, but some is brought from as far afield as The Wonder – wood from these blessed magical forests is the highest expense available to Tyrians and most valued craft resource.
The Wonder is also the source of another important luxury in Syradonia – coffee. Since its initial import a century or so ago, coffeehouses have sprung up throughout the nation, as hotbeds of magical, theological and ethical debate. In a nation devoid of the usual circadian rhythms the sun maintains, coffee and tea have become essential to the happiness of the population.
Generally, individual wealth is not considered an important goal in Syradonia. Cultural emphasis is put on giving back what the Gods have blessed them with, and the hoarding of resources is a taboo within the nation ando the Gods as well, in particular abhorrent in the eyes of the Celebrant. Tyrians in particular have opportunities for trade outside the bounds of Syradonian markets, but even these are expected to give back to the nation by sponsoring new traders who are without the benefit of their connections, and put their personal wealth into the building of public works. Some of the most generous in this regard have been made Venerati, the venerated dead for their service to the nation.