Scillian League [Worldbuilding]

Overview
The Scillian League, also known as the Northern Realm, or simply as Scillia, is a decentralized human-dominated realm located on the outermost northern continent. It is bordered by Sorov to the west, the Borean Empire to the south, and Ventralis to the east. The League consists of various lordships, city-states, duchies, and principalities that are independent from one another but are collectively ruled by the High Archon, a position elected by the Scillian nobility for life. The League is a major commercial centre in the northern continent, Scillian merchants and sailors are renowned throughout Sorras for setting up trading outposts and guilds in many of the major trading hubs.

As of the year 998 of the 4th era, the realm is ruled by High Archon Voron II of House Wilk (born 924), commonly known as Voron the Reformer, or the Crow of the North by his enemies. Voron's reign mostly focused on centralizing different aspects of the government, expanding trade, reforming the navy, building new alliances in the northern continent, and easing the process for foreign adventurers to operate in the realm.



History
The ancestors of the modern Scillians, the Roscarans arrived in the northern continent when a cataclysmic event sank their original homeland, known as Nizilrath during the Age of Exodus. The circumstances behind the cataclysm are unknown, but some scholars claim that the merfolk were responsible, while others (mostly foreign scholars) claim that the sea god Kugurak caused the sinking of Nizilrath, a claim which the Church of the Trident Lords strictly denies.

First contact between the Roscarans and the native inhabitants, the Alixians was relatively peaceful, but over the years, tensions grew between the two people, and inevitably a series of wars broke out, known as the Red Winter Wars, which lasted for three decades. The Roscarans were eventually victorious, and the great Alixian civilization collapsed, with its remaining population either escaping to neighbouring realms, or assimilating with their conquerors, thus creating the modern Scillian people.

Society and People
While Scillian society is mostly dominated by humans, it is not a homogenous one, in fact the League is one of the most culturally diverse realms in the north. The main human cultural groups are, Hearthborn, Grey Islanders, Marchers, Plainsmen, Wildmen, and Mistfolk, each of those cultural groups have their own unique subcultures. There are also other races inhabiting the realm, namely giants, dwarves, faefolk, scaledmen, harpies, and more.

Slavery is strictly regulated and it is forbidden to enslave the Elder races such as humans, dwarves, and giants, while slavery of the Children of the Brightson such as merfolk and elves is allowed due to the historical rivalry between them and the Scillians.

Religion
Scillian society is extremely religious, most of its citizens are followers of the Trident Lords, a group of three primordial beings that have played a direct role in shaping the history of the Scillians. The three lords are; Uzharava the Scarlet Mother, goddess of life, blood and fire, Kugurak the Deep One, god of nature, chaos, and magic, and Azyren the Cardinal of Souls, god of death, order, and destiny.

Relations
The League maintains commercial relations with many of the northern nations, especially Ventralis and Sorov whom they trade with extensively. Limited trade is mainted with the Boreans at the city of Kingsmouth, and some Arkian tribes. In recent years, the League has expanded its commercial relations to the nations of the Central Continent.