founding

Kitiven is a sandy, desert region whose water is supplied mostly from the single, massive river that runs down its length. When Arsene poisoned the Spring of Life, the region suffered greatly and most inhabitants died with no alternative water source.

During the chaos, a man named Gregory accidentally invoked Camellia such that Camellia possessed him. In the short seconds that the connection held, Camellia purified the river, ensuring the continent a permanent source of clean water.

Amazed, confused, and a little demented after his brush with the divine, Gregory feverishly wandered into the desert. Over the next months he meditated on what happened, bumbled witlessly into enlightenment, and discovered how to reliably contact Camellia, if not fully invoke him. He also discovered the fragility of Camellia's psyche, constantly fading in and out, failing to register reality, lapsing into amnesia or delirium, all between moments of incredible lucidity.

Gregory resolved to resurrect Camellia and fix his mind, ready to sacrifice himself as a permanent vessel for Camellia to possess. But rather than forfeiting his own identity, or being subsumed by Camellia's as he expected, the invocation instead merged Gregory and Camellia's psyches together. Though it allowed Camellia to manifest protractedly, as desired, and stabilized his mental state, again as desired, it was impossible to tell how much was truly Camellia, and how much was still Gregory.

Undeterred, Gregcam returned to the remaining scraps of society and used his miracles to build a civilization. He was hailed as a prophet and Pontifex, the medium through which God contacted the people. Over time he wrote texts describing the attitudes, beliefs, rituals, and services that most conducively could invoke Camellia, while disciples catalogued his anecdotes and escapades. These naturally became the nation's religious texts.

Gregcam allowed himself to die at the end of his natural life, content with the nation he built. One of his disciples successfully invoked Camellia shortly after, becoming the new Pontifex, and so life continued.

geography

Basically Africa's – desert in the north, savannah in the middle, rainforest in the south. A large river named the Katani runs south to north through the continent, forking at various points. Cities are primarily in the north, farms and agricultural settlements in the savannah, and the rainforest is inhospitable. Nobody except the most desperate lives there.

society

A theocracy led by the Pontifex and his clergy, with laws descending from interpretation and re-interpretation of the religious texts. The Pontifex is not expected to be constantly possessed like Gregcam was (the whole Gregcam thing was pretty unprecedented levels of Cam-supplicant synergy), but they must reliably call on Camellia for council and invoke him to end sandstorms, droughts, famines, and so on.

Everyone is expected to know the tales in the scriptures from cover to cover, but only the clergy are expected to interpret and formally teach them. The clergy are also the only ones expected to actively pursue enlightenment and invocation of Camellia. Generally clergymen are the leaders in their community, or at least share status with local mayors, and are highly associated with medicine, libraries, teaching, and mathematics. Law & Order While some laws descend from obvious commandments, others are arbitrary interpretations of innocuous lines of scripture. Some jarring laws for travellers include a complete ban on recreational narcotics and alcohols, as well as a nationwide curfew a couple hours after sundown.

Kitiven lacks a death penalty, preferring to rehabilitate criminals; to kill any human being is forbidden without explicit divine sanction. As such, those they can't reform, they typically exile. Apostasy and paganism (Archon-worship) are serious crimes, usually met with exile. Industry & Technology Kitiven is resource-rich, with primary industries in agriculture, forestry, aquatics, and masonry. Aside from clergy, the most respected fields are those of medicine and mathematics – physicians, surgeons, nurses, chemists, architects, physicists, and treasurers. These occupations, while highly respected, are also held to intense scrutiny and regulation, compounding their stressfulness exponentially. Teachers are also highly regarded, as they're a minor branch of the clergy.

Aesthetics matter alongside the functionality of crafts. Cities are designed with architectural beauty and harmony in mind, the artistry of which is internationally renowned. Sculptures, waterworks, stained glass, and colourful tiled mosaics are common sights across the country.

The main exports are water, foodstuffs, salt, silk, pharmaceutical goods, and arts. Their technological level is good, but not overly special. People & Culture Native Kitts have light tan skin that darkens considerably over a handful of minutes when exposed to harsh sunlight, and lightens again in the shade. Pallor is a sign of sickliness or a sedentary lifestyle, and connotes either very high or very low status.

Common foods include breads, beef, lamb, goat meat and cheeses, beets, couscous, figs, onions, hummus, apricot, dates, falafel, various spices, and teas. Their national language is Kitt, with Terran spoken in churches, religious services, and higher education.

Religion

Arsene is the most loyal and devoted servant of Camellia. He acts always in Camellia's interests. His enmity towards humans and killing of Camellia are, then, in Camellia's interests. The specific relevance of Arsene's actions is unclear – but Camellia does praise Arsene's initiative in poisoning the world, encourages Arsene's authority, and refrains from resurrecting himself even when the thought occurs to him, in deference to Arsene.

Someday, Arsene will judge humanity again. Through that judgement, Camellia will return to restart the world and rule a paradise as he had in the Glen. This judgement happens when 'the Serpent' meets 'the anointed Pontifex', assumed to be Arsene and Camille, respectively. If they're to be reincarnated into paradise, humanity must praise Camellia, extol Camellia, follow Camellia, and love Camellia, with a devotion Arsene would acknowledge and approve of.

Those judged favourably will be resurrected, those judged poorly will not. There's a certain Kitt arrogance around being so 'chosen' for this judgement – or at least of understanding its existence – and though they accept converts, missionary work and conversion efforts are not typical Kitt priorities. Rather they focus on self-excellence and self-improvement by God's ordained virtues.

Among those virtues is arete: the excellence or perfection of an object adhering to its highest potential. Excellent grass is grass that most embodies the qualities of grass, and so on. Excellent humans engage their higher faculties, perfect their gifts or talents, adhere to virtue, and thank God for installing them with these qualities. Camellia's beliefs and aesthetics are the exemplars to strive for.

Archons are similar to Arsene; recognized by Camellia for some purpose, but not necessarily good. Common thought holds them as aretes of human weakness; embodiments of certain flaws people strive to counter daily. In that way, the Archons themselves aren't quite antagonists but warnings, signals of spiritual error, and advisories to take a new course. Their actual presence and intervention in human lives can be an omen, a judgement, or a temptation.

They're not to be worshipped. Deifying weakness fundamentally means failing to follow perfection. Prioritizing Archons over the God that apotheosized them is dumb and sacrilegious, forfeiting any chance of resurrection into paradise. Furthermore, Archons are fundamentally ego-driven and selfish – their interests, no matter how beneficial on the surface, are always ultimately about their own satisfaction, with little to no regard for their worshippers.

Camille is the only exception to this rhetoric, as he embodies the flaws and weakness of God. Rather, he's the only manifestation of God that can have flaws or weakness. But even the weakest aspects of God better embody Him than the most virtuous and excellent humans. Camille is respected and followed, though he is still not meant to be worshipped above Camellia.

Death Rites

Souls are severed and bodies cremated. Bones are interred in grand ossuaries, usually under major cities, but occasionally in displaced ziggurats.

Notable Places

Amsherrat: the capital city of Kitiven, situated north on the Katani river. Many important churches, universities, hospitals, and businesses are located here, as well as the country's main port.

Nine Columbines Sanatorium: Kitiven's largest and most prestigious medical facility, situated in the hills just above Amsherrat. Formerly an abbey commune, its massive grounds contain not just a general hospital, but facilities for chronically ill patients who require lifelong medical care. Many staff live on-site, with amenities including a parish, a library, fruit and vegetable gardens, and a school. It also hosts greenhouses for cultivating medicinal herbs and synthesizes a respectable degree of its medicines on-site.

The Holy Arboretum: A large tower that is the residence of Camille, situated in Amsherrat. The lower floors are used for ceremonies or communion, the upper floors are Camille's living quarters, and everything between that is storage for Camille's things. The Arboretum is so tall it reaches to space, visible on the horizon from extraordinary distances.

Vamu: A small farming village in the country's central, rural region. Renowned as the birthplace and childhood home of Mephi, the first documented Archon. Has retained its small size and some agricultural activity, but is more known as a tourist, research, and occult destination nowadays.

relevant characters

Mephi: A Kitt national from the rural town of Vamu, who became the first documented Archon after committing murder-suicide. Some decades of habitual cannibalism later, state-backed monster hunters ousted him from the country. He remains a figure of historical note and the primary source of rhetoric on Archons.

Camille: The reincarnation of Camellia, who appeared suddenly in Amsherrat. Though he claims the paradise Camellia promised will never come, denounces Camellia, and condemns Camellia as a charlatan, nobody listens. He resides in the Arboretum in Amsherrat where he acts as a tight-lipped religious and political consultant.

Zachary: A Palida-born, Kitiven-raised ward of the state who shows immense talent for invoking Camellia. Raised as a patient in Nine Columbines Sanatorium, he's currently, and controversially, the best candidate for the seat of Pontifex. Despite pursuing this job for some months, he has abruptly gone AWOL on a questionably-advised 'pilgrimage'.