Four centuries ago there was unrest within the kingdom of Ascalon.

The ethnic kelari people, who had

long stood as one with the Cenel Gallowen, began to desire a return to their old culture. Kept alive in
their oral traditions and stories, the kelari had once worshiped the gods, prioritizing the veneration of
Ulano wom they had called Midna and associated strongly with the moon. This was in direct
opposition to the laws of Ascalon which called for the veneration of Ulano and Rizzuo equally and by
their “proper” names.

There had always been a respect for the kelari’s traditions and they had been, for the most part, allowed
to venerate the gods as they saw fit despite the wording of the law. It came to be though that many
simply desired more, a place of their own where their old culture might be revived as it was before they
became a part of the Cenel Gallowen. This led to many sore feelings, even between families; and for
the first time it seems Ascalon might break into in fighting. The leader of the kelari movement was a
woman named Onami Jhambor, and though he urged his followers to find a peaceful solution to their
dissatisfaction he stood firm for kelari freedom.

Finally, after a violent protest ended in the loss of many lives, the King of Ascalon had Onami Jhambor
captured. To avoid further fighting, he exiled Onami, and bid her take as many people as would follow
her and depart the kingdom, going so far as to grant him supplies in the name of peace. Jhambor led her
people from Ascalon and down into the wetlands of Cyprus, instructing them their time as Cenel
Gallowen was at its end. She renamed her people the Midna’Bace, the “Children of Midna” in old
kelari.

The Midna’Bace made their way north through the wetlands, guided by the visions of Onami. Along
the way they made many converts of the people of the wetlands. Finally they reached the northern
fringes of the flooded lands and settled in the rocky foothills between the marsh and the Spine of
Rizzuo. Here they built their city, Cada’Madara; ensuring every aspect of it venerated the sky and the
things held sacred by their goddess. Rizzuo too was honored by the building of the 12 stone lions,
massive guardians placed at the walls of their city to stand watch against invaders.

From the Temple of the Goddess in Cada’Madara Onami Jhambor organized the faith of Midna as best
her the oral traditions of the kelari allowed her to reconstruct it. As a form of government Onami
copied the ecclesiocracy where the church would chose a leader the for the city, and that leader would
operate as a senior church authority, but see to the day to day running of the city as opposed to the
issuance of church edicts. In essence, a physical ruler to see to the people’s temporal well being while
the church’s saw to their spiritual welfare.

This resulted in the establishment of the office of the Bisapa or “Patriarch”. This individual would be
chosen by the priestesses of the church, and would be the defender and head administrator of the cuty
and its physical holdings. He would also hold a unique position as the only male priest in the clergy of
all females; playing the part of Rizzuo to the high priestess’s Ulano (Although this “marriage” would
be only in the symbolic, as the priestesses were all required to remain virginal, as the only “mother”
was Ulano/Midna.).

From these beginnings in 412, the church of Midna and the influence of Cada’Madara grew to heights
the original pilgrims dared dream of. As more of the Cyrpus region and parts of Archen were converted
or conquered, the office of Bisapa was named king of these vassal lands. This was birth of the great
Kingdom of Cyrpus.
The Kingdom of Cyprus

Population: 150,000 (75% human, 20% kithraki, 5% beastmen)

Alignment: LN / LG
Type: theocracy/ ecclesiocracy (Church rule through an appointed monarch.)
Symbol: The Cadarama Phula or “Moon Flower”, a flower-like shape composed of intersecting
crescents. Typically presented as gold on a midnight blue or purple field.
Religion: Midna worship

Situated in the north of the Cyprus Wetlands is the mighty Kingdom of Cyprus. A theocracy /
eccelsiocracy, it is governed by the powerful Church of Midna, and its people are held to stringent
religious laws and traditions. In a seeming contradiction, the nation who’s religion and laws are
decidedly matriarchal are ruled by a king known as the Bisapa. This position is one granted by the
church to a man who has proven great military or leadership qualities, and it is his charge to rule the
temporal / physical nature of the church’s holdings while the High Priestess oversees the spiritual. The
Bisapa, a term meaning “Patriarch”, is the only male member of the church’s clergy; over the years also
having gained the title of “King” over the conquered and converted lands (Hence the nation’s name.).

Life within the wetland kingdom is orderly, and the military works to ensure that people may live and
work in peace as much as is possible in the monster-filled wetlands. The law can be strict, and is
centered around the Ulano-centric teachings of the church; with women holding most of the legal and
financial power. This is not to say men are chattel or second class citizens, and the mistreatment of any
sentient is fiercely forbidden by the law. Men are, in their way, revered as Rizzuo is revered: Husband,
protector, father, and crafter. But just the church sees the true power of the divine relationship held by
Midna, so then is the true power in earthly matters held by females.

Blasphemy against either deity is a high crime.

There is on obsession with learning, promoted heavily by church doctrine, and astronomy, mathmatics,
and engineering play an important role in the lives of the kingdom’s people. Cyprus is home to many
great engineering wonders; such as sturdy bridges, levies and plumbing systems that have reclaimed
lands from the marsh, indoor plumbing, fountains, and public baths (In the kingdom’s capital.), and
even indoor steam-based radiators for heat (Again, in the kingdom’s capital.). Calenders track
astronmical events and the procession of heavenly bodies for millennial in advance, and study of the
nighty sky is considered a holy act of veneration to Midna.

Commoner’s Life: Most commoners work as fishers or gatherers in the wetlands, or till fields and
patties that the kingdom has drained and prepared as part of its many engineering feats. Cattle are rare,
and what kine do exist tend to be water buffalo and swamp bariffs who pulls dredges and work as beast
of burden. Swine of all sorts, as well as poultry are tended, and fungus farms provide food for both man
and beast. In the foothills and the rocky lands of the northeast, sheep are herded, but mutton is a rare
dish outside these regions.

Finally, some common folk work in basic crafting professions creating and selling textiles and
performing simple labor.

The church owns all land and the fruits of all labor, but demand only such payment as the nation’s taxes
and tithes call for; allowing workers to sell the rest amongst themselves. In times of emergency such as
war, this can change, and both peasants, goods, and livestock may be conscripted as the church sees fit.
Locations of Interest

Cada’Madara: Cyprus’s capital and the heart of its faith; the holy city of Cada’Madara sits where the
marsh meets the northern foothills. Here the great Temple of the Moon, a massive basalt ziggurat,
looms above all, serving as the center of the city and the kingdom. Radiating out from the temple are
streets laid out like interlocking crescents, forming the sacred Cadarama Phula if viewed from above
(With the temple at its center.). The angle of these streets are mathematically perfect, with the openings
within the petals of the Phula being pools aligned with the four main phases of the distant moon (Full,
new, waning crescent, waxing crescent.) as proscribed by the church.

A myriad of buildings may be found here (Although by law, none can be as tall as the ziggurat.). Streets
are of brick and stone, and the surfaces of buildings are adorned with intricate spirals and knotwork
(Again of perfect dimensions.). Depictions of aquatic and avian life, sacred to Midna, abound here,
although only holy buildings may feature symbols related to the moon itself. Thousands of colorful
prayer flags hang from buildings and dance on lines above the streets, and prayer wheels sit along
every balcony and open window (As well as being available in public spaces such as parks and
markets.).

Beyond these streets and older, ornate buildings lays a large and ornate wall. It is crenalted with many
towers and sturdy ramparts. This is the old city wall, and was the intial wall built to enclose the temple
and the settlement which grew up around it.

Roughly a century and a half after the city was built, it became apparent a new wall would be needed to
protect the buildings and markets that grew up outside the old ones (Due to matters of space and laws
forbidding trading near the temple.). The first war with the Valencians had instilled a renewed sense of
protection within the Midna’Bace, so new set of larger walls were constructed giving the city more
room to grow as well as an ample defense. This split Cada’ Madara into the Old and New Cities, with
the New City becoming the economic hub and providing residence for outsiders who were merely
visiting the city.

As the temple is the center of the Old City, the center of the New City is the New Market, a square
located south of the ziggarut just within the city’s outer wall. The old market, was housed in a similar
location in the century before the new walls were built, as the law forbade a market within the walls
that housed the temple, and the newer, more permanent bazaar that took its place retained the “New”
moniker despite it being several centuries old now. Buildings within the New City are by far less ornate
than within the old, and their adornments (Despite appearing similar.) are not held to the same
standards of perfection. The law still applies here, but its enforcement is somewhat more lax (At least
by Midna’Bace standards.) to promote trade and harmony with outsiders. Even so, one can quickly end
up on the wrong side of jail bars, in the stocks, or even facing down an executioner if one flaunts the
laws and beliefs of the church here.