The Polavian Steppe

Before the Orc Wars, the largest and strongest of the Togarman kingdoms was the Kingdom of Polavia, which ruled the northern steppes. Today, this region still forms Togarmah's political and cultural heartland. The majority of Togarmah's monarchs have been Polavians, and the old kingdom's capital, Venec, is now the seat of governance for Togarmah. To their friends, the Polavians are a wealthy people, proud of their heritage among kings, and worthy bearers of the virtues of chivalry and honor. To their rivals, they are the puppeteers behind the Togarman throne - a bunch of pompous blowhards who throw around their weight to silence the power of nobles further afield and undermine the principles of the Golden Peace.

Polavia consists largely of flat grassland, interspersed with hills and forests. This is what allowed for its rise to power in its heyday - not only was the land easy to settle and provided fertile harvests, the ease of travel (and the ease of spotting invading armies) allowed for the early rulers of the land to secure dominance over their neighbors, first through conquest and diplomacy, and then through the establishment of trade routes that brought great wealth to Venec. Today, much of Polavia is cultivated, and it is home to many farms and villages, making it the breadbasket of Togarmah.

However, for the same reasons, Polavia was also vulnerable to outside excursions. With little in the way of difficult terrain or easily defensible passes compared to the more mountainous lands to the south, rivals could swarm Polavian settlements and establish a foothold with ease. For many generations, the kingdom held off such threats, repelling raids by Northmen and by the Zelsky horsemen they shared the plains with. But when the orcs attacked, not even an alliance of convenience between the Polavians and the Zelskys could hold firm against conquest.

Such risks shaped the development of Polavia - its cities are often walled, and a network of castles were established in concentric circles around Venec in order to ward against threats. These fortresses double as a warning system - since one can see for miles on the plains, if one castle is attacked, it can light a beacon to signal to the next in line, allowing its defenders to prepare should one line of defense fall or if reinforcements are needed. Thanks to the Golden Peace, few beacons have been lit in recent history, and many of these castles have grown over time into cities of their own. Still, the ring of castles still serves an important purpose in the era of the Golden Peace. They offer accommodations for nobles traveling to Venec to attend the Kingdom's council meetings (commoners are not allowed to stay there, unless part of a noble's entourage), and they also serve as the capital's main line of defense - considering Venec has no gates.

It was a part of the founding charter of Togarmah that the capital be open to all nobles, owing to their status as equals under the Golden Peace. To that end, all gates and portcullises in the city's walls were symbolically removed, and even to this day, they have not been reinstated; it is believed that to do so would be to cast doubt on the security of the Golden Peace and bring misfortune upon Togarmah. Though the city still maintains a garrison of guards, anyone can walk through the now-empty archways and into the streets. It is believed that the encircling castles, and the sanctity of the Golden Peace, will do the rest of the work - and so far, it has, so no one is really willing to test it.

Every two years, the most powerful nobles in Togarmah (each elected from a series of regional councils, which handle things in a similar fashion) are called to Venec to attend a grand council, where they put forth their concerns and desires for the future of the Kingdom and assemble a proclamation that they then put forth to the King, as a means of informing him of his peoples' needs. To house the influx of delegates and their entourages, Venec is noted for its many inns, many of them quite large and well-appointed to fit the standards of their guests. This custom also contributes to the city's cosmopolitan character - because the councils bring in visitors from all across Togarmah, there are neighborhoods where all matter of languages may be spoken, songs may be sung, and food may be served, reflecting the Kingdom's many regions. In some cases, these districts were established by retainers in the service to distant nobles who were taken by Venec's charms and decided to stay; in others, they grew around inns that catered to guests from particular regions, adopting their native culture to make them feel more at home. In many cases, both these things are true.

Any discussion of Venec would surely be incomplete without mention of the Order of the Eternal Flame. The most powerful order within the cult of the sun goddess Solenna, its headquarters is a few miles from Venec, in a complex that contains the Grand Temple, dormitories for both monks and nuns (both belong to the Order. For obvious reasons, they are not allowed to sleep together. Also for obvious reasons, this is one of the rules most frequently broken), and barracks where the Order's paladins and templars train. However, most worship among members of the Order takes place in a central open-air cloister, where members gather to commend the celestial body on days where the weather permits it, often spending hours in meditation on the sun. The Order is named for a brazier at the center of this cloister, kept burning continually to represent the sun, with all its light and warmth; this means the complex can easily be spotted at night.

Solenna is the patron goddess of Togarmah, and there is evidence she has been worshipped there even during the time of the Old Faith. Even in modern times, the Cult of Solenna plays an important role in Togarmah's politics, and the elected King must be approved by the high priest of Solenna before taking the throne (though this is mostly symbolic, as - owing mainly to pressure from the nobility - the high priest has never declined a nominee in centuries).

By tradition, the high priest of Solenna's cult is always a member of the Order of the Eternal Flame. The current one is Patriarch Otho VI, a jovial old man who has broken with the Order's monastic roots by playing a much more public role, often visiting Venec to participate in ceremonies and leading processions on important occasions. He believes that, as Solenna is a goddess of hope and happiness, it is important for him to uphold the morale of the people and to provide the Cult with a face they can trust. Other high-ranking clerics, however, are less convinced. Some fear that he endangers the sanctity of the Order's mysteries by living among the laity, and others are worried that an opportunistic assassin will find him a perfect target...