Narvaez (Savage Barony)
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary DaviesIxion - Sun, wisdom and knowledge, power and passion, balance
The Inquisitor (Vanya) - Patriotism, pride, revenge
The Judge (Tarastia) - Justice, law, order
The General (Thor) - War, courage, honour
The Ambassador (Masauwu) - Politics, intrigue, diplomacy
Valerias - Love, passion, fertility, arts
Milan (Mealiden) - Exploration, travel, adventure
Notes:
1. Among the Savage Baronies, Narvaez is the only one in which the religion is really an affair of state. In effect, the regime is a true theocracy, in which the temporal and spiritual powers are founded, and the citizens are obliged by the government to follow the dictates of the Church of Narvaez and believe in the supreme power of Ixion. In effect, the Church is the foundation of Narvaez the work of the first Ispan colonists (when the barony contained all the territories of the Los Guardianos), thus actually almost all of the Narvaezans are convinced supporters of the faith in Ixion and of the superiority of their nation over all the others. In the name of their religion, the Narvaezans government has often backed the holy quests for retrieving ancient relics (one of which is constantly displayed in the Grande Cathedral de Ciudad Quimeras and a goal of incessant pilgrimages), and the actual Baron, Hugo de Narvaez y Montoya, has for a time instituted an Inquisition in order to hunt down all the traitors and unbelievers within their territory, and threatening to extend the Inquisition also to the other baronies, an action that would unleash a true holy war. [The war in effect fizzled out in 1005 AC, and saw the states of Narvaez, Texeiras and Torreón allied in order to conquer the remaining baronies. Fortunately, the attack backed by Hule in 1008 AC forcing the folk of the Los Guardianos to unite their forces and forget their differences in order to repulse the invasion and maintaining their independence.]
2. The cause of the progressive worsening of the religious politics of Narvaez is from research in the increase of power that the cult of the Inquisitor has gained in the course of the last fifty years. The priests of Vanya spurred on by the Immortal in fact, have acted in order to foment the passions and the pride of the faithful, putting them against the non-believers and those that professed different faiths, until they were made of the true and proper enemies of the state. The followers of the Inquisitor have therefore assumed the important roles of guarding the national security and of executioners, gained the power of pursuing and sentencing anyone who is suspected of disloyalty to the state religion and therefore to the government, and usurped part of the competence that had been the duty of the priests of the Judge. Thanks to this movement Vanya has gained much power within Narvaez, transforming the complaisant barony into a belligerent and intransigent nation, unpopular to all those other bordering states (with the exception of Texeiras and Torreón). In this manner Vanya planned to alienate the cult of Ixion to the other inhabitants of the barony (which had nearly succeeded) until, with a surprise attack, thrust his followers to power both in Narvaez and nearby Torreón, in order to unleash a new war and annex as much land as possible to the two states, in the hope of a final fusion between the two baronies. [In effect this strategy was set into action in 1005 AC, when the Inquisition declared holy war on the other Savage Baronies, except failing in the moment in which Hule attacked the Los Guardianos forcing them to ally together in order to survive.]
3. The General, Judge and Ambassador are considered minor figures by the Church of Narvaez, which however allows their cults within the barony, always watched by the agents of the Inquisitor. In effect, these three figures are presented within the Church of Narvaez as servants of Ixion, and to them was paid a minor veneration as simple vassals.
4. The cult of Valerias and Milan is by now restricted to a few but resolute Narvaezan followers, especially inhabitants of the country and adventurers. Even though they haven’t been opposed by the Church, they are not however appreciated, and therefore have gained little favour with the population. Initially the Ispan faith saw Valerias as the spouse of Ixion and therefore his cult was extremely popular with the population. However, after the rise of the Inquisitor, she has been relegated to the role of a servant of Ixion, losing a large part of her importance. Actually the followers of the Inquisitor have sought to ultimately outshine the faith in Valerias accommodating some of the fertility practices of the Immortal to blasphemous rituals of witchcraft, in the attempt of expelling from the Narvaezan mythos symbology the only other female Immortal besides Vanya. [This attempt produced a strong friction within the nation, which culminated with open and bloody conflict. In order to resolve the situation, the Baron pointedly declared war to the other Baronies, drawing the attention of the people towards an external enemy and heal the fractured social and internal politics before it is too late.]