Mifora

Mifora

Government
Republic
Capital
The Grand Imperial City of Mifora
Cities
Dunum, Silia, Tetia
Major Worship
Beory, Boccob, Heironeous, Istus, Lirr, Pholtus

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Climate
Temperate
Exports
Artwork, cheese, fruits, grain, knowledge, leather, wine.
Imports
Coffee, cotton, rice, salt, silk, spices, sugar.

Confusingly Mifora refers to both a country and a city. Attempts have been made to rename the country to Sunita, but without success. And to muddy things even more; Mifora is where the original Miforan Empire got its start.

The country is more technologically advanced than most other nations. Though this is not necessarily true for the countryside, the capital and the other large cities contains many academies, colleges and other centers of learning.

Government

Mifora is unique in the world for the fact that the many small agricultural communities in this nation, together hold more power than the metropolis of GICOM, its capital.

This is because the country is divided up into seventy-two administrative shires of equal size by area, each of which has one vote in the State Convocation. Most of these shires contain a small town and some villages or even less than that.

Each shire elects one envoy who then has a seat in the State Convocation for a period of five years. To say debate there is lively would be the understatement of the century. Items regularly get flung through the main chamber and the very real jail in the building sees occupants that need to cool off every week.

Crime is significant in the large cities and groups of bandits often travel the interior until hunted down. Taxes are quite high but the government is quick to point out that the citizens benefit from a lot of programs not available in other countries. These are things like public schooling, state orphanages, assisted living for the infirm and old, good quality roads, etc.

Magic

There isn't a thing the Miforan government can't tax, and magic is no different. On entering the country all arcane spellcasters are to pay 15 gold pieces to procure a license without which they are not allowed to cast spells. But that's not the end of it; any spellcaster hired, is to pay a 25% tax over their income from that job. Adventurers, and the law uses the looses definition of this word, pay 20% tax. The way it works is that both parties are to draw up a contract and the employer is to pay the taxed amount directly to the revenue service.

Religion

Mifora is very much a Beory worshiping country in the rural areas. Only Pholtus has a little following there as well, but mostly for the justice speaking capacity. Boccob and Lirr are quite popular with certain segments of the population in the large cities. Heironeous has historically been popular in the south east of the country. The new arrival Istus has been gaining popularity in both urban and rural areas.

Geography

The northern border is formed by the Sarodin Sea. Here one finds mostly sandy beaches but there are also some areas of coastal cliffs. Large estuaries have formed where the Garanus, Liga, and Vius rivers empty into the sea.

Going south the terrain is mostly flat plains and gently rolling hills. The plains are used extensively for agriculture; cereals, grapes, berries, and oilseeds are the most grown, using about half of the farmland. The other half is mostly used to graze the famous Miforan cows.

In the past there were many large forests but so much of them has been cut down that now some forest have gained a protective status for fear of running out of timber in the future and wood is even being imported from Sormark.

To the south the Giant's Crown Mountains border the country keeping much of the rain clouds in. The eastern border is formed by the Endless Mire. This swamp has resisted all attempts over the centuries to drain it or otherwise curtail it.

Bulette's Back

This large stony plateau can be found in the center of the country, the Vius river flows around the south and west of it. It measures forty by thirty kilometers and rises over ten meters above the surrounding country side. There are no natural paths onto it but a few access points have been built. There is only sparse vegetation on the top and no animals except for birds and insects.

Sarodin Span

These clusters of geometric columns can be found at the very eastern end of the coast next to the Endless Mire. The columns vary in height, like a pipe organ that got away from itself. The columns closest to the coast disappear into the sea, while others jut out of the ground like basalt palisade walls. Legends claim that these are the start of a dike built towards the two islands to the north, Jeheir and Guheir, and from there to Sormark. Who supposedly built them is unclear, some versions of the story say it was merfolk wizards, others versions hold an ancient sea deity responsible.

Ecology

Hares and rabbit are ever present, the same can be said for voles, dormice, mice, mole-rats, squirrels and chipmunks. Moles and porcupine are quite widespread as well, as are badgers and polecats.

Elk and deer are less common as the hunting of them is quite popular. Boar do a little better and some bison can still be found but domesticated cows vastly outnumber them now. Foxes, wildcats and wolves are the main predators. Black bears are rare, brown bears are only seen near the mountains.

Grouse and pheasant are also quite popular to the hunt so their numbers have dwindled quite a bit. Swans and herons are the most recurrent large birds found inland. The cedar waxwing is one of the few species that is almost exclusively found only in Mifora. Woodpeckers are common, as are oystercatchers and woodcocks. Wagtails, orioles, crows, and warblers are the most seen songbirds.

Along the coast many seals and seabirds are found. And off the coast there are many sharks, dolphins and porpoises. Large whales are hunted, though on a small scale, the one exception is the narwhal; its horn is so valuable that many ships hunt them exclusively.

Monsters

While in many ways a very bucolic country, there are still quite some monsters around. Village are normally safe from their predations as most quickly learn to avoid hails of arrows. The Restless (undead) are less common here as old superstitions have purged most.

Carrion crawlers are surprisingly common and no one is quite sure where they come from. Displacer beasts have been seen deep inside two forests but fortunately don't seem to wander out from there. The Egnolobe Forest is well known for the clan of girallon that live there and is thus off-limits for anyone else. The leucrotta is likely the most dangerous of the ordinary monsters, roaming around the edges of civilization.

The dangerous yuan-ti are present near the Endless Mire where they have been fought frequently in the past. This seems to have had the desired effect as they are now seen less often. Ogres, ettins and other giants can be found at the foot and lower elevations of the mountains, occasionally a band of them will come into the interior.

Stories tell of a morkoth of enormous proportions living in a cave off the coast of GICOM. The tale claims that it was summoned by empress Lytia and served her as an advisor and the guardian of many of her treasures. When she died her son found he did not have any control over it and it kept all the riches it was given to protect.

History

When the children of Empress Ateia split up the Miforan Empire, most of what is now Mifora went to her son Inicus. A traditionalist, he was the most resistant of the siblings to the new ideas and he firmly intended to continue on as the new emperor of a (much) smaller Miforan Empire. His daughter, however, had other ideas.

Laelia Sevso was an idealist. She cared deeply about the common people and their plight. After many years of reading books and talks with her tutors she came to the conclusion that things needed to change for the betterment of the populace. But she also knew her father would never allow it.

The upheaval as the empire split was the moment to enact any kind of change, this was clear for anyone to see. And she was convinced that it was possible to have a bloodless coup that would allow her father to live out his years in the royal castle. Ah, the optimism of youth.

It turns out that she, and, to be fair, everyone else, had underestimated how different city-dwellers had become from those of the countryside. Even though students loved to discuss revolution, they, and everyone else in the large cities, did, when it actually came to it, not really enjoy a prospect where their opportunities would diminish for the betterment of the 'country bumpkins'.

Said peasants, however, were quite enthusiastic about a change of government once the call went out. Inicus had been slain the first night of the revolt but now the city-folk were dragging their feet when it came to enacting real change. It didn't take long at all before 'a host of hayseeds' arrived at the gates of the Grand Imperial City of Mifora.

The armies were unable to chose a side in this conflict as they were far away (and, in some cases, otherwise occupied). And so marched the 'yokels' into the city and took possession of Mulsa Palace. Representatives of all of society met here and a new system of government was forged. The county was divided into shires and each of these elected an envoy who got a seat in the State Convocation which was to rule the country. As all the large cities were each just a single shire they lost most of their power but soon started to claw back influence.

Those on the eastern border of Dolac, when seeing what had happened in their neighboring country, petitioned to join. This was immediately granted and the country grew to its current size.

Culture

Humans form the majority in the country but halflings are a large minority, bigger than in just about any other country. Half-orcs are the next minority, size-wise, then half-elves and dwarves and gnomes far behind them. Anyone not human or halfling faces a certain amount of prejudice, especially when it comes to politics.

Mifora is known for its architecture; in the days of the empire the most grandiose of stone buildings featuring arches and vaulted ceilings were built, most of them are still around. Ever since the style has become a little more sober but they still like to incorporate some flourishes to their structures. Gardens were also very popular during the empire, these large, meticulously designed and maintained grounds usually include water features and gazebos. Nowadays many have been turned into parks.

In the eastern part of the country many buildings are wattle and daub style, in the west they are more often made of brick. In the early days of empire the royal engineer Banvau built many fortifications at strategic positions around the realm. These redoubts were not only highly defensible but also spacious and aesthetically pleasing. Today many are in use as public buildings or private residences.

Literature has had an enormous boost after the fall of the empire when with the creation of the republic almost anything could be said. This has lead to a long line of authors writing popular works criticizing parts of society. A special mention should go to 'key novels' which are fictional works about current day people with their names changed, skirting any libel charges this way.

Theater is very popular as well, with most villages putting on plays in the quiet winter months, showing us not everyone is a born actor. Many a play goes to the same well as most of the novels; a drama about the wrongs in society. But there is also a large demand for comedies though even these usually carry a moralistic message of some sort as well.

Mifora is seen as the world's center for fashion though it should be noted that this is mostly a GICOM thing and even then, most of the so called fashion is only worn by those able to afford it, which is maybe one percent of the populace. Clothing manufactured for the rest of the people is mostly functional and usually made of cheap but sturdy materials.

'Balls' is a very popular sport played throughout the country; two teams try to place their balls as near as possible to a scoring peg placed into the ground or floor. Three heavy balls may be rolled there and two lighter balls are allowed to be thrown. Teams alternate turns and are free to pick the order of balls used and can try and remove any balls already near the peg. Should a ball completely dislodge the peg then that team loses the round.

Food

Mifora is known for its cows and is the dairy capital of the world. Two breeds of cattle, the dusty white Holsatia and the light brown Helven, can be found throughout the country. Descendant from the wild bison of the area, they are now bred for milk, of which they produce large amounts. The milk itself isn't consumed much in most places but it is turned into butter and cheese. It is said that there are at least three times as many kinds of cheese than villages in Mifora.

Wheat and rye are the most grown cereals in the county and together with the ready supply of butter this has created a cuisine of puff pastries. These come in both sweet and savory kinds with many regional variants. Honey is very popular, most villages keep their own bees. Berries and grapes are the most common fruit and are eaten fresh with cream or used in pastries.

Fish are very popular on the menu in most of the country with the Sarodin Sea and the many rivers and lakes providing a bountiful treasure. The most common are; cod, sardines, herring, tuna, eel, salmon, trout, sturgeon, mussels, oysters, shrimp and squid. Meat, while popular, is not served as often. Though the country is lousy with cows; only those that can't produce milk (anymore) are eaten, usually in stews. Pork is more common in the west and sheep and goat in the south. When possible, extra meat is provided by the hunt; mostly birds like pheasant, quail, duck, goose, and pigeon, and sometimes boar or deer.

The commonly grown vegetables are potato, green beans, carrots, leek, turnip, eggplant, zucchini, and shallots. Mushrooms are popular but have become harder to source, though some enterprising individuals have started their own mushroom farms. Traditionally the most used herbs are tansy, rue, penny-royal, thyme, and hyssop but these days many spices and herbs are imported from Sormark and further afield. Sauces are usually butter based and can contain eggs or flour.

Mead is the most drunk beverage with beer likely coming second. While grapes are grown in great quantities, wine isn't all that popular; it is relatively expensive and time consuming to make. This leaves it as a drink for the wealthy, more grapes are juiced immediately and drunk as a non-alcoholic beverage. That being said; the two former imperial wineries are still producing much wine which is highly prized in many foreign countries. Locally, cheap wine is often drunk mulled. Liqueurs made of blackcurrants and other berries are the most popular hard liquors.

A popular meal in much of the country is essaib; a simple soup made with parts of any fish available, leeks, onions or other local vegetables. It is simmered and usually served with baked bread crusts and a sauce of egg yolk and oil or butter with breadcrumbs, garlic, and pepper. A common winter dish is three for three; a casserole of beef with oxtail or marrowbone, a number of vegetables, usually from among carrots, turnips, parsnips, celery, cabbage, leeks, and onions, seasoned with salt, pepper, cloves, or other herbs. A famous desert is up and over; made with custard and a caramelized sugar covering.