Editing Autia (section)

====Theocracy of Alana====

On the southwest side of Eldr there is a theocracy called Alana. they have rejected everything that would make a person civilized. the following no taboos, take part in rituals with art extreme but unsettling most cultures enter Eldr as a way of gaining power and also see it as a religious duty. under their Patriarch, they wish to take control of Eldr but have lost many members in the attempt. the land they control more huge round Eldr, and so got creative in how they would servie with the average person being a settled hunter-gather. barely anyone goes there other than adventures and academics who wish to use the local population as guides for their own journey into Eldr.

People:

The few inhabitants of The Theocracy are of "Pure Eldrian Stock", which is to say a mix of Nantic, Jinsan, Sorgos, Shaobon, and other humans that intermixed while living in the core areas of the Eldrian Empire at its peak. They descend from survivors of the magical devastation that wiped out the core of the Eldrian Empire. It is believed that some of them may have blood ties to the true Eldrian race.

Religion:

All long term inhabitants of Alana are considered members of the Alanian Cult, and what happens to anyone who turns their back on the Alanian Faith isn't worth risking your sanity to consider. Despite their seemingly tribal and chaotic nature, each member of the Alanian Cult knows exactly where they fall in an ever shifting hierarchy that contains many levels leading up to the mysterious Patriarch. Green is the their holy color, so senior members of the cult can generally be recognized by their green robes. Many cultists also wear strange asymmetrical masks, but these don't seem to have any bearing on their status within the cult.

Their God is Alana, and she is rarely worshipped outside the Theocracy. An anarchistic and nihilistic god, she teaches that civilization is false and a source of weakness, and that each person can do whatever they want to themselves and others assuming it is in their power to do so. They believe all evil and destructive gods are alternate faces of Alana, and all other gods are false.

Magic:

The inhabitants of the Theocracy have an unusually high percentage of magic users, including many powerful ones. Their magic traditions derive directly from that taught by the elite of the Eldrian Empire, and it is said some of them remember things that even the Unravelers have forgotten.

They use all forms of magic currently practiced in the South, though they seem to find Spirit Magic the most useful. They are also said to understand Dark Aether Channeling in ways that others have forgotten, which some say is the reason why certain worshippers of Alana are rarely seen without masks, and why senior members of the cult like heavy robes.

They loot magical artefacts of the Eldrian Empire like wands and staffs whenever they can, and the senior members of the Theocracy sometimes even enter Eldr itself to try to retrieve the most powerful of the ancient Eldrian relics.

Military:

Members of the Theocracy rarely work together in large numbers, and when they do, it is only under the orders of senior cult members. Magic is the primary form of attack and defense, but most members will also carry crude or looted weapons, the more exotic the better.

It is said the senior members of the cult can bind the monsters of Eldr to their will, though reliable first hand accounts of this are rare.

Members of the Theocracy will sometimes attack visitors or common citizens of neighboring states if the mood strikes them, often capturing slaves (who are generally short lived).

History:

This region was once an agricultural zone located just outside one of the core areas of the Eldrian Empire. When destructive magic rendered the area all but uninhabitable, most of the original inhabitants fled, but some powerful mages from the main cities settled in the region due to its remoteness from other pockets of survivors.

In trying to convince themselves the destruction wasn't their fault, they fell prey to the insane prophet of a new god named Alana who told them that destruction and chaos were merely the natural order of things, one that should be embraced. These days no one knows what they are up to, but the few who are aware of the origins and faith suspect it is something dark.

Economy:

The inhabitants of the Theocracy use their magic to ensnare beasts (and sometimes beings) to torment then eat. They spend their lives practicing magic and working on strange projects no one but themselves seems to understand.

They hate reliance on others, so own nothing they can't make or loot themselves (which is often very little in the case of junior members). Craftsmanship is a very low priority compared to practicing magic, so most inhabitants live in caves and natural shelters, wear crude animal hides, and use tools no more complicated than sharpened sticks and rocks.

They ignore almost all taboos of other races, and are widely seen as insane and cruel, so only the naïve, reckless, or powerful will willingly deal with them, usually to gain magical knowledge or get their help entering Eldr. Senior mages from the Second Empire and the Unravelers see them as kin, but even they don't entirely understand what the Theocracy's goals are. However, members of the Theocracy are usually to work alongside powerful mages from Eldrian cultures, particular followers of Deadicorn and other evil gods, who they see as misinterpretations of Alana.