Asmodeus and his associated rulers, House Thrune, keep a tight grip on Cheliax… in a manner of speaking. The law of Cheliax is so enormous that nobody can hope to comprehend it all, much less adhere to it. Chelaxians who offend the wrong person often find themselves in a great deal of trouble for breaking laws they knew nothing about.
As ruthless as the rulers of Cheliax are, they focus primarily on the cities, especially Egorian. They have ignored older and more distant cities, like Westcrown and Kintargo, and came to rue that neglect when upstarts in Westcrown saved that city from the shadows in the dark and called for mayoral elections. Elections, when Westcrown was such a handy place to exile out-of-favor nobility! Now the Glorious Revolution is calling for uprising, and, well, it’s time to crack down.
The focus on keeping the cities controlled means that the countryside and rural roads suffer from neglect, and can be very dangerous at times. That’s where the Hellknights found their niche. While considered tools of Thrune by many, they are a welcome sight in the countryside, where they are often the only force keeping the roads safe and orderly so that ordinary citizens can go about their business.
While Cheliax is a lawful place, bribery is rampant: in fact, it is codified in law and people could conceivably be breaking the law by not offering to bribe the officer trying to arrest them for another offense! There are ways of doing these things, and native Chelaxians understand better than outsiders how to properly offer a bribe and how much to offer. Of course, the bribe might also be illegal. As with everything else in Cheliax, it’s best to keep one’s head down and not attract the attention of the authorities to avoid being hauled off for gods only know what offense. Because, let’s face it – everyone in Cheliax is guilty of something.
Notes about religion:
Though religion in Cheliax is surprisingly liberal, certain things are not tolerated: worship of any chaotic deity (not surprising in an extremely lawful theocracy), and worship of any demon or devil besides Asmodeus. That means being an adherent of Cayden is not only unwise, but illegal.
Westcrown was expected to be the earthly home of Aroden, which hope died with that god. However, many of his great adherents, called the Founders, are still considered demigods and are worshipped in home shrines. It's entirely normal for a Wiscrani household to have a small area set aside for a shrine to a deity considered the family's particular patron, though most of the older families do select a Founder rather than some foreign god.
Westcrown, City of Twilight wrote:
The six most revered Aroden founders in Westcrown are, in order of prominence:
- Founder Dotara, “She Who Watches and Waits;” spirit of guardians; patron of the dottari
- Founder Palmor, spirit of rivers and renewal; patron of fishermen and midwives
- Founder Rixana, spirit of the bounty of deep waters, patron of pearl divers and shellfishermen
- Founder Adel, spirit of woodcraft, patron of shipwrights and boatbuilders
- Founder Crucisal, spirit of water travel and navigation; patron of ferrymen and adeliers
- Founder Vadrus, spirit of crystals and artistry, patron of glassmakers and artists
