The Nemeus Archipelago

“The sea and the sky are mirrors. The gods have bodies in both. The islands that stand firm against the buffeting of the tides. The planets that form the clearest guides in the star-strewn sky. The Arkhē are the places where the gods and heroes meet, as the stars entertain the planets in their houses up above.”

– From a prayer to Flitch Baggaban, recited before a story-festival.

The Nemeus Archipelago, often called simply Nemeus, is a cluster of islands and islets sited roughly halfway between the continents of Dyzia and Ystokia. The Azgros Sea lies to the northwest, towards Mayton Greynes, and the Holy Water to the southeast, towards Endring.

The islands have sandy coasts and rugged, mountainous interiors, with conifer forests at lower elevations. On Yuu, these conifers mingle with a wider variety of plants, forming a rainforest ecosystem. The majority of the population lives in the lowland regions of the four biggest islands (Baggaban, Yuu, Doip, and Xheech), as well as aboard Alaxus: an artificial island made of reeds, mud, and parts of defunct boats. For reasons of trade, Alaxus regularly sails back and forth between Nemeus and Endring, a journey of about one Archival season.

The largest settlement is the Port City of X on the island of Xheech, home to about a sixth of the country’s population.

The five main islands are all slightly different in character:

• Doip (pronounced “doy-p”) is the largest island, with a culture focused primarily on fish and fishing. It is also highly spiritual, with many Alsatia (temple-schools), and a society split into three occupational groups according to the roles they play in the worship of the god Doip. It was historically Nemeus’ most influential island.
• Xheech (pronounced “zeech”) is Nemeus’ present-day centre. The Port City of X marks the spot where the god Xheech showed the first modern merchants how to cross the sea again, while it has very high levels of internet access. Goods here are usually crafted, rather than harvested.
• Baggaban (pronounced “BAG-a-ban”) is the flattest of Nemeus’ islands, with grassy fields and space for agriculture. Throughout Nemeus’ history, it has been used as a location for festivals, competitions, and general meetings.
• Yuu (pronounced “you”) is a territory of tall mountains, deep valleys, and cloud forest hiding the highest peaks from sight. History waits to be found in the subsoil, though the hostile geography often limits researchers’ access.
• Alaxus (pronounced “al-AX-us”) is a more recently created artificial island inhabited by expert sailors, travelling back and forth between Nemeus and Endring for trade. A significant amount of cultural interconnection has grown through the Nemean and Endringian trade routes that have grown since Nemeus ended its isolation, increasingly expressed through worship of Alaxus. The artificial island was created as the culmination of this, and is run by a priesthood mixing Endringian and Nemean traditions of Alaxus-worship.

Nemeus is an ancient polity, with a history stretching back into the furthest reaches of time. Much of this history is remembered primarily through stories about the ancient High Sages, in tales of magic and wonder, and of a world that did not hide its life behind solid bark and beneath deep water. It is uncovered, too, in archaeological digs — especially on the island of Yuu, where many treasures have recently been uncovered. And these treasures are often highly valuable: ancient Nemeus was a powerful, seafaring state, conquering the land that would later become Endring, and trading a variety of goods with both Dyzian and Ystokian polities.

Around the time of the conquest of Endring, the priesthood gained out-and-out control over the archipelago, coordinating an animistic theocracy that ruled for centuries. About a thousand years ago, under High Priest Avellis Kierkblat, Nemeus closed itself off from the world. This isolationism lasted for centuries, until a group of inter-island traders dared to break the bubble and look outside again. Trade made Nemeus rich, and these merchants eventually gained enough power to take over government. The old priesthood left for the mountains, where some say they still reside today…

Nemean worship is organised spatially: the rites and tales associated with the Arkhē (shrines) of each island are primarily dedicated to the island's god. The island is said to be the god's body. Travel between islands has long been common, and those who feel a powerful pull to another god's faith have often been known to move to their island, though this is not an expectation. There are tales and Arkhē associated with the other gods on each island, but these tend to be connected to an overarching set of narratives focused on the island's god.

Nemeus recognises an extensive pantheon of gods, with each island usually focusing on one primary deity. The five main gods (and islands) are as follows:

However, there are many more gods than these alone: players are welcome to invent their own Nemean gods for their character to follow.

In Nemeus, the gods are much more distant than in Endring. Their onomatopoeic names highlight their positions as personifications of natural phenomena: while they may once have walked the earth, inspiring heroes and transforming lives, they have gone quiet now, leaving the forests still.

That does not mean, however, that the gods have vanished completely. Arkhē, once places where gods and heroes met, have been left untouched, dedicated both to the memory of this history and the natural decay that the future will bring, while Alsatia are temple-schools in which the gods are worshipped, even today. Although some speak of a shift towards secularisation, especially in the larger settlements such as Xheech’s Port City of X, “secularisation” does not necessarily mean a loss of faith — simply a change in the way it is experienced. Some might argue that this change is part of the natural course of Nemean faith: after all, all things must eventually end. Furthermore, ancient songs and poems are still shared and enjoyed, while myths regarding the lives of the mountain-dwelling High Sages (especially the reason for their flight) are also widespread.

For the past few centuries, Nemeus has been ruled by a group of powerful merchant families, meaning that life revolves in large part around farming and trade. The current ruling family is the house of Querello, from Xheech, who have been ruling for seven years. The individual political and cultural leaders of society, such as Dominic Querello or Krates Antithanes, are known as archons.

Each of the islands has its own primary output: fish on Doip, clothing and artisanal wares on Xheech, staple crops on Baggaban, wood and fruit on Yuu, and boats on Alaxus. Trade and farming are generally believed to be carried out with the gods’ blessing; many consider them prayerful acts in themselves.

On Doip in particular, fish is such an integral part of life that everyone’s profession is defined around the fish trade, and the way in which that facilitates the worship of the Four Instances of their primary god:

• Sh’ak: Inter-archipelago traders (“Sh’ak” symbolising the lifting of a fish from the water)
• Zzulp: Masons and craftsmen (“Zzulp” symbolising the cooking of the fish)
• Shik: Landowners and statesmen (“Shik” symbolising equal exchange for the fish)

The Instance of Doip, the First of the Instances, which symbolises the dropping of a hook and bait into still water, used to be represented by the priests. Now, the work of all groups is believed to pay homage to Doip.

Education is also considered important, with the Alsatia centres for study as well as prayer, and the archaeological exploration on Yuu well-publicised. Small vessels are used to travel from island to island, facilitating connection despite the different characters of each island, and thereby also debate. PCs from Nemeus are likely to be somehow involved in their island’s primary trade, but may well also fulfil a religious role, or be a scholar — or both!

Nemeus’ relations with other polities have historically been — and are currently — complicated.

Centuries ago, Nemeus conquered the land that now constitutes Endring, leaving a permanent mark on its language, culture and religion. Although now, the relationship is considered more a simple sharing of culture — especially by the inhabitants of Alaxus, who travel regularly between the two — the specific nature of the link is debated, especially within Endring.

The Archive maintains close diplomatic and trade links with Nemeus, providing scholars in the Alsatia with primary sources, in exchange for goods that it has no easy means of producing itself. Although the Archive lacks a coastline, a port has been constructed specifically for Nemean trade on the eastern coast of the Petu Peninsula, an area currently not under national control. It also sponsors the digging on Yuu.

Mayton Greynes has a notable presence in Nemeus. Many Nemeans are employed in high-ranking positions in Greynesian businesses; in exchange, Nemeus offers Mayton Greynes goods, while Mayton Greynes still exerts a significant degree of control over Nemean Internet, with much less nationalisation evident than in other polities. The Nemean merchant families and Mayton Greynes’ King Alden present this as a mutually beneficial arrangement — but many ordinary Nemeans are less confident of this.