Bellum
| Continent: | Anubia |
| Government: | Diarchy (Dual Monarchy) / Military Meritocracy |
| Ruler Authority: | King Regent Adementos Belarian & Crowned King Karanos Belarian |
| Capitol: | Sunhome |
| Major Families: | House Belarian |
| Prominent Clans: | [Insert Clans / Military Units here] |
| Core Magic: | Yellow Lacrima (Lightning) & Red Lacrima (Fire) |
| Primary Exports: | Yellow Lacrima, Red Lacrima, Military Mercenaries, Desert Crops |
Bellum is a powerful, highly aggressive nation located on the continent of Anubia. Primarily a vast, warm desert dotted with vibrant oases, the country balances a fierce martial culture with highly advanced agricultural zones.
The people of Bellum are famously passionate, direct, and uninhibited, governing both their political and private lives through combat and fiery emotion. Like its neighbor Luggreggio, Bellum operates entirely outside the jurisdiction of the Magic Control Council of Sweorta (MCC).
Government and Royal Family
Bellum is ruled by a unique diarchy split between military command and civil leadership, dominated by the **Belarian** bloodline:
- King Regent Adementos Belarian: Manages the nation's constant military campaigns, border defense, and foreign warfare.
- Crowned King Karanos Belarian: Manages internal domestic affairs, civil logistics, and the welfare of the civilian population.
- Arbiter of the Throne: Liljana Theria Belarian (Historically held, or serving as a vital legal authority over the dual crown).
- Royal High Command: Key frontline military units and strategies are led by royal family members General Demnos and General Matej.
Geography and Agriculture
At a distance, Bellum appears to be an inhospitable, sun-scorched desert. However, its geography contains two vital anomalies:
The Green Heartlands
The exact center of the country consists of incredibly thriving, lush farmland. This agricultural miracle is maintained by native **Green Mages**. Because this food source is vital to the desert nation's survival, it is violently protected by the military from wild desert beasts and foreign raiders alike.
Oasis Networks
A vast network of natural oases dots the outer desert sands, serving as vital trade hubs, civilian settlements, and military staging grounds.
Culture and Social Customs
Bellan society runs as hot as the fire magic in their veins. They are brutally honest; if a citizen dislikes someone, they state it directly, leading to frequent internal skirmishes.
The Blooding (Age 14)
Childhood effectively ends at age 14 when youth undergo a specialized combat rite of passage. This initiation includes their first duel using live, sharp blades, alongside the ceremonial shedding of virginity. Passing this rite grants full emotional, sexual, and legal freedom within the country.
Courtship and Marriage
Marriage is deeply sacred, but the courtship process is highly dangerous:
- A suitor formally declares courtship by braiding their hair before a match.
- The two individuals engage in a fierce duel of dominance.
- Outcome 1: The defender cuts the challenger's braid, ending the courtship.
- Outcome 2: The challenger is completely defeated, which can legally result in their death.
- While death is a valid outcome of formal rituals, the defender is not required to kill their opponent. Mercy toward fellow Bellan citizens carries no societal shame.
Intimacy and Private Life
Sexuality and pleasure are openly embraced as healthy, natural components of life. Safe practice and intimacy education are mandated for all citizens, both mages and non-mages, starting at age 10.
- The Bed Taboo: A strict ancestral tenant dictates that the bed is exclusively a place for physical rest. Passion and intimacy may occur anywhere else in the home—or outside—but never on the mattress.
- Pleasure Houses: Prostitution is completely legal and highly respected. Organized pleasure houses operate within major cities, and specialized mobile units travel directly alongside frontline military battalions to relieve physical and psychological tension.
Religion
The vast majority of the population worships Ra and the broader Pantheon of Fire. The apex of religious and military power rests with an elite force of **ten Holy Warriors**, each blessed to varying degrees with divine flame by the sun god and the fiery pantheon.
International Relations and Border Warfare
Bellum exists in a state of perpetual, defensive mobilization.
- Peregrande Border: Bellum shares its entire northern border with Peregrande. The two nations are locked in endless border skirmishes. Protecting this northern frontier is a universal cultural duty that unites all Bellans, regardless of social class.
- Icerend Alliance: Conversely, Bellum maintains highly amicable relations with the frozen country of Icerend. Bellum routinely sends survival supplies through treacherous mountain passes to aid the local Icerend tribes.
- Independence from the MCC: Due to Bellum's highly aggressive military capabilities and their direct control over the extraction of highly volatile **Red and Yellow Lacrima**, the MCC has no presence within their borders. Any foreign entity attempting to enforce anti-mage directives on Bellan soil is met with immediate, lethal military force.
