The Theocracy of Airaind

Airaind is a theocracy devoted to the Old Gods of Baltia, the Heroes of the Cataclysm who ascended to godhood. Viewing the rise of the New Gods as a threat to the natural order of the world, the leadership of Airaind seeks to preserve the will of the Old Gods and ensure they remain relevant.

After Solaria adopted Idakor as its primary deity, disgruntled priests of the Old Gods who refused to convert looked for a new location to focus their beliefs. They would eventually settle on the territories that would become Airaind, initially forming scattered monasteries and convents throughout the land before eventually coming together. The members of these clergies would create a government utterly devoted to the Old Gods.

The nation is ruled by a council of nine Chosen, each one regarded as the most educated on the will of their respective Old God, with a single Chosen elevated to the role of High Priest to act as head of state. Under each chosen rest different apparatuses of the state that they and their subordinates must manage.

With the population primarily determined by religious migration over any other factor, Airaind is a particularly diverse nation where no single race approaches a majority. Some tension exists between the various citizens, but this is far more often the result of two groups within the nation worshiping rival Old Gods, particularly the Merchant and the Capitalist.

Citizens of the nation typically hold a great deal of respect for the clergy as a whole, and particularly for any who represent a specific Old God that one identifies with. Becoming a member of the Airaind clergy is celebrated as the ultimate achievement, even above marriage or childbirth.

The priests that rule Airaind are a curious mix of united and hostile. With the New Gods viewed as a mutual threat by all worshipers of the Old Gods, a need to cooperate for mutual benefit was obvious. However, the disdain that the priests of some Old Gods have for the priests of others was never lost, and infighting between these groups is common. It often falls on the followers of more neutral Old Gods to mediate such disputes.

For the average citizen, politics are of little concern. While citizens have no direct say in government, laws are generally reasonable, though some are more rooted in the doctrine of the gods than others. Those who do get frustrated with the system tend to join the priesthood, where they may one day have more influence over the law.

The capital of Airaind, Behörde is the seat of the intertwined church and government. The skyline is dominated by the Cathedral of the Old Gods, a positively enormous building that contains separate places of worship for each Old God as well as space for the priests it contains to both work and spend time. Religion touches the lives of every citizen here, for better or worse, and those who openly worship beings other than the Old Gods may find themselves unwelcome.

On the periphery of Airaind sits Felderzriech, a smaller city farther from the reach of the central church. In recent times, it has allegedly become a meeting place for those with their own ideas about the Old Gods, including those that the central church may find heretical. Paladins of the church can be frequently found here, looking to uproot any such heresy, leading to what many feel is a perpetual witch hunt.