Fire Element
Seriously, folks, what do you think these people are like? Take any stereotype about redheads you've ever heard. Argumentative, violent, emotional, prone to outbursts of every conceivable type... but that's far from the whole story. The history of Ercus is one eternal battle, with those above you to rise, with those below you to stay where you are, with your enemies to establish dominance, and with your allies to stay in practice. Your average Ercian tends towards being more fit- not only athletically, but mentally- for his or her position than would be common elsewhere, simply because without specialization it's almost impossible to get ahead in the intense competition Mercu thrives on.

Don't make the mistake of assuming all conflicts are the sword-and-fireball variety, either. Mercu takes a special delight in those, this is true, but he derives a certain amusement from trade wars, social vendettas, and all the little grinding attacks that make his section of the world work.

Ercians are known for their thick skins as a result of their society; gestures that in other societies would cause a ten-generation blood feud are common greetings, brutal insults are taken as simple jokes, and Ercian mercenaries are known for swearing at a level far enough above their brethren that only a select few can actually understand what they are saying.

On the sorcerous front, Fire sorcerors and priests can conjure fire up, down, and sideways (naturally), manipulate the twin emotions of lust and rage, and can perform one feat of healing that no other sect of healers can match. Where Diosans can renew the body, and Aidonites can instill life where in others it would flee, an Ercian healer's province is the soul. Wounds of the body can be tolerated, as a sign of strength of character. But the spirit... a wounded soul is useless to the Firelord.

Mercu: Lord of Fire
Mercu is very temperamental, lustful, angry... All the swift, brutal emotions are embodied in Mercu, and his Temple in the heart of a volcano shows his wish to be only surrounded by those beings of flame like him. His true fortress is the sun, the source of his power. It is theorized that his devil-may-care attitude is a result of the knowledge that no matter what the fate of Fou Lou, he can simply retreat to the Orb of Fire.

FIRE MAGIC

WORSHIP OF FIRE: The Mercuvian Army

ERCUSIAN CITIES

GEOGRAPHY OF ERCUS

Ercus