National Threats

Psykhaumata

The worst atrocities and horrors that occurred within Raldemar echo long after Radokhar’s banishment, creating areas of intense psychic magic within the Isles known as Psykhaumata (singular Psykhaumatos). The nature of these “Mania-Wounds” differ wildly; some merely cause intense feelings of terror or lust, while others force those within to experience the traumas of whatever created them, and others still seem to have a vile kind of sentience and actively torment whoever ventures into their sphere of influence.

Fortunately, the Psykhaumata do not move or grow, and the Ceruleans have long since catalogued the location and nature of most of them. Wards and barriers surround the nastiest ones to keep things from crawling out, and warning signs festoon the boundaries of all the others to prevent accidents from happening and someone wandering inside. Some Psykhaumata are used as training tools by the Ceruleans, who voluntarily enter them in order to test themselves against the psychic torments inside. Others have a dark history of being used as execution grounds, where prisoners were thrown inside and not let out until they were catatonic or dead.

Oddly enough, the Isles of Rhoku and Byoshu are almost entirely clear of Psykhaumata. Only a handful of Mania-Scars exist upon those two Isles, primarily along their coastlines, and all of them are fairly weak and harmless. Scholars are still debating exactly why this is, though many Ceruleans believe that this supports the legend that the two islands were created near the end of the Old Gods’ reign over the Continent.

Anemoi Trélas

Radokhar once ruled over the lands and seas that would become the Cerulean League, and the God of Mania’s influence still lingers there. Those who dwell upon the Isles experience a sort of psychic pressure that builds up over time, and is only relieved when they or someone physically near them “vents” the psychic energy in a powerful emotional outburst. The Ceruleans call this the Anemoi Trélas, or Winds Of Madness, and over time they developed many ways of dealing with its pernicious effects.

In the early years after Radokhar’s banishment, the primary means of releasing the pressure of the Anemoi was through the use of “sacrifices,” volunteers (or, much more often, prisoners of war) who were provoked into maddening heights of emotion to drain the Anemoi from an entire community. This often took the form of grand gladiatorial displays, where the victims were tormented, terrorized, enraged, or otherwise driven to a point where they could no longer resist the pressure of the Anemoi. The constant need for prisoners to release the Anemoi was one of the reasons why the Ceruleans were so feared by the peoples surrounding them during the First and Second Millennia — they were constantly raiding nearby lands for sacrificial victims, and it was well known amongst their neighbors that being captured could easily become a fate worse than death.

Ever since the Seven Sages reformed the nation, however, the Ceruleans have taken a different approach to the problem. They still use a “sacrifice” to release the Anemoi of nearby people, but instead of unwilling victims that role is taken by specially-trained sages, experts in Iremia, who can feel great emotion without allowing it to harm their minds or affect their actions. These Thysians, literally “sacrifices” in Raldenic, sit within the center of a ceremonial Grove of trees and meditate, attempting to maintain a constant state of mania while not allowing their emotions to affect or control them. Anyone who feels the pressure of the Anemoi building up can visit the nearest Thysian Grove and join them in meditation for a while, allowing the Thysian to draw the Anemoi away from them before they resume their daily lives.

It’s well-known that the Anemoi have a geographic limitation, in that they seem to most strongly affect the lands within the Cerulean Sea. Those who spend most of their time at sea only need to visit a Thysian once every year or so, rather than once every few weeks, and those who venture beyond the bounds of the Cerulean Sea often find it quite a relief to suddenly not feel the pressure of the Anemoi building up. The Anemoi also don’t seem to affect foreigners as strongly as they do native Ceruleans; those born outside the Isles lack a sensitivity to the Anemoi’s influence, though they also frequently don’t have the habits of thought and self-control that Ceruleans have developed out of necessity. This can sometimes result in foreigners experiencing an outburst of the Anemoi when they fail to recognize that they should have visited a Thysian a week ago.

Elves, due to their muted emotions, are much more resistant to the Anemoi than other Lineages, which is often used as one of the reasons why that Lineage has thrived so much within the Isles.

Dionosi Mystral

Logosian Mystral

Peireiosi Occludos

Paradeisos

“The world is a garden, and we all must tend to our patch of it.”

Ceruleans borrowed the Vauldan and Tomarran tradition of walled gardens soon after the founding of the League. Putting their own twist on the idea, they turned large portions of their cities into these Paradeisos, creating parklands that weave through and around built-up areas wherever there is room. Buildings that are adjacent to a Paradeisos are often constructed and decorated to blend in with the carefully-tended foliage and landscape of the parkland, and frequently feature some kind of climbing vines or trees to further shroud their existence from those wandering through the area. Foreign visitors to Cerulean cities are often taken aback by how the Paradeisos seem to be their own little worlds of natural beauty hidden within the hearts of a thriving urban center.

Beyond the public gardens and parks, each Schola and large family in the League prides itself on having a Paradeisos that reflects its unique nature and tastes tucked away in the center of their main house or headquarters. Martial Schola often have a Paradeisos featuring open areas for drilling and shaded regions for stretching and recovering after training, while Schola focused on philosophy or magic tend to shape their gardens into calm and meditative places where members can better process the lessons of the day or practice the arts that they are trying to learn. Business deals and alliances are often finalized in the heart of one of the parties’ Paradeisos in order to show that they are serious about the agreement being struck.

Power Structures

Schola

The people of the League often sort themselves into Schola, or schools. Originally, these began as true schools of thought, places or organizations that taught some kind of philosophy, architecture, natural sciences, and/or magic to those who wished to attend. Eventually, though, as these groups became more and more entrenched and the connections between the members of each Schola became stronger and tighter, they started functioning as much more than mere places of learning — they acted as mercantile associations, ritualist collectives, or theological orders. Even the warriors amongst the Ceruleans formed their own Schola, turning the schools that taught the martial arts and sciences into bands of mercenaries willing to put their skills to the test in exchange for coin or favors.

In modern times, Schola are how Ceruleans organize, using their Schola as their primary support structure outside of the family and relying on it in order to help them accomplish their goals. The original intent of the Schola, teaching, remains a strong part of the modern incarnation of the tradition, and Ceruleans are remarkably fast to welcome new “students” into their Schola, running them through the philosophical outlook and practices of the group and teaching them what they need to know in order to effectively contribute to the Schola’s activities.

Customs & Traditions

Seven Sages

Nine hundred years ago, the Cerulean Isles were wracked by internal strife and chaos. Their neighbors were all in positions of strength — the Golden Empire had arisen in the Archipelago and was at the height of its power, the Vauldan Empire was in its own golden age, and the coastal Tomarran Clans were on a constant war footing as the Clan Wars raged across the Steppe. No major raids of foreign lands had been successful for five decades, and so the Ceruleans turned once more upon one another, their armies raiding neighboring Poleis and fleets raiding neighboring Isles for loot and sacrifices to the Anemoi.

Into this chaos appeared a man named Kar Thalen of Drunessos, a hunter and master of rhetoric and logic, whose teachings would eventually reach all corners of the Isles and radically alter the fabric of Cerulean society. Kar Thalen’s words and philosophies in turn influenced the minds of six other great sages and philosophers, who over the next century and a half created the six foundational ideals of the modern Cerulean League. Together, the Seven Sages are credited with overturning the barbarism and bloodlust of the ancient Ceruleans and shaping it into the vibrant and prosperous nation that the League is today, and they are revered by Ceruleans almost as much as the Gods and Saints.

Iremia

Iremia (EE-reh-MEE-ah), translated as “serenity” in the common tongue, is the ideal of self-control that all Ceruleans aspire to achieve and maintain. Iremia is both the state of serenity and self-possession itself and the process of achieving it — a never-ending journey that all Ceruleans undergo every day of their lives. Achieving serenity one day is no guarantee that someone will achieve it the next; every Cerulean knows that they must always exert control, for even a single slip at the wrong time can be enough to let Radokhar’s influence begin to sway one’s mind.

To achieve Iremia, you must allow emotions to occur, but never let them dictate your words or actions. Fear, anger, sorrow, pain, want, joy — emotions are a natural and critical part of the mortal experience, and it can be harmful to try to not experience them, but they must not be allowed to dictate your choices or actions. Iremia demands that you control your response to emotions, not your emotions themselves; it is a serenity born of the rational mind floating upon a sea of emotion and maintaining its course no matter the currents or winds that attempt to shift it.

Actors and dramaturges within the League are masters at using Iremia to simulate emotions while remaining in control. They are so highly-regarded in this that they often end up as therapists and guides to others, helping those who are having trouble maintaining Iremia to recognize and control their emotions sufficiently to achieve serenity.

Arete

The word “Arete” (ah-REH-teh) means “virtue” in Old Raldenic. Originally the Ceruleans equated virtue with strength and power — the one who could take from others was often the most powerful, and so clearly was the most virtuous. However, in the 23rd Century the Great Sage Lykhourgos of Lakedemos began teaching that true virtue stood not in sheer power but rather in constant self-improvement, an application of Vallaros’ teachings to every part of one’s life. His philosophy emphasized self-discipline, constant training of the mind and body, and a pursuit of excellence in whatever one does. In modern times, Arete means something closer to “excellence,” and while it is still very much a good thing in the Cerulean mind the word has lost the moral connotation that it once had.

“To pursue Arete” is viewed by the Ceruleans as a critical path to personal enlightenment and fulfillment. They view the mind and body as two halves of a whole, and there is a great emphasis placed upon training both alongside one another in Cerulean culture — in the Cerulean view a weak mind leads to a weak body and vice versa. The unending path towards excellence aids in understanding of oneself, as the seeker finds and attempts to remedy their weaknesses and build upon their strengths. By pursuing Arete, Ceruleans seek to become their best self, and in so doing gain a better understanding of themselves and their place in the world.

Odyssey

Though stability and discipline are the overarching backbone of Cerulean culture, there is one massive exception in every Cerulean’s life: their Odyssey. Once a young Cerulean is grown to the point where they can take care of themselves physically and are capable enough to earn money on their own, they are given leave to go on a long journey to other places. This Odyssey doesn’t need to be particularly exciting, nor does it need to be a terribly long journey; rather, it’s an opportunity for young people to see the world beyond their normal boundaries, to travel around the League or even other nations, exploring new places, meeting new people, and learning new perspectives on the world.

Many Cerulean families have a tradition of sending their young ones on an Odyssey that resembles their parents’ or ancestors’. They travel to the same places in roughly the same manner and order in an attempt to recreate a journey from the past to see what has changed and what has stayed the same, to maintain relationships started during their family’s previous journeys, and to learn some of the same lessons that helped shape their forebears’ personalities and thoughts. It rarely works out that way, of course, but the tradition persists nonetheless.

Those who are on Odyssey are expected to pay their way and be good guests, but are usually given the lowest rates possible for cheap food and lodging if they’re strapped for coin. Though some may have a specific itinerary and destinations they wish to visit, others go where the winds and tides take them, intent on experiencing what Fate has in store for them no matter how mundane or different from their expectation. Many young Ceruleans of the same relative age choose to go on Odyssey together, forming a small and very amateur martial Schola to go on a joint adventure into the world.

A Cerulean’s return from Odyssey is a time of rejoicing for their friends, family, and Schola, who often have not heard from them for quite some time by that point. A feast is thrown, and the one who has returned is grilled (lovingly) for all the things they saw, people they met, places they visited, and — most importantly — lessons they learned. An Odyssey is a turning point in a young Cerulean’s life, and frequently shapes the Schola they choose to join and the philosophical approach they take in the following decade or two, and so all who know them are eager to hear what new things they are beginning to incorporate into their approach to life.

It’s expected for young people to delay marriage or any significant and lasting life decisions until they have completed their Odyssey, as they are seen as immature and not truly knowing themselves well enough to make that kind of commitment until they’ve gone on the journey of self-discovery. It is, however, culturally acceptable for young people to become engaged and then go on their Odysseys (either together or alone), and immediately get married once they’ve both returned home if that’s still what they both want.

The term “Odyssey” derives from Odussera, an ancient Cerulean warrior-queen from before the Godswar, who was lost at sea while returning home from one of Radokhar’s wars after she offended a benthic Spirit and spat in the eye of one of Bakharos’ Heralds. Through trials and tribulations and journeys to half the shores of the Continent, she finally returned home after eleven years to slay the suitors for her husband’s hand. The Oduserra who returned home was said to be a notably wiser queen and gentler partner and mother than the one who left, and so the tradition of the Odyssey is seen as a means to let young Ceruleans mature and grow into a better version of themselves through travel and experience.

Debate

Epigrams

Laurels