Sul: A Nation Somewhat Divided

A Nation Sort-Of Divided
The nation of Sul is home to two main groups of people: factions known as the Xerom and the Kios. The two groups live peacefully together, for the most part. The Xerom believe in honor in all things, especially combat, while the Kios simply wish to fight or otherwise cause conflict.

Sul itself has a surplus of gold, and more is being mine up each day. Because of this, the people of Sul use gold for nearly everything. Even commoners have access to a wealth of gold that far surpasses any amount one could get elsewhere.

The Xerom
As mentioned above, the Xerom live by honor, fight with honor, and die with honor. They do not wish to be dishonest with anyone about anything. In addition, they are more likely to forge deep relationships with their allies on the battlefield than with the people they are related to by blood.

Upon reaching adulthood, Xerom men and women are given a solid golden sword. This weapon is not meant to be used in actual combat, but rather for ceremonial purposes.

Both factions are always fighting, when not with a foreign power, then with each other. For the Xerom, this means holding dueling tournaments. These tournaments are held on the courtyard of the Temple of AEdoxus in Sulerix Prime, the Capitol City of Sul. The tournament consists of a 1 on 1 bracket with a single round until there are only two competitors, where it is best two out of three. The only two formal rules written for the tournament is that entrants be registered as Xerom, and that the first one to break his opponent's skin is the winner. For the rest, the competitors self-regulate, as per their honor.

Within the Xerom, there is an organization called the Gilt-Blade Elite that serves as the Xerom royal leader's personal bodyguard, and in times of war, a small task force. The training process is similar to that of a knight, but with an ordeal at the end of it. This ordeal is given to the trainee directly by the Xerom royalty, and normally consists of a tour on whatever campaign Sul is fighting at the moment.

The Kios
The Kios, like the Xerom, love to fight, but they take it a step further than their counterparts. They have a concept they call Palerix Eternal, which states that somewhere, there is conflict, and that the Kios should do their best to continue that tradition. Whereas the Xerom fight 1 on 1 with no tricks, just swordsmanship, the Kios will get down and dirty, doing whatever they need to in order to win. Kios fighting tends to be very bloody, because of this, they have a knowledge of medicine that is second to none. The one who starts the fight is called the Rix-Aretur, and the winner is called the Rix-Kaela. After a fight (which is rarely between two people), much alcohol is consumed in the name of the Rix-Kaela.

The Origin of Sul
Once, there were a pair of brothers, named Xerom and Kios. There were born to the wandering Mikaina tribe called the Suliere. As they grew up, neither were interested in the merchant lifestyle they were brought up in. They both were more interested in the half of their culture that involved warfare. Xerom preferred the longsword, while Kios fought with a dagger, and when that failed, whatever he could get his hands on. The hatred that the Sonekei and the Mikina hold for each other has existed since the dawn of time, so the two brothers decided to get their clain to raid a coastal Sonekei city for supplies. This was not their only objective: They intended to capture the city and place themselves in charge. The plan was to eradicate the village and to move in as many Mikaina as would be willing. The operation was surprisingly successful, and Mikaina from many different tribes flooded in to occupy the town. Still excited by their small victory, the brothers decided to expand their territory by conquering nearby cities. As the years passed, the territory of the brothers on the Sonekei subcontinent increased. With that, Xerom became more and more obsessed with honor in combat, and Kios went farther and farther into his unique fighting style until it looked similar to what Kios of the present day use. Later on in their lives, Xerom and Kios decided to split their small empire from the Mikaina tribes, which they pulled off with almost no fighting because of how loosely the tribes are related to each other. The brothers became the two kings of the new nation, which they named Sul, as a shortened version of the name of the Mikaina tribe they hailed from. Both had many children, who continued the tradition of their progenitor. To this day, their royalty has evolved from having two kings to a king and a queen, one descended from each of the brothers. Eventually, Xerom died, leaving Kios alone on the throne. After two years, he placed Xerom's eldest son, Sulerix, on the throne at his side. When Kios himself died, Sulerix tooke the second daughter of Kios as his wife, so as to keep the Sul royalty within the same bloodline. As time went on, more and more people were born from that family tree, to the point that in the current day Sul royal marriage laws state that a king or queen may marry anybody of the opposite gender, so long as they originate from the opposite clan.