1.0 Overview

OOCly, Gallis was originally created as a place to explain away the random appearance of dogs -- particular breeds, no less -- in earlier logs, without any concern as to just why one would find dog-morphs corresponding to Earth breeds. Given that the most commonly seen of these upper-crust dogs was the poodle, the idea for a homeland for these creatures got turned into a really mangled vaguely French setting, with a rigidly enforced caste system to justify why "breeds" would be maintained over time in a civilized society.

ICly, Gallis is home to dog-morphs (pure-bred "Gallees" and mutt "Gallahs", as well as several wealthy families of Kujakus (peacock-morphs). Gallis was once a kingdom, but several bloody revolutions later, the land has changed rulership countless times, presently under the leadership of the Marquis of Fauxpas.

Gallis is a city of stark contrasts -- of artsy, romantic sites, and poetry in the streets ... of brutal subjugation of the lower classes, rigid caste structure, and a laissez faire attitude that permits all sorts of abuses ... "just as long as it's nobody I care about".

2.0 Major Locations

Gallis is located in Nordika, a territory that is north of the Himar Region, on the continent of Ai. It is situated west of the Forbidden Zone of Bosch and Chronotopia. It just barely touches Kroz to the southeast. Originally, Gallis was south of Sylvania, but Rephidim has given its blessing to Gallis' official annexing of its northern neighbor, roughly doubling Gallis' previous size, so its northern border is now formed by the Vykarin Sea (also known as the Northern Sea and the Sea of Ice).

3.0 Major Species

Gallis is home to two distinct species: Canine-humanoids (Gallees/Gallah) and peacock-humanoids (Kujakus). The differences between Gallees and Gallahs would be based on "purity of blood line". There are several "breeds" of Gallee that are recognized. Gallees must stick with their breed, or else their progeny will be considered mutts -- Gallah -- and lower-class citizens, unable to own land or to inherit property. Gallees keep very careful records of their parentage, as from time to time, some rival might call into question the purity of someone's bloodline, and the only defense is to have documentation. Unfortunately, there is not much additional information included in these "family trees", so even though the lines purport to go back all the way to the time of the Expedition, past a certain point, dates aren't even kept or any other information that might shed light on what the world was like in that era.

The Office of Bloodlines in Fauxpas is the central authority on purity of pedigree, and keeps the most extensive records on family trees for Gallee families anywhere. It even maintains records for Gallees who are not Gallisian citizens ... so long as they are kind enough to cooperate with the office's information gathering efforts. This body is responsible not only for keeping track of parentage of Gallees, but for determining one's worthiness for "Gallee" status, based on one's genetic "purity" according to the ideals of one's bloodline. It is possible for a Gallee, noble-born, to be judged a Gallah because of inappropriate fur markings, ears of the wrong size, or any number of "deformities". It is not a practice publicly supported or spoken of, but still performed in secret, that sometimes a pup that fails to meet specifications may be quietly "put to sleep", rather than risk the family being subjected to shame and disgrace.

There is also the matter of corruption and deception. Gallisian men, after all, sometimes take mistresses, and most often they're already married. While the Office of Bloodlines provides "official" pedigrees on parentage, it also keeps notes on its best guesses as to the actual parentage of someone, should there be any matter of question. This secret record-keeping sometimes figures into their decisions when determining the "purity" of any given Gallee.

4.0 Major Languages

Unlike many Nordikan nations, Gallis is not particularly diverse when it comes to languages, except for those upper-class citizens who study a foreign language for the sake of education. The national language of Gallis is Gallisian, and it's often studied in private schooling by Rephidimites for the sake of learning a foreign language.

While the average Gallah is not likely to bother learning Rephidim Standard or any other language other than Gallisian, Rephidim Standard is fairly widely known amongst the better educated Gallees and Kujakus. It is not uncommon for the upper-crust nobility to dabble a bit in basic Imperial, Babelite and classic Olympian (literary, not necessarily conversational) as a part of studies.

In the past few years, some Gallisians -- particularly those Chevaliers and Cuirassiers and minor lords who have been granted lands in Occupied Sylvania -- have picked up Sylvanian, so they can communicate with their new serfs.

5.0 Religion

There really isn't any religion in Gallis. While previous regimes have paid homage to the First Ones, the Star, and even whole pantheons of gods, at present Gallis is an atheist state. This really doesn't cause too much friction with Rephidim, since even representatives of the Temple rarely bring up truly religious matters. (The Temple mostly exists for the sake of the Temple -- not any particular deity or group thereof. It is a government first, and a religious body second.)

Even though Gallis may be an atheistic state, it does not wholly stamp out all signs of religion. In the art museums, there are various sculptures, relics and paintings with religious images ... but they are typically displayed in clusters, carefully accompanied by some educational display that warns the viewer of all the horrible things that have been done in the name of that particular religion.

Gallis is anti-religion for the most part, though they seem to single out those religions that demand the most overt practices from their worshippers ... simply because those worshippers are the most visible. Again, they don't come into much conflict with worship of the First Ones, since it can be characterized as nothing more than simply veneration of ancestors. And that happens all the time with the celebration of historical figures, after all.

People won't be dragged off kicking and screaming for praying silently in public -- just as long as it can be explained away as "I had something in my eye" or "I was meditating". Typically, Gallisians don't go out of their way to go on "witch hunts" for believers of various religions. However, overt practices are harshly dealt with -- but quite often under some other pretense.

In recent years, there have been a few undercurrents of dissent, however. First of all, in 6099 RTR, there was an incident where a Skreek known as Willow the Wisp (later becoming Lady Dack of Kroz) was instrumental in the death of a Miles Mortant carriage rider who was attempting to run down a Gallah puppy. A Silent One companion of hers by the name of Testament-Blaze surrendered to the Cuirassiers who came to deal with the incident, in order to buy her time to return to her ship. The cheetah was put on trial, and given a chance to state his case -- with a translator present to interpret his hand signs. He then proceeded to "talk" to those assembled for many hours straight, quoting a significant portion of the Holy Book he carried around, taking advantage of a loophole in Gallisian law that most judges had never given the accused a chance to use.

In the end, to put an end to his "monologue", he was flogged then released, his "Holy Books" confiscated. Despite the treatment of the cheetah and much public ridicule and misrepresentations of his message, his books passed through many hands and were even copied. The Marquis has ordered all such books to be burned, suggesting that they incite readers to rebellion, cannibalism, and unhealthy practices. This hasn't gotten all of the copies out of circulation, since many of them happen to be in the hands of the lesser nobility. While there is no overt movement to implement any of the teachings of the Star, there are still some quiet supporters and possibly even converts to be found amongst the nobility and their servants. There are even rumors of a few Gallah "street preachers" who have been operating in the slums, despite risk to life and limb.

Even among those who aren't necessarily religious, per se, there are still those in Gallisian society who take issue with the current state of morals (or lack thereof). Some of them have been influenced by exposure to outside cultures, while others have simply been gifted with consciences. Many Gallisian extended families have relatives in Rephidim, at the least, and a number of minor lords and knights have been exposed to the Sylvanian brand of Star-worship. (As heavily laden with superstitions and rituals as it might be, the core beliefs concerning moral responsibility and duty to help one's "neighbor" still strike a chord with some Gallisian nobles, even if they don't believe in any sort of deity serving as a moral authority.)

6.0 Technology

The upper-class of Gallis pretty much has access to any convenience that can be bought. Gallisians aren't really known for their scientific advances, and generally don't contribute much in this field. Gallah slums are utterly primitive, on the flip side, lacking plumbing or sewage, and typically running rampant with disease.

7.0 International Relations

Gallis typically doesn't do much of anything on the international scene, but the Gallisians still love to send their diplomats off to social functions abroad whenever the opportunity arises, and thus they still have a presence at the very least in things happening abroad.

8.0 Government, Military and Law

As much as it may insist otherwise, Gallis is a monarchy. It's just that the leadership of the land changes more often by shed blood rather than royal blood, and the new leader tends to pick a different title to distance himself from the "excesses" of his predecessor.

Gallis does have a system of law, but there are ample exceptions that can be exploited by the nobility. Basically, the law exists to serve the nobility, not to protect the people. The only time that the law can be counted on is in disputes of noble against noble ... and even then, the Marquis can freely intervene to pass judgement. (This rarely happens, though, since it is typically not in the interests of the Marquis to stir things up needlessly.)

Gallahs have no protection under law to speak of, save that a noble can object if someone harms his interests by mistreating a Gallah in his service. In regards to Gallahs, a noble can simply have his guards "deal with" an offender, without need for trial.

9.0 Trade and Economy

Gallis is not a major producer on the international market, but it is still fairly open when it comes to trade with the established trading lines. Independent traders, however, often get abused by port authorities, unless they are of Gallee stock. (Jupani don't count, and definitely not those barbarian Titanians.)

10.0 Education

Gallis has no public education system. The average Gallah cannot read or write, let alone do complicated mathwork. Gallees and Kujakus are responsible to pay for their own education. For the middle to upper class, this is taken care of through private schools and academies. While there are plenty of schools dedicated to more "conventional" education, there are also several that are wholly dedicated toward very specific vocations -- especially in the areas of the fine arts. There are also schools meant to teach young ladies how to be "lady-like". These schools forego such "trivialities" as math or history for the most part, instead focusing on good diction, proper etiquette, and (of course) learning proper Gallisian.

There is a Guild Hall of the College Esoterica to be found in Fauxpas, but it has a very weak presence in Gallis compared to previous generations. The College Esoterica is quite far from being a religious body, but the anti-religion sentiment in Gallis sometimes translates into at least a bit of anti-magic as well. The very term "ritual" sounds religious in nature, and magical rituals are typically perceived that way. Plus, the robes associated with mages might be faintly reminiscent of the priestly robes of various religions.

The College Esoterica's presence is tolerated, but mages simply don't find much business in Gallis -- Gallisians pride themselves in being free from the "crutch" of magic as much as from religion, though magic is not banned outright. (They have a somewhat similar disdain for much of technology, seeing it as messy, clumsy and awkward.) If the Guild finds a prospect amongst the Gallee or Kujaku, the Guild Hall has the means to test for potential, but any training will be done off in Rephidim. It is an unwritten understanding between the College Esoterica and the Gallisian nobility that Gallahs are not to be tested for magical potential. Any Gallah found practicing magic in Gallis will be executed either for impersonating a member of the Mages' Guild, or for being an agent of Bosch.

Back to Politics: Section 7.6.2