Aurithage Hierarchy

The Aurithage Hierarchy is one of the few theocratic societies in the continent, it is located near the former Imperial Heartlands, west of the Demonfence.

History
In ancient times this land belonged to the Cleaver Orcs. When the Imperium defeated both, it started a campaign to systematically drive the orcs from this land and replace them "productive citizens", which led to humans becoming the dominant race. Cities were built, wells were dug and soon this area became just as "civilized" as the rest of Aegeron, but these advancement came at the cost of thousands of orcish lives, as they were used as slaves to build this "Bright Future for All".

When the Imperium fell the nobles and wizards were too busy carving out a piece of the empire for themselves to help the common folk as the demonic hordes descended on the heartlands of the empire. It was the clerics of Whiteridge who first united and led the defense against demons. There are many songs and legends about the heroes who fought the demons of the Abyss, and almost all those battles took place in these lands. By the time the Brass Concordat was signed and the demons were pushed back most of the Hierarchy's territory has been destroyed, and after fifty years the north-eastern part is still an uninhabitable wasteland.

Life
This realm is governed by a council of clerics where each of the good and neutral deities are represented. The Hierarchy is opposed to the Brass Concordat (for moral reasons) but they ratified it during the Succession Wars (for obvious reasons).

Most of the nobility fled the area whn the demonic hordes arrived, their estates have been acquired by the clergy, who have essentially supplanted them in most of their roles. Since one's place in the clerical hierarchy is not hereditary, many of the Hierarchy's leaders are talented and pious lowborns.

The people of this land firmly believe that it was their faith in the Gods that allowed them to persevere, a notion the clergy tries to reinforce at every opportunity. Thus the people of the Hierarchy are (on average) extremely pious, which brings both good (less violence, more charity) and ill (tradition before reason, enforced conformity).