Fiction:Refuge Union

Society
The Refuge Union is a confederacy of twelve different city states who make their home in the desert highlands of the continent of Graennarune brought together thanks to shared history, culture, and religion. The city states largely rule themselves with little interference from the others with contact between the city states being largely held through trade and monthly meeting between their leaders. All city states though are held to binding agreements of law that demand they trade with one another and provide soldiers to protect one another in times of war. This code of laws also exists to ensure that the city states do not make war on one another through bonds of trade and a unified armed force of magically enhanced soldiers known as the Immortals.

Being descended from exiles of their old homelands and onto Graennarune the Union is known for being rather egalitarian in its ideals. They care very little for race or where one comes from and are instead united by their veneration of three great gods of the earth, sea, and sky. The various city states of the Union are democracies electing a council of magistrates to manage the day to day running of the city, managing relationships with the other city states, and keeping security.

The city states of the Union are all rather advanced and prosperous with the vast majority at least knowing how to read and write. A great promotion of the arts and sciences has lend to the city states of the union being considered places of exceptional beauty and the union possessing a strong and highly sophisticated magic tradition. The Union is well known for its tendency to travel far and wide across the world bringing trade.

Religion
The Union worships a trinity of deities related to the earth, sea, and sky which they rule over as their domains. The first of these gods is the god of earth and mercy Bahamoth, a great armored rhino with a spiked whip-like tail, clawed feet, and heavy set jaws filled with flesh rending teeth. He watches over the beasts and planets of the earth, and rewards the righteous of the land. The second is Levaton the goddess of the sea and severity, a great whale with a serpentine body, spiny sails across her back, and long crocodilian snout. She guards the creatures of the sea, and brings punishment down upon the heads of the wicked. Finally there is Ziuhk the androgynous god of the sky and mildness, a great featherless bird with bat-like wings and a great crested beak filled with teeth. It looks after the wildlife of the air and keeps balance between its siblings. The gods of the union exist in a state of balance with one another which is seen as the highest state of good to the Union's clergy with imbalance between the three resulting in terrible disaster and tragedy.

There are three fates for those who have passed on from the mortal coil depending upon their actions in life. Those who were neither righteous or wicked are sent to Ziuhk to be reincarnated into a new form in the mortal life. Those who are righteous are sent to go live with Bahamoth to live in a garden paradise. Finally those who were wicked are sent to Levaton who sends them into a volcano at the bottom of the ocean to be burned of their sins. Once their sins are burned away they are sent to reincarnate and try again.

Magic
Union magic is referred as Evocation and its practitioners are known as Magus, who also serve as the priests of the Union's religion. Evocation relies upon calling up energy from the land and celestial objects for a variety of powerful effects. In its most raw form Evocation can be used to command the elemental forces of nature bending them to the Magus' will. Fire is the easiest element to summon but the hardest to control while earth is the opposite with air and water falling in between the two. Evocation can also be used to summon elementals to do the Magus' bidding. Summoned elemental must come willingly and cannot be forced into service.

Quotes

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