Ethos
Official Name: The Evangelical Alliance of Ethosian States
Motto: Deo Optimo Maximo
Capital: Numinous
Government: Theocratic Republic
Population: 245,095,000
[Including Autonomous Members: 1,056,295,000]
A Nation founded on the principles of Faith, Ethos lies between the Domains of Discourse and the population Desert of the Gods on the continent of Sophos. Home to countless charismatics, Ethos has a proud tradition of faith.
History
Founded on the ruins of Sancta Sedes after their aggressive proselytizing against the Imperium Rationalae left them over extended, Ethos was formed by reformists and minority religions as a way to defend themselves and prevent needless Holy War. Most Ethosians prefer to trace their lineage back to Sophia and Minerva. After a series of crusades and negotiations, most religious groups even as far as Saraswati paid lip service to Ethos. With the rise of Logos in the north, they quickly positioned themselves as the primary defence of the faithful against the heresy and Godlessness of Logos.
Politics
Ethos is technically ruled by the Ethereal Council in theory strives to mediate between the forces of tradition and modernization while guarding the interests of Ethos. However in practice it is generally isolationist and detached, serving as a means for the faiths to cling to Tradition and shun technology with even many of the more modern faiths defending these traditions in hopes of integrating themselves into the council. Moderates and Modernists are steadily gaining ground, though time will tell how modern they are once they actually gain power.
In truth, most of the serious decisions are made by the local priest who serve as the guardians and guides of their congregations, which outside of larger towns, tends to be largely farmers. Over all, this has created a rather feudal system of scattered denominations bound firstly by their personal church and then by the greater Ethosian alliance.
Crime&Punishment
Most crimes are judged by the local preacher, though particularly serious or wide spread crimes might be put under the jurisdiction of a priestly order. An equal number of crimes, particularly those that require the use of force, are resolved by adventuring philosophers, some Ethosian priest errants, seeking to earn proof of their righteousness and transcend into priesthood while others reluctantly hire out wandering mercenaries.
While a faculty might encounter little resistance stirring up trouble in a small Ethosian village, they will have to spend a great deal of time fleeing or hiding from the inevitable priest errants that follow after them.
International Relationships
Ethos, particularly in Sophos, believes itself to be a union forged as the final defence against Godlessness and Heresy, the primary source of which they universally claim is Logos. Ethos is a very expansionist movement, while Crusades and Holywar are now quite rare, they are still constantly consolidating their rule through alliances and union with various religious states and preventing the spread of atheism within them. However, outside of Sophos, Ethos is not given as much attention, Saraswati and Hikmah, while technically member states, act almost entirely independently of the council's will and rarely give much attention to the union. Tian and the Domains of Discourse have proven resistant to most attempts at conversion, however there are a few villages who accept missionaries and Ethosian aid.
Geography
Cities
Sancta Sedes
8 Paths
Necrius
Atlantis
Numinos
Other Notable Locations
Hikmah
Saraswati
The Last Man Plague
Culture
Ethos is an expansive nation, with greatly varying traditions. However one thing almost universe is the age of these traditions and the great amount of respect lended to them. Many areas in Ethos have barely progressed Medieval traditions but most take pride in the preservation of these traditions over the idea of adopting Logosian technology. While politically Ethos still exists under a largely feudal system, priests tend to surviving on tithes given willingly by citizens and are generally seen more as guides than actual rulers.
