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Tokushima (lit. Virtuous Island') is an island off the Kitagawa Shogunate's southern coast and a protectorate of the Yllendyr Empire. The island was originally the target of a military expedition to quell raids by pirates, and afterwards was granted to the Ito clan for its spearheading of the offensive. It was settled by the Yamato, gradually supplanting the indigenous population. The island used to be under the control of Ito’s daimyō, but the title was changed to viceroy after it fell under the suzerainty of the Yllendyr. Yllendyr rule has resulted in widespread modernization of the island’s infrastructure and its military. It was been the Imperium’s staging ground for its invasion of the Kitagawa Shogunate and continues to be an important asset to Imperial influence in the north.

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Following Tokushima’s industrial revolution in the wake of contact with the Yllendyr Imperium, textiles were the island’s first major export. Cotton and silk produced in rural home workshops became a cornerstone of the market and were in high demand abroad. Agricultural mills were increasingly becoming steam-powered, increasing their productivity. With the rise of steam power came a demand for coal, a major import of the island. Railways, modern roads and land reforms paved the way for modern development and improved infrastructure. Tokushima implemented new education systems based on that of the Yllendyr, sent thousands of young students to academies abroad and hired foreign professors to teach modern subjects, such as science, technology, mathematics and foreign languages.

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The vast majority of Tokushima's human population is ethnic Yamato. The influx of Yamato peoples drove out most of the indigenous ogre population, which fled to other islands north of Tokushima (now the Fibor Dynasty). Minor tribes of humans also existed on the island and were integrated into wider Yamato culture. Yllendyr elves are commonplace on the island, most being military advisors, entrepreneurs and academics. Altogether, Tokushima's population numbers about 44.6 million inhabitants.

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Prior to the arrival of the Yllendyr, Tokushima was within the Kitagawa Shogunate’s political and cultural sphere. There is still an underlying belief in bushido among the population, despite a military model based on Yllendyr organization. Tokushima is no longer bound by a traditional class-based system, but the mentality still exists among the older, rural population, and former samurai families proudly reflect on their acclaim. As the country continues to modernize, a duality between traditional and contemporary mannerisms, dress and beliefs is commonplace.

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Traditional Yamato religion, Kami-no-michi, is still the dominant belief in Tokushima, albeit with some alterations. The Shogun is not seen as a divine figure, a belief propagated by the Yllendyr after it took the country under its wing. The execution of the Shogun also did much to alter traditional perceptions. There is a growing atheist movement styled around Yllendyr nature reverence. Both religions involve ancestor worship, which has made the new movement palatable to some Yamato.

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In maroon, south of the Shogunate and west of the Fibor Dynasty.

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Like the Fibor Isles, Tokushima is a temperate, forested country with distinct warm and cool seasons. The average annual temperature is moderate - about 37℉ to 60℉. Summers are warm and rainy, while the winter season is dry. Broadleaf, conifer and mixed tree ecoregions are present in Tokushima’s biome.

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Because it is a protectorate, rather than a true vassal or client state, Tokushima maintains a standing military, modelled on the Yllendyr Army’s organization and equipment. Yllendyr personnel are a frequent sight be they military advisors or Imperial troops stationed on the island, working in tandem with Tokushima’s forces.

The Tokushiman Army is some 400,000 strong at present, with many of its soldiers hardened by Yllendyr’s attacks on the Ashikaga Shogunate. It is divided into twelve divisions, plus an elite Viceroy Guard division. Each division comprises two infantry brigades, with each brigade having two regiments, and those three battalions each. A division also maintains a cavalry regiment of three squadrons; an artillery regiment of two battalions, three batteries each; a battalion of engineers; and a telegraph company.



The standard infantry rifle of the Tokushiman Army is the Shimizu Type 60 rifle. It is a box-fed bolt-action repeating rifle, with an internal magazine capacity of five rounds. The rifle is chambered for the 6.5mm Shimizu cartridge. A carbine variant exists for cavalry, about twelve inches shorter than the standard rifle. In addition to the Type 60 carbine, cavalrymen carry sabres of roughly 33 inches, giving them the reach to attack infantry below.

The Tokushiman Navy has undergone complete modernization, with many ships of its fleet having been made in Yllendyr shipyards. At present, it comprises six battleships, eight armored cruisers, nine cruisers, 24 destroyers and 63 torpedo boats. The navy has reached out to foreign companies to contract a submarine fleet, and currently has five submarines in operation. The navy’s flagship, Akagi, is the only one of its class, based on an modified Yllendyr class design. It is among the most powerful warships in service across the globe.

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Tokushima’s original Yamato settlers brought their mind magic with them. It is used as a cultural art form, rather than a tool of war, but some schools practice a method of subterfuge with said magic.

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Tokushima was formerly inhabited by primitive tribes of ogres, orcs and their cousins, like the other islands southwest of the Shogunate. Throughout the medieval era, these islands were staging grounds for pirates, who would harry the Shogunate’s southern coast and disrupt the flow of trade. In 1693, the Shogunate decided it would no longer tolerate this and sent an army led by Ito Kageharu to quell the raids. The next few years saw a series of naval actions against the pirate bands in the south, which would steamroll into a fully-fledged invasion of the islands. What was intended to be a precise attack to halt piracy became a military expansion.

Tokushima was given its name after the expansion, and was given by the shogun to the Ito clan, a reward for its service in the pirate war. With this act, it became an official province of the Shogunate. Yamato farmers were given incentives to leave the mainland and work Tokushima’s lands. Ookijima’s daimyos were never wholly under the yoke of the shogun, however, and he could not prevent civil war from breaking out when the unruly daimyos reached their boiling point. As the Shogunate’s power fractured, Tokushima became increasingly more independent from the mainland.

The Yllendyr first made contact with Tokushima in 1825. With a weak Shogun and civil war on the mainland, Tokushima was left to its own devices. The Yllendyr brought with them weapons and machines the Yamato had never seen before, and Ito, present head of the Itoclan, became interested and open to foreign ways. Seeing a chance to establish its influence in the north and destabilize the Shogunate further, the Yllendyr negotiated with the Ito clan, established trade and started the process of modernization on Tokushima. In exchange, Ito pledged its service to Yllendyr, who it saw as capable of bringing order to a destabilized Shogunate, and became an Imperial protectorate.

In a way, the Ito were right - the Yllendyr attack on Ookijima forced the daimyos to cooperate. This was an unparalleled level of unity, even resulting in the establishment of an effective shogun. However, Yllendyr was undaunted. With superior military technology, tactics and manpower, the Shogunate fell. Tokushima was the Yllendyr’s principal staging ground for their assaults, and many Tokushiman Yamato fought on their behalf.

The Yamato people were divided - those on the mainland harbored a resentment for the Yllendyr that persists still, while the Tokushimans, who readily accepted the Yllendyr, looked upon the elves more favorably. But now, with the Imperium divided between supporters of Olarth and Ecuir, Tokushima once again finds itself in control of its own destiny.

Economy:

The Confederacy's economy is heavily based in agrarian farming or swamp fishing with villages pooling their resources together and selling their excesses to the larger town-based Khoko who don't have the space to farm for themselves. Most of the lizardfolk living in this lifestyle survive on simple subsistence agriculture supplemented by trading with the nearest towns quite happily. Those that live in the towns tend to work in one of the many small Khoko-run workshops that are in every town and produce much of the necessities of day-to-day life for both the agrarian and town based population.

Each Khoko-run workshop, called “Aetheqa”, are based around large numbers of individuals producing the same goods as everyone else in the Aetheqa in single building or small confined area. These Aetheqa can vary based on the Khoko which controls them, ranging from comfortable places where workers can sit around and communally weave or craft items while chatting, to enforced labour camps used to create massive quantities of items for profit.

Slaves are forced to do the most dangerous or laborious jobs, such as: quarrying, construction work, or logging projects with the occasional assistance from “Agrari” workers who volunteer to join the work crew. These jobs are difficult and have a shockingly high mortality rate for those that work there.

Despite extended pressure over time the Confederacy has failed to standardise its currency across their lands as such it has a fluctuating number of coins and tokens that are used to trade in the different areas each having different values making travel across the land challenging. This problem becomes even more pronounced when traders leave the towns and travel to the various villages as each individual village may not only have their own bartering method or system of currency but also their own language or dialect.

To ensure the sanity of long-distant traders there are counting houses called “Dalziz” in each of the Confederacy's towns which can convert currency and even offer basic banking services such as loans or deposits as well as providing translators for the many languages of the Confederacy. Even the Dalziz not standardised across the Confederacy and occasional disputes between them crop up over the validity of another's counting methods.

Culture:

The Confederacy's society is surprisingly stratified between nobles and commoners, both of which are further divided into elaborate hierarchies of power based on social status, a Khoko's responsibilities, and power. Stronger Khoko would dominate weaker ones socially and extract tribute from the weaker which creates a further stratification based on how strong or weak your Khoko is. Lizardfolk also create hierarchies inside their Khoko based on their ties: of blood, ancestry, faith or skill against others in their Khoko and these bonds create a strong sense of group amongst the Confederacy as they each knows their place in society and try to outdo the others around them.

A tradition that dates back long into Lizardfolk history is that of mutual help and defence, as the swamps and jungles they live in are harsh environments that require constant cooperation to thrive in. This mutual cooperation was truly stretched to the limit during the Yllendyrian Invasion when all of the tribes came together to help their brethren and cousins. This war also spawned another central part of the Confederacy's culture, a strong distrust and fear of “outsiders”. While the concept of “Outsider” is very malleable and can change based on how well they know you, it helps to solidify the internal workings in favour of those who have lived and thrived alongside others in their Khoko and thus strengthening the Khoko.

Religious and Other Beliefs:

The Confederacy is quite relaxed about the religions of their population. As long as the people add “Srolzaxl”, the Patron God of the Yutlao Tribe, to their pantheon of deities they can worship whomever they wish. As such the people of the Confederacy worship a dizzying array of gods and pantheons, and town streets are covered in: temples, shrines, and alters to a staggering array of figures creating a riot of colour and fervour for all to see as these pseudo-religions compete to try and attract new followers with the most showy displays.

Location & Territories: See latest Map of the New World

The Burnt Branch Confederacy is location on the western side of the New World, in an area mostly composed of marshlands close to the west coast and steaming jungles further inland.

Aokki, the capital is a city of mudbrick and stones dotted with canals and giant temples the resides next to the only lake in the Confederacy, Lake Dizarsi which provides a bountiful quantity of fish and sea(lake?)foods. The other towns are: Ortaz, Uttass, Iqagus, Yigzi, Drixu, Allusk & Yacesk and are dotted around the Confederacy usually near rivers or water sources. The vast majority of the population live in either Aokki or one of other the towns.

Each of the towns is supported by a plentiful number of villages, which are smaller concerns with a handful of wooden shacks on poles to keep away from the regular flood waters or jungle predators. These villages consist of two or three extended family groups that eke out a their subsistence living from the lands and animals around them.

Military:

As part of the “Agrari” each Kroaz can be required to raise large part of their populations for military service as a levy for the state. The number of lizardfolk who turn up is entirely decided by their respective Kroaz and the skill of the levied troops varies based on the training they received in their Kroaz's schooling. Generally these levied troops are significant in number, but very poor in skill and training. Armed with basic iron or steel melee weapons and negligible armour they pose little threat to a skilled or trained combatant, their strength however is in guerilla warfare specifically in the swamps and jungle in which they were born and raised.

Their natural affinity with watery environments and ambushing from high up in the trees allows them to inflict terrible damage to armies who don't know their lands as well as they do, but this leaves them ill suited to traditional line and musket warfare as they simple don't have the space to practice such things. As such the levies are usually only raised from a few Kroaz and only for a campaign or a single year and then they return home afterwards to their villages and lives to keep the population of the Confederacy stable.

Rather than specialise in a trade or a craft, a handful of Khoko in the Confederacy specialise in warfare itself. They train as small units from childhood to be incredibly skilled warriors who work as units of about one hundred lizardfolk at the will of their Kroaz or whoever pays them well enough. These war-Khoko have formed a warrior aristocracy amongst themselves and are dedicated to fighting and either capturing or killing as their entire livelihoods. Capturing an enemy in battle is a quick route to admiration for these warriors as whoever was captured can either be ransomed back or sold as slaves.

The final part of the Confederacy's war machine are the slaves who manage the logistics of a campaign army on behalf of their masters and carry the prerequisite supplies in vast convoys through the jungles. In particularly desperate situations the war-Khoko may call upon these slaves to fight alongside them to try and tip the balance of a campaign or to preserve dwindling food supplies. In these desperate situations, the slaves are either used as bait to draw rash foes from advantageous positions or as waves of bodies that soak up ammunition that might endanger the more precious warriors.

Magic Prevalence & Usage and Elemental Alignment:

Magic is only used by about a quarter of the population of the Confederacy, and the knowledge needed to successfully use it is kept as a well guarded secret by the few Khoko that study it.

The Lizardfolk are elementally aligned towards the concept of “Mind”, and study this concept broadly across the Confederacy with the “Urzeri” network being their most famous application of this type of magic. The “Urzeri” system is a telepathic communication network based on magicians wearing blank masks and connecting to a magic users in a different location who also is wearing such a mask. Anyone who speaks to one of these blank masked figures will have their facial features and words projected, or at least the recipient believes they are, onto the distant blank mask worn by the magic user so that the mask moves and speaks as they do while they stand far away from it. The knowledge of this is tightly controlled by a few Khoko who relay message across the Confederacy for a price.

While not aligned to the concept, a single Khoko in the western city of Drixu focus on the element of Water as their speciality. They have plenty of practice in the swamplands they inhabit and have even had limited success building an aqueduct system in their town to provide fresh water for their people.

History & Background Info:

The western jungles and swamps of the New World have been inhabited by lizardfolk longer than any written record. As small isolated tribes they dotted the landscape that no civilised people would setting in for long and enjoyed a long and content existence.

In the year 1832, the Yllendyr Imperium was expanding rapidly as they came to the end of “The Wars of Barbarian Subjugation” in which they brought much of the Old World under their grasps. A Yllendyrian Prince, being the seventh son of the Emperor, decided to take an auxiliary legion of various subjugated races to conquer new lands. They set sail eastwards from their homelands under the guidance of the Prince to claim new lands as their birthright with little support from the Yllendyr Imperium who was busy fighting other wars of subjugation.

Their arrival sparked a unification amongst the Lizardfolk tribes. As the marauding armies of the Prince burnt their way across the lizardfolk lands, a semi-mythical figure, Speaker Qathrit appeared the time of greatest need to aid and unified the tribes. Though they didn't put their differences aside, they understood that they needed to cooperate and band together to defeat these foreign invaders.

The unification sparked a spirited guerrilla war against the Princes armies and constant harassment forced them towards Lake Dizarsi and further away from possible reinforcements. The ferocious and savage lizardmen simply set fire to the surrounding forests and slaughtered the auxilia in droves amongst the rolling smoke of the blaze and the venomous creatures of the jungles.

The fighting was bloody, with an entire generation of Lizardfolk dying pulling down the more advanced Yllendyr forces with primitive weapons, but as day dawned the Battle of Lake Dizarsi had been won. Speaker Qathrit stood up once more and spoke of how future invasions would come and how he wouldn't survive to unite the tribes once more when they did. The tribes agreed to the Speakers plan, and the Confederacy of the Burnt Branch was formed.

A great deal of time has passed since that invasion and the lizardfolk culture moves slowly. They have dragged themselves from the Stone Age at a remarkable pace despite their constant infighting. Will it be enough to resist the wandering eyes of other empires?

Type of Government: Confederation
Head(s) of Government: The Council of Dathanar, currently headed by High Councilor Grawdrin Imeise
Economy: (Main imports, exports, industries, technology level, etc.)
Demographics:









Culture:
Due to the unfortunate past of segment of the population, the Dathaari are a people that value Independence, autonomy and equality above all else, slavery and the likes long since been outlawed by the Ruling Council of the Free States. The traditional divides of the Old World, that of Noble and Commoner, became more blurred in Dathanari Society, replaced by one of finical standing, a position that can be obtained and lost by any and all on a whim, no matter of their birth status.

Religious and Other Beliefs:
There is no single dominant religion in Dathanar, rather it is home to a multitude of differing faiths, many brought over from the Old World. The more prominent of these Old World faiths is the Church of the Forge Father, a third iteration of Cromism, shortly after their arrival, the people of Dathanar would undo the Dragon's revisions, and for the most part, had restored the faith.
Location/Territories:
Climate:
Military:
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
History/Background Info:

Name: Iolaos Totos Daedalos
Species: Therian (Yppolo/Centaur subspecies)
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Rank: Specialist (Pathfinder)
Young male centaur with dark brown hair and fur. He has an athletic slim physique, light by centaur standards but regardless powerful. His wild appearance is accompanied with a severe face, goatee and fu manchu style mustache. While average by centaur standards Iolaos is still considered somewhat towering to most races, approaching 7 feet.
Raised in the country to a low ranking family, Iolaos had little option aside from continuing in the footsteps of his shaman forebears. Sidestepping that he instead choose to enlist in the Yllendyr military. Initially thinking his magic potential would allow him to soar through the ranks but soon realized that shamans are an exception rather than the rule. Looking down on his ancestral art, Iolaos was forced to impress the superiors by other means. His intense drive soon earned him the top spot in his class and while officer training was out of question he went to enlist on further training to become a pathfinder. Careerist and eager to prove his worth, Iolaos was ready to test his strength on the battlefield. In spite of that he became a member of Squad 6, a place where the Imperium preferred to dump the dregs of his military. Determined as ever, Iolaos is now focusing his efforts to be reassigned to a more deserving place. Unfortunately he's right in the middle of war and caught in enemy territory which should delay his transfer considerably.
TBA

Likes: being in the wild, books, challenges
Dislikes: works that are beneath him, being kept in check
Opinions on the Squad: A collection of rabble which he hopes to leave behind once his personal accomplishments shine through.
Iolaos is a capable soldier who placed on top of his class. He specializes in reconnaissance and finding his way through unknown lands. Thanks to his upbringing he excels at wilderness survival. As a runner type centaur Iolaos only has moderate superhuman strength but he's an incredibly fast runner, capable of matching if not surpassing the swiftest horses. He can also carry surprising amount of baggage although barring goblinoids and similar small species he can't really have people riding on him, not as if he'd allow it to begin with. His tall stature and large body can be also a drawback, though. He stands out and needs deeper trenches to be comfortably hiding in them. His large horse-like lower body also requires considerably more space to reasonably move.

Iolaos is also a novice shaman. He left Ithaké before fully mastering the art yet his knowledge is considerable. Shamans use mind magic though more importantly they work with spiritual beings as their medium. Rather than commanding fire, they make a pact with a fire spirit to do that, for example. This of course requires a healthy relationship with spirits and knowing one's limits, because otherwise these spirits either refuse to obey or even choose to punish the caster. [to be continued...]
Iolaos has his standard Yllendyr military equipment like his uniform, remade to fit centaurs wearing it. He also has his service rifle and cavalry pattern saber. Lastly the rifle comes with a knife bayonet that is also detachable and can be a general utility tool.
[to be continued...]

Nation Name: Miranid Empire
Flag:
The double-headed eagle was based on the eagle of Yllendir, whose colony the Miranids had come into contact with. Miran had adopted the double-headed eagle as coat of arms for his own aspiring empire; one to rival Yllendir.
Type of Government: Empire / Khanate
Motto: In rectitude lies salvation
Head(s) of Government: Pir Miran Shaykh Gurkani, abroad known as Miran the Lame, because he walks with a limp.
Economy Exports: A lot of dairy, spices, carpets, cattle, animal pelts, mounts and in the mountainous regions minerals as quicksilver, lead and charcoal.
Economy Imports: From other lands little is imported other than weapons and spices. Though at times marauding warbands would make attempts to cross over into different lands to return with booty.

Primary Species:






Unique specimen:




Small minorities:
Strigoi - not subjects of the Empire, but considered a wildlife nuisance.
Gorgar - along the western rivers, also not subjects of the Empire.
Anhreinn Humans - in the Tementafel Twinstates

Literacy: The population, save for the Fararuals and high-standing Üarim, is almost completely illiterate. It is whispered that Miran himself barely knows how to write or read.
Population: some 70 to 80 million total, the vast majority of which conquered peoples. The heartlands of Transtulania are compared to surrounding lands arid and sparsely populated. Most of the population live around rivers and in the recently annexed territories closest to Amrea and Wulfram.

Fararual Elves: 40.000. Pureblood Fararuals are a dying breed. Most of them live in the Holy City of Aranagh; the spiritual centre of the Miranid Empire.

Üarim: 28 million, the majority of the Miranids and rulers of the Empire’s western heartlands, namely the Fararu Luminescence (their ancestral place-of-origin) and the two Emirates.

Human Races:
Tzücomen: 13 million
Gardonians: 2 million
Anhreinn: 500

Aarehan: 1,5 million

Gnülonlar: 22 million

Golems: 80.000

Culture: Masculine and warlike. Every man is expected to be capable of martial prowess, archery and life in the saddle of whichever beast they have mastered, a tradition that echoes bygone ages. In addition to the people's rogue lifestyle, very few leaders have been able to assert control over the unruly masses. Üarim respect strength above all, for strength and confidence are the measure of a man.

Most of the population live a rural and nomadic lifestyle, and only some 2-5% of the population comprise of city dwellers. Most Üarim and certainly every Tzücoman, no matter how poor, herds cattle for sustenance and owns a steed.

Spicy food that burn your taste buds is a big deal in Transtulanian diet, and it is the spice trade (importation and exportation alike) what made Transtulanian cities wealthy. Chili and peppers Uarim people eat practically on a daily basis.

Religious and Other Beliefs: The Fire God, Axbak Kamen

Location/Territories: Much of the present Miranid borders comprise a land referred to as Transtulania.


Climate: Very diverse, though overwhelmingly (sub-)tropical and arid.
From north to south:

In the Aarehani Principality; hills covered by tropical rainforests

In the Gnülonlar Badlands and Fararu Luminescence; rocky arid flat wasteland

In the Emirate of Uar-ög and the Dunes of Kurtkoc; mountainous with many canyons

In the Tzücomen Beyliks and the Emirate of Ushji-Dash; grassy steppes and flat riverlands


Military:
There is a tremendous emphasis on war beasts in the Miranid Army, and it is their harnessing of beasts that has been their truly distinguishing strength.





Beyond that, the different races listed above give an insight to the purpose each race serves in the Miranid army, with Tzücomen and Gnülonlar being generally cheap levies and rank-fillers, the Golems as crude fantasy-tanks, and the Üarim as powerful professional soldiers.

Magic Prevalence/Usage:
Fire!
And conjuring tempests.

History/ Background Info:
Miranid History is linked to the warlord Miran Gurkani, whose history goes back only a few decades; prior to then it was a remote land always on the outskirts or part of another power's empire.

Miran was born Miran Shaykh, of lesser Üarim noble birth in a long line of Holy Defenders sworn to the Holy City of Aranagh, ruled by the Arch Luminescent, the King of the Fararuals.
He was a man strong in body and relentlessness in spirit, and though his career as a warrior painted for himself a font of a vicious brute and killer, he draws little enjoyment from his bloodsoaked deeds. His true passion is - (don't laugh!) - in writing poetry. In fact it was his writing that caused Miran from a young age to befriend the Luminescent’s Daughter; Mulk Khamun. She is more divine than mortal -- the most beautiful woman in all the world.

One day a High Priest of Kand known as the Hierophant had Mulk Khamun seized and brought to the monolithic city of Kand, of which Grand Temple he was Master of Rites, in a bid to sacrifice her to the Sun God. This was to reverse the decline of the dying race of the Fararuals. Only one of such potent divine lineage would make for an offer powerful enough to invoke the protection of the Gods.
Immediately Miran mustered his band of Holy Defenders and pursued the Hierophant to the gates of Kand. They prepared the investment on the City, however fortunately for Miran one of his friends was among the city guard, and helped smuggle him inside. At seeing the Holy Defender barging into his temple, the Hierophant mistakenly believed Kand had fallen, and he rushed into a hidden passage leading outside of the walls… Where Miran’s men easily captured the Hierophant. Later that month he was presented in chains before the Luminescent to answer for his crime against the royal family.
This feat accomplished, the Luminescent inquired what reward Miran desired most, to which the Holy Defender gave resolute response: the hand of Mulk Khamun, to whom his sword and heart was pledged. But this was not allowed, for his blood and birth was not pure. Instead he obtained land grants as compensation, with the grand title of ‘Gurkani; meaning ‘son in law’.
However Miran Gurkani disobeyed the Luminescent, and he and Mulk Khamun agreed to marry in secret.

Husayim the Grey, named so for his grey skin and Daywalker heritage, was another and mightier Holy Defender of Aranagh, and he witnessed their secret marriage. He was quick to inform the Luminescent of Miran and Mulk Khamun’s disobedience. The Arch Luminescent was outraged; to him this was the ultimate betrayal by disobeying the one thing he strictly forebade. As punishment Miran was stripped of his lands and titles and sent into exile into the deserts of the Gnülonlar, (this was considered merciful, for had it been anyone else the penalty would’ve surely been death then and there). All the while Mulk Khamun was placed under house arrest in the citadel of Quaraash.

Miran and a handful of Holy Defender defectors accompanying him, wandered into the wasteland. The absence of these defenders provided Husayim the opening he conspired to get, for he was a henchman of the Hierophant all the while, determined to enact his scheme to revive Fararual Power in Transtulania. Swiftly, Husayim the Grey assassinated the Luminescent and kidnapped his daughter from Quaraash back to Kand.

Immediately Miran and his band, accompanied by Gnülonlar auxiliaries that had joined them on the road, rode against Husayim in Kand. But they were too late, Mulk Khamun was cooked alive in ritual sacrifice committed to the Sun God.

In the subterranean halls of Kand, Miran defeated Husayim in single combat. During this battle, Husayim cleft Miran's foot, causing him to walk with a limp ever since. Then when Husayim relented, Miran showed no mercy: in wrath he threw him to the Gnülonlar who ate him alive.
Then he retrieved the ashes of Mulk Khamun and interred them in the Holy Temple Axbak-Aranagh to be with her ancestors.

With both her and her father’s death, the Fararual Royal bloodline went extinct. In accordance to ancient Fararual prophecy, this is the prerequisite of apocalypse, the end of an era, and the beginning of a cycle of darkness. Was Husayim trying to restore the Fararuals to power, or was he an acolyte of Armageddon that superstitiously sought to bring about the downfall of the world?

It matters not, for one thing Miran agreed with him on; the final war is at hand. Most of the Emirs and chieftains of Transtulania regarded him as the successor of the last Luminescent. …He had made him a son in law (Gurkani) after all, even if that title had technically been revoked. But Miran avenged both the Luminescent and his daughter by capturing the Hierophant and killing Husayim the Grey.
Speaking of the Hierophant; he was still alive. And as a prominent sage of Transtulania, Miran begrudgingly turned to him for counsel. This he said:

‘’Conquer the world, and Mulk Khamun will be brought back from the ashes.’’
And Miran believed him. For at the very least, the thought of getting her back is a flame that keeps the aspiring conqueror to the path of conquest.
In Kand he was anointed the Sword of the Fire God, and received the Flaming Sword Zara-Thuster which he carries into battle on his relentless campaigns.

It was a hopeless quest, for how can a man actually conquer the world? Miran resigned himself to doom from the beginning when he accepted Zara-Thuster, but nevertheless he is resolute to carry out his given duty as Chosen One of the Fire God.

Over ten years have passed since then, and though there were other warlords, it was Miran who pulled firmest at the threads of fate to come out on top. Many atrocities had been committed: his armies of Üarim and Gnülonlar swept across the land, and with sword, scores of cannons, pillage and much fire the nations of Transtulania and the southern steppes were brought to heel. This became the foundation of a nascent Empire of the south, which has been dubbed the Miranid Empire – the subjects of Miran Shaykh Gurkani.

Economy:

The Confederacy's economy is heavily based in agrarian farming or swamp fishing with villages pooling their resources together and selling their excesses to the larger town-based Khoko who don't have the space to farm for themselves. Most of the lizardfolk living in this lifestyle survive on simple subsistence agriculture supplemented by trading with the nearest towns quite happily. Those that live in the towns tend to work in one of the many small Khoko-run workshops that are in every town and produce much of the necessities of day-to-day life for both the agrarian and town based population.

Each Khoko-run workshop, called “Aetheqa”, are based around large numbers of individuals producing the same goods as everyone else in the Aetheqa in single building or small confined area. These Aetheqa can vary based on the Khoko which controls them, ranging from comfortable places where workers can sit around and communally weave or craft items while chatting, to enforced labour camps used to create massive quantities of items for profit.

Slaves are forced to do the most dangerous or laborious jobs, such as: quarrying, construction work, or logging projects with the occasional assistance from “Agrari” workers who volunteer to join the work crew. These jobs are difficult and have a shockingly high mortality rate for those that work there.

Despite extended pressure over time the Confederacy has failed to standardise its currency across their lands as such it has a fluctuating number of coins and tokens that are used to trade in the different areas each having different values making travel across the land challenging. This problem becomes even more pronounced when traders leave the towns and travel to the various villages as each individual village may not only have their own bartering method or system of currency but also their own language or dialect.

To ensure the sanity of long-distant traders there are counting houses called “Dalziz” in each of the Confederacy's towns which can convert currency and even offer basic banking services such as loans or deposits as well as providing translators for the many languages of the Confederacy. Even the Dalziz not standardised across the Confederacy and occasional disputes between them crop up over the validity of another's counting methods.

Culture:

The Confederacy's society is surprisingly stratified between nobles and commoners, both of which are further divided into elaborate hierarchies of power based on social status, a Khoko's responsibilities, and power. Stronger Khoko would dominate weaker ones socially and extract tribute from the weaker which creates a further stratification based on how strong or weak your Khoko is. Lizardfolk also create hierarchies inside their Khoko based on their ties: of blood, ancestry, faith or skill against others in their Khoko and these bonds create a strong sense of group amongst the Confederacy as they each knows their place in society and try to outdo the others around them.

A tradition that dates back long into Lizardfolk history is that of mutual help and defence, as the swamps and jungles they live in are harsh environments that require constant cooperation to thrive in. This mutual cooperation was truly stretched to the limit during the Time of the Irzuco when all of the tribes came together to help their brethren and cousins. This war also spawned another central part of the Confederacy's culture, a strong distrust and fear of “outsiders”. While the concept of “Outsider” is very malleable and can change based on how well they know you, it helps to solidify the internal workings in favour of those who have lived and thrived alongside others in their Khoko and thus strengthening the Khoko.

Religious and Other Beliefs:

The Confederacy is quite relaxed about the religions of their population. The people of the Confederacy worship a dizzying array of gods and pantheons, with a towns streets full to bursting with: temples, shrines, and alters to a staggering array of figures creating a riot of colour and fervour for all to see as these pseudo-religions compete to try and attract new followers with the most showy displays.

As long as the people add “Srolzaxl”, the Patron God of the Yutlao Tribe, to their pantheon of deities they can worship whomever they wish. The Yutlao say that Srolzaxl fiercely grips domain over the passing of time and the rhythms of life in his claws, plucking those that don't worship him from the rhythms of existence and abundance to wander the lands of the lost forever.

Speaker Qathrit, the semi-mythical founder of the Confederacy, has also found a place amongst the religions of the Lizardfolk. A large minority of the tribes worship the Speaker as a divine figure and retell stories of his famous exploits and his skilled speeches around the campfires of the villages. Many of these stories have been inflated by time and repetitions. One story tells of how Speaker Qathrit lulled the jungle to sleep with only a few calming words so that his wife could sleep peacefully, not to be disturbed by the endless noises of the night time jungle when she was pregnant.

Where stories of Speaker Qathrit are told, those of Hadyar Khus the Feathered also rear their ugly head. Tales of Speaker Qathrit defeating the near-automatons of Hadyar Khus are replete in Lizardfolk culture and the tales both venerate Speaker Qathrit and teach valuable lessons to the younger audiences.

Location & Territories: See latest Map of the New World

The Burnt Branch Confederacy is location on the western side of the New World, in an area mostly composed of marshlands close to the west coast and steaming jungles further inland.

Aokki, the capital is a city of mudbrick and stones dotted with canals and giant temples the resides next to the only lake in the Confederacy, Lake Dizarsi which provides a bountiful quantity of fish and sea(lake?)foods. The other towns are: Ortaz, Uttass, Iqagus, Yigzi, Drixu, Allusk & Yacesk and are dotted around the Confederacy usually near rivers or water sources. The vast majority of the population live in either Aokki or one of other the towns.

Each of the towns is supported by a plentiful number of villages, which are smaller concerns with a handful of wooden shacks on poles to keep away from the regular flood waters or jungle predators. These villages consist of two or three extended family groups that eke out a their subsistence living from the lands and animals around them.

Military:

As part of the “Agrari” each Kroaz can be required to raise large part of their populations for military service as a levy for the state. The number of lizardfolk who turn up is entirely decided by their respective Kroaz and the skill of the levied troops varies based on the training they received in their Kroaz's schooling. Generally these levied troops are significant in number, but very poor in skill and training. Armed with basic iron or steel melee weapons and negligible armour they pose little threat to a skilled or trained combatant, their strength however is in guerilla warfare specifically in the swamps and jungle in which they were born and raised.

Their natural affinity with watery environments and ambushing from high up in the trees allows them to inflict terrible damage to armies who don't know their lands as well as they do, but this leaves them ill suited to traditional line and musket warfare as they simple don't have the space to practice such things. As such the levies are usually only raised from a few Kroaz and only for a campaign or a single year and then they return home afterwards to their villages and lives to keep the population of the Confederacy stable.

Rather than specialise in a trade or a craft, a handful of Khoko in the Confederacy specialise in warfare itself. They train as small units from childhood to be incredibly skilled warriors who work as units of about one hundred lizardfolk at the will of their Kroaz or whoever pays them well enough. These Bhask-Khoko (or war-Khoko) have formed a warrior aristocracy amongst themselves and are dedicated to fighting and either capturing or killing as their entire livelihoods. Capturing an enemy in battle is a quick route to admiration for these warriors as whoever was captured can either be ransomed back or sold as slaves.

The final part of the Confederacy's war machine are the slaves who manage the logistics of a campaign army on behalf of their masters and carry the prerequisite supplies in vast convoys through the jungles. In particularly desperate situations the Bhask-Khoko may call upon these slaves to fight alongside them to try and tip the balance of a campaign or to preserve dwindling food supplies. In these desperate situations, the slaves are either used as bait to draw rash foes from advantageous positions or as waves of bodies that soak up ammunition that might endanger the more precious warriors.

Magic Prevalence & Usage and Elemental Alignment:

Magic, known as “Kher”, is only used by about a quarter of the population of the Confederacy who are known as “Kheras” or “Magicians/magic users” and the knowledge needed to successfully use it is kept as a well guarded secret by the few Khoko that study it.

The Lizardfolk are elementally aligned towards the concept of “Mind” and study this concept broadly across the Confederacy with the wielder being called “Kheras-Yuz” or “Mind magicians”. The kheras-yuz are most famous for their “Urzeri” network, a communication network that stretches across the Confederacy by using telepathic communication through blank masks worn by the kheras-yuz and forming a connection to another far off kheras-yuz who also is wearing such a mask. Anyone who speaks to one of these blank masked figures will have their facial features and words projected, or at least the recipient believes that they are, onto the distant blank mask and it even appears that the mask moves and speaks as they are despite the sender being many hundreds of miles away from them. The knowledge of this is tightly controlled by a few Khoko who relay message across the Confederacy for a high price.

On a more individual level kheras-yuz practice a more subtle form of mind magic. Fights between lizardfolk are stopped by kheras-yuz merely dampening the combatants anger to less deadly levels, construction plans or council suggestions are shown directly into the minds of those who would build or accept these plans, and unknown creatures are “read” to understand who they are and what they want. These practices are a known factor of life and are used regularly based on the level of skill the kheras-yuz possesses.

While not aligned to the concept, a single Khoko in the western city of Drixu focus on the element of Liquid as their speciality. These “Kheras-Acotlu” or “Liquid Magicians” have plenty of practice in the swamplands they inhabit and have even had limited success building an aqueduct system in their town to provide fresh water for their people.

History & Background Info:

The western jungles and swamps of the New World have been inhabited by lizardfolk longer than any written record. As small isolated tribes they dotted the landscape that no civilised people would setting in for long and continued a savage lifestyle amongst the rich plethora of creatures which inhabited their swamps and jungles. It was in these simpler times that many myths and legends rose.

It wasn't until a creature, damned by the gods themselves, rose from the deepest of sinkholes did the Lizardfolk know true fear. It moved through the night with a cloak of darkness shrouding upon its shoulders and a veil of tears upon its face. It's presence was marked by entire tribes vanishing from their villages without a struggle, their food still cooking upon the fire. The only sign left by each of the vanished tribes was a single granite statue in the centre of the village which looked identical the tribes Speaker immobile and terrified.

The tribes became known as “The Departed” or “Irzuco” and as whole Kroaz vanished the remaining tribes gathered themselves together to find a solution. Scouts and hunters were sent across the land to discover the source of this disaster. Hundreds were lost.

Nearly five long years after the Irzuco first began to vanish a single wounded scout returned to Aokki telling stories of a corrupted Mind magician of incredible power who was the cause of this problem. They were called “Hadyar Khus the Feathered”, a creature who's gaze turned people to stone and whose hair were venomous snakes. They had unleashed terrible mind magics upon the tribes that had vanished, turning the tribes people into near-automaton like creatures with no will or soul of their own.

As this revelation spread throughout the lizardfolk lands so to did the slave armies of Hadyar Khus the Feathered as they began a campaign of devastation across the lands. Hordes of mindless lizardfolk who had once been cousins or friends slaughtered or captured anyone in their way and burnt the rest with soulless glassy-eyes.

It was in this time that the semi-mythical figure of Speaker Qathrit appeared to aid the tribes in the time of greatest need to aid and unified the tribes. Though they didn't put their differences aside at his requests, they understood that they needed to cooperate and band together to defeat Hadyar Khus.

The unification sparked a vicious civil war amongst the lizardfolk. Spirited guerilla raids were used by both sides to harass the other through the dangerous terrain and whole villages were slaughtered or captured in the war. Hadyar Khus' mindless forces regularly swept aside the Proto-Confederacies forces as they drove their way towards Lake Dizarsi and the city of Aokki but as they did the Kheras-Yuz were devising ways to undo Hadyar Khus' foul magics.

As the slave armies reached the outskirts of Aokki the Speaker unleashed his most deperate plan to survive. His forces set fire to the surrounding jungle. Rolling smoke clogged the battlefield and waves of forest creatures fled from the fires into the slave armies lines. Ferocious and savage lizardmen stalked through the smoke attacking the Irzuco who mindlessly defended Hadyar Khus.

The fighting was bloody with an entire generation of Lizardfolk dying upon the primitive weapons both sides wielded in brutal civil war. It is said that Hadyar Khus was defeated that day as the Kheras-Yuz stole his magic from his guards and poisoned weapons brought him low. As dawned rose the Battle of Lake Dizarsi had been won, but rumours spread of Hadyar Khus retreating to the sinkholes that spawned him. Speaker Qathrit stood up once more and spoke of how unity must be maintained to ensure their future survival. He spoke of the defeat of the foul Hadyar Khus and the misuses of kher and how it should be limited to prevent this happening once more.The tribes agreed to the Speakers plan, and the Confederacy of the Burnt Branch was formed.

A great deal of time has passed since that invasion and the lizardfolk culture moves slowly. They have dragged themselves from the Stone Age at a remarkable pace despite their constant infighting. Will it be enough to resist the wandering eyes of other empires?