Fanolanian State Flag

Like most of the larger, more powerful nations of the continent, there are several flags seen across the landscape of Fanolania. The King of course has his own flag, a variation of the national flag, but it only flies over the royal household or over the King’s entourage when he travels. Bearing the famed “Iris of the Elves”, a stylized flower with a golden band around it, on a field of white flanked by fields of sky blue. The Fanolanian flag hasn’t changed significantly since the beginning of King Carloman’s reign, and can be seen flying from ship’s masts, the armies of the King, and even on the buildings owned by Fanolanian merchants living abroad. If the overall design of the flag seems familiar, it is because so many nations have imitated the original design of the ancient Imperium flags, the first flags to fly over so much of what is now the civilized world. The larger states that survived the break-up of the last Imperium did a lot of copying; in part to avoid “reinventing the wheel” and in part to provide a smooth transition away from the governance of the old Forkanzan nobility.

Fanolanian Church Flag 

The second most often encountered flag in Fanolania is the banner of the Fanolanian Church. This marks the institution as being independent of the monarchy, and also as being independent of the original Church that was headed by the pontiff in Forkanza. As with secular affairs, the dissolution of the Imperium deeply affected the various religious organizations of the continent, and while the break-up of the Church into smaller entities wasn’t as swift or divisive as the political fallout, it did eventually bring change to Fanolania. Most commonly flown over churches, chapels, and the grand cathedrals of Fanolania, the banner of the Fanolanian Church is also flown by the armies raised by the Church hierarchy and led by paladins to fight enemies of the faithful. It can also be spotted in many of the states of the Wenigzustand where the Fanolanian Church has taken authority in running churches, monasteries, and other institutions. The stylized crucifix is the primary form of religious symbolism in Fanolania, often called the “Cross of Z’Clairn.” Nobles seeking to align themselves with either the Church or the King will choose either the iris or the crucifix to emblazon their own heraldry, sometimes even combining the two.

The sky blue color used on both flags, and in other forms of Fanolanian heraldry, is considered to be almost intrinsically linked to the elves of the land. Their desire to control the air, evidenced by their use of griffin riders and hippogriff riders to scout and patrol the land, is forever a part of the Fanolanian psyche. Perhaps it is just a reminder that the elves are here only temporarily, and that their destiny lies up beyond this world. Or it could just be that they really like the color blue. Could go either way.