Indefinite Color
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Denonym | Chromafey |
---|---|
Government Type | Feudalistic Oligarchy |
Government | Color Court |
Population | ~ 5 Million |
GDP total | ~ 625 Billion $ |
GDP per Capita | ~ 125'000 $ |
Area | ~ 58'000 km2 |
Official Language | Fable |
The Season of Indefinite Color
Also known under the titles: the Chromafey Season, the Season of the Unbound Rainbow, the Color Season, or simply Indefinite Color. It is a magical, mystical, and fantastical place, primarily inhabited by the Switterlind, a species of butterfly-like fey. It is a realm of fantasy and wonder, with spectacular lands and scenery. A wonderful array of creatures and plants can be found within. A variety of factions are acting in Indefinite Color.
Twisted Geometry
It is impossible to create a map of the land of the Chromafey Season, as the geometry is unorthodox, and the environment is constantly shifting. The geography can loop and twist in seemingly impossible ways. The land may even shift over time. It is therefore very easy to get lost within the Chromafey Season.
Rainbow Corridor
Rainbow Corridors are large magical gateways that connect the land of Indefinite Color. Their entrances can come in all possible forms: a giant archway, a deep well, a ray of sparkling light. Often special conditions need to be met to enter the Rainbow Corridor. Many widely known Corridors are monitored and require a payment of some kind to traverse.
Government
Main article: Color Court
The Chromafey Season is ruled by an oligarchy called the Court of Indefinite Color. Also known under the titles: the Chromafey Court, the Court of the Unbound Rainbow, or the Color Court. It is an elitist institution, mostly consisting of individuals of the highest of classes. It is led by Raigen, the Origin of Rainbow, a powerful Archfey with enormous rainbow-colored wings.
Domains
The Chromafey Season is divided into a collection of Domains, each ruled by a so-called Dominant, which can both be a sole individual or a group. The Dominant answers to the Color Court, but generally has great liberty to do with their domain as they please. The borders of a Domain may shift over time, or even occasionally overlap with a different Domain.
Provinces
The Chromafey Season is divided into a collection of Provinces, generally smaller than Domains, each ruled by a Provost, which can both be a sole individual or a group. The Provost answers to the Color Court, and often also to the Domain they are a part of. While Domains are more fluent, Provinces are often more clearly defined. Because of the shifting nature of Domains, their rule over a Province sometimes changes hands, and some Provinces might be part of multiple Domains.
Economy
Indefinite Color is a wealthy and capitalistic society. Taxes are relatively low, with a combination of proportional rates and just flat values. The fertile and magical land has lent itself to develop a grand agricultural industry. Fields of various crops for food or material, with splendorous and enhanced properties enhanced through magical and biological tampering. This kind of tampering is one of Indefinite Color’s expertise, with allowed it to prosper in the health industry. The economy is primarily dominated by the industry of luxury goods. Mirrors, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing, food, instruments, and a variety of other products are produced, often carrying magical properties.
Special Products
Chromafey Law
The Color Court manages and enforces Chromafey Law. Law and order are a service provided by the Court like a business, working mostly for the elite. Individuals pay tax to have the Court provide them with and protect their rights. The Color Court often uses poll tax (fixed tax sums) which results in the division of wealthy and poor Castes.
Stray
The Stray are those that pay no tax to the Court. They make up the vast majority of the population, who are legally invisible. They can be robbed, assaulted, tortured, murdered, or enslaved without consequences. They cannot hold political office, establish legally recognized organizations, or take any action inside the system of the Chromafey Law. This Caste is mostly made up of individuals too poor to buy themselves into the system. But there is the occasional elite who are wealthy enough to provide for themselves and have no interest in the system. The poor often slave away for minimal pay, dreaming of an opportunity to climb to Civility status.
Civility
The Civility is the Caste of citizens with decent wealth. Civilians are recognized entities by Chromafey Law and can act within the system. They pay a poll tax to remain Civilians. In exchange they have their basic rights protected. They can create establishments, engage in marriage, sign contracts, and are somewhat protected by the justice system.
Nobility
The Color Court provides a large selection of further legal privileges for individuals who can afford it. People who take up some of those offers are considered part of Nobility. Nobility varies wildly in ranks and amount of legal power. Crimes from a lower against a higher Caste are punished and prevented more, while the reverse is true the other way around. Being in Nobility makes navigating Chromafey Law more convenient and opens doors closed for others.
Foreign Affairs
Main article: Foreign Affairs
Indefinite Color is very open to cooperate with other nations. It likes freedom of movement for goods and people, wishing to establish economic ties and hoping for exchange of arts, culture, science, and technology. The Color Court is not picky about whom they make deals with.
Languages
Indefinite Color has a wild diversity of peculiar languages. It is impossible to make a neat list of all. They manifest, shift, split, merge, and disappear spontaneously. Because the fey are beings of meaning, potential, and ambiguity, language plays a potent role in Chromafey culture. It is the reason the Switterlind often are proficient in many languages, and are adept at picking up new ones seemingly anomalously.
Fable
Fable is the language of fantastical narratives and storytelling, of wonder and indefinite possibility, colorful and flickering, of fables and fantasy. It is characteristically playful and ambiguous. Fable isn't a clearly defined language, but more an umbrella for related communication, carrying anomalous feyish properties relating to the magic of Phantasmary, which makes Fable hard to pin down. Speech or writing in Fable ties to and influences the narrative of the given situation. It's ties to the storytelling of things makes it able to spontaneously bridge gaps of language, for seemingly the sake of the narrative. Other languages may develop "fabled" version of themselves, bringing them under the Fable umbrella and imbuing them with its curious properties.
Vei-Nomili
Vei-Nomili is a language family. Vei-Nomili languages follow a similar set of rules. The only type of words used are nouns; they are strung together to convey meaning. Words are also vague in their meaning, standing more as a symbol of certain themes. One word might symbolize fire, scarlet, rubies, hatred, intensity, force, or any with those associated themes, depending on the context. It all gives the language a cryptic and figurative style.
An example of how it might feel. One might say something that can be interpreted either "My heart is with the the crowned skull", "I desire to kill the king", or "I am at the heart, controlling the skeleton of the monarchy". The speech being in form of a string of ambiguous nouns a literal translation might be "Ego Heart Skull Crown" or "Identity Love Death Rule". To grasp the intended meaning context matters a lot.
When a conversation starts, usually there is an phase of "setting the scene". Participants get familiar with each other's style and use of words and meaning, making later communication easier. Sometimes new words are created in this stage, describing them through a string of existing words. It also allows individuals with differing but similar Vei-Nomili vocabularies to use this first phase to create a foundation of vocabulary for the conversation. This can make every conversation unique.
Palewood Vei-Nomili
A Vei-Nomili variant with standardized vocabulary has been established as the official language of the Color Court. Palewood Vei-Nomili. It is the standard and most common language for things official, but by no means the only one used.