General information (Pre-Great war):
Demonym: Ventres
Capital: Valdorme
Key cities: Aubegarde, Clairvaux-le-Vieux and Vernac-les-Mers
Official language: Vellicien
Total population: 79,532,382
Total land area: 523,837 km²
Currency: Revan
Government: Confederated Oneiric System of Civil Autonomy
Ontological status (Post-Great war): There is a lack of reliable evidence to ascertain whether the nation continues to exist
Some facts about Ventrois:
Ventrois is a nation formed from multiple ethnic groups sharing a common ancestral root. Despite this shared origin, its history is deeply fractured. For centuries, Ventrois was plagued by internal conflicts, warlords, and civil struggles, the most significant of which include The Long Disunion (264–331), The Narrow Voie (353–386), The Taking of Haute Main (632–685), and most recently the Time of Mess, which ultimately marked the establishment of the modern Ventrois state.
The Time of Mess stands apart from earlier eras of conflict. During this period, Ventrois achieved an unprecedented level of internal stability, with little recorded disagreement between its ethnic and cultural groups. However, this internal harmony coincided with rising external threats.
Historically, Ventrois was once part of a larger multi-ethnic and multi-cultural polity known as the Kel–Cath–Vent Commonwealth, alongside Keldar and Cathair Ghormfhain. This tripartite state was founded to consolidate power, strengthen regional dominance, and project collective influence.
Over time, ideological divergence, conflicting visions of governance, and disputes over long-term policy fractured the alliance. In the year 34, Ventrois formally withdrew from the Commonwealth. This act of secession triggered the First Separation War, a conflict that lasted nine years and ended in a decisive victory for Ventrois. Though independence was secured, the war irrevocably collapsed the Commonwealth.
From that moment onward, both Keldar and Cathair Ghormfhain regarded Ventrois as a traitor state - one whose existence represented betrayal and humiliation. The animosity that followed shaped centuries of hostility. Many of Ventrois's internal uprisings and warlord conflicts were directly or indirectly fueled by these former allies, who actively provoked rebellions and openly supported insurgent factions. Repeated confrontations only deepened mutual hatred and entrenched the cycle of conflict.
The architecture of Ventrois is a direct reflection of its cultural philosophy: dreaming as truth.
Inspired by lucid dreams, memory fragments, and the subconscious mind, Ventrois architecture rejects rigid logic and strict symmetry. Instead, spaces flow, distort, overlap, and reform. Buildings feel alive - slowly shifting with light, time, and movement. Visitors often report feelings of calm, curiosity, and gentle disorientation, as though wandering within a half-remembered dream.
Architectural forms favor curved and melting geometries. Portions of structures appear to float or hover, defying intuitive expectations of gravity. Facades are layered with translucent materials and soft gradients rather than solid colors, giving the impression of depth without edges.
There is rarely a single, obvious main entrance. Instead, buildings offer multiple softly illuminated entry points - dreamlike portals that may be recessed, glowing faintly, or hidden behind curtains of light or flowing water.
Inside, there are no straight hallways. Ramps replace most stairs, and pathways often split, diverge, and quietly reunite later. Walls curve inward and outward as if breathing. Floors are gently sloped or cushioned, softening footsteps, while reflective surfaces create illusions of depth and infinite space.
Ceilings vary dramatically in height - sometimes low and intimate, sometimes opening into hidden vertical expanses revealed only through indirect lighting. Some resemble clouds, rippling water, or star-filled night skies. No light fixtures are ever visible; illumination seeps through cracks in walls, along floor edges, or from unseen recesses. Colors shift subtly from moonlit blue to lavender and deep indigo.
The architectural palette favors misty whites, pale blues and silvers, lavender, soft peach, and midnight hues. Materials include frosted glass, polished plaster, curved concrete with velvet-like textures, and fabric panels stretched across walls. Fog and mist often drift at ground level, further dissolving the boundary between structure and dream.
At the cardinal extremities of Ventrois - north, south, east, and west - rise four monumental towers collectively known as the Tours de l'Illusion Voilée, each conceived as a vertical manifestation of the dreaming mind. The structure of every tower mirrors the internal architecture of dreams: the base represents the conscious world, solid and grounded; the middle levels embody lucid dreaming, where awareness and imagination intertwine; the upper levels descend into the deep subconscious; and the summit reaches pure dream, unbound by logic or form.
As one ascends, the architecture grows progressively less rational - lighter, softer, and increasingly surreal. The lower sections are constructed from heavy stone and textured concrete, deeply rooted into the earth with irregular, asymmetrical foundations; their thick walls, narrow corridors, and subtle echoes anchor visitors firmly in physical reality. Elevators are absent by design, replaced instead by slow-rising floating platforms, spiral ramps without visible support, and staircases that gradually dissolve into ramps, blurring the distinction between ascent and drifting.
At the very top, each tower opens into an exposed, open-air space veiled by a thin, reflective layer of water that mirrors both sky and self. Within the towers lie vast archives preserving the complete cultural, folkloric, and historical record of Ventrois, and at every summit is engraved the aphorism: "Songe puet tourner en réalité, se sa vérité est assez forte." - A dream can turn into reality, if its truth is strong enough.
Ventrois is among the few nations to possess an almost complete understanding of the human brain. Scholars have mapped every known region and its function, unraveling the mechanisms of consciousness, the emergence of free will, the origin of dreams, and the nature of the self.
They are capable of duplicating an almost fully functional human brain. Through advanced techniques, they can alter perception, influence thought, generate dreams, and even reshape an individual's understanding of reality itself.
Despite its immense intellectual and technological power, Ventrois remains largely neutral on the international stage. It avoids intervention in the affairs of other nations whenever possible. Because of this restraint - and its reputation for profound insight - Ventrois often serves as a mediator in international disputes.
Brief modern history:
The "Time of Mess" refers to a prolonged and turbulent era in Ventrois that began following the sudden and unusual death of Aveline de Clermont. Her unexpected passing created a powerful political vacuum and widespread skepticism within the government. With no consensus among the ruling elites, the central authority rapidly weakened, ultimately leading to the fragmented warlord era. After eight years of chaos, Ventrois was finally reunified - though not entirely - under the command of Geraud de Clerval, a prominent warlord from the southeastern territories. On 8 January 1221, he established the Grand United Provinces of Ventrois, laying the foundations for the modern period of Ventrois history, with Aveline's party, the Ligue du Peuple (LP), positioned at the forefront of governance.
In the years that followed, the state entered a period dedicated to addressing the severe consequences of the conflict. Mass displacement, economic instability, widespread illiteracy, and persistent sabotage by remnants of opposition groups compelled the government to assume strict, centralized control over society. Under the rigid framework of the "La Restaure" policy, the state supervised nearly all aspects of public life to accelerate national recovery. One such initiative was the introduction of Le Foyer Serre, a form of emergency apartment housing designed to mitigate severe housing shortages. These buildings continued to be constructed even after the official conclusion of La Restaure in 1226.
Shortly after the war, on 16 March 1223, Geraud de Clerval passed away due to declining health. Aubert du Rochelin was subsequently elected head of state. His regime adopted policies notably more decisive and severe than those of his predecessor, especially toward individuals and groups deemed hostile to the government. Between 1225 and 1226, numerous campaigns were launched to eliminate anti-government elements; even mild suspicion could result in imprisonment. Many of these detainees were later used as experimental subjects.
Following years of delay, and with the state once again stable, the long-anticipated La Chambre des Etudes Curieuses (CEC) project resumed in 1227. Although not the first initiative to investigate the human mind, earlier attempts had been abandoned due to inadequate funding or insufficient technological development. Before the Time of Mess, CEC had been envisioned as an ambitious state-led research program dedicated to fully understanding the mechanisms of the mind - and eventually learning to control it by any conceivable means. Prisoners, often coerced into participation, formed the majority of the experimental subjects. The methods used ranged from hypnosis to direct implantation of devices into the skull, representing both subtle and extreme approaches.
By 1235, after years of intensive research, Ventrois scientists achieved the first complete map of the human brain, identifying every region and its function - effectively marking the state's full theoretical understanding of mental processes. Equipped with this knowledge, the government immediately began experimenting with mental manipulation and brainwashing. Although most documentation from these experiments has been lost, the surviving fragments indicate that researchers achieved limited success in areas such as targeted memory erasure and the induction of simple commands.
On 23 May 1240, the government launched the L'Ordonance d'Espargne Commune, commonly referred to as the Les Bons Marchands movement, which marked a major economic transition. Leveraging the advantages of its emerging mind technologies, Ventrois began shifting from labor-intensive industries toward knowledge-driven sectors supported by cognitive research. Traditional industries were systematically reorganized to improve efficiency, free citizens for higher-level cognitive work, and utilize mind-based technologies for planning and resource management. The movement's objectives were largely fulfilled by 1248, completing this transformative phase and initiating the first steps toward the state's long-envisioned, fully cognitive-technology-driven system.
In 1242, parallel to the studies in mind control, researchers developed a dream-simulation device capable of projecting an individual's dreams for observation. This was followed by a rudimentary ability to adjust the dream itself. In 1244, Ventrois scientists achieved another milestone by creating a device that allowed individuals to enter a virtual world. Within this environment, users could act freely, remain for extended periods, and exit at will; one day in the real world equated to ten years within the simulation. Despite its remarkable potential, the technology remained in an early developmental stage and required substantial refinement.
Between 1245 and 1250, Ventrois engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts to persuade two states that had separated during the Time of Mess - Hauteclaire and Basvallon, both located east of Ventrois - to rejoin the union. Both states refused, asserting their right to self-determination. Frustrated, Ventrois launched a special operation on 25 June 1251 aimed at restoring order. The conflict proved far more difficult than expected, as Hauteclaire and Basvallon received support from Keldar and Cathair Ghormfhain. After suffering heavy losses in the battles of Montreval and Clairbourg (Hauteclaire) and Sernois (Basvallon), Ventrois ceased its campaign on 30 May 1252. The defeat dealt a major blow to the government's credibility. Armand de Sernois, whose leadership had already been questioned, saw his reputation severely damaged. It was Dame Ysane de Clairvaux who ensured Armand remained in power during this crisis.
Three years later, on 4 August 1255, Ventrois declared war on Hauteclaire and Basvallon once again, citing an assassination attempt on Armand - blamed on separatist forces. This time, Dame Ysane de Clairvaux assumed a central leadership role. Through rapid and strategic military tactics, Ventrois forces reclaimed half of Hauteclaire within a month and penetrated the administrative center of Basvallon. Dame's strategic brilliance earned her continual commendation throughout the campaign. On 13 September, the strategic city of Tournedour in Hauteclaire fell, marking the collapse of Hauteclaire's authority. One week later, Basvallon's capital, Brisefont, also fell. Both states were fully annexed into Ventrois.
Despite persistent insurgencies across the annexed territories, the resistance weakened significantly over time due to heavy losses and the absence of strong leadership. On 5 April 1256, the remaining insurgent leaders, Renaut au Valbrun and Odon Hautgarde, were captured while attempting to flee south, officially ending the Second Reclamation War. The victory propelled Dame Ysane de Clairvaux to national prominence, positioning her as a leading candidate for head of state. Acknowledging his diminished capacity to govern, Armand de Sernois resigned and transferred authority to Dame, marking yet another pivotal transition in Ventrois history. Dame Ysane de Clairvaux, during her tenure, imposed numerous visionary policies that were widely regarded as decades ahead of their time. Her regime marked one of the most transformative periods in the history of Ventrois, despite the instability it would later leave in its wake.
During the First Great War of Eldervale, Ventrois - though maintaining hostile relations with Keldar and Cathair Ghormfhain - refused to enter the conflict. The official justification was that the state required additional time to prepare for an anticipated future confrontation. On 8 July 1280, a brief border conflict with Keldar erupted, lasting approximately one week before both sides agreed to cease hostilities. The skirmish, however, significantly heightened tensions with Keldar and contributed to long-term animosity between the two states.
In 1284, after more than a decade of research and development, Ventrois completed a new device designed to induce a hypnotic state in individuals exposed to certain visual or auditory stimuli. The mechanism was straightforward: an image, recording, or other medium would contain subliminal messaging - usually political propaganda serving Ventrois' strategic interests - which was generated and disseminated by the device known as L'Ensomnieur.
To test its effectiveness, Ventrois initiated Operation Mandat Clair-Obscur, conducted from 7 to 10 December 1284. The operation infiltrated media networks across both Keldar and Cathair Ghormfhain, distributing the hypnotic content on a massive scale. The result was widespread confusion: civilians exhibited erratic behavior and spoke incoherently, later reporting no memory of the experience once the effects dissipated hours later. The operation was deemed an overwhelming success, demonstrating L'Ensomnieur's potential and motivating Ventrois to extend the duration and potency of its cognitive influence.
The tense prelude to the Second Great War of Eldervale, combined with repeated attacks on Ventrois' experimental facilities near the border, pushed the state to declare war on its longstanding adversaries - Keldar and Cathair Ghormfhain (collectively "The Multifold"). Thus began the Third Soundwind Territorial War on 3 March 1292.
Leveraging its advancements in consciousness manipulation, Ventrois initially gained a significant strategic advantage. In the opening phase, Ventrois forces compelled numerous enemy soldiers to commit suicide, creating severe disorder and panic across both fronts. This enabled Ventrois to advance roughly 40 km² into enemy territory. However, the advantage was short-lived: Keldar and Cathair Ghormfhain immediately severed their media networks, cutting off the means by which hypnotic waves propagated, while coordinated bombing raids destroyed many of Ventrois' production facilities. With its greatest weapons limited, Ventrois transitioned into a defensive posture.
Across the front, Ventrois nevertheless managed to resist enemy advances. Notable engagements included the Battle of Ulverhaug (23 October 1292) and the Battle of Hovrheim (28 November 1292), where Ventrois forces successfully halted Keldar's Stormhrafn Operation. On the southern front, the Battle of Gleann Bhraonaig (12 October 1292) saw Ventrois units escape encirclement but lose a strategically vital region. These battles marked the first significant use of Ventrois' perception-based weaponry beyond simple hypnotic waves, incorporating weaponized auditory and visual distortions directly into battlefield tactics.
Despite several tactical successes, relentless pressure forced Ventrois to conduct a strategic retreat to preserve manpower and supplies. Within two months, nearly all previously captured territory had been reclaimed by the Multifold. Ventrois established a defensive line along its national border, initiating a months-long stalemate while simultaneously rebuilding its military strength.
In May 1293, Cathair Ghormfhain's cavalry succeeded in breaching Ventrois' eastern frontier, though they were unable to advance further due to the intense cognitive interference saturating the region. Keldar, meanwhile, withdrew from the war shortly thereafter, exhausted by resource depletion and the unending deadlock.
The Battle of Mont d'Aubre Hill (June 1293) marked Ventrois' first major victory after months of attrition, restoring morale and enabling additional successes at Beaulignac and Montreval. Combined with renewed mind-control tactics, these victories instilled deep fear among enemy soldiers entering Ventrois territory. Ventrois then initiated Operation Haute-Lueur, an ambitious plan to penetrate deep into enemy territory with the ultimate objective of reaching the capital. However, the operation failed due to heavy fortifications and the agile, relentless harassment tactics of Cathair Ghormfhain's cavalry. Ventrois forces, increasingly paranoid from constant nocturnal raids, suffered severe losses and were eventually pushed back to their borders once again.
Although only Cathair Ghormfhain remained in the fight, Ventrois was unable to mount any meaningful offensive due to strategic stagnation and continuous enemy counterattacks. During this period, numerous prisoners were subjected to experiments in Ventrois research facilities. Though liberated after the war, most were reported to have suffered permanent psychological damage.
Both sides launched repeated offensives and counter-offensives, though without decisive gains. The primary battlefronts remained locked along the two bordering states. Ventrois eventually pushed modestly into western Cathair Ghormfhain between December and March, capturing a critical supply hub at enormous human cost - an outcome that nonetheless prevented future large-scale enemy offensives. By mid-1294, both nations were exhausted, having severely underestimated the war's duration. Combat along the front gradually ceased.
On 5 July 1294, the parties signed The Pax of Seraphic, formally ending the Third Soundwind Territorial War with no decisive victor. The conflict left profound social and political consequences within Ventrois. Only a month after the treaty, on 6 August, Dame Ysane de Clairvaux died of pneumonia. Her death triggered widespread unrest, as many believed she alone possessed the authority and vision to restore stability. Although Lucien de Brissac was elected as her successor, public dissatisfaction remained intense; Dame Ysane's era had cultivated a level of societal dependence and reverence that no new leader could immediately replace.
The public's immense and uncritical veneration of Dame had long been recognized as a potential point of instability. Anticipating such circumstances, Lucien initiated a contingency project originally conceived under Dame's direction. The project, formally titled L'Art de Désvoyr les Sens - commonly referred to simply as Sens - aimed to recalibrate the perceptual and cognitive orientation of the population of Ventres. Its primary objectives were the restoration of social order and the ideological unification of the citizenry.
The Sens initiative operated through a state-wide auditory network broadcasting from Dormance Towers, structures erected throughout Dame's reign. At precisely 19:00 on 12 August 1294, using the same psychoacoustic transmission devices deployed during the war, a series of multispectral sonic waves was disseminated across the entire state. Embedded within the transmission was a directive affirming Lucien's legitimacy as head of state and urging the population to remain calm and place trust in governmental authority. Within twenty-four hours, opposition to Lucien had sharply declined; by the third day, public confidence in his leadership had become nearly absolute.
Following the successful implementation of Sens, the state shifted its priority to infrastructure reconstruction, the sector most severely damaged during the conflict. Enhanced by the same perceptual-modulation technologies, reconstruction progressed with unprecedented speed, enabling Lucien to continue executing Dame's long-term strategic agenda. During this period, Ventrois experienced a marked intensification of cultural expression and collective identity.
In the decades following the Pax, the state continued to invest heavily in perception research and cognitive-engineering fields, resulting in the invention of new devices and refinements of earlier prototypes. By 1301, Ventrois had successfully developed a class of perceptual stimuli - most notably visual constructs - capable of inducing acute physiological shock or temporary loss of consciousness in viewers. This effect, later referred to as the L'Effroi de Voir Phenomenon, was subsequently adapted into auditory, textual, and multisensory formats. These tools remained in permanent standby as strategic assets in the event of future conflict.
Between 1310 and 1344, numerous attempts at psychological control, memory modification, and perceptual manipulation yielded significant breakthroughs. Two methods proved dominant: mass-scale hypnotic conditioning, widely implemented during the post-Pax decades due to its efficiency and broad reach; and direct neurosurgical intervention, employed for more targeted cognitive restructuring.
On 4 May 1313, with technical support from Toutanglom, Ventrois successfully developed an artificial brain, engineered to surpass the processing speed and cognitive throughput of the human brain. Toutanglom applied this innovation to clone military units, while Ventrois used the system as an experimental model to examine information-propagation patterns within neural networks. Insights from this research further advanced the state's methodologies in cognitive distribution systems and population-wide perceptual adjustment, both domestically and against potential adversaries.
A year later, on 4 February 1314, Ventrois suffered a massive energy collapse originating in the northern regions and rapidly spreading across most of the state. Only a few western districts remained operational. The event, later termed La Nuit Obscure, resulted from excessive governmental energy consumption, administrative mismanagement, and severe weather that compromised power lines. The earliest zones restored electricity after six days, though several regions experienced outages exceeding two weeks. Although the blackout caused temporary stagnation in civil operations, recovery was swift. The crisis prompted significant reforms in energy regulation, distribution infrastructure, and oversight mechanisms for state projects.
On 5 June 1320, Ventrois completed a highly complex underground railway system, the Voies de Charroi d'Acier, a project nearly two decades in development. Symbolically modeled after the architecture of the human brain, the network served both civilian transit and strategic logistical purposes, allowing rapid supply movement in potential wartime scenarios. Renowned for its speed and efficiency, the system transformed socio-economic mobility across the state.
Despite multiple attempts during the long peace to establish cooperation with former adversaries, diplomatic progress remained limited to a few minor sectors, with no significant advancements achieved.
The Tower of Voiz Souveraine, completed on 10 August 1336, became the state's principal instrument of mass communication and ideological dissemination. Equipped with advanced acoustic and perceptual-broadcast technology, the tower served as a national symbol of unity and technological prowess. Each morning at 07:00, a calibrated auditory wave was emitted from its summit and relayed through the Dormance Towers, ensuring complete territorial coverage. These transmissions contained state propaganda and cultural reinforcement narratives, and they were employed intensively during periods of national difficulty.
By 1340, the state had come to approximate almost entirely Dame's foundational vision. Ventrois had evolved into a polity characterized by comprehensive cognitive harmonization initiatives, widespread perceptual guidance systems, and refined mnemonic regulation protocols - a societal framework in which traditional distinctions between the true and the false had become increasingly fluid.
In this environment, individual cognition, belief formation, and interpretive outlooks were shaped in accordance with state-directed principles designed to promote collective stability and psychological well-being. Realities deemed detrimental to social cohesion were selectively moderated, while more constructive narratives - carefully curated to sustain optimism and civic unity - were elevated in their place.
The government assumed responsibility for determining the experiential reality in which its citizens lived, ensuring that the population encountered only those aspects of life conducive to emotional continuity, societal order, and long-term morale maintenance. Through this approach, unpredictability and existential dissonance - elements once considered inherent to human experience - were effectively mitigated.
In time, the veracity of information became a secondary concern, superseded by the state's commitment to preserving the citizenry's affective stability. What mattered was not the objective truth of a given perception, but its capacity to reinforce emotional alignment, social coherence, and the shared cultural ethos envisioned for Ventrois. Under this model, reality itself became a managed construct - one calibrated to sustain a harmonious and enduring communal spirit.
On 19 January 1345, the passing of Lucien de Brissac was formally announced, attributed to causes of advanced age. Following his death, Martin du Bois was elected as the new head of state. Du Bois pledged to continue advancing the vision established by the Dame, intensifying state-directed messaging to prepare the population for an anticipated conflict. During this period, all projects related to cognitive manipulation underwent continued development and refinement in the lead-up to the onset of the Third Great War.
Ideology: Somne Véritee
Within Ventres's mind, dreams have always held the deepest meaning. They are gateways into the soul, paths that lead away from reality altogether. In dreams, the Ventrois find their true place - where they are free to exist, free to live, and free from the suffering and chaos that the waking world has inflicted upon them.
Their final goal was to actively insulate citizens from chaos, suffering, and the existential uncertainty of the raw, unmediated world. The state would no longer merely govern reality - it would replace it, constructing and preserving a sustainable illusion of pleasure and stability. Its purpose was the creation of a permanent, collective condition of curated contentment.
At the deepest core of this ideal lies the belief that the highest good - and the proper model for the state itself - is the private, domestic sphere: safety, familiarity, and familial love. From this principle emerges a new, inviolable right - the right to turn away from the harshness of external reality and seek refuge in a personally or collectively constructed narrative. Well-being is not treated as an emergent property of freedom or struggle, but as a designed product: engineered, managed, and distributed by a benevolent authority.
To sustain this condition, the external environment must be meticulously curated. Dissonance, ugliness, and sensory shock are seen as threats, as the senses are the primary vectors of "waking up." Beauty is no longer aesthetic alone - it is functional. Beauty becomes a utility, a stabilizing force that maintains psychological cohesion.
The governing principle of the ideal is simple and absolute: in exchange for total security and guaranteed happiness, citizens willingly surrender the desire to question the source of their comfort or to awaken from it. The highest form of civic duty is not criticism, dissent, or innovation, but the grateful acceptance of one's assigned role within the Dream. Stability is sustained not by force, but by participation.
This vision rests on a particular understanding of human nature. Humans are seen as fundamentally dreamers - creatures who seek narrative, comfort, and meaning rather than truth. They are fragile, poorly suited to the relentless indifference of reality. Given the choice between an ugly truth and a beautiful lie, they will - and should - choose the lie. The role of society, therefore, is to provide that lie as a permanent sanctuary.
Citizenship within the ideal state requires voluntary participation in the Dream. In return, the state guarantees freedom from poverty, violence, and existential dread. The system continuously monitors for "waking symptoms" - nostalgia for unmediated reality, artistic dissent, excessive or destabilizing questioning - and responds with gentle reintegration therapies: re-education, curated nostalgia, heightened comfort, and narrative realignment.
To further stabilize the system, the state maintains a sanctioned repository: a fully immersive but tightly contained simulation where citizens may safely explore "paths not taken" or experience harsher alternative realities. This controlled exposure functions as a psychological release valve, venting curiosity and existential longing while ultimately reinforcing gratitude for the Dream through contrast.
In this way, awakening is not punished - it is treated as a temporary illness. And the Dream endures, not through coercion, but through care.