Sovyrian

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Sovyrian

(Nation)

Region

Pact Worlds system

Capital

El

Ruler

The Sova

Source: Pact Worlds (sourcebook), pg(s). 28-36

The southern nation-continent of Sovyrian on the Pact Worlds planet of Castrovel is the elven homeland and has long been isolated from the other landmasses by harsh weather, icebergs, and hostile oceanic life, not to mention the xenophobic culture of its native inhabibants.

Geography

Sovyrian is located in Castrovel's southern hemisphere south of the lashunta-dominated continent of Asana. To Sovyrian's north is the dangerous Sea of Teeth, while to its west lies the Snowsalt Sea that seperates it from southwestern-most Asana and the formian continent of the Colonies. Just south of Sovyrian is the southern polar ice cap of Aurovas that is home to white-furred predatory aurovaks. An ice bridge forms between Aurovas and Sovyrian's southernmost fortress of Southwatch, where for many years—and until recently—defenders fended off the creatures every winter.

History

The elves of Sovyrian remained neutral in the millennia-long war between the other two major sentient species of Castrovel, the lashuntas and the formians, preferring to keep to their own continent and focus on their magic.

Government

The continent of Sovyrian is ruled as a single country by a group known as the Sova, the leaders of the High Families of El. Their mandate is almost entirely restricted to the protection of the national borders and with managing the economy, leaving most other governmental duties to the rulers of the individual cities and settlements. Sovyrian citizens are given significant freedom to pursue their interests and live their lives in harmony with the environment in the nation's many smaller settlements.

Society

The galaxy-wide amnesia experienced by all species at the end of the Gap hit the long-lived elves of Sovyrian particularly hard. The abrupt loss of history transformed their former traditionalism and stand-offishness into virulent xenophobia. The Sovyrian elves now rarely let outsiders visit the capital city of El, and even distrust fellow elves who live among other species outside of Sovyrian. These foreign elves are called the Forlorn, and Sovyrian elves see their fraternization with outsiders as a stain on their elven legacy. Elves who are forced to deal with outsiders protect their honor through a custom known as Masking, wearing elaborate masks that they believe can absorb the dishonor of all such interactions. This practice is popular among diplomats and soldiers,who see it as a way to solidify cultural unity and unnerve their opponents.

Blood Right

Due to the low birth rate of the elves that constantly threatens to push Sovyrian into global and system-wide irrelevancy, the government of Sovyrian offers citizenship to any person of observable elven appearance. This policy is known as the Blood Right and allows these individuals (along with the gnomes who have lived among the elves of Sovyrian since ancient times) to interact with foreigners without social stigma.

Economy

Trade with outsiders is very rare in Sovyrian due to the elves' cultural xenophobia. Even though they understand foreign trade is an unavoidable necessity to maintain their economy, elves spend as little time as possible in pursuit of it, returning as quickly as possible to their elven enclaves.

Manufacturing

The elves of Sovyrian have always focused on quality over quantity and craftsmanship over mass production. Combined with their deep understanding of magic, they produce some of the most accomplished spellcasters in the system, and create magic items unseen anywhere else. Their bespoke and artistic exports often include biotechnological elements, and are always in high demand as the Sovyrian government restricts their sale in order to create artificial scarcity that drive up price and demand.

Organizations

The environmentally conscious elves of Sovyrian consider the protection of the relatively unspoiled continent of Ukulam as a significant priority. They founded a number of non-governmental agencies to accomplish this, most notably the Esowath Conservancy. This NGO is heavily concerned with the exploitation and pollution of Ukulam and therefore severely restricts travel to the continent, even going so far as to limit air travel that crosses its borders. Unlike most NGOs, the Esowath Conservancy can enforce its rules via its own hired military, deploying soldiers and a fleet of interceptor starships to protect the borders.