Vodalia

Vodalia is a Merfolk empire that is part of the Domains on Dominaria. It is located in the depths of the Voda Sea, of the coast of Aerona. Surface-dwelling humanoids living on the island of the Voda Sea also acknowledge the overlordship of Vodalia. Nowadays, Vodalia is the center of a global underwater empire, a federation of states and tribes knit together by trade and common heritage.

Early Vodalia
Vodalia used to be the name of the vast, underwater country in the sea surrounding Sarpadia. It was destroyed by raiding creatures called Homarids after the Brothers' War.

New Vodalia
Vodalia was reborn after its ruler, Empress Galina, emerged thousands of years into the future and defeated the independent merfolk colony of Etlan Shiis, reforming her empire as "New Vodalia". The elite warriors of Galina were the Order of the Pearl Trident.

Apocalypse
Near the end of Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria, Yawgmoth took the form of a huge deathcloud that killed everything it touched, which included most of Vodalia. Galina was one of the many casualties, ending her thousand-year reign. The planeswalker Bo Levar sacrificed his life to prevent the cloud from reaching the Eliterates, an artistic commune set up in a deep trench to escape from Vodalian society. Following a brief period of chaos, the reigns of government were taken up by the Emperor Omen, a moderate captain of the Imperial army. He was unfortunately quickly killed by great shark. The Eliterates were instrumental in rebuilding Vodalian society. The waves sheltered Vodalia from the devastation of the Rift Era and the imperial line never failed again.

Mending Era
Any realm that now wishes to trade through the Voda Sea, or the areas around it, must pay the Vodalians for the right of passage. Some merchants and surface governments pay for escorts of merfolk soldiers or for magic speeding their passage by bending the wind and the currents. A younger corps of the Imperial Vodalian Army called the Akula Current has provoked confrontations with neighboring realms and has used falsified incidents as an excuse to annex trading ports in various coastal regions, in particular, the islands to the southeast of Aerona like Sardnia and Ru-Nora.

Emperor Mihai II is the current sovereign. The empress is Annika. Their daughters are the intelligent and opinionated Princess Felisia and the quiet, thoughtful Princes Marja.

Society
The Vodalian Empire still tends to be insular. There are five traditional castes.
 * Stovorod. Traditional, martial, and proud aristocrats.
 * Svyash. Religious diplomats.
 * Orzvetzya. Bureaucrats and traders. Perceived to be greedy.
 * Chernoz. Lower class laborers, farmers, and soldiers.
 * Volshe. Scholars and artists. Most likely to use education as an antidote to xenophobia.

The government and society of Vodalia have drifted towards a more liberal perspective, though conservative holdouts still exist. The sovereign is now little more than a ceremonial figurehead, while the true power lies with the council of caste leaders, while the five castes themselves have become more like political parties with fluid boundaries.

Religion
Vodalians worship Svyelun, the goddess of the Pearl moon. The Society of the Conch of the Svyash caste travels the world, to seek a closer understanding of Svyelun by contemplating the ways she manifests in other cultures.