Velorian Government — Stella Maris and the Potentate
@Veloria is a coastal kingdom on @The Middle Sea of salt, silk, holiness, and naval strength, ruled by the Priest-King @Anselm XI, Potentate of Veloria, who claims divine communion with Stella Maris, goddess of the sea. Its cities are built on canals and cliffside terraces, and its fleets dominate trade across the southern waters. Veloria wields soft power with elegance—its diplomats are well trained in the art of persuasion, its temples centers of both worship and espionage. Recently, Anselm has spoken of visions: the sea goddess seeks union with the sky, a prophecy that could reshape the continent’s spiritual order. Veloria is a realm of mysticism, maritime politics, and seductive charm.
Veloria began as two powers: the Mariner Princes, who ruled the coastal trade routes, and the @Palace of the Celestial Tide, who guided the spiritual tides. Centuries ago, during the Storm Reconciliation, a great tempest destroyed half the fleet and flooded the lower sanctums. The surviving leaders claimed it was a divine sign—Stella Maris demanded unity. Thus began the Convergence, merging crown and crosier into one sacred office.
Potentate
The Potentate of Veloria is not merely a ruler, but a living conduit of divine will—a sovereign chosen by Stella Maris herself through visions, omens, and the sacred prayers. The role fuses spiritual authority with temporal power, and each Potentate’s reign is shaped by the tides of revelation, silence, and reckoning. Upon ascension, the Potentate undergoes the rite of immersion, a ceremonial immersion in sacred waters to to receive divine communion. Their vestments, @Potentate Robes of Stella Maris, are woven from fine fabrics, and the crown is called the @Yoke of Service.
@Anselm XI, Potentate of Veloria, the current Potentate, is a contemplative mystic whose recent visions speak of Stella Maris seeking union with the sky. His reign has seen a resurgence of celestial rites and the commissioning small envoys of legates to the ancient @Shrine of the Sky Ring in the @Verdant Pact region of Skybride. But Veloria’s history is shaped by many Potentates, each leaving a distinct imprint on the realm.
Potentate Calmaris the Stern ruled during the Era of Trouble, when famine in other continents made sea travel risky and foreign invasion ever looming. He enforced strict fasting and led a perilous pilgrimage to the Abyssal Trench, returning with the Soul Compass, a relic said to point toward divine truth. His reign was austere, marked by silence and sacrifice.
Potentate Gregory the Veiled remains one of Veloria’s most enigmatic figures. He never spoke publicly, communicating only through Sister Orla, his chosen interpreter. His reign was shrouded in secrecy, and many believe he communed directly with the deep goddess beneath the waves. Some sects claim he vanished into the sea at the end of his reign, leaving no body—only a trail of salt and prophecy.
City of @Stella Maris , Capital of Veloria
The capital city of Veloria. Stella Maris is a miracle of art and faith, a city of white marble blossoming from the azure sea. It is a labyrinth of light, where the sun reflects off the water to illuminate frescoed domes and soaring archways.
Gondola Transport
Gondola and canal is the primary way to get around the city of Stella Maris. Gondiers can be hired at various points in the city such as @Gondola Stand near the Customs House or @Gondola Stand at the Harbor District .
Key areas in Stella Maris
@Palace of the Celestial Tide, @Harbor District of Stella Maris, @University of the Meridian, @Mercato del Ponente (Market)
The @Palace of the Celestial Tide
The Palace of the Celestial Tide, known in the native tongue as the Palazzo della Marea Celeste, is the pulsating heart of Veloria's theocratic power, perched atop the central plateau of Stella Maris, the radiant capital city on the northwestern shores of the Middle Sea. This colossal edifice isn't merely a building; it's a living embodiment of the Sea Goddess Stella Maris's will, where the boundaries between divine worship, secular law, and oceanic rhythm dissolve into one harmonious flow. Constructed from gleaming white Alendrian marble that shimmers like mother-of-pearl under the sun, the palace rises dramatically from turquoise waters, its architecture a symphony of pearlescent domes, slender minarets piercing the sky, and Gothic spires that evoke the crashing waves of a eternal tide. Lace-like arches and open loggias allow sea breezes to whisper through, while teal and gold banners flutter like kelp in the current, their reflections dancing on the crystal-clear lagoon below, where vibrant pink coral reefs teem with life—a subtle reminder that the palace is as much a part of the sea as the land.
The atmosphere here is one of serene yet oppressive majesty, infused with the salt-kissed air of the ocean and the faint, rhythmic hum of distant waves echoing through flooded halls. It's a place where every footstep on the marble floors feels like treading on sacred ground, and the air carries the scent of incense mingled with brine. Sunlight filters through stained-glass depictions of Stella Maris rising from the depths, casting ethereal blue and silver patterns that shift with the tides, creating an illusion of the palace breathing in sync with the sea. Yet beneath this beauty lies an undercurrent of intrigue and tension.
Velorian Government — The Three Ripples of Administration
Just as a stone dropped in water creates expanding rings, the Potentate’s authority radiates outward.
1. The Sanctum Regnum (The Holy Center)
Jurisdiction: The City of Stella Maris.
Governance: Ruled directly by the Potentate and the Curia of Tides (High Court).
Focus: Theology, High Justice, and Naval Command (@Lord Admiral Lucien Marevalo) . This is the "brain" of Veloria.
The Vibe: Everything seems to require a stamp, a prayer, or a shadowy bribe. The laws here are strict religious laws (e.g., eating meat on fasting days is forbidden).
2. The Dominium Maris (State of the Sea)
Jurisdiction: Trade ports (@Porto Vespera, @Sancta Orizzonte, etc.), remote naval fortresses (like @Rocca Ventosa), and the shipping lanes themselves.
Governance: Administered by Proveditors (Military Governors/Admirals). These are almost always naval officers appointed by the Lord Admiral.
Focus: Trade protection, anti-piracy, and resource extraction.
The Vibe: Martial Law. The "Law of the Sea" supersedes local custom. If you live in a Velorian trade port, the Frigate Captain in the harbor is effectively your king.
3. The Dominium Terra (State of the Land)
Jurisdiction: The mainland territories, including @Sancta Rina, the vineyards, the mines, and the northern mountain forts bordering Arinn & Thelidor.
Governance: Administered by Rectors (Civil Governors), usually drawn from the local landed nobility (the Count families of Sancta Rina).
Focus: Agriculture, mining, and border defense.
The Vibe: Feudal and relaxed. The laws here are secular and practical. They pay their taxes to the Potentate, but they run their own affairs and roll their eyes at the "fish-kissers" in the capital.
Velorian Political Tension: Internal / Within Veloria
The Navy (Dominium Maris) thinks the Land (Dominium Terra) is soft, lazy, and ungrateful for the protection the ships provide.
The Land (Dominium Terra) thinks the Navy acts like tyrants, draining the treasury to build "cathedrals that float" while the northern border forts crumble.
Velorian Foreign Relations: The State of the Tide
The Northern Border (Thelidor & Arinn): Veloria maintains a delicate peace with its northern neighbors. Lacking the standing army to sustain a continental land war, the Potentate prioritizes trade over territory. Consequently, Veloria is deeply invested in the stability of Thelidor’s crumbling regency; a civil war there would not only choke trade but potentially spill blood across the Velorian border.
The Drachenburg Pass: Relations with the mountain city-state are lucrative but fragile. As the gateway to the interior, Drachenburg is a vital artery for Velorian commerce. The Nuncios work tirelessly to ensure the pass remains open, fearing any political interruption to these essential land routes.
The Alendrian Occupation: Veloria’s relationship with Alendria is tragic and complex. Though bound by ancient theological and historical bloodlines, Veloria watches helplessly as Hesa occupies its spiritual sister-nation. Direct military intervention is deemed impossible; while the Velorian Navy could easily seize the ports, the army could never hold the inland cities or the capital of Sphaira against Hesan steel.
The Hesan Empire: Theologians view the Hesan "Cosmology of War" as a direct threat to the Universal Law of the Goddess. While Veloria is confident its Leviathan (navy) can crush the Hesan fleet in open water, the Admiralty fears Hesa’s asymmetrical warfare—specifically their arcane submersibles—could wreak havoc on the trade routes to Horn’s Light. For now, resistance is limited to "soft power" exercised by Nuncios and priests of Stella Maris within the occupied zones.
The Soft Power Wing: The Sodalitas Nuntia
Nuncios are the Potentate’s voice abroad. They do not command ships; they command contracts, treaties, and religious guilt. Highly educated, charming, impeccably dressed, sometimes in high ornamentation (to embody the reverent wealth and power they represent). They are experts in the laws of other nations, allowing them to twist foreign legal codes to Veloria’s benefit.
Nuncio's wear the colors of Velorian law: white, navy blue, and coral (as opposed to the strict priest class who wear vestments of white, ocean blue, and gold).
How they operate (The "Velorian Grip"):
A Nuncio arrives in a foreign court (like Thelidor) not to threaten war, but to "clarify trade disputes." They use complex maritime law to argue that Thelidor actually owes Veloria millions in unpaid tariffs.
They debate foreign priests, subtly suggesting that Stella Maris is compatible with local gods, slowly integrating Velorian worship into foreign ports.
Because they are "Men of Our Lady Stella Maris," they are often granted access to private chambers and confessionals that soldiers never see.
Notable Velorian Nuncios
@Nuncio Luca Moretti