[OOC] The Broken World: Nations of Azoth

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GM Flagg

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Kingfisher

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gorgenmast

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Hidden 8 yrs ago → 8 yrs ago Post by Flagg

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Flagg Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.

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Flagg

Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.

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...the desert is the country of madness...it is the refuge of the devil, thrown out to wander in dry places. Thirst drives man mad, and the devil himself is mad with a kind of thirst for his own lost excellence- lost because he has immured himself in it and closed out everything else. So the man who wanders into the desert...must take care that he does not go mad and become the servant of the one who dwells there in a sterile paradise of emptiness and rage.
MERTON, Thoughts in Solitude

I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
ELIOT, The Wasteland

To Carthage then I came, where there sang all around me in my ears a cauldron of unholy loves.
AUGUSTINE, Confessions

Welcome to Azoth.

Welcome to a world scarred by history, to a world broken by the wars of ancients known now only as the Old Ones. Who or what they were is mysterious even to the most learned, for they destroyed themselves in ages so distant only confused myths and legends remain. 

Some tell of a race of gods descended from the stars, others of kingdoms of devils that dwell still in the wastelands and in the many hells below the earth. Azoth is strewn with the ruins of these advanced and strange peoples, haunted by ghosts and demons, warped and mutated by magic; it is a wasteland-world covered in deserts, poisonous jungles, caustic seas, irradiated plains, and the endless ruins of forgotten nations. Millenia have passed since the fall of the Old Ones, and societies have risen and fallen in their wake, defying the harsh realities of life in the endless Azothi wastes.

It is now the Year of the Setting Sun 8,014, as reckoned by the astrologers of the Dratha, and a new age is dawning. The mighty Salished Empire- for centuries the unrivaled superpower of the Rainlands- is teetering, its ruling Priest-Smiths desperate to regain their hold on power. The discovery and proliferation of gunpowder weaponry- arquebus, cannon, pistols- has challenged the might of Salished arms, swords forged of enchanted Soul Steel and wielded by spellswords of unrivaled skill. As client states and old foes begin to buck against the yoke of Salished dominance, a new power is rising across the Godsfang Mountains, a great horde of beastkin and barbarians, intent on the plunder and riches of the Rainlands.

Yours is a nation that has lived in the shadow of the failing Salished. Perhaps a client state or vassal kingdom, perhaps an ancient foe much beaten but never broken by the great Empire, perhaps a neutral trading power that has long played a delicate diplomatic game. Whatever your nations' history, the future is uncertain as the hegemon begins to fail and new threats rise in the wastelands.

About This RP

-GMs are @Flagg, @gorgenmast, @Kingfisher, & @Pepperm1nts
-It is (grim)dark fantasy nation RP set in a harsh and unforgiving fantasy world living among the ruins of ancient, hyper advanced civilizations. Azoth is crawling with mutants and monsters. Resources are scarce. This is Lovecraft meets Tolkien meets...mad max?
-I'd like this to be an exercise in collaborative world building. That means that we want nations that feel like they inhabit a shared world. Players will collaborate heavily in designing their factions.
-It is low-medium fantasy: magic exists. It is powerful, dangerous, and rare. Rare.
A note on Magic: I am not a big fan on fixed magic rules or magic systems. I do want to stress that this is low(ish) fantasy. That means no armies of reanimated dead or golems, no legions of fireball casters, balrogs, etc. We're going to err on the side of how the LotR handled magic rather than say, D&D. Meaning, it is present and powerful, but mysterious and often indirect. 

This is what I call the Tolkien/GRR Martin approach to magic and religion. Magic is real, mysterious, and powerful, but for the most part takes place 'off-screen', and is for aesthetic purposes somewhat subdued or indirect. Likewise, the RP will take the GRR Martin approach to religion: there are as many religions as we can come up with here, but we will leave it an open question as to whether any of them are true. Conflicting mythos and cosmologies and visions of god(s) are encouraged.

-It is vaguely Renaissance tech. Cannons and arquebus are new military technology. There are a few exceptions to this.
-It has archeo-tech from a lost, highly advanced civilization is wielded by many.
-It has original fantasy races
-Inspired by Tolkien, Warhammer fantasy and 40K, Lovecraft, China Mieville, Morrowind, Song of Ice and Fire, Mad Max Fury Road...looking forward to seeing what others bring to the table.
- Advanced writing standards.
- Chat

Setting Details and Nation Sheets

Map

Rare Resources

Functioning Archeo-tech: found in the monster and demon haunted ruins of the Old Ones. Archeo-tech comes in a variety of forms due to the variety of ancient civilizations on Azoth. 

Ichor: Some in the Scholams claim that our world has been cursed, impregnated by demons, and that Ichor is the seed of fallen gods and ancient monsters, seeping up from some vast, accursed womb. A black, viscous fluid with dangerous mutagenic properties in its unrefined state, Ichor is most frequently found among the ruins of the Old Ones and of course in the polluted waters of the Dread Sea. Refined Ichor in liquid and crystal form has an immense variety of uses, from powering archeo-tech to use as a key ingredient to many potions and spells. Some sorcerers despise the use of Ichor in magic as amateurish, but its effectiveness is undeniable. Warlocks among the beastkin are known to ingest raw Ichor, thus vastly increasing their power, though with often unpredictable results for themselves...

Unpolluted Fresh Water

Unspoiled Fertile Soil

Regions and Factions

Additions to all regions are welcome, below is just meant as a rough sketch.

Cinderlands - An inhospitable, volcanic land of jagged rocks and fiery rivers of lava. Ash chokes the air and powerful geysers burst from unstable ground. A dangerous land home to dangerous and strange monsters and filled with ruins from the Old Ones.

Ashlands - Semi-arid plains coated in ash and thorny brambles, the Ashlands are home to significant hydrothermal and volcanic activity, but are much more hospitable to life than the Cinderlands. The fauna here are largely mega-insects and arachnids, hunted by bands of mutants that are in turn hunted by brutal slaver-tribes. The Ashlands are bisected by the Smoking River, so named because of the number of geysers and thermal pools along its banks.

Ashen Coast - Vast mudflats along the coast of the Ashlands and Cinderlands, the waters along the Coast are teaming with life and infested with sharks and crocodiles, in particular the aptly named Bay of Teeth.

Arm of Azoth - A rocky country of hills and low mountains, the Arm has warm, wet winters and boiling, humid summers. Its open meadows are studded with hardy shrubs, bushes and vines, and it is home to a wide range of large reptiles and predatory birds. Relics of the Old Ones are few, but the Arm is home to many ancient castles and ruins from more recent civilizations.

The Rainlands - A high altitude plateau with cool summers and moderate winters, the Rainlands are home to frequent- and violent- storms. Large parts of the region have been cultivated with rice and spice-cane paddies for millennia, and its wilder districts are dominated by thick pine forests. The Rainlands are protected to the north by the huge Godsfang Mountains and to the East by the Shelf, a series of massive cliff faces where the plateau drops off steeply into the lowlands of the Eastmarches.

Eastmarches - A shattered, fog-shrouded moonscape of rocky hills and low lying bogs, roamed by reptilian megafauna, barbarian tribes and mutants, and is frequently terrorized by the strange monsters of the Meridion.

Godsfang Mountains - Huge, jagged mountains home to large pine forests and bisected by several great passes and hidden valleys. Their wilds are roamed by the elusive and mysterious Ithaqua Tribes, known more commonly as the goblin-eaters, they are cannibals who hunt beastkin and mutants and worship the Mountain Crones. Vast tombs and ruins are scattered throughout the mountains.

Sullied Coast - Boggy, ichor-polluted coastline punctured with Old One ruins. [more details welcome]

The Meridion, the Kingdom of the Dead- An inhospitable land rich with ruins from the Old Ones. The Meridion is wracked by Roil-storms and dimensional leaks, and it is rumored that time there does not flow like it does elsewhere. Usually shrouded in a toxic mist, it is one of the most dangerous regions in all of Azoth, and the breeding ground of monsters that terrorize more civilized lands.

The Rift - A region named after the still, impossibly deep inland sea that dominates the region. Tiaga relatively untouched by pollution, but infested with mutants. [more details welcome]

The Broken Coast - [more details welcome]

Sea of Glass - A vast expanse of ancient ruins dominated by great crystals of hardened ichor poking out of the ground. [more details welcome]

The Erg - A vast desert. North of the Godsfangs, the land drops off precipitously from rocky, arid highlands into a low altitude desert of enormous dunes and little else. [more details welcome]

Sour Fenn - Venomous, burbling bogland where the Poisoned Sea leeches into the desert. Infested with mutants. [more details welcome]

Poisoned Sea - A huge sea of ichor-fouled water. The land around it is very polluted and subject to less intense versions of the same phenomena found in the Meridion. [more details welcome] 

The White Sea - A salt lake surrounded by salt-pans. [more details welcome] 

Weald of Ung - A vast jungle known for its carnivorous fungus and its immense variety of immense spiders.  [more details welcome]

Salished Empire

The Salished Empire is a heavy-handed feudal state that has come to control much of the Rainlands, the largest expanse of arable land in all of Azoth. The Empire rules over as many as 3,000,000 souls. In spite of the fertility and wealth of this land, the vast majority of the Rainland's inhabitants live squalid, depauperate lives as serfs and servants. In exchange for the protection of the land from the savage hordes from the unsettled world, these serfs toil all their lives to enrich the masters responsible for their safety.

The Salished Dynasty came about in the Year of the Setting Sun 7,200, when a tribe of mountain folk known to history as the Saliszi descended from the Godsfang Mountains to invade the verdant Rainlands below. The Saliszi warriors fought with weapons forged from iron, a technology that the petty Rainlander kingdoms had never encountered before. Saliszi iron swords and  javelin heads were immeasurably superior against the Rainlanders armed with bronze weapons. By 7,380, the Saliszi had established dominance over the eastern Rainlands. There, the Saliszi king Mardok established the city of Nyssos at the confluence of the Nabal and Tashgad rivers - and remains the seat of power of the modern Salished Empire to this day. A mixture of cultures transpired in the new Salished kingdom, Salished warriors adopted the lamellar armor, archery tradiation, and chariots of the Rainlands, while the inhabitants absorbed the language, architectural motifs, and religious concepts of their occupiers.

Over the next two centuries, the Salished Kingdom expanded across the rainlands. The conquest of the southern kingdom of Moribon gave the Salisheds the exceptionally fertile Nabal Delta and unhindered access to the sea. 
@Gorgenmast

Fel Sothen

Fel Sothen, otherwise known as the Sothen Vale or the Emerald Crown, is a kingdom nestled in the Godfang Mountains, or more specifically the Vale of Sothen. Though the kingdom's power is centered around the city-state of Sothen, a handful of forts guarding the mountain passes are also under the jurisdiction of the Emerald Crown. Among those are the fort cities of Sotheros and Theron. @Pepperm1nts

Oskamoore- In days gone by, Oskamoore was a peaceful and prosperous city-state, one of the great trading hubs of the south, but it has since descended into a land of madness and depravity. Having been rocked by the earth-shattering cataclysms which pollute Azoth, the Oskamoorians survived by preying on neighboring cities, looting and pillaging whatever hadn’t already been swept away. Now a capital of criminal activity along the Broken Coast, Oskamoore’s chief exports are slaves and contraband items of the darkest nature. @Kingfisher

Tzieania- Situated inside a nearly inhospitable lagoon of ichor in the midst of Sour Fenn, and riddled with abhuman degenerates, Tzieania is a loose cluster of bandit settlements and raider outposts living in the shattered remains of an ancient city. What little civilization that exists in Tzieania is enforced by a ruthless self-appointed government called “The Sentinels”, who demand tribute from all other Tzieanians, in return for protection. The Sentinel's biggest rivals are the Chainless, a mismatched amalgamation of several bandit clans, who do everything they can to oppose the Sentinels, and keep Tzieania as lawless as is possible. @Kingfisher

Feikaina- A city on the border of the Meridion and the Eastmarches, well-known for its massive stone walls. Feikaina is an almost entirely self-sufficent city-state, sealed off from the rest of the outside world and the horrors beyond its walls. Governed by an oppresive militant reigmie, Feikaina is one of the few truly safe places left in the region; even if that safety comes at the cost of complete and utter submission to the City-States supposedly benevolent overlords. @Kingfisher

Drathan Union

From Wisdom, Power. From Power, Right.
 
An alliance of three city states- Zar Dratha, Zar Pellos, and Archeos, the Silent City- and several lesser towns located throughout the Ashlands and Cinderlands, the Union is governed by the Congress of Masters, a fractious coalition of mage-lords hailing from the  Great-Clans of the Dratha. Magical inquiry thrives among the elite denizens of the Union, which is home to many of the most celebrated libraries and arcanums in known world. All forms of  magic, including necromancy, blood magic, and the other branches of dark  arts are permitted and indeed actively studied in the Union. 

Except for the relatively small members of the ruling caste, the denizens of the Union are deprived any of political participation, though the Masters are generally laissez-faire rulers, interested more in their arcane pursuits than actually governing and disinterested in the religion, mores or associations of their subjects. Most subjects of the Union are slaves, fishermen and grub-farmers toiling in the ashen mudflats along the Bay of Teeth and the Smoking River, though there is a strong middle and upper-middle class of artisans and merchants who appreciate the protection, low taxes and general aloofness afforded by the Masters. 

Militarily, the Union relies on hordes of slave-soldiers, mostly beastkin and mutants purchased by the Masters from the slaver-tribes wandering the Ashlands. Technologically backwards and badly led, the armies of the Union do benefit from huge numbers and from small numbers of powerful magic weilders.

Races of Azoth

(can be used as leaders/heroes with GM approval)

Old Ones: Who or what these ancients were is mysterious, for they destroyed themselves in ages so distant there remain only confused myths and legends. Some tell of a race of gods descended from the stars, others of kingdoms of devils that dwell still in the wastelands and in the many hells below the earth. Azoth is strewn with the ruins of these advanced and strange peoples. 

Red Gods: Azoth is a world filled with lurking spirits, mysterious intelligences, powerful beasts and haunted sites of power. Some of these- out of vanity or ambition or  for other, more inscrutable motives- have set themselves up as gods.  Many of these monsters and spirits are bloodthirsty, warlike, and feuding, often  devouring each other when they become strong enough to do so. They grant  their followers boons in exchange for blood sacrifices. The gods and  demons making up the Red Pantheon are innumerable- it is not really known if they are all even one kind of thing...some are corporeal, others not-  and most peoples and tribes who follow the pantheon worship one or a select few of the deities, though some worship the Pantheon as a whole, which they take to be symbolic of the fundamental nature of the cosmos-  one of constant battle and unending appetite. Some of the red gods communicate and interact frequently with their devotees, while others  remain aloof, answering prayers and rewarding sacrifices only  occasionally and indirectly. Likewise, while some of the gods are tied  to one specific holy site, others roam the world freely, manifesting  themselves wheresoever they please. 

They are frequently sought out by the ambitious or the desperate, who seek to create pacts with them in exchange for material gain, victory on the battlefield, success in love, magical power, or other boons. Some of the more commonly known and worshiped red gods include: 

Jadas, the Scorpion Mother, depicted frequently as half-scorpion, half woman and often taken as the patron of pirates and slavers. She is not associated with any holy site, and it is a subject of debate among scholars whether she exists or is merely the name given to a range of demonic activity. Some scholars think the being known as Jadas is a Ghul.

The Gore Lord, a powerful spirit often invoked by warriors. His holy site is known as the Blood Spring. It is a pilgrimage site for many beastkin.

The Mountain Wisdoms are monstrous crones said to lurk high in the Godsfang Mountains, often sought out by those seeking hidden knowledge.

Ghul: Legendary monsters and sentient super-predators, some of the most powerful magic wielders across Azoth, it is said they devoured the Nyr'Kiin Queens and stole their power. Some consider ghuls to be myths, others think they are deities or Red Gods.  It is rumored one dwells in the cavernous Dead Hive. They are said to resemble vast spiders, grubs, or centipedes according to various myths.

Tomb Lords: The remnants of beings that arrived on this world in millenia past. They are trapped deep beneath the surface in the fossilized remains of their voidships, desperate for any chance to escape their underground tombs. Those who enter the deep places in the world are liable to fall under their corrupting spell.

Abhumans: humans and other sentient mutants.

Valoth: Mystics and carnies, the Valoth have become well-known for their swindling skill-set, and elaborate cons. Misstrusted by most, the Valoth skirt about the edges of other civilisation's settlements, working as performers or camp followers. They look mostley human in apperance, with flakey grey skin, pointed teeth, and hair like coarse straw. Like the Dratha, the Valoth trace their ancestory back to Othman Dratha, but whereas the Dratha see him as a trickster hero, the Valoth depict Othman as a freedom fighter, and someone who rebelled against the social constructs they so despise. 

Dratha:  An ethno-cultural subgroup of abhumans, the Dratha are a bloodline of sorcerers who engage in careful eugenics to ensure the purity of their race. Few in number, a Dratha is known by his or her pale skin and intricate, curling tattoos in ancient script. They have a natural affinity for magic, and are famous for their magical academies, their skill at enchanting and their legendary arrogance and disdain for custom and piety. They venerate the memory of their founder, Othman Dratha, who in popular lore is said to have used cunning and treachery to steal the secrets of magic from the god of the moon (some legends say he ate the moon-deity's heart). Few Dratha believe such superstitious nonsense, but tales of Othman's ruthlessness and ambition illustrate the guiding tenets of Drathan society.

Beastkin: Abhumans and mutants warped by prolonged exposure to unrefined Ichor, the  Beastkin are everywhere the scourge of civilization and are almost  universally despised. Violent tribes roam the vast, empty wastes,  haunting especially the ruins of the Old Ones. They are frequently led  by wizards, warlords, and the occasional red god. They come in an  immense variety of shapes and sizes, most vaguely humanoid, and are  occasionally used by other factions as slaves or mercenaries.  Occasionally a warlord or sorcerer-priest will unite several tribes  and pose a significant danger to more civilized peoples.

Beastmen: revolting fusions of beast and men, beastmen come in a thousand varieties.

Trollkin: the result of breeding experiments by wizards looking for an easily mass produced, obedience soldier. Trollkin are strong, viscious humanoid mutants, with cunning minds geared only to violence. 

Slinkers: Small, gremlin-like monsters, Slinkers have an obssesion with shiny objects, and value wealth over anything else. Slinkers are weak individually, but pose a real threat in large groups.

Gobblers: Bloated abominations, the Gobbler is cursed with an unsaitable hunger; one which they will try to placate in any way. Gobblers will eat anything, living or dead, and don't discriminate when it comes to turning on their fellow Abhumans. Gobblers were mages in life, typically those who were known for their vanity and narcissism. As a result of this, many Gobblers were once Dratha, who have since been outcast by sophisticated society, and forced into the wild, like lepers. Some factions of beastkin have been known to use Gobbles as makeshift siege weapons, luring them in with promises of a feast, before unleashing them upon enemy lines and battlements. 

Grappler: Some of the most feared and hated of all Abhumans, Grapplers completely cross the line between sentience and animalism; effectively being more monster than man. Whilst vaugley human in apperance, Grappler's are covered in sickly lizard-like scales. They also have iron-hard talons, for which they were named.

Locust: these voracious monsters are mutated Aboriginals and other insectoids that devour anything in their path. While they often are found mixed in among other beastkin, locusts in the mating season congregate in ravenous swarms of their own kind capable of depopulating entire countrysides.
        
[more varients can be made by players]

Aboriginals, the Nyr'kiin: sentient insectoids that come in a variety of phenotypes, the Aboriginals are among the oldest races of Azoth. Individually sentient, Aboriginals are psychologically scarred by the ancient memory of the unity of their species under the long lost Hive Mothers, destroyed eons ago but now worshipped as gods by many Aboriginals today.  Aboriginals are widespread and common in most societies on Azoth, though many live in vast hives that are mere shadows of their former glory. Today, most members of the species can lay eggs and reproduce sexually or asexually, but scholars believe that in ancient times the Aboriginals reproduced like ants and bees through the Hive Mothers. They are extremely susceptible to collectivist politics and demagouges, which many scholars theorize is a result of the psychic trauma caused by the ancient deaths of their Queens. Aboriginals are hyper-sensitive to psychic phenomena and magic, able to detect its use from some distance away. They generally despise magic, since it is associated with their ancient foe, the super-predators known as the Ghul. Stronger than humans, they make excellent soldiers, workers and slaves. Aboriginal larvae are known to many as nyrworms, and take 1-3 years to reach maturity. They are considered a delicacy by Drathan wizards.

Sphinx: Golem-type automaton recovered from ancient ruins. Made from ancient archeotech. These were soldiers or guards of some lost civilization. The powerful and rich often hire archeologians to reset these beings and force them to serve as warriors or guardians. Most utilize crystallized ichor for fuel.

Nation Sheet

A note on factions: if a player goes inactive, a faction may revert to NPC status, to be controlled by the GM and other players until the original player returns.

Faction Name:
Alias:
Government Type:
Faction Specie(s): [see list of playable races above, or submit custom race to GMs for approval]
Species Descriptions:
Location: [Factions will generally be located south of the Godsfang Mountains, between the Cinderlands and the Meridion. Feel free to place your cities on the map and describe the geography/climate of your region, and name any un-named geographical features in your region]
Faction Religion/Ideology: 
Faction Description:
Faction History:
Important Characters:
Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions: [describe your settlements, limited to 3-4 cities, max, plus as many lesser holdings as make sense for your nation] 
Relation to other Factions:

Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Flagg

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Flagg Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.

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-Reserved-

Hidden 8 yrs ago → 8 yrs ago Post by Flagg

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Flagg Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.

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Flagg

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Please Note: @Pepperm1nts is not marked as co-GM only because there is a limit to how many people I can tag as GM in the thread. He is as GMified as the others. 

Also, protip: if you have a question for one of us, please use the tag feature, eg @Flagg. Especially for me, because I am otherwise very likely to overlook your post. 

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Bio

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Forgot to put my sheet here, herpa derp

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Hi!

I'd like to ask if anyone has Reserved the 'Rainlands' for a nation's location? I've read all the nations but I've yet seen one, still, I thought it might be better to ask.

I have an idea for a nation whose namesake commodity in trade deals with an unassuming item: Pure water and a bit of byproduct. Presumably that it rains constantly somewhere in the Rainlands, that is. 

The other details of this nation, it's culture, it's livelihoods, I'll keep it to myself till I can actually publish it. :).

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Flagg Strange. This outcome I did not foresee.

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Hi!

I'd like to ask if anyone has Reserved the 'Rainlands' for a nation's location? I've read all the nations but I've yet seen one, still, I thought it might be better to ask.

I have an idea for a nation whose namesake commodity in trade deals with an unassuming item: Pure water and a bit of byproduct. Presumably that it rains constantly somewhere in the Rainlands, that is. 

The other details of this nation, it's culture, it's livelihoods, I'll keep it to myself till I can actually publish it. :).@potatochipgolem

The Salished Empire, the dominant (if failing) power of the RP is located in the Rainlands.

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Ah the very first nation mentioned, my mistake!

Well then, the Arm of Azoth seems rather unoccupied. Perhaps a different kind of nation might reside there?

Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Pepperm1nts

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You will likely share your preferred region with someone else, since we'll be playing as city-states that don't have solid, secure borders. No nation will be able to claim an entire region for themselves. If you want to be in the Rainlands, you can, just make sure your city-state(s) is not somewhere that is taken.

1x Thank

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I have a question; I plan on playing a nation of Nyr'kiin but I'm curious as to what their hives are like. As in, are they just large cities? Or are they more like an actual beehive or ant colony? Are thry made of stone/wood/whatever or more organic materials (again, kinda like a beehive)?

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I have a question; I plan on playing a nation of Nyr'kiin but I'm curious as to what their hives are like. As in, are they just large cities? Or are they more like an actual beehive or ant colony? Are thry made of stone/wood/whatever or more organic materials (again, kinda like a beehive)?@TheSovereignGrave

You'd have significant creative leeway with this. Their ancient hives are like giant termite hives, and many of these still exist, either as ruins or as shadows of their former selves. At the same time, Nyr'kiin exist in (ab)human and beastkin societies and cities too, so they can live in more normal cities. An all Nyr'kiin faction would likely live in an ancient hive- but one that is significantly diminished from its former glory under the Queens.

Also worth noting, that I am okay with the Nyr'kiin being an umbrella term for a number of related insectoid species, so you could customize your bugs a bit, within reason. I envision them looking a bit like the prawns from District 9.

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THE BROTHERHOOD OF XIANG

AKA the Xiang Company, the Brotherhood, the Xiangese

GOVERNMENT
The Brotherhood is lead overall by a single man, the Prince-Captain, who is a relative of the royal family of Xiang, generally the senior serving in the Brotherhood. Under him serve the Captains, each of whom lead a company, typically between 300-800 men. These are in turn responsible for a number of Lieutenant-Captains, who are responsible for Sargeants, who finally lead the common footmen into battle.

It is essentially democratic in nature; when a member of the hierarchy dies or leaves, their direct subordinates vote on which among them should take the vacancy. Should there be a deadlock, the deceased's superior can intervene and arbitrate the matter personally. The Brotherhood is not completely egalitarian, however; those of noble parentage are by tradition considered for promotion before commoner candidates, and those of princely blood are considered above both nobles and commoners alike. There has yet to be a Prince-Captain not of royal blood.

FACTION SPECIES
Only pure-blooded humans are permitted within the Brotherhood. Even other non-Xiangese humans are rare within it, and they are almost never promoted above their peers.

LOCATION
The Brotherhood are currently employed by the Empire, dealing with rebellious nobles within the Rainlands. They do not have a permanent home, however, aside from Xiang itself.

RELIGION
The Qayu Issai. It is the state religion of Xiang, and holds as tennants that all gods are dead, and that one must follow the Qayu, a holy text allegedly written by Yamara, god of Sun and Earth and emperor of the gods, himself. The Qayu is not only religious: it is also the legal code of Xiang, defining crimes and their penalties, as well as dictating how one can live a moral life (through humility, fasting, fidelity, and so on). The Princes of Xiang are said to be directly descended from Yamara, and as such are worshiped as sort of demigods, their word infalliable.

FACTION DESCRIPTION
Some may call it a mere mercenary company, just another vulture feasting on the dying Empire, but in reality the Brotherhood of Xiang is nowhere near that simple: after all, how many mercenary companies are non-profit? A better description for this curious beast would be a state owned corporation, a branch of the government of the Principality of Xiang. 

Its main main mandate is the education and training of young Xiangese in the ways of the world, teaching them to survive in the harsh world outside their famous walls so that they might learn to appreciate the peaceful land within. In addition, it secures the trade routes with the civilized southern lands, as well as establishing ties with foreign powers. It is to pay for these duties that it hires out its warriors as mercenaries; though that role has become much more emblematic of the organization, the Brotherhood still stands at its core for the protection and prosperity of the Xiangese people. 

FACTION HISTORY
The roots of the Brotherhood go back to the ancient traditions of Xiang. According to its most holy laws, young Xiangese, with few exceptions, must embark on a journey to the outside world once they have reached the age of maturity, only to return once ten years have passed. By doing so, they may learn to respect the peace within the walled realm. All boys must do so, whereas girls are given the option.

Unsurprisingly, despite being prepared in advance for their exiles, all too many Xiangese were eaten, killed, or starved to death in the harsh world outside. It is thus that five hundred years ago the ruling Prince decreed the formation of the Brotherhood of Xiang, a syndicate of exiles which had as its goal banding together the young so that they might survive better in the outside world. 

Over the centuries, the Brotherhood has lended its swords more and more for the funding necessary to maintain its operations, such that today it is known almost exclusively as a mercenary company to the common people. And yet it still continues to teach the Xiangese to survive. Not all serve by the naginata: indeed, many serve the Brotherhood as accountants, merchants, and diplomats, giving the company a scope not seen in mercenary companies.

For the last hundred years or so, it has been more or less consistently employed by the same entity, the Salished Empire. However, in recent years the insolvency of the Empire has found it unable to pay the Brotherhood its dues, and as such many within the leadership are seeking more solvent employers instead. 

IMPORTANT HOLDINGS AND POSSESSIONS
Though it does not directly control any castles or cities, between its members it owns a substantial amount of land within Xiang.

RELATION TO OTHER FACTIONS
The Brotherhood is of course strongly tied to Xiang, taking all its recruits from the motherland, and in general acting as an arm of the Prince of Xiang.

It is currently employed with the decaying Salished Empire, though the latter's insolvency has made the relationship quite sour indeed, and the captains are looking for another employer who can actually pay their rates.

WARRA LESH LESH

Age: 31

Occupation: Prince-Captain

Description: The soft-spoken leader of the Xiang Brotherhood is new to his post, his uncle dying only a year ago to a virulent disease while on campaign. He rose to the position partly due to his reputation for cunning and accomplishments as a Captain, and partly due to his parentage, his father being the ruling Prince, making him heir to that post as well. He has been gone from home for several years longer than required by the Qayu. Many say this is due to his lack of confidence in his ability to rule the Principality, as due to ancient law, there can only be one Prince in Xiang, and should he ever return tradition demands his father commit suicide to permit him the throne. For now, he is content managing the Brotherhood, which is in any case nearly as demanding as ruling Xiang itself. 

He is known for being of a stoic and scholarly disposition, preferring the pen to the sword. Thus, as a warrior he has much to be desired, and in his duties as Prince-Captain he instead focuses on avoiding pitched battle, preferring to conserve his men by pillaging and making under the counter deals. 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ONA DU XIAOWEI

Age: 24

Occupation: Administrator

Description: Sharp of mind and sharp of tongue, that is Xiaowei. In this way, she is both a curse and a blessing for the Brotherhood: on one hand, her accounting is key for the organization, her steady hand guiding it through uncertain fiscal times, and she has on many occasions spearheaded ambitious and successful enterprises to improve its organization. On the other, she is acidic to deal with, seemingly unable to take a breath without subtly or not-so-subtly insulting whichever victim was unfortunate enough to have to deal with her. As a result, her fellows mostly wield her like a flail, directing difficult employers and obstructive bureaucrats to her. It is rare that she is not able to cow them into submission.

XIANG

GOVERNMENT
Xiang is an autocratic society, with all power being derived from the Prince. His line is said to extend all the way to Yamara, the Xiangese god of sun and earth, and so he is revered as something of a demigod; among the duties of the Prince is to interpret the meaning of the Qayu. The current occupant of the Glass Throne is Warra Gon Lesh. All those descended from him are also known as Princes and Princesses, but by ancient custom there may only be one Prince within Xiang, and so his children must extend their exiles until he dies, or he must commit suicide to relieve them of the burden.

Though the power of the Prince is supreme, he must rely on lesser men, the nobility, to administer his domain in his name. The nobles may own wealth and titles, but it is understood that the land they hold is held only at the discretion of the Prince, although occasions of outright revocation of land have been rare indeed. 

Commoners have a poor lot indeed, not truly owning the land they work. They have no rights to land or wealth, although in practice most lords look the other way when it comes to ownership. One can only rise to nobility by attracting the attention of a Prince. In practice, this usually happens through meritorious service among the Xiang Brotherhood, where commoner captains are generally elevated to nobility.  

FACTION SPECIES
Only the human Xiangese are permitted within the walled principality: even human foreigners are not permitted. 

LOCATION

Xiang is located in the Xia Mountains, within a hidden valley almost perpetually covered in fog. The only entrances into this hidden world are three narrow mountain passes, all other ways being barred by sheer cliffs and treacherous rockfalls. 

RELIGION
The Qayu Issai. It is the state religion of Xiang, and holds as tenants that all gods are dead, and that one must follow the Qayu, a holy text allegedly written by Yamara, god of Sun and Earth and emperor of the gods, himself. The Qayu is not only religious: it is also the legal code of Xiang, defining crimes and their penalties, as well as dictating how one can live a moral life (through humility, fasting, fidelity, and so on). The Princes of Xiang are said to be directly descended from Yamara, and as such are worshiped as sort of demigods, their word infallible.

THE GREAT GATES

There are three, and only three, passes into Xiang, and they are guarded by the Great Gates, massive constructs of stone and steel built so tall and with such expertise as to be said to have been built by the gods themselves. Foreign scholars speculate that they were constructed by an ancient people, perhaps even the Old Ones themselves, but in truth there is no evidence one way or another. Any who gaze upon the walls must concede that it is at least possible they are divine in origin, such is their splendor. 

CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
The Xiangese are an extremely insular people, obsessed with tradition and living the same life as they always have. They loathe change, though this has also made them a patient and hardy people. 

Key among their tradiitions is the rite of the Exile, wherein every Xiangese boy (and optionally girl) must leave the great gates and survive outside for ten years. Those who survive the ordeal are welcomed back as true Xiangese, who can appreciate the splendor of Xiang and her customs having now known the terrors of the outside world. To improve their chances of survival, a syndicate was formed hundreds of years ago, the Xiang Brotherhood, by which the Xiangese youth band together. This has evolved into a major mercenary company in the southern lands, though they also keep the trade routes to Xiang safe with the fortunes the accrue. 

FACTION HISTORY
Xiang has always been. So says the Qayu, and the annals of the Prince: it was created when Yamara-Amunsu created the world, the two gods then one. Amunsu created the beastkin and the abomination races, while Yamara crafted humanity, and chose Xiang as his favored people, giving them fertile lands, wisdom beyond other men, and massive impenetrable walls so that they might keep these boons. Amunsu envied Yamara’s creations, and Yamara was disgusted by Amunsu’s. From this discord, turmoil grew, until Yamara-Amunsu was torn in two, each god taking its distinct form. They fought, for centuries and millennia, and the world shook and ruptured, but Xiang was always spared, for Yamara loved it as he did no other land. In the end, the two deities slew each other, and the gods are no more. Xiang has simply been since then, living the same lifestyle, ruled by the same direct line of Princes, holding dear the same traditions and morals. 

And yet, some question the validity of this past. They insist that the great walls were not built by the divine, but by mere mortals, citing the need to maintain them as proof of the fact. They also assert that the Xiangese came to their land centuries after the cataclysm of the gods, from the plains of desolate lands. These views are heresy within Xiang, of course, and those who profess them openly do not do so for long.

IMPORTANT HOLDINGS AND POSSESSIONS
Xiang is the sole city of the principality, though several minor towns dot the valley which constitutes its realm. It holds no lands or dominion beyond the great walls which protect its borders, and given that these are barren and infertile lands, home only to beastkin and worse, it does not care to.

RELATION TO OTHER FACTIONS
Xiang is extremely isolationist, refusing virtually all contact with the outside world. This, combined with the vast distances between it and other beacons of human civilization, have precluded any official diplomatic relations. Informal pacts exist, but these mostly concern the Xiang Brotherhood. As far as the Xiangese are concerned, foreigners who want to deal with the People must deal with the Brotherhood, and stay out of the homeland. 

WARRA GON LESH

Age: 61

Occupation: Ruling Prince of Xiang

Description: The aged Prince of Xiang is the picture of the ideal Prince; indeed, he strives for it. He is a renown swordsman, traditionalist to the point of fanaticism, and above all as unyielding as a mountain. His coldness is legendary, to the point of sociopathy: they say he took delight in rushing home as soon as his Exile was over, forcing his mother to kill herself so that he might rule instead, and raising his children with hardness excessive even by princely standards. He is, by all accounts, an unpleasant man.

@Flagg Done my sheet

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Hi, I was wondering if there is room for 1 more :)

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There is.

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Then I shall start working on a nation.

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I have a question; I plan on playing a nation of Nyr'kiin but I'm curious as to what their hives are like. As in, are they just large cities? Or are they more like an actual beehive or ant colony? Are thry made of stone/wood/whatever or more organic materials (again, kinda like a beehive)?@TheSovereignGrave

I have imagined their cities to be very reminiscent of termite colonies. In ancient times, when the Nyr'kiin were the dominant species on Azoth, these hives were numerous. I haven't decided on what they're made of - perhaps stone melted into putty by an enzyme secreted by the queens - something fairly durable that can also be built into that termite-mound shape. But after the Ghul ate their queens, no new hives have been established. There are the eroded remains of perhaps a dozen hives in Azoth, and only a handful of hives that are still inhabited today. Modern hives are but a shadow of their former glory, and are likely to be eroded and in general decline. There are two that anyone besides a scholar is likely to know of; the Sunken Hive - a deteriorated hive that is slowly sinking into the sea on the Sullied Coast. Somewhere beyond the settled world, there is rumor of a hive enslaved by a powerful and wicked Ghul known as the Dead Hive.

Hidden 8 yrs ago → 8 yrs ago Post by Eru Iluvatar

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@Flagg You may want to update the description of the Shriekers under the Beastkin types - it ends rather suddenly.
 
I am working on a NS. 

EDIT: Also, I would like to know something more of these Priest-Smiths, mainly the 'Smith' part and their functional role in the Salished Empire. I am thinking potentially about using one, having noticed his orders' slipping control and thus having fled prematurely with the intention of forming his own 'nation' (unless of course you won't allow this, in which case I will pursue an alternative).

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@Flagg You may want to update the description of the Shriekers under the Beastkin types - it ends rather suddenly.
 
I am working on a NS. 

EDIT: Also, I would like to know something more of these Priest-Smiths, mainly the 'Smith' part and their functional role in the Salished Empire. I am thinking potentially about using one, having noticed his orders' slipping control and thus having fled prematurely with the intention of forming his own 'nation' (unless of course you won't allow this, in which case I will pursue an alternative).@Eru Iluvatar

The Priest-Smiths are a monastic order that is responsible for binding souls into swords made of fabled soulsteel. The Tyshaled Hamalvod - soul knights - carry soulsteel swords, weapons forged in the ashes imbued with a 'potent' soul. The art of making a soulsteel is a grisly affair, for it involves casting a person whose soul is deemed strong and pure into a furnace-altar, where their body is rendered into ash and thereby releasing their soul into the weapon. Soulsteel is reported to be far stronger than mundane steel, capable of rending armor and holding a razor-sharp edge through numerous battles. It is likely that this quasi-sacrificial ritual stems from the cults of the early Saliszi Dynasties, when the wildmen who became the Salished conducted burnt offerings as sacrifices to their ancient pantheon.

1x Thank

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Just porting my WIP over. After the OOC post, I can see I'm going to have to adjust some things. 

The City of Lugal
Zuag-Si, The City of Quarrels

"There is evil on Earth, evil distilled by time;  Earth is dying and in its twilight'  - Jack Vance, The Dying Earth

Government Type: Hegemony , A council of ichor-addicts known as the "The Skinless Ones"
Faction Specie(s): Ethnic Salisheds, Drathans, Valoths, Trollkin, other various Beastkin, Mutants and Barbarians 

Species Descriptions:

Humans Outcasts from all across Azoth. Descendants of the Murderous Army of Chella. 
Drathan

Location:

Lugal is a city on the edge of wilderness and Empire, a fortress on the border of civilization. A seemingly inconsequential bastion of debauchery, salaciousness, and refuge for the outcast, insane and discarded. It is a home to the dregs of society, mad cults, deformed free-men and beastkin. Racial prejudice is cast aside in favor of the freedom to pursue whatever vice one finds pleasing... 

Faction Religion/Ideology:

No one religion or ideology is represented in any great number in Lugal, instead serving as a haven for various fringe societies, sects and cults. The dissonant ideologies have given the city its well known alias: The City of Quarrels. From the ichor-crystal ingesting cult Leviity Sin, to the Fever-Dream obsessed Somnambulists, the Murderous Gorgon Sect or the weird Flesh & Beastkin fringe Augmentites, Lugal is known across Azoth as a haven for heretics, lunatics and madmen...

Augmented Abmen
 It is a rare thing to find an Abmen that has not altered his physical body, whether by crude street-transmutations (piercings, flayings, skin stretching, etching, burning) or by alchemical or ichor ingestion or mutilation. It is suggested that the proximity to the Gardens of Chella, (and the residual whisperings of the Old Ones) have left a hint of insanity in the peoples minds, and drives them to alter their worldly flesh, others attributing the fad to the Skinless Ones themselves, who wear painful cloaks of ichor that continuously rends the flesh from their bones in exchange for arcane prehension. 

The Somnambulists
"In fever dreams we walk'd , towards scarring light..."
 The sporadic cult of dream-chasers dwell in the Mourning Quarter, an adjacent tower to the city proper, where the diseased and sick are quarentined. The fevers and subsequent hallucinations brought on by some of Azoth's more tremelous and rare sickness are harnessed (along with powerful narcotics) to breed visions of distant lands. 

The Sect of Gorgons
The amateur assassins guild known as the Gorgons were invited to Lugal by the Skinless Ones to hone their craft, and rid the city of undesirables in the process. If Fear is the word used to describe the actions of the Gorgons, it is used in the sense of a botched, painful execution, as the Gorgons have been known to miss vital organs in the initial thrust, miscalculate the necessary quantities of toxin (leaving the target writhing in agony for hours-even days after the hit) or most commonly, mistaking an innocent for the target. 
The origin of the Gorgons methods of murder, subsequent 'Ashing' where the victim's body is burned (assumedly in sacrifice) and namesake can be traced to bastardized legends of the Mountain Wisdoms, 'monstrous crones said to lurk high in the Godsfang Mountains..' that some say could turn a man to ash with one gaze. 

Leviity Sin
 Lead by an outlaw half-Drathan, half-beastkin, 'Flay' as he is known among certain circles has refined a process whereby the narcotic properties of lesser-ichor crystals are brought to the forefront in the distillation process, sacrificing latent power for mere pleasure. A dozen or so followers have followed Flay down to the Slain Quarter with the promise of endless ecstasy in return for , where they are holed up in an abandoned cistern from time immemorial. Every once in a while, a few of the ashen faced followers will venture to the merchant quarters to purchase more ichor. Regarded as simple degenerates by everyone but the Skinless Ones, rumors abound that Flay is in fact practicing an ancient pleasure ritual in an effort to summon a particular salacious and tenebrous Red God. 

The Skinless Ones

The Membrane
  The membrane is the occult society obsessed with Lugals ruling class, the Skinless Ones. They are the destitute, the poor and addicted. They are fanatical in their devotion to the Masters of Lugal. 

Faction Description:

...a black spear jutting from the scabrous wilderness of the valleys around the Godsfang Mountains, the road lined with the disemboweled, the crucified, the vivisected, and the punished, all product of the feared Skinless Ones. One particularly abused Drathan had his lips curled back from his face and pierced with....

...at last reaching the fabled gate of Zuag-Si, carved in the likeness of the moment of The Mad King Chella's Death, eyes wide and black teeth gnashing. His horrible death glare fixed upon all that pass through across that threshold..

....immediately found myself accosted by all manner of vagabond, reject and mutant upon entering the Slain Quarter; the narrow halls of the Salished Empires revered (ha!) dead. I found instead a cesspool of debauchery, robbery and sex. For a moment I doubted the sovereignty of the Skinless Ones but this sentiment was fleeting, and would be laid to rest upon greeting the Masters of Lugal...

-From Travails and Travels At the Borders of Empire, By Mertron Golb,
published posthumously by Rex, Rox, and Chyron,

Rising from the low hills footing the ominous Godsfang Mountains and the scabrous wasteland Erg is the fortified merchant city Lugal, once a Cairn-Tower for long-dead Salished Rulers. From the lower quarters that house the sepulchres and tombs of long dead royalty, to the prospering merchant quarter above, the city of Lugal has a multitude of conflicting populations, cultures, races and 

The city reaches into the sweltering sky, a tower of strange cyclopean architecture and improbable geometry, with cruel, pointed spires and thick tangles of barberous wire at its feet. The cities only gate is carved in the likeness of Zuag-Si,  one of dozens of Warrior-Death dieties of the ancient Salished Empire, his black stone fangs threaten to gnash down at any who cross the threshold. 

The lowest quarters of the city are walled with rough hewn stone, pulled from quarries along the Godsfang Mountains centuries ago. Some are carved with glyphs and runes of protection, the secret to activating long since lost...

The ancient, blood stained stone walkways of the terrestrial quarter are a labyrinthine complex of guarded tombs, graves and temples devoted to Salished Royalty. Many of these tombs were robbed centuries ago, but a few lay untouched, guarded by horrors even Lugal's masters fear. In the narrow corridors of the Slain Quarter a turf war has broken out between a particularly voracious Gobbler known as Stain and Abmen..

Faction History:
Founding of Zuag-Si, The Cairn of Mad Kings

It is said that Chella, a mad King of the ancient Salished Empire, upon crossing the Godsfang mountains with his army ordered scouts into the desolate wasteland known as the Erg. None returned and Chella ordered the army to camp in the low hills of the Godsfang. It is said that a Tomb Lord beckoned Chella into treacherous caverns beneath the Godsfang, where his lieutenants discovered their King whispering in the dark. At sunrise, Chella ordered every other soldier in his army to slay the man next to him. Many men fled into the Erg and were seen no more. For those that remained, the murderous work took all of that day and as twilight descended, an army of beastkin descended upon the remaining soldiers. In a fit of bloodlust, Chella's own bodyguard, severed the Mad-Kings head from his neck. This he carried into the caverns below the Godsfang and neither the assassin or Chellas remains were recovered. The tomb of Chella was begun where the Mad King fell, and over the centuries became a border fort to protect against invading hordes of mutants and beastkin arriving from distant lands across the Erg. 

Middle Period: Fortification of Zuag-Si

 ...in which Beastkin Hordes are continuously broken upon the cties back. 

Recent History: Rise of the Skinless Ones

 ...With the Trollkin slave revolt bloodily put down, the Salished Empire regained control of the city once more, but failed to rebuild Lugal to its former glory, due largely to economic depression within the Empire. Lugal would see a long succession of short-lived rulers, minor lords and sorcerers who were often dispatched by angry mobs, assassins or driven to madness in some form or another. 

Important Characters:

Flay,
Gorgon,
Stain, 
The Skinless Ones

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions:
 The city of Lugal and surrounding lands, including a portion of an old Salished Empire trade road. 

Relation to other Factions:

Edits/Notes:
Changed the drathan slave revolt to Trollkin Slave revolt.
Added The Somnambulists & The Sect of the Gorgons

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Just porting my WIP over. After the OOC post, I can see I'm going to have to adjust some things. 

The City of Lugal
Zuag-Si, The City of Quarrels

Government Type: Abhuman Hegemony , "The Skinless Ones"
Faction Specie(s): Ethnic Salisheds, Drathans, Trollkin, other various Beastkin, Mutants and Barbarians 

Species Descriptions:

Location:

Faction Religion/Ideology:

No one religion or ideology is represented in any great number in Lugal, instead serving as a haven for various fringe societies, sects and cults. The dissonant ideologies have given the city its well known alias: The City of Quarrels. From the ichor-crystal ingesting cult Leviity Sin, to the Fever-Dream obsessed Somnambulists, the Murderous Gorgon Sisterhood or the weird Flesh & Beastkin fringe Augmentites, Lugal is known across Azoth as a haven for heretics, lunatics and madmen...

Augmented Abmen
It is a rare thing to find an Abmen that has not altered his physical body, whether by crude street-transmutations (piercings, flayings, skin stretching, etching, burning) or by alchemical or ichor ingestion or mutilation. It is suggested that the proximity to the Gardens of Chella, (and the residual whisperings of the Old Ones) have left a hint of insanity in the peoples minds, and drives them to alter their worldly flesh, others attributing the fad to the Skinless Ones themselves, who wear painful cloaks of ichor that continuously rends the flesh from their bones in exchange for arcane prehension. 

The Somnambulists

The Sisterhood of Gorgons

Leviity Sin
 Lead by an outlaw half-Drathan, half-beastkin, 'Flay' as he is known among certain circles has refined a process whereby the narcotic properties of lesser-ichor crystals are brought to the forefront in the distillation process, sacrificing latent power for mere pleasure. A dozen or so followers have followed Flay down to the Slain Quarter with the promise of endless ecstasy in return for , where they are holed up in an abandoned cistern from time immemorial. Every once in a while, a few of the ashen faced followers will venture to the merchant quarters to purchase more ichor. Regarded as simple degenerates by everyone but the Skinless Ones, rumors abound that Flay is in fact practicing an ancient pleasure ritual in an effort to summon a particular salacious and tenebrous Red God. 

The Membrane
  The membrane is the occult society obsessed with Lugals ruling class, the Skinless Ones, The Membrane are perhaps the only real token of ideological power 
Faction Description:

...a black spear jutting from the scabrous wilderness of the valleys around the Godsfang Mountains, the road lined with the disemboweled, the crucified, the vivisected, and the punished, all product of the feared Skinless Ones. One particularly abused Drathan had his lips curled back from his face and pierced with....

...at last reaching the fabled gate of Zuag-Si, carved in the likeness of the moment of The Mad King Chella's Death, eyes wide and black teeth gnashing. His horrible deathglare fixed upon all that pass through that threshold..

....immediately found myself accosted by all manner of vagabond, reject and mutant upon entering the Slain Quarter; the narrow halls of the Salished Empires revered (ha!) dead. I found instead a cesspool of debauchery, robbery and sex. For a moment I doubted the sovereignty of the Skinless Ones but this sentiment was fleeting, and would be laid to rest upon greeting the Masters of Lugal...

-From Travails and Travels At the Borders of Empire, By Mertron Golb,
published posthumously by Rex, Rox, and Chyron,

Rising from the low hills footing the ominous Godsfang Mountains and the scabrous wasteland Erg is the fortified merchant city Lugal, once a Cairn-Tower for long-dead Salished Rulers. From the lower quarters that house the sepulchres and tombs of long dead royalty, to the prospering merchant quarter above, the city of Lugal has a multitude of conflicting populations, cultures, races and 

The city reaches into the sweltering sky, a tower of strange cyclopean architecture and improbable geometry, with cruel, pointed spires and thick tangles of barberous wire at its feet. The cities only gate is carved in the likeness of Zuag-Si,  one of dozens of Warrior-Death dieties of the ancient Salished Empire, his black stone fangs threaten to gnash down at any who cross the threshold. 

The lowest quarters of the city are walled with round stone, pulled from quarries along the Godsfang Mountains centuries ago. Some are carved with glyphs and runes of protection, the secret to activating long since lost...

The ancient, blood stained stone walkways of the terrestrial quarter are a labyrinthine complex of guarded tombs, graves and temples devoted to Salished Royalty. Many of these tombs were robbed centuries ago, but a few lay untouched, guarded by horrors even Lugal's masters fear. In the narrow corridors of the Slain Quarter a turf war has broken out between a particularly voracious Gobbler known as Stain and Abmen..

Faction History:
Founding of Zuag-Si, The Cairn of Mad Kings

It is said that Chella, the mad King of the ancient Salished Empire, upon crossing the Godsfang mountains with his army ordered scouts into the desolate wasteland known as the Erg. None returned and Chella ordered the army to camp in the low hills of the Godsfang. Legend tells of an Old One beckoning Chella into treacherous caverns beneath the Godsfang, where his lieutenants discovered their King whispering in the dark. At sunrise, Chella ordered every other soldier in his army to slay the man next to him. A handful of men fled, and swore that the whisperings of an Old One were carried on the wind blowing off the Erg that day. For those that remained, the murderous work took all of that day and as twilight descended, an army of beastkin descended upon the remaining soldiers. In a fit of bloodlust, Chella's own bodyguard, severed the Mad-Kings head from his neck. This he carried into the caverns below the Godsfang and was never seen again. The next few Kings of the Salished Empire began (and eventually finished) Zuag-Si or Lugal as it is known today. 

Middle Period: Fortification of The Cairn Tower

 ...in which Beastkin Hordes are continuously broken upon the Cities back. 

Recent History: Rise of the Skinless Ones

 ...With the Drathan slave revolt bloodily put down, the Salished Empire regained control of the city once more, but failed to rebuild Lugal to its former glory, due largely to economic depression within the Empire. Lugal would remain a tributary, but not under direct control of the Empire. 

Important Characters:

Flay,
Gorgon,
Stain, 
The Skinless Ones
Chellas

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions:
 The city of Lugal and surrounding lands, including a portion of an old Salished Empire trade road. 

Relation to other Factions:
@Polybius

Looks good to me. The theme of economic turmoil in the modern kingdom jives perfectly with what I have in mind in my early posts.

I've also posted an unfinished character sheet in the CHAR tab if anyone wants to get a feel for the Salished. I'll hammer out the rest whenever I have a little more time available.

1x Thank

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