Flurelia
I figured I should go ahead and start talking about the countries of Exis. Flurelia (formerly known as Fallough, in case any of you remember it), is the smallest of the three countries I’ll be focusing on in Exis, and lies between Archus and the currently nameless “New World.” It’s populated by those who fled the horrors of Archus long ago and has since become a hub for some of the most talented artists, musicians, poets and sculptors in the world. Most of the truths about their origin have been lost to time, but they have not forgotten the stories themselves. Many Flurelians have a morbid fascination with death, the afterlife and the ever-elusive Slip Space, mostly due to their fortunate position of having no known rifts on their land.
Aesthetically, Flurelia is based on those ceramic Victorian figurines you see in thrift stores (like these and this), with a French Rococo and Italian Renaissance flair. They love their pastels, and, much like their name sake, flowers. Flower language is extremely important in high Flurelian society (one may even argue, sacred), so much so that many of their towns and even people have plant-like names. However, the opulence of larger cities does not carry over quite so strongly to the Flurelian countryside, where poorer families have held more strongly to the ways of Old Archus. They prefer to live realistically, and will openly mock the ideals of the wealthy, whom they view as delusional at best.
Flurelia’s main exports are the art they produce, fine teas and clothing and of course, flowers. While they appear to be the pinnacle of prosperity from the outside, the growing wage gap and almost obsessive need to maintain the status quo among the wealthy has convinced many of its members who grow tired of these shenanigans to leave in search of somewhere a little less... garish.
