Apotheosis/World and lore
SUMMARY
This collection of stories takes place in a late medieval fantasy world loosely based on the planet we call home. It loans both from reality and fiction, drawing a lot of inspiration from various ancient mythologies from around the world, with the writer's imagination filling the gaps in between. This story is not - nor does it try to be - historically accurate, and therefore many empires and kingdoms that have existed during different periods in our world may exist at the exact same time in this one, sharing the world with various original settings.
Another important thing to point out is that this is a high fantasy world. In addition to divine powers that some characters in this story possess, its residents also can use magic for their advantage. It's not a world that is dominated solely by humans, but also by races like orcs, dwarves and elves that may hold regional dominance on some parts of the world. In fact, only Africa, western and northern Europe, Middle East and Far Eastern Asia are populated by humans. Rest of the regions are controlled by races other than humans. Both animal and plant worlds also include organisms that loan heavily from the world of fantasy. Supernatural creatures like ghosts and demons also exist in this world.
As mentioned above, this world uses our world map as a base. This world is a slightly tilted globe with two icy poles four seasons that work exactly as they do in our world. When there is summer in the northern hemisphere, the south experiences winter, and vice versa. This also means that during summer there is more daylight time and during winter there is less of it. This world also has one moon, which is large enough to cause tides in the world's oceans. Speaking of oceans, this world is about 65% covered by them, with a little bit more land than there are in our world. So far, not so different from ours. However, when we get to the specifics, you start seeing differences.
Each and every one of the continents in this world are slightly different geographically than they are in our world, with the most notable examples being the Australian continent which is replaced by a much larger continent in Lemuria, and the two Americas that are not only more separated, but completely different places geographically. Other notable geographical differences include Great Britain being replaced by a different set of islands in Albion, great Barrier Mountains rivaling the Himalayas separating eastern Europe from the west, and Russia and northern "America" being completely populated by dwarves and elves. Sorry, native Americans, but you don't exist in this world, or maybe you're all just elves. I'll let you decide.
The story takes place exclusively in the third era of civilization which begun exactly thousand years from when the world calendar was standardized per the agreement made by various dwarven, elven and human leaders. Even though there is no official name for this new millennium, it has been commonly dubbed as the "Divine era" by residents all over the world. It may also be called the "new era" or the "third era", with the name "common era" being referred to the period that includes both the second and the third era.
In this world's calendar there are exactly 364 days in a year - one less than in our world - to bring the total sum of year to exactly 52 weeks. It consists of 12 months, out of which March, May, August and October consists of 31 days, and the remaining 8 from 30 days. In case you're wondering, the weekdays and months are the exact same as they are in our world; exceptions may apply in cases of some cultures and races. The way date is presented also varies depending on the nation, but the widely accepted standard across the world is D/M/Y. In spoken language, the position can be - and often is - exchanged liberally.
ATLANTIS
General
In the lush, tropical valleys of the western Sahara, between two seas, one of sand and one of ocean waves, lies the great empire of seven seas, Atlantis. Located in the north-western regions of Africa, this great city along with its surroundings is founded in the middle of a river delta, similar to the Nile delta in Egypt. The ringed city of Atlantis and its immediate surroundings is where this story mostly takes place.
My version of this mythical world is loosely based of Plato's description of Atlantis. It is also inspired by the theory which suggests that the true location of Atlantis might be in modern day Mauritania in the so-called Richat structure. I do not know if there is any truth to this theory, I haven't seen any definitive evidence to support this theory myself, but it's an idea that is interesting to me regardless, and one that makes - in my humble opinion - for an interesting setting. While the empire itself spans across many islands, its heart itself is located in Africa - around where modern-day Morocco is - and is not an island. This version of Atlantis is not any more advanced than the other great empires they share this world with, at least relatively speaking. They're the greatest seafarers sailing the Atlantic Ocean. They're still a regional superpower, and one of the greatest empires in the world.
So, what kind of place is Atlantis? It is an empire of wisdom and strength, a place in which a sizeable chunk of its citizen are either educated to become scholars, or warriors to fight for their homeland. It is an empire of builders and craftsmen, and of brilliant architecture, statues and megalithic marvels of human engineering that are the envy of many foreign kings. It is an empire of wealth and prosperity, with small businesses and boutiques everywhere for its citizens to sell their services and craft freely. It is an empire of culture and cuisine, with bright colors, music and the smell of fresh spice, game and catch entertaining its residents and visitors behind every city corner. Overall, it's a very good place to live in. The quality of life is high, and it is also a very safe place to live in, at least as far as the city of Atlantis is concerned. The rural areas tend to be a little poorer, and along the borders, the life tends to get a little dangerous with foreign invaders and tribes.
The reason the city of Atlantis is called the ringed city, or the city of rings, is because of its shape. The city consists of three rings of water, two rings of land, and one island in the middle. All the bodies of water are connected to each other with an access to the ocean by a massive canal, and all of the rings and the middle island are connected to each other with bridges, four for each ring of water, with bridges representing the four points of the compass. The royals and some nobles live within the central island, along with the king. It is by far the grandest and the richest place in all of Atlantis, with amazing buildings and parks scattered across the island, and with a large temple - the residence of the king - in the central location. The innermost ring of land consists of military and navy and is the muscle of Atlantis, with most of its schools and hospitals also sharing this ring. The outermost ring of land is the commercial district, with markets, businesses and amazing food. It also has to be said that the city extends far beyond the outermost ring of water, where most of the general population lives. It is the source for the kingdoms products and produce, along with the fresh water, which flows from the east through the river valley.
In addition to the capital, the empire spans across the shoreline far away to both south and north, and along the river a good way towards the east. There are four large costal cities across the shoreline - including the capital, and two additional large cities up the river, and one large city located in the "Twin Canaries". All these cities have their own leaders and bodies of government, and all of them serve as regional capitals of sorts. The city of Atlantis itself is seen as an administrative district that oversees all the six counties.
First, there is the city of Lanzarote, located on the island bearing the same name. It is the only county in the empire that lies completely in the sea, consisting of two large islands, ten other inhabited islands, and over a hundred smaller uninhabited islands. It is seen as an exotic holiday destination and an important trade center in the Atlantic, attracting visitors from around the world.
Then, there is Volubilis, the northernmost city and county in Atlantis. Apart from long, sandy beaches and dry desert hills, it doesn't have a lot going for it. Out of all the places in the empire, it is the place where you can see the most Roman influence in terms of architecture, and in terms of demographics.
Geranua lies smack bang in the middle of the river delta, just a short boat ride away from Atlantis. It is a region known for its biodiversity and agriculture, and it is THE place that feeds the rest of Atlantis. Geranua is the second populous city after Atlantis, but their administrative region is the most populous, consisting of many smaller cities and communities.
Papyr is another large city very close to Atlantis. Like Lanzarote, they have a lot of islands to their name, most of which hold seasonal residences and holiday homes for the rich. It's a very diverse place, close third place in terms of population. It's seen as the educational capital of Atlantis, having the best schools in the entire empire, and because of this, most people living there are young and smart.
Just a little bit south from Papyr lies Helixea, a small city that doesn't have much going for it besides fishing and industry. It is an important regional trading port, connecting Atlantis to the south.
And last, there is the sparsely populated Cariala up the river at the mouth of the delta. It is the largest county by area, and at the same time, the second least populated one after Helixea. They are seen as the "boonies" of Atlantis, which definitely brings a certain charm to them. It is like Geratua in the sense that it relies heavily on agriculture.
Demographics & Class Divide
Atlantis is a very diverse place with people of many ethnicities, backgrounds, and even races sharing the city. Most of its citizens have dark hair and eyes, and the skin tone of an average Atlantean is some shade of light brown. White Europeans and black Africans are the second most common, with about ten percent of the population each. Atlantis is either extremely religious, or not very religious at all, depending on how you look at it. Although there are many gods that are worshiped, religions don't exist in this world in the same way that they exist in ours. This is because of the fact that divines and deities walk amongst the "mortals" and are therefore not seen as THAT special. Everyone believes in gods, because everyone knows they exist.
As far as class goes, there are three demographics in Atlantis, or up to a dozen if you choose to further divide the demographics. Person's class is determined by the child's parents, with the higher class usually being the major determining factor. For example, a child of a nobleman and a commoner is seen as a noble in the eyes of the law. If the other parent is a slave, however, the child is usually a slave as well; it comes down to the decision of the higher-class parent. Similarly, when getting married, the lower class will always be promoted to the higher class. There are no exceptions here as far as slavery goes. As you can see, class is not something that the citizen is tied to for the rest of their lives. Even a slave can become a noble in a lifetime, or vice versa. It is hard, but it's not impossible.
On the top, there are the nobles, who are divided into four categories. Royals are on the very top. To be a royal, you either have to be closely related to the current king, or to be married to the king's close relative. There are only about a hundred of them alive at any given time, so they are by far the smallest of all the class demographics. Next in line are those nobles who are not royalty, and they are divided into two unofficial categories; those who are born into nobility, and those who are not. Generally speaking those born into nobility are seen as "True nobles" and are more respected - especially if the family name is a famous one and there's a long lineage - but in the eyes of the law, they aren't any different. Most of the nobles are either high ranking military officials, work for government, or through their business endeavors, are simply just filthy rich. Last but definitely not least are the priest and scholar class. They are the highest ranking professors, philosophers, educators and magisters in Atlantis. Really, they're just like the other nobles, but are seen by many as different. They're rarely considered to be "True nobles".
So, the nobles are less than one percent of the population. The rest are either commoners and slaves, with commoners being the largest people group by far. Commoners can be divided into three categories based on their wealth, and two categories based on their citizenship. Immigrants and natives are categorized differently, and they have slightly different rights as citizens. In total, this makes for six subcategories. Since poverty is not really a huge problem in Atlantis, most fall into the middleclass, with those living in poverty being only about as common as slaves. There isn't high class per-se, only upper middleclass. If you're rich enough, you're a noble.
Last, let's talk about slaves, who are divided into two categories, again based on their citizenry. They're basically seen as human property. It's not a very nice life to lead. Usually, to be a native slave, you either have to be born into slave class, or be a citizen who for some reason became a slave. How can one become a slave? There are many reasons; as three examples, through extreme debt, as a punishment from the state, or even by signing a simple contract. Yes, life as a slave can sometimes be preferable to life in poverty. Even slaves have rights… Well, sometimes. Things can be very different and harsh for slaves who are not native. Those bought from aboard and those taken from their homelands to be slaves are not protected by any laws, and truly have no rights of their own. There are only some market regulations to how slaveowners can acquire their slaves, but none to protect them from mistreatment.
Law
Before I get to stuff like age of consent, let's touch on law "generally" speaking. I do not have time to go through the specific laws in Atlantis, but basically, if it's illegal in the real world, it's probably illegal in Atlantis as well. Rape, stealing, murder, none of that's allowed. There are some big differences though, like the total and complete lack of regulations when it comes to owning weaponry, as well as the widespread acceptance of slavery. Men and women do enjoy equal rights, and law does not discriminate between the two. Freedom of speech, expression and protest is also guaranteed for citizens. There are no police per se. Instead, there is just army, which employs armed and trained city guards. Mercenaries, and other independent soldiers are also widespread - mostly because of the lack of arms regulation - and are employed by rich citizens and the state alike. As far as punishments go, there are fines, jail sentences and execution sentences, as well as the previously mentioned forced demotion to the slave class.
Although very modest on the surface, Atlantis is sexually a very open place. Things like pedophilia, bestiality and incest, while shunned by some, are generally more accepted than they are in this world, and are completely legal as well, with some caveats.
The age of consent doesn't exist, and children can have sex freely, but only together. When adults are involved, things are a little different. Yes, adults can have sex with children in Atlantis, but that doesn't mean that one can just go around fucking children blindly. Typically speaking, a child can't decide for him- or herself in the eyes of the law until the child is twelve, which means that technically speaking the parents - or in some cases the slaveowner - can prosecute the older party should they have sex with the child against his or her parents' or guardian's consent. The punishments vary from fines to brief jail sentences, but let's be honest, that only happens when people get caught, and that doesn't happen often. Because of the sexual acceptance in Atlantean society nobody really even bats the eye at the idea, and children don't tend to tell their parents if they go around fucking adults. Getting actually arrested for fucking a child against his or her parent's approval in Atlantis is about as rare as getting busted over torrenting in our world.
To be considered no longer a child, one has to be twelve. They're still underage until they're sixteen, and therefore don't have full rights as citizens, but at least they have bodily autonomy, and can have sex freely without nagging parents dictating their business. When it comes to marriage and having children though, the things get a little messy. There is no minimum age to marry in Atlantis, but those under sixteen years of age need the parent's approval to marry. If two underage people are getting married, naturally they need the blessings of both parents. Then, let's talk about offspring of underage women and in some cases children; if there are any offspring, they count as children of the mother's parents until the mother herself is sixteen. If the father is adult, he can be legally recognized as the father alongside mother's parents. If he's not, then the burden falls on his parents, just like in the case of mother. In the cases where an underage person is married to an adult, and they have a child together, that child always counts as the couple's own. This rule doesn't apply in the cases where two underage people are married.
Let's talk about incest next. Basically, there's only one law: if you're siblings through blood, and have either the same mother, or a same father, you can't marry. Otherwise, everything is fine. Siblings can have sex, cousins can marry, adopted child can marry the blood child, and so on.
And last, how about bestiality? Well, anything goes, as long as the animal's owner approves. You can't have sex with some random sheep on some random farm without the sheep's owner's consent.