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Astra Rubis

Astra Rubis

Head of State: Emperor Lucius Temper
System of Government: Imperial Dictatorship
Major Religions: Ancestor Worship
Minor Religions: Various
Languages: Alvaric; Rubic
Major Species: Orcs; Humans
Minor Species: None
National Descriptor: Astra Rubran or Astran

Once the terror of Alvaron, this much-reduced nation still takes great pride in the heritage it claims.

Five Rumours about Astra Rubis

Rumours may be known by characters who are not from and have not visited Astra Rubis. This is just a small sample of rumours you might have heard about this country.

  1. Astra Rubis is populated entirely by orcs with a funny name and nobody else is allowed there!
  2. In Astra Rubis it is illegal not to wear a hat.
  3. Astra Rubis was once feared across Alvaron, but now it has been roundly defeated, and will never be a threat to anyone again.
  4. In Astra Rubis they pray by asking their ancestors to talk to the gods for them.
  5. Astra Rubis is the oldest country in the entire world!

Five Facts about Astra Rubis

For your OC reference, or IC if your character is from Astra Rubis or has visited it in the past.

  1. Urca by Belief: Although urca is typically a word for orcs, the “urca” of Astra Rubis include humans and other species, provided they fully believe in the ways of Astra Rubis. Hats (highly fashionable, symbolising social status) are therefore often a better way of telling at a glance who is, or isn’t, considered an “urca” in the country.
  2. Freedom of a Sort: Once known for slavery, Astra Rubis has in recent years freed its lowest classes into serfdom (common around the world) instead. Serfs are bound to the land on which they live and typically need the permission of the landowner for life-changing decisions, such as moving away or getting married.
  3. Claim to History: The people of Astra Rubis firmly believe that the ancient Rubran Empire was an empire of urca, despite outsiders claiming it was an empire of dwarves. Due to this, dwarves rarely feel welcome in Astra Rubis, as they are viewed as thieves of the true Rubran inheritance that by rights belongs to the urca.
  4. Ancestor Worship: Although the practice of all the various faiths is permitted in Astra Rubis, by far the most common belief is ancestor worship: even if a person does follow one or more of the pantheonic gods, they are likely to pray to or ask a shaman to entreat a revered ancestor to intercede with the god for them, rather than to the god directly. Sometimes, particularly revered ancestors have been said to return to the mortal world and intercede on behalf of their descendants. Although Astra Rubis has dealt with demons in its expansionist past, any suggestion that these ancestor spirits might be anything other than the ancestors they are believed to be is hotly and often violently denied.
  5. Phoenix Nation: Astra Rubis was attacked by Durholme-led forces in 1298 in an attempt to wipe out all of the urca – one which very nearly succeeded. The orc population has since recovered somewhat thanks to immigration, but the human population is easily equal to it in size, a factor which has likely influenced the recent shift in custom about exactly who can be an “urca”. Since Astra Rubis was conquered by Milcier shortly afterwards in 1299, given to Durholme in 1300, and then granted its independence by Durholme in 1302, it has become an ally of its former overlord.