Igion
The Heart of Salenzis
Anthologica Universe Atlas / Universes / Maikros / Salenzis / Igion

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Above: a map of the Kingdom of Igion. Click to see the full version.

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Above: the flag of the Kingdom of Igion. The blue design is the monogram of Igion. It spells it out in the Prophan Alphabet - IΓION. It is also a representation of The Hand, with the river Tiburis coming in from the north and the rivers Anala, Albu, Kuru, and Pranata going out to the south. The tyrian circle represents the capital, Fluwlidiwli.

The Kingdom of Igion



As the largest of the proper Southern Salenzian nations,+Which is to say, not counting Zarcos. Igion tends to be the most major player in Salenzian politics, especially since the disintegration of Ticondera in 3:334. For example, while the formation of Alnurka as a project was spearheaded by Prophan merchants, they needed the support of their Igionese counterparts in order to be able to begin the project without potentially angering Igion.

Igion is the home of Sublimism, which is the majority belief system there. Because of Sublimist influence, Igionese laws regarding Necromancy are more stringent than in other nations, most famously completely disallowing its practice within the capital city, Fluwlidiwli - even to members of the Order Necrotica. On the other hand - also because of Sublimist influence - Igion is probably the most gender-egalitarian country on Maikros. However, despite Sublimism being the majority religion, it is usually seen as the religion of the commoners - most nobles follow the Salenzian Tradition.

Because of its status, Igion tends to be one of the places+along with Antiem where leaked Zarcosian technology tends to first crop up. It was therefore the first country outside of Zarcos to adopt the printing press and the cannon, which are now relatively common worldwide.

Igion consists of 29 magistracies. These are, in theory, appointed by the monarch, but in practice, the monarch's appointment has, in many cases, become simply a bit of ceremony surrounding the inheritance of magistracies within their ruling noble families. There are some that are still appointed freely, without question, like the capital magistracy of Uk Manu+The Hand, but a monarch trying to remove a de facto inherited magistracy from its ruling family is met with great anger, such as in the Magistrates' Revolt in 3:736, when Queen Evgena III+AKA Evgena the Zealot tried to reassign many magistracies along Sublimist principles.

Because Igion was the first mainland province of the Prophan Empire, giving it a longer well-known history - and because of its relatively early adoption of the printing press, Igion - more specifically, Fluwlidiwli - has been a major centre of learning on Salenzis. Its main rivals in ancient times were the Prophans' favoured colonial province of Ticondera and Propha itself, while these days its main rivals in learning are outside the proper Salenzian sphere - Zarcos and the Trade Union. As such, Igion is known for its rich tradition of literature, especially since it was the crucible of both Sublimism and the Salenzian Tradition.

Igionese families are usually large, and tend to remain together - at least in the same town, if not in the same house. Due to the tenets of Sublimism and the principles of Collective Self-Reliance, these families are usually governed via consensus, with no one person being totally in charge. Depending on the size, who exactly gets a say can differ. The nobility, on the other hand, tend towards more hierarchical family structures, obsessed with inheritance as they are.

Aside from being centrally located and thus a hub for merchants going across Salenzis, and also aside from agriculture, which there is still a lot of on Maikros in general, the Igionese economy has two primary resource focuses: wood and fish. In the northern magistracies and along the Ticonderan foothills are many forests which the Igionese make use of. While some of this wood does get traded as the raw resource, especially to wood-hungry Zarcos, much of it is used for construction within Igion, and woodcrafts. Along the southern coast, the Archipelago, and the country's many rivers swim many fish, which the Igionese happily make use of. While most of Igionese seafood is fish, other seafoods like crustaceans, molluscs, and seaweed are consumed. Inland, there is farming for wheat and vegetables. Even the Zarcosian potato and nuts have made it into Igionese cuisine. There is also some meat from livestock and hunting, but livestock are usually kept for labour and milk, while hunting is sporadic and limited to the northern forests. Most non-marine meat in Igion is actually imported from Gallar, and thus limited to those who can afford it.

Interesting Places



Albichoma - Albichoma sporting a direct route to Fluwlidiwli along the river Albu has made it into Igion's primary port city. Along with the mass of trade, the headquarters of the Royal Igionese Navy lies here.

Almato - The city of Almato is split by the border between the magistracies Almato and Mato, into Eastern and Western Almato. There is lots of trade in these two cities from the rivers Almato and Anatu, and from the cities' proximity to Fluwlidiwli. All of that along with the fact that Almato is two magisterial capitals separated only by a river makes the two cities a hotbed of political shenanigans.

Echeneson - Echeneson was once a major trade port along the Ticonderan Channel. These days, such trade has slowly dried up because of the Onyxians' extremely strict border policies - sailors much prefer to simply go around Onyxia than try to navigate its theocratic bureaucracy. Even wood, stone, and metals coming south along the river Monthibu have been driven east, closer to Fluwlidiwli. However, the magistrates of Etona are known to be quite stubborn, so Echeneson has remained Etona's capital.

Fluwlidiwli - Along with being the capital of Igion, Fluwlidiwli also sports the Grand Temple of the Sublime Goddess, where the Goddess lives and the Sublimist faith is managed. Another important institution is the University of Fluwlidiwli, where the Kingdom's best and brightest learn and teach. Then there is, of course, the primary branch of the Mage Guild of Igion, which sees lots of traffic to and from the University.

U'kenthru - U'kenthru, or "The Centre", is an oddity in being one of the few major Igionese cities to not be situated on a river. Its main claim to fame is being the centre of the massive irrigation system of Eastern Tiberia, hence the name.

Neopolis - Neopolis is a very historic city, as it was the first Prophan colony on the Archipelago.

Potridilimenas - Potridilimenas is the converging point for a whole bunch of trade routes throughout Igion. It was Igion's main port in the Second Age, due to its proximity to Propha, and remains very important as the last stop before Propha on many routes. It was one of the first places attacked by Jason the Betrayer in his campaign to recreate the Prophan Empire.

Tiburis - Tiburis, along the same river, is the capital of Western Tiberia and has been a minor trade node for centuries. In years long past, most trade done between the Igionese and the Northerners flowed through Tiburis, which thus became the place for those interested to look for Northern "barbarian" goods. With the creation of Alnurka, trade in such goods has dried up, as the city no longer has proximity to Northern tribes, and the Northerners are now warier than ever about dealing with Southerners. However, Tiburis remains important in trade, as it is along the trade route between Fluwlidiwli and the Alnurkan capital, Democratia.