The Dawnflower Refuge is a crusader state established by devotees of Sarenrae as part of their fight against Tarkuus. Despite not having made any progress in centuries, they remain, a thorn in the side of everyone.
Geography, flora, and fauna
The Dawnflower Refuge consists of two islands, Madisa in the south and Vicaze in the north, as well as a small strip of the Skeleton Coast. When not being magically affected, the climate is generally warm year-round, though major storms blow in from the Kilche Sea on occasion.
Sarenrae's Hold, the largest fortress and de facto capital, is located on the island of Madisa. The shoreline of Madisa is largely rough and craggy, with no natural harbors. The island rises in altitude towards the center, where Sarenrae's Hold is located atop the highest point. Much of the island has been terraced in order to create usable flat lands, mostly dedicated to farms and small hamlets.
Unlike the southern island, Vicaze has no permanent population. It is geographically similar to Madisa, with craggy shorelines, but the lack of usable interior land inhibits habitation. Watchtowers are staffed by the Sarenites, tasked with keeping an eye on the mainland.
The small stretch of the Skeleton Coast controlled by the Refuge is similarly jagged and rough, and littered with the wrecks of ships brought ashore by storms - mostly merchant vessels, but some ships belonging to the holy order as well. The Refuge only has control extending a few miles inland, but keeps small forts staffed to the greatest degree possible.
Very little vegetation naturally grows on either of the islands or the coast, mostly limited to small grasses and other plants. The Refuge has planted trees, orchards, and crops on Madisa, which have taken hold moderately successfully.
Sea otters and birds are common sites on the islands, though both avoid the mainland coast. Magical sea creatures occasionally pass by in the Kilche Sea, and a number of smaller magical creatures were introduced to the islands by the holy order. Undead animals sometimes enter the mainland coast, at least until they are hunted down by Sarenrae's followers.
History
Pre-Refuge
Before the founding of the Refuge, the two islands were under the control of Tarkuus, though neither were put to use or inhabited. Occasionally the islands were home to a transient population of marooned or shipwrecked sailors, but they rarely remained for long.
Founding of the Refuge
In Y8605* the Dawnflower Refuge was founded by a collection of Sarenrae's followers calling themselves the Blades of the Sun. This group was formed by a small group of paladins, originally hailing from the Ersas City States, who traveled through Hellea, Thadria, and the Chaskan states for years gathering more faithful followers and resources to combat what they saw as the unholy scourge of Tarkuus. After their initial landing on Madisa and slaughtering the few undead around, they rapidly set to work building what would later become Sarenrae's Hold.
By Y8607* the Refuge had completed the still-used small fortifications on the coast. Tarkuus took notice of their new neighbors, and sent a delegation to begin diplomatic relations. Predictably, they did not return. Tarkuus began its policy of sending small patrols along the border but otherwise ignoring the holy order.
The Tarkuusan giant earthworks and castle at Broken Scimitar were built in Y9108*; an attack by the Refuge soon after was repulsed. From here on, Sarenrae's followers pushed deeper into Tarkuus occasionally, but were unable to maintain control. Continuing to present, Tarkuus continues to effectively ignore the holy order, seeing it as a small nuisance not worth dealing with.
Demographics
Sarenrae’s faithful come from highly diverse backgrounds, and hail from all across the world. Though humans hold the slight edge in number, elves, half elves, and other races are all common.
Culture
Religion
The Dawnflower Refuge has a unique culture as a melting pot of Sarenrae’s followers from around the world. Their worship and dedication to their goddess ties them together, and religious life is of central importance. Sarenrae is of course the primary deity worshiped, with a massive temple in her honor, though some others are respected and venerated in smaller ways, sometimes with personal shrines - this is not a particularly common practice, however, as only the most zealous of Sarenrae’s followers travel to the Refuge. Day to day life is structured around religious calendars, though most inhabitants also maintain at least some cultural practices from their homelands.
Traditions
The holy days of Sarenrae are of central importance in the Refuge. The Sunwrought Festival on the summer solstice is a day of festive celebration, while the day of Burning Blades is more serious - participation in the Burning Blades ceremony is seen as a re-commitment to one’s oath to protect and expand the Refuge.
Languages
As Sarenrae’s followers natively speak a wide array of languages, they have adopted Common in order to communicate amongst themselves without much trouble.
Arts
Religious services to Sarenrae feature singing, dancing, and music. Individuals from various cultures have contributed to the musical styles used in these services, leading to an eclectic mix of instruments and sounds.
Most art produced in the Refuge has religious significance or influence. It is traditional for each paladin acolyte to create an elaborate suncatcher, which is then presented to the Grandmaster in the same ceremony where the paladin receives their scimitar. These suncatchers are then displayed on one of the outer rings of the open-air temple in the middle of Sarenrae’s Hold, where they collectively reflect and refract sunlight into a dazzling array of colors.
Society
All citizens of the Refuge are required to undergo training to fight what they view as the undead menace, whether that be magical or military. Service is mandatory, though all either traveled to the Refuge for explicitly this purpose or are descended from those that did, this is rarely a point of contention. Whatever differences those that live in the Refuge might have, their moral righteousness serves to bind them.
In keeping with Sarenrae’s tenets, the culture within the Refuge teaches redemption and compassion, though of course this does not extend to their neighbors on the mainland, whose existence they view with outrage. Traveling ships can find safe harbor at Sarenrae’s Hold, and they are known for re-provisioning and repairing ships that dock there, as long as the crew is willing to hear the word of Sarenrae.
Food and cuisine
Though the islands of Madisa and Vicaze are rocky and home to little native vegetation, the inhabitants of the Refuge have been remarkably successful in their agriculture. Crops have been introduced by arrivals from around the world, leading to a somewhat unusual cornucopia. There is, however, very little livestock kept in the Refuge, owing primarily to a lack of grazing space. Some inhabitants keep poultry, but this is effectively the extent of animal agriculture on the islands.
The cuisine of the islands reflects the region’s unusual agriculture. Meat is de-emphasized in Refuge cuisine, primarily due to a lack of livestock, though fish is eaten relatively often. Fish is frequently dried and salted for preservation, and then reconstituted later. Many frequently used ingredients are not grown on the islands and can only be acquired by importing them. Some common dishes include the following:
- Dishes of rice, seafood, vegetables, saffron, and other spices. The exact ingredients can vary widely depending on what is available. Saffron can be hard to acquire in the Refuge, and other spices are frequently used as replacements.
- Spicy olive-based sauces with potatoes, taro, or other root vegetables
- Fish marinated in vinegar-based sauces
- Mussels with onions and other vegetables
- Thinly-sliced fish in a citrusy sauce
- Breaded salted fish
Architecture and urbanization
Essentially the entire population of the Refuge lives in or very close to Sarenrae’s Hold. Small outposts without permanent residents exist on the island of Vicaze and on the Skeleton Coast, but otherwise none live off the island of Madisa.
Buildings in the Refuge are built almost entirely of stone, as it is the only resource they have in great amounts. Cut stone bricks are the most common building material, with roofs constructed of wood, tar paper, and thatching. Though the aesthetics of architecture are not ignored, buildings tend to be fairly simple and austere in appearance regardless.
Travel
All travel to and from the Refuge is done by sea. Land routes would necessarily pass through Tarkuus, and are therefore highly ill advised. The Refuge no longer has functional teleportation - it did at one point in its history, but a raid from Tarkuus destroyed the anchor point that made it possible.
While most of those born on the islands of the Refuge are inducted into the ranks of Sarenrae’s devotees, the Refuge also welcomes clerics, paladins, and warpriests from elsewhere who wish to assist the Refuge’s mission. Nearly all who join are devout worshipers of Sarenrae, though a rare few others (in particular, followers of Shizuru and Qi Zhong) have immigrated to the Refuge as well. All new arrivals are carefully vetted to ensure they are committed to the aims of the Refuge.
Magic
A large proportion of the inhabitants of the Refuge are magically capable. Almost all magical practitioners use divine magic, though there are some that fuse their religiously-acquired abilities with arcane learning. Among casters with familiars, doves, falcons, and basking lizards, all holy to Sarenrae, are by far the most common.
Education
The Refuge provides education for all its inhabitants. Religious matters are of central importance to schooling in the Refuge, though students also learn about more mundane and practical subjects as well. Education is free for all children living in the Refuge, and also available to new arrivals who wish to learn more. Literacy rates in the Refuge are very high. The clergy of Sarenrae also maintain a small publishing operation, where they produce copies of The Birth of Light and Truth and other texts holy to Sarenrae.
The clothing worn by those living on the Refuge varies, mostly depending on an individual’s culture of origin. Generally, however, most clothes are made of white and gold fabric and adorned with symbolism representing their faith. Glass or crystal brooches of Sarenrae’s holy symbol are particularly common.
Government
The Dawnflower Refuge is a theocratic state, led by the Grandmaster of the Refuge. The Grandmaster is a position appointed by a vote held by the older and more experienced paladins, clerics, and other followers of Sarenrae, and passes to a new individual when the prior dies or steps down. The Grandmaster can unilaterally dictate every action and matter of importance to the Refuge, though usually delegates to their circle of handpicked senior advisors to handle some tasks.
Economy
The Refuge relies heavily on outside support. The islands do not produce enough food or other necessary resources to support their population, small as it is, and therefore need to import goods from elsewhere. Both raw material and money is mostly donated by Sarenrae’s clergy elsewhere or by foreigh states.
Relations
The Dawnflower Refuge poses something of a problem for other states around the Kilche Sea. Despite its existence as an empire of undead and necromancers, Tarkuus mostly keeps to itself aside from trading with its neighbors - a highly beneficial relationship for Khapesh, Avaris, Rudamun, and, before its collapse, Akhom. None benefit from instability with Tarkuus, yet also wish to avoid provoking the ire of Sarenrae’s followers within their own realms. Khapesh and Avaris occasionally send tribute to the Refuge as placation, but otherwise remain uninvolved. Fortunately for them, the Refuge currently poses next to no threat to Tarkuus.
The pirate crews of the Blacksand League mostly view the Refuge positively, and refrain from attacking any ships flying the colors of the goddess. In return, they enjoy safe harbor and promises of peace at Madisa, which can be useful to avoid engaging those trying to bring them to justice.
The Refuge’s relations with the states of Hellea and Thadria are similar to its relations with Khapesh - temples in the lands north of the Chaska Sea send aid, and more followers regularly travel down to Madisa, but no state has particularly close ties.
Tarkuus and the Refuge exist in something of a cold war - however, it’s a war only one side is dedicated to fighting. Sarenrae’s followers do not pose any real threat to Tarkuus, and are only an annoyance to the western part of the Skeleton Coast. If any desire arose, the forces of Tarkuus are confident they could easily overrun the islands. However, Tarkuus recognizes that doing so would endanger their peaceful ties elsewhere, and invite meddling in their lands they wish to avoid. Tarkuus only puts up a token resistance to the holy order, allowing the Refuge’s expeditions to enter an extent of its territory to give them a sense of victory. Disposable patrols are sent to the border, more to keep an eye on things than to actually serve as guards.