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Kjerag
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Kjerag
Kjerag's coat of arms
In Other Languages
Simplified Chinese
谢拉格
Traditional Chinese
謝拉格
Japanese
イェラグ
Korean
쉐라그
General Information
Type
Head of state
Karlan Saintess (Enya Silverash)
Head of government
- Parliament of Kjerag (post-Snowcap Incident)
- Vine-Bear Court (formerly)
- Tri-Clan Council (formerly)
Races
Varies
Language
Kjeragian (based on Norwegian and Alemannic German)
Currency
Kjeragian franc
Status
Active
| “ | The remote and mysterious snowy nation of Kjerag lies nestled in the central mountain ranges of Terra, standing as the highest point that civilization can reach. Its harsh geography has long kept it in a state of relative isolation, and this seclusion has left other nations knowing little about it. What has spread across the land are mostly vague and dubious ancient legends. | ” |
| —"Kjerag", Terra: A Journey |
Kjerag is a Terran country bordering Columbia, Kazimierz, Minos, and Victoria that is located on the central mountain range of the continent. It is a theocracy centering on the worship of Kjeragandr, the national goddess who protects the land, with the Karlan Saintess serving as both the spiritual leader and political figurehead. Due to its rugged, snowbound mountainous landscape that protects Kjerag from Catastrophes and foreign invasions, Kjerag is given the nickname as the "Snow Realm."
The Kjeragians' faith in Kjeragandr could be traced back to the mythological era in which Kjeragandr led her believers to settle in the mountain ranges where they lived an undisturbed life throughout the millennia. Entering the modern era, the constant geopolitical changes across Terra aroused urges from some voices in Kjerag to end their isolationism, but the conservatives faction strongly opposed the proposal out of the fear of corruption upon their livelihood and their religious faith. Following decades of struggles behind-the-scenes, Kjerag has finally opened up its borders starting from acceptance of foreigners into their faith. As modernization is still ongoing in the region, the Kjeragians continue to practice their faith and observe their rituals while accepting foreign cultures.
History[edit]
Founding myth[edit]
In the mythological era according to the teachings of the Kjeragian faith, Kjeragandr, the goddess of Kjerag, led Her people to settle in the rugged mountains free of Catastrophes and conflicts. Kjeragandr accepted those homeless refugees all across Terra to settle in her embrace, and She promised her believers that She would create a piece of land among the mountains with hot springs, abundant crops, and most importantly, "blizzards that could freeze Catastrophes." These settlements eventually became the earliest form of the Kjeragian civilizations, and the priesthood serving Kjeragandr were the first theocratic political entity overseeing the Kjeragians.[1][2]
For the next three centuries, Kjeragandr became the sole ruler of the theocracy, but She needed rests to recover Herself from her creation works among the the valleys. Hence, Kjeragandr declared She had to ascend into the sacred mountains and enter a long period of sleep. Before entering her hibernation, She appointed three bravest patriarchs among the clans, the Silverashes, the Browntails, and the Paleroches, as Kjerag's heads of states ruling on Her stead who would later become the residing Tri-Clans of Kjerag, and Kjeragandr vanished among the blizzards after giving out Her last order to the mortals and being satisfied of their obedience.[1][2]
Many Kjeragians have firmly accepted this oral tradition as an absolute fact, whereas foreign anthropologists and folklorists attempt to analyze such legend in a more material, scientific sense. They interpret that Kjeragandr leading her people could be a metaphor of these earliest humans' description of Kjerag's unique geography. Furthermore, recent geological evidence does prove that Kjerag has been free of Catastrophes for millenia. Anthropologists also believe that the formation of the Tri-Clans are more or less the result of Kjerag's isolated geography that only limited tribal conflicts within the realms, and the clan's kinship based on a single bloodline and race greatly preserved their lineages.[2]
Reformation era[edit]
Due to its isolated geography and the long period of stability among the clans, Kjerag was not particularly interested in the outside world and preferred to focus on internal affairs. In turn, Kjerag remained undisturbed throughout the centuries. But entering the Crystallization Age, Kjerag faced an uncertain future with the advent of modern technologies and industrial revolution. The rise of Columbia since its independence in 1019 and the subsequent Battle of the Four Emperors in 1031 that annihilated Gaul brought an increase of geopolitical instability since other superpowers would focus on expanding their spheres of influence onto the mountains. In the 1060s, voices for reformations were on the rise, and the Silverashes, whose previous patriarch Olafur Silverash had been exploring around the outside world and established marital relationships with the Victorian aristocrats, strongly encouraged the reformation movement. By 1065, the SIlverashes had set up factories and a railway system spanning across Kjerag as well as introducing a Victorian-style business management model to the Kjeragians, laying the foundation for the country's modernization in the future. On the other hand, the conservationist faction led by the Paleroches, Browntails, and the Vine-Bear Court strongly protested the Silverashes' drastic reformation and urged to maintain the status quo as they feared the reformation would pollute their homeland and bring disasters upon their undisturbed livelihood.[3][4]
For the next few decades, tension between the reformist Silverashes and the conservatives faction remained suspended. In the year 1082, in order to further halt the Silverashes's attempted reformation, the patriarch of the Browntails, Luca Browntail, forced the Paleroches to participate in an assaination plot in a destined villa serving as a trap house, but before their arrival, both Olafur and his wife Elizabeth met a suddenly railway accident and died on spot.[5] The death of the Silverashes gave the conservationists the opportunity to win in their struggle; they framed the Edelweisses, an ally of the Silverashes, for plotting the accident after their "betrayal," resulting in the family being sent into exile. Many elders proclaimed that their death was a punishment for their disgrace over Kjeragandr. The train accident not only halted Kjerag's modernization, but also, the Silverashes were consequently ostracized from the Tri-Clans that almost led to their downfall.[3]
Snowcap Incident[edit]
- Main article: Snowcap Incident
The Snowcap Incident of 1097 further revolutionized Kjerag's political structure by manipulating Kjerag's century-old religious influence to unify the fractured clans. In 1090, the successor of the Silverashes, Enciodes Silverash, returned from his study abroad in Victoria to reclaim the family's seat, restore the family's status among the Tri-Clans, and set up Karlan Trade as a diplomatic middleman with foreign nations through Olafur's inheritances.[3] In the beginning, the Paleroches and Browntails reluctantly accepted the Silverashes back into the clan alliance out of business profit from foreign trade, but the conservationists gradually became impatient over the Silverashes' Machiavellian approach in his modernization project. The Silverashes' railway slowly encompassed Mount Karlan, the sacred site of Kjerag, and they even conducted unauthorized mining at the mountain foot which was seen as a blasphemy toward Kjeragandr. As the Paleroches and Browntails threatened to confiscate the Silverashes' properties and forever banished them from Kjerag, Enciodes even proposed to set up the presiding Karlan Saintess of the Kjeragian faith, which was occupied by his younger sister Enya, as the de facto head of state in the name of restoring the power back to Kjeragandr. Enciodes' proposals were considered utter trespassing over the sovereignty of the Paleroches and Browntails as well as the religious faction in the Vine-Bear Court.[1]
In the follow-up of Enciodes' daring proposals, the Great Elder of the Vine-Bear Court was assassinated by poison during a religious festival which the Silverashses quickly blackmailed onto the Paleroches. The Silverashes also quietly dispatched his elite troupe, the Tschäggättä, into Kjerag in preparation for potential civil unrest. Seeking to restore their power, the Paleroches and Browntails teamed up with their military forces to confront the Silverashes' Tschäggättä in the name of liberating the Saintess from the Silverashse' hands. A violent clash almost ensued that could have fractured the nation before the Karlan Saintess descended from Mount Karlan to stop the conflict which many witnesses declared they had seen an unexpected "miracle" during the battle.
By the end of the Snowcap Incident, the Tri-Clans resolved their conflict by fully subjugating themselves under the Saintess' rule, which the Silverashes saw as a victory in fully uniting the clans under one banner. To avoid suspicions from foreign countries, Kjerag whitewashed the event as a seemingly impossible peaceful settlement following their annual meeting in the Tri-Clan Council.[3]
Present days[edit]
After the Snowcap Incident, Kjerag fully opened its borders to foreigners starting from the Sainstress' acceptance of foreign believers. Not only foreign investment from Columbia and Kazimierz has started to flood the country, but also, Kjerag allowed Columbia to set up Terra's first spaceport on Mount Karlan under Rhine Lab's investment to investigate the mysterious Starpod following the Trimount Arcs of 1099 that revolutionized the Terrans' worldview.
Nevertheless, Kjerag's reformation has brought potential threat over Kjerag's sovereignty. Victoria has been quietly asserting pressure onto the country through their marital relationships with the Silverashes. In turn, Kjerag sought to preserve their sovereignty through various means such as a secret construction project of the nation's homemade landship. The minute clash with Victorian envoys at Lake Silberneherze further signaled the Kjeragian clans to unite together in defending their virgin homeland from colonization.
Notable people[edit]
The characters below were born in Kjerag but are living in or affiliated with factions outside their homeland.
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Other notable people[edit]
- Olafur Silverash
- Elizabeth SilverAsh☠: A Victorian woman who was the mother of Enciodes, Enya, and Ensia respectively. She died alongside Olafur in a train accident.
- Luca Browntail☠: The former patriarch of the Browntail clan and the grandfather of Ratatos and Sciurus. He was one of Olafur's biggest detractors, and even actually planned to kill him.
- Old Paleroche: The former patriarch of the Paleroches and the father of Arctosz Paleroche who left the family to live a hermit life in a Kjeragian monastery out of his regret over the divorce of Tatyana Larina and the fall of the Silverashes under the Browntails' plot which he deemed that it was Kjeragandr's fate for him to give up his wealth. During the events at Lake Silberneherze, he coincidentally reunited with Leto and intended to reveal the truth to Arctosz, only to be delayed by a reunion drinking party. He also keeps a talisman specially made for Leto during her childhood but never delivered after the departure of the Larinas back to Ursus.
The old Paleroche
Enemies[edit]
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Location[edit]
Landmarks[edit]
- Lake Silberneherze
- Mount Karlan
- Mount Jungfrau: Named after the 3rd Karlan Saintess, Mt. Jungfrau is said to be made from Kjeragandr's tears. Hiking or climbing Mt. Jungfrau is forbidden without permission from the Paleroches.[6]
- Jungfrau is a mountain in the Alps.
- Mount Matterhorn: The tallest mountain in Kjerag which Matterhorn is named after.[6]
- Matterhorn is a mountain in the Alps.
- Mount Filnona: A mountain located in the southern part of Kjerag which, according to a legend, was named after a foreign Caprinae climber who attempted to reach for its peak twenty five years ago, never to be seen again. The locals decided to name the mountain after her as a tribute.[7]
Settlements[edit]
- Turicum: The capital of the Silverashes' territory. It is Kjerag's only industrial area and gateway to the outside world through K.T.'s activities.
Infrastructures[edit]
- Hoff Angrsaal: The main temple of the Kjeragandr cult that is located at the foothills of Mount Karlan. The temple complex also acts as the residence of the Karlan Saintess and the place where the Tri-Clan Council and the Vine-Bear Court convenes. Previously forbidden to outsiders due to religious reasons, the Hoff Angrsaal gradually becomes a tourist site with a recently installed cable car station that allows direct access to the complex.
- Kjerag Staatbahn: The main railroad system that connects every part of Kjerag provides a luxurious service to those onboard. The original construction was done under the leadership of Olafur who sought to set up the highest elevated railway system on Terra that could transport goods across Kjerag easily by utilizing its Catastrophe-free geography. On the other hand, the Staatbahn was also to be believed as the cause for the downfall of the Silverashes due to protests from the conservatives faction. Since the Snowcap Incident, the other two clans have been given permission to use the railway in exchange for their monetary shares in the infrastructure, and the railway has been allowed to be expanded into territories of the other two clans.[8]
- The Staatsbahn is based on the Hovedbanen in Norway and the Swiss Northern Railway.
Gallery[edit]
An avenue in a Kjerag city
A street in a Kjerag city
A street in a Kjerag village
Ditto, with a mountain looming ahead
The interior of a Kjeragian house
The interior of a Kjeragian manor
The interior of a Kjeragian hotel
The living room of a Kjeragian manor
A forest at the foot of Mount Karlan
The Karlan Square on Mount Karlan's foothills, where the Kjeragandr cult's festivals take place
The Hoff Angrsaal in Mt. Karlan
The main hall of Hoff Angrsaal where the Tri-Clan Council and Vine-Bear Court convenes
The Karlan Saintess' boudoir (i.e. female bedroom) in Hoff Angrsaal
A pass leading to the foothills of Mt. Karlan
Ditto, under heavy snowfall
A Kjeragian train station
People[edit]
A male young adult Kjeragian Feline citizen
Ditto, but is an old Ursus
A female Kjeragian Feline citizen
A female Kjeragian Ursus citizen wearing a fur coat
A female Kjeragian Caprinae citizen
A male middle-aged Kjeragian Lupo aristocrat wearing a white chuba and blue tuxedo
Ditto, but is a young adult Lupo or Vulpo wearing black tuxedo and with a walking stick
Ditto, but is a Lupo or Vulpo wearing a black chuba and white tuxedo
A female Kjeragian feline aristocrat wearing a black chuba and skaut and blue-and-gray bunad
Ditto, but is a Lupo or Vulpo wearing a white/khaki chuba and bunad, and black skaut
Ditto, but is an Ursus wearing a white skaut
A Kjeragian Feline monk of the Kjeragandr cult
A Kjeragian Feline maiden of the Mount Karlan sanctuary
A Kjeragian Feline soldier with a battle axe
Ditto, but is a Lupo or Vulpo
A Kjeragian Lupo or Vulpo soldier wearing a fur cape and with a sword
Ditto, but is an Ursus
Trivia[edit]
- Kjerag is based on the various alpine regions such as Scandinavia, the Alps, and the Himalayas. Its nickname, "Snow Realm", is a reference to the meaning of Himalaya in Sanskrit, "Abode of the Snow".
- Prior the rework of Archives, all Operators affiliated with Karlan Trade are aligned with Kjerag, making it the first faction removed from the roster of factions.
References[edit]
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