Since everyone else seems to be posting their old Lostbelt ideas from the contest I might as well add mine too. I also finally came up with a name for Phidias' Lostbelt. Since Eidolon is a word for an idealized image of something, I thought it'd be a fitting name for what's meant to be a kingdom of eternal perfection.
Lostbelt: Eidolos- Kingdom Of Stone And Marble
Subtitle: Worth Of Fleeting Beauty
Lost Depth: B
Origin: 432 B.C.
Location: Greece
King: Phidias
Crypter: ???
Fantasy Tree: Lotus
History:
Born of his craving for a world of unchanging beauty, Phidias's Lostbelt is one where every living thing, including plants, animals and even humans, is crafted of artificial materials like bronze, marble and stone.
Citizens born in his Lostbelt live normally as humans until their 13th birthday, upon which they undergo a special spiritual surgery where their soul is transplanted into a hollow automaton body. This is necessary because the soul has to mature to the certain extent before the ritual can be performed safely.
These sculpted bodies free them from the limits of the mortal condition. They never age, grow sick, hunger or thirst. While they can still get injured and even die, their bodies are far easily to repair than normal humans. Even if limbs are cut off or destroyed, new ones can be simply sculpted in their place. And with Phidias's draconian social policies, any violent crime or accidents that could endanger his citizens are virtually nonexistent.
As automata are sterile and unable to bear new life, some people are chosen to live longer before being converted so they can have children and contribute to the next generation.
The citizens in his Lostbelt have immortal lifespans and don't need to eat or drink, so the only resource they need to consume is magical energy to fuel their automata bodies. Thankfully Phidias has more than enough Mana to go around generated by the divine cores from the countless gods he defeated and subjugated, harnessed to power his eternal kingdom. But even that resource, while self-replenishing, isn't infinite.
To keep the population at a manageable level Phidias thus periodically orders lotteries. The "winners" get the honor and privilege of offering up their very bodies to become part of his glorious kingdom. Instead of dying, their sculpted bodies are melted down and added to the very stones comprising the kingdom's streets and buildings. The victims are still conscious in this state, but their souls are greatly diluted. They don't feel pleasure, pain, fear or sadness, merely a passive awareness that one is part of something larger and infinitely greater than oneself. As far as Phidias and most of the Lostbelt's citizens are concerned, this is the greatest happiness.
Phidias can freely command all his sculptural creations. While he normally leaves his kingdom to run itself, quietly observing from his marble throne, he's free to seize control any time to snuff out any conflict brewing. None are permitted to reject his perfect ideals.
His kingdom also has an army, consisting of all the heroes and gods Phidias defeated and sealed in statues during the early days of his conquests. This army is brought to bear against the rare threats that could disrupt the peace and integrity of his kingdom, annihilating them with overwhelming violence. Mostly, given the general peacefulness of his Lostbelt, the army serves a ceremonial function of standing guard over the king, Phidias himself.
There's a resistance group in his Lostbelt called the Imperfects, composed of those who on their 13th birthday managed to escape being converted into statues. Rejecting Phidias's ideals for a perfect and unchanging world, they believe it's precisely the potential of growth and loss that makes life beautiful. Phidias has tried his best to stamp out the rebels, but he's been so far unable to eradicate them entirely.
They remain an irksome thorn in Phidias's side to this day, embodying the hope for "another possibility" of a world that isn't bound to his rule.