Atlas Elyden #71 - the Kingdom of Cisneria (Patreon)

Here's the latest map of the Atlas Elyden, and this is a special map as it was made after months of polls and contributions from Patrons - this is the end result! I hope you like it, as I'm really pleased with the result, which mixes barbaric practices (a cannibalistic religion and clan-based political structure) with growing industrialisation and keenness to catch up with the 'modern world to the south, all while maintaining a secretive veneer and sowing lies and half-truths amongst its neighbours.

You can find an updated key to the map here.

This is the low-res version available to everyone.  Become a Patron at the Acolyte tier for access to my back catalogue of High-res, PSD and textless maps.

This is available to use as per the CC licence on the image itself

You'll note that there is no PDF for Encyclopaedia entries as the Encyclopaedia Elyden is now available to all patrons to view - the post is stickied on my Patreon, and patrons at any tier (even as little as $1 month) have access to it. The PDF is a living document and will be updated monthly as I add content to it. You can find it here.

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Cisneria is a land whose culture is dominated by seven disparate noble Clans, noted for their heraldic emblems, each of which depicts a bestial aspect of their deity, the scion Thereon, who exists in defiance of the Undying Machine of the east.

In truth, these noble Clans can trace their roots back to a larger, now forgotten arboreal culture known as Azahar, which dominated the region around the Sea of Adum in the Fourth Age, when the climate was more forgiving, and Elyden was dominated by large empires and kingdoms inherited from well-established ethnicities and cultures that are all today largely lost.

Today its people claim to be descended from Thereon, purportedly a scion of the Demiurge Arimaspi, who they worship in a corrupted form. The Clans are ruled by shapers who claim direct lineage to this scion and whose shaping embodies physical aspects attributed to the emblems of their Clans.

Its religion is perhaps most famed and maligned amongst outsiders for its practice of sacramental cannibalism, which has a long history, dating back to various corroborated accounts of the scion Thereon hunting fellow scions and feasting on their flesh, believing the act would pass their abilities on to him. He was apprehended by his father Arimaspi, and eaten in punishment, an act which his descendents would remember to this day, causing them to disown Arimaspi and elevate Thereon to the status of martyr, after which he eventually became a deity to the people of Cisneria. Cannibalism naturally became a part of Cisnerian culture, given the prominent role it played in their deity’s life.

Cannibalism exists in various forms within Cisneria, though increasingly there are those who are looking down on it and want to move away from what they think are antiquated beliefs.

Most commonly it is seen in the consumption of family members who die of old age, as well as the mother and father eating the bodies of miscarried children. Eating the vessel is said to bring one closer to the spirit of the deceased, forming a close bond or connection. Most extended families have amongst their members a shaman, spiritualist or occultists who oversees these cannibalistic rituals and later commune with the spirits of dead family members, passing on information and keeping the living and dead updated with the goings on in their respective worlds.

In calendar-based rituals, willing sacrifices are made on important religious festivals and the bodies are consumed raw during mass, and their bones are clad in elaborate jewelled armour and they are placed in open crypts within their houses, where their families, who are honoured by the sacrifice, may commune with them at any time.

The kingdom of Cisneria is seen as a backwards place by foreign nations, in no small part due to what are considered its primitive religious customs, and its recent move towards industrialisation, which isa cause of debate in the kingdom. Its lack of coastal territories means that it is beholden to neighbouring nations to acquire trade-goods it is in need of, though luckily the Black Mountains that make up its western-most territories are a source of many metals and ores.

This turn towards industrialisation is a contentious issue amongst many of the elder rulers of the clans, who use the example of Almagest and Korachan as what can happen to people when they turn to the natural world as a means of exploitation.

Each Clan has a representative member in the ruling council that watches over a child-Monarch, trying to sway the monarch to choose a particular aspect of Thereon as a patron. When the Monarch reaches the age of 17 they choose an aspect of Thereon under whose protection the Monarch is baptised. The chosen aspect will see the associated Clan ascend in importance for the next 16 years, as it becomes the ruling house, until another patron is chosen by the next monarch upon reaching the age of 17.

Once the patron is chosen, the Monarch chooses a successor, amongst children who turned one in that spring, and disappears into the Black Mountains to seek enlightenment, becoming a saint of the pantheon. As a result of this most pregnancies are planned, so that the birth takes place as close to the Spring equinox as possible. Though it is not strictly the case, most monarchs are chosen from healthy babes - male or female - who are born on the equinox itself.

The current child-Monarch is Arran Sonnelsson, and he is 15, rapidly approaching the age when he is expected to choose an aspect of Thereon

There is much politicking in the capital, and the clans each devotes great time and resources in the hopes of swaying the decisions of the monarch - both in the choice of successor, as well as the aspect under whose auspices the kingdom will be ruled.

The people of Cisneria propagate myths and misinformation that dominates foreign impressions of their land. This includes the belief that their rulers are skinshapers, who can shift into the forms of beasts.

The seven emblems, and the corresponding clans are:

• Bermion the sabre-toothed deer, who embodies speed, and is a guardian to mothers.
• Dislma the white owl, who embodies efficiency and beauty, and is a guardian to women and hunters.
• Gystar the black bear, who embodies perseverance and hunger, and is a guardian to men.
• Hommal the polar fox, who embodies cunning, and is a guardian to politicians.
• Krakyr the white wolf, who embodies community and patience, and is a guardian to soldiers.
• Krislor the hog, who embodies resourcefulness, and is the guardian of workers.
• Skulfur the giant elk, who embodies hard work, and is the guardian of farmers.
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This is the low-res version available to everyone.  Become a Patron at the Acolyte tier for access to my back-catalogue of High-res, PSD and textless maps.