Iberia
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| “ | A coastal power that once rose to greatness using the boon of Ægir technology. Nearly destroyed by the Profound Silence, only the Inquisition remains to lead this shattered country. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Mizuki & Caerula Arbor |
Iberia, formally known as the Kingdom of Iberia (Reino de Iberia), is a Terran country bordering Laterano, Sargon, and Victoria that occupies the southern coastlines of the continent. It is a totalitarian theocracy once ruled by secular kings but now being under the ironclad rule of the Inquisition, a religious order that implements strict isolationist policies upon the nation. The nation is predominated by the Liberi race, which can be seen from the wings on its national emblem, and a handful of local Aegir inhabitants, locally referred to as the "Islanders," settle in the country for generations while facing severe religious persecutions.
Historically, Iberia was a prosperous maritime empire that actively explored the southernmost oceans of Terra. It almost became a superpower in the Terran heartland through its advanced oceanic technologies and powerful naval fleets that could threaten their neighbors. However, a devastating tsunami dubbed the "Profound Silence" submerged much of the nation's land and abruptly ended its zenith through the destruction of its former royal capital and its once glorious navy. By present days, although the Inquisition has replaced the leaderless royal court to maintain the country's order, Iberia continues to suffer from both sectarian conflicts aroused by the cultic Church of the Deep and the subsequent consequences of the Profound Silence as the coastlines become inhabitable and heavily infested by the Seaborn.
The Iberian language resembles Spanish and Portuguese in our world. But somehow, both have distinct grammars and accents even though both are mutually intelligible enough with each other.
History
Age of exploration
At the dawn of civilization, human activities were already present on the once fertile Iberian peninsula. The nation's foundation could be traced back to a band of ardent Lateran believers of Liberi race who sought to build a second paradise next to Laterano on the shores after being amazed by its tranquility. From the earliest royal house of Iberia came the national religion, the Church of Iberia, whose clerics served as mediators between the palace and the commoners as well as envoys to foreign nations. For centuries, Iberia was a nation of ardent religious faith that maintained close ties with Laterano under the teachings of the Lateran Church.[1]
Entering the classical era, Iberia slowly neglected its religious foundation and shifted into secularism that valued conquests and wealth. Through its proxy to the seas, Iberia quickly developed its navy that threatened neighboring nations along the Sea of Clariside. Around Terran year 500, Iberia sought to expand westward onto Victoria but immediately encountered blockades by the Elder Dracos, so the Iberian troops attempted to march eastward into the unexplored barren regions, the barrenlands where Rim Billiton stands in present days, and invade Victoria from the east, but it ended in demise a month later after encountering a devastating Catastrophe, a Catastrophe storm and an earthquake that annihilated three-fourth of the troop. The expedition hit hard to the Iberian royal house due to the cost of casualties which in turn aroused civil rebellions, but it ushered in the Iberian age of expedition by exploring uncharted lands on the Terran continent through a much safer ocean navigation.[2]
In Terran year 735, Iberia once again initiated a grand expedition into the unknown, later known as the “Francisco de León Geographical Expedition. Under the leadership of Francisco de León, the Iberian royal troops marched westward to the northwestern corner of Terra where they set up the Viceroyalty of Bolívar, the first colony in the region. Through political alliance with Padishah Bayad, a trading route on land between Iberia and Bolívar was secured, enabling Iberia to bypass Victorian blockades. But with the death of Francisco in 759 and Padishah Bayad in 767, Iberia was unable to sustain its northwestern colonies as they continued to face threats from Gaul, Leithanien, and Victoria, and the fracture of the Sargonian alliance forced Iberia to retreat south once again with the independence of Bolívar.[3]
Golden Age of Iberia
In Terran year 913, Breogan the Aegirian led the first Islanders to set foot on Iberian soil. The first Islanders were marveled by the Iberian golden palace, and the tributes they brought to the King aroused Iberian expansionism once again by shifting its focus into the oceans of the south. For the next century, Iberia enjoyed a period of prosperity later dubbed as the "Golden Age of Iberia." Under the supervision of Breogan the royal engineer, the Iberian naval capacity suddenly boomed through highly-advanced Aegirian machines, warships, and lighthouses, and the Grand Armada spearheaded by the marvelous Stultifera Navis sailed around the Sea of Clariside to both establish trading outposts along the coastlines and conquer new lands.[4] The concept of amphibious nomadic cities – cities that could power on both land and oceans – were already fermenting in the Iberians' mind during the Golden Age to further exert their sphere of influence into the high seas.[5] The Iberian Golden Age also turned the nation into a regional superpower around the inland sea through various military campaigns such as the grand naval victory against Victoria that humiliated the Aslan dynasty and their Tercios' invasive campaigns on Leithanian soil.[6]
On the other hand, there were accumulating social fractures beneath the prosperous Golden Age that would later lead to Iberia's demise. Being refugees fleeing from the threats of the Seaborn in their homeland, the Islanders had been sternly warning the Iberian royal court of the "calamity" from the ocean and urging them to focus more on establishing communication between the land and the oceans, yet the King of Iberia only focused on expansion of his wealth through the might of the Grand Armada. Obsessions over the unknown prompted many wealthy Iberian houses to spend lavishly on banquets, saloons, and scientific research. Abuses against the working class became widespread as many mass construction projects were initiated.[4]
The Golden Age was also the period of the Iberians' increasing contact with the Seaborn even though they were unaware of their true nature. Even the King of Iberia who were marveled by the sea monsters were tempted to hunt the Seaborn as trophies for his palace. And among the arriving Islanders came cultists of the Church of the Deep who slowly infiltrated the Church of Iberia, distorted their religious texts, and spread them as gospels to both the suffering commoners and the haughty aristocrats despite warnings from the Islander sages in the palace.[7]
El Silencio Profundo
- Main article: Profound Silence
On June 28, 1038, the Profound Silence abruptly ended the Iberian Golden Age in a rapture. All of a sudden, the waves around the Iberian coasts turned silent; geological activity turned abnormal around the Iberian coastlines; communication signals between ports and cities were suddenly cut off. Being alert of the abnormal phenomenon, the ruling King Alejandro I of Iberia issued a nation-wide broadcast later known as the "Silenced Edict" to pacify the panicking public, declaring that the Armada of the Iberian Defensa were already dispatched to declare a war on the ocean after it finally tore off its docile hypocrisy.[8]
Within an hour after the edict, a giant tsunami occurred and washed upon the Iberian shores, destroying many ports and coastal settlements in the process. The once glorious Iberian Armada were suddenly sunk to the deep, vanishing into history forever; the "Eyes of Iberia" dotting along the coasts were shut down as their power supplies were destroyed by the aftershock. Being located right adjacent to the coastlines, Ria Iberia, the former capital of Iberia, was submerged by the tsunami, killing both King Alejandro I and ministers of the royal court. Many survivors of the disaster described the tsunami as a huge silence befallen upon Iberia as people struggled to yell out of desperation.[9]
The aftermath of the Profound Silence brought severe consequences to the country. Almost half of Iberian soil is forever submerged beneath the oceans. The tsunami drastically altered the Iberian topography, flooding many mountains into fractured islands and salinizing the once fertile flatlands into uninhabitable barrenlands. Within a short span of time, the coastlines were heavily infested by the Seaborn that turned hostile against humans. Many advanced infrastructure were destroyed by the tsunami which abruptly cut off Iberia's communication to the outside world. Most importantly, the sudden collapse of the Iberian regime in the disaster caused a widespread refugee crisis due to lootings and famines as many desperately fled from the southern coastlines to the northern heartland.[9]
The Inquisition era
Amidst the chaotic recovery from the Profound Silence, there was a surge of fever over religion as many desperately prayed for salvation in the disaster. The Church of Iberia, after miraculously surviving the disaster, sought to establish social stability to the populace by providing charity care, civil order, and food rations to the victims. There was an increasing call in both the commoners and bishops of the church to erect a religious figurehead who could replace the long-deceased royal court and guide the Iberians out of misery. Despite the worry over superstitious hope the people entrusted over them, the Church nevertheless initiated reformations that led to the establishment of the Inquisition led by Saint Carmen y Iberia and the other Eight Saints.[10]
The rule of the Inquisition until the present days is marked by strict conservatism and isolationism from the outside world. To ensure social order, the Inquisitors maintain strict policies with severe punishments such as tight control over the citizenry and heavy restrictions on seafaring. Many Iberian coastal settlements are left abandoned, and the Iberians gradually forget their glorious maritime legacies. Attempts are made by the Inquisitors to reclaim the sea and revitalize their nationalism, but they are eventually thwarted due increasing conservatism both from the populace and within the order.
The Inquisition era is also the period of religious persecutions against the Aegirian Islanders. Once praised as symbols of wealth, the Islanders are now perceived as heretic bearers of disasters who are responsible for the Profound Silence, and the Inquisitors actively arrests and executes many innocent Aegirs out of their suspects.[11] On the other hand, such persecutions further nourish more followers to the Church of the Deep since many perceive their current suffering as a salvation to their everlasting goal — joining the eternal hivemind of the Seaborn. To further enhance their beliefs, many even practice grotesque rituals such as feeding themselves to the Seaborn.[12]
Notable people
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- Breogan
- Fernando Alejandro I†: Real name Fernando Alejandro Ruy de Castro Torres Ria Iberia de la Tlan, he was the last King of Iberia who witnessed the marvelous work of Breogan and even stored up his manuscripts. He eventually died during the Profound Silence, not without before issuing the Silenced Edict, a last message to the Iberian citizen.
- Prince González: Fernando Alejandro I's son and the Crown Prince of Iberia.
- Indigo's teacher: A quiet, elderly Liberi who worked as Rocky Coast's Eye of Iberia lighthouse keeper, hoping it would shine bright again. Though reluctant at first, he accepted being her mentor, since he needed a successor to entrust the lighthouse.[13][14]
- Old José: A Liberi information broker and an acquaintance of Skadi. He had a son named Juan who was killed in an unknown incident and whose corpse was brought back to him by Skadi. He is also responsible for helping Skadi infiltrate Sal Viento.[15]
Places
Settlements
- Gran Faro
- Sal Viento
- Ria Iberia: The former capital of Iberia, as well as its major sea port. The city has since been sunken underwater after the Profound Silence.[16]
- Perdoni: The current capital of Iberia. Originally a small city located in the kingdom's heartland, it was renamed Perdonidora, meaning "forgiveness has gone" in Iberian, due to the people's mourning after witnessing the destruction of their homeland. Most Iberians are used to shorten the name to "Perdoni"[16]
- Rocky Coast (Costa Rocosa): A small town where Indigo is from.[14] One of the Eye of Iberia lighthouses is located there, with its keeper being Indigo's teacher.[13]
- Primavera: A city under the Church of the Deep's influence, and the place where Gladiia first met Kal'tsit.[17]
- Rocamarea: A neglected coastal city that was later devastated by both famine and the Seaborn's invasion.[18]
Architectures and landmarks
- Eye of Iberia
- Stultifera Navis
- Sanctilaminium Ambrosii: A monastery that was built as a joint project with Laterano. It went missing for over six decades.
- Bastión de Cánticos: The headquarters of the Inquisition. Also known as the Bastion of Hallowed Saints.
- Torre Baliza de Aegiria
- Bahía de Juan
References
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