Lelanan
Lelanan
Religion
Traditions
+1 Diplomatic Reputation
+1 Diplomats
The SisterhoodThe devout of the Summer Isles followed the Avo Nakavy, or "Great Family," a pantheon of gods with associated domains and affinities not unlike those of the Regent Court. Like their Cannorian cousins, the followers of the Avo Nakavy disagreed over who should be considered the head of the pantheon - but not the rulers of Lelanàn, whose very state bore the name of the goddess "Lel" and venerated her as the head of the pantheon.\n\nThe goddess of Life, Love, and Water - the most essential elements of existence, Lel held an important spiritual and temporal role in Lelanàn. The rulers of Lelanàn hailed from an ancient order of priestesses known as the "the Sisterhood of Lel," who originally specialized in rites of fertility and conception. The popularity and importance of these rites allowed the Sisterhood to expand its duties to include those traditionally covered by some of the related gods - and soon, the Sisterhood was training its "Nakazy," or lesser priests specializing in funerary rites and rituals of the other Avo Nakavy, and adopting associated functions of the state. With time, the Sisterhood began to be recognized as the ruling elite in Lelanàn, and its high priestess, the Chosen of Lel, recognized as its highest authority.
+1 Yearly Devotion
+1 Yearly Horde Unity
+1 Yearly Legitimacy
+0.3 Yearly Republican Tradition
Temporal AuthorityWhile Lel’s leadership over the Avo Nakavy was recognized in Lelanàn, the rest of the Summer Isles suffered from discord over the relative position of the gods within the pantheon. The migration of humans into Vyzemby’s coastal cities, areas where Kolo’s followers had the greatest sway, and disarray among his followers and other rival claimants left the Sisterhood in an advantageous position to advance their own interpretation of the faith.\n\nIn a series of religious edicts and interpretations by the Chosen of Lel herself, the Sisterhood asserted the primacy of Lel as the clear leader of the pantheon. Kolo claimed dominion over the earth and the abundance of food it brings - but what good was the earth without water and life to bring this abundance into existence? How could Yuye claim dominion over storms alone, when Lel gave the Vyzemby the gift of water? It was through this logic that Lel was reinforced as the clear head of the pantheon among the Sisterhood and its followers.
+10% Clergy Loyalty Equilibrium
A Modern AnánomaOnce a sleepy temple town on the northern coast, a combination of migration from the mainland and a relatively high birth rate led to severe pressures to expand the capital of Lelanàn. In response, the powerful couple of Pydra Summerfoot, a high-ranking Sisterhood Priestess, and her husband Manaly, a prominent city merchant, proposed a particularly ambitious project - the construction of a new Anánoma, a traditional Vyzemby fortified settlement shaped like a beehive. Modern in style and function, the new Anánoma would allow the city’s continued expansion and raise the prestige and position of Lelanàn among the older and more established cities of the Vyzemby. The new Anánoma placed the temple of Lel in a position of prominence, and housed the residence of the Chosen of Lel herself. The Anánoma was built in such a way to make continued expansion easy and efficient - and continued to grow well after the deaths of the Summerfoots as did the city’s prestige and power.
-10% Construction Cost
Temples of LoveWith the prominence of Lel and the temporal power of her sisterhood, temples devoted to her worship were the center of religious life within the bustling theocracy. While priestesses assumed many roles from providing medicine to distributing food and charity, Lel’s most sacred gifts lay in her domain over love and fertility. Those temples, designated "temples of love," specialized in sacred acts related to fertility, and were sought after by many of Lel’s devoted followers. The priestesses within were trained in ancient rites thought to enhance fertility, a favorite of couples seeking to expand their families, but also of love itself. Young prospective couples may seek the assistance of the temple priestess to help guide them to test their compatibility - and the arrival of a child would be seen as the clearest blessing by Lel of their union. Those seeking companionship also visited the temples on their own - and, if fortunate and devout, could help bolster the ranks of the faithful.
+15% Manpower Recovery Speed
The Enahelibe RitualAs a nexus of cultures across the isles and a flourishing city state, Lelanàn began to develop its own unique rituals and practices. Chief among these was the ritual dance of Enahelibe, a mostly slow, deliberate dance punctuated by moments of rapid movement and brief periods of improvisation. The Enahelibe first developed as a ritual by the priestesses of the temples of love, as a rite of fertility to summon Lel’s blessing. Most common at gatherings of younger halflings and weddings, the Enahelibe became closely associated with Lelanàn even as it began to spread to other areas of the Isles.
+2 Tolerance of the True Faith
Charity After the EruptionThe eruption of the volcano Afomapobo brought great devastation to much of the Summer Isles, destroying many Vyzemby settlements and darkening the skies with a sickening ash. The Sisterhood and temples of Lel were quick to provide relief for those affected by the eruption however, distributing food to those whose crops were destroyed or starved of sunlight, and finding homes for those left homeless or orphaned by the destruction. The temples of love were temporarily opened to serve as a place to feed and house those fleeing the lands blighted by the eruption, as the whole of Lelanàn joined together to provide for their less fortunate brethren. These efforts greatly increased the prestige of the temple, and reinforced the faith of the people in the state and its divine mission.
-0.03 Monthly War Exhaustion
Scent of the Holy WatersAs Lelanàn grew into a center of culture and commerce, so too did it become a center of fashion and beauty. The most famed beauty product was a perfume known as "Ixora," derived from a white jungle flower with an extremely pleasant odor. Growing in abundance in the Mboala jungle just to Lelanán’s south, the cosmopolitan city’s demand for its fragrance led to the birth of an industry of growers and cultivators, until Ixora became intrinsically linked with the state and the worship of Lel herself. This demand only grew exponentially when foreign noblewomen were exposed to Ixora perfume by Vyzemby traders, with Pearlsedger noblewomen in particular buying Ixora in great quantities. This craze saw a boom in trade, with Lelanán in particular benefiting from its association with the scent.
+10% Trade Efficiency
Ambition
-10% Liberty Desire in Subjects
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD