Nhorcea

Culture and Locations

Nhorcea is a piece of land owned by the Nhorcean Order, which is ruled by the Lords of the Chamber. Their religion is the Church of the Holy Pyre, which has the goal of spreading the light, warmth, and protection of their god, Raevil. Nhorceans strongly believe in heritage and tradition, passing down their sacred ways through the generations and continuing the church's legacy. Their capital is Yatzhev.

Nhorcea is mostly taiga, with some montane forest to the north and south where the Amber and Beasten Mountains begin. The River Zatshra flows through the middle, which is joined halfway down by the River Navsiu. The land sits between the Bymir Basin and the Middle Bymir Basin.

Demonym: Nhorcean, Nhorceans

Population: 2,000,000

• Nhorcean (NOHR-SHEE-UHN) Order
  • Yatzhev (YUHT-H-ZEH-W), capital, 35,000
  • Talatul (TUH-LUH-TUUL), 18,000
  • Lariece (LUH-REE-EH-SEH), 14,000

History and Relations

The Church of the Holy Pyre was founded in 700AL in eastern Yvabira when a group of knights discovered Raevil's Flame, a stone burning with grey fire in a cave in the Beasten Mountains north of Yatzhev. One of the knights called Raevil took the grey fire upon his sword Narezlar and used it to slay monsters in one strike, and he and his fellow knights founded the order with this power. When Raevil died, his body burned away with grey flame, and his funeral pyre never burned out, leading to the ignition of the Holy Pyre. Believing that Raevil's spirit was protected by the stone in the cavern, they called it Raevil's Heart. The order accumulated strength and eventually conquered the surrounding lands, destroying monsters and replacing native populations, until they came to own the lands. The major ethnic groups are a mix of Yvabiran and Batur. They are now allied with Yvabira, but are hostile with Bymir and have a tense relationship with Batylir. They export iron, timber, and hide.

Military and Art

The knights of Nhorcea are known as flamebearers, and are holy knights who carry a piece of the heart that they chip off during their first pilgrimage to the heart known as a heart-stone. They are trained to destroy monsters using divine magic and steel, and protect the people. Architecture in Nhorcean mostly sees defensive structures with tiered domes, and churches with beacons lit from the Holy Pyre are common. Common artforms include inquisitions, smithing, and ritual prayer.