|| Stephanie has wondered many a time in her life if she could return home one day, but she never really considered if home was a place she'd WANT to return to.
The kingdom she comes from, Radbuzia - land devoted to the Earth Goddess Rathar, which is currently located in the coldest part of the Moon Age hemisphere (the much colder part of the planet, Moon and Sun ages tend to take about 500 years to swap places), is a rather harsh and mountainous region. Both its environment and its people made rough and unfriendy through hardship.
The kingdom is very rich in mineral wealth, but extremely poor in fertile land suitable for farming (The people recognise the irony of the Earth kingdom not having farmland), making them reliant on grain imports. With the coming of the Moon Age the few fields they have available can only grow a few types of produce that can survive the harsh weather, worsening the situation for the people.
Most of the big cities of the kingdom are located in the valleys of the land, while the more remote and mountainous locations are dotted with small villages. A system of tunnels has been dug through the mountains on the borders to allow safe passage of merchants from other kingdoms, however, all envoys must be strictly guarded by the king's army as the caravans carrying long-lasting food supplies often get ambushed by thieves when unprotected.
The kingdom is commonly thought to be the land of war-mongering ruffians due to the high crime rate and its history. The monarchs of the past have raised many a campaign to seize the fertile fields of their neighbors through conquest, their overwhelming military prowess only stopped by the combined might of the rest of the Alliance, who would then impose heavy reparations for each attempt.
The strong majority of Radbuzia's people are rather poor, due to the reparations owed and due to the greed of the nobility owning the lands. The common people have revolted against their monarchs and nobles many a time in violent coups, only to always be left to the devices of the next rightful heir to the throne as only individuals ordained by the Goddesses can rule in a Celestocracy.
The revolts have been somewhat quelled in the last two hundred years of the Moon Age through careful propaganda boosting national pride, and religion, promoting a culture of toughness, seeking physical power and bodily perfection in all aspects, popularizing military careers, and bolstering a strong desire for competition among the people.
To live through suffering is to be strong, to be strong is to bring honour to your parents and thank them for all the grueling work they put into raising you. Status is earned through power, be it physical, magical, or intellectual. EVERYTHING is a competition - music, art, work, dance. Everything must be done to a breaking point without actually breaking. Weakness and softness are not tolerated in their culture
Those deemed as not strong are often seen as bringing shame to a family and a waste of precious hard to come by resources. Sickly children and the elderly tend to get abandoned in a lot of cases, people of differing opinions than the majority excommunicated from their communities, and those unwilling to accept the terrible living conditions are often exiled to the harshest part of the mountains to mining camps. Only people from families that have proven themselves loyal the the royal family are allowed to get a higher education.
Because of the high crime rate, most people must learn how to wield a weapon and defend the little they have, making them prime for picking by the royal army. The king then proceeds to rent out these forces as mercenaries to the rest of the Alliance. Although strong, they are rarely well-equipped for the task and many of them never make it back home.
-really wouldn't thrive in that environment, so it's a good thing she never moves back there. ||