Zentaurius is an ancient deity of light chiefly revered by centaurs. Zentaurius is the embodiment of light and his birth ended the eons of darkness and brought the beginning of the world as we know it, at least according to centaurs. Albeit he's the sole deity of Zentarists he isn't the only deity they recognize. As such ancient Zentarist communities had no trouble holding rituals for other gods and it could peacefully work within the imperial cult of Orduin. Zentaurius is no creator entity, no lifemaker and not even a leader of gods. In this sense it's strange how Zentaurius became the patron of centaurs. Uniquely enough Zentaurius is looked upon as a teacher and source of enlightenment. Seeking him brought inner light to one's life and filled them with creativity, resolve and wisdom. This view got twisted considerably by the rise and dominance of "New Zentarism". Rather than respecting other faiths it became a pressing need to spread the love and reverence for Lord Zentaurius whose divine light should guide the entire world. Other deities can only be respected if they are allied to or subservient to Lord Zentaurius.

Another new element of Zentarism was the way they approached magic. For the longest time Zentarists were neutral to magic usage yet the new teachings declared most forms of spellcasting as impure and inherently evil. While Zentarists don't outright demonize spellcasters of other disciplines they recognize their art as wrongful and mages practicing these as misguided. Instead they promote their own spellcasting system where Divine Sanctums send magic energy to those faithful and owning the right trinkets for it. In their view this act is necessary to purify magic through Zentaurius' holy light. Natural magic occurrences are not abhored, though. It's only for artificial magic like spells, enchanted items and of course monsters, the perversion of the divine order.

Zentarism grown immensely in scope and organization in the last few centuries. They are the primary supporters of culture, magic and sciences. Even if most artists and scholars aren't part of the Zentarist Church, they have strong ties to them. A considerable portion of the League's mages are actual priests of Zentaurius and they are duty-bound to help people through their powers. Organization wise they have multiple branches but ultimately every member is subservient to the College of Primas and Priors. The title "Pior" refers to high-ranking male priests who have authority over an entire province (administrative sub-unit, usually there are 3-8 provinces per commandry). Prima are female priestesses tasked with similar range of authority but different role. Priors handle administration, culture, education and scholarship. Primas direct the matters of faith, religion and magic. Priors can advance the ranks further and become Cardinals, aside from increased authority this gives them power to elect the next Pontifacia. Only a Prima can be chosen as Pontifacia, it is an exclusively female title. This sorts of duality is present throughout the entire Church and could be even one of its defining attributes. Male priests deal with the worldly affairs while priestesses are retaining their purity to focus on the divine. Only female candidates are worthy of becoming the bridge between the people and Zentaurius while the male leadership acts like anchors to help her remain in this world.

Hecuris/Zetaur/Centaur is a type of creature where the upper body is humanoid and the lover body is equine. That being said centaurs aren't horse/human hybrids, they are an entirely different race. There aren't two bodies sewn together but a large body with its own unique anatomy. The chest of a centaurid holds two giant hearts pumping blood at a rate which might seem insane. This fills the centaurid with energy but also speeds up their metabolism, requiring more food. The abdominal portion of the upper body also has the first stomach, out of the three in total. The lower body has the lungs and intestines. Just as the hearts, this place holds almost every organ in twins or having a duplicate. Even if one pair of the organs fail the centaurid will not die, albeit it may limit vital functions down the line.

Centaurs are diverse with three typical forms: runner, worker and warrior breeds. These used to form a caste-based system but due to frequent interbreeding the divide between these three is almost non-existent. Centaur genes are somewhat unique in the fact that they can interbreed with almost any humanoid species. The produced hybrid will be a type of centaurid which also bears some traits of the other parent. For example elf-centaur hybrids would be smaller and more nimble in stature while also having the telltale pointed ears. For these reasons the centaurs in the past had to abide strict breeding restrictions but since the fall of the Orduin Empire they are no longer limited by such. Since a centaur-humanoid hybrid is still essentially a centaurid, they are referred as centaurs and continue being treated as such. Over the time regions dominated by centaurs will have increasingly larger proportion of centaur populations thanks to this fact. Kobolds being reptiloid creatures are of course unaffected by this phenomenon, albeit the meteoric rise of centaur population did lead to the League allowing non-kobolds to become centaur servants.

Centaurs are large, the mightiest warriors may weigh above 500kg and would be full of muscle. Even the comparatively tiny "ponitaur" breeds are heavier than almost any human. They are especially long which means they need far greater space to turn around. Centaurs don't like narrow spaces and their structures are filled with wide open hallways. A lot of building designs common for humans are borderline inaccessible for centaurs. This is especially true for castles. Tall spiraling towers or bastion tops with barely room to stand upon are just not feasible with centaurs. Another curious element is the chairs. Centaurs don't need to sit and even if they do, they lie down on bed-like furnitures. As such chairs are relatively uncommon in centaur-domninated regions, albeit they still exist for non-centaurids. Being as fast as horses while having even more stamina it is no wonder that centaurs love to travel. They can journey many leagues within a day and their horse-backs are ideal for large packages. Centaur travelers, traders or even missionaries are not an unfamiliar sight even in the most distant lands.

- Laegionar: Standard centaur soldier, less of a specific type and more the generic name for them. Standard Legionar wears a breastplate with maile or brigandine covering the limbs and lower bodies. They usually carry the Goedendag, a brutish spear-mace hybrid which can skewer its target or deliver crushing blows. They might carry ranged weapons, shields, lances or other equipment but those aren't the norm. Laegionars form the backbone of the Holy League's military.

- Volkswehr: A generic term used when in referring to units under local leadership instead of a knight order. Alternatively called the auxilia this term is also frequently used for non-centaur support units. Their quality can range from peasant levies to seasoned and well-equipped infantry, it generally depends on the region and other circumstances.

- Vaeliter: Light troop meant for flanking and rapid actions. They carry large stacks of pilums held in long quivers hanging at the sides which allows them to continue harrassing enemies. They only have light armor and a kite shield for protection.

- Jaeger/Begleiter: Skirmish and escort troop type chiefly armed with light ballestrinnes, allowing them to quickly reload and keep shooting while on the move. Jeager are lightly equipped and fullfil a similar role to the Vaeliter. Begleiter on the other hand are escorts of knights or support troops to a larger army. Begleiters wear medium armor and may be better armed than the average Jaeger but overall they fulfill a similar ranged support role.

- Schūtze: Specialists armed with heavy ballestrinnes meant for laying down long range fire or use their marksmanship. These require winches to pull back but their bolts are released even faster and travel further.

- Ritter: Warrior who spent their life dedicated to learning warfare and being loyal to the Church. They are considered chosen by Zentaurius to spread his light and to be a tool of justice. They wear heavy armor and form the elite shock troops of the League. They can also act as commanders of the League's forces.


- Ordnungskler: Priests of Zentarism directly assigned to the service of a knight order. While a large number of them are meant to do ordinary jobs like administration, records and more menial duties the ones seen in the camps of knights are a different type. They are almost always spellcasters meant to mend wounds, cure aliments or just provide spiritual support. They aren't really powerful but knight orders tend to have a lot of these.

- Kampfzaubrer: Mages utilizing the mystic arts the "correct" way are called Zaubrers while witches/warlocks are Hexe/Hexer in centaur terminology. Kampfzaubrers are the battle mages of the Holy League, well versed in the art to support the army in battle. They can throw attack spells but more often they are seen to enhance the performance of the legion's performance via various spells. Most famously they create a "magic territory" around themselves where friendly projectiles are enhanced by some magic effect. The strength of this effect depends on the momentum of the projectile so a crossbow bolt has less boost than a cannonball. This territory is centered on the caster and moves along with them. Of course each projectile boosted strains the caster proportional to the amount of boost they get so this technique should be used sparringly but it is fairly infamous regardless. Also outside the Holy League where the Divine Sanctums don't reach the spellcasters need to carry bulky magic containers with them and even then they can only have limited use of magecraft before it depletes. Especially thanks to these battle mages the Holy League is considerably more dangerous at their "home turf" than outside of it.

- Fliegerritter: The flying knights of the Holy League. Any knight with the gift for magic could undergo further training and become a type of magic knight which specializes at flight. Centaurs can't really use flying mounts so instead they developed a spell which allows them to sprout wings and fly. Nobody knows why exactly the centaurs can fly like this. Some suspect shared ancestry with the mythical pegasi, others think the League's spells are just more refined in this aspect. Technically any centaur spellcaster can learn to fly but of course the inherent dangers involved means only the Fliegerritter are widely known for doing as such. Compared to the transformation the maintenance of the flight is relatively easy but it still requires concentration. Things get more difficult when the Fliegerritter journeys out of the range of Divine Sanctums. In this case they have to carry large mana reserves so they can only fly so far before running out. Of course as spellcasters the Fliegerritter can do other magic, mostly focused on enhancing their combat performance. In order to conserve magic these enchantments are effectively gone when fighting outside the League's borders.

- Paladin: The epitome of knighthood, the perfect holy warrior to defend Zentarism and show its fruits. Paladins often aren't born, they are made. They are product of the Zentarist Church's program of training knights. Those who prove worthy should advance further and by the time they are 25 they are already an elite magic knight who combines both might and magic. Paladins in a sense are comparable to Fliegerritter, only much more powerful. Aside from being heroic warriors who can fly the Paladin is also well-versed in the art of auras. These wide-range spells can effect entire army units to boost their performance considerably. A Paladin with aura of Fleet Footedness can erase the fatigure of the soldiers fighting with him and allow them to cross over terrain as if they are feather. Aura of Vengeance on the other hand turns an unit into holy avengers who fear nothing and strike harder than ever before. Of course with so much magic you could expect that the Paladins would run out fast when outside the Divine Sanctum. Yet they have special permission of mana consecration which means they are some of the few people in the League allowed to draw mana from the environment. While Paladins aren't as effective without Divine Sanctums they are affected the least. Paladins are rare and they only join battles worthy of their name. Yet even the presence of one such warrior can be an awe-inspiring experience.


- Springaldier: Springald is a complex torsion artillery which can produce a lot of power for its small size. Springaldiers are specialists who carry such device on their backs for transport and assemble it together for battle. They are usually a group of three but two-man groups are also possible. Springalds can launch various projectiles ranging from oversized darts to just rocks or even pots filled with burning oil.

- Onager: Compact catapult device powered by a steel spring wheel in the center propelling a vertical arm and a sling pouch filled with either rocks or various bombs/incendiaries. Compared to a Springald which shoots rather high velocity projectiles for a torsion engine the Onager is designed for lobbing large projectiles over castle walls or similar utilities. The smallest Onagers can be even carried by a single centaur and throw rocks almost as heavy as a typical Springald. Larger engines can throw up to 30lbs projectiles which is why they are still useful. While throwing stones is the cheapest and hence most popular projectile for the weapon it is more known for lobbing incendiaries and explosives on defenders. Spell-boosting Onagers is also popular.

- Steinbüchse: Also referred as Bombards these are massive guns firing huge shots of stone. They are created by bell-founders since nobody else has the means to cast over a metric ton of church-bronze into one piece. They are huge, expensive and difficult to transport. Thanks to these aspects Steinbuchse are actually the property of the Zentarist Church and knight orders only have them on lease. They are finely decorated pieces with each given a name worthy for the Church. Steinbüchse of even the cheapest kind is rarely seen on the battlefield. On the other hand they are popular for both castle defense and sieging fortifications. Once the concert of the Church's avenging bells are heard, no wall should remain in place!

- Hauffnitz: A relatively large bore yet very short barreled cannon meant to be compact yet powerful for the right purpose. They can fire stone shots but more commonly they are filled up with sharp splinters of flint, caltorps, nails or much more rarely darts to spread projectiles over a wide area. Essentially a shotgun this weapon is meant to sow discord in the enemy lines from relatively close ranges and then retreat in order to reload. Hauffnitzer can be as light as only 50kg and even with carriage they could be easily drawn by one centaur. They are very simple and cheap guns which combined with their lightness makes them fairly common on the battlefield. There's no legion in the Holy League which doesn't have about a dozen of these.

- Ballestrinne: A personal torsion weapon which can be roughly compared to crossbows yet utilize mechanisms more in common with ballistas and similar siege engines. They are rather heavy compared to crossbows which makes them almost unwieldly for humans. The draw weight and overall design of the weapon is also generally made with centaurs in mind. Ballestrinnes can quickly attach a pouch on the string in order to allow it to shoot round projectiles like sling bullets and even more. This usage of Ballestrinne is most popular at point shooting ranges where the impact is the heaviest or when they need to launch special projectiles like incendiaries or even tiny grenades.

Region History: The region of Valanor was once a collection of human tribes, chiefdoms, and warlords that fought each other even more than they fought the Orduin Empire and the Navarros before it.

During the reign of the Navarros Empire, the elves established colonies in the region (causing the local populations to make many stories about them punishing naughty children, cursing the greedy, or being wicked tricksters). While the colonies developed into sizable cities over the decades, in the year 876, the "First War of Incursion" began, along with the subsequent Navarros schism. This caused many of the colonies to be cut off from the rest of the empire, birthing a strong sense of independence; which would create rocky relations between the colonies and the empire for years to come. It was only in the year 890 that proper connections with the Navarros Empire were reestablished, but due to it being split in two and other logistical issues, the connection would be constantly on and off.



These relations only got worse during the Pinnacle War of the year 1109, which forced the colonies to turn on their human neighbors (many of which they relied upon for trade). The colonies dragged their feet and jumped through hoops to avoid out-right conflict with the local human tribes. Most of the colonies declared independence from the Navarros Empire in the middle of the war and disappeared, hiding themselves with elven magic. These colonies became the mysterious elven cities sung about in local songs.

In the year 1210, the elven cities would resurface against their will when the Pale entered their lands with the intention of recruiting the elven sub-races in the area. These woodland elves would fight beside the human barbarians in the region and later the legions of the Orduin empire against the Pale threat. They would then play a somewhat more active role in the region going forward; however many chose to return to a isolationist and secular lifestyle despite no longer having magic to hide the cities.

Up to this point, the human scene in Valanor was mostly the same. Barbarian raids were a common hazard for those who tried their luck at the frontier regions of the Orduin Empire. During the so-called era of peace in the year 1223; the empire brought something resembling stability to the region when rather than conquering and holding the region they backed 4 of the local kings and helped them to carve Valnor into 4 puppet states that were vassalized by the empire soon after. These four petty kingdoms were Saxland, Hortshire, Gathland, and Ivenhoe.

In addition the elven woodland cities, hidden or otherwise, also swore fealty to the empire; as they were still recovering from the Pale attacks. In a twist of fate the elven cities that so loved their independence had sworn away their freedom in return for safety to yet another empire.



Many within the four petty kingdoms would join the Imperial Legions to fight in battles beyond their homeland, bringing home with them the culture of the Legions and with it that of the empire.

Cultural integration exploded during the 1253-1903 era of peace. Many Emperors decided to focus more on developing the outer regions and slowly but surely the barbarian petty kingdoms were not barbarians anymore. They became some of the most active and civilized regions of the empire for a time, serving as a bridge between the capital regions and lands of the far north.

Accord History: The Valanor Accord's formation began in the year 2424 shortly after the infestation and sacking of the Imperial Capital by the bugs of what some call "The Great Swarm".



With most of the royal family, the senate, and the highest members of nobility killed, the empire was officially in a state of crisis. The various Legions across Orduin were either already destroyed or had begun their counterattack, with plans of their own.

In this time of crisis, some of the legion generals granted themselves emergency powers to try and salvage the situation. Some went off to become warlords and kings, however a small coalition of Imperial Generals remained united and played a key role in organizing a unified effort to beat back the bugs.



In the year 2425 the Valanor Accord had partaken in the push back of the Chitijian forces. To their disappointment however, rather than the empire reuniting, it began to break apart. Many would be rulers claimed to be the new "heir to the empire" while others declared full blown independence. The Accord made attempts to exercise their authority amongst the vassals of the empire, but could not even stop their fellow Imperial's from attempting to secede or seize power. This began the 200-year era of chaos in Ishtar.



The coalition of Legion Generals refused to admit defeat and returned to the Valanor region in which they controlled. They refused to relinquish their emergency powers, which persist to the modern day. The Generals organized a coalition of vassals and soldiers who were still seen as "loyalist" uniting them into a force intending to reunite the empire. This alliance, based primarily in the Valanor region was appropriately named the Valanor Accord.



After a decade of fighting, people began to question the legitimacy of the Accord's goals, especially when other powers had actual claim to the Imperial throne (little as it may be). The now formed Legionary Council decided to find the "true" heir to the empire and swear their oaths to serve them.

A man was brought in who was the bastard of the late emperor and a concubine, but claimed that the emperor had planned to set his wife aside for his mother and him. While dubious, it was enough for the Legionary council to latch onto.

The man was married to the governess of Itillia, and his line became that of the "new Imperial line" at least as far as the Accord was concerned.

During the 200 years of fighting the Accord had changed from an alliance to what was functionally a micro empire of sorts.

The ideals of the first Legionary Council have permanently altered the way the Accord developed, and while there were many cease-fires across the years, they would never last and before long the Accord was once more attempting to wrestle control of the empire from their rivals, with the capital city being their most tantalizing prize.

In the year 2617 IC, the Free Emirates of the Northern Wastes another faction that popped up after the fall of the empire, was subjugated by the forces of the Accord, and gifted to the Petty Kingdom of Ivenhoe.

In recent years, after a short hiatus; the efforts of the Accord to take the capital have doubled, in no small part thanks to Prince Nero, bastard son of the late "Emperor" and half-brother to "Emperor" Ancel. Acting as Ancel's regent, Nero has worked with the Legionary Council to reorganize and train thier forces into a competent fighting force.

However, tensions between the council and Nero have begun to grow, both sides claim the other is using the young Emperor as a puppet. At this same time, the Cult of Dumas have entrenched themselves into the lives of the court. Even the Legionary Council itself is divided. And whispers of a new threat circle in far off villages.

The Accord must ask itself if the survival of the alliance, of what they believe to be the true empire, is worth throwing away all that made it great in the first place.

On paper the Valanor Accord claims to be the continuation of the Imperial Monarchy of the late Ourdin Empire. An Imperial Monarchy with an Emperor at its head. However, in reality, things are quite different.

The Accord itself is actually a coalition of former imperial territories, with various petty kings and governors declaring their support. The bulk of this alliance comes from the 4 petty kingdoms of Gathland, Hortshire, Saxland, and Ivenhoe. At the head of this coalition is the former Imperial province of Itillia.

The governors, petty monarchies, nobility, and other such leaders who sided with the coalition maintain most day-to-day control over their regions. However, they are utterly subservient to the Legionary Council, the true ruling body of the Accord.

The Legionary Council is made up of six generals who essentially have full authority to do as they please within the Accord. The Emperor only steps in to serve as a tiebreaker if the council is fractured down the middle on an issue or strategy.

Because of the "Emergency Powers" granted to the generals, they in turn must constantly be looking for ways to expand the Accord's territory and influence, in particularly towards taking over the capital.

There is also a royal court within the Emperor's castle. These ministers and officials are responsible for managing the Accord's capital and other policy making decisions that effect the greater realm.

This includes Imperial Chancellor, the Royal Chamberlain, The Minister of Ships, the Minister of Coin, the Arch Bishop, the Master of the Hunt, the Keeper of the Imperial Seal, and the Royal Justiciar to name a few. However, anything the royal court does that may interfere or even annoy the Legionary Council can be repealed by a majority vote amongst the Generals; essentially forcing members of the royal court to try to earn the favor of various generals in order to get policy passed.

The Valanor Accord, has a unique culture that mixes the local ways (western/central Germanic cultures) with that of the late Orduin Empire. Since the empire's fall the lands united under the Accord have become deeply militarized, and national identity overhauled in a way that makes every citizen from crib to grave believe they are the true descendants of the Orduin Empire of old.

With that said there are some differences from location to location.

Itillia: The governing region of the Accord, it is paradoxically the most contested region, and the most highly populated. Itillia is a shining example of the cultural mash-up within the Accord’s lands.


Your average Accord soldier.

Elven Cities/Elves: There are three types of elves that live in Valanor.

Wood Elves: A type of elf that lives in the forest and is in touch with nature and the physical world. Very secular.



Light Elves: A term used to describe elves who dwell within their hidden cities. They are ethnically run of the mill elves, but descend from the old Navarros colonies within Valanor. Their homes are described as giant lanterns hanging from colossal trees, cliffsides, and caves. Somewhat Secular, but will make exceptions regularly.



Man-Elves: An elf who does not live a secular life, being born and raised amongst humans or at least living a similar lifestyle to that of their round ear compatriots.



The Four Petty Kingdoms.

Gathland: The heavily wooded region of the Accord. It births skilled trackers, huntsmen, and longbowmen. It is a decentralized land with powerful barons and honorable knights.



Hortshire: A land of rain, swamp, and hills. Their castles and soldiers are often decorated with a starkly gothic design, indicative of the men and women who live there. They say a knight of Hortshire never does anything just because.



Saxland: A land of mead halls and song. Of shield walls and faithful warriors. The least “advanced” of the four petty kingdoms, and yet perhaps the one with the most heart.



Ivenhoe: A land of chivalry and courtly love. A land of famine, sand, and trial. Despite the harsh environment this kingdom manages to produce the most honorable and pious of knights. The people of Ivenhoe are also masters of theological study and scholarly pursuits. Theological debate and discussion is so engraved into the culture that a full-on heretic would be treated with more respect than most non-believers.

Church of the One: a popular religion that had been around since before the Pinnacle War, however, did not reach wide-spread prominence until the era of peace brought about by Hesper's bloodline. It follows easy to understand concepts of right and wrong, which combined with its promise of forgiveness of sins has lead to wide popularity; and makes it very easy to proselytize pagan regions. They believe there is only a single god they call "The One", "One", or "He who is he, that who is that." They believe that all other gods are simply spirits of light, order, chaos, and darkness; whom while real, are not deities.

The One, chose to be born into this world years ago, making himself vulnerable to pain by taking on a physical form of a baby. He lived a human life and died a man before returning to his heavenly throne so that people may learn that no life is more valuable than another, and cannot be determined by outward success.

Holding many similarities with Zentarism, some say it is a human/elf focused branch sect that broke away years ago, while others claim it is the other way around. However scholars argue that the modern flavor of Zentarism is too recent for this to be the case. Other theologians subscribe to the idea that the pre-Pontifacia faith as well as the Church of the One may derive from and even older religion from the pre-Navarros days or beyond. Most of the core values and stories are similar. The key differences being superficial in nature, with the only noticeable ones being the role of mages in society, and the bureaucratic structure of the church.

The Church of the One is unisex in its upper clergy, with the lower ranks such as nuns and monks being more segregated. The Church is separated into three branches called houses.

⦁ The House of Prayer, led by She who speaks.

⦁ The House of Healing, led by He who tends.

⦁ The House of Arms, led by She who fights.

⦁ Above these three is He who seeks, the leader of the church.




Whenever someone from the three houses passes, the cardinals come together to vote upon a replacement. When He or She who seeks dies, they elect a candidate from among the three house leaders.

The church also has a group of sisters, called the “Sisters of Song”, nuns that either regretted/broke their vows, or otherwise wanted to take on a more proactive role in service of the church. These sisters are exempt from the laws of celibacy and serve as spies for the church. Once one completes their service to the church they are given the option to leave or continue their work. Most choose the latter.

There is also a group known as the "Toilers" which act as a male counterpart of the Sisters of Song, however unlike the sisters they do not get to keep their title, and are not considered part of the Church hierarchy.

Slavery in the Church of The One, is seen as not only an evil upon fellow souls, but a insult to the one true master The One. As all are equal under the light of The One from prince to popper, so too are the races and peoples of the world. This anti-slavery sentiment goes further when combined with the dislike of dark magics to create a dislike of necromancers, doubly so necromancers who use living souls; as it is seen as the greatest and cruelest form of slavery, baring souls form the heavens and trapping them in the mortal realm. While seemingly cut and dry the slave/undead debate has become quite nuanced amongst the Accord and even a little bit in the clergy of the Church. Still the Accord has taken on an anti-slavery stance in accordance to their majority faith.

Mages meanwhile, are expected to use their powers for good, and while they are not caged or enslaved, committing a crime with magic always yields a heftier punishment. There are also only certain kinds of magic that is considered taboo; typically, blood, dark, and other such magics that defile the source, and/or cannot be preformed without hurting another living being (even an evil one).

While there are always exceptions, most of the high clergy are made up of mages.

Cult of Dumaus: Despite the outward support and participation in the Church of the One, the Cult of Dumaus has its talons in the royal court; whispering sweet nothings and promises into the ears of the Accord's leadership. They worship an eldritch deity named Dumas from a place they call "The Abyss" and have backed their claims with dark magics and "Signs of love" that would be described as miracles if they did not come with such a terrible price.



Unchecked magic and blood rites are commonplace within the cult, who encourage hedonism and debauchery amongst its followers, while singing that madness is the apex of enlightenment. They believe the only deity worthy of worship is one who waits on its followers like a doting parent, showering them in endless love, in return for their own endless affection. They prove their love through their dark deeds, and wicked actions.



The leaders of the Accord have convinced themselves that THEY control the cult, not the other way around. However, every day more and more nobility and ministers submit to the cult's demands while the Legionary Council do nothing, out of ignorance of the cult's actions/deeds/intentions, refusal to see the true danger they present, or fear of loosing the proven and needed support of this cult in their war efforts.




The cult was brought to court by Prince Nero, who was searching for new allies to support his own efforts of not only putting his half brother on the Imperial throne, but reclaiming control of the Accord from the Legionary council. The cult's current leader is a young girl named Luci, who has gardened Emperor Ancel's ear due to their closeness in age, and a childish desire for a friend from the young ruler.

The Valanor Accord is in a constant state of war-time economy, even when they form an armistice with larger foes it is only so they can deal with internal threats or smaller factions. It is to the point of which if they ever achieved their goal and finally reformed the empire, the economy would completely collapse in on itself. Even so, while their ultimate goal is to reform the whole empire, they are not against committing to trade with other factions in the meantime.

The Valanor Accord trades in game, furs, fish (both fresh and sault water), textiles, linen, as well as agriculture; with wheat, oats, and barley as the favored crops and sheep, lamb, and goat being of particular value in the area.

Ivenhoe offers vineyards of desert wine, while Hortshire brings plants and animals from the rare swampy regions of Ishtar.

Saxland produces honey, and mead, as well as some beef cattle. Gathland, while being head of the fur and game trade in Valanor, also produce lumber from the forest which is also processed into boards useable wood.

In order to maintain the legions, local lords employ any who are willing to work. More hands are always required, with most of the young men joining one of the legions. Thus many who previously would be passed up for work find themselves with a job available.

Iron and other metals are of the highest concern. "The Fissure" (the mountain surrounded by swamp land on the map.) provides significant sums of iron, however it is only a matter of time until it runs dry. Meanwhile the Ivenhoe river's quarry provides stone for the Accord as well as buyers beyond.

The military is almost entirely under the control of the Legionary Council. While the Accord has found itself on occasion to require the aid of levies, they much prefer the discipline and training of the Accord's legions, which trace their roots to (and are a shadow of depending on who you ask) the Legions of the Orduin Empire.



Each general on the Legionary Council is given control of a single legion. However, whether these armies are large enough to be considered legitimate legions is a whole different matter. Each general is responsible for keeping their legion feed, and taken care of. Most legions are made up of trained legionnaires however in cases of larger scale campaigns, levies from the other Accord controlled lands will be raised to join the fight.

The title of knight doesn't carry over any weight within the legion. it is possible to be an anointed knight and still be a common foot soldier in the legion's forces. However, because by nature knights are pre-trained, own their own horses and equipment, and generally have more military experience than a grunt, they rise through the ranks quickly, or are transferred to a cavalier unit if they already have a horse.



There is no laws regarding what legion you can join. A soldier of Saxland can at anytime sign up with a legion that may even be ran by foreign ruler. Such as General Hexilda.

With that in mind, there are no rules about who can become a member of the Legionary Council, so long as they are a citizen of the Accord and have earned their rank. Thus, in the case of General Hexilda, the Queen of the petty kingdom of Gathland; she was able to rise through the ranks to become a General of her legion.

Of course, while technically, anyone can become a general, those born into nobility or families with a military pedigree naturally have more training and higher educations that lead to them almost always taking higher ranks within the legion.



Included in the Legions (and the subsequent forces of other Accord member states) are a variety of more specialized troops that give the Accord an edge in battle. This includes the wolf riders, a specialized cavalry unit that has origins in old elven tradition but has now expanded to humans.



Every Legion is accompanied by a group of Imperial Battle Mages, trained in the art of combat. In order to prevent their own spells from hurting their comrades the Imperial Mages must be well disciplined and be level-headed in a battlefield situation.



Thus every group of experienced Imperial Mages are accompanied by a group of novice or apprentice mages; who play only a limited role in the battle, and mostly observe their elders, draw minor incantation circles, carry fragile magic supplies, and handling low priority grunt work. Through this, the novice mages become accustomed to the battlefield and are ready to be full-fledged battle mages by the time they become official battle-mages of the Legion.



In the Imperial Capital, there is a group known as the Royal Guard, a cohort of soldiers that serve as the Emperor's personal military force. However, it is well known that the loyalties of the Royal Guard are not something to be assumed. While many would die for the Emperor, many more obey the will of the Legionary Council.


There have also been whispers of strange and unnatural creatures taking form in the darkest dungeons of the Accord's capital. Could there be a military application to these beast of despair?

The Imperial Navy, is a decently sized maritime institution that is technically outside of the control of the Legionary Council. The Minister of Ships, is supposed to be the authority; however he is more of a bureaucrat that rarely leaves the Imperial court.

In practice most of the navy is watch over by the Master Admiral, along with the two Fleet Admirals. However, despite having no legal control over the navy, the Legionary Council has great influence on who rises through the ranks, and have no calms about getting the Minister of Ships to remove any who cause problems from their positions.

The Imperial Navy is funded and manned as a joint collaboration of all Accord members (much like the Legions). Some Accord kingdoms such as Saxland and Gathland own and maintain personal navies loyal to their lords and homelands, however they are small and pose no threat to the Imperial Navy.

Even the elven communities within the Accord provide some man-power or ships to the Imperial Navy, with some of the fastest ships being from the elven cities on the coast.



The navy itself is made up of two fleets, both commanded by a Fleet Admiral. These fleets are further separated into two sub-fleets, with both preforming a different objective.

The first sub-fleet is made up of warships and galleys, meant for fighting and sinking enemy ships, as well as launching bombardments against the coast. In addition most of these ships have a sizable numbers of warriors to serve as boarding parties or raiding bands against coastal targets.





The other sub-fleet is primarily focused around the transportation of troops, utilizing a variety of boat and ship types, big and small.




Saxland has offered much of its boat building expertise, providing many long boats that can carry a substantial amount of men great distances in short amounts of time; and can easily be used in rivers, lakes, and can even be picked up and carried on foot by legion soldiers.



Conversely the Imperial Navy also has access to large ships that, while slow, can carry a great number of troops, supplies, and resources to any destination along the coast.

There are a variety of private organizations within Valanor, most of them under the label of an "Order" of some kind. Separating themselves from the scientific and monastic orders are the militant knightly orders. There are many knightly orders; most being holy orders of some kind. Amongst these holy orders some have stronger connections to the Church of the One than others.

The Truelight Order: Is a knightly order based in Ivenhoe and the surrounding region. It has heavy connections with the Church of the One. They were once a more monastic order, however over the years they have become more militarized; which has changed the core tenets in various areas. The order believes that they must defend the Church of the One from outside threats, and must be the sheep-dogs of the faithful. It was once frowned upon for knights to have children or take on lovers, and while marriage itself is still not allowed, getting caught in a night of passion is no longer enough to get you removed from the order, in fact bastards are likely to be taken in and trained in the order's ways. The order was also once separated into two houses by gender, but this also has been phased out as the order has become less concerned with any duties other than getting boots on the ground, and occupying cities and regions of East Valanor.


The Order of Saint Justinian: Led by the Imperial Justicar Lady Zamoria, while technically a holy order of sorts, it holds a thin connection to the Church of the One, held only by its name and its willingness to work with other orders and the House of Arms. While other orders have a wide range of tasks and jobs, the Order of Saint Justinian focuses only on upholding a chaotic sense of "Justice" with the tracking, killing, and punishment of criminals being the Order's obsession.


The order believes that a heavy hand must be used to punish the wicked and scare the weak willed. Their code of absolute justice takes them all over the Valanor Accord and beyond, striking down lowly bandit and corrupt nobleman alike. Nobody is truly safe from the order's gaze. While the order has on occasion allowed a criminal to go free or didn't go after a noble of clergy member abusing their authority; it was only so that they may track down more criminals, collect evidence (or what little they need to act on), or otherwise position themselves to make their attempts at passing judgment go more smoothly.

They are mostly a nomadic order that travels often seeking new criminals to punish, although they do have a base at Castle Voldwen, a castle on the Ivenhoe-Hortshire border that belongs to Lady Zamoria and her family. Their members are said to ordain themselves in golden armor (although it usually little more than a dye).


The Dark Legion: A group founded by former imperial legionaries who were either disgraced, dishonored, or where removed from, resigned from, or failed to enter the Orduin Empire Legions. It took serious form a year or so before the fall of the Orduin Empire, and used the fall and the subsequent chaos to build up its power base. Serving as a mercenary band of sorts they fought in many battles, although the money was always a secondary concern; and many times they would fight with no reason at all.

They took over and renovated "The Eye" an old Imperial Fortress in the far northern regions, outside of Accord territory, as they continued to absorb many who fell or left the legion into their ranks. Eventually they began recruiting barbarians, bandits, elves, vaala, beastmen, and any others who could pass their tests.

They have no connection to the Church of the One in any form, and don't seem to hold any real doctrine beyond baptism by fire, love of war, and a desire to reform their own version the Orduin Empire into their ideal vision (A Orduin Empire large enough to influence the politics of other nations, but just enough so that other superpower nations can continuously rise up to fight them.)

The current leader of the Dark Legion has made increasing attempts to involve the order in politics, increasing its standing to be on par with that of similar knightly orders, if not out of respect, out of fear.

Long ago the northern beastmen began the formation of a great host to march southward. Sharing these frigid lands with the beasts were various tribes, clans, and chiefdoms populated with hardy human-folk. Throughout the years, since the time of even the first incursion; the wild-men of the far north would formulate an alliance to fight off the beastmen threat, failing utterly most of the time; but by banning together they were never wiped out completely. However, they were slowly but surely pushed out of the northern lands with every defeat sending them further south.

In 1901 the beastmen began another great incursion southward. The men of the north followed suit and formed their usual alliance, at this point they had already established a vast history of allying together, acting as a sort of proto-confederation of sorts. However, it would take one final push to bring them together in an official capacity.

This was the greatest horde yet, and it was the final push. Fighting went on for two long years, during which countless chiefdoms, clans, and tribes were wiped out completely; their tales lost to the whimpers of time. The northmen had no choice but to flee all the way south to the lands of Ishtar.

In 1903, the beastmen descended onto the Orduin Empire, and the rest of Ishtar from the north. Before the horde’s arrival, imperial scouts also had reports of a large nomadic warband making their way across the Empire’s northern border. The arrival of the beastmen quickly overshadowed these concerns.

The barbarians were at this point little more than glorified refugees, they spent the next 10 years wandering northern Ishtar, raiding, farming, and the odd mercenary work as they roamed the hills, earning themselves the name “The Tribes of the Roaming Hills”.



While this was happening, peasants, noblemen, and soldiers alike felt threatened by this large force of what was essentially the entire population of a displaced region dropped smack dab in the middle of Imperial territory. Many hostilities had already transpired, and the people of the Roaming Hills were dying of starvation and illness rather than the way of blades; yet not fast enough for them to be a problem that could be ignored.

In the year 1913, a deal was struck between the Emperor and the chieftains of the Roaming Hills. Knowing of their experience fighting the beastmen, he gifted them the regions on the Empire’s northern most boarder. The very region under the most threat by the beastmen. Most of the farmers and tribes local to the region had either fled, were killed by beastmen warriors, or were so few in number they were simply absorbed into the Roaming Hills community.

As part of the deal, the warriors of the Roaming Hills pledged themselves to the Orduin Empire, serving as auxiliares in the Imperial Legion. And playing a crucial role in the defense of the northern border, in which they would lose, retake, and lose again in a seemingly endless bloody conflict that lasted for almost 200 years.

Throughout these years of service, many attempts had been made to “uplift” the people of the Roaming Hills, however the constant assaults by the beastmen left few chances to build anything long lasting. Even so other tribes and pockets of those considered “uncivilized” company began making their way towards the roaming hills in search of promised free land, including elven-folk who had lost their homes to political strife and warfare long ago, or otherwise belonged to a more savage elven communes which struggled to conduct themselves in polite society.

Whatever the case, whenever civilization began to properly take root, a beastman assault would occur and subsequently set back all progress that had been made. The people of the Roaming-Hills began focusing harder on small nomadic communities and clans that could easily flee from beastmen attacks and return after they left. Many within the Roaming-Hills began resenting their Imperial overlords, feeling that they were being used as a sacrificial bufferzone to hold off beastmen attacks, among other disputes, such as perceived weakness of the Empire’s people. For now this resentment was held in check.

In the year 2103, General Keppin of the Imperial Legion began to gather up his force of five legions. One of the first groups approached were the tribes of the Roaming Hills, at this point well known for their endless feud with the beastmen.



The barbarians played a key role in the legion’s strategies serving as vanguard or shock-trooper units. With many of the chieftains and famous warriors laying down their lives in the subsequent battles against the northern horde.

This came to a head in the year 2107 when General Keppin lead his forces into beastmen territory, the original home of the roaming hills people. They managed to finally obtain victory over their ancient foe. However most of the Roaming-Hills warriors were part of the 2 lost legions, leading to huge portions of the adult population being wiped out. Those warriors who returned festered in them a reinvigorated resentment of their Imperial masters.

Some thought the tribes would return north, but after years of living in Imperial territory as well as the addition of new southern-blood kin, they no longer associated the northern lands as anything but an ancient home of ancestors from so long ago that they held little in common.

It was now the year 2108 and for a time there was some matter of peace. This is considered the cultural renaissance of the Roaming-Hills, as they told stories of their exploits during the beastmen wars and ages past.

It was at this time that many of the tribes as they are known today established themselves amongst their peers. The barbarians continued to join the Imperial Legions and pay tributes to the regional governors of the empire. This would be the most traditionally civilized the tribes would become, with some considering this the golden age of the Roaming Hills, while others felt it was an era of humiliation and degradation as the culture of the empire began eating away at old traditions, many tribes began turning on each other in small scale conflicts and the people of the Roaming Hills were no longer considered as the great warriors of days past but just another backwater people who could barely pay taxes and supply crops to their intellectual betters.

Hostilities with Orduin citizens, farmers, and nobility began to crop up more and more causing the anti-empire sentiment to spread. In addition the farmland in the northern region was ruff and difficult to tend. Hunting and fishing were also very limited, and the mines were already owned by others loyal to the empire. Still, at this time the tribes were able to enjoy some years of autonomy that was highly valued by the people.



In the year 2243 hostility between the roaming hills and Imperial Governor Asterhall, the man who presided over that portion of the frontier region erupted. Clan Breakbone, a large clan which hailed from one of the greater tribes broke away and began raiding southward, pillaging a number of farmsteads, homes, and small villages; calling like minded men and women to their cause as they went. They even ended up recruiting a large group of desert bandits from the Petty Kingdom of Ivenhoe, along with members of the Dancing Blades, a militant group of elven extremists who felt their kind were oppressed by the humans of the empire.

Having increased their numbers, clan Breakbone and their followers, split into two forces. One was sent to seize the mines, the economic heart of the region. The other made their way to the local governor’s villa, hoping to capture him and his family; along with any other important officials at the time.

The governor was warned ahead of time by informats within the tribes. He ended up abandoning the mines, calling all his troops to defend his villa. Using his forces strategically he managed to lure all the attacking forces into the villa before laying siege to his own home, trapping the attackers inside and wiping nearly all of them out. Any captured alive were executed publicly within the next few days.



He then reached out to his son, a prominent member of the Imperial Legion at the time, who arrived with a sizable force. Together they retook the mines, killing and capturing any of the remaining ring leaders. However it is said that remnants of the Breakbone rebellion survived and would reorganize in secret.



By the year 2244, the governor, rather than attempt to ease hostilities, held the entirety of the Roaming-Hills responsible for the insurrection (never mind the fact that many of his own soldiers who fought against the rebels were auxiliares from the region). He began passing policy that stripped away the autonomy of the Roaming-Hills, slowly but surely putting them under his thumb; while instituting schools of “cultural thought” a type of mandatory boarding school that youths would have to live full time, particularly younger children who didn’t have to help with farm work. These schools were presented as free education for the children of the tribes but were actually glorified prisons whose only real purpose was filling the youth’s heads with propaganda and hatred for their own people.

In the year 2248 the tribes of the roaming hills; who for years already served as a type of proto-confederation, tightened their bonds by forming a proper and legally organized moot (rather than the off the record ones they had held for years). They formulated a council of chiefs and shamans, pushing back politically against the governor.

Even within the halls of the imperial court they had supporters. With imperial officials coming out to speak and advise this council on their political endeavors. Clergymen from all the major faiths in the empire also lent their support, with local priests and abbots belonging to converted tribes even getting seats on the council.



They were able to fight back against the governor’s top-down policies, repurposed the schools of “cultural thought” for actual education (something that even many imperial villages didn’t have), and organize their own militias, rather than be at the mercy of the governors forces.

In the year 2260 the situation took a major downturn. Back at the Imperial court, the party in which Governor Asterhall belonged to had outmaneuvered their opposition; granting increased authority to the centralized government and overruling countless local government policies that the Roaming-Hills relied on to maintain their independence. Undoing years of work.

The tribes declared that they would actively and knowingly disregard the policies passed by the senate and the regional governor; claiming they showed obvious favoritism towards the more highly populated and Imperialized parts of the empire.

In response Governor Asterhall, now an old-man, led his forces into the tribal regions with the intent of arresting the council and enforcing their laws upon the people. The council of chiefs and shaman convinced themselves to make one last attempt at a peaceful resolution; however this did not prevent most of the chiefs from preparing their warriors for war.

A delegation made up of the most diplomatic of the chieftains, shaman, clergy, and what few imperial officials still stuck their necks out for the tribes, met the governor’s forces halfway. Negotiations began going south quickly, with the only form of compromise the governor offered being a different form of surrender. He then attempted to have the entire delegation arrested, but was betrayed by his own soldiers. Many in the governor's forces were auxiliaries from the roaming-hills and while they stood aside before, all it took was a handful of soldiers refusing to cause mass defection within his ranks.



However, not all the soldiers were from the roaming-hills and even amongst those who were there were many who chose to stay loyal to Governor Asterhall. A battle erupted and many of the peace delegation were killed, along with Governor Asterhall himself, stabbed to death by a mysterious elven girl disguised as a servant. Later it would become known that this girl was a descendent of the Breakbone Rebellion remnants, who combined with the Dancing Blades, as well as the Ivenhoe bandits and other sympathizers who joined them years prior to form the new Clan Breakblade.



After the carnage was over, the survivors of both sides of the mutiny retreated back to their respective sides. For the tribes it was a sign that the matter would not be solved peacefully. For many Imperials it was confirmation that the roaming-hills was a threat to the Orduin Empire. But both sides understood that conflict was inevitable.

Near the end of the year, the tribes declared that until power was returned to the hands of local leaders they would be declaring their independence from the regional government (and by extension the Orduin Empire.) The Council of Chiefs and Shaman was reorganized into the great tribal confederation of the Roaming-Hills, and the Tribes of the Roaming Hills became an official power in the land.



In the years 2261-2270 the region entered a time of conflict, later known as the Roaming Hills secession crisis. One by one the more moderate members of the confederation died in battle, and more extreme clans such as Clan Breakblade (who had rejoined the Roaming Hills shortly after the war began) began holding more and more influence amongst the people.

The semblance of civilization that had formed during the “Golden Age'' quickly melted away, and as the tribes got more desperate their tactics became more gruesome. The title of regional governor became a rotating door of assassination, with even the late governor Asterhall’s son (who had aided in ending the Breakbone rebellion) finding himself ambushed and killed while on his way to the capital to request aid from his old legion.

Both sides committed untold atrocities, and rather than the conflict causing them to grow adverse to warfare, it made them commit to win even more. Some of the Imperials burned down churches and temples filled with people. Some of the Roaming-Hills turned to the dark blood-magic of the old ways; sacrificing the elderly, and the crippled for power; while raiding and ravishing innocent imperial farmers and citizens across the land.



In the year 2270, an organized, and well supplied Legion was dispatched to finally bring an end to the conflict. The already battered and fatigued Roaming-Hills tribesmen could do little against the fresh forces of the Imperial Legion.



As one by one tribes were eliminated by the Empire’s might the chieftains of the tribes found themselves split into two opinions. One side wished to stand and fight, believing that they could easily beat those they perceived as weak cowards, or at the very least felt an honorable death was better than retreat or surrender.

The other group decided that the only way for the confederation to survive was for them to flee. To return to the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors, and create a new life on the road. In the end the confederation broke into two, and while those who stayed behind (whatever their intentions) were almost completely wiped out, it was their sacrifice that allowed for the other half to flee the lands, heading far into the west towards open land.

The time had come for the Tribes of the Roaming-Hills to roam once more.

From the year 2271-2299 the tribes of the Roaming-Hills became a nomadic people that wandered from place to place. The combined stresses of war, desperation, and a declining population (both from deaths as well as defections) drove the tribes to follow the old ways of strength and plunder. They began raiding villages in the north western region, slowly mastering the art of raiding, extortion, and the life of a truly nomadic warrior culture.



By the year 2300 they had come into their own and moved southward, becoming adventurers, mercenaries, and were paid a “protection” tribute by any who feared them, including nobility. Those who were unwilling or unable to pay such tributes would often find themselves set upon as the next target for raiding.



While they were nomadic and some owned horses they were not exactly horse-fairing people, which caused them to move slower across Ishtar than similar cultures may have. They relied heavily on specialized and honored scouts who would be almost always on the move, to keep them informed about troop movements, and the goings on throughout the land; political or otherwise.

By the year 2400 the Tribes of the Roaming Hills were a well known warband of marauders, mercenaries, and savages who reveled in combat, pillaging, and indulgent festivities. They involved themselves in countless minor conflicts across Ishtar, coming to the aid of sides that were almost guaranteed to lose, changing the political makeup of everyplace they left on the whims of the chief-moot.



They thought nothing of what became of the places they left behind, only concerning themselves with the next big payout, battle, or feast. By now countless like minded people across Ishtar joined up with them, including bandits, deserters, mercenaries without work or a company, and other undesirables who needed a place to go. These people, camp followers and fellow warriors alike were labeled clanless, and did not have the same legal protection within the confederation as those belonging to a clan did.

In the year 2423, the bug invasion of the “Great Swarm” began. The Roaming-Hill Tribes were south at the time, laying siege to the castle of Gunger; home of a southern lord who had made powerful enemies in the Imperial Court. These enemies offered the Roaming-Hills a generous amount to make the lord of Gunger’s life a living hell. They were five days into the siege, and both sides were caught completely off-guard when an endless swarm of bug-like creatures they had never seen before came crawling from the rear of the Roaming Hill forces.



The warriors of the tribe immediately began attacking the bug creatures, leading to a three way fight that ended with the castle getting taken by the bugs, and many of the Roaming Hill warriors being slain in battle.

As a nomadic people with no castle to retreat to, the rest of the barbarians who were camped nearby (children, elderly, slaves, injured, and other non-warriors) were seen as soldiers who had refused to retreat to their nest by the swarm, and were set upon.

Those who fought were killed, those who fled, hid, or begged were captured and divvied out to fates unknown.

This day would go down as the “Tragedy of Gunger” and it was only the beginning. For the first time in years, since the initial end of the Secession Crisis of 2270, the people of the Roaming-Hills were once again forced to flee.



For days as the Roaming-Hills fled their population was slowly picked off, killed or captured by the forces of the swarm.

By the time all was said and done in the year 2424 when the Orduin Empire finally fell, the Roaming-Hills had lost nearly half of their population.

Things were looking bad, but the moot came together and by the time the united counter attack began in the year 2425, the tribes of the Roaming-Hills had already began their fight, killing scores of bugs before the counter attack had even officially begun.

The Tribes of the Roaming Hills kept up the onslaught against the bugs until the year 2430. Having their fill of vengeance and becoming concerned about the growing changes to Ishtar’s political structure they set out to find new lands to raid and battles to fight.

From 2431-2621 the Roaming Hill tribes had gotten involved in countless battles and wars within the various developing nations. They enjoyed many victories, offering their services to any who could pay for them, and raiding any who could not; sometimes both.

In the year 2622, the Roaming Hill Tribes were contacted by members of the Duchy of East Orduin, an alliance of nobility who descended from members of the former Imperial Senate, and other noble families of the old empire. The so called ArchDuke of the alliance was one of many who claimed to have royal blood in his veins, and he might have been right.

The Duchy of East Orduin was locked in a constant brutal struggle with the forces of the Valanor Accord to the north as well as border hostilities with the Great Shi in the south. They had rich, fertile lands, access to one of the great lakes of Ishtar, and were seated within the halls of the former Imperial Capital, giving them the most legitimacy to any who cared for such matters; along with the infrastructure of a colossus city in which many raw materials could be produced into various goods. However, while the Duchy did have some decently trained soldiers who fancied themselves legionnaires, along with a sizable pool of levies to draw from; it mostly relied on mercenaries. They hired folk from every corner of Ishtar, even the beetles from the bug lands of the far south.

With a major company of mercenaries abandoning their contract after suffering heavy losses, the Duchy required a force to make up the difference and then some. Many knew of the Free-Roamers and their reputation; thus a messenger was dispatched, inviting the barbarians to the capital.

Unfortunately for the ArchDuke, he had not predicted the nature of newly proclaimed High Chief Ralof, who had much greater aspirations than being a lowly Warlord for hire. The former Imperial Capital would be pillaged for a second time since the age of chaos began.

The people of the Roaming-Hills live a hard life, where you are just as likely to die by the hands of a fellow barbarian than an enemy blade. Throughout their history, the more people described them as barbarians the more they felt inclined to live the greatest personification of the barbarian life that they could muster. Sex, violence, slavery, kidnapping, and even death (so long as it only happens to the right people) are treated casually by the men and women of the tribes. Of course with everything there are exceptions that only become noticeable at a later time.



Clan Affiliation: All legitimate members of the Roaming Hill Tribes belong to a subset of people called a clan. Those who did not belong to a clan or were kicked out of their clan are labeled clanless, and while a clanless person may be allowed to follow the tribes on their escapades and fight beside them in battle, they do not hold the same legal protection, nor rights, as a full-fledged clan member.

There are three ways to be accepted into a clan.
Most people are born into the clan they belong to with little fan-fair.
Others end up marrying in; as the clanless spouse (not to be confused with concubine or slave) take on the clan name of whichever belongs to a clan (male or female). In cases where both spouses belong to a clan the more prestigious clan will usually win out, although it is technically left up to the choice of the bride and groom.
Lastly it is possible for the clan leader to declare their patronage, or for patronage to be requested by any clanless person warrior or no. There is no legal binding preventing someone from inviting a clanless into their clan (however that does not mean there are no consequences in practice).

The Faith of the One has found their influence slowly growing amongst member tribes of the coalition.

Similar to the faith of the Church of the One, Zentarism has surprisingly taken roots within a small subset of clans and tribes.

While many aspects of these nomadic people’s culture have not survived the hardships of time, this ancient way of life has persisted. Rooted in old wisdom, it’s followers look upon the natural world for strength, wisdom, and guidance, even so there are two distinct ways in which practice of this ancient religion will manifest.



The way of Solas: This is the path of being intune with nature, honoring one's ancestors and respecting the land which keeps one fed. Followers of this path will often be seen engaging in forms of meditation, spirit dancing, and even the occasional pilgrimage out into the remote wilderness.

The way of Dorcha: This is the path of paying tribute to the earth, often in blood. Followers of this path are no strangers to blood offerings, ritualistic dismemberment, self mutilation, and if rumors are to be believed... witchcraft.

The Tribes of the Roaming Hills are lead by the High-Chief, who is often selected from among the Chieftains present at a Chief-moot. While the High-Chief holds the power to command the forces of the Roaming Hills and dictate their collective military actions, raiding, and foreign activities, a great deal of domestic law is still handled on a tribe by tribe basis… at least for now.

As things stand the Roaming Hills are currently being led by High-Chief Ralof of the Shiverbone tribe who has taken up residence in the newly conquered capital city.

The Tribes of the Roaming Hills, makes a good portion of their income from raiding and pillaging.

That being said, there are many among them and those they conquer who are proficient farmers, craftsmen, and traders.

On top of the barbarians who currently run the region, former imperial citizens living in and around the capital contribute to the economy of this young power. This includes the sprawling Imperial capital, which holds countless shops and businesses that provide the infrastructure to take raw materials and make processed goods.

With all these factors in mind the land produces wheat, oats, barley, wine from old Imperial vineyards, livestock such as pigs and chickens, game, leather, pottery, lumber, both salt and freshwater fish from the lake and sea respectively, textiles, processed wood and boards, along with a variety of luxury goods such as silks, dyes, fine clothes, jewelry, embroidery, tapestry, leather work, and some metal work.

The barbarians of the Roaming Hills have a very simplistic style of military organization. Each chieftain commands their own force, and the High Chief commands the chieftains, (along with his or her own tribe of course).

Likewise the clan leaders serve as sub-commanders to the chieftains, although there is more wiggle room in this regard.

These characters will be added in as they make appearances within the RP section.

Kerkians
Kerkians are a race of humanoids which highly resemble humans in many ways, being around the same height, lifespan, and shape of human beings but with some small physical differences. Kerks tend to be entirely light-olive skinned, Kerks have sunken in eyes and large noses. Kerks differ in major ways from humans in other ways, their most known features being the fact they breed in litters of children at a time, and are fiercely aggressive. Kerks are known to be unbreakable in their pursuits and violent swings of rage, often lacking in self preservation. Instead, most kerks act for the good of a group or family, and will give their own lives to save friends and family, making them by nature deeply loyal as much as vengeful. Kerks also are partly immune to disease, in which they will regurgitate diseases from their bodies by vomiting, as their bodies aggressively expunge any foreign element from their bodies. This also applies to medicine, making Kerks capable of both surviving diseases that would kill any normal person but also being near impossible to heal from diseases which affect them.

There are 3 major Kerkian cultures on Caslan; The Coladdic, Geuderian, and Landarric. Coladdic Kerks come from the original tribe of kerks who convinced their people to cross the sea to Caslan, a deeply religious and conservative clan which looks down on the others kerks as inferior. The Geuderians are a rival clan to the Coladdic which settles the north side of the isle, a clan known for its political and warrior traditions and have a deep feud with the Coladdic. The Landarric are Kerks which settled the southern isle, primarily a culture which infused itself with trade and separated itself from the feuding clans, and often intermingled with other cultures.

Okan
Okan are a Beastfolk who are native to Caslan, a mustelid race which resemble river otters. Standing around 5-6 ft tall on average, they have large tails which helps them balance when swimming, and their fur colors usually range between light grey to dark brown. Okan are natural born swimmers, although they must be taught to do so and can ‘glide’ in the water itself. Okan fur is very dense, allowing them to swim the cold waters of their homeland with little difficulty. Okan are by their nature very social and familial creatures who aggressively defend their families and homes, but are also outwardly friendly and curious.

• Ulkad - Oldest known Okan culture which primarily lives in the north-west of Caslan, the Ulkad are deeply conservative and spiritual people who view themselves as the original Okan culture, and look down on other Okan for not keeping to their old ways.
• Norad - A north-east Okan culture which lives entirely on the coast and sea. The Norad are semi-nomadic hunters, known for their autonomy and very loose clans. Norad are deeply conservative, but in their own way, and are deeply distrustful of outsiders.
• Midad - A central culture of Okan who fled into the highlands and southern mountain rivers. The Midad are fiercely independent, and are also very isolationist and generally do not like other Okan intruding on their customs and territory. While their attitudes generally come off as xenophobic, most prefer to be left alone.
• Soukad - Southern most Okan whose culture is based primarily on their naval craft and trading with other Okan, which evolved into a general mercantile culture. Soukad revolves around sailing and trade.
• Tannad - A western Okan culture closely related to both the Soukad and Ulkad. Tannad are coastal people, who are deeply religious but also infused with their craftsmanship and trade, being considered industrious.

Beurians
Beurians are a large ursine Beastfolk race native to Caslan, who resemble a mix between bears and wolverines. With short tails, normally hunched backs, large arms and short legs, Beurians are a slow but very strong people. Beurians stand around 7-8 feet tall on average, their size often matches their absurd strength, easily being able to rip limbs from their enemies. Beurians are normally nomadic by nature, and are fiercely solitary and territorial. Beurians tend to have a wide range of fur colors of brown, black, white, and gray.

Beurians would often claim their different clans represent their differing cultures, although this is not true. Most Beurian clans have the same customs, their feuds and traditions are entirely clan based rather than cultural. The biggest divide in culture is between the clans which continue their nomadic lifestyle and those who ended up being forced into being settled as slave laborers of the Kerks, who adopted the Kerkian lifestyles.

Minorities

• Havaki (Elven) - The Havaki are an high elven culture which fled to Caslan and settled and attempted to invade through the north. Although they failed, the Havaki were ultimately allowed to settle and become a powerful minority in northern Caslan and are deeply rooted in Kerkian culture, although most have kept some parts of their old customs.
• Umperai (Human) - A southern human culture which descends from the Orduin empire, a once mainland human culture which moved into Southern Caslan as refugees and adopted their own culture and customs. While very separate from the Kerks, they are a small and influential minority whose customs, beliefs, and expertise have mixed into southern Caslan over its many years
• Lun’Kerk - Lun’Kerks are half-breeds between humans and elves with the kerks themselves. Lun’Kerks tend to share most of the traits of humans and elves, with some small but key differences. Lun’kerks generally share partial physical features such as partly sunken in eyes, have violent mood swings, and generally have some strong resistance to diseases. Lun’kerk lineage is considerably strange, as eventually Lun’kerks will eventually phase out the more they marry into non-kerk bloodlines, but do not become more Kerkian the more they marry into Kerkian families. While tolerated by non-Kerks, Kerkian view Lun’Kerks as abominations and deeply distrust them.

The Lost Era (0-777)
Not much is known of the Beastfolk, let alone of the histories which proceed the first united kingdoms and tribes of Caslan. What is known is that the first kingdoms of Caslan were normally peaceful Okan kingdoms in coastal mottes and baileys, living in small earthwork settlements, with the Beurians living the middle hills and inland forests and semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers. The Okan, presumably more civilized, built the first lasting kingdoms, and discovered or traded along weak trade routes. The island was undeveloped and had its own religion, institutions, and generally was regarded with disinterest due to having supposedly few if any resources worth developing.

Beurian Kingdom (778-910)
In 778, a powerful Beurian warchief named Gasglof the Black had united the Beurian tribes into a singular entity through marriage, displays of strength, and blackmail. Gasglof, who had been envious of the Okan coastal settlements, their metal working, and their wealth decided to invade. In the 30 year long war, Gasglof achieved many victories and subjected the Okan kingdoms into a singular tribal kingdom under his rule. Rather than simply taking over the settlements, Gasglof and his descendents had their people learn metalworking for themselves and acted as a guard force in which the Okan kingdoms paid tribute to. The system eventually began to fall apart due to a lack of threats to the isle, resulting in severe corruption and discontentment, and that Gasglof ultimately failed to build his own capital settlement and have his people settle down.

Okan Sessessions (911-988)
Starting in 911, the Okan city of Astar revolted in a general rebellion against the Beurian kingdom. Although greatly outmatched and outnumbered, the Astaran Okan were able to bog down their enemies in ambushes, using a mixture of magic of hydromancery to their great advantage. The Okan king and legendary lord Ostof the Bog King of Astar defeated the Beurian forces and earned his kingdom’s independence. Okan city states across Caslan soon followed suit, with the last kingdom falling from Beurian control in 978. Although the war was a success to the Okan, the personal feud between Okan and Beurians during the war grew significantly and would come to haunt them in the next crises which soon followed.

The Kerkian Exodus (989-1023)
In 989, the Kerks came across the sea and began landing in Caslan under King Diov Geuder. Where the Kerks came from is unknown, but they landed on the eastern shores and came in droves, likely as refugees. The Kerks began settling the east, and came into contact with the Okan who tried to drive them from their lands. The Kerks fought back with brutality, enslaving the survivors, and took over the kingdom with superior weaponry, magic, and tactical skill. The Kerks were soon joined by their ancient priesthood, in which Diov Geuder bowed on the docks of his new conquered fiefdom to the lich Mel Coldfinger, who had brought the Coldfinger priesthood with him. The Coldfinger clan and its priesthood took the reigns of Diov’s warlord state and settled the eastern lands, with Mel establishing a temporary state for which he was sole ruler, much to Diov’s annoyance. Mel spent much of the years fighting back counter invasions and helping to settle the Kerks who were arriving on shores, the last ships not arriving till 1023.

Caslan Delenda Est (1024-1066)
Mel and Diov were both ambitious and skilled warlords in their own right, but they were faced with a huge and dangerous coalition of Okan states who wished to see them gone. Mel Coldfinger went to the Beurian tribes, using his magic to charm their leaders into serving the Kerks and used his legendary charisma to reignite the tribes’ hatred of the Okan. The Kerks then launched a campaign whose sole purpose was to utterly destroy the Okan kingdoms, giving them only the choice of surrender or utter destruction. While at first ignoring such threats, the combined Kerkian forces, Mel’s magic, and Beurian allies soon began to gobble up Okan cities one by one. True to their word, the Kerks butchered these cities, only sparing a fraction of survivors as slaves to serve as examples. The Okan were eventually defeated during the Battle of Faltzak, where the entire coalition army was ambushed by Diov and some Beurian tribes and were decimated. Mel’s cruelty was legendary, having the survivors charmed in front of a horrified coalition stronghold and had them walk off cliffs until the city surrendered. The last Okan city would not surrender till 1066.

Founding of the Kycer (1067)
The war for Caslan was brutal and costly, but the Kerkian victory came with both boons and problems alike. While Diov expected to be made a king of the Kerks for his efforts, he was instead shocked and horrified when Mel Coldfinger and his priest re-established the ancient Kerkian theocratic republic known as the Kycer. Diov threatened civil war, but was approached by the priesthood with an offer to give him a powerful role in the new Kycer as a founder of its new institutions. Diov and Mel gathered the priesthood in Astar, where they laid the foundations of this new Kerkian society, the rules of their senate, the rituals of their religion, and the fate of the Beastfolk thralls beneath them. The first elections were held that year, which surprised their new subjects when both free and slave were allowed to vote in the new priesthood. The Kycer’s founding celebrations lasted for over a month, with the Kerks settling down in their new home.

The Cold Age (1068-1109)
The years after and Kycer’s founding and before the coming of the elves was known as the Cold Age, which was marked by years of unrest in Caslan as well as the shaky foundations of the Kycer. The Kerks spent much of the age putting down Okan rebellions and taming the Beurians, forcing them into their society with increasing cruelty and ruthlessness. Mel and his cadre of priests stayed on the island in these years, primarily converting the natives to their faith and overseeing the construction of the first Tomb Cities. This misery of the Beastfolk ended rather suddenly and prematurely, as the Kerks began to slowly return to their spiteful feuds towards one another rather then spend their time putting the Beastfolk down, with many of the Beastfolk often taking different sides for their own survival and to return to their old social positions in some capacity. By 1109, the Kerks were permanently settled in, and spread across the entire isle.

The Elven Raids (1110-1134)
Starting in 1110, a group of elven raiders from Navarros had discovered the isle during the midst of the Pinnacle War, under the direction of an elven chieftain named Gazhain. Gazhain and his raiders had come to loot the island for the war effort, and to bring back slaves to enrich himself and his family. However, what he found on the isle surprised him, as the Kerks soon found themselves fighting the elves, and miserably failing against them. While unable to enslave the Kerks, Gazhain and his raiders were finding stashes of arcane knowledge, tomes of magic, and a lot more loot then the sea raider expected to find. The elves returned seasonally from there on, brutally raiding the island and its western settlements which only intensified in 1130 when the elves soon began threatening larger settlements and walled towns.

The Elven Invasion (1135-1172)
Gazhain and his son Dezhain had become influential enough to earn a major mission from their overlords, who wished to send them out to conquer the neutral territory of Caslan during the midst of the war to establish a naval outpost and port. Gazhain gathered a large number of mercenaries, sea raiders, and his entire tribe to this mission and set off for the campaign. When the elves arrived, they expected an easy fight against the scattered Kerkian forces, and were soon laying siege to most western settlements on Caslan’s coast. However, the sieges stalled due to the Kerks refusal of surrender, which gave time for Mel Coldfinger and the other Zupans to gather a large enough force to fight Gazhain and his armies. The long and drawn out conflict often resulted in Gazhain’s own tactical skills, as well as him avoiding the lich as much as he could, causing untold destruction to the isle with elven and kerk magic. The war would not reach its conclusion until 1173.

Battle of Light and Shadow (1173)
During the siege of Kel Dargath, the elves were able to capture the settlement but were held down by a Kerkian army. Gazhain was trapped in the settlement, but his son Dezhain was out in the field and was returning to relieve the siege. However, on the way the elven warrior spotted Mel Coldfinger’s smaller army, and it was decided to end the conflict in a risky ambush to slay the lich. Dezhain and his elite force ambushed the lich and his guards on the coast, and was quickly slaughtering Mel’s guards. Mel used his magic to freeze a part of the coastal waters and retreated onto the ice itself, in which Dezhain and his soldiers followed. Dezhain and Mel duelled on the ice for hours, but the Lich coaxed his powerful adversary further onto the ice sheet. Confident of victory, Dezhain surrounded Mel and the remaining Kerks, desperately trying to slay the lich whom they were winning against. Mel then raised the dead of the slain kerks on the beaches where he was ambushed, raising an entire division which surrounded the elves on both sides. Dezhain and the remaining elven soldiers were surrounded and killed, with Mel delivering the final flow against Dezhain. Mel and his armies then marched to Kel Dargath and defeated Gazhain, and finally putting an end to the elven invasion.

The Great Rebuilding (1174-1233)
The defeat of the elves was shocking, with the elves having had brought along many peoples under the expectation of victory against the Kerks, but instead were now their prisoners. Mel showed mercy and compassion to these elves, allowing them to stay on Caslan if they converted to his faith and integrated into the Kycer. Most elves agreed, with those who didn’t being allowed to return home. The elves had brought with them much expertise which the Kerks had generally been missing, with elven architects helping to rebuild the destroyed town and cities, refurbishing old tribal holdings, and establishing new schools of magic much to the scholar lich’s delight. The war had also taught the kerks a valuable lesson in warfare, with Gazhain’s former captains being key reformers in the restructure of the kerkian army. The Kycer would continue to rebuild and reform until the later year of 1233, where Caslan was not only rebuilt, but progressed into a stronger nation.

Travels of the Red Merchant (1234-1246)
Caslan retained its neutrality for many more years, mostly trading at first with Navarros, but it increasingly became a popular port for Orduin. An Orduin merchant by name of Kance Olstar traveled to the isle, not only to trade but to record and report. Kance and his close companions traveled across Caslan, their interviews with the Kerkian priesthood, necromancers, zupans, and the native beastfolk built an insightful journal. Kance had even been able to interview the lich Mel Coldfinger, and was present during a session of the Caslan senate where Mel declared to the assembly where he planned during the times of peace on Caslan to go out and collect books of knowledge. Kance would return to Orduin in 1244, where his presented works brought attention to Caslan.

Port Pact of Caslan (1247-1253)
Before Mel set off on his own journeys, a leader of Orduin came to Caslan with an offer to the Kycer in a meeting in Astar. During the Orduin civil war, Orduin approached the Kerks with a port treaty, wishing to build a naval base and dockyard in Caslan in return for large payments and profitable trading pacts. Mel agreed to the pact, and so did the priesthood. The port treaty brought a great deal of trade and immigration to the isle, primarily humans who settled the port and parts of the southern settlements. This intermingling was seen with increasing suspicion by the Kycer, but the development of kerkian politics resulted in many troubles to be ignored. This corruption would not become known until 1254, as Kerkian politics soon got distracted with personal clan feuds and small political disruptions.

Caslan-Orduin Pact (1254-1677)
In 1254, the Kycer was approached again by Orduin with a more powerful offer and expansion of the port pact. Having seen potential growth in Caslan, Orduin envoys wished to establish trading posts, expand and improve Caslan road networks, and establish cultural enclaves. The Kycer’s priesthood was immediately suspicious, but a substantial bribe from the envoys secured enough votes within the assembly to create the Caslan-Orduin pact. The pact effectively made Caslan a vassal in all but name, with Caslandic citizens now paying taxes into the empire to build roads and improve on the southern settlements to give larger room for imperial settlement. The Kycer originally forbid Orduin military presence on the isle, but increasingly tolerated a loophole of classifying imperial garrisons as mercenaries. Angry at the Kycer for the pact, the Geuder clan and their allied clans aggressively began to form political resistance to the pact, although this resistance increasingly became another excuse to get back at their ancient rivals.

Caslan Civil War (1678-1702)
Although peaceful for hundreds of years, the troubles of the Caslan-Orduin pact exploded when Geuder representatives in the Kycer accused the priesthood of openly taking bribes from Orduin envoys to further give away the autonomy of Caslan. Angry at the accusation, the Coladdic clan’s patriarch Margov Coladdic launched a surprise attack and raid on the assembly, rounding up Geuder representatives, and executing them. Margov’s use of imperial mercenaries during this attack only fueled rumors of conspiracy, and the Geuder patriarch Jasnick Geuder gathered his clan for war against the Kycer. The Geuders used odd tactics, not relying on magic or the undead as the Coladdic armies did, and began using advanced tactics and brutal strikes against the Coladdic armies with increasing ruthlessness. Margov Coladdic died along with a majority of his warriors during the Battle of Hynt’s Shore, a coastal battle in which Jasnick used Okan Ghilmen on ships to flank around Margov’s line and land a contingent to surround and batter the Coladdic forces. The defeat left the Kycer vulnerable.

Occupation and Annexation (1703-2108)
In 1703, desperate to not be destroyed by the Geuders, the Kycer used a spell to call back Mel Coldfinger from his trip. Teleporting to Caslan, the lich attempted to reason with the Geuders, but failed due to their personal blood feud. Mel, knowing he had no forces to spare, gathered the Kycer and fled to the empire’s stronghold in southern Caslan, and asked the empire to intervene in the matter. The empire agreed, and launched a campaign against the Geuders and their allies for control of the Isle. Jasnick Geuder died fighting alongside his sons at the Battle of Kel Loch, and Orduin took control of the isle. The Kycer were allowed to return to governance, but were put under a governorship and were forced to approve their legislation before Orduin representatives. Mel stayed for several years to make sure Caslan did not fall apart before leaving once again, but not before reprimanding his own clan by having the assembly dismissed and calling for immediate new elections. The empire’s tedious occupation of the isle was fraught with trouble, culture shock, and limited tolerance.

2nd Caslan Civil War (2109-2155)
The power struggle between the Kycer and the governorship often caused a great deal of trouble and controversy amongst the island’s inhabitants. While some sided with the empire’ governors, the increasing corruption of those governors caused discontentment. It all came to a head during the reign of an increasingly authoritarian governor by the name of Rolyan, a Lun’Kerk native and fanatical loyalist. Rolyan attempted to dissolve the Kycer by vote, but was rebuked by them instead. Rolyan eventually tried to ignore the Kycer’s role in his government, but this too failed, and eventually the Kycer tried to forcefully recall him. Kycer loyalists, under a skilled necromancer named Vadov Geuder, led a fanatical army of kerk guards into Rolyan’s estate and murdered him, sparking a brutal civil war between the governorship and the Kycer. The empire sent an expedition to put down the Kycer, and did so with increasing brutality. Eventually, Mel Coldfinger was again called back to the isle by the Kycer, but was failed to be summoned for an unknown reason. The last Kycer holdout lasted till 2155, where the last members fought to the bitter end in their tomb cities, and were eventually buried alive within them.

Age of Repression (2155-2377)
Although the Kycer as a political body was destroyed, the empire put the isle and its people under military control in order to reign in the isle’s inhabitants. Although the island was governed normally, even more merciful than others by comparison, the island was plagued with troubles and curses. Rumors of Mel Coldfinger returning to the isle was rampant, with the governorship of the isle cursed to have each governor die more undignified and crueller deaths then the previous ones. Military rule of the isle often resulted in further dissatisfaction and discontent amongst the Kerkian clans. Although the empire tried to make friends of the Beastfolk as a countermeasure to the Kerks, this also fell flat on its face, as poor policies and general incompetence on the island resulted in awkward betrayals and incidents which caused further divide. These troubles would continue for a long time, with the isle never truly being stable.

Ambitions of Simov Geuder (2378-2399)
Although the island continued to chafe under the rule of the empire, a young and ambitious captain of the Geuder Clan named Simov began his military career on the island. While well travelled and an excellent soldier, Simov had been active in not only his clan’s local politics as much as imperial politics as well. Simov was eventually assigned back to Caslan to help keep control, although his methods became more and more odd. Rather than his normally brutal attitude for a Kerk towards others, Simov became more compassionate towards his home isle, especially towards the Coladdic clan whom he would marry into. Simov began climbing through the promotions with increasing efficiency, but soon many of his internal rivals also began to disappear. Investigations were halted, and garrisons were shifted constantly under his orders, effectively staffing the entire island with younger and inexperienced garrisons from the empire. Simov eventually was able to squeeze his way into becoming the military governor of the isle, and would continue to be the head of government till 2400.

The Ferdgave Massacre (2400)
In early spring of the year 2400, Simov Geuder called for a large-scale military exercise in the city of Ferdgave, along with inviting many local governors and loyalists. While being the host of the party, Simov left and returned with a contingent of Geuder and Coladdic warriors, who descended upon the empire’s loyalists, and shortly resulted in a battle outside the city. The events surrounding Simov’s victory was relatively unknown, with rumors speculating that the disorganized imperial garrisons performing the exercise were struck down by a sudden and swift killing plague, while others would claim the necromancer priesthood arose a small undead army to aid them. Regardless of the case, the empire’s leading men and majority of their garrisons were killed or captured on the isle, starting Simov Geuder’s great rebellion for the island itself.

Simov Geuder’s Revolt (2401-2423)
With most of the garrisons and leading officers of the isle defeated, Simon’s campaign for the isle was short. However, keeping the isle was a difficult affair as the empire began preparing for a campaign for Caslan once again. The first major expedition to the isle ended in total disaster, with a storm blowing the ships off course and crashing into reefs on the north side of the isle where Simov defeated landing imperial forces in 2411. The second invasion was to be better planned, although increasing political pressures at home caused the invasion to be delayed. Simov spent much of his time preparing for defenses, up until 2422, when the bug invasion appeared and decimated the empire. Without an empire to fight, Simov had technically won, and he would use this personal glory to improve his own image.

Restoration of the Kycer (2424-2466)
Although Simov had plans of his own, they were put aside when Mel Coldfinger returned in a rather dramatic fashion, appearing to him in his court through a shroud of mist. The discussion between Simov and Mel prompted him to retire, and prompted Mel Coldfinger and the Coladdic clan to restore the Kycer under its original form. However, major differences and new rules for the Kycer was placed drastically onto it to prevent their subjugation by another power, and promoted Simov’s clan as a ‘guardian king’ to become a powerful force within Caslan to act as a military head and to restore the theocratic republic in times of trouble. Mel in this time also brought back countless new books of magical lore, and reserved himself in his study as he watched the Kycer reform itself and wiped away the last powers of the Orduin empire from Caslan.

The Dultsev Crises (2466-2487)
When Simov died around 2466, his influence was not lost fully. The Kycer held elections in 2466, but was interrupted by one of Simov’s confidants, an ambitious kerkian named Dultsev. Dultsev and his loyalists put on a populist show, decrying the corruption of the Kycer and challenged the usefulness of it. When Dultsev tried to run for the election to become the head of the assembly, he was humiliated when he lost quite significantly. Dultsev sulked in Geuder territory for years, and was delusional about his own support, and began gathering an army of loyalists to his cause. Dultsev’s conspiracy against the Kycer was reported to it by one of Dultsev’s mercenaries, and an army was dispatched to resolve it. Dultsev was killed in the fighting, but the Coladdic soon blamed the Geuders for inviting him and for harboring a traitor in their territory. The troubles restarted between the Geuders and the Coladdics, with reprisal killings stretching across much of Caslan.

The Proscriptions (2488-2534)
Although Dultsev was dead, his actions haunted the Kycer for years up until 2488 when the new electorate was called to deal with the increasing violence and instability. The patriarchs of both the Geuders and Coladdics agreed to a ceasefire between their two respective clans, but the biggest and most drastic action taken was the call for Proscriptions, or the political assassination and banishment of several influential members of the Kycer who had aided Dultsev. The killings began in 2492, when Dultsev’s entire clan was rounded up and executed, and many of his aligned clans and those who had tolerated his presence were brutally murdered. The way the Kycer handed out proscriptions created a whole new set of problems, as they Kycer rewarded the murderers with the estates and lands of those they murdered. The Geuders were especially enthusiastic with this deal, and effectively took over a larger quarter of lands, and enriched them considerably. The Proscriptions would not end until later in the years 2511, and would have lingering effects for years after.

The Slave Revolt (2535-2544)
Although the Geuders were now getting richer and even more influential than before, the clan found their new found wealth useless by their lacking influence in the Kycer and became more politically active. The Geuders took on a number of strange issues to squeeze their way into power, including servitude limits, which would have limited the years a slave could remain in servitude. The Geuders narrowly lost their election, which infuriated the slaves enough to revolt against the Kerks. Much of Caslan’s cities became internally sieged by rebelling slaves, with the biggest revolt being able to take the city Kel Gavan. Although the Kerks were preparing for a long and drawn out war, Mel Coldfinger intervened and went from city to city to speak to the rebel leaders. Through diplomacy, magic, and religion the slave revolt was mostly put down peacefully, with only the slave revolt in Kel Gavan having to be taken by force.

Current Events (2545-2622)
Following the slave revolt, Caslan entered several years of peace just as politics between the Geuders and the Coladdic began to gravely divide between the two feuding clans. Although Mel Coldfinger continues to linger on the isle for now, it is rumored he plans for a 2nd journey across the world of the ruined empires to collect knowledge and magical lore, leaving a concerned and embattled Kycer who relies heavily on his wisdom and skills. The Kycer looks out across the oceans, unsure of what to do next in the wider world.

Appearance
Kerks are a fairly simple people by nature, and this is highly reflected in how they look and what they wear. Kerks prefer comfortable and easy to slip on clothes, and have no interest in what makes them look good in the eyes of others. Kerks do not wear jewelry for these reasons, they maximum extent to what they will wear are brooches and rings, and even then these pieces of jewelry are entirely simplified. Kerkian nobility tend to wear armor and weapons, the maximum extent of their ‘formal wear’, and often simply wear more colorful clothes to identify them as a clan’s chief or the region’s Zupan. Only the priesthood and scribes wear more valued clothes, usually large and outlandishly ornate purple robes with cloth scarfs which cover their mouths. Kerkians of more notable status also wear tall fur caps, although this sometimes does not fully indicate status by default, as commoners and even slaves will wear fur caps to give off a false sense of authority and fashion. Beards are common amongst Kerks, who tend to grow out their beards into large, unshaven messes but will crop their hair short.

Craftsmanship
Caslan craftsmanship is considered almost universally poor. Kerks themselves are not good smiths, preferring quantity over quality. The best most Kerkian smiths can do on Caslan is the making of medium armor, chainmail, and the traditional flat blades. Okan and Beurian smiths do not fare much better, which is why quality smithing is handled by foreigners, and the local elven population which produces better quality equipment to nobility and elite guard. Caslan Architecture tends to be a strange mix; with Kerkian stone and brick work being fairly rare. Most structures are a mixture of wood and stone, with blacker stone used in the construction of the tomb cities and keeps. Elven, and even old Orduin imperial, styles are commonly found in enclaves across Caslan. Caslan’s Okan style of building is considered rather beautiful, often using intricate and humble round designs made of wood, often with small basements and depots, which became a common building style across Caslan.

Traditions
Kerkian traditions differ between family to family, and while the Kerks will have many respected traditions, there are few unifying and known ones. The Kerks are a deeply religious people, and are also very communal. Some families, especially the Coladdic, are known to dress their youngest in brightly colored cloaks and clothes to celebrate their lives, Geuderian Kerks are known to martial customs and will often go out on their own to raid or go adventuring on their own accord. The only real unifying tradition amongst Kerks is that when Kerks become adults, they are given the option to either serve their family and keep their surname, or to choose a new surname and leave the clan to form their own. Those who choose to stay tend to end up in the clan as laborers or militia, while those who leave are partly banished from the clan’s grounds but are ultimately still tied to the clan in many ways.

Law
To outsiders, Kerkian law is brutal, harsh, but ultimately pragmatic. Most laws are reinforced by the clans themselves, which bow to a higher religious authority which trumps their own landed laws. Those who enforce those laws are usually a part of a clan’s militia, with cities tending to have their own town guard who are also usually a part of a family militia. Larger legal battles are often presented to the courts of the Kycer itself, and overseen by a necromancer priest who decides on the value of evidence and makes swift decisions. Kerkians do not have prisons or dungeons, as Kerks often immediately turn to swift execution either by throat cutting or hanging. It isn’t abnormal for Kerks to have a special grove with a great and ancient oak where many skeletal and decaying forms of executed Kerks are guarded by their executioners to serve as warnings against criminal behavior. Kerks view throat cutting as a honored and dignified way to die, but it isn’t abnormal for the Kerkian cities to put on ‘shows’ of public torture and execution.

Rights
Rights is an odd concept to the Kerks, who are normally fairly tolerant of most except their own half-bred cousins. Kerks treat their women with equality, and tend to show some limited tolerance towards other races and their faiths. However, Kerkians exemplify the term ‘tyranny of cousins’ to the maximum degree, where the lives of Kerks and their thralls tend to live under the strict rules and restrictions of the clan, and where family has a slavish control over their own lives. The Kycer has several major restrictions on other religions, forbidding the construction of foreign temples in their lands and the general demand for respect for their clergy at all times. Those who do not bow to the necromancer when asked on Caslan soil can be subjected to the harshest punishments

Slavery
Slavery isn’t an integral part of Kerkian society, nor a backbone of its economy. Kerkia does rely on cheap and generally unpaid labor, but this comes from family peasants who work for their clan. Slaves are usually native beastfolk or those who are captured in war, forced to do manual labor and are universally treated poorly by their masters, who view them as beneath them. Slave soldiers such as the Ghilmen are trained by the clans to use them as professional soldiers in war, fighting alongside Kerkian armies or to act as bodyguards. Most slaves are identified by deep gashes on their faces, along with blue or white handkerchiefs on their necks which identifies them as personal servants. Normally, slavery is for life, with the children of slaves also being considered slaves themselves. Necromancers are known to enchanted iron collars with spells in order to control larger slaves like Beurians, who are considered popular laborers and bodyguards for the Kycer’s clergy.

Philosophy
Kerkians by their nature lack self preservation, and their attitudes towards life reflects their general offset to life. Kerkians value three things in life; faith, freedom, and merit. To the Kerks, religion is a central part of their lives, viewing that the gods who look over them and bother to guide them are worthy of respect and worship. Kerkians will say they value freedom, but truthfully value autonomy and statelessness. Kerkian Merit is a very odd term, for the Kerks value those of great skill, no matter where that skill comes from whether it be by experience or those born naturally to it. Kerks tend to be highly cynical and deeply rooted in their beliefs, but are open to new ideas if they can be proven to work for the greater good of their clan and kingdom.

Education
Due to their faith, education is considered a major facet of life for the Kerks, and works in tiers much like social status. Lower castes such as laborers, small clans, and slaves tend to rely on tutorship of their own families for education, which more specialists castes can expect monastic schooling. Most of Caslan society, at some level, can read and write, but the better one is at reading and writing, the higher one’s social status is assumed. Schools and colleges are often seen either next to or near Caslan temples, with specialized colleges in the richer towns and cities. Coladdic clans tend to have their own personal libraries and documentation depots scattered across Caslan’s mainland, some containing the ancient lore and histories of the Kerks. The most impressive educational institution in Caslan itself is Scribe’s School Gangave. The Kerks largest repository of knowledge is Mel Coldfinger’s personal library, found deep in the catacombs of his personal abode in the mountains, containing countless volumes of magical and historical lore.

Family
Kerkian family life is considered an important part to the Kerkian identity, as all things a Kerk does in their lives is to improve the status of their family and to ensure its survival. Whether it be working slavish hours farming for the clan, or dying for the clan in a brutal feud, the family’s prestige, honor, and wealth is too important to abandon. In return, these families provide work, stability, and safety to their members as well as justice and order in their lives. Clans are led by two leaders usually; a matriarch and a patriarch. Both have joint power in the clan, and usually are the most influential members of the clan who make decisions on the behalf of the entire clan. Kerkians have tiers of broods due to how they have children, with the first brood being higher and more valued then 2nd and 3rd generations. Due to the exhaustion of raising so many children at once, Kerkian families tend to be very grim, and have no real bonds which bind them together, which often results in internal family feuds and deeply rooted abuse which is passed down between family to family.

Entertainment
Entertainment tends to be different from city to city, culture to culture within Caslan. The Geuderians for instance may host blood soaked tourneys between each other, practicing full fledged battles to cheering crowds in a festival of sorts. Coladdic Kerks are perhaps more ‘nuanced’, trying to often remove themselves from their violent nature and to wind down in their libraries, play board games, or even enjoy mediation within their groves. Almost all Kerks enjoy books, and writing in books, and it isn’t abnormal for even poorer Kerks to write down journals and make observations. Festivals and clan games tend to happen seasonally, but perhaps the most obscure and unspoken love of the Kerks is tavern life. Kerks while crowd into taverns and pubs to drink and merrily sing and gamble to their heart's content.

Language
If language is a barrier, then the Kerkian language is a fortress wall, difficult if not downright impossible to assail. The Kerkian language is often described as difficult to orally speak, but easy to read. Kerkian tone can drastically change the meaning of phrases, and often it takes considerable effort to learn and fluently speak Kerkian. The native language of Caslan, spoken primarily by the beastfolk natives, is a much in the same way a opposite of the Kerkian language. Caslandic is difficult to orally speak, but near impossible to write down or read. Caslandic as a very specific structure to it, with very literal phrases and meanings. Both languages are spoken by the people of Caslan, although not always equally. The Kycer consider Caslandic a ‘slave language’, only spoken by the lower classes and by the Beastfolk themselves. The Kerkian language, although promoted, is often abandoned by non-Kerks who will often just turn to speaking Caslandic in frustration. This often results in Kerkian being a ‘court language’ in Caslan, only spoken between Kerks who wish to speak openly and mockingly of those who do not understand them.

Burial
Caslandic Burial is a difficult subject to the Kerks whose communities can produce so many bodies, which is why the necromancer faith of the Kerks so well with them. When a non-royal or important Kerk dies, their body is presented to the temple and given over to the priesthood to do as they well, although it isn’t uncommon for kerks to just leave bodies in ditches. Kerkians believe that what a body is done with in death is not of significance. Most clan bodies, especially important Kerks who the clans wish to remember, are buried in the tomb cities, which act both as respectful places of the dead as much as as depots for the necromancers. Only the beastfolk differ greatly in burial, and view being buried in a Tomb City as a terrible fate. Okan bury their dead in underwater graveyards off the coasts of their cities, and Beurians burn their dead on pyres.

Pets
To any outsider, the Kerks are considered strange for their choice of pets and companions. Kerks in general tend to have tamed and trained otters, badgers, and wolverines as pets which they use for all manner of purposes. Otters are used by Kerkian fishers, with badgers and wolverines being used much in the same way as dogs. Although dogs and cats are seen amongst Kerks, especially herders, these pets are considered weird and abnormal for the Kerks. Insects are considered ‘sacred’ and ‘protected’ animals to the Kerks who see them as holy, which is why some Kerkian clans will have ‘pet’ mayflies, dragonflies, cicadas, hornets, and moths. Richer Kerks have a fondness for shellfish, like lobsters and horseshoe crabs, which only adds to their estranged behavior.

Feuds/Retaliation
Kerkian feuds between clans are long lasting, with rivalries between clans capable of starting miniature civil war and deep instability in kerkian society with just a sheer number of Kerks and clans which get involved. Kerks tend to retaliate with violence, which often means each clan has a small but well armed host of militia which acts as guards as much as raiders. Retaliation between clans is often difficult to solve, let alone avoid, with Kerkian priests having to get in the way to force cease fires. In order to solve long standing feuds, the patriarchs of both clans often make sacrifices in the nearest temple and pray together with a Kycer’s representative overlooking them. If the feud is complex, such as unknown reasons for the feuding or land disputes, the two patriarches work out a deal in the temple to appease both parties. Kerkians are stubborn however, and will go to absurd lengths to fulfill their feud’s oaths.

Honesty
Kerkians are considered obnoxiously honest, a cultural attitude most Kerks and those in Caslan have. Kerks will in general tell each other and others harsh truths, and often refuse to lie under most circumstances. Kerkians are known as terrible diplomats and merchants, who will just often tell others their intentions. Kerkians try to get around this habit by not answering questions directly, or being not forthcoming about their direct answer. Kerkians have no trouble with lying, it's just that the Kerks see it as pointless and impractical. While Kerks themselves are honest, they often do not expect the same of others, a common trap of those ignorant of the Kerks themselves.

Superstitions
While being a very religious people, the Kerks are also deeply superstitious and have many tales, legends, and general beliefs which impact their lives. Kerks believe there is a sacred divinity in albinism, with albino animals and even humanoids being hunted for their fur. Kerks believe drinking the blood of these beings will grant strength, intelligence, or unnatural magical powers. There are hundreds of different ghosts, spirits, and vampires which inhabit Kerkian mythology, each one more grim and vile then the next. Kerks tend to avoid marching off in winter due to these beliefs, as well as avoiding the deep forests and groves beyond civilization. Kerkians also tend to believe that their gods ultimately control the outcome of battles and campaigns, with commanders and officers making offerings to the gods. These offering rituals are so often used that Kerkian campaigns have stalled for months until a good sign was had.

Okan Culture
Just as the Okan are a communal people by nature, they are also a communal people by culture. Okan are deeply family tied, with entire clans often living in single rooms and moving close to one another. Separating an Okan family is difficult, if not downright impossible. Okan are peaceful, deeply pacifistic in their beliefs, often due to their general belief that they cannot afford to fight or harm one another. Although Okan clans tend to adopt mostly Kerkian customs, the one custom which they did not abandon fully was the trading of wards between feuding clans to gain peace between them. These clan wards often grow up as adopted members of the clan. While Okan are fairly peaceful, their laws are considerably more ‘notable’ and concerningly brutal. Okan drown those who harm their clans and communities, and then have them tied down to anchors just enough for them to float slightly below the surface of the water in a morbid reminder to those entering their ports of their brutality.

Beurian Culture
Beurian society and culture is clan based, being very tribalistic and highly nomadic. Beurians do not live in settled places, instead moving with their moose herds to new lands to graze. Beurians who are born in these clans are forced into a lifestyle of constant war and training, decided entirely by their shaman. Beurians tend to be very free spirited in culture, having no love of authority over their lives, especially by their own chiefs and peoples. Hunter-Killers are Beurian rangers who separate from clans, and take on a holy vow to fight the clan’s enemies through more subtle means, and act partly as monster hunters. One of the notable parts of Beurian society is their use of cloaks and kilts to signify their loyalty to certain clans.

Recruitment
Recruitment is a difficulty in Kerkian society despite its abundance of manpower. Although there is a central government, Kerks do not have a truly professional army which allows for recruitment drives. Instead, individual Kerkian clans recruit from their own, forming larger levy warbands which then journey to a central mustering ground underneath an individual Zupan. The Kycer tends to have its own armies, normally specialized Coladdic clansmen and their undead levies which assist them in battle, who collect only from their own clan. In order to make up for their troubles, large and rich Kerkian clans and cities employ the use of Ghilmen, slave soldiers of the island which are professionally trained for war. Ghilmen are recruited from poor families or from the families of slaves from a young age, and brutally trained by Kerkian militia captains in a barrack society.

Organization
Caslan’s armies are horrifyingly decentralized, as each army is feudal in its nature which relies so heavily on the loyalty of easily angered Kerkian clans. The formal leaders of the army are the members of the Kycer who are voted on to lead the Caslan armies. These generals then are given subordinates by the Kycer who then under their own personal skill divide up Caslan’s united forces. In normal circumstances, the burden of leadership is put onto the Zupans, who have their own captains and subordinates to lead their armies. Patriarches do not lead armies, and instead will send heirs and militia captains in their place. It isn’t uncommon for clergy to also lead armies, even more successfully than their secular counterparts. Often, since Ghilmen and Bylamen are outside the absurd feudal structure of Kerkian armies, they often are the most professional armies of Caslan and thus are the most respected.

Tactics
Although poor in organization, Kerkian warfare is considered horrifying for outsiders for several reasons. Kerks in general have a hard time retreating and shrug off mortifying losses. Kerkians fight to a bitter end, a fact of their psychology which makes them miserable to fight against. Kerkian armies tend to use a mixture of spellcraft and skirmishing, trying to drastically weaken and hamper an enemy down before they engage. Kerkian commanders are quite infamous for purposefully losing battles, using engagements to grievously weaken or kill more terrifying divisions, before retreating into the arms of a friendly army where they can crush their enemy with a fresh force. Kerkians do not mind casualties very much, especially with necromancers aiding their army, who can use their own dead to swiftly reforge their ranks. Kerkian armies also do not shy away from massacring their enemies, with more infamous instances of Kerks stacking the bodies of entire cities in the commons area like a mountain.

Navy
The Kerkian navy is a weird mix of professionally built war galleys and carracks, but also an absurd amount of transport vessels. Different cities tend to have different ports, with the Okan shipbuilders primarily providing Caslan’s fleet and naval officers. However, ports and drydocks are scattered across the south and were consumed by Caslan into becoming naval bases for Caslan’s considerable fleets. Caslandic ships are built primarily for skirmishing and ranged warfare, with boarding action and ramming being avoided. This is often because Caslandic ships are very fast, an Okan design to Caslandic ships which allow them considerable maneuverability on the open waters.

Siege Weapons
Kerkian siege warfare has a strange history, as siege warfare was not a common occurence on Caslan and thus often most Kerks have little experience with sieges. However, this is not to say the Kerks have not come up with absurd tools and designs. Although Kerks do use battering rams and catapults, the favored weapon of Kerkian armies are large hurling catapults which are infused with dark magic by necromancer engineers who hurl balls of skeletons and decaying bodies over the walls of enemy settlements to cause disease (and to occasionally raise up from the dead to attack the defenders inside the walls).

Clan Levies (Basic Division)

• Units: Kerkian Clansmen (Light Axe and Shield Infantry), Kerkian Warrior (Light Sword and Shield Infantry), Kerkian Spearman (Light Spear Infantry), Kerkian Bandits (Light Archer Infantry), Kerkian Skirmishers (Light Javelin and Shield Infantry)

Clan levies are a long standing core of the Kerkian armies, which are mustered by the clans of Caslan into large warbands. Due to the sheer size of a Kerkian clan and family, each clan can provide a large number of levies. However, most levies are poorly armed, and often fight with little more than the clothes they had brought. At best, the Kycer will provide for these levies tents, meals, and weapons if they lack them. Clans, not Zupans or the Kycer, are expected to foot the bill for these levies. Levies tend to be trained in maneuvering rather than skills, making them quite obedient when it comes to complex maneuvers but are universally considered terrible soldiers.

Outriders (Cavalry Division)

• Units: Kerkian Outriders (Medium Axe and Shield Cavalry), Kerkian Raiders (Medium Sword Cavalry), Kerkian Hunters (Medium Archer Cavalry)

Outriders are a common occurrence amongst Kerkian armies, being the backbone of the mounted divisions Kerkia will field. Kerkian horses are expensive and difficult to maintain for many of the clans. This often makes riders considered a grade above that of Kerkian levies and common clansmen, their skills invaluable for the militias of Caslan. Kerkian outriders however perform almost universally poorly, being quickly to get surrounded during engagement, being the last to retreat, and the rather odd tactic of Kerkian throwing themselves from their horses and onto their enemies. Outriders primarily act in the capacity as fast, mounted skirmishers.

Ghilmen (Elite Division)

• Units: Ghilman Spearman (Medium Spear and Shield Infantry), Ghilman Soldier (Medium Sword Infantry), Ghilman Skirmisher (Medium Javelin and Shield Infantry), Ghilman Archer (Medium Archer Infantry), Ghilman Saudkar (Heavy Sword and Shield Infantry)

Ghilmen are slave soldiers who are taken from a young age, and trained into professional soldiers in the service of a specialized guild. Ghilmen are normally Okan from slave families within the cities who are sold to a Ghilman barracks. These Okan have their tails cropped and their faces permanently disfigured, but most Ghilmen are marked with special tattoos across their body which identify their status. Ghilmen are trained primarily by a Kerkian equivalent to a mercenary company, who sell the services of the Ghilmen to Kerkian clans and cities for protections, armed services, or as bodyguards. Normally grim and viciously trained, Ghilmen are well respected by the Kerks who tend to appreciate them and their services. Ghilmen who lives to an older age or perform admirably for their guild are allowed to be ‘freed’ and to start a family or business, under the contract obligation that any of their children are recruited as Ghilmen themselves and half their income goes back into their guild.

Bylamen (Undead/Elite Division)

• Units: Violet Guard (Heavy Halberd Infantry), Bylaman Rainbow Knight (Heavy Sword Cavalry), Barrow Guard (Heavy Sword Infantry/Undead), Skeletal Levy (Light Undead), Wraith (Medium Undead)

The Bylamen are the elite guard and personal army of the Kycer, whose sole duty is protecting the Kycer and its assembly. Members of the Bylamen are usually elite clansmen, but its main core is made up primarily of the undead. Most living members wear a vibrant purple or violet dress around their heavier armor, who use enchanted gear. Rainbow Knights for instance, also sometimes known as Death Knights, use runed swords with various necromantic blessings and curses. The most known and terrifying element of the Bylamen is the use and building of Barrow Guard, skeletal undead soldiers who are super charged with magic. Incredibly fast, strong, and skilled in the arts of combat, the Barrow Guard also can ‘regenerate’ in the midst of combat, often tearing their enemy’s limbs to attach it to their own bodies. Bylamen are the personal guard of Mel Coldfinger, as well as the most elite force Caslan can muster in war.

Necromancers (Magic Division)

• Units: Necromancer (Necromantic Lore Mage), Curse Bearer (Curse Lore Mage), Lich (Ice Lore Mage), Shadow Lich (Shadows Lore Mage)

Most Caslan armies in some capacity have a necromancer which follows them, or a member of the clergy. Most Necromancers are identified by their lavish purple robes, the colors of the Kycer, as most Necromancers are either members of the clergy, or have some role in the Kycer itself. While most lores of magic are practiced and studied, the most important lores is necromancery and curses. Kerkian tactics often require a drastic weakening of enemies, and high casualties in battle often requires an undead force being raised in the midst of battle to assure total victory. Every once in awhile, a Lich will join an army, but not by that army’s choice. Liches will often join the Kerkian ranks either as sub-commanders or as allied mages, and most Kerkian armies tolerate their presence.

Blackhand (Scout Division)

• Units: Blackhand Stalker (Spy), Blackhand Scout (Scout), Blackhand Murderer (Assassin), Blackhand Observer (Counterspy), Blackhand Hunter Killer (Counter-Assassin)

The Kerks do not often use their own clans to scout or spy on their enemies, as intrigue is usually handled by an old and specialized guild of assassins known as the Blackhand. Paid well for their services, the ancient order of spycraft amongst the Kerks provides valuable services for Kerkia’s armies. The most infamous groups of the Blackhand often provide counter-assassination services to their commanders, acting as hidden bodyguard who specialize in the protection of Kerkian officers and generals. The Blackhand tends to be a very diverse group, and often shadow the Kerks wherever they go.

Imports

• Meat
• Fruits
• Beer
• Copper
• Spices
• Silk
• Dyes
• Slaves
• Bones
• Peat

Exports

• Grain
• Vodka
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Leather
• Iron
• Gold
• Paper
• Stone

Taxation
Taxation is a difficult issue for Caslan, primarily due to two major issues; The Kerks and the clan structures they live in. Taxation is shaky at best, often based on the relationship between the clans and their Zupans, and Zupans with the Kycer. The Kycer does not administer their own taxes, but instead gives the privilege to guilds who bid on how much taxes they can collect. Deeply unpopular, these tax collectors have to be well guarded as they collect taxes. Kerkian clans tend to be required to give the Caslan state with about 10% of their crop, or a coin equivalent. Taxes are then stored in one of the Tomb Cities where it is counted by the undead and then spent as a budget for the coming year, with the rest being saved. Zupans and cities also pay taxes into this general treasury, but their tax bracket is much higher, usually around 20%.

Trade Policy
Kerkian trade policy is very lax, with Caslan ports being very open to trade with the outside world. Caslan authorities do not mind what is traded in their markets, so long as it makes money for them, and merchants are only subjected to the same equally lax laws of the Kerks. Caslan ports demand a moderate toll to be parked in their ports, with only some limited repair services for their stay. Caslan holds some authority to confiscate ships of merchants who had offended the Kycer. The only major restriction the Kerks have on trade is the sale of slaves to outsiders. Foreigners can sell slaves in Kerkian ports, and the Kerks will buy them, but the Kycer forbids the sale of slaves to outsiders and foreign markets. This is primarily due to the major restrictions set in place during the slave revolt.

Caslan Gold and Iron Mines
In the central hills and mountains of Caslan has an obnoxious amount of gold and iron nodes, which were developed many times over. Although the Kerks have little use for gold, they mint it into coins and sold it to Orduin for many different resources. Iron is considered more valuable, and thus the iron mines of Caslan are more valued above its gold mines. While in theory this should make the island rich, the use of gold is so poorly used amongst the Kerks that they often just sell entire ingots to other nations or store them in huge vaults. Most of these mines are controlled by mining clans who sell solely to the Kycer, who handle any and all trade of iron and gold.

Okan Fisheries and Seal Hunting
Despite being the least known, the most considerable industry on Caslan is controlled by the Okan. Okan mastered the building of fisheries, building truly impressive fish farms all along Caslan’s coastal villages, bringing a huge stock of food for Caslan. Okan Fisheries are professionally run, well stocked, and well supplied. Kerkian clans are rather infamous for trying to get into these industries by forcing Okan slaves to build new fisheries. Associated with fisheries is seal hunting, another Okan practice of hunting the native seals of the isle for meat, leather, and bones. This practice evolved into Kerkian hunting of seals, who quickly mastered the craft themselves.

Kerkian Paper Industry
Kerkian paper is highly advanced and also a core part of Kerkian society, as books and knowledge keeping is an integral part of Kerkian society. Kerkian paper is a state industry, and is thus by nature also an industry primarily used by the clergy. Kerkian paper is absurdly easy to make, and also absurdly cheap and for the most part long lasting. Paper made by the Kerks is just superior in many ways, and its production is considered as state secret. This flourishing industry is controlled primarily by the Coladdic clan, and is the primary foundation of the Kycer’s economy.

The Doil (Social Services)
The Doil is a Kycer institution which acts as a form of proto-social service to the people of Caslan. Each city has a special granary set aside to doll out grains and vegetables to struggling individuals and clans which may have fallen on hard times. Getting onto the Doil is easy, but this social service does come with consequences. Those who remain on the Doil for too long or are caught abusing it can be subject to horrifying consequences. These consequences can include being conscripted to serve the Doil in pseudo-slavery as a farmer who provides 90% of their crop to the Doil, or even being sold into slavery. The Doil has a weird way of lifting half of those put on it out of poverty, and the other half being put into further misery.

Caslan is primarily a very alpine land, with a long snowy season and is very hilly. The island is home to a wide range of wildlife, with limited fertile plains, but is home to a very vibrant amount of sea life. Normally, the island has very dense forests, but the farther south one goes on the isle, the clearer it becomes.


Caslan is divided more around generalized clans then formal realms, but a lot of the borders are also based on the old stomping grounds of Okan and Beurian kingdoms as well. Most villages may not always consider themselves in one territory or region, as clans usually build their own ‘borders’ based on clan alignment.



Necromancery and curses have a very bad habit of producing what the Kerks refer to as ‘blights’, a ceaseless array of cursed and undead creatures which arise naturally that inhabit Caslan’s countryside. Careless necromancers are often to blame for raising these abominations and not putting them down, and will occasionally cause trouble.

Coladdic Loyalists
In the Kycer’s politics, there are many political factions, but the biggest one is the conservative faction led entirely by the Coladdic clan and its aligned clans. The Coladdic loyalists are stubborn members of the Kycer, deeply rooted in tradition and religion, and view outsider influence on the Kycer with immediate hostility. Although its safe to say Mel Coldfinger is a member of this faction, his influence and interest in it is debatable. The Coladdic loyalists are more interested in keeping all Kerkian affairs under their own control and using the Kycer to better control Kerkian society. The main political avenue of the clan is encouraging faithfulness, defending the status quo, and brutally suppressing attempts by the Zupans from ruining the Kycer’s politics.

Geuder Loyalists
Opposed to the Coladdic are the Geuders, an ancient feuding family which has been both ally and enemy of the Coladdic. The Geuders may be a part of a clan opposed to the extreme conservatism of the Coladdic, but they are best thought of as the clan whose policies are more aligned solely to the ambitions of the Geuders themselves. Geuder Loyalists take on the causes of the Geuders which can change depending on the situation, their ultimate goals are to expand the influence of the Geuders and usurp control of society from the Coladdics. The Geuders take on various political causes, and have a strange melding of coalitions amongst slaves, foreign interests, merchants, and the nobility. This balancing act of the Geuders is also difficult to maintain.

Scribes of Gangave
The Scribes are a respectable group of history makers and authors who live in a college in Gangave, which set up a guild of national libraries in most Kerkian cities. The scribes take on all manner of Caslan society to serve as historians, account writers, and philosophers to better look into the world. The scribe’s greatest patron is Mel Coldfinger, who enriches the guild and often takes on their highest members as apprentices. The scribes have a very relaxed reputation as legitimate and honest historians, who will go to absurd lengths to understand every facet of history. Scribes are honest Historians however, and their works tend to be popular more amongst the Kerks then foreign courts. The scribes are also very politically neutral, and will also go to equally absurd lengths to distance themselves from the Kycer.

The Unbroken
One of the oldest organizations in Caslan is the Unbroken, a group of Okan bandits and thieves who used to resist the Beurian occupation of their cities, but became a common gang of thugs when the Kerks took over. The Unbroken are mostly a thieves guild, whose ranks are made up primarily of runaway slaves, bandits, and criminals who inhabit the underground of Kerkian society. Although most of their higher members are Okan, many poorer Kerks tend to join their ranks for quick money. The Unbroken tend to have a very negative view of the Kerks, and have little to no respect for the Kycer. Free willed, their greater goal is to free the slaves of Caslan, which makes them increasingly an ally of the Geuders and an arch enemy of the Coladdic. The Unbroken had some role in the Slave Revolt, but were uprooted by Mel Coldfinger.

The Blackhand
The Blackhand are a guild of assassins and spies who provide their services to Kerkian society for coin and tolerance, a strange group which operates underground and far away from the prying eyes of the Kycer itself. The Blackhand earns much of their income from things the Kerks consider distasteful, such as assassination. Blackhand members are brought on from only specific backgrounds, with the Blackhand believing only those born of parents with unique traits for their guild can join them. This tends to make the Blackhand very diverse in race as much as skill. Okan, Elven, and Human members are common in the Blackhand, who work alongside the sons of hunters, serial killers, and even the occasional lich. The Blackhand is deeply tied to politics, but is not a part of any faction, providing the Kycer with experienced members to help defend them against attempted assassinations and spycraft.

Archlich Mel Coldfinger

• Age - Unknown
• Titles - The Great Reformer, Cursed and Curser, Winter’s Song, Eternal Patriarch, Death Dealer, Murderer, Friend and Enemy of the Okan, Subjugator and Ally of the Beurian, Bringer of Books, Scroll Maker, Historian

Mel Coldfinger is a long standing member of Kerkian society, and the head of not only the priesthood, but also effectively the tyrant over all of Kerkian society. Mel Coldfinger is physically an undead being, mummified and clothed in an obnoxiously flowing black and purple robe, all but his hands and eyes covered in cloth, and wearing a tall cur cap. Known even for his height, he is a terrifying and studious figure, deeply entrenched in his beliefs and personal motivations. Mel is ultimately a highly pragmatic and intelligent figure, going to great lengths to not only preserve knowledge, but to also collect it. In legend, he learned how to become a lich from the god Melakos, and shared this knowledge only to those he found worthy of it. Mel is weirdly enough known for his kindness, but also his retribution. As a lich, Mel had split his soul into the very ground of Caslan, into one of his oldest tomes, and into the very bloodline of his family. This kind of lichcraft, according to Mel, was painful, difficult, and expensive.

Associates

• Naya Coladdic (Female Kerk) - Naya is Mel Coldfinger’s direct descendent and a living apprentice under him, and a member of a minor clergy. Talented, Naya is honored to serve under her ancestor, as Mel prepares her to become another important member of the Kycer. In truth however, Mel enjoys aiding his most direct descendants from his now deceased wife, who he cherishes in his immortality.
• Cragov Bystan (Male Kerk) - Cragov is the leader of the Scribes, and its head master over them. Although an older necromancer, Cragov and Mel are good friends and consider each other equals in the histories of Caslan.
• Granchkov (Male Kerk) - Granchkov is a Death Knight in the service of Mel, and is one of his favored bodyguards. He is adorned with countless cursed artefacts, his most infamous being the Sword of Exodus, whose strike against mortal flesh can rend against the spirit of its target.
• Twine (Male Undead Okan) - Twine is a nameless Okan king who had at one point insulted Mel, who cursed him into becoming his servant. Twine is an eternally reforming undead creature who is fully conscious of his existence, and teleports into Tomb Cities to warn delving grave robbers and intruders to turn back. He is also used to summon those of Mel’s interest to him.
• Gra’vyen (Male Undead Elf) - Gra’vyen is an elven lich who had been his apprentice, and showed such skill and majeststy in his crafts as a necromancer that Mel granted him the knowledge of Lichcraft. Gra’vyen has been Mel’s librarian and keeper of his vast book collection, and a powerful being who often despises the politics of the Kycer.

Zupan Dylon Geuder

• Age - 45
• Titles - Zupan of Astar, The Grim, Minor Priest, Head of the Zupan Assembly

Dylon Geuder is the current patriarch of the Geuder clan, and is a rising star politically in the Kycer. Having joined the Kycer as a reformer, he was also the head of the assembly of Zupans. Dylon is an ambitious man and a near legendary commander, having put down smaller revolts and dealt with bandits harshly, but he believes he has yet to prove himself. Dylon’s grand ambitions however hide his true motives, and that of his family. Dylon has a hateful feud with Shov Coladdic, whom he despises for his staunch and stubborn beliefs.

Associates

• Mara Geuder (Female Kerk) - Dylon’s wife and co-ruler in the family. While Dylon is in the Kycer, Mara is back in Astar ruling in his stead. Mara is a very strict woman, much like many Kerkian matriarchs, and is often ruling both her family and the region with an iron fist.
• Polchov Geuder (Male Kerk) - Dylon’s son and heir from his second brood, Polchov had proven himself when he help end a feud between several small clans on his lonesome, and oversaw the construction of a new temple. Polchov is currently in the studies to become a priest, which in turn will make him able to join the Kycer. Much like his father, Polchov is ambitious, but is less battle hungry like Dylon, and a very good friend of Zupan Hazel.
• Daygov Geuder (Male Beurian) - Daygov was found as a young wandering pup who happened upon the Geuder farmstead and was found sleeping in a shed, likely abandoned by his clan. Dylon decided to adopt the Beurian into his family, who soon became a fanatical member of the clan, being a close friend and bodyguard to Dylon.
• Uchov Geuder (Male Kerk) - Brother of Dylon Geuder, a studious necromancer and priest of the family who has considerable influence amongst them. Uchov is very centrist, much to the annoyance of Dylon, who still loves him as a brother.
• Tanya Geuder (Female Kerk) - Sister of Dylon and a captain in his family, who leads the militia into battle. Beloved by Dylon, Tanya is influential over her brother’s attitude and policies.

Zupan Shov Coladdic

• Age - 61
• Titles - Zupan of Hilgas, Head of Council

Shov Coladdic is the elder patriarch of the Coladdic clan, and the Head of Council over all of the Kycer. Shov is an old and staunch archconservative, who grew up mastering the faith even though he is not a necromancer himself. What Shov lacks in magic he makes up for in stubbornness and political mastery over the rituals of the Kycer. Shov is best described to have a very ugly set of features, and generally has a long history of denying the Geuders further political power in the Kycer. Although a Coladdic, he has a nasty and toxic relationship with most of his family, and is avoided even by Mel Coldfinger himself. Due to Shov’s age and mastery in the Kycer, most of the Coladdic faction looks up to him to lead them against the ambitions of Dylon Geuder, whom he has a vicious rivalry with.

Associates

• Taspov Beusdov (Male Kerk) - Taspov is currently the other Head of Council in Caslan who joined Shov as co-ruler on a joint ticket. Although Taspov is a skilled politician in his own right, he is considerably meek in comparison to Shov’s shadow and acts more as his lackey, a political trouble which he fears will be his legacy. Unlike Shov, he is a necromancer, but not a very good one, a surprise and disappointment to many members of the Kycer.
• Yila Coladdic (Female Kerk) - Shov’s wife and matriarch of the Coladdic clan, who also happens to be a ceremonial priest in the Kycer. Although Shov is not a mage, Yila is, and is a very good one at that. Yila, like many Kerkian matriarchs, are very brutal and cold women, something which Shov comes to love.
• Darsov Coladdic (Male Kerk) - Darsov is Shov’s son and heir from his first brood, who shares many of his father’s beliefs and convictions, but is more hot headed and spiteful towards the Geuders. Unlike other heirs, Darsov was solely trained in the Kycer’s politics in the hopes he will become the next Head of Council after Shov passes.
• Drasken (Male Beurian) - Drasken is a Beurian bodyguard and slave of Shov who follows the Head of Council wherever he goes, having been bought and trained for the sole purpose for his own protection.
• ‘Big Toe’ (Male Lun’Kerk) - Grandmaster of the Blackhand, a Lun’Kerk assassin and son of a spy. ‘Big Toe’, as he is named, does not in fact have big toes, but has abnormally smaller ones. Although skilled, he and Shov are in a deep political alliance in the hopes of bringing the Blackhand as a formal institution into Caslan society, in return for some dirty dealings.

Zupan Pelkov Elkwood

• Age - 55
• Titles - Zupan of Telgan, Minor Priest

Pelkov Elkwood is an important figure in the Geuderian faction in Caslan, and is generally considered a very divisive figure. Although he sides with the Geuderians, he is politically conservative, and also one of the faction’s richest members. Pelkov however is often described as a greedy creature, who is more interested in usurpation for his own family then actually improving his own realm, much to the dismay of his allies. Pelkov is also considered extensively cruel towards non-Kerks, and is arch enemies with the rising Hazel clan.

Associates

• Trema Elkwood (Female Kerk) - Pelkov’s wife and true power in the Elkwood clan, a cruel and brutal woman who has raised all three broods of Pelkov’s children with considerable efficiency. Trema has no love towards her husband and bickers often with him, and often rules Telgan with an iron fist while he is away in the Kycer.
• Galya Elkwood (Female Kerk) - Pelkov’s daughter and heir from his first brood, a well trained priest and upcoming matriarch with her own family. Although equal to her father in authority, Gayla doesn't share his personality and motivations, and is more content with remaining more neutral.
• Lokov Elkwood (Male Kerk) - Pelkov’s brother and a necromancer, a priest of Telgan and a Ceremonial Priest in the Kycer. Lokov is one of Pelkov’s only true friends and companions, and both have a brotherly fondness towards one another.
• Quilkov Elkwood (Male Kerk) - Pelkov’s brother, although neither share much love towards one another. Dedicated to his family, Quilkov leads his own elite band of Ghilmen, and is highly protective of the Elkwood clan and its interests.
• Anyan (Male Okan) - An Okan slave of Pelkov and his personal servant. Although abused and meek, Anyan secretly works as a spy for the Unbroken, and in turn, the Hazels.

Zupan Duman Hazel

• Age - 24
• Titles - Zupan of Pemolas, Friend of the Okan

Dunman was not the first choice for Patriarch by his clan, but his upbringing and deeds became known after he and several members of his clan counter-invaded their own tomb city to free it from the grasp of wandering bandits, and then led impressive raids against the Elkwoods. When both the zupan and his heir died in a suspicious ambush, the clan chose Duman to lead them, and has since made strides that has impressed his allies and angered his enemies. Dunman made trade deals with Lavar Brav, reasserted the clan’s loyalty to the Geuders, and reformed their clan’s militia into a more professional militia. Duman is known for his strong sympathies towards the Okan, whom the Okan clans consider him friend.

Associates

• Ula Hazel (Female Kerk) - Ula is Duman’s wife, who is abnormal for the Kerks for being both very calm and kind hearted towards her family, even though she is by all means a matriarch of the clan. Ula continues to struggle keeping the clan in line alongside her husband, but is truly loving of Duman.
• Jaskov Hazel (Male Kerk) - Duman’s brother from the 2nd brood and his chosen heir. Jaskov had been both a great aid to Duman during their travels, but also is mostly equal in skills. Jaskov however is very hot headed, and deeply invested in the feud between the Hazels and the Elkwoods.
• Benton (Male Okan) - Leader of the Unbroken, a thief and petty thug who bribed and blackmailed his way into a position as criminal overlord of Caslan. Benton is normally spiteful of Kerks, but aligns himself with Duman out of mutual interests. Benton hates the Elkwoods in particular, as he had grown up a slave under their iron fisted rule.
• Kas Hazel (Female Okan) - Kas is a supposedly minor adoption of the clan, when Duman’s father had adopted her due to her creativity and intelligence. Kas joined Duman in his adventures, but also became influential for getting him to side more for her people due to their friendship. Her main interests have been construction and building.
• Lurchov Hazel, The Sunken (Male Undead Kerk) - Lurchov is a hermit lich who lives in the Hazel’s tomb city and struck up a friendship with Duman, and was convinced to act as the Hazel's main priest. Although still a fervent isolationist, Lurchov aids the young patriarch in his quests.

Zupan Lavar Brav

• Age - 58
• Titles - Zupan of Lowglan, Minor Priest

Lavar Brav is a very political member of the Kycer, despite the objections of his family, with his main political philosophy being the stability and safety of the republic itself. Lavar is a priest, but is very secular at heart and is more interested in mediation and pragmatic statesmanship. He is popular amongst the lower members of the house, but is unpopular for his rising stardom by Dylon and Shov. Lavar has a friendly relationship with the Hazels, an upstart family of the Geuder’s political faction, and a mentor to many new members within the Kycer. Lavar is often described as a legendary orator and writer, his seething speeches and professionalism has been the bane of many of his rivals within the Kycer.

Associates

• Lena Brav (Female Kerk) - Lavar’s wife and matriarch of the Brav clan, but unlike many kerkian Matriarches, she is far more collected, calm, and concerned for the well being of her clan. That concern often means Lavar is pushy towards her clan to better themselves and aid in the clan’s success, regardless of their own personal troubles.
• Torpov Brav (Male Kerk) - Torpov is Lavar’s son and heir from his first brood, a well learned and mercantile Kerk who travels often as a merchant. Lavar is particularly proud of Torpov for his engagement in politics and his starting job as a Ghilman captain.
• Cilov Brav (Male Kerk) - Lavar’s brother and his spiteful rival in the family, a merchant by trade and a envoy of the Kycer. Cilov despises Lavar’s political scheming and rejection of neutrality. Cilov works with other members of the family to usurp the position of Patriarch from Lavar.
• Tesner Uman (Male Human) - Tesner is one of Lavar’s friends and a merchant of Caslan, who primarily sells paper. Tesner and Lavar share many political convictions and beliefs, but also a unique taste for writing and speech. However, Tesner is not a Kerk and does not stand to get into the Kycer, but Lavar views him as equal to or better then his peers.
• Lila (Female Okan) - Lavar’s personal servant and slave, although is more treated as family. Lavar views Lila fondly for being curious and well educated, having once been a scribe before her poor parents sold her to pay off debts.