Syradonia

The Essence of Syradonia

Syradonians live beneath the earth’s surface having made the journey after being pushed to the brink by calamity. Used to the already harsh environment of the surface they immediately realised that hard work must carry great rewards and daily comforts in an unknown, difficult environment and that they needed to make the best use of every resource to survive. This lesson is best exemplified in the grand forges that power their trade and provided their very first luxury resources in the form of heated bath houses and spas. Giving their people the best within their new home became central to their way of life
Faith in themselves is matched only by their Faith in the Gods with the entire pantheon worshipped in giant stone cathedrals. First carved into the walls of their cavern and the basis of their city, this Faith is what keeps them going no matter the challenges.

Social Dynamics

Syradonia has thrived despite settling in a perilous land. From their underground sanctuary, they have organised society around four pivotal Orders:

• Order of Faith: Provides spiritual guidance and power to the people through strength of Faith
• Order of War: Solely responsible for protection against relentless foes, armed with faith and traditional blackened armour. The paladins of Syradonia utilise fearsome appearances and brutal tactics to safeguard their home and people
• Order of Luxury: Enhances underground life with amenities like heated bathhouses, leveraging resources from grand forges.
• Order of Stewardship: Ensures the functionality of vast networks of forges and facilities, vital for their society’s prosperity.

These Orders ensure Syradonia’s survival and advancement, focusing on making underground life prosperous and sustainable, and all those who live within their caverns answer to one of the Orders. Syradonians frequently work together across the Orders and form expeditions to deal with issues on the surface

Player Experience

Players in Syradonia can find their place in the collective that focuses on improving and maintaining their society, with everyone working together towards that goal. Religion is their foundation for everything, and groups centre around the God that is worshipped in their Domus, or co-operative household, but their interests extend into many parts of the world just as the Gods do. Magic is viewed as a tool to be wielded to serve them and their interests in a pragmatic way over some peoples’ idealised and romantic vision of magic.

Expert crafters working to better themselves and their community set the example for traders who look for the best ways to provide what Syradonia cannot make. Syradonia takes great pride in having access to the wealth of the earth and strives to make use of it in the best ways they can. They are constantly looking to for how this can benefit themselves, their community and their nation

What Syradonia is not

Not Dwarves: While they share similarities with fictional dwarf cultures due to their underground habitat, Syradonians are distinct human beings with their own societal dynamics and traditions.
Not a Cult: People in Syradonia very much believe in working for the betterment of the community they live in but they are still individuals with their own desires and dreams.

Look and Feel

Syradonia is a nation of thrift and austere practicality, where skills are valued and the people have pulled together for survival. This is reflected in their clothing, where Syradonians incorporate armour into their everyday dress, ready for anything that is thrown at them underground.

Fantasy Paladins and Clerics are the largest inspiration source here, with their over-dramatic pauldrons, gorgets and arm armour, and belt pennants and tabards to show allegiance.
Roguish types also have a place, in the crack teams that hunt in the tunnels under Syradonia, removing threats before they can get to the general population in blackened armour and dark clothing.
Others wear monstrous armour that projects a terrible figure to those who would stand against them.

Metallurgy and geology are Syradonia’s main resources, so metallic trims and accents are common on clothing. Makeup is also widely worn – most commonly dark smudges around the eyes and cheekbones, with contrasting metallic paints.

Clothing is simply when they spend so much time in the darkness, incorporating the light from a glowstone, or paint made from glowmoss into an outfit can make all the difference. Such effects can be created with LEDs, 3D printed glowstones or by simply painting a little UV paint onto clothing or armour

Further information on Syradonia

Naming Conventions
Look and Feel