Ishverion is a kingdom located on the northern region of Gallea. At the height of its empire, it had conquered nearly half of the Gallean continent, and it remains one of the largest kingdoms within the continent. The Ishverian people worship the god of justice, Iustum, and because of it the kingdom has a very complex and strict judicial system.
The capital of Ishverion is Eveshla, a huge city with over 10,000 inhabitants.
Humans had first arrived in the mountainous region of northen Gallea in 398 DE. The region was cold and scarce, and the people mainly survived from hunting and gathering, and whatever little agriculture they could get. Survival was difficult, and so these early-Ishverians developed a strong code of conduct, making sure that resources were equally distributed among all members of the tribe to avoid any needless fights. Aside from the distribution of resources, there were also codes limiting child birth, especially during winter.
This strict set of rules required the cooperation of every member of the tribe, and as such anyone who'd break a rule would be severely punished, sometimes by death. Eventually, thei activities would attract the god Iustum in the year 541 DE, and he began to offer his guidance to the people. Iustum gave some of his blessings to a select few, which became known as the Ieshfera, or the paladins of justice (Iustum.)
The Ieshfera were widely respected, as they possessed a fraction of Iustum's infinite wisdom. Soon enough, they became the ruling class of the Ishverian society.
The city of Eveshla was stabilished in 1003 DE. By this point, the Ishverian people had spread into many settlements in the mountains. At first, they were considered independent city states, but soon a hierarchy began to form in which the ruler of Eveshla was declared the supreme ruler of Ishverion. The title is officially called Anoilä.
In the year 2315 DE, the Anoilä received a vision from Iustum, in which he saw the beginnings of a great empire that would be stabilished to spread wisdom to the rest of Gallea. By this point, Ishverion didn't have a strong army because the mountains kept the people isolated and safe. But Iustum warned that this peace would not last, because war and discord would spread through Gallea. And so, by the order of the Anoilä, the army began to grow to an impressive size.
In the year 2388 DE, the Ishverian Empire was stabilished by conquering its first settlement outside the mountains. The empire used both its religious views and brute force in order to subjugate people.
In 2410 DE, Ishverion had conquered the entirety of the Vilkare penninsula. In 2536 DE, they had reached the height of the Empire, conquering almost all of western Gallea. In 2540, the Ishverian army had attempted to invade the Ashk'nar desert, but they were easily defeated by the desert's army of demigods.
Each province within the Empire was ruled by its own Ieshfera, who was tasked in overseeing the region a acting as a bridge between the province and the core of the Empire. In 2586 DE the Anoilä and the nobility of Eveshla made the decision of increasing the tax paid by the southern provinces, Owaniel and Barith. This was especially straining on them since they had been dealing with the social and economical fallout of the failed Ashk'nar invasion. Owaniel refused to pay the taxes in full, which forced the capital to get the funds by force.
In 2659 DE, a full blown war breaks out between Owaniel and the rest of the Empire, with Owaniel seeking independence. Barith soon joins the war, coerced by both Owaniel and by the growing dissent the local population had been feeling against Ishverion. The elves of Vilkare take the opportunity to join the war, being a powerful ally on the westen front.
In 2673 DE, the Vilkare elves had conquered the penninsula back from Ishverion, and expelled or killed all human invaders. Seeing as they had lost a huge part of their territory, and with Owaniel turning into such a powerful kindgom, had no choice but to regonize the independence of both Owaniel and Barith in 2685 DE.
Ishverion is known for their strict judicial system, which is heavily tied to their worship of Iustum. They are heavily monotheistic, and worship of any other god is frowned upon. However, those who are not ethnically ishverian are allowed to worship other gods as long as it doesn't disturb the main worship of Iustum, as to not anger him.
Because the government is so closely associated with religious worship, the nobility are also considered important religious figure heads, and the kingdom is ruled by a royal council called Ona Efä. The Anoilä is chosen by a council of high ranking members of the Ona Efä, as opposed to being chosen by blood. All members of this hierarchy are trained in combat as well as the law.
At the bottom of the hierarchy are the Noshiefä, which are newly appointed members of the Ona Efä. Only men are allowed to join, and to become a Noshiefä one must undergo a lot of training, and be well connected to the nobility. They must then undergo a rigorous ritual which grants them a vision from Iustum. This ritual can last up to 16 hours, and requires a great deal of mental fortitude. Not many are able to complete the ritual. The Noshiefä are usually young men who've just turned 25, and once they become accepted they will remain in the Ona Efä for life. They tasks include overseeing internal disputes within a city, similar to a judge.
Next in the hierarchy are the Ieshfera, who are responsible for overseeing cities and other territories. The more powerful Ieshfera are called Ieshfera Aion, and they are responsible for entire provinces, as well as appointing new Ieshfera within their juristiction.
At the top of the hierarchy is the Anoilä, who serves as the king. After the Anoilä dies, a new one has to be appointed among the current Ieshfera Aion, who discuss among themselves who should take the throne. They also have the support of the less powerful Ieshfera if needed.
Young men and women come of age at 21, and at that age they will undergo formal training for their occupation of choice. They can train under their father or another family member, or a mentor unrelated by blood. There are academies dedicated to teaching certain subjects such as math and science that young men can enroll into. At age 25, men are expected to leave the family home and start their own families. Women stay in the house until they are married.
Women typically do not have jobs other than housework, but some women are able to make a modest living as independent artists and musicians, as well as sex workers. Because women are not allowed to own houses or shops, their career choices are more limited than men's. Many men are not willing to accept female apprentices, and schools do not accept female students.
The Ishverian judicial system is very complex and sophisticated, with many written laws and codes. However, judgement for a crime is often passed via common sense. Passing down judgement is the main task of a Noshiefä, and it is done in a courtroom with all affected parties explaining their points of view. Not all disputes are related to crime, sometimes they are simple matters such as boundaries between properties or debt.
However, more serious crimes such as murder, theft, rape, etc are also judged by the Noshiefä in the same way.
Punishment for a crime can vary depending on the offence. The lighter disputes are usually handled at the courtroom itself; in the case of something like debt, the offending party must pay whatever they owe under the supervision of the Noshiefä. Some punishments involve lashings or other physical beatings; while some require community service. Death is usually reserved for extremely serious crimes. The punishment can be carried out by the victim of the crime or by the Noshiefä himself, depending on the circumstances. In the case of punishment carried out by the victim or affected party, it must be one under the supervision of the Noshiefä.
Some criminals become so notorious that their punishment is carried out by a Ieshfera. There are parties of hunters dedicated to capturing these criminals, and those who succeed their tasks as rewarded with a large sum of money. No crime is ever forgotten in Ishverion, and some criminals have no choice but to leave the kingdom or hide away for their entire lives.
Ishverion is a polygamous society, meaning that men are allowed to take more than one wife. On average, each man is married to 3 or 4 women, the amount of wives being somewhat of a status symbol. Weddings are carried out at the temples of Iustum, and overseen by a Noshiefä. In order to marry, a man has to pay a fee to the temple, which means that wealthier men are able to take more wives.
If a man is already married, he can pursue any other woman he wishes, as long as she isn't already married. Usually, he will court her for a few months before proposing to her, and good etiquette demands that he only proposes after the woman has visited his house and met his other wives. A man can also maintain a romantic and sexual relationship outside of marriage.
Couples are not allowed to have children outside of wedlock. Punishment for this crime can be as severe as the death of the child or the parents, but the most common punishment is a hefty fine. In this case, the father is required to pay the fine and raise the child in his home. The mother is only punished if she is already married to another man, although many consider the forceful separation from the child a severe enough punishment.
Divorce is only permitted in the case that a woman feels her life or health is being treatened by her husband, and she must argue her position in court, usually supported by family and other witnesses. If successfully divorced, the woman and her children go back to living in her father's house. If the father is alredy deceased, she must then live at her brother's house, if she has any. Many women who find themselves in this situation become homeless because they have no male family members left.
If patriach of a family dies, his properties and wealth are divided among his sons who are of age. It is common to see widows living by themselves, financially supported by their sons. Some wealthier men even go as far as to support all of their father's widows, as they see all of them as his mothers.
Women are generally not allowed to pursue any relationships outside of their marriage, and the ones who do will keep it a secret. Some may feel that their husband is not satisfying them emotionally or sexually, which leads them to have affairs with other men. The safer option is to keep a relatonship with her husband's other wives, as that is generally more socially accepted. A man who knowingly pursues a married woman can be punished by lashings.
In addition to taking multiple wives, men can also take a Läonan, a young male lover. The Läonan is typically a youth who's come of age, but is younger than 25. This arrangement is a temporary marriage, since the läonan is expected to leave his "husband's" house when he turns 25. Keeping a läonan who's older than 25 is very frowned upon. The ceremony is shorter than a typical wedding, but it is done at a temple of Iustum all the same.
The läonan can benefit from this arragement in the case he doesn't have a home for whatever reason, or in the case he wants to leave his home. It can also serve as a form of mentorship, in which the läonan learns a new skill and is introduced to a new trade that is different from his family's trade. He'll also keep any amount of money or gifts he's received from the temporary husband.
However, during this marriage the läonan suffers the same restrictions as a woman in society; he cannot pursue relationships outside the marriage or buy properties. He is also strictly forbidden from maintaining any sexual relationship with the wives, however he can maintain those with any other läonan living in the house. They are also permitted to attend school during the marriage.
Men are permitted to keep any lovers they want outside of marriage, regardless of gender.