Welcome to Arcohaem
Arcohaem makes up the entire northwest of Serendipita. It's predominately arctic coasts, wastelands, and mountains. However, deep beneath the surface are gargantuan mostly-inactive volcanoes and caverns. There are occasional hot springs hidden away here and there, but they're rare.
There are a grand total of 56 tribes in Arcohaem, split across the North, Center, East, and South; each with their own cultures and beliefs. However, they all stem from an unknown warrior culture that existed over a thousand years ago. Very little is truly known about them.
Ethology is common in Arcohaem, but E-Tech is largely exclusive to the central tribes / the Republic.
Common foods include: blackroot, featherweed, blubberbread, frostberries, mammoth steak, icetail eel, and arctic snapper.
Frigoshia
The Frigoshian people are an incredibly conservative and radicalized group. They encompass all 21 northern tribes, with their capital being Torhild (formerly "Frigoshia"). They're incredibly connected to their land, history, culture. Unfortunately, they also have a Unabomber philosophy.
- They believe that industrial society replaces the human experience with artificial, surrogate experiences
- They believe that technology forces humans to adapt to it, and not the other way around
- They believe that E-Tech will only lead to greater suffering, catastrophe, and the loss of human control
- They believe that modern individuals are over-socialized; their natural instincts are suppressed to conform to society's rules and to function like the components of a machine
- They believe that the industrial system cannot be reformed. They advocate for its complete destruction to allow for a return to the pre-industrial, "Arcohaemian" way of life.
Their technology is akin to early-Renaissance / medieval engineering, with a tribal / viking aesthetic. They don't use any E-Tech or electricity. They often use their national colors of white and red in their designs.
VISUALS
| Region | Architecture | Clothing |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient / Ruined | Tibetan Monasteries | Draconic Robes |
| Rural | Inuit - Tribal | Inuit - Medieval Peasant Robes |
| Suburban | Viking | Inuit - Tunics |
| Urban | Gothic - Medieval | Inuit - Fur Cloaks |
TRADITIONS
The Binding
Frigoshian boys are trained from the age of 8. When they reach adulthood, they undergo a 14 day solo trek from Freyrhage to Brunnborg. If they fail to reach their destination in time, they are shamed and must try again the following year.
Sovreignty Day
Once per year, they celebrate the day the Northern Tribes declared independence from the Republic. Food, games, dancing, and painted masks are commonplace.
GOVERNMENT
Each tribe in Frigoshia selects a baron, who oversees local government and military. The baron reports to the King in Torhild. The broader military is overseen by the King, and their elected generals. The first and current King is King Atka.
Their military contains all kinds of raiders, rangers, funnelers, healers, tamers, and barbarians. They report to captains, who report to the generals, who report to the King.
The Republic of Arcohaem
The people of the Republic are incredibly progressive; they love the industrialization of Arcohaem and how much food, money, trade goods, and general ease of life it has brought. They reject their former primitive lifestyles in favor of efficiency, wealth, and bureaucracy. There are a lot of snobs, but they're much more controlled and sane than Frigoshia.
They control three sets of tribes: the central tribes, the east tribes, and the southern tribes.
- The Central Tribes are the primary hub of the Republic. They're the wealthiest, most industrialized spots in Arcohaem. They control majority of the production, trade, and military in the Republic. The capital, Hephaestus, is also where the Senate meets, and where the Republic was first founded some 600 years ago.
- The East Tribes are the economic powerhouses of Arcohaem. They control the port Lemnaeus, which is the source of half of Arcohaem's trade due to its favorable position relative to the mountains. Knowing how important they are to the Republic's wealth, they formed their own union within the Republic: the East Arcohaem Trade Union (EATU). They have their own senate that decides what the senators should collectively vote for. They have their own president (President Thane), who has a seat in the greater Republic senate.
- The Southern Tribes do not care about anything political. They want to ensure their freedom, so they joined the Republic to ensure their views were represented. They don't really get involved unless they are personally threatened. They have a similar culture to Frigoshia, except they're non-violent and decentralized.
Their technology is large, bulky, and inefficient. They build terribly designed machines that still work based on raw power alone. They value speed of development and production over efficiency, because they're rich and are paid by Styxas to refine, not to design. That said, there are some incredibly talented E-Tech engineers, especially in Freyr.
VISUALS
| Region | Architecture | Clothing |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient / Ruined (RARE) | Tibetan Monasteries | Draconic Robes |
| Rural | Norse / Viking | Inuit |
| Suburban | Canadian Victorian | Inuit - Star-Wars Robes |
| Urban | Brutalist - Industrialized | Extravagant and Thin Flowing Robes |
GOVERNMENT
Each tribe elects 5 senators, which elect advisors, aides, and delegates. The senators meet in the senate building in Hephaestus and vote on topics raised by other senators. Hearings happen weekly, and are overseen by the Chancellor. The Chancellor is elected once every 5 years. The east tribes elected President Thane, who has his own seat in the Senate.
Their military is mostly made of grunts. They aren't nearly as good at fighting as Frigoshia. Most are high-volume soldiers given powerful E-Tech weapons to account for their lack of skill. The few that rise above the rest are granted the rank of Captain, and allowed to lead battalions. Majors outrank captains, and are usually formed into strike teams, where each member functions as an equal. Colonels manage captains, and are allowed to operate E-Tech war vehicles. Commanders manage Majors and Colonels. Generals manage Commanders. The Chancellor manages Generals. The Senate manages the Chancellor.
History
14 years ago, the industrial revolution began. A trade deal was offered by Hades of Styxas, an incredibly favorable one in which they'd become Serendpita's primary Eathyst refinery by taking advantage of their natural geothermal energy. The northern tribes resisted the deal, and it was stuck on stand still. Tensions in the north had been brewing for some time.
12 years ago, the chancellor was mysteriously assassinated. The body was found clawed and burnt; everyone connected the animosity of this tragedy to the north, but there was no real proof. Senator Caldus Kaul was elected in his place. There had been countless deaths like these attributed to a local legend called "The Wraith," but it was probably just Frigoshian assassins. Kaul pushed for the trade deal to be accepted, and their technology boomed. Within months the central tribes transformed. The people were safer, cleaner, and richer than ever.
11 years ago, the northern tribes began small skirmishes and protests to resist the changes. They especially didn't want a railroad to be constructed into their territory, but the rest of the senate did. They were happy with how things were and didn't want to change. As tensions were reaching their peak, Senator Rimeholt of Nedrena (a northern senator) was assassinated on his ship using Republic weapons because he was committing massive treason. This act was so gross that the entire North revolted and declared independence. Senator Atka was given the title of King as the government restructured. The Republic formally declared war, but they didn't strike first. The Frigoshians dealt a deadly first strike that absolutely butchered northern Karlstad. They fought with cruel indifference and efficiency, outmatching Republic soldiers 10 to 1.
The Republic panicked, and started mass-producing advanced E-Tech weapons designed by Chancellor Kaul himself to fight back. They were much worse fighters on average, but they had superior numbers and firepower. This led to a brutal territorial tug-of-war along what is now known as the Howling Front. Since that day, the Republic and Frigoshia have been at war, with neither side making any major progress or showing any signs of slowing. No one can overpower the other until a wildcard is introduced, a wildcard that both sides are desperate to get their hands on.