“Where the reverent pray and the Traders Trade.”

Overview

Permia, often called Greater Permia, is one of the most politically and culturally influential kingdoms on the continent of Cathall. Spanning both a significant stretch of mainland and a large offshore island, Permia is defined by its dual nature: one rooted in sacred legend and philosophical enlightenment, the other in bustling trade, worldly pleasures, and shifting political alliances.

While many kingdoms in Mernac trace their strength to military conquests or divine favor, Permia’s influence is earned through diplomacy, religious openness, and unmatched exportation of truth-binding materials and rare spirits. The capital city of Goldmont, perched atop the awe-inspiring cliffs that share its name, is revered as one of the holiest sites in all of Mernac. According to the Scribes and Sages who know of such things, it was here that Siberlee and Barak communed at the dawn of creation to imagine the pantheon of Mernac’s gods.

This reverence has shaped Permia into the only kingdom where temples to all twenty of The Mothers and The Fathers are not only permitted but encouraged to thrive openly side by side. Despite this profound religiosity, Permia is not without vice. Its mainland hub, Port Mystic, serves as a commercial capital of Cathall – and a sanctuary for smugglers, mercenaries, courtesans, and confidence artists from across the known world.

Permia is known for its warm climate, fertile hills, vineyards, ancient ruins, religious landmarks, and proud cultural exports. Among its most famous products are Permian Brandy, long considered the finest liquor in Mernac, and Kellium Ink, a magical substance that only records what its writer believes to be true. Together, these offerings symbolize what Permia has become: a kingdom where pleasure and principle, faith and pragmatism, are not opposites but threads of a unified cultural tapestry.

Geography and Environment

Greater Permia straddles two distinct landmasses: its island capital, Goldmont, and its expansive mainland region, centered around Port Mystic. The topography of both regions varies greatly, though each contributes to the kingdom’s complex identity.

The Goldmont Cliffs, a towering range of golden-veined stone, are among the tallest seaside escarpments in Mernac. These cliffs rise dramatically from the southern waters and are rumored to hold ancient caverns carved by the gods themselves. Goldmont city was constructed upon the flat shelf atop these cliffs, affording it natural protection from naval assault and panoramic views of the seas beyond. Legend holds that this very spot is where Siberlee and Barak dreamt of the divine, creating the template for the gods and goddesses to come.

The island’s interior is lush and fertile, dotted with vineyards, monasteries, and sacred groves devoted to various deities. It enjoys a mild temperate climate, with sun-soaked summers and gentle winters moderated by sea winds. Ancient standing stones and circular shrines can be found tucked among hillsides and hidden valleys, many of them predating written history.

On the mainland, the terrain is flatter but more commercially developed. Port Mystic, the kingdom’s largest trade hub, sits at the mouth of the Anteryne River and connects to inland routes across Cathall. Surrounding the city are low plains of mixed woodland and farmland, along with small coastal marshes home to amphibious wildlife and trade-friendly estuaries.

The Kitchor Forest, located to the northeast of Port Mystic, is a place of ill repute. Bandits, highwaymen, and wanted fugitives are said to vanish into its depths, protected by a magical gloom that confuses travelers and makes even well-worn paths treacherous. Rumors persist of several secretive fairy communities hidden deep within, protected by enchantments and illusion wards cast long ago during the Age of Elsen.

Despite the duality of the land, both regions are intrinsically linked by ferry, philosophy, and law. And together form one of the most harmonious and religiously diverse realms in all of Mernac.

Culture and Society

Permia is a melting pot of Races, faiths, and disciplines. Though it is predominantly Human, nearly every race in Mernac can be found within its borders. Dark Elves debate philosophy with High Elves on the goldstone patios of Goldmont; Dwarves and Gnomes operate bonded cooperatives in Port Mystic’s Merchant Guild; even a few of the more isolationist Murmil, and even Troll families have been known to reside quietly in the wooded hamlets between capital and coast.

What binds Permian society together is its unyielding commitment to tolerance and civility. A child of any race, faith, or identity can walk openly into the central plaza of Goldmont and be met with curiosity rather than judgment. In many ways, Permia has become a haven for those persecuted elsewhere, especially in matters of faith or personal truth.

At the heart of this open-mindedness lies The Concordia Doctrine, a foundational philosophy taught in schools, temples, and homes alike. It asserts that all divine voices are sacred, even when contradictory, and that wisdom lies in harmonizing discord rather than silencing it.

Permians are also known for their love of festivals and seasonal rites, many of which draw visitors from across the continent. Each year, the Brandy Bloom Festival celebrates the summer flowering of the Dazel Vine, used in the creation of Permian Brandy. The Festival of Signed Truths is held in autumn to commemorate the invention of Kellium Ink. During this event, treaties and old declarations are read aloud, allowing onlookers to witness any magical alterations that have occurred over the years as authors’ beliefs changed.

Social classes are fluid in Permia, determined more by education, merit, and service to community than by bloodline or wealth. Though aristocracy exists, it tends to serve an ambassadorial function. The real power is wielded by a rotating Council of Scribes and Seers, made up of philosophers, priests, record-keepers, and legal sages chosen every two decades by public acclamation and peer recommendation.

Magic and Religion

Nowhere in Mernac is religious pluralism more embraced than in Permia. The kingdom is the only place in the known world where temples, shrines, and altars to all twenty of the divine—The Seven Mothers and The Thirteen Fathers—are not only permitted but encouraged. In both Goldmont and Port Mystic, the skyline is punctuated with multi-faith sanctuaries, places of worship where sermons, rites, and festivals of vastly differing pantheons occur side by side.

This spiritual openness is not mere decoration. Religious scholars from every kingdom journey to Goldmont’s Spiral Dome, a four-story marble structure that houses a library of sacred texts said to predate even the Age of Races. Each of the twenty deities has their own consecrated chamber within the dome, and worshippers often spend an entire year meditating in each one to gain favor from the whole divine spectrum.

Magic in Permia is treated much the same way—diverse, refined, and ever-expanding. All thirteen schools of elemental and spiritual arcana are legally practiced, and colleges of magic exist in both the capital and Port Mystic. Permian spellcrafters are especially known for their focus on truthbinding magic, a rare form of enchantment that verifies intent, oaths, and emotion. These skills are vital to the kingdom’s diplomatic culture, and many of the world’s most complex treaties are drafted within its borders.

The famed Kellium Ink, invented centuries ago by Kalor the Fire Dragon, is still manufactured here and remains one of the kingdom’s most valuable exports. Created from dragonbone ash, crushed starpods, and a secret alchemical process, Kellium Ink magically adjusts written words if the beliefs of the writer change over time. It is used in treaties, contracts, and philosophical essays, and is a legal requirement for all royal proclamations within Permia.

The presence of such powerful spiritual and arcane traditions ensures that priests and mages are often one and the same. Most temple guardians are trained in both blade and spell, and the highest offices of state are held by those fluent in theology, diplomacy, and enchantment.

Unique Exports and Economy

Permia is one of Mernac’s most self-sustaining kingdoms, thriving on a steady stream of luxury goods, magical services, and diplomatic traffic. Its influence is not built on conquest, but on the exchange of truth, indulgence, and faith.

Primary Exports:

• Permian Brandy: A deep amber liquor distilled from Dazel Vine and aged in Everwood casks. Its rich flavor and mild hallucinogenic afterglow make it the celebratory drink of choice for monarchs, guildmasters, generals, and those with enough coin alike.
• Kellium Ink: Used throughout Mernac in every major political or legal document of importance. The ink is so valuable that it is often kept under armed guard and administered by state-licensed scribes only.
• Treaty Hosting and Scriptorium Services: Permia earns a small fortune each year by acting as host and mediator for inter-kingdom treaties. Its Coven of Neutral Scribes, a guild known for being incorruptible, is often hired to draft and witness pacts.
• Spiritual Pilgrimage Services: The temples of Goldmont, particularly those that lie directly above the Cliffs of Dreaming, attract pilgrims of all races. Visitors often leave tithes, offerings, or commit to seasonal labor as devotion.
• Arcane Consulting: Permian mages provide services to royal courts, universities, and wealthy merchant families, offering enchantment, divination, and curse removal in exchange for high coin.

Trade from Port Mystic connects to every major river system in Cathall and even reaches overseas kingdoms. The wealth of imports—spices, animal pelts, glassware, exotic fish, and enchanted flora—means Permians have access to more varied goods than any other kingdom on the continent.

Races and Inhabitants

Permia prides itself on its welcoming attitude toward all races, though it remains a Human-majority kingdom. The absence of discrimination in civic life is not merely a custom but enshrined in law: The Concord of Faces, signed in 2173 AM, declared it illegal to discriminate based on race, magical lineage, or religious affiliation.

Humans:

The dominant group in both government and population. Permian Humans are often pale or sun-bronzed, with deep-set eyes and elaborate hair-braiding customs that signify education and station. They favor flowing robes or double-layered tunics in colors that reflect their spiritual patron.

Elves:

High Elves often serve in the Council of Scribes and Seers, lending their centuries of memory and sharp intellect to governance. Wood Elves maintain sacred groves near Goldmont, often acting as keepers of the temples to The Mothers.

Gnomes:

Gnomes are particularly prevalent in Port Mystic, where they dominate bookbinding, warehouse inspection, and artifact appraisal professions. Many have risen to prominence as archivists and dealers of rare magical items.

Dark Elves:

Rare in Goldmont but more commonly found in Port Mystic’s lower quarters, where their skill in shadow enchantments and night market negotiations make them valuable, if controversial, allies.

Others:

Murmils, Faeries, Dwarves, and Merfolk can be found in small communities or passing through on pilgrimage or trade. Orcs are rare, though not unwelcome. Furs are almost entirely absent, as they remain secluded to Ooloo.

Myths and Moments

The Cliffs of Dreaming

It is said that Siberlee and Barak stood upon the Goldmont Cliffs at the beginning of time and dreamed the divine into being. The very stone is believed to retain fragments of those dreams, and some pilgrims who meditate at the edge for long enough claim to hear echoes of The One and The Other whispering across the waves.

The Pact of All Altars

In the year 1332 AM, a rogue cult attempted to outlaw all faiths except for those of The Fathers. In a moment of rare unity, followers of all twenty gods united to drive them out. The resulting decree, signed by every major faith leader in the kingdom, became known as the Pact of All Altars and cemented Permia’s identity as a sanctuary for belief.

The Poison Quill Trials

In 1867 AM, a disgraced noble attempted to forge a treaty using counterfeit Kellium Ink. The deception was uncovered when the words began to warp on their own, and the noble’s entire family was cursed by a spell bound to the original contract. The incident led to the founding of the Order of Truthbinders, a guild of scribes who ensure no forgery or intent-warped document ever passes through Permia’s courts again.

Relevance

In the modern age, Permia remains one of Mernac’s most vital diplomatic hubs. Goldmont hosts emissaries from every major kingdom, and its Spiral Dome is a required pilgrimage for scholars, priests, and politicians alike.

The truth-telling properties of Kellium Ink have made it an international standard for binding agreements, and no major war treaty is considered legitimate unless drafted under Permian oversight. This has also made the kingdom a frequent target for espionage and political intrigue.

Culturally, Permia continues to shape the arts, ethics, and magic of Mernac. It is the site of numerous universities, scroll halls, and the revered Vault of Voices, an oral tradition archive where spoken truths are sealed in crystal memory stones.

Politically, Permia often acts as a neutral ground during intercontinental disputes, and its commitment to balance and plurality makes it both beloved and begrudged by powers on both sides of Light and Dark.

9. Quotable Lore

“A god that cannot share space with another is no god worth following.”
— High Scribe Relmuth, 1533 AM

“One sip of Permian Brandy and even a Troll will tell you what he really thinks.”
— Port Mystic proverb

“We don’t wage war with armies. We wage it with parchment.”
— Lord Vass Talvine, Minister of Treaties

“If it’s got a wheel and doesn’t bite, we built it.”

General Overview

Lingin, often referred to as the “Workshop of Cathall,” is a modest-sized kingdom nestled west of Permia, south of Greater Gilmore, and north of Elber. It is widely considered the ancestral and cultural homeland of the Gnomes, who make up the vast majority of its population. Known throughout Mernac for their intellect, mischief, and unparalleled craftsmanship, the Gnomes of Lingin are responsible for much of the continent’s mechanical advancement.

If a fine weapon is needed, one would go to the Dwarves. If a powerful spell is required, one would seek the Dark Elves. But if a contraption, machine, or device is desired, the tinkerers and inventors of Lingin are the masters to consult. This kingdom is famed for producing everything from complex windmills and gear-driven sawmills to delicate music boxes and mechanical puppets. Lingin is the undisputed center of invention and industry in all of Cathall.

Geography and Settlements

Lingin’s landscape is hilly and forested, crisscrossed with rivers that power its mills and workshops. The terrain is ideal for constructing hidden laboratories and secluded villages where prototypes can be developed away from prying eyes. Though its capital, Tattergrin, is the largest settlement, Lingin is dotted with dozens of small workshop-villages, each with a specialty trade or engineering discipline.

The entire kingdom hums with the rhythmic clanking of gears and the hiss of steam valves. Gnome-built canal systems and underground tramways provide fast, albeit occasionally whimsical, transportation across the land. Small hot air balloons and gliders are not uncommon sights in Lingin’s skies.

Due to the gnomes’ nomadic youth tradition, there are many embassies and “return stations” in Lingin that welcome back gnomes returning from their fifty-season walkabout. These buildings also serve as debriefing centers, where gathered knowledge is recorded, analyzed, and added to the Great Scrolls of Innovation.

Culture and Society

The heart of Lingin culture is innovation, curiosity, and good-natured trickery. Gnomes see pranks as a form of social bonding and creative expression. Outsiders often find Lingin unpredictable, but beneath the chaos lies a deeply respectful and cooperative society.

Gnomes are also known for their unique physical traits, with many sporting exaggerated features or unusual deformities. These are rarely considered blemishes; rather, they are embraced as signs of uniqueness and creative potential. It is not uncommon for a Gnome’s worth to be judged as much by the eccentricity of their appearance as by the brilliance of their mind.

Their humor, much like their inventions, is complex and layered. Jokes can take seasons to play out, and humor is often woven into public infrastructure. Talking doors, exploding teacups, and mechanical pranks are commonplace.

Religion and Philosophy

Though technically a kingdom of the Dark, Lingin’s reverence for Father Roadius, the Father of Invention and Trickery, paints a more neutral philosophical stance. Roadius is not so much worshipped as he is admired and quoted. Temples to Roadius are more like museums and invention halls than places of solemn worship.

The tales of Roadius’ tricks on other gods, his inventions, and his frequent blunders are both cautionary and inspirational. Religious festivals are akin to invention expos, featuring contests, elaborate gags, and mechanical exhibitions.

While there are a few religious zealots among the Gnomes, most consider Roadius a source of amusement and personal aspiration rather than divine authority. Faith in Lingin is more practical than spiritual, focused on progress, understanding, and amusement.

Education and Apprenticeship

Lingin maintains a tradition unlike any other in Mernac: all Gnomes must spend fifty Seasons traveling abroad after reaching twenty seasons of age. This period of travel is considered essential to their education. Gnomes take on humble roles in foreign lands, not due to lack of ability, but to observe, learn, and collect ideas without drawing too much attention.

Upon returning, they are welcomed with celebration and prompted to share their findings. These experiences are compiled and reviewed by Elder Tinkerers and Innovator Circles, helping to advance Lingin’s collective knowledge base.

Back at home, gnomish education is a mix of tradition and experimentation. From a young age, Gnome children are taught the principles of levers, gears, combustion, and chemistry. Magical training, where it exists, is taught as a blend of prestidigitation, illusion, and alchemy rather than arcane sorcery.

Military and Defenses

Lingin may be famed for its whimsy, but few kingdoms underestimate its defenses. The gnomes have built a national security system that is as eccentric as it is effective. Their cities and towns are layered with mechanical traps, clockwork guardians, and illusionary barriers designed to confuse, mislead, or incapacitate would-be invaders.

The kingdom’s primary military force is known as the Tinker Guard, a regiment of elite Gnome engineers trained to operate semi-sentient war machines. Their automaton legion includes gear-driven warriors, steam-powered battering rams, and gliding scouts capable of launching alchemical payloads. Though these constructs may look quirky, they are terrifyingly effective in battle.

Most cities also employ trick battalions, units specializing in disinformation, sabotage, and ambush. A popular tactic involves the use of puppet decoys or terrain-manipulating devices to lead invaders into traps or illusions. Even their “fortresses” often turn out to be lures – mechanical structures that collapse or invert at the pull of a hidden lever, trapping entire regiments inside.

While Lingin avoids open warfare, it is well defended, and few have ever invaded it more than once.

Natural Resources and Industry

Lingin does not boast rich mines or endless farmland. Instead, its greatest resource is its mind. The Gnomes trade in invention, creativity, and mechanical craftsmanship. They import most of their raw materials from allies in Hob, Kezia, and Gilmore, often exchanging them for intricate tools, devices, and automata.

Their workshops and industry centers are dense with innovation. From windmills that grind grain while playing music to underground factories that manufacture clockwork insects for reconnaissance, the kingdom is alive with mechanical marvels.

Notably, Lingin is the only known producer of Sprightoil, a volatile substance distilled from fermented fungal spores and lightning-infused gas pockets. It is used to power most of their automated devices and provides a distinct crackling glow when burned.

Other major exports include:

• Timekeeping devices, prized by scholars and nobles alike.
• Precision instruments, especially lenses, compasses, and survey tools.
• Puppetry and mechanical toys, used across Mernac both for entertainment and espionage.

Flora and Fauna

Lingin’s natural environment is largely shaped by centuries of industrialization. Some native flora and fauna have gone extinct, while others have adapted to the clockwork-infused ecosystem.

Flora

• Cogvine: A creeping plant with metallic tendrils that wrap around buildings and spin small seed-filled gears in the wind.
• Whistleblossom: A plant that produces sharp chirps when touched. Often used in garden alarms.
• Steamcap Mushrooms: A crucial ingredient in Sprightoil, these glowing fungi emit warm vapor and thrive in the damp, shaded corners of urban alleyways and factory basements.

Fauna

• Fiddlefoxes: Clever mammals with an affinity for shiny objects. Some Gnomes believe they have a sense of rhythm and have been seen tapping paws in response to music.
• Glo-gnats: Insects that blink in patterns. Used in rural communication.
• Tickmice: Rodents that have developed an instinct for navigating rotating gears and moving platforms, often kept as pest control in workshops.

In addition, a few mechanical creatures built centuries ago now roam wild. These include gear-driven birds, spring-loaded lizards, and occasionally a rogue automaton gone feral.

Myths and Moments

The Great Steam Outburst of 1033

A group of apprentice Gnomes attempted to build a machine that could transform fog into drinkable water. Their invention, nicknamed the “Cloudtooth,” malfunctioned and released a column of hot vapor that blanketed half of Tattergrin for three days. No one was seriously hurt, but the event led to the creation of the Department of Cautious Curiosity, which now regulates high-risk inventions.

The Missing Kingpin

Legend tells of a massive, city-sized automaton called Brasshew built in secret during the final decades of the First Millennium. It was said to be powered by a core of molten Kellium Ink and could travel underground. During a test run, the control key, known as the Kingpin, was misplaced, causing Brasshew to vanish into the tunnels beneath the capital. Some believe it still moves beneath the earth, protecting the kingdom in silence.

The Trick of the Thousand Traps

In the 1400s, an army from Kezia attempted to invade Lingin during the Dry Season. By the time they reached Tattergrin’s walls, more than half their numbers had been scattered, routed, or captured—not by soldiers, but by trick bridges, false roads, illusionary ravines, and fields of clockwork scarecrows rigged with flash bombs. The invaders retreated in shame, and the gnomes have since reenacted the event as a comedic parade each year.

10. Relevance

Today, Lingin remains a center of mechanical innovation in Mernac. Its goods are used by adventurers, merchants, and armies alike. Gnomes are common in nearly every major kingdom, often underestimated due to their size, only to surprise with their brilliance.

Politically, Lingin maintains a neutral stance but exercises great soft power through its technological exports and the widespread knowledge of its traveling youth. Many of Mernac’s most renowned inventors and engineers are trained in Lingin or born there.

As the demand for non-magical alternatives grows in a world rife with magical instability, the influence of Lingin only continues to expand. The Scribes and Sages who know of such things believe that the next great shift in Mernac’s balance of power may come not through magic or war, but through gears, springs, and steam.

11. Quotable Lore

“If it’s got a wheel and doesn’t bite, we built it.”
— Common saying among Lingin apprentices

“Never trust a gnome who gives you a gift with no levers.”
— Old Troll proverb

“We laugh at the gods because they made the world once. We remake it every day.”
— High Tinker Brintzel Glaff, in her memoir Tick-Tock and Tea*

“Snow white days and blood red nights.”

Overview

The Kingdom of Bonkus is less a kingdom and more a loosely allied territory dominated by the Azemen, massive fur-covered humanoids who live by the primal law of domination, survival, and reverence to Bu, the Father of Death and Destruction. Situated in the frigid reaches of northeastern Cathall, Bonkus is bordered by Moksun to the southwest, Zonga to the south, and Quontas to the southeast. It is a land rarely traveled by outsiders and almost never without invitation. Those who cross into Bonkus unbidden are seldom seen again.

Rather than unified under a king or council, Bonkus is controlled by a network of independent Azemen war tribes, each vying for power, prestige, and control of valuable resources like crystal-rich caves and mammoth migration routes. Every tribe lives according to the harsh tenets of their god Bu, glorifying brutality, war, and domination. The region is infamous for its brutal raids on neighboring lands, particularly targeting women of childbearing age, who are taken as slaves and gatherers.

Bonkus is feared across Mernac not only for the savagery of its inhabitants but for its abundant deposits of rare magical crystals, aggressive native fauna, and deep religious devotion to darkness. Most kingdoms consider it a cursed land where the old powers of the Fathers still walk, and legends say Bu’s return will begin with a blood moon rising over the glaciers of Bonkus.

Geography and Landscape

Bonkus is a land carved by ice, dominated by jagged mountains, frozen plains, glacial ridges, and narrow, icy valleys. The terrain is shaped as much by ancient volcanism as by the glaciers that still move slowly across the northern slopes. The ground is often unstable, riddled with sinkholes, crevices, and frozen-over tunnels that lead into underworld caverns where Azemen mystics claim to hear Bu’s voice.

To the north, massive glacier fields separate Bonkus from the impassable Icelit Sea. The southern border, where it meets Zonga and Quontas, softens slightly into snow-blanketed pine forests and rockier hills, though the temperatures remain well below freezing for much of the year.

Deep below the surface, crystal caves and ore-rich veins wind through the mountains. These are mined relentlessly by slave labor, largely composed of abducted females from other kingdoms. The Azemen care little for over-mining or environmental damage, seeing such acts as sacrifices to Bu’s hunger for dominion.

The land is scarred with mammoth paths, some wide enough to be mistaken for roads. These lead to seasonal gathering sites where Azemen warbands meet for trade, war games, or religious ceremonies.

Climate and Natural Cycles

Bonkus experiences some of the most extreme cold on the continent. There are only two widely recognized seasons among the Azemen:

• Deepfreeze: This is the long winter that covers nearly three-quarters of the Mernacian calendar. During this time, temperatures plunge to unbearable levels, and the land becomes nearly silent under a shroud of snow and howling wind. It is the season of death, war, and trial, during which many Azemen raids occur, as enemies are at their weakest.
• Huntlight: A short and fierce thaw during which the land floods with melted snow and the skies are filled with blinding sunlight. Azemen use this time to harvest resources, breed mammoths, and engage in massive tribal competitions. Any tribal disputes unresolved during Deepfreeze are settled during Huntlight—often in blood.

Occasionally, Bonkus is visited by strange northern firestorms, where auroras flicker with unnatural colors and lightning dances across the ice. These are believed to be signs of Bu’s favor… or warning.

Unique Ecology

Bonkus hosts a terrifying and highly adapted ecosystem, where flora and fauna are often larger, stronger, or more magical than their counterparts elsewhere in Mernac.

Flora:

• Frostweed: A ground-hugging, thorny plant that thrives under snow. It glows faintly in the dark and is used to light sacred Azemen rituals. Eating it raw can cause hallucinations or temporary madness.
• Glacier Bloom: Rare and beautiful flowers with shimmering petals that absorb light. Their juice is toxic but used to stain weapons and ritual tattoos.
• Razor Birch: Leafless trees with bark that slices flesh on contact. Azemen warriors use their bark to line their gauntlets and hunting snares.

Fauna:

• Three-Toed Mammoths: Towering behemoths with massive tusks and armored hides. These creatures are revered by the Azemen and used as war beasts and living siege engines.
• Ice Rippers: Stealthy snow lizards with serrated claws and an appetite for warm flesh. They hunt in packs and are often used as sentries near tribal lairs.
• Carrion Crows of Bu: Giant, coal-feathered birds believed to carry the spirits of the slain. They circle Azemen battlefields and are considered omens of victory or betrayal.
• Flesh Drakes: Small, winged, draconic reptiles found in crystal caverns. Their acidic breath and agility make them prized by tribal hunters who can tame them.

In the deepest glacial caves dwell whispering spirits, called the Frozen Forgotten, believed to be the souls of warriors who defied Bu and were trapped forever beneath the ice.

Culture and Society

Azemen culture is tribal, brutal, and deeply religious. Each tribe is led by the strongest, determined not by vote or inheritance, but by combat, conquest, or the favor of Bu.

Social Status is determined entirely by the number of kills an individual has earned. Azemen collect the ears of their victims, stringing them into necklaces or braiding them into their fur. The more ears worn, the greater their prestige. Tribes are known to steal each other’s trophies, leading to blood feuds that span generations.

Azemen value physical prowess, endurance, and war cunning. Mercy is considered weakness. Their rites of passage involve surviving in the wild alone for an entire moon, naked and unarmed. Children who fail do not return are forgotten.

Though each tribe speaks a different dialect, all Azemen share a pictographic bone script used only by elders and shamans. Most communication is through grunts, symbols, or displays of strength.

Slaves, especially women, are considered property and not part of society. They are used for food gathering, crystal mining, and reproduction. Despite this, Azemen protect their slaves fiercely from outsiders, considering them trophies of war.

Governance and Power Structures

There is no centralized government in Bonkus. Each of the thirteen primary Azemen tribes controls its own territory, laws, and traditions. The closest thing to unity comes during the Rite of Ascendancy, a once-per-decade competition where champions from each tribe fight, race, and test themselves to determine who will hold the Tusk of Dominion, a ceremonial title granting temporary influence over all other tribes.

Leadership within tribes is held by the Strongest One, a warlord chosen through trial by combat or ritualized hunts. Advisors are typically Shaman-Bloods, mystics who interpret the will of Bu through crystal reading, mammoth dreams, or blood scrying.

Laws are unwritten but absolute: obey the Strongest, kill the weak, honor Bu, never show mercy. Punishment for treason or cowardice is death by freezing or being fed to mammoths.

Races and Inhabitants

The Kingdom of Bonkus is populated almost entirely by the Azemen, a brutal, fur-covered race believed to be the first children of Bu. Standing up to three paces high, with immense strength and relentless stamina, Azemen resemble savage giants wrapped in ice and muscle. Though they walk upright like men, their beastlike features and animalistic behavior set them far apart from the Races of the Light.

Male Azemen are warriors, hunters, and dominators. From youth, they are trained to fight, kill, and endure extreme hardship. Their society glorifies male strength to such an extent that any sign of diplomacy, kindness, or hesitation is met with scorn, or death.

Female Azemen, while fierce in their own right, are primarily responsible for raising offspring and maintaining tribal rituals. They possess their own inner hierarchy and traditions, particularly around the rites of pregnancy, blood-binding, and interpreting omens from the frozen wastes.

Other inhabitants of Bonkus are almost exclusively slaves, taken during raids from neighboring kingdoms. Most are women of childbearing age, captured and repurposed as laborers, concubines, or crystal gatherers. These slaves live in pit villages guarded by mammoth-mounted warriors, often enduring years of hardship before perishing or being traded between tribes.

The only other native race tolerated in Bonkus is the Snow Giant, who shares a distant spiritual connection with the Azemen. Though rare, Snow Giants often act as neutral arbiters in tribal disputes and are revered for their ancient knowledge and strange elemental magic.

Myths and Moments

The Founding of Bonkus

According to Azemen legend, the land of Bonkus was formed when Bu, angered by the disobedience of the other Fathers, stomped his foot into the continent of Cathall, cracking it with fury and freezing the wound. From that stomp, the first Azemen emerged—born not from wombs but from fissures in the ice, fully grown and howling with rage. The great mammoths bowed to them, and the Snow Giants taught them how to carve ice into weapons.

The Mammoth King’s Curse

One tale tells of Kurdrak the Mammoth King, the first Azemen to tame the mighty three-toed mammoths. Kurdrak ruled all thirteen tribes by strength alone. When he died, his bones were carved into the Throne of Ivory, which now resides in a cave known only to the Shaman-Bloods. Any Azemen warlord who sits on it without Bu’s blessing will be cursed with the freezing of his seed, ensuring his bloodline ends with him.

The Siege of Iceblood Vale

In the year 2587 AM, the Azemen nearly succeeded in conquering southern Zonga during the infamous Siege of Iceblood Vale. They descended with thirty mammoths and an army of frost-painted berserkers, rooting Zongan mages with their ground-freezing traps and tearing through enchanted defenses. The siege was only broken when a rain of enchanted crystal arrows from Quontas’ Dark Faerie elite rained down from the cliffs, forcing the Azemen to retreat. The value of Zonga’s alliance with Quontas was never questioned again.

Economy and Trade

Bonkus has no formal economy by the standards of most kingdoms. There is no coinage, no organized market, and no written contracts. Instead, the economy revolves around raiding, bartering, and blood-trade.

The most valuable resources in Bonkus are:

• Magical crystals, mined by slaves and hoarded in sacred bone vaults. These are sometimes traded with outside groups (especially Dark Faeries or rogue traders from Moksun) in exchange for weapons, poisons, or enchanted furs.
• Mammoth tusks and hides, considered high luxury goods across Mernac. Some black-market trade routes exist, particularly through corrupt ports in southern Zonga.
• Slaves, particularly women from other races, occasionally sold through third parties outside Bonkus.
• Blood-bound oaths, an ancient Azemen ritual used to formalize non-written deals. These are rare and usually only extended to giants or emissaries from Quontas.

While most races fear and shun contact with Bonkus, some thrill-seeking alchemists, dark collectors, and relic hunters do seek to deal with individual tribes—if they can survive the negotiations.

Relevance

Though not unified under a single flag, Bonkus remains one of the most dangerous and unpredictable forces on the Cathall continent. Its tribes continue to raid their southern and southeastern neighbors, Moksun, Zonga, and Quontas, with disturbing regularity. Each incursion brings with it the threat of Azemen expansion, something that has historically ended in carnage for all involved.

Rumors persist that the Throne of Ivory will be claimed by a prophesied warlord called Shadeknuckle, who is said to be born with a mammoth’s eye and a frost-black heart. If this champion of Bu does emerge, many fear the tribes could finally unite, and no army in Mernac would be safe from a warhost of thirty thousand Azemen berserkers.

The Scribes and Sages who know of such things argue over how long Bonkus can remain fractured before a new terror is unleashed from the ice.

Quotable Lore

“You count coins. I count ears.”
– Kharbak Bonefist, Azemen Warlord

“The frost doesn’t kill you. It shows you what you really are.”
– Old Bonkus saying, often spoken before battle

“If Bu ever marches again, his footfall will crack Mernac in half, and Bonkus will ride the wave.”
– Delmira Sketh, Quontan seeress

Dominion of Vengeance and Iron-Bound Fury

Name and Placement

The Kingdom of Kru lies in the southeastern quadrant of the continent of Cathall. It shares its northern border with Volgar, its northeastern border with Kezia, and its southeastern boundary with Sugog. Its entire western and southern front is flanked by the deep, storm-wracked waters of Barak’s Triangle, where jagged cliffs and coastal peaks rise like the spines of drowned titans. A land shaped by violent conflict and hardened by wrath, Kru is a brutal and untamed kingdom, often spoken of in hushed tones by traders and travelers alike.

Few willingly venture to Kru unless bound by desperation, vengeance, or ambition. The kingdom’s long reputation for blood rites, battle cults, and relentless martial conquest has made it one of the most feared and least visited regions in all of Cathall. Yet within its volcanic valleys and ash-choked forests lie riches both mundane and arcane, and a deeply rooted code of strength and retribution that few outside its borders truly understand.

Geography and Environment

Kru is a land where the fury of the earth never truly sleeps. The Gorath Spine, a jagged mountain range of volcanic origin, dominates the kingdom’s central and northern region. Smoke and fire still pour from several active vents, and deep chasms run like scars through the blackened earth. These mountains house rich veins of obsidian iron, pyreblood crystal, and other volatile minerals critical to Kru’s war-forging industries. Magma pools and sulfur geysers are not uncommon, and even the more stable terrain trembles with quiet, intermittent quakes.

South of the Gorath Spine lies the Wasted Vale, a wide expanse of ashen flatlands and bone-dry bramble fields. The Vale was once fertile, long ago, before the rage of Linthur split the land in an ancient cataclysm known as the First Reckoning. Today, little grows here beyond glassgrass, thornweed, and spitebark, plant life has evolved to thrive in acidic soil and bitter air.

Bordering Sugog to the southeast lies the Blightwakes, a vast marsh of pestilence and twisted growth. These wetlands are thick with venomous insects, parasitic fungi, and mists that leech Ga from careless spellcasters. Countless would-be invaders have perished attempting to cross the Blightwakes, leaving behind only rotted bones and rusted steel.

To the west, Linter’s Edge rises, a treacherous coastline of shattered cliffs and dagger-sharp stone stacks, constantly battered by the black tides of Barak’s Triangle. The ocean offers no respite; only a single navigable inlet, Bloodbay, permits trade or travel, and even that is guarded by cruel tides and worse beasts beneath.

Despite the land’s hostility, its brutal beauty is undeniable. The skies over Kru often blaze with unnatural colors, reds, purples, and sickly greens, believed to be manifestations of Linthur’s eye, ever watching. Volcano-lit nights and thunderous quakes serve as reminders that this kingdom was shaped by vengeance and remains ever ready for war.

Government and Leadership

Kru is not a monarchy in the traditional sense. Rather, it operates as a Confederation of War-Clans, with power centered around the iron grip of a single chieftain known as the Overchief. To rise to this title, one must defeat all other clan leaders in ritual combat during the Trial of Blades, held every generation or when the reigning Overchief falls.

The current (2646 AM) Overchief is Ghor Varnok the Pale-Eye, Warlord of the Crater-Horn Clan. Varnok earned his title by slaying six rival chieftains during the Night of Thirteen Fires, a night remembered in Kru’s blood-etched lore for its brutality and broken pacts. His fortress, Ashen Roar, is a black stone keep built into the mouth of an extinct volcano, from which he rules with iron decree and ceremonial precision.

Each war-clan controls its own region, fortresses, and fields of influence. While they act autonomously in times of peace, all are required by ancient law to unite under the Overchief when war is declared beyond Kru’s borders. Disputes between clans are settled through Blood Oaths or Honor Raids, ensuring a continuous cycle of conflict that both preserves and defines Kru’s societal balance.

Betrayal, however, is not just expected, it is anticipated. Revenge is a sacred institution in Kru, a holy obligation that defines politics and succession. Power is never given, only taken.

Economy and Trade

Though viewed as savage raiders by outsiders, Kru maintains a complex and highly pragmatic economy built on the tenets of conquest, tribute, and targeted trade. The kingdom’s wealth comes not from agriculture or open commerce, but from three central sources:

• War spoils from raids on Kezia, Volgar, and distant Cathallian outposts.
• Mining operations, especially obsidian iron, brimstone, and bloodglass.
• Slave labor, often composed of prisoners of war and captured traders.

Each war-clan maintains its own mines, armories, and smelteries. Slave camps, called Griefholds, are common along the lower slopes of the Gorath Spine, where captives are forced to forge weapons, dig for volatile minerals, or labor in poison fields to harvest fumesap bulbs and hexvine for use in Kru’s chemical warfare.

Despite this brutal structure, Kru does engage in trade, albeit selectively and always with leverage. Smugglers from Hob, Traddlebow, and even Solaris occasionally risk dealings in Redhook, a coastal exchange post near Bloodbay known for its iron-fanged customs officials and blood-gilded docks. From here, Kru exports:

• Witchsteel blades and obsidian-chained armor.
• Redroot incense, believed to bolster rage and fertility.
• Battle elixirs and ritual poisons harvested from the Blightwakes.
• War trophies and enchanted artifacts looted from ancient ruins.

Payment is accepted in gold, silver, rare spices, spell-scrolls, or even prisoners, especially those with noble blood or known lineages.

Races and Inhabitants

Kru is unquestionably the domain of the Wookalars, a race of massive, boar-faced humanoids renowned for their savage appearance and unmatched battlefield prowess. Believed to have been sculpted from volcanic stone and blood by Linthur, the Father of Revenge, Wookalars revere combat as both religion and ritual. Status is measured in blood spilled, revenge invoked, and scars inflicted.

Other inhabitants of Kru include:

• Trolls, especially Boulderback Trolls, who serve as shock troops and siege engineers. These creatures prize endurance over speed and often wear rune-etched stone armor.
• Dark Elves, who form an arcane upper caste. They maintain the war-clans’ scribal records, chronicle blood oaths, and conjure revenge-rites through shadow Ga. Many are feared and respected in equal measure.
• Ogres, often enslaved or bound by blood-debt. Though lacking subtlety, their sheer strength makes them invaluable in both war and mining.

Outsiders, especially Humans, Elves, or any of the Races of the light, are rarely seen in Kru outside of chains. Dabbits are executed on sight unless previously claimed by a clan as war-prizes. All must pass through an Honor Rite if they wish to be accepted, which typically requires a combat feat or the offering of a blood-forged weapon.

Religion and Belief

In Kru, religion is vengeance given ritual form. The Wookalars and their allies worship primarily Linthur, the Father of Revenge, whose legacy of wrath and retribution is reflected in every stone of the Gorath Spine and every scar on a warrior’s body. Linthur is not merely a deity to them; he is the source of their code, the fire behind their ambition, and the reason wounds are not forgotten.

Temples in Kru are not serene halls of worship but rather sanctified arenas and blood-shrines, where offerings are made with steel. Every war-clan maintains a Revenge Altar, often fashioned from the remains of a fallen rival chieftain or enemy champion. Here, vengeance oaths are sworn in blood, and the names of the slain are inscribed into Scorchstone Tablets, sacred relics kept warm to the touch by Linthur’s favor.

Other Fathers, such as Tul and Barak, are respected but not truly revered. Worship of The Mothers is strictly forbidden. Icons of Siberlee, Sola, or Witriss defaced or desecrated are sometimes left on the border roads as warnings to outsiders.

The only accepted clergy are Vow-Maidens, female Wookalars trained in ritual combat and flame rites. These priestesses serve as spiritual guides, battlefield confessors, and executioners. Many wear masks carved from lava glass, which remain opaque unless blood is spilled in their presence.

Religious festivals in Kru are intense and dangerous. The most prominent is the Day of the First Scar, celebrated at the turn of each battle season. During this event, all war-clans offer blood to Linthur through ceremonial duels, and children of age 13 must survive their first sanctioned combat against either beast or peer, to be named adults in the eyes of the Fathers.

Military and Defense

Kru’s military is not an institution, it is a lifestyle. Every male and most females train from birth in the art of war, and each clan maintains its own standing army, known as a Blood Ring. These units act independently until the Overchief calls a Unification March, which temporarily binds the clans into a single devastating force.

The average warrior in Kru is trained to fight in any condition, against any foe. Armor tends toward mobility: obsidian-scaled leather, bone-studded mail, and war helms carved to mimic boars, dragons, or Linthur himself. Their primary weapons include:

• Cleaver-axes: Short-handled weapons used in close quarters.
• Spire spears: Long, jagged polearms designed to gut armor.
• Boom-jars: Crude but devastating alchemical grenades thrown in clusters.
• Revenge Chains: Hooked lengths of metal wielded by Wookalars who dance and bleed in battle to invoke Linthur’s blessing.

Each war-clan has its own elite unit. For instance, the Skullrunners of Clan Darg fight blindfolded to heighten their other senses, while the Flamebacks of Clan Vorn coat themselves in fireproof oils and charge into battle aflame.

Defensive structures are both natural and fortified. Watchtowers carved into the peaks of the Gorath Spine use molten braziers to send signals across long distances. Clans raise Ga-twisted battlements, grown from runestone and flame-bound oak, to protect key strongholds. No standing army has ever crossed Kru’s heartlands without suffering catastrophic losses.

Naval defense is sparse but vicious. The Redbay Scuttlers, a fleet of spiked war-rafts, guard the coast. Though slow and awkward, these vessels are manned by suicide crews, often prisoners or exiles seeking redemption. They are and packed with flammable oils and curses to ensure destruction even in defeat.

Myths and Moments

The First Reckoning
It is said that long ago, before the Wookalars carved their homes into the Gorath Spine, Linthur descended into Mernac in the form of a crimson comet. His rage split the land like an axe through bone, creating the volcanic mountains and draining the Ga of nearby regions into toxic pools of spite. The event, known as the First Reckoning, birthed the race of Wookalars from ash and blood, their tusks forged from the bones of traitorous gods. This myth is reenacted every ten years in the Rite of Flames, during which the five most promising youths of Kru are cast into the Ashen Chasm. Only those who climb out unaided are allowed to live.

The Betrayal of Vurn-Karr
In 1883 AM, a powerful war-clan known as Iron-Eye betrayed the other clans and attempted to ally with Kezia in exchange for land and recognition. The resulting civil war nearly destroyed Kru, and the tale remains a warning to all: vengeance may wait a generation, but it is never forgotten. The surviving descendants of Iron-Eye are known as The Marked, and all must wear a red iron ring around their necks until they die in honorable battle. To remove it is death.

The Black Oath of Sorrowtide
In 2592 AM, during the twilight of the Sap Wars, a fleet of invaders from Cathall’s southern coasts sought to destroy Kru by sea. As the Redbay Scuttlers were no match for the foreign galleons, Overchief Ghor Varnok invoked the Black Oath of Sorrowtide, sacrificing 300 warriors by binding their spirits into the bones of sunken ships. These Wraithhulks rose from the deep and turned the tides, their rotted sails glowing with ghostlight. Some say they still patrol the waters, slaying all who dare sail uninvited to Kru’s shores.

Relevance

In modern Mernac, Kru is viewed with a mix of caution, awe, and contempt. Though not a dominant political player, its sheer military presence and legacy of vengeance make it impossible to ignore. Few kingdoms willingly antagonize Kru, and fewer still seek alliances. Despite this, trade does occur, especially in times of war, when even the noblest of nations find reason to purchase Kru’s alchemical poisons and berserker drugs.

Rumors abound of a recent surge in Wookalar births bearing twin tusks, a trait only seen once before during the Time of Endless War. The Vow-Maidens interpret this as a sign that Linthur is stirring once more, and some whisper that Kru’s greatest reckoning is yet to come.

Quoatable Lore

“Better to lose a limb than insult a Wookalar’s mother. The first pain you’ll forget. The second will echo through your bloodline.”
– Valdren of Hob, last seen departing for Kru under treaty flag.

Dabbit Homeland and Seat of Anger

Overview

Volgar is a rugged, tempestuous kingdom in central Cathall, most commonly known as the adopted homeland of the Dabbit Race. Once a forsaken stretch of land riddled with infertile plains and harsh winds, it was granted to the Dabbits in the late 1600s as part of an experimental immigration initiative. Some say it was intended as a penal territory, others believe it was simply a desperate attempt to contain the infamous Dabbit temperament.

The kingdom’s name comes from its first sovereign, Volgarin the Red-Eyed, who is said to have tamed the squabbling Dabbit warbands into a fractious but functioning monarchy. Though technically a kingdom, Volgar is more accurately a battleground of feuding noble houses. These blood-bound Houses rule vast swathes of wind-blasted hills, and though they unite when needed to repel outsiders, they spend most seasons at war with one another.

Despite its internal turmoil, Volgar boasts one of the most formidable and battle-hardened militaries in Cathall. Its soldiers, often called the Wrathborn, are trained from youth to harness the Dabbit’s rage into disciplined devastation. Their loyalty to House and homeland is unshakable, until the inevitable insult or betrayal fractures those bonds.

2. Geography

Volgar lies in the very heart of Cathall. It shares borders with Hob to the north, Solaris and Gilmore to the east, Lingin and Elber to the south, and Kezia to the west. Its land is defined by rolling hills, choppy grasslands, and shallow riverbeds that often run dry for half the year.

The soil of Volgar is widely regarded as some of the poorest in Cathall, with only sparse growth of dry grains and hardy root crops. As such, the region was considered undesirable by most of the continent’s early settlers, which made it the ideal candidate for Dabbit occupation. Wild flora is scrubby and stunted, with only one exception: the Tiko bush, a hardy plant that grows in the shadowed bases of Volgar’s hills. Tiko is prized for its mildly euphoric effects when smoked or brewed, and it is Volgar’s primary export.

The kingdom also possesses a remarkable abundance of birds. Migratory flocks from across Mernac gather here during the colder moons, and species found nowhere else nest along the wind-swept cliffs and grassy ravines. Ornithologists and spiritualists alike are drawn to these skies, though few outsiders linger long.

3. Government and Politics

Though officially ruled by the Volgarin Family, descendants of the kingdom’s founder, real power lies in the volatile web of noble houses that divide the land. Each House controls a stretch of territory, enforces its own laws, and maintains private armies. Rivalries are ancient, and blood feuds are common. Some have lasted for centuries. Duels are not only legal but expected when slights occur, and assassinations, while frowned upon, are rarely investigated.

The Houses convene under the banner of the Wrath Council once per season, primarily to argue, insult one another, and sometimes to declare collective war on external threats. The Volgarin monarch, currently Queen Irket Volgarin II, serves as the nominal voice of unity, though her influence is constantly challenged by powerful warlords and Dabbit champions.

Despite the fractured system, there is one unifying law across all Houses: outsiders must never threaten Volgar as a whole. When foreign kingdoms encroach, the Houses unite in terrifying efficiency, their armies driven by a shared fury that has broken many invading forces.

Culture and Daily Life

Volgar’s culture is steeped in passion, conflict, and ritualized aggression. The Dabbits see anger not as a failing but as a divine gift, a sacred fire passed down from their creator, Tul, the Father of Anger. Every village and household features shrines to Tul, often adorned with feathers, broken weapons, and the skulls of enemies. These shrines are places not of peace, but of catharsis, where Dabbits go to scream, punch, or meditate on their latest grievances.

It is customary for Volgarians to follow a triad of gods: Tul as their patron, and two others of personal choice, often chosen based on one’s House, profession, or recent dreams. Some choose Fathers; others, far fewer, may choose one of the Mothers. Religious arguments over these choices are one of the leading causes of blood feuds.

Falconry and birdcraft are among the few cultural traditions shared across the Houses. Falcons, hawks, and even ravens are trained for both hunting and war. Some noble families use them as messengers or symbols of status, while others breed unique hybrids for magical surveillance or battlefield strikes. In fact, many Dabbit warriors wear feathered cloaks or masks into battle as a sign of sacred fury and tribal pride.

Volgar festivals are often noisy, chaotic affairs featuring ritual duels, wild dancing, and mass recitations of insults. The Feast of Feathers, held each Yearturn, celebrates the return of the sacred birds with competitive falconry, wing-bone flute contests, and the ceremonial roasting of enemies’ effigies.

Economy and Trade

Volgar’s economy is as volatile as its people. Traditional farming is nearly impossible due to poor soil and erratic rainfall, so the kingdom relies on hunting, herding, and trade. The Tiko bush, which grows in abundance on Volgar’s dry hills, produces a pungent leaf that, when smoked or brewed, induces mild euphoria and stress relief. Though considered a vice by most of Cathall, Tiko is legal and revered in Volgar, and its export to Traddlebow and Permia generates considerable wealth.

Bird-related goods also fuel the economy. Volgar craftsmen specialize in feather-based textiles, avian armor, and falconry equipment, including intricate harnesses for messenger birds and ceremonial battlebirds. Skilled Dabbit fletchers create arrowheads etched with clan sigils, and certain breeds of warhawks are trained to intercept airborne spells.

Trade is conducted almost exclusively through Traddlebow in Greater Gilmore, where neutral markets allow Volgar to exchange goods for imports like grain, iron, and fine cloth. Volgar refuses to trade directly with Quontas, Solaris, or Kezia, citing religious and political insults that are centuries old.

Due to the Dabbits’ notorious temper and unpredictable nature, most foreign merchants employ intermediaries when dealing with Volgarian Houses. Still, the risk is often worth it. The Tiko leaf remains one of the most coveted recreational substances in Mernac, and the feathers of Volgar’s rare migratory birds are prized in spellwork and ceremonial garb.

Races and Inhabitants

Though Dabbits are the undisputed majority in Volgar, other races do exist within its often-hostile borders.

Dabbits are humanoid in form but easily distinguished by their pitch-black sclera and red irises, along with tremors that become more severe as their anger builds. Their society is rooted in survival, dominance, and revenge. Most live short, violent lives, and their social hierarchy is built on kill counts and acts of vengeance. A Dabbit of reputation typically has a jar a string of eye on display in ther home, plucked from foes and pickled with pride.

Dabbits are not known for craftsmanship or magic in the traditional sense, but they possess rage-based abilities that allow them to temporarily channel the might of their Father, Tul. These surges of fury enable inhuman feats of strength or speed, often at great personal cost.

Dark Elves, Trolls, and Gnomes can be found in sparse settlements along Volgar’s borders, mostly employed as servants, entertainers, or tolerated neighbors. Their influence is minimal, and they are subject to frequent raids and extortion from roaming Dabbit tribes. These minorities often live in tight, walled compounds for safety and tend to avoid entanglement in Volgar’s internal politics.

Dark Faeries, however, are explicitly banned from Volgarian lands. It is said that Dabbits are particularly vulnerable to their charm and seduction, and centuries ago a single incursion led to a civil collapse when half of Volgar’s ruling Houses fell under the sway of a wandering succubus. The penalty for harboring or assisting a Dark Faerie is immediate execution.

7. Military and Warfare

Volgar’s military is decentralized, with each noble House maintaining its own warbands. These bands are composed primarily of Wrathborn, elite warriors trained to control and weaponize their rage. Dabbit units rarely fight in ordered formations; instead, they operate in furious, fast-strike groups led by berserks and warchanters.

Volgar employs an unusual strategy of avian warfare. Warhawks and razorbeaks are bred for battlefield use, capable of slashing enemy supply lines or distracting magical defenses. Messaging birds trained to avoid spell-detection wards give Volgar a logistical edge in many border skirmishes.

When Houses unite, they form the Featherfront, a combined force of air and ground units guided by a temporary War Marshal chosen from among the Houses. These combined efforts are rare and usually only occur when outsiders threaten Volgarian territory.

Volgar’s most infamous unit is the Squortz Tribe, a nomadic band of Dabbit warriors known for raiding foreign settlements, kidnapping targets of interest, and leaving entire towns ablaze in their wake. Though denounced by some Houses as “unsanctioned chaos,” others quietly fund them as tools of deterrence.

Religion and Lore

Volgarians worship Tul, Father of Wrath, above all. Shrines to Tul are found in every household, often scrawled in charcoal or smeared in blood. His iconography includes clenched fists, flaming eyes, and broken chains. Every moonrise, Dabbits offer Tul screams of anger in place of traditional prayers.

In accordance with tradition, each citizen is also expected to choose two additional deities. These are often selected during a rite of rage in early adolescence, where young Dabbits are provoked into fury and then given a vision of the gods who stood with them in that moment. Choices vary wildly, but common additions include Barak, BU, and Witriss for warriors, and Kala or Kanola for lovers and courtesans.

Religious disputes are common and considered righteous causes for violence. Temples to conflicting deities are sometimes desecrated or torn down in blood feuds, only to be rebuilt weeks later under a new banner.

The most sacred relic in Volgar is the Heartfeather, a massive black plume said to have fallen from Tul’s own armor when he struck down the First Betrayer. It is kept under heavy guard in the Sanctuary of Fury and shown only during state executions or the coronation of a new Volgarin monarch.

Relevance

Volgar today remains a powder keg of internal conflict and volatile diplomacy. Its Houses teeter constantly on the edge of all-out civil war, while simultaneously defending the kingdom with near-religious fervor from any foreign interference. Outsiders see the kingdom as a dangerous, backwards place. But those who understand its people recognize the strength in fury, the order in chaos, and the unity that can arise from shared rage.

Traddlebow merchants continue to enrich themselves from Tiko trade, and mercenary companies frequently seek to recruit Volgarian berserks. Yet few trust Volgar with political power or magical alliances. The memory of the Wrath March of 2348, when three entire towns and two major cities were burned by rampaging Dabbits, is still fresh in the minds of many.

Still, whispers persist that Volgar is uniting once more. Some say the Squortz have pledged themselves to Queen Irket. Others believe a new, god-touched warlord is rising in the western hills, calling the Houses to his banner with promises of divine vengeance and continental conquest.

Quotable Lore

“If you see the red eyes tremble, run. If you see them burn, kneel.”
— Old Kezian war warning

“Volgar doesn’t rise like the sun—it erupts like a storm.”
— Dwarven ambassador’s report to Hob

“There’s no peace in a Dabbit’s heart. Only smoke before the fire.”
— Troll proverb from the Southern Trade Route

The Hiveborn Dominion of Pain and Perfection

Overview

Zonga is a harsh and cryptic kingdom located along the southern center of the Cathall continent. It is bordered to the north by the volcanic heights of Bonkus, to the northwest by the icy realm of Moksun, and to the east by the dark lands of Quontas. Its southern border brushes the edge of the Vanklo Wastes and ends in narrow coastal marshlands that bleed into the Sea of Souls. Zonga is often described as both a kingdom and a living entity, its vast underground tunnels and hive-complexes give the appearance of a single breathing organism.

Rarely visited and poorly mapped, Zonga’s geography is a matter of both awe and dread to the scholars of Permia and Gilmore alike. Most other kingdoms regard Zonga with suspicion or fear, and few outsiders who enter return with their minds, or bodies … unaltered.

Geography and Environment

Zonga’s surface terrain is deceptive: largely arid, fissured, and riddled with sinkholes, shallow caves, and crumbling badlands. The cracked flats and thorned brushlands conceal a labyrinth of underground passages, where the true kingdom exists. This subterranean world stretches for hundreds of leagues in every direction, forming a sprawling network of carved tunnels, vaults, and vertical chambers populated by the hive-races of the kingdom.

The surface is home to sharp-bladed grasses, giant stinging thorns, and swarms of biting midges. The skies are often choked with low-hanging humidity and darkened by flocks of scavenger wasps, while the soil emits a faint alkaline stench. Fungal blooms, glowing mosses, and chitin-rooted growths are more common than trees or crops. Zonga’s few visible surface structures resemble great spiraled mounds or chitinous towers, which serve as waypoints, hatcheries, or spiritual halls for the Sectis race.

Underground, the temperature is hot and wet, the air thick with pheromones and spores. Pools of bio-acidic water and vertical breeding pits sit alongside calcified food chambers and shrine-nests. These hidden lairs stretch across the kingdom’s breadth and provide the Sectis with everything they require to survive and flourish. It is not uncommon for entire invading armies to vanish into these tunnels, never to emerge again.

Government and Leadership

Zonga is ruled by thirteen sovereign Queens, each of whom commands her own hive. These queens never meet in person, communicating instead through specially bred psychic drones known as Whisperbrood, which share hive thoughts through ritual and scent. Each queen rules a geographically distinct portion of the kingdom, though their borders shift constantly through subterranean tunneling and conquest.

Though the queens are autonomous, they abide by the ancient Hexaccord of Submission, a living agreement recorded in the nerve-stone shrines of the Deepheart Hollow, which states that all Sectis must respond to any threat against Zonga as a united swarm. When challenged by outsiders or internal heresy, the queens coordinate with devastating speed and unity, merging their armies into a single force known as the Chorus of Mandibles.

Among the Sectis, rank is determined by biological role: Queens, Overbrood Commanders, War-Shells, Drudges, Sick-Eaters, Hive-Menders, and Torchlings. Promotion comes only through mutation or transformation, typically triggered by specific hormonal rituals overseen by Hive-Speakers. No election, title, or inheritance exists—only function and necessity.

Economy and Trade

Zonga’s economy is based on biological production rather than traditional currency. All resources are either grown, harvested, regurgitated, or carved directly from living or once-living matter. Currency among the Sectis takes the form of scented resin nodes, each encoding the purpose and value of an item via olfactory signature. This makes trade with outsiders difficult, though not impossible.

Despite their isolation, Zonga occasionally exports the following:

• Living armor, grown from hardened chitin plates
• Resinbound venom glands, used in poisons and alchemy
• Tunnelstone spores, capable of accelerating excavation
• Pheromone beads, used in subtle magic and court intrigue

The kingdom engages in secretive trade with black-market merchants from Kezia, Gilmore, and Hob, who prize Zongan wares for their rarity and deadly utility. Smugglers claim that some hives breed memory larvae, capable of absorbing knowledge from consumed brains—a banned item in most civilized nations.

Tribute between hives is carried by bonded drones or living tribute-carts, and there is no merchant class in the traditional sense. All goods flow through the hive according to function, loyalty, and Queenly will.

Races and Inhabitants

The Sectis are the dominant, and nearly exclusive, race within Zonga. Insectoid and deeply alien in their behavior, they serve Werk, the Father of Pain and Disease, whose design shaped their form and philosophy. Werk chose the insect races for their efficiency, endurance, and ability to thrive in filth. The Sectis embrace this divine legacy with zeal.

Sectis vary greatly in form depending on caste. All are six-limbed and encased in a dark exoskeleton, often streaked with mucus and scar tissue. Their mandibles click constantly, communicating mood or readiness, and their multifaceted eyes range from dull amber to blazing red. Specific castes include:

• War-Shells: Massive front-line brutes, capable of splitting plate armor with clawed limbs.
• Hive-Menders: Healers and engineers who weave resin and flesh into functioning structures.
• Torchlings: Fire-bearing scouts, bred for suicidal raids and chemical warfare.
• Sick-Eaters: Diseased drones that absorb contamination, then combust or dissolve enemies.

All Sectis are born in hatcheries and assigned roles based on pheromonal sorting during larval development. There are no families, no individuals. The hive is all.

Outsiders are extremely rare in Zonga, though captured invaders are sometimes allowed to live as Offering-Herds, their agony considered sacred to Werk. Sectis queens sometimes capture Dark Elves, Gnomes, or Dabbits to experiment with interspecies breeding or magical splicing, with abominable results.

Military and Warfare

The military force of Zonga is less an organized army and more a living tide. The Chorus of Mandibles, as it is known across Cathall, is the single most terrifying demonstration of coordinated swarm warfare in all of Mernac. While the surface entrances to Zonga appear unguarded, in truth, entire armies lie in wait just beneath the dust, ready to erupt at the scent of blood or the command of a Hive-Caller.

Each Sectis hive maintains its own caste of war drones, which may include:

• Tunnel-Harriers: Agile, saw-limbed insects that collapse enemy trenches or dig behind enemy lines.
• Chitin-Sworn: Elite personal guards of the queens, often alchemically enhanced with venom-laced blades for limbs.
• Spore-Bombers: Swollen drones filled with acidic pollen or fungal grenades, used to create biohazard zones.
• Voice-Leeches: Magical creatures bred to mimic enemy commands, used to confuse and misdirect during battle.

Zonga’s warfare is strategic, not wasteful. Drones never retreat out of fear but may burrow away to regroup. The queens see combat as a sacred performance, an offering to Werk, their patron Father. Every battle is logged via pheromone scripts and later shared across the hives through psychic osmosis. Even a failed assault is a learning opportunity for the swarm.

Above ground, Zonga’s rare forays into neighboring territories often seem spontaneous and chaotic, but they are always rooted in strategic intent. Whether seeking new hive space, eliminating a future threat, or testing the military strength of a neighboring kingdom, Zonga’s armies arrive swiftly, strike hard, and vanish just as quickly.

Defensive measures include pheromone-triggered pit traps, living spike walls made of corpse-weavers, and acidic fog that seeps upward from the tunnel vents. The deeper one pushes into Zonga, the less likely one is to ever return.

Religion and Faith

Zonga is the undisputed sacred domain of Werk, the Father of Pain and Disease, who is revered not as a cruel tyrant, but as a bringer of balance. Within the twisted theology of the Sectis, Werk is praised for teaching survival through suffering and strength through infection. Disease is not feared—it is worshipped. Pain is not avoided; it is embraced.

Temples in Zonga are grown, not built. Called Weep-Halls, these shrines are living structures made from hardened resin and organic material. Their walls pulse faintly, like a beating heart, and are often filled with pheromone-rich vapors used during religious ceremonies. At the center of each hive lies a Pit of Renewal, where drones infected by ritual illness crawl to die, or, if strong enough, to transform into a higher caste.

Clerics of Werk are known as Plague-Casters, and they serve both as spiritual leaders and living testaments of devotion. Their bodies are often riddled with magical infections and blessed mutations. The more grotesque their appearance, the more revered they are.

Zonga does not recognize the Mothers as divine, seeing their pursuit of order and mercy as weakness. Occasionally, a Sectis queen will acknowledge the Father Tul, or the Father Crag in ceremonies related to vengeance or the pursuit of strength, but Werk is ever the supreme and constant god of the hive.

Myths and Moments

The First Nest of Werk
It is said by the Scribes and Sages who know of such things that the first Sectis Queen was born from a festering wound in the flesh of Werk himself. He bled not blood, but larvae—each one birthing a Queen, and each Queen birthing a thousand children. These earliest hives fought one another until only thirteen remained, and these thirteen became the sacred founders of modern Zonga. Their locations are still marked by cursed chitin-pillars said to house the dreams of the living Father.

The Culling of the Blooming Plague
In 1801 AM, an alchemical disaster in northern Zonga led to a rampant magical disease known as the Blooming Plague. Rather than attempt a cure, the hive queens collaborated to burn out the entire region—killing over ten million drones. The act is still celebrated as a lesson in sacrifice and obedience, and the scorched zone is now a pilgrimage site for young drones seeking to prove their loyalty.

The Siege of Crotch Hollow
During a failed invasion by the human warlords of Volgar in 2013 AM, the enemy managed to push nearly forty leagues into the northern tunnel systems. However, they were soon overwhelmed by a coordinated response from six queens, whose drone armies converged with such speed and unity that the invaders were swallowed whole. It is said that one survivor emerged years later, his mind broken and body covered in resinous tumors, he lives still, as a holy relic in the northern hive of Klak-Terrin.

Relevance

Zonga remains one of the most impenetrable kingdoms in Cathall, and its influence is felt more in fear than diplomacy. While it trades rarely and hosts no official ambassadors, it is whispered that Kezia and even Hob have sent emissaries beneath the hive in hopes of acquiring Sectis weapons, poisons, or slaves.

Recent hive movements near the Quontas border have raised alarms among Faerie scouts, and tunnels extending toward Moksun have threatened ancient Dwarven holdings. The Sectis do not war lightly—but when they do, it is rarely without a long-planned purpose.

For now, Zonga remains a dark and festering heart beneath the southern earth, pulsing in tune with the will of Werk, awaiting the moment when pain must once again be made manifest.

Quotable Lore

“In Zonga, the ground bleeds memory and the walls whisper war. Every breath is earned. Every life is borrowed.”
— Excerpt from the banned travelogue Lost Beneath the Swarm

“The Sectis do not love. They do not mourn. They remember—and in their remembrance, they multiply.”
— Archscribe Belior of Permia

“To kill a drone is to prune a finger. The hive does not feel it… until the hand becomes a fist.”
— Unknown Hive-Caller

The Shattered Sun Dominion

Name and Placement

Moksun is the northernmost kingdom of the Cathall continent, nestled between the enchanted woodlands of Feywick to the west, the mountainous reaches of Hob to the south, and the forbidding realms of Zonga and Bonkus along its eastern flanks. Much of the northern border dissolves into frostbitten barrens and glacial plateaus, where only the hardiest flora and fauna cling to life. Despite its inhospitable climate, Moksun is one of the oldest and most enduring kingdoms in Mernac, its power rooted deep within the earth.

Most of Moksun’s surface is windswept tundra and ashen plains, but the true heart of its civilization lies below. A vast labyrinth of sunken crypt-cities, sacred quarries, and fortified caverns stretches beneath the crust like a second, inverted realm. These subterranean structures serve as the homeland of the Troll race and are believed to be some of the first dwellings ever carved by intelligent hands on Cathall.

Geography and Environment

While the surface of Moksun remains a stark and unwelcoming wilderness, with only sparse glades of frost-hardened trees and geyser-fed oases, the true geography of Moksun lies below. Its subterranean underlands consist of carved basalt corridors, hollowed stone temples, and natural chasms repurposed into mighty fortresses. Massive stalactites hang like chandeliers in underground halls while glowing mineral veins provide natural light, illuminating ancient frescos etched by claw and chisel.

The Plains of Throm’kul, a flat expanse of snow-scoured stone, is riddled with breathing holes and stone-wrapped trapdoors leading into the Trollish undercities. These trapdoors are often guarded by towering statues of warlike ancestors or monstrous guardians carved into the rock. The River Szemek, flowing beneath the surface, is the lifeblood of Moksun and is believed to be a gift from Tellen himself. Fed by heated springs deep within the world’s belly, the river flows through most major underground cities and sustains both crops and life in the cavernous dark.

Aboveground, the few settlements that exist serve either military or ceremonial purposes. The Spires of Grolm, a fortress-temple complex half-sunken into the snow, marks the beginning of the Pilgrim’s Spine, a road etched into black volcanic stone that connects Moksun’s many sacred sites. These regions, though cold and quiet, hum with a reverent energy.

Races and Inhabitants

Moksun is the ancestral home of the Troll Race, and its society is strictly divided between the two castes of their people:

• Mountain Trolls are massive, hulking beasts often rivaling Giants in height. Standing well over three paces tall and built like upright siege engines, they serve primarily as laborers, shock troops, and builders. Though they lack refined intelligence, their loyalty is unwavering, and they revere the smaller Cave Trolls as divine emissaries of Tellen. Clad in stone-plated armor and wielding oversized weapons, they form the outer bulwark of any Moksun force.
• Cave Trolls, on the other hand, are cunning, disciplined, and deeply spiritual. Roughly the size of the average Human or Elf, their strength lies in intellect, strategic thinking, and magical ability. They form the entirety of Moksun’s priesthood, nobility, military command, and scholarly elite. It is they who devised the Runic Doctrines of War and Balance and who lead all religious rites and burial ceremonies.

Outside the Trollish majority, the Azemen maintain a presence in the far northern stretches of the kingdom. They are a wild and brutal people, tolerated only for their martial skill and loyalty to the war cause. The Frost Giants, who dwell in the frozen mountain ranges and glacial valleys, are semi-nomadic allies that honor a blood pact with the Trolls of old. They are respected for their ancient age and power, but rarely participate in governance or ceremony.

Government and Power Structure

Moksun’s ruling system is known as The Way of the Bluesteel Throne, an authoritarian theocracy where faith in Tellen, the Father of War, is woven inseparably with law and command. At its head sits the Varrik’Sha, the High Strategos and living Voice of Tellen, always chosen from the Cave Troll caste. Beneath the Varrik’Sha are the Thirteen War Chaplains, each leading a Circle-City, the vast underground population hubs that define Moksun’s territory.

Cave Troll scribes and architects maintain strict order through Stone-Law Tablets, massive carved codices that dictate the social roles of every citizen. Every Troll, whether Mountain or Cave-born, is assigned a Circle-Duty at birth: to build, to serve, to lead, or to die. Mountain Trolls are typically bound to physical duties, while Cave Trolls serve as commandants and overseers.

Although the society is rigid, it is not without fluidity. Feats of exceptional strength, cunning, or piety can elevate even a laboring Mountain Troll to positions of ceremony or command. However, those who fail in their duties are often sacrificed to the Pits of Renouncement, where their blood is said to empower Tellen’s essence in the stone itself.

Culture and Society

Moksunese culture is austere, martial, and profoundly symbolic. Art and architecture are expressions of religious devotion and military reverence. Their temples are built to last millennia, with ceilings held aloft by immense statues of ancient war heroes or deified kings. Symbolism dominates Moksunese visual language: circles represent unity, broken circles mean betrayal, and the sword-pointed triangle is used in every war banner.

The dead are entombed in grand Soul-Pyramids, massive ziggurat-like structures that rise from the ground like jagged teeth. These tombs serve not only as burial sites but also as magical conduits to the underworld, where priests conduct binding rites to prevent the spirits of the fallen from wandering.

Moksunese music is slow, rhythmic, and thunderous, usually played on bone drums, echo flutes, and lava harps carved from cooled volcanic stone. Music is considered a sacred offering to the gods and is often performed before battle or during spiritual rites. Dance is militaristic, performed in lines or formations meant to mimic war tactics or summon divine favor.

Despite the Mountain Trolls’ warlike nature, Moksunese society for most Cave Trolls is deeply contemplative. Meditation chambers, memory gardens lit by glowing moss, and oral storytelling around underground fire-wells are common social practices, especially among Cave Trolls.

Economy and Trade

Moksun is not a kingdom of flourishing marketplaces or vibrant trade fairs. Its wealth is extracted from beneath the earth and bartered through hardened emissaries. The vast Underspines, their expansive subterranean networks, hold veins of Bluesteel, smokeglass crystal, magma opal, and bloodstone, all highly prized for their arcane conductivity and structural resilience. Troll-forged Bluesteel is notoriously heavy and near-impossible to rework by non-Troll smiths, but it never dulls or shatters. The Rare exception to this is the Mountain Dwarves of Hob, who have mastered forging the metal. This has led to almost constant conflict between the two Races and the kingdoms they live in.

Surface agriculture is nearly nonexistent due to the frostbitten climate, but within the undercities grow luminescent fungus crops, hardened root-tubers, and nutrient slimes. Stonevine lichen and ash-worm meal form the basis of the Mountain Troll diet, while Cave Trolls consume richer dishes infused with alchemical extracts to enhance vitality and vision in the dark. In times of war, they are also known to eat the organs of their enemies.

Trade with the outside world is rare but highly strategic. Moksun deals primarily through fortified emissary towers located at the edge of its borders, often near Zonga or Feywick. Trollish goods, particularly armor, weapons, and memory-etched obsidian tablets, are exchanged for fresh meat or livestock, spices, Kellian Ink and other spell inks, scrollwork, and certain rare surface herbs.

Internal currency exists, but only in ceremonial form. Instead, Moksun’s economy functions on the Honor of Writ, a bartered economy based on contribution to the war state, completion of Circle-Duties, or accumulated merit offerings to the priesthood. Outside traders are expected to abide by this system, or leave with nothing.

Religion and Temples

Seen and the living embodiment of the sun and thus all life, Tellen, the Father of War, is the predominant Patron of the Troll Race and is revered above all in Moksun. Every decision, from civic architecture to personal vengeance, is viewed through a spiritual lens of war-readiness and balance. Tellen is not worshiped through pleas or offerings, but through action: by building, conquering, and dying well.

Moksun’s temple structures are monolithic and somber, often located in subterranean sanctums called Warridors, sacred chambers built into the bedrock, their walls carved with battle hymns and illuminated by magma veins. Inside these temples, Cave Troll priests known as The Mourned Flame lead rites by lighting War-Pyres, where bones of the slain are burned in solemn celebration. Bone ash is sometimes used to paint war charms on the skin or inscribe defensive spells on city walls.

Despite this primary devotion, the Trolls of Moksun do acknowledge all 20 Divine Powers, and shrine-rooms to specific Mothers or Fathers are not uncommon, especially in personal sanctums or high military barracks. Barak, The Father of Darkness and Control, is held in esteem and frequently prayed to. Worship of Siberlee is rare, though some Cave Trolls whisper to her in secret, especially in times of personal crisis or birth.

Military and Defense

Moksun is built as a fortress, both literally and culturally. Its army, the Sable Host, is a fearsome war machine composed of multiple layers:

• Mountain Troll Phalanxes serve as the front line, equipped with massive bone-hafted spears and slab-shields reinforced with blacksteel.
• Cave Troll Strategists direct battles using intricate fire-tile maps lit by elemental stones, updating troop positions with colored dust trails.
• Ward-Claws, elite Cave Troll assassins and skirmishers, operate in shadow and silence, masters of tunnel warfare and ambush.
• Ashcallers, the magically gifted among the priesthood, wield war spells that conjure smoke walls, seismic shockwaves, and body-harden enchantments.

Defenses are layered across levels of stone. Spiral Ramparts in the deeper cities act as chokepoints, and molten channels can be unleashed to flood enemy-held caverns. Every Moksunese city is trained for total warfare; civilians, priests, and soldiers all have assigned wartime duties.

Even in times of peace, war is practiced in elaborate maneuvers and war games. Children learn the Doctrine of Blood Tacticum before they can read. Elders train Memory War games where historical battles are replayed in carved sand tables for study and spiritual cleansing.

Relevance

Moksun’s influence across Cathall and greater Mernac is more felt than seen.

The Trolls of Moksun have unofficially been at war with all Dwaves, particularly those of Hob, for a millennium. They believe the Dwarves stole their secrets of forging Bluesteel and have a duty-bound obligation to destroy all Dwarves and their cities. Besides this, its armies rarely march beyond its borders without cause, but its knowledge of warfare is sought by kingdoms preparing for conflict or attempting to understand the art of siege. Cave Troll advisors have been dispatched to Gilmore, Zonga, and even the edge of Brangrin and Ooloo to instruct foreign officers in Subterranean Defense Doctrine.

The kingdom’s religious devotion to Tellen has become fanatical in the south. A number of younger Cave Troll priests now whisper of visions, not just of war, but of a coming Balance Reckoning, when all of the Fathers will demand judgment for the blood soaked into the roots of Mernac. The troll who believes such things prophesies that it will be the Trolls who will lead the implementation of that judgment.

Moksun’s greatest threat is also internal. Whispers from the Deep Quarters of Urok’Zhal, an ancient subterranean ruin sealed centuries ago, speak of forgotten trolls who turned against Tellen and now call upon unknown Fathers. The priesthood denies it. But many of the Sable Host have begun sharpening their weapons not for enemies above, but for those in the dark beneath.

Quotable Lore

“We are not born of earth. We are carved. And if the stone bleeds, it is because we have earned its blood.”
—High Strategos Varrik’Sha the Fourth

“You worship your gods in temples. We worship ours in war.”
—Tomb-Priest Ugluth Moanskin

“Let others starve for light. The strength of Moksun lies where sun has never touched.”
—Stone-Law Tablet of Grum’Tellin, Circle-City of Skarvault

The Drowned Jealousy of the Deep

Name and Placement

Garuff lies at the southeastern edge of Cathall, composed of a sprawling cluster of over 10,000 islands, reefs, atolls, and sandbars scattered across the warm, sapphire waters of the Jade Sea. Below the surface it is ruled by the Acquill and on its island by pirates and cutthroats of many of the surface races. Though often referred to as a kingdom, Garuff has no central government in the traditional sense. Instead, the region is governed in secret by the Acquill, a Race of the Dark who dwell in the deep and glowing grottos far beneath the surface.

From above, Garuff appears idyllic, lush tropical islands teeming with birds, flowers, and salt-tinged winds. But beneath the waves lies a vast and dangerous network of underwater cities, each ruled independently yet bound by loyalty to their creator: Traegen, the Father of Jealousy. The Acquill consider both the sea and the sky above it to be their divine inheritance. Any ship sailing these waters is seen not as a visitor, but as an intruder.

Geography and Environment

The islands of Garuff offer sun-drenched splendor—palm forests, obsidian cliffs, and radiant blue lagoons. These islands are home to tropical beasts, strange fruits, and a handful of light-aligned coastal pirate and other undesirables who rarely venture inland. But this land is merely the surface veil.

Beneath the waves, the Kingdom Below is a realm of shimmering kelp forests, phosphorescent caverns, and bone-filled chasms. Powerful ocean currents create endless pathways known only to Acquill guides. Sunken ships litter the sea floor, stripped bare of treasure, their wooden bones transformed into shrines to Traegen.

Notable Acquill undersea cities include:

• Druwnathell – The oldest city, carved into a coral cathedral along the Black Tides.
• Thirrn’Gael – A submerged fortress protected by living sea-anemone walls and guarded by shark-taming priestesses.
• Mournpoint – Built within the remains of a shattered sea volcano, the city pulses with steam vents and sorrowful song.
• Vareth’Shae – A labyrinthine city famed for its hall of Echoes, where the jealous prayers of Acquill are whispered through chambered shells.

The water in Garuff is unnaturally rich in magical residue, likely due to the divine conflict between Traegen and Kala. Coral formations grow with sentience, reefs sing on moonless nights, and fish school in geometric spirals said to be divine script.

Racial and Cultural Identity

The Acquill are a sea-dwelling race divided sharply by gender. Female Acquill, often called Sirens by outsiders, are beautiful, ethereal creatures with luminous skin, sea-glass eyes, and flowing, finned hair. They are masters of song-magic and use haunting melodies to lure sailors to their doom. Their voices can charm not only minds but sometimes fate itself. Their society prizes grace, cunning, and spiritual power.

Male Acquill, by contrast, are monstrous in form: scaled, gilled, with bulging fishlike eyes and clawed limbs. They are rarely seen on the surface, and among their kind, they serve as warriors, temple guards, and raiders. Males are consumed by jealousy: of the surface races, of Merfolk, and even of their own women. This envy is not seen as shameful, but sacred, as a mirror of Traegen’s divine anguish.

Acquill society is matriarchal. The ruling castes are female priestesses and oracle-queens who claim their wisdom is drawn directly from Traegen’s sunken dreams. Male Acquill are bred for strength, obedience, and discipline. It is considered an honor to die in defense of a Siren.

Despite their terrifying reputation, Acquill are not mindless beasts. They have deep traditions of poetry, bioluminescent mural painting, and shell-lore. Acquill architects shape coral like clay, weaving magic into the very walls of their cities.

Acquill never walk the lands of Cathall except to drag treasures back into the sea. Their vengeance is subtle and patient. They do not strike in rage, but in simmering spite.

Religion and Philosophy

At the heart of all Acquill belief is Traegen, the Father of Jealousy, whose tale of betrayal and longing is sung at every moonfall. They say he once loved Kala, the Mother of Love and matron of the Merfolk. When she spurned him for her children of grace and light, he dove into the deepest trench and wept tears that became the first Acquill. His tears of lost love for Kala became the females of the race, and his tears of jealous rage became the males.

Every aspect of Acquill culture is imbued with longing and vengeance. Jealousy is not seen as a flaw, but as a divine virtue, the fuel for greatness. The Acquill believe that envy, if properly wielded, leads to power, transformation, and spiritual elevation.

The Temples of the Drowned Heart can be found in every Acquill city, usually carved inside sunken bones of sea leviathans or enshrined in crystal dome-chambers. High priestesses, known as Weepers, sing dirges to Traegen while bleeding into the sea, offering their pain as prayer.

While Traegen is the undisputed patron of the race, Acquill also honor other deities in twisted reflections. Kala is never spoken of with reverence, only as a goddess to be outdone. Sola, Mother of Light, is cursed in darkness. Even Barak is honored, not for his evil, but for his mastery of loss.

Their rites are known to include shell-burning, the ritual destruction of beautiful objects to show superiority, oath-weeping, tears infused with magic and stored in sealed glass, and moon-flood chants, tears said to raise the tides for days.

Politics and Governance

Each underwater city is ruled by a Sorrowthrone, a council of matriarchs led by the highest-ranking Voice of Traegen. These councils meet once every lunar eclipse in a confluence called the Griefdeep, where grievances are aired, treasures are displayed, and vengeance is sanctioned.

There is no king or queen of Garuff. It is a realm of independent courts, united only by shared pain and a common ancestry. That said, when the tides call for war, the cities will unite behind the Crimson Chorus, a battalion of battle-singers led by the Siren-General Shaelyra Bloodvoice, whose song once cracked the hulls of a Gilmore warship fleet.

Their laws are unwritten, but inviolable. Betrayal is expected. Loyalty is sacred. Pain is currency.

Economy and Trade

Garuff’s economy is a paradox, invisible yet immensely impactful. The Acquill do not engage in traditional open trade with the surface world, and few have ever seen their coin. Instead, their wealth is stolen, salvaged, or lured from above. Sunken treasures, merchant vessels lost to storms, pirate spoils—these are the foundation of Garuff’s wealth.

The Emerald Ring, a loose network of smuggler-ports and hidden coves scattered among the 10,000 islands, serves as the surface-accessible economy. Here, pirates, thieves, murderers, and those who simply wish to vanish from the kingdoms of Cathall come to disappear. If a person can survive the dangerous reefs and the whispers of sirens on the wind, Garuff becomes a paradise of exile, a place where no questions are asked, and no past is remembered.

The island outposts traffic in all manner of goods: rare spices from jungle interiors, narcotic extracts from sea-plants, poisons derived from jellyfish venom, and most lucratively, Tears of Traegen, a luminescent oil used in spellcraft and high alchemy.

Pirate queens and corsair captains establish island-keeps as autonomous micro-kingdoms, many of which pay tribute to the Acquill in exchange for continued silence from below. These tributes are often made in music, in gold, or in the form of enchanted slaves captured from distant lands.

While Garuff lacks any formal trade agreements with other kingdoms, black market flows through Greater Gilmore and Port Mystic are said to carry tokens and magics that could only have originated in the sea-palaces of the Acquill.

Magic and Mysticism

The magic of Garuff is as deep and unfathomable as the sea itself. Where Merfolk tend to focus on healing and currents, Acquill magic is darker, more possessive, and steeped in envy. Most of their spells derive from song, tide, and emotional resonance, particularly grief, longing, and spite.

Unique schools of sea-magic include:

• Vowbinding – A school of enchantment that uses whispered regrets to bind the will of others.
• Pearlvenom – A form of alchemical transmutation involving coral toxins, preserved sorrow, and enchanted shells.
• Gloaming Chorus – Spells sung in harmony that can cause madness, storm-surge, or forgetfulness.
• Shell Memory – A rare ability in which a priestess stores memory fragments in carved shells to be read by others, sometimes centuries later.

Unlike the structured spells of the Elves or the brute hexes of the Dark Elves, Acquill spellcraft often takes days or even moons to weave, layering magic into objects, songs, or tears. Much of their power lies in its delayed vengeance, curses that bloom like poisonous flowers long after the offense has occurred.

Magical artifacts from Garuff are highly sought after by collectors and mages alike, though very few survive transport without awakening or unraveling in madness.

Relevance

Garuff plays a unique role in the larger theater of Mernac’s politics and myth. Despite lacking a central authority, its influence seeps into nearly every continent like a rising tide.

The Acquill control sea routes, particularly those connecting Cathall, Toberna, and Ooloo. Without their silence and nod of approval, few ships would cross these tropical waters unmolested. Their control of the Jade Sea and Garren Straits means that even kingdoms that claim naval supremacy must do so cautiously.

Garuff is also considered a haven of escape. Criminals, exiles, failed assassins, and disgraced nobility often vanish into its labyrinthine islands, never to be seen again. Tales abound of entire ships changing their banners and turning pirate after a single stop among the Emerald Chain.

Because of its deep magical resonance, many Scribes and Sages who know of such things believe that Garuff sits atop one of the last Vein Wells, places where divine Ga seeps into the world from below. If true, it would explain the potency of their spellwork and the haunting quality of their sea.

The Kingdoms of the Light whisper rumors of war in hushed tones, but no coordinated effort has ever succeeded in invading Garuff. Its reefs devour ships. Its waters sing lies. And its true rulers are rarely seen—only felt, like cold hands in the deep.

Quotable Lore

“There are songs in the water, child. Not all of them are lullabies.”
— Sailor’s Warning etched on a driftwood shrine in Traddlebow’s harbor

“You cannot conquer Garuff. It has already swallowed you.”
— Last words of Admiral Pelkin after his fleet vanished in the Black Coral Line

“I went to Garuff to disappear. It worked too well. I no longer remember who I was.”
— From a confession letter found sealed in a shell near Port Mystic

Where Stillness Speaks and the Forest Breathes

Name and Placement

Elber is a tranquil and contemplative kingdom located in the southern reaches of Cathall, bordered by Lingin to the northeast, Volgar to the north, Surgog to the west, and the tropical waters of Garuff to the south. The territory spans from whispering highland meadows and lush river basins to ancient forests where the canopy is so thick it can turn day into twilight. While modest in territorial size, Elber’s spiritual and philosophical influence stretches across much of Mernac.

It is widely believed by the Scribes and Sages who know of such things that Terees, the Mother of Wisdom and Harmony, placed the first Murmil here, a race created not for conquest, but for contemplation and guidance. To this day, Elber remains the cultural heart of the Murmil, and the region most closely aligned with the teachings of Terees.

Geography and Environment

Elber is a land of sacred groves, meandering rivers, and fertile valleys. Its natural features are not merely geography; they are worshipped, studied, and understood as sentient extensions of the Mothers and Fathers. Most of Elber’s settlements are carefully woven into nature, often built among or within the trees, nestled into cliffs, or concealed within flowering meadows.

The Ulishan River snakes through Elber from Surgog to the southern coast, believed to carry the thoughts of Terees herself to those who sit quietly on its shores. Its crystalline waters are said to cleanse the soul of regret and the body of ailment. The Nambar Trees of the Elberian highlands, with roots as thick as buildings and blossoms that change color with the phases of Mernac’s moons, are protected under ancient law, as each one is believed to contain a spirit waiting to be reborn.

Elber’s climate is gentle, marked by cool, misty mornings, warm midday sun, and long temperate twilights. Rain is frequent, but often light and melodic, giving rise to the local phrase, “A tear from the sky brings clarity to the mind.”

Dominant Race and Culture

The Murmil are the primary inhabitants of Elber, a race of fur-covered humanoids known for their wisdom, calm demeanor, and mystical bond with nature. Each Murmil, upon coming of age, forms a sacred bond with an animal, often a beast of the forest or sky, which becomes their lifelong companion, defender, and spiritual mirror. This connection is not seen as ownership, but as soulful unity, one spirit split into two forms.

Murmil society does not follow kings, queens, or warlords. Instead, The Circle of Silence, a council of meditative elders, governs through parables, gestures, and peaceful example rather than law or force. Decisions are rarely made in haste. A typical Elberian vote may take multiple seasons of deliberation, often held in open glades where all may listen but only the elders may speak.

The Murmil value mindfulness, presence, and the transience of existence. Time is considered a spiral, not a line, and most Murmil believe in reincarnation, not only of their kind, but of ideas, moments, and even landscapes. Many claim to recall flashes of their previous lives, particularly during moments of extreme clarity or crisis.

While the Murmil are known for their peaceful ways, they are not defenseless. Druids, natural mages, and beast-bound warriors protect the borders of Elber and its sacred sites. Their combat philosophy mirrors their culture: flow, adapt, respond, using nature not as a weapon, but as an ally.

Religion and Divine Patronage

Elber is the only known kingdom in Mernac where everyone of the Mothers and Fathers is honored, not out of fear or politics, but from a deep and abiding belief in balance. Even those deities traditionally seen as destructive or chaotic are acknowledged, their roles accepted as part of the great turning wheel of Ga. The Murmil teach that nothing is wholly good nor evil, only necessary, and only misunderstood.

That said, their patron divine is clearly Terees, the Mother of Wisdom and Harmony. Every household, from forest hovel to mountain hermitage, maintains a Stone of Stillness, a smooth white pebble set in a bowl of water, representing Terees’ gaze and presence. Offerings of silent prayer, fragrant herbs, and hand-carved wooden tokens are made at dawn and dusk.

Religious ceremonies in Elber are silent affairs, guided by gestures, meditations, and symbolic acts. Music is considered a divine gift, but only certain wind and string instruments are played, always softly, always in reverence. The Festival of Returning Light, held during the final month of winter, is the only time loud celebration is allowed. During this time, spirits are believed to return to Elber for a single night to reflect on their next incarnation.

Architecture, Art, and Symbols

Elberian architecture is defined by harmony with the land. Buildings are grown rather than built, shaped with natural magics or carefully formed using vines, living wood, and stone softened by ritual. A Murmil city might be mistaken for a forest at first glance, its structures concealed in flowered trellises, suspended walkways, and hill-carved sanctuaries.

Art in Elber is not made for commerce or fame but for self-reflection. Every Murmil learns a craft—carving, calligraphy, song, or dance, not to impress others but to understand themselves. Circular patterns dominate Murmil symbolism: mandalas drawn in river sand, spirals carved into tree bark, or concentric fire circles lit during seasonal rites. These shapes are said to reflect the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

Elberian children are taught to draw the “Waking Spiral”, a simple design representing the rise of self-awareness, before they learn their letters. Each community has a central Circle Hall, a place where villagers gather in silence to listen to the wind, the animals, or one another’s presence.

Economy, Trade, and Diplomacy

Elber’s economy operates on a model that many outsiders find baffling, as its inhabitants value service, honor, and balance more than coin or wealth. Barter, favors, and gifts of skill form the cornerstone of internal trade. A loaf of bread may be paid for with a poem, a basket of mushrooms with a healing salve, or a day’s labor with a carved idol for the hearth.

The only currency commonly accepted in Elber is the spiral-shell token, a naturally occurring fossil found in the nearby highlands and often infused with low-grade Ga by local druids. These are used more in exchanges with travelers and foreigners than among the Murmil themselves.

Despite their introspective ways, Elber is not isolated. The region is well-known for its herbal infusions, natural dyes, and spiritual totems, which fetch high prices in Gilmore, Solaris, and even Permia. Traders and pilgrims alike seek Elberian dreamroots, whisperpetal salves, and blessed beast-bond rings, which are said to grant protection to those who wear them with a clear heart.

Diplomatically, Elber maintains open but quiet relations with most neighboring kingdoms. They serve as neutral advisors in conflicts, often called upon for mediation or blessings before major treaties. They seldom take sides but will not tolerate harm done to their forests, rivers, or sacred sites. In this way, they maintain a quiet but unshakable presence in the political landscape of Cathall.

Magic and Mysticism

Magic in Elber is an extension of life, not a disruption of it. Known as Ga-Breath, their arcane practice is drawn from stillness, natural rhythms, and intention. Elberian magic does not seek to command, but to align or protect. Druids, herbalists, and beastbinders comprise most of Elber’s magical practitioners, and their magic is tied to seasons, animal cycles, and natural omens.

Beast magic is one of the most revered forms, channeled through the sacred bond between Murmil and their companion. When in harmony, the Murmil and their bonded creature can share senses, thoughts, and even GA. These unions are seen as sacred marriages of soul and nature.

Stone-carvers of Insight inscribe enchanted symbols into the living rock or trees, which slowly shape and guide the emotions or dreams of those who rest nearby. These silent spells are often used to heal trauma, clarify purpose, or mark sacred ground. In times of defense or war, they are used to misdirect their enemies.

Another unique tradition is the Singing of the Breath, a form of chanted exhalation taught to every Murmil youth. Practiced in groups or solitude, this chant stabilizes one’s Ga, calms the emotions, and—some say, allows the practitioner to glimpse into past lives.

While Elberian magic lacks the violent displays of other realms, its quiet potency has earned the respect of mages across Mernac. Some claim the most powerful Elberian rites do not alter the world at all, but change the way you see it … or the way their defense needs you to see it.

Myths and Moments

The Whisper Pact
One of Elber’s most enduring legends tells of the Whisper Pact, forged in the age before nations. It is said that a beast of all things, half flame, half shadow, descended upon Elber’s forests, scorching the trees and devouring the wildlife. The Murmil did not rise to war, but gathered in silence for three days. On the fourth, they approached the beast in meditation, their eyes closed, and opened their hearts to it.

Touched by the absence of fear or aggression, the creature wept tears of magma and vanished into the roots of the Nambar Trees. From that day on, fire is considered sacred in Elber—not for destruction, but for rebirth.

The Seven Lives of Sage Haro
Haro, a Murmil seer, is said to have been reborn seven times in the same village, each time completing a different discipline: hunter, healer, artist, druid, philosopher, protector, and, finally, silence-keeper. His life is a parable taught to Elberian children, who are encouraged to live not just one purpose, but many, across lifetimes.

The Turning River
A more recent tale recounts how the Ulishan River changed its course in the year 2379 AM, veering away from a logging camp that had begun to exploit the sacred woods. Though no rainfall or flood had occurred, the river’s flow altered overnight, saving the forest and submerging the logging camp completely. It is now a meditation site, known as Regret’s Bend, and a warning to any who act out of greed in Elber’s lands.

Remote Communities and Pilgrims of Purpose

Though Elber is considered the ancestral homeland of the Murmil, it is far from homogeneous. In many forest clearings, cliffside enclaves, and misted glades, one may find small communities of Humans, Faeries, and Elves, drawn to Elber’s quiet magic and profound serenity. These settlements are almost always modest, constructed from living wood, earthen domes, or woven silkleaf tents, and blend seamlessly into the natural world.

These non-Murmil inhabitants are typically those disillusioned with the materialism, warfare, or dogma of their homelands. In Elber, they seek not power, but perspective. Faeries tend to form artistic communes, weaving dreamlights into the canopy and crafting meditative dances said to calm the soul. Elves often take up lives as recorders or lore-singers, helping transcribe the oral teachings of Murmil masters. Humans, in particular, are known to come for pilgrimages, staying a season or two to reflect, fast, or study the stillness ways.

Elber offers no formal initiation, but many undergo a personal transformation through interaction with its people, land, and rituals. The Path of Petal and Stone, a 77-day walking journey through Elber’s heartlands, is a favorite among those seeking to confront the turmoil within and emerge with purpose renewed.

Pilgrims are welcomed but never recruited. Elber makes no demands, nor does it chase those who choose to leave. As the Murmil say: “The door is always open, though it always leads inward.”

Relevance

In an age where conflict, conquest, and politics dominate much of Mernac, Elber’s gentle influence may seem understated. Yet its cultural significance and spiritual leadership cannot be denied. Elberian philosophies have quietly shaped educational reform in Gilmore, healing rites in Permia, and even certain meditative martial forms in Solaris. Many monarchs and warlords send envoys or heirs to Elber, hoping they return wiser than they left.

Elber remains a neutral territory, often sought as a site for secret treaties, magical accords, or soul-bond ceremonies between rival factions. Despite having no standing army, its lands are rarely violated. Those who have attempted to harm Elber’s forests or people often find their weapons rusting overnight, their courage failing, or their own soldiers turning back. Whether by subtle enchantment or the whisper of divine favor, Elber endures.

It is said that in times of great imbalance, when greed and cruelty threaten to drown the world, it will be Elber and the Murmil that teaches Mernac to breathe again.

9. Quotable Lore

“We do not worship nature. We are nature remembering itself.”
– Elder Syma of the South Grove

“To see the world clearly, one must first still the wind inside the chest.”
– Waking Spiral proverb

“A blade is not a weapon. It is a reflection. If you raise it, be certain you are proud of what you see.”
– Saying of the Beastbound Guard

“Some kingdoms are measured in gold, others in stone. Elber is measured in peace.”
– Thadsic Andover, merchant of Gilmore

Where Wood Meets Stone, and Ships Are Born

Name and Placement

Surgog is a smaller but vital kingdom in the southern stretches of Cathall. It shares its eastern border with Elber, western reaches with Kru, and its southern edge touches both the Sea of Witriss and the island-speckled waters of Garuff. The rugged forests to the north edge into the base of the Kelwood Range, which acts as a loose buffer with more central territories.

Though compact in size, Surgog’s geographical advantages, especially its access to vast forestland and southern sea routes, make it one of the most strategically and economically significant kingdoms on the continent. Its coastline, rich in natural harbors and strong coastal winds, has long made it the shipyard heart of Cathall.

Geography and Environment

Surgog is a land of contrasts and cooperation. Its interior terrain is made up of heavily forested plains, often blanketed in morning mist and speckled with groves of ancient trees. Towering cedar and ironwood trees dominate the highlands, particularly around Mistsong Vale, a sacred woodland said to be favored by both the Wood Elves and the Mothers.

To the west and along the coast, the terrain becomes increasingly rocky and rugged, giving way to rolling cliffs, basalt inlets, and shale beaches. The Kelwood Mountains, rising from the heart of the kingdom, are home to deep quarries and abandoned mines, many of which have been converted into Dwarven towns, workshops, or archives.

The kingdom’s many rivers, including the Runevein and the Twiddle Stream, flow toward the port capital of Port Woozle, the largest and most trafficked port in southern Cathall. These waterways are vital trade arteries, but they also serve as symbolic boundaries between Elven glades and Dwarven stoneholds.

Culture and Society

The kingdom of Surgog is remarkable for its delicate yet enduring partnership between two very different peoples: the Wood Elves and the City Dwarves. While minor races such as Murmils, Gnomes, and Humans are scattered throughout the region in modest numbers, it is the Elves and Dwarves who define the kingdom’s tone, governance, and heritage.

Wood Elves are largely decentralized, dwelling in self-sustaining communities amid the vast woodlands. They are caretakers of nature and spiritual leaders, keeping alive the songs and oral traditions of Sola, the Mother of Life and Light. Their lives revolve around forest stewardship, ceremonial gatherings, and the ancient craft of blessing lumber before its use, a rite believed to imbue ships with resilience and longevity.

City Dwarves, by contrast, are builders, traders, and navigators, centered around the capital city of Port Woozle. These Dwarves pride themselves not only on their metallurgy but their mastery of maritime engineering. Their innovation, precision, and ambition have turned Surgog into a kingdom of exceptional shipwrights.

In daily life, mutual respect and balance govern the relationship between these peoples. Elves provide the sacred wood. Dwarves craft the hulls. Both recognize the other’s vital contribution, and though disputes are not unknown, they are rarely allowed to linger. A joke shared in both races: “The Elf builds the dream, the Dwarf makes it float.”

Government and Leadership

Surgog is ruled under a dual-system governance, combining hereditary monarchy with collective representation. The titular head of the kingdom is the Dwarven King, whose line has ruled for centuries from the granite-seated Hall of Lathrim in Port Woozle. However, true power is shared with the Council of Progression, a balanced body of three Wood Elves and three Dwarves, each selected from among their respective people by vote and merit.

The king’s main role, aside from ceremonial duties and oversight of trade, is to cast the deciding vote when the council is deadlocked. This practice has allowed centuries of stable governance, with both races feeling heard without any single faction dominating the kingdom’s path.

Most local governance, especially in Elven territories, is handled communally through grove circles or guilds of green, while in Dwarven cities, it is the Forge Lodges and Builder’s Circles that serve as municipal and legal bodies.

Trade and Economy

Surgog’s economy is founded on trade, shipbuilding, and exploration. The kingdom is credited with the invention of the Mernal, a gold-based currency that quickly became the standard unit of trade throughout Cathall. This innovative coinage was developed shortly after the Age of the Fathers and quickly spread due to its measured reliability and divine symbolism, its size is said to match the pinky tip of Mother Witriss herself.

The Port Woozle Shipyards, both above and below ground, construct the majority of vessels used across Mernac, from warships and merchant carriers to elegant pleasure barges and swift skimmers. Each vessel undergoes a blessing rite conducted by both Elven and Dwarven clergy, and some consider a Surgogian ship to be a holy vessel.

Exports include:

• Ship hulls and keels, finely crafted and seaworthy
• Blessed timber, marked with Elven seals
• High-durability metals and fittings
• Navigational devices and sea charts, many of which are seen as semi-magical
• Explorers-for-hire, often Dwarves trained in long-distance navigation

The kingdom also imports luxuries, rare herbs, and magical items, largely through its extensive secondary ports and merchant fleets that span Mernac’s seas.

Religion and Beliefs

Surgog’s dual-race heritage is reflected in its unique religious practices. The kingdom is perhaps the only nation in Cathall where dual devotion is not only accepted but institutionalized. The Wood Elves of the highlands worship Sola, the Mother of Life and Light, while the Dwarves of Port Woozle and the Undercity are devoted to Witriss, the Mother of Virtue and Strength.

What makes Surgog remarkable is the fusion of these faiths. It is common for Elven priests to speak the teachings of Witriss alongside those of Sola, and Dwarven smith-priests to invoke Sola’s warmth before a long forging session. In fact, many temples in Surgog are split-hall sanctuaries, divided into two altars. one for each Mother. Services are often held jointly, with hymns blending Elven melody and Dwarven chants in perfect harmony.

The Council of Faithful Flame, an interfaith organization of both races, oversees temple operations and festival observances. Seasonal festivals are designed to honor both Mothers, and pilgrims from other kingdoms are often surprised by the spiritual unity on display.

Other Mothers and even a few Fathers are acknowledged, though secondary. Worship of Barak or his closest followers is not tolerated within Surgog’s borders, and the penalty for doing so is permanent exile from all city ports.

History and Origins

Surgog’s roots are tied to the Post-Union Era, shortly after the Races of Man spread across Cathall. The earliest accounts mention a series of trade camps and drydocks constructed by wandering Dwarves from Hob and nomadic Elven boatwrights from the forests of Elber.

These settlements quickly evolved into a cross-racial alliance, formed not through war or conquest, but through necessity and shared ambition. Dwarves needed wood. Elves needed tools. The partnership grew into a symbiosis, then a civilization.

The formal Kingdom of Surgog was established with the signing of the First Maritime Compact in 712 AM. This agreement created the Council of Progression and named the reigning Dwarf smith-lord, Brollim Stonecaster, as the first King. His descendants have ruled ever since.

The Dwarves’ claim that Surgog was the launching point of Mernac’s Age of Exploration, having “discovered” at least four continents and countless islands, is hotly debated across Mernac, but only in places where a Dwarf isn’t close enough to overhear.

Exploration and Reach

No kingdom in Cathall, perhaps even Mernac, has sent out more ships than Surgog. Since the dawn of their seafaring legacy, Surgogian vessels have traveled to Ooloo, Brangrin, Garren, and the Tian Islands. Their sails bear the iconic mark of the Twin-Mothers Sigil, a sacred emblem representing Sola and Witriss, woven into every masthead flag.

Surgog’s Deep Explorers Guild, operated primarily out of Subdock Seven in the Undercity of Port Woozle, funds missions to track unknown currents, map uncharted islands, and recover magical artifacts lost at sea. Many of these ventures are sponsored by foreign scholars, nobles, and even secretive religious orders.

Beyond exploration, Surgog also maintains minor port cities and colonies scattered throughout Mernac, many of which operate semi-independently but fly the colors of the Crown of Stone.

Relevance

Surgog’s impact on modern Mernacian affairs is profound. As the primary shipbuilder and currency innovator, it holds sway over global trade, diplomacy, and even warfare. Many kingdoms rely on Surgogian vessels for their fleets, and even hostile kingdoms tolerate diplomatic ties to secure new ships or navigation instruments.

The kingdom’s stability and balanced governance make it an ideal neutral ground for political negotiations, and several major treaties—including the Baywind Pact and the Lunar Accord—were signed in Port Woozle.

The kingdom’s quiet but far-reaching influence continues to grow, not through conquest, but through trade, craftsmanship, and exploration.

Quotable Lore

“A ship forged in Woozle may ride the waves of any sea, but never forget: it’s the Elven whisper in the mast that makes it listen to the wind.”
– Durnim of Drift, sailor-poet

“Surgog is not a kingdom of kings. It is a kingdom of hands—one to shape wood, and one to hammer stone.”
– Lysha Vae, Council Speaker of Mistsong Vale

“If Witriss taught us strength, and Sola taught us life, then we owe Surgog to both. That is the truth beneath every keel.”
– Inscripted above the Harbor Gate of Port Woozle

Where mercy is weakness, and strength stains white

Overview and Identity

Kezia is a harsh and haunted kingdom carved into the rocky southern shore of the continent of Cathall. Though its people are of the Race of Man, they are often spoken of in the same breath as the Races of the Dark, a paradox of bloodline and belief. Of all human nations in Mernac, none are so closely aligned with Barak and The Fathers as the Kezians. Whether this shift came by necessity, ambition, or long-standing bitterness, the result is a nation hardened by suffering and ruled by superstition, force, and ritualized brutality.

Kezia is not a land for the meek. Scarred by centuries of warfare, famine, and infighting, its people are fiercely independent and suspicious of all outsiders. Their traditions are grim, their loyalty narrow, and their ambitions edged in steel. It is a country whose very soil remembers slaughter, where the wind over its rocky deserts still carries the cries of the fallen.

Though medium in size, Kezia holds immense strategic value: its cliffs deter naval assault, its mountains confuse invasion, and its coastal proximity enables piracy and control of southern sea trade. Yet it is this very defensibility that made Kezia such a prize—and such a cursed land.

“A Kezian does not ask why the sky is dry or the gods are silent. He sharpens his blade and teaches his sons not to weep.”
— Said to be carved on a cliff face near the ruins of Hammel’s slaughter

Geography and Landscape

Kezia’s terrain is as unforgiving as its people. The land is composed primarily of arid rocky desert, jagged canyons, and coastal cliffs of bedrock that plummet directly into the roaring sea. Fertile ground is nearly nonexistent. The few vegetated pockets, mainly surrounding the capital of Borgan, are rare oases fed by spring-fed crevices or ancient, fractured riverbeds. Most of the countryside is bleached stone, sand, and wind-burnt emptiness.

The climate is dry year-round, with occasional coastal fogs and salt-laced storms, but very little rainfall. What water there is comes from sparse natural springs and underground aquifers, most of which are closely guarded or fought over. Freshwater conflicts are frequent, and entire family lines have been wiped out in disputes over a single well.

To the north and west lie cave-riddled mountains, their natural defenses long used to repel invaders or hide rebel factions. The southern shorelines are jagged and treacherous, riddled with natural caves and pirate coves. Only a few accessible beaches exist, and even these are dangerous due to strong tides and jagged undersea rocks.

The native fauna is sparse and hardy: pygmy mountain goats are the primary livestock, valued for both meat and milk. These goats are small, fierce, and capable of scaling cliffs that no human could survive. Kezians revere them as near-sacred for their utility and tenacity. Other notable wildlife includes venomous sandcrawlers, bone vultures, and the rare ghost fox, a creature believed to be touched by the spirits of the massacred Azemen.

The land itself feels haunted, and for good reason. The ghosts of the Azemen, murdered en masse by the invading Race of Man, are said to linger in every canyon. Many claim to hear weeping in the wind or see shadows with golden eyes watching from cliff ledges at dusk.

Cities and Settlements

Due to the inhospitable terrain, Kezia boasts few large cities. Most of the population lives in fortified hamlets, cliffside holds, or walled villages that cling to water sources or trade routes. Settlements tend to be squat, stone-built, and defensive in design, more like outposts than towns. White paint or dust-coating is common on buildings as well as on faces.

Borgan (Capital City)

Borgan is Kezia’s capital and largest settlement, located at the country’s only major inland basin with regular freshwater runoff. Built upon the bones of Hammel Iros’s great betrayal, it is a city of blood and shadow, where every public square bears some mark of violence or legacy of conquest.

The city is surrounded by three concentric walls, each older and more cracked than the last, and its streets wind upward toward the Thirteen Thrones, the central keep said to be built atop the place where Hammel burned the warlords’ bodies. The royal palace is not opulent; it is a blackened stone fortress draped in ash banners and lit by braziers that never go out.

Borgan is a place where execution is theater, faith is transaction, and loyalty is survival.

Vashmir

Vashmir is a cliff-hung port settlement where most sea trade and smuggling occurs. Its markets are filled with salt-cured meat, dried fish, volcanic glass, and the bones of sea creatures turned into tools or charms. Vashmir is notorious for its mask market, where white-painted visages are traded, blessed, or cursed, depending on the buyer.

Kelbar’s Vein

One of the only fertile valleys in Kezia, this narrow gorge is protected by a militia of farmers who function more like a localized army. Outsiders are not welcome, and even royalty must negotiate to receive supplies. The people here are said to have retained more of the old ways of the Azemen, though they would never admit it.

Government and Rule

Kezia is ruled by the House of Iros, a bloodline forged in treachery and maintained through ritual paranoia. Since the days of Hammel Iros, each ruler of Kezia has adopted the title of King, regardless of gender or method of ascension. The Iros line claims divine inspiration not from The Mothers, but from The Fathers, particularly from Barak and Bu, whom they regard as primal forces of sovereignty and strength.

Leadership is hereditary in principle, but assassination, usurpation, and curse-driven succession are common. The legend of Jaida Iros, Hammel’s son who slew his father, has cast a shadow across every king since. It is believed, by both noble and commoner, that an Iros monarch can only be killed by one with two different-colored eyes. To guard against this, all citizens are required to paint or bleach their faces white, making eye color immediately visible.

This law is enforced with cruelty. Anyone caught concealing their true eye color is accused of “masking the mark” and may be executed on suspicion of treason or attempted regicide.

The throne is supported by an elite governing class known as the Wane Circle, a council of priests, generals, and spies whose members are unknown even to each other. Each wears an identical white mask and signs decrees in blood, never voice. It is said that one of the Wane Circle is always watching the King… and one is always planning their replacement.

Kezians obey their leaders out of fear and pride. Loyalty is rarely given freely, but once earned, it is fierce and unshakable. To betray the crown is to die. To protect it is to live in constant paranoia.

Culture and Daily Life

Kezian culture is defined by scarcity, suspicion, and severity. Life in Kezia is difficult by design—shaped not only by a barren landscape but also by centuries of warfare, famine, and blood-soaked law. As a result, the people have developed traditions that outsiders often call barbaric, but which Kezians view as necessary for survival.

All Kezians whiten their faces, either with lime dust, bone ash, or clay-based paint. This is more than tradition—it is law. The practice began as a royal edict to expose heterochromatic eyes (after the assassination of Hammel Iros), but over time it became a mark of Kezian identity. Many also tattoo their bodies with bold symbols: warding glyphs, family crests, or “ghost marks” to confuse Azemen spirits.

Daily dress is practical and militaristic. Long robes or tunics dyed in muted desert tones are paired with leather belts, hooded scarves, and face wrappings. Most wear hard, toe-less sandals or goat-hide boots, and some carry curved daggers as both utility and declaration of adulthood.

Social structure is rigid: at the top stands the King and the Wane Circle. Beneath them are blood-favored nobility (those with royal lineage or ancestral military service), followed by clan leaders, and finally, the Dustborn—laborers, herders, and raiders who live by the edge of the sword. Slavery is unofficially practiced, often disguised as “oath-servitude” or “water-debt.”

Family is sacred, yet volatile. Betrayal within households is not uncommon, and children are taught from a young age that strength is more valuable than affection. Honor comes from surviving one’s hardships, not from virtue.

Magic and Religion

Magic in Kezia is a dangerous and tightly bound force, often feared more than revered. The country’s relationship to Ga is pragmatic: it is a tool of war, a curse of vengeance, or a pact with older, darker things. Few public institutions teach magic, and most spellcasters are either battle-trained or self-taught in secrecy.

The only official magical institution is the Sanctum of Pale Flame, located beneath the capital. Its priests are said to study “burned scriptures” written in ash and blood—texts that speak not of The Mothers, but of The Fathers and their unholy fire. Initiates must blindfold themselves for thirteen days before seeing the sacred flame. Those who flinch are cast into the desert.

Religiously, Kezia is deeply aligned with The Fathers. Though the Race of Man was created by Siberlee, the Kezians believe she abandoned them after the conquest of the Azemen. In her absence, they turned to Barak for strength, Bu for cunning, and even Malor for ruthless order. Shrines to The Mothers exist but are often neglected or vandalized.

The Azemen dead—both literal and spiritual—are also central to Kezian belief. It is widely accepted that their spirits haunt the land. Special funeral dances, offerings of goat blood, and masks painted with black tears are used to keep these spirits at bay. Children are taught to whisper apologies when walking over stone ruins.

Military and Defenses

Kezia is a nation forged by war, and its military is both feared and admired. Rather than relying on a standing army, Kezia draws from a vast and brutalized population of warrior-clans, many of whom live in militarized villages that are activated by signal pyres or horn-summons.

The King’s Fangs are the elite military order sworn directly to the Iros throne. Clad in bone-plated armor and wielding curved, obsidian-edged glaives, they are trained from youth in siege warfare, interrogation, and psychological warfare. Their white masks are blank except for a single red teardrop painted beneath one eye.

Border forts are built into cliff faces and mountain caverns, often camouflaged from view. These outposts serve as both training grounds and prison-labor camps. Kezian siege weapons are known for innovative cruelty, including tar-laced “sun burners” and venom gas made from desert scorpions.

Naval strength is modest but lethal. The coastal cliff fleets are fast, narrow raiding vessels designed for short-distance ambush, often attacking from hidden sea caves. Many Kezian “fishermen” are trained sailors in disguise.

Every adult Kezian is expected to fight if summoned. A rite known as the First Severance requires each adolescent to wound a living foe in battle to be considered an adult. Those who fail or flee are cast out, branded as “Featherbacks.”

Legends and History

Kezia’s recorded history begins in blood and betrayal, and its myths are darker still.

The Fall of the Azemen

Long before the Race of Man claimed Kezia, it was the first homeland of the Azemen, a primal race placed there by Bu himself. Stronger, faster, and more in tune with nature than any man, the Azemen dominated the region. But in the 4th century, human warbands from the east arrived in massive numbers. Though the Azemen fought valiantly, they were eventually overwhelmed. Many were slain, others enslaved, and the rest driven underground or into exile.

To this day, Azemen spirits are said to rise from the sands at night, seeking revenge. Some say the White Eye Plague, a rare affliction that causes blindness in one eye, is the work of Azemen curses.

The Rise of Hammel Iros

Known as the Father of Kezia, Hammel Iros united the land by trickery and slaughter. He invited the great clan leaders to Borgan under the banner of peace, then murdered their wives and children as they slept. For thirteen days, he tortured each warlord until none remained who could contest him. His rule was short-lived, as he was slain by his own son, Jaida, who had heterochromatic eyes.

Since then, all Kezian rulers have feared the “Eye of Betrayal”, and all citizens are forced to reveal their eyes through the White Face Law.

Kragle’s Carvings

In the mid 2600s, Kragle Iros, descendant of Hammel, rose to power and led the Races of the Dark in a coordinated attempt to conquer all of Mernac. His campaign swept through much of Cathall and Brangrin before it was halted. Kragle vanished shortly after the Battle of Stonevale, and many believe he was taken by the Undead Azemen. Some whisper he still lives, cloaked in shadow, building his strength beneath the Hollowed Coast.

Relevance and Intrigue

Kezia remains a kingdom feared more than respected. While it does not hold vast land or wealth, its military ferocity, strategic position, and mystic brutality ensure it is never ignored. Trade with Kezia is rare but valued: smoked meats, obsidian weapons, and relics carved from storm-bone fetch high prices elsewhere.

Neighboring kingdoms tread carefully, and many border disputes with Solaris and Gilmore continue to simmer. Kezian raids on foreign caravans are often disavowed as “rogue clan action,” though few believe it.

Politically, the Wane Circle grows bolder. Some suspect the current King, Dovik Iros, a paranoid recluse, hasn’t been seen in over a year. Rumors spread that a puppet ruler now wears the Ash Crown, or worse, that Barak has taken the throne in spirit.

For adventurers and seekers of forbidden lore, Kezia offers danger, mystery, and legacy. The Spine of Hammel, the soul-marked ruins of the Azemen, and the Palace of White Fire are but a few of its whispered landmarks.

“Come to Kezia if you want to know what men become when gods turn their backs.”
— Moksun sea proverb

Where secrets are coin, and knowledge is power

Overview and Identity

Nestled deep in the heart of Cathall, Hob is a kingdom shaped not by conquest or piety, but by knowledge. It is a land where Dark Elves reign, but swords are drawn less often than scrolls, and every secret is weighed, recorded, and archived. Though entirely landlocked and surrounded by kingdoms more aggressive or outwardly aligned, Hob remains untouched—not by fear, but by reverence.

At the heart of its power lies the Great Library of Hob, located in the capital city of Mispoint. This monumental structure, said to reach thirteen stories into the sky and stretch a thousand paces square, is the single largest collection of knowledge in all of Mernac. Nations have gone to war over less.

Though the Dark Elves of Hob are considered among the Races of the Dark, their focus on preservation, diplomacy, and study has allowed them to transcend the simple dichotomy of good and evil. Their society revolves around the gathering, protecting, and trading of knowledge, and it is this practice—not conquest—that has kept Hob alive despite numerous attempted invasions.

“You may kill a king with a blade, but in Hob, we kill with a single parchment.”
— Archivist Valen Drell, Third Shelfmaster of Mispoint

Geography and Landscape

Hob is the largest kingdom on the continent of Cathall, and one of its most geographically diverse. Located deep inland, Hob is completely landlocked, surrounded on all sides by nations both wary and intrigued. Its terrain is as varied as its people, composed of:

• Jagged central mountains that dominate its interior
• Semi-arid plains to the north and west
• Dry desert basins stretching into the east
• And scattered ancient forests concentrated in the south

The central mountain range, often called the Thorns of Mispoint, is rich with precious and strategic minerals—iron, obsidian, zinc, copper, and especially silver, which is used not only in currency but in magical rituals and warding. Dwarves mine these resources in deep, fortified tunnel cities, which serve both as homes and fortresses.

The southern forests offer a different kind of richness. Shaded groves and mist-heavy glens give way to ancient ruins and naturally occurring ley lines. These places are sacred to the ruling Dark Elves, who construct libraries and study halls within them, believing that Ga flows more purely where nature remains wild and uncut.

The desert regions, especially in the east, are harsher and populated by Orc clans and roaming beast tribes. The Dark Elves, ever pragmatic, have established long-term trade relationships with these groups, exchanging food, protection, or arcane relics in exchange for military aid and rare herbs found only in sun-blasted soil.

Despite its rugged terrain, Hob is well-traveled. Numerous paved roadways and magical path markers crisscross the kingdom, most of them leading to Mispoint or the Library itself. These roads are maintained by mixed-race caravans known as Libran Guards, who escort shipments of lore, enchanted items, or rare texts between settlements.

Cities and Settlements

Hob’s population is spread among a carefully designed network of settlements, each with its own strategic or intellectual purpose. Unlike many kingdoms where capitals are chosen for geography, Hob’s capital is located where the ley lines converge—a conscious decision by the first Dark Elf Archons to make magic, rather than might, the center of the realm.

Mispoint (Capital City)

The capital of Hob and the home of the Library of Hob, Mispoint is a city built around a sacred purpose. The city spirals outward from the Library in nested rings of function: scribes, scholars, and mage-librarians in the inner districts; merchants, craftsmen, and common folk in the middle; soldiers, traders, and travelers in the outer ring.

Though ruled by Dark Elves, Mispoint is one of the most diverse cities in Mernac. One may see Dwarves copying elven scrolls, Orcs delivering spell-stone shipments, and Trolls acting as bodyguards to gnome archivists. The Library sits at its core like a temple, watched over by magical constructs and ancient wards.

Its spires gleam with etched runes, its floors are enchanted against fire, rot, and theft, and its thirteen stories are said to include entire wings sealed by magical passwords known only to those of the Inner Circle.

Witriss’ Shield

Located in the western mountains, this massive stone fortress was constructed with the aid of the Dwarves to protect the realm from creatures emerging from Bu’s Navel, a massive sinkhole and believed gateway to the underworld. Staffed by two full regiments and supplemented by magical artillery, Witriss’ Shield is both a wall and a message: Hob does not forget where darkness dwells.

Drelvin Hollow

Built partially underground and surrounded by shifting sands, Drelvin Hollow is a mixed-race settlement where Dark Elves and Dwarves live in cautious harmony. It is a center of alchemy, metallurgy, and magical crafting, known for producing enchanted weapons, fortified ink, and stone-bound memory orbs. Its forges and scriptoriums often collaborate on projects combining rune-carved weaponry with historical preservation.

Government and Rule

Hob is governed not by monarchs, but by an elected arcane council known as the Chamber of Quills. All twelve members are chosen through trial, merit, and scholarship, and each represents one of Hob’s major disciplines: History, Magic, Languages, Defense, Law, Natural Lore, Political Recordkeeping, Racial Studies, Treaty Enforcement, Philosophy, Economics, and the Library itself.

The Scribe-Lord of Mispoint is elected from among them and serves a lifetime term unless removed by a two-thirds vote. Though the Chamber rarely agrees on smaller matters, they are unified in their protection of the Library and the autonomy of Hob.

Due to Hob’s interwoven treaties with other nations, external politics are treated as legal contracts, and much of the government’s day-to-day functioning involves maintaining, updating, or exploiting these agreements. The Chamber employs over four hundred contracted scribes whose only job is to track obligations, oaths, and exceptions across every race and nation that has ever negotiated with Hob.

Unique to Hob is the Treaty Vault, a magically protected chamber beneath the Library of Hob that houses the original copies of every treaty, contract, and historical accord relevant to the kingdom’s safety and longevity. Entrance is allowed only by blood-verified members of the Chamber or through an Oath of Binding—a ritual that, if broken, results in memory loss or magical disintegration.

Perhaps the most famous document within is the Hobbish Dwarven Trade and Peace Treaty of 956, a monumental accord that not only brought Dwarves into full cooperation with the Dark Elf leadership, but also gave Hob access to their forges, soldiers, and stonecraft in exchange for land, autonomy, and unrestricted access to the Library’s growing archives.

This treaty, though born of desperation, laid the groundwork for Hob’s survival and turned former racial enemies into strategic allies. The Dwarves now maintain full control of the mountain districts but answer to Hob’s central authority in matters of trade, war, and treaty. Their word is their law, and Hob has kept that trust.

Culture and Daily Life

Hob’s culture is defined by its guiding principle: knowledge is power. Every citizen, from Dark Elf nobles to Dwarven artisans and traveling Orc mercenaries, understands that the written word carries more weight here than swords or crowns. In Hob, literacy is not a privilege but a duty, and nearly every child is taught to read before they can walk.

Dark Elves serve as the dominant cultural force, directing most of Hob’s intellectual and administrative institutions. They view the pursuit and curation of knowledge as a form of worship. From a young age, Dark Elven children are assigned a “lorepath,” an academic discipline to master over the course of their lives. These paths might involve languages, metallurgy, spell theory, economic patterning, or even necrologic history.

Dwarves, while independent in their mountainous zones, have adopted many Hobish customs over the centuries, particularly in their reverence for recorded legacy. It is common for Dwarven families to bind their genealogies into stone-bound books, each passed down through generations. Some even consider their family tomes more sacred than graves.

Daily life in Hob varies by race and class, but all share a deeply structured rhythm: study in the morning, work in the day, reflection or ritual at night. Mispoint and other larger settlements hold public debates, scholar’s duels, and regular recitations of new treatises or discoveries. In rural areas, storytelling circles and oral recollection rituals are common, particularly among Trolls and Murmil clans.

Currency is accepted, but favors, scrolls, and exclusive information often carry more weight. To gift a written truth is to offer status. To destroy a book is considered the gravest offense short of treason.

Magic and Religion

Magic in Hob is practical, pervasive, and layered with bureaucracy. Spellcasting is heavily regulated and cataloged, with every mage required to register their known incantations, focuses, and areas of study with the Chamber of Quills. Unauthorized or undocumented spellwork is punishable by fines, expulsion, or permanent silence via enchantment.

The Great Library of Hob serves not only as a repository of knowledge but as a center of magical research. Some wings of the library are accessible only to those who pass intricate arcane trials. Other sections are protected by ancient constructs, magical riddles, or rooms that shift locations with the moon’s alignment.

Hob does not worship as most other kingdoms do. Religious temples are rare, and The Mothers are honored more through philosophical inquiry than prayer. The Dark Elves believe the highest devotion is to preserve the knowledge granted by divine origin. There is no priesthood in the traditional sense, only “Lorespeakers,” who study religious history and divine manifestation through records.

The Fathers, particularly Malor and Bu, are respected more than feared. Their influence is acknowledged in matters of diplomacy, law, and secrets. The spell known as Elsen’s Ward, which protects the Library, is said to have been given directly by the Father of Ethereal Elements as part of an ancient pact, though the true wording of that agreement has never been revealed.

Hob is also home to a unique form of ethereal magic called “Scriptbinding,” in which magical effects are tied to inked words, engraved seals, or vocalized recitations. These spells can be stored in books, hidden in poetry, or embedded in musical tones. Only a handful of Scriptbinders are trained each generation.

Military and Defenses

Though Hob is not a kingdom of conquest, it is not defenseless. After multiple failed invasions throughout its history, Hob has developed a sophisticated, multi-layered defense system that relies as much on deterrence and alliances as on brute strength.

The Library itself is protected by Elsen’s Ward, a powerful enchantment that makes it impossible to remove or damage any text without approval from the Chamber of Quills. Those who attempt to bypass this magic often find themselves cursed, transformed, or torn apart by the very ink they sought to steal.

Beyond the Library, Hob’s capital of Mispoint is protected by a dedicated city guard known as the Lexicon Guard. These soldiers are trained in both physical combat and magical countermeasures. Each is required to master basic Scriptbinding before taking the oath of service.

The Dwarves stationed in the central mountains serve as Hob’s first line of defense from the interior. Their deep tunnel fortresses are difficult to siege, and their cooperation with the Dark Elves is held together by generations of treaty and shared purpose. One of the strongest points is Witriss’ Shield, a military outpost constructed jointly by both races to defend against underworld incursions from the massive sinkhole known as Bu’s Navel.

In addition, Hob relies on its dense network of treaties. Every potential aggressor knows that attacking Hob risks retaliation not just from its own army, but from the Dwarves, select Troll clans, and various scholarly alliances throughout Cathall. This vast web of defense-through-diplomacy has prevented more wars than any fortress.

Legends and History

Hob’s history is preserved more accurately than most. The scribes of Mispoint consider every war, betrayal, and alliance a lesson to be studied and stored.

One of the kingdom’s foundational events is the signing of the Hobbish Dwarven Trade and Peace Treaty of 956. At the time, Hob was under threat from the war-hungry King Iros of Kezia. With no military capable of resisting such an attack, the Dark Elves turned to the Dwarves, offering unrestricted access to their growing archive in exchange for weapons and soldiers.

Though skeptical, the Dwarves eventually agreed. Their tunnels were under constant threat from Trolls and subterranean creatures, and Hob offered both stable aboveground space and exclusive trade routes. The resulting treaty allowed for Dwarven autonomy in the mountains, the construction of Witriss’ Shield, and established the long-standing military alliance between two races often considered incompatible.

Another key legend is the attempted theft of the Library during the breach of Mispoint in the 1800s. Invaders from a now-extinct empire managed to overwhelm the capital’s defenses and seize the outer districts. Yet when they entered the Library and attempted to remove scrolls and magical documents, every soldier involved was either turned to stone, set ablaze by spectral fire, or driven mad by whispering pages. To this day, some books within the restricted wings still speak in the voices of those lost.

The final story often told in Hob is of the Loreshadow, a legendary Dark Elf who cataloged over 3,000 years of forbidden knowledge in a single tome. The book, known only as “The Whispering Vault,” is said to exist somewhere in the lower archives. Some say it can rewrite reality for those who know how to read it correctly. Others say it cannot be opened without a key written in blood and bound in betrayal.

Relevance and Intrigue

Hob’s importance cannot be overstated. It is the intellectual backbone of Cathall, the historian of Mernac, and a kingdom whose survival ensures that the knowledge of the world is not lost to war, time, or corruption.

Every power in Mernac wants something from Hob—whether it be forbidden spells, genealogical records, political dirt, or access to lost arts. Many have tried to take it by force and failed. Some now seek subtler means.

In recent years, rumors swirl that one of the Chamber of Quills is secretly aligned with the Fathers. Another theory holds that a section of the Library has become sentient and has begun altering records of its own accord. Others whisper of a rebellion stirring in the Dwarven tunnels, though no proof has surfaced.

But as long as Hob stands, those who possess its secrets hold the power to shape the future.

“What you know in Hob may one day save the world—or doom it. But it will be remembered.”
— Lorespeaker Vellan Tor, Address to the Libran Guard

Capital: Traddlebow | Dominant Race: High Elves | Patron Mother: Sola

Overview and Identity

Greater Gilmore stands as a beacon of beauty, wealth, and elegance on the eastern shore of the Cathall continent. With its capital city of Traddlebow often proclaimed as the most splendid and economically powerful city in Mernac, the kingdom’s influence radiates far beyond its borders. Founded at the end of the First Millennium by High Elven artisans and warriors, Greater Gilmore has flourished under a continuous line of monarchs from the Brannen bloodline.

Though technically a true monarchy, the kingdom’s prosperity stems as much from its mastery of trade and diplomacy as it does from military strength. Gilmore’s wealth, derived largely from taxation on its vast trade networks and the legendary Tizzian Bazaar, funds a vibrant culture of art, religious devotion, and scholarly pursuit. But beneath its golden veneer lie shadows of corruption, elitism, and intrigue. Despite being a kingdom of the Light, many whisper that Gilmore’s soul is for sale.

High Elves dominate its ruling and noble classes, but the kingdom is home to a variety of races, from Wood Elves and Gnomes to lesser populations of Humans, Faeries, and Murmil. While slavery has been officially outlawed since 1679, rumors persist that illicit trade in lives continues in the subterranean Waterworks of Traddlebow.

Greater Gilmore is a realm of contradiction: graceful yet hardened, enlightened yet manipulative, devout yet dangerously ambitious. Few kingdoms have been conquered and liberated as many times as Gilmore, and yet none have managed to breach the gates of its capital.

Geography and Landscape

Greater Gilmore is located in the eastern lowlands of Cathall, flanked on three sides by natural borders that lend the kingdom both its prosperity and its defensive strength. The Mirt River, a wide and mighty waterway, forms the kingdom’s lifeblood—providing trade routes, irrigation, and protection. The capital of Traddlebow sits within the fertile Dazen-Mirt Valley, nestled in a deep gooseneck bend just before the Mirt River reaches the sea. This positioning makes it a natural fortress and a gateway to the oceans.

The Golden Field, a vast flat expanse outside Traddlebow’s western wall, serves dual roles: both as a natural kill zone against would-be attackers and as the location of the famed monthly Tizzian Bazaar. Though fertile and well-suited for farming, the region remains lightly settled due to frequent skirmishes and invasion attempts. Most Gilmoreans prefer the protection of fortified towns and river settlements.

To the north and west lies the Kitchor Forest, a tangled, ancient woodland known for more than its towering trees and elusive game. Highwaymen, bandits, and exiled nobles are said to vanish into Kitchor, never to be seen again. Even Gilmore’s royal guards rarely enter beyond its edge, for the forest is rumored to contain multiple magically-warded Faerie communities hidden behind illusory veils. Locals speak of paths that shift, trees that whisper, and streams that flow in circles. Some claim that Kitchor is not so much a forest as a sentient being, or at the very least, a sanctuary for creatures that prefer to remain forgotten.

The kingdom’s southern border touches on rocky badlands and cliffs that deter large-scale invasions, while its eastern coastline boasts both sheltered coves and sheer cliffs. It is along this coast that trade thrives, thanks to easy access to the sea and the natural harbors provided by the delta of the Mirt River. The waters are deep enough for ocean-going vessels, yet treacherous to all but local pilots familiar with the ever-shifting sandbars and submerged hazards.

Cities and Settlements

At the heart of Greater Gilmore lies Traddlebow, one of the most renowned cities in all of Mernac. It is the kingdom’s political seat, religious center, trade nexus, and artistic soul. Constructed with soft, curved architecture meant to mimic the feminine form of Sola, The Mother of Light and Life, Traddlebow is a city of eight districts, each with distinct cultural and economic functions.

Traddlebow is protected on three sides by the Mirt River and on its fourth by massive granite walls coated with slick native moss known as Sinti. With only a single fortified gate and a drawbridge spanning a trench of sinking mud, it is considered nearly impenetrable. The city’s all-female Linge archers, trained both religiously and militarily, man the walls and ensure any threat is swiftly answered. Even during times of occupation, the capital has never fallen—a record of resilience that underscores Gilmore’s stubborn will to endure.

On the opposite bank of the river, perched atop elevated high ground, stands Fort Allisa. Named after a Wood Elf mistress of a former king, the fort is steeped in both military importance and legend. Built to prevent enemies from using the highlands to siege the harbor, Fort Allisa commands a full view of the river delta and Traddlebow’s maritime access. Though only a military outpost, it is among the most fortified locations in Gilmore.

Beyond the capital, smaller settlements dot the kingdom’s inland trade roads and riverways. Most are built with defense in mind—stone-walled river ports, hilltop villages, and hamlets hidden at forest’s edge. Despite the fertility of the Dazen-Mirt plains, rural development remains sparse due to the kingdom’s volatile history of warfare. This paradox—abundant resources yet minimal expansion—has long defined Gilmore’s delicate balance between prosperity and caution.

Government and Rule

Greater Gilmore is ruled by a true hereditary monarchy, with power centralized in the High Elf Brannen dynasty. The current monarch, descended from an unbroken line of kings and queens dating back over 1,500 seasons, governs with near-absolute authority, though is advised by a council of nobles and bureaucrats made up almost exclusively of other High Elves.

While the monarch holds final say on law, trade policy, and military action, much of the kingdom’s daily governance is handled through a network of guilds, clerical orders, and regional administrators. These factions operate under royal charters and compete for influence in a system that blends elven aristocracy with economic pragmatism.

Gnomes, though technically a racial minority, have carved out a niche in Gilmore’s taxation, trade regulation, and archival services. Their affinity for wealth and administration has earned them many mid-level positions of authority, though they are often regarded with suspicion by their High Elven superiors.

Corruption is a known and accepted reality of governance in Gilmore. While bribes, tax “adjustments,” and quiet political favors are widespread, such practices are seen less as moral failings and more as necessary lubricants in the machinery of power. The crown often reduces taxes or tariffs in exchange for foreign alliances, turning economic policy into an instrument of diplomacy.

Though the country is a declared ally of the Races of the Light, it is widely acknowledged that Gilmore’s loyalty is ultimately to coin and influence, not virtue. Its monarchs have been known to entertain envoys of both the Mothers and the Fathers, depending on the political climate.

Culture and Daily Life

Life in Greater Gilmore is as structured as it is stratified. High Elves dominate the cultural and social elite, holding key positions in government, religion, and the arts. Beneath them are the Wood Elves, who make up the majority of the working class, and Gnomes, who operate in trade, taxation, and bureaucratic roles. Other races—though present due to trade and pilgrimage—are marginalized and typically excluded from civic influence.

Art and beauty are not merely hobbies in Gilmore; they are expected. Even the slums of Durr in Traddlebow are required by law to maintain a level of aesthetic quality in building design. Smooth curves and gentle spirals, said to honor the form of Mother Sola, are the architectural norm. Homes and shops alike double as canvases, with paintings, carvings, and sculpture integrated into the very structures themselves.

Elven etiquette is strict and formalized. Every gesture, tone, and piece of attire carries cultural weight, especially in Traddlebow. A misplaced bow or improper sleeve color can signify disrespect or cause scandal among the nobility.

Guilds and castes dominate professional and social life. The Artisans’ Guild, Politik Class, and Guild of Light’s Record are three of the most powerful non-governmental organizations in the kingdom. All apprenticeships and official employment must be approved through guild sponsorship, and patrons of the arts are expected to maintain at least one favored artist or craftsperson.

Trade remains a daily spectacle, especially during the seven-day Tizzian Bazaar, where citizens and foreigners alike converge on the Golden Field to exchange goods, gossip, and favors. In quieter times, citizens visit the Art District, where master studios offer viewings, lessons, and commissions.

Beneath this surface of wealth and sophistication lies an underworld of smugglers, pickpockets, and forbidden traders, most notably in the Waterworks beneath Traddlebow. Here, illicit goods, forbidden magics, and even contraband slaves are said to change hands behind blood-red curtains and in whispered transactions. While the crown officially denounces such dealings, it is widely believed that bribes keep the underworld humming in time with the rest of Gilmore.

Magic and Religion

Religion in Greater Gilmore centers overwhelmingly on Sola, The Mother of Light and Life. Nearly every major institution, public monument, and holiday is tied in some way to her teachings. The Nunnery of the Sun, located in Traddlebow’s Art District, is both a religious center and military academy, training female Elves in the sacred rites and combat techniques of the Linge Class. Only chaste women born of Elven mothers may apply for training—a process that often takes decades.

Chapels dedicated to Sola dot every district, and her priestesses, known as the Nuns of Lahja, serve as both spiritual leaders and elite archers. Their presence ensures both moral guidance and tactical defense throughout the capital. Sola’s followers believe that her favor is most strongly expressed in the form of precision archery, radiant light, and the preservation of beauty.

In tandem with religious piety is a strong reverence for divine magic. The University of Light, affiliated with the Nunnery, trains young Elven women in divine spellcraft. Only those who maintain a vow of chastity and complete their military indenture may graduate and take the title of Sister of the Sun.

Yet, not all faiths within Gilmore are so pure. Whispers persist of hidden shrines to the Fathers, particularly Quont, The Father of Lust, whose secret worshipers often reside in the Travelers’ District or hidden within guilds. This duality—light and shadow—defines much of Gilmore’s magical philosophy.

Arcane magic is legal but regulated. To practice, one must be registered with the Guild of Light’s Record and undergo seasonal inspection. Enchantment, divination, and illusion are common, while necromancy and transformation magic are outlawed. Unsanctioned spellcasters often find themselves disappeared—either into the Waterworks or at the bottom of the Mirt River.

Military and Defenses

While Greater Gilmore is famed for art and commerce, it is its military prowess that has preserved its sovereignty for centuries. The capital of Traddlebow is among the most heavily defended cities in Mernac, with a natural moat provided by the Mirt River and three fortified walls, including the legendary Sinti-covered granite barrier.

The army consists primarily of professional Elven soldiers, bolstered by mandatory conscription from lower Elven classes and temporary militias raised during wartime. The pride of the kingdom’s defenses, however, lies in the Linge Class—an all-female elite unit of archers trained in both military and religious rites. Clad in gold and ivory, Linge archers are famed for their unerring accuracy and almost divine coordination.

The Tizzian Watch is the kingdom’s urban enforcement arm, responsible for patrolling districts, enforcing trade law, and maintaining peace during the chaotic bazaar. Many Watch commanders are former military officers, and their loyalty is to the crown first, guilds second, and the law third.

In addition to standing forces, Fort Allisa remains one of the most strategic strongholds on the continent. Built to control the high ground east of Traddlebow’s harbor, the fort is heavily manned year-round and supported by trebuchets, siege-ballistae, and Linge spotters.

Defense has shaped the very culture of Gilmore: buildings are constructed to impede invasion; laws encourage martial training; and even the arts frequently depict military triumphs. Though conquered more than once in its outer provinces, the kingdom’s heart—Traddlebow—has never fallen.

Legends and History

The history of Greater Gilmore is rich with both political intrigue and battlefield heroism. According to historians, the kingdom was founded by High Elves migrating eastward after the First Millennium, who chose the Dazen-Mirt Valley for its rich soils, trade potential, and defensibility. They constructed Traddlebow using architecture meant to reflect the beauty of Sola, and from there, forged a monarchy that would endure for 1,500 seasons.

One of the most infamous tales is that of Allisa Ilibalar, a Wood Elf mistress of the High Elf king who, during a siege in 1234 AM, seduced the Troll army encamped across the Mirt River. By bathing and dancing naked near their camp, she drew the entire force from its defensive positions, allowing the Gilmorean army to capture the hill without a single loss. The king later built Fort Allisa on that very spot, named her his second wife, and enshrined her legend in local folklore. The term “Allissan Charm” is still used today to describe a woman who convinces a man to act against his better judgment.

Another foundational event was the outlawing of slavery in 1679, prompted by pressure from Sola’s clergy and mounting foreign condemnation. Though the practice officially ended, some claim that the Waterworks beneath Traddlebow still conceal darker dealings, including hidden auctions and magical branding rituals.

The rise of the Tizzian Bazaar, first held in 1711 AM, transformed Gilmore from a regional power into an economic titan. Its unique blend of legal and underground trade created immense wealth—at the cost of growing corruption.

Relevance and Intrigue

Today, Greater Gilmore is one of the most powerful kingdoms on the continent of Cathall—economically, politically, and culturally. The capital of Traddlebow is a hub for everything from luxury goods and magical reagents to artistic commissions and political deals. The Tizzian Bazaar alone moves more coin in a week than some smaller nations do in a year.

The kingdom’s influence is also global. Through careful manipulation of trade tariffs, diplomatic favors, and selective military aid, Gilmore has positioned itself as a key player in regional alliances. It often provides covert funding to uprisings or border conflicts in neighboring kingdoms to keep rivals unstable.

But there are tensions beneath the surface. Whispers of rebellion stir in rural regions. Minor noble houses grumble at the wealth and privilege concentrated in Traddlebow. And rumors persist that the Brannen bloodline may be weakened, with no clear heir currently in favor.

The Scribes and Sages who know of such things believe that should Gilmore ever fall, the ripple effects would destabilize not only Cathall, but all of Mernac. For now, however, the kingdom stands—resplendent, calculating, and ever-watchful behind its stone walls and golden charms.

“Where passion reigns, truth bends.”
—Common saying among the Gnome scribes of Northrin Hollow

Overview

Tucked into the southern curve of the Cathall continent, Quontas is a kingdom unlike any other in Mernac. It is a place of allure and taboo, dominated by the Race of the Dark Faeries, specifically their female population. Known throughout the realm as a domain of sensuality, artistic freedom, and dangerous seduction, Quontas is both feared and secretly admired.

The kingdom derives its name from Quont, one of The Thirteen Fathers, who was transformed into a female body after offering his manhood to help create the Race of Man. That mythic act lies at the heart of Quontas’s cultural ethos: that identity, pleasure, and power are intertwined in ways few outside its borders can understand – or accept.

While the population is majority Dark Faerie (roughly 70%), the remaining inhabitants are a blend of Gnomes, Dark Elves, and those from other races seeking refuge from persecution related to gender or sexual preference. The kingdom is one of the rare places in Mernac where such matters are neither politicized nor taboo. Instead, they are embraced, celebrated, and woven into every aspect of society—from law to art to war.

Quontas does not have a single unified capital. Instead, it is composed of numerous small cities and enclaves, each ruled by a Matron or Circle of Succubi, and connected by hidden forest trails, magical waystones, and illusions that disorient those without a local escort. To the outsider, Quontas is a maze of temptation, mystery, and danger. To the insider, it is freedom incarnate.

2. Geography and Settlements

Quontas spans a lush, mist-shrouded region nestled between the Vinthian Glades and the Jorlin Foothills, sharing a rugged and often disputed border with Kezia to the north. Unlike the harsh, sun-scorched plains of its neighbor, Quontas is a verdant land of shadowy woods, bioluminescent mosses, and flowering vines whose scents are said to arouse forgotten memories. Heavy with humidity and layered in fog, the forests of Quontas remain evergreen year-round, creating a sense of timeless twilight.

Its geography is cloaked in magical illusions and naturally occurring glamour, much of it strengthened by the presence of Dark Faerie enchantments. Many travelers who wander the roads without permission or magical protection report losing all sense of direction, or worse, falling into trance-like states from which they never return.

Unlike most Mernacian kingdoms that center around a capital, Quontas is decentralized. Major settlements include:

• Velvene: The closest thing to a capital, Velvene is known for its dazzling open-air performance arenas and erotic frescoes that cover nearly every wall. It hosts the annual Reverie of Moonfire, where the best poets, dancers, and body-painters of Quontas compete for the title of Dreamweaver.
• Trelisk Hollow: Hidden in the roots of an ancient petrified tree, this city is renowned for its arcane artisans. Magical fashion, potions of attraction, and emotion-triggered jewelry are all crafted here in abundance.
• Northrin Hollow: A mixed settlement where Gnomes and Faeries work side-by-side. Northrin is famed for its libraries and script-houses, where censored texts from other kingdoms are copied, preserved, and even enhanced with illustrations that border on the scandalous.
• The Scarlet Labyrinth: Not a city but an underground network of tunnels and chambers, The Labyrinth is said to be home to the last known male Dark Faeries. Rarely seen, they live in secrecy and silence, hidden from the world and protected fiercely by their female counterparts.

Each settlement is governed by a Council of Matrons, always female and almost always Succubi. Decisions are made through a mix of debate, seduction, and occasionally, magical duels of passion-fueled willpower. The idea of male leadership is not only foreign here, it is taboo.

Society and Culture

At the heart of Quontas lies its culture of unapologetic eroticism, matriarchal dominance, and emotional liberation. Everything – politics, art, family structures, even war, is shaped by this central axis.

Dark Faerie biology plays a pivotal role in society. Every two reproductive cycles, females enter a period in which their natural enchantments grow dangerously potent. During this time, any male (of any race) who looks directly into the eyes of a Dark Faerie risks falling hopelessly in love, forever bound to her in mind and spirit. Unlike the Light Faeries, who sequester themselves during such phases, Dark Faeries actively encourage these encounters, often becoming Succubi to increase their power, influence, and pleasure.

Succubi in Quontas are not shameful figures, they are political leaders, military commanders, and spiritual guides. Entire villages are named after renowned Succubi of ages past, and each district has a shrine to Quont in both his male and female forms, celebrating transformation and fluidity as divine virtues.

Quontian art is as sensual as it is sacred. Temples and plazas overflow with erotic murals, sculptures carved in breath-catching detail, and public performances that range from poetic to provocatively explicit. Passion is not only accepted, it is expected. In schools, children are taught to express feelings openly, and even rage or grief may take theatrical or sexual forms as part of healing rites.

Importantly, Quontas is the only kingdom in all of Mernac where sexual orientation holds no political or social consequence. The kingdom is a haven for those cast out by the rigid norms of other lands. Same-gender pairings, non-binary roles, and magical transitions are commonplace and culturally encouraged.

While outsiders often whisper about Quontas with fear, their perception is shaped more by prejudice than truth. To those within its borders, the kingdom is a vibrant, inclusive, and enchanted society that has forged its own path in defiance of Mernacian norms.

Magic and Religion

Magic in Quontas is deeply personal, emotional, and sensual. Unlike the arcane disciplines of Cathall or the elemental rites of Brangrin, Quontian spellcraft stems from desire, attraction, and the power of emotional intent. Spells are often sung or whispered, enhanced by dance, touch, and sometimes even arousal. The concept of “Magicka of the Vein” governs their practice—an idea that magic flows through one’s blood and feelings, not through books or runes.

Temples in Quontas are not solemn structures but sensuous sanctuaries: wide halls with incense-laced air, silk-draped walls, and carvings of intertwined figures locked in eternal embrace. The most common religious figure is Quont, depicted in both male and female forms, symbolizing transformation, sacrifice, and liberation. Altars often include mirrors, perfumes, candles, and offerings of wine or blood.

Alongside Quont, Kala, the Mother of Love and Desire, holds reverence, especially among the Gnomes and exiles. Shrines to Kala dot city entrances and riverbanks. It is said that travelers must light a candle to Kala upon entering a new Quontian city, or risk being cursed to never find satisfaction in love.

Despite Quontas’s strong association with darkness and temptation, there is little worship of Barak. The kingdom’s alignment is not one of evil, but of sensual power and the rejection of dogma.

Military and Defense

The military structure of Quontas reflects its cultural ethos, fluid, unpredictable, and intimately tied to its society’s feminine dominance. The standing army is not large, but it is highly effective, relying on magic, seduction, and guerrilla tactics rather than brute force.

Most combat units are composed of all-female Spellblade Circles, led by Succubi who specialize in illusion, mind magic, and short-range psychic assaults. Their presence on the battlefield can turn hardened warriors into lovesick fools in moments. It is said that entire skirmishes have ended before a single weapon was drawn, such is the power of eye contact with a fae in her peak cycle.

Defensive architecture throughout Quontas is designed to disorient and mislead. Settlements are shielded with illusion veils, and many pathways are lined with faerie fog that causes hallucinations in the uninitiated. Defensive strongholds are often hidden underground or built into enchanted hills that appear as meadows until it’s too late.

The Luremaidens, an elite unit of infiltrators, specialize in espionage, seduction, and political sabotage. Each is trained in twenty languages and fifty ways to steal secrets with a kiss. Rumors persist that even some High Lords of Cathall have fallen to a Luremaiden’s embrace.

Economy and Trade

Quontas thrives not on agriculture or industry, but on art, enchantment, and indulgence. Its economy is primarily based on three exports: erotic art, seduction-based enchantments, and potions or trinkets of desire. These are bought at steep prices by nobles and merchants across Mernac, though most would never admit the origin of such treasures.

The cities of Velvene and Trelisk Hollow are trade hubs for magically-enhanced perfumes, soul-bond jewelry, and potions of irresistible charm. It’s said that even the Ring of Sola worn by the Queen of Cathall contains Quontian moonstone, mined only during a fae’s flowering season.

While many other kingdoms refuse official trade with Quontas due to its scandalous reputation, nearly all engage in covert exchange. Smugglers and freelance merchants abound, often guided by Gnomes who excel at discreet dealings.

Quontas uses no standardized currency of its own. Instead, trade is conducted via bartering, favors, enchantments, and Mernals from other nations. A kiss from a renowned Succubus may be worth more than a chest of gold.

Myths and Moments

The Offering of Quont

One of Mernac’s most whispered myths tells of Quont, originally a virile male god who sacrificed his genitals to help create the Race of Man. In return for this offering, The One allowed him to live—but in a female body. From that day forth, Quont became both Mother and Father of the Dark Faerie Race.

This tale is retold each year during the Moonbend Rite, when Dark Faeries reenact Quont’s transformation through ritual dance and symbolic shedding of garments. It is a time of vulnerability, beauty, and powerful magic.

The Luring of Kelromir

In 1833 AM, a Cathallan warlord named Kelromir the Bladed set out to conquer Quontas with a force of 5,000 men. He underestimated its defenses, believing his men immune to “pretty dancers and prancing pixies.”

Only 312 returned. The others remained, not dead, but enthralled. It is said they still serve the Matrons of the Scarlet Labyrinth as gardeners, guards, and eternal lovers, blissfully unaware of their past.

Quont’s Gambit

Perhaps the most impactful tale in Quontas’s history, Quont’s Gambit is both myth and political origin. Long ago, when Kala, the Mother of Desire, controlled the Samerzee, elite entertainers of Mernac, Quont (in her female form) grew jealous. She kidnapped Kanola, the Mother of Music and Kala’s sister.

As ransom, Quont demanded the Order of the Samerzee. Kala, furious but desperate, agreed. Quont then installed the elite Succubus Traesha to oversee their training. To this day, all true Samerzee must complete part of their training in Quontas—ensuring the Father Quont’s influence remains etched into their very souls.

Relevance

In modern Mernac, Quontas continues to serve as both a cultural refuge and a political outlier. It is a nation that others fear to acknowledge but cannot afford to ignore. Despite its relative isolation, Quontas exerts disproportionate influence through the Samerzee, its enchantments, and its spies.

Diplomats from Cathall and even Paizes are rumored to have secret liaisons with Quontas’s Matrons. The Succubi Guilds wield soft power across Mernac, having ties in courts, trade houses, and academies from Traddlebow to the Tian Islands.

Many prophecies warn that if Quontas ever fully unites under one Matron Queen, its influence might rival Cathall’s. Some whisper this unification is already in motion, led by Traesha, the Eternal Matron of the Scarlet Labyrinth.

Quotable Lore

“To look into her eyes is not to fall—but to leap willingly into ruin.”
— Carved on the mirror-walls of Trelisk Hollow

“Only in Quontas can a whisper cause a war… or stop one.”
— Scribed by a Gnomish merchant in Velvene

“Love is the strongest magic. Lust is just the spark that starts the fire.”
— Succubus Traesha, to her students on the night of the Blooming Veil

“Where the Light Rests and the Arrows Whisper.”

Overview

Solaris is a secluded, radiant kingdom located along the eastern shores of the Cathall continent, named in honor of Sola, the Mother of Life and Light. Populated almost entirely by various Elven subraces, the kingdom is led by a highly isolationist society governed not by monarchy but by a Council of Seven Elders, each said to serve a lifelong appointment chosen through divine revelation and public consensus.

The Elves of Solaris, particularly the High Elves, who claim direct descent from those Sola herself first shaped, believe their land to be sacred, the very place where Sola stepped foot in Mernac to release the breath of life into the world’s flora and fauna. As such, the land is zealously guarded, its borders heavily protected by rites, watchers, and unseen archers. Foreigners are rarely permitted within, and trade occurs almost exclusively through Traddlebow in Greater Gilmore, keeping Solaris mysterious and largely untouched by external influence.

The kingdom is known across Mernac for its devotion, beauty, and knowledge, as well as for its rumored connection to the secretive Linge Guild, masters of ranged combat who are believed to train within Solaris’s sanctuaries.

Geography and Notable Features

Solaris is a land of elegant topography, with gentle golden hills, sun-dappled glades, crystal-clear lakes, and ivory-hued cliffs that shimmer at sunrise. Much of its architecture, though grand and intricate, blends into the environment through spells of concealment and enhancement. The Elves of Solaris consider landscape and architecture indistinguishable, both are to be shaped in homage to Sola’s aesthetic and divine intent.

Notable Features:

• The Marblestep Range: A curving ridge of pale granite mountains, known for quarries that yield fine white marble with veins of golden sunlight trapped within. Many of Mernac’s greatest sculptures originate from these peaks.
• The Glade of First Breath: Said to be where Sola created the first beasts of the land. Now a sacred park and botanical sanctuary, only Priests of Sola are allowed to enter its innermost ring.
• The Lumin Caves: Naturally glowing caverns believed to be sacred workshops where the earliest High Elves learned divine craft. The caves are now closed to all but a select religious class.
• The River Elyrin: A translucent, slow-moving river known for mirror-like reflections. It passes through most major cities and is often lined with marble animal statues carved in Sola’s image.
• Temple-Clustered Cities: By doctrine, every 70 citizens must be served by a dedicated temple. These temples range from small shrine-houses with golden domes to great halls built from enchanted sunstone.

Society and Culture

Solaris is perhaps the most devout kingdom in all of Mernac, allowing worship only of Sola, the Mother of Light and Life, and her sister Siberlee, the Mother of Nature and all that is good. Every home, regardless of status, must house at least one monument to Sola or Siberlee, often placed in sunlit alcoves or entryways. These household monuments are considered sacred and receive fresh offerings of petals and morning dew.

The High Elves dominate the political, cultural, and religious landscape, though Wood Elves and Moon Elves are also common. Non-Elven residents are extremely rare and typically live in embassies in Traddlebow or under permanent residence exceptions. Never citizenship.

The Council of Seven Elders rules Solaris from Ivorel Keep, a sprawling estate of sun-kissed towers hidden within a sacred grove. The council includes scholars, clergy, naturalists, and oracles, each selected for their spiritual attunement to Sola’s will. No member may marry or bear children during their service, and each is required to complete a pilgrimage across all major temples of Solaris once per year.

Education and Coming of Age:

All children in Solaris undergo a mandatory rite of memory, wherein each must memorize five full volumes (approximately 40 pages each) devoted to a specific creature or plant native to Mernac. This rite, known as the Sacred Retention, is a requirement for passage into adulthood. It is often considered a family’s most honored celebration, second only to marriage.

Young Elves are given a creature to study from the age of seven. The books are not merely read, they must be recited word-for-word during the child’s 99th moon. Those who fail are required to serve two additional years in temple custodianship before they may try again.

Artistic Culture:

Sculpture is the most celebrated art form in Solaris. Nearly every city, village, and even road is adorned with life-size marble renditions of animals, and each species known to have existed on Mernac is being represented, eventually. Sculptors are held in near-priestly esteem, and the carving of a new beast is considered both a religious act and a national achievement.

These statues are not decorative. They are offerings to Sola, and often possess subtle magical qualities, such as warmth, humming energy, or reflective eyes that follow the sun’s path.

Magic and Religion

Magic in Solaris is treated not as a tool, but as a sacred expression of Sola’s will. Only Light-aligned forms of magic are permitted, primarily healing, illumination, plant growth, protection, and forms of scrying that align with Sola’s teachings. The use of illusion, necromancy, or any magic considered deceptive or destructive is strictly forbidden and punishable by banishment or enforced memory cleansing at the temples.

Magic is taught through Temple Academies, where young Elves study the “Three Pillars of Radiance”: Purpose, Purity, and Patience. Mastery of magical arts can take centuries, and most mages never reach the status of Sunbinders, the highest rank of sacred caster, capable of invoking daylight from the sky or healing mortal wounds with a whisper of prayer.

All magic performed in Solaris must be sanctioned by the Temple Guilds, and many casters are assigned lifelong positions maintaining Solaris’s thousands of shrines, monuments, and natural museums.

Religion is woven into every aspect of life. Besides mandatory shrines in every home, Sun Festivals are held on the first day of each season, marking solstices and equinoxes with song, sculpture unveilings, and grand offerings. Worship of any deity other than Sola or Siberlee is expressly forbidden within Solaris’s borders. Even quiet prayers to other Mothers or Fathers are considered heresy.

Military and Defense

Solaris may appear peaceful, but its defenses are both silent and terrifyingly precise. The kingdom’s military is based around elite archery, magic defense networks, and a rumored connection to the Linge Class, a guild of ranged weapon masters, particularly archers and slingers, said to train in seclusion within Solaris’s forest sanctuaries.

The formal army is divided into three Orders:

• The Dawnwardens: Temple-trained archers who guard holy sites and city walls.
• The Gilded Line: A formal standing army that patrols the borders, primarily armed with radiant javelins and defensive spells.
• The Moonshade Cloak: An elite unit of stealth sentinels, often women, whose arrows are said to silence a foe before their body hits the ground.

The Linge Class, though technically independent, is allowed to operate within Solaris. While the Council of Seven refuses to confirm this alliance, many believe the Nunnery of the Sun, deep in the capital, is where these deadly archers receive their earliest training.

Defensive structures are minimal but effective. Cities are concealed through enchantment, forest paths are guarded by whisper-wards that alert defenders of movement, and mountain passes are lined with reflected sun mirrors to blind invading forces at key choke points. The ocean-facing side of Solaris is protected by natural crystal reefs and light-bending mist barriers summoned through mass prayer.

Economy and Trade

Due to their strict border restrictions, Solaris does not engage in conventional international trade. Instead, they operate through a single, formalized trade port in Traddlebow, the capital of Greater Gilmore. There, trusted diplomats and emissaries from Solaris conduct highly regulated trade negotiations, often using Gnomes as intermediaries.

Solaris exports only items of religious or artistic significance, such as:

• Sculptures made of Sunstone or Vein-Marble
• Scrolls of natural lore or life-aligned spell rituals
• Rarely, enchanted arrows or sunforged weapons crafted by temple smiths

They import only what cannot be produced within their borders: metals not native to their soil, rare medicinal herbs, and occasionally magical tomes (after vetting).

Coinage is accepted but not emphasized in Solaris. Most citizens trade via scripture-bonded favors, prayer tokens, or sun-oaths (temporary written promises sealed with sun-marked wax). To break a sun oath is to lose public trust for a generation.

Myths and Moments

The First Flame of Sola

Elven tradition claims that the first spark of life in Mernac did not appear in a creature, but in a flame. Sola stepped into the world and lit the Eternal Lantern, now housed in the Grand Temple of Luthalin. This lantern has burned without fuel for millennia, said to be kindled by the sun itself. Every coronation, pilgrimage, or war prayer in Solaris begins by facing the Eternal Flame.

The Trial of the Forgotten Shape

In 1912 AM, a child born to two High Elves failed to complete the Sacred Retention. Rather than exile the child, as law demanded, her parents took her into the Glade of First Breath and left her there. Thirteen days later, she returned, with a living creature never before recorded in Mernac, a feathered serpentine beast with sapphire eyes.

This creature, named Velonai, now serves as the sigil of the Elyrin Circle (one of the governing Elders). Some say it was a gift from Sola, others believe it was a warning. Either way, Velonai is considered a Living Testament, and the girl, now Elder Erivessa, remains the youngest to ever sit on the Council.

The Silent Eclipse

In 2024 AM, a full eclipse blotted out the sun for seven full minutes over Solaris. The statues of every city, even those of creatures without voices, sang. It was not a melodic tune, but a sound of wind, grief, and awe that echoed across valleys and temples.

No one has ever explained this occurrence. Scribes and Sages who know of such things suspect it was a direct message from Sola, warning of an unnamed sorrow to come. Since then, a new statue is added to the Glade of the Eclipse every year, hoping to appease whatever force called that day into silence.

Solaris remains one of the most spiritually significant kingdoms in Mernac. Though politically passive, its influence on religious doctrine and artistic development is profound. The sculptors of Solaris are sought by royalty across the world, and many nobles from Cathall secretly send their children to Solaris for education in temple rites.

Militarily, the kingdom’s strength lies not in numbers but in precision, enchantment, and zealotry. It is often said that no war can begin without the blessings, or at least the silence, of Solaris.

The isolationist policies of the Council of Seven have drawn criticism from abroad, particularly as succubi activity from Quontas has begun to expand eastward. Some believe Solaris houses prophecies about the return of an ancient evil… but if the Council knows more, they have said nothing.

What cannot be denied is that Solaris guards secrets older than memory, and no outsider yet knows them all.

Quotable Lore

“Light is not the absence of shadow, it is the hand that lifts it.”
— Scribed at the Temple of Sola’s Breath

“In Solaris, we do not sculpt what we see. We sculpt what Sola saw when she imagined it.”
— Master Artisan Velorand of Marblestep

“The only arrow that cannot be dodged is one loosed with prayer.”
— Linge proverb, overheard in Traddlebow

The Dominion of Burning Sap and Broken Pacts

Name and Placement

Kanaha is a loosely governed, resource-driven kingdom located along the central western coast of the Ooloo continent. To its East lie the rocky foothills and forested ridgelines now claimed by the Auliaan Resistance. To the north and inland rise the temperate highlands of Ooloo, and the Elven Citystate of Faithmore. Kanaha is centered on the trade hub of Port Beloo, which sprawls along the northern shoreline of the Dismal Straits and serves as the dominant shipping and commerce center for exported Manta Sap.

Though officially referred to as the Kanaha Union, it is not a kingdom in the traditional sense, but rather a coalition of colonial interests originating from various kingdoms on the continent of Cathall, many of whom maintain minor encampments and trade enclaves within Kanaha’s loose territorial boundaries.

Geography and Environment

Kanaha’s territory includes coastal temperate lowlands, windswept hill country, and fog-shrouded glens. Its eastern shoreline forms a rocky barrier of bluffs and cliffs that descend into natural coves, with Port Beloo anchoring the region’s only large-scale shipping facility. Inland, the terrain becomes rugged and uneven, with ridges covered in hardy brush, sap-rooted shrubs, and scattered groves of Manta Trees, which produce the volatile Manta Sap so sought after throughout Mernac.

The easternmost portion of the region has no true forests, only dense thickets and wind-bent trees spaced widely over mossy ground. In the west, where the Manta Trees grow, the forests are quickly disappearing due to the extensive demand for Manta Sap. The climate is brisk but not inhospitable, marked by cool sea winds and long, mist-heavy seasons that roll in off the Sea of Tian. In the colder moons, thick coastal fogs and light frosts delay extraction efforts and make navigation treacherous along the cliff paths and winding cart roads.

Despite the lack of biodiversity compared to Cathall, the region is rich in plant life in addition to Manta trees, alchemical reagents, and durable stone deposits. Manta Sap distilleries, crude outposts, and transport stations dot the landscape like scars, and few permanent settlements exist outside of Port Beloo and the Council Quarter.

History

Kanaha was not founded – it was acquired.

In the late 2500s, the High Elves of Solaris dispatched a colonial expedition under the command of Governor Oles Kanaha to harvest Manta Sap in what was then “unclaimed” territory. Initial relations with the native Fur inhabitants were hostile on the Elven part, and the High Elves established a fortified encampment near the eastern coast. They began forcing native tribes out of their ancestral homelands.

Within a few seasons, Oles Kanaha became deeply entangled with Traesha, a beautiful but mysterious Dark Faerie rumored to have emerged from the growing coastal settlement of Port Helios. This seaport was a rival imperialistic endeavor where the Dark Elves and Dark Faeries from Cathall had already begun building their own foothold. Swayed by lust, greed, and the promise of independence, Oles declared himself King of Eastern Ooloo, offering land grants and sap-harvesting rights to any kingdom in Cathall willing to send colonists, troops, or coin.

This declaration led to a flood of opportunistic claimants from across Cathall, particularly exiles, treasure-seekers, and unaligned houses seeking fortune. The High Elves of Solaris responded with swift military censure. When their emissaries arrived, they found Oles Kanaha dead, lips, fingers, and toes swollen and blue. The cause of death was never determined officially. Traesha was allowed to leave back to Port Helios unmolested or accused by the high elves, though all in Kanaha were somewhat confident that she was responsible for Oles’ death.

She was said to have left with an extremely heavy trunk with a golden elven insignia. Shortly after her return to Port Helios, the ruling governor of Helios died under similar circumstances as Oles. During the void in leadership, the city-state was absorbed by the Kanaha Union.

To avoid open warfare between colonial factions, the Council of Five was formed shortly afterward. This council of merchant-lords, alchemists, and former generals now serves as the only coordinating authority in Kanaha, albeit with a tenuous grasp on unity.

Society and Culture

Kanaha’s society is one of mercenary loyalty, lawless ambition, and near-religious devotion to wealth and control of Manta Sap. There are no inherited titles of nobility, nor any cultural traditions that survived the initial wave of colonization. Citizenship is irrelevant; power is determined solely by holdings, trade routes, or capacity for violence.

Settlers in Kanaha come from every corner of Cathall, and while most still claim to follow the customs or religions of their homelands, few practice anything consistently. Multiple dialects, currencies, and legal systems overlap in chaos. Bartering is common. Contracts are written in Kellium Ink to prevent revision or deception, and contract breakers are often enslaved, mutilated, or executed publicly.

The working class is made up of sap harvesters, distillery runners, smugglers, and mercenaries. Many are indentured or exiled. Above them are landholding factions, militant or commercial, who form temporary alliances as needed but rarely trust one another. Power is ephemeral and changes hands with the seasons.

Culturally, Kanaha is known for its grim pragmatism. Trade, war, and vice dominate public life. Art is rare, temples are mostly abandoned, and the only celebrations revolve around the profits of particularly bountiful harvests or successful foreign contracts.

Religion and Philosophy

Kanaha has no state religion, nor any temple of notable size or influence. The Council of Five expressly forbids any one religious sect from claiming dominance, as doing so has historically led to infighting and assassination.

Small shrines exist mostly to Barak, Quont, or Elsen, tended to by individuals or small cults. The occasional missionary from Solaris, Permia, or Hob is typically tolerated for as long as they do not disrupt trade or interfere in land claims. However, few survive long in the decadent culture or make any converts.

Some speak of a growing cult devoted to Traegen, the Father of Jealousy and master of the seas. The Father is worshipped in secret among those whose lands have been stolen or whose fortunes have soured and by those who appear to have little to no ships loast at sea. These worshippers, said to live near Port Helios or other coastal locations, are blamed for recent disappearances and strange visions around the distilleries.

The only consistent belief across all social classes in Kanaha is this:
“Everything burns. Only Mernals remain.”

Government and Law

Kanaha is governed not by a monarch or council of elders, but by a volatile and self-appointed Council of Five. Each of the five seats is occupied by a powerful representative from one of the major factions who claimed land during the initial post-Kanaha land rush. These factions are not organized by race or religion but by wealth, control of Manta Sap production, and brute military force.

The Council is meant to coordinate land division, arbitration, and foreign diplomacy. In reality, it serves as a forum for threats, bribery, and temporary ceasefires. Its five members are constantly rotated through assassination, betrayal, or strategic exile. There are no laws beyond what each councilor enforces on their own holdings, though most have adopted a loose form of martial law to suppress riots, uprisings, or religious extremism. Collectively, the only thing they unanimously support is pushing west into new “unclaimed” territory.

Justice, if it can be called that, is swift and usually terminal. Thieves are branded or mutilated. Contract assassins are executed or bound to labor camps. Many settlements maintain public gallows, public iron maidens, or pit-fighting arenas as both punishment and entertainment.

There are whispers of an underground movement called The Auliaan, reportedly formed by displaced Fur tribes and rogue colonists who seek to return the land to its wild state and rightful custodians. Some even claim the Auliaan have infiltrated the Council and now work to sow chaos from within.

Economy and Trade

Kanaha’s entire economy revolves around Manta Sap, a flammable, alchemically reactive substance drawn from the region’s rare Manta Trees. When refined, it can be used as a fuel, explosive, or magical amplifier. Manta Sap can only be found in Ooloo, making Kanaha the only legal source for its export. This monopoly brings in massive profits, despite the kingdom’s lawless nature.

Secondary exports include volatile oils, hardened resin bricks, rare alchemical reagents from the coastal groves, and scavenged relics from ancient Fur settlements now buried beneath new outposts. A thriving black market also trades in forbidden goods, stolen spells, and exotic creatures some of which are rumored to be brought in or sent out via dark pacts from Port Helios.

Port Helios quickly became is the main commercial hub, crowded with foreign ships, hired muscle, brothel workers, and trade emissaries from nearly every kingdom in Cathall. There, any commodity can be found, if one has the coin, and can survive long enough to spend it.

Currency in Kanaha is chaotic. While Mernals are accepted, many settlements also use bonded scripts, blood pacts, or carved tokens representing a contractual weight of gold. Counterfeiting is punishable by crucifixion.

Magic and Knowledge

Magic in Kanaha is treated as a tool, not a calling. While many of its settlers come from kingdoms where magical traditions are rich and respected, in Kanaha, arcane ability is valued only for its utility, and feared when used for anything else.

Most spellcasters in Kanaha work for specific factions or serve as freelance enchanters, wardbreakers, or sap refiners. A few powerful mages reside in Port Beloo or Helios, but none hold open academies, and magical education is informal at best.

Much of Kanaha’s magical research revolves around the enhancement or manipulation of Manta Sap and how to acquire it, efforts that often lead to spectacular and deadly failures. Arcane scholars from Hob, Permia, and Lingin are known to pay handsomely for samples, notes, or living test subjects.

Libraries are nearly nonexistent, and most knowledge is kept in guarded vaults or committed to memory. Religious magic is nearly absent outside of scattered cults and small temples, though blood magic and ritual binding are rumored to be on the rise.

Military and Warfare

Kanaha’s military is not a single force, but rather thousands of hired blades. Each faction maintains its own army, ranging from mercenary bands and tribal warpacks to imported soldiers from Cathall’s underclasses. The closest thing Kanaha has to a united force is the Sapguard, a brutal militia funded by the Council to protect distilleries, enforce Manta Tree boundaries, and guard trade routes. Even they are known to switch sides for enough coin.

Weapons are crude but effective. Sappers and alchemists are common, and explosive warfare is widely practiced. Many soldiers wear resin-treated armor, which is durable but highly flammable, leading to a style of combat where immolation is both a threat and tactic.

Naval warfare is prominent along the Sea of Tian, and privateers in the service of Port Beloo often engage in raids against Tian Islands traders or smuggling operations from Permia and Greater. Piracy is technically outlawed, but most ships flying Kanahan flags are armed and dangerous.

The Auliaan Resistance continues to harass Western caravans and torch distilleries. Their raids have grown increasingly bold, suggesting they may be receiving aid, possibly from Fur survivors or sympathetic agents from Solaris.

Relevance

Kanaha may be lawless and dangerous, but it is indispensable to Mernac’s global economy. The sheer volume of Manta Sap produced here fuels trade, industry, and warfare across all continents. Despite its fractured leadership, its Council of Five continues to leverage Kanaha’s resources into political and economic influence.

Many kingdoms would like to see Kanaha fall, or better yet, be absorbed, but none dare move directly against it for fear of disrupting the sap supply. As long as the distilleries burn and the coin flows, Kanaha will remain a necessary evil.

Diplomatic missions are rare, but many kingdoms keep unofficial ambassadors or spies in Kanaha, hoping to influence the council’s decisions or stake claim to new sap territory. Meanwhile, those cast out from Cathall, Toberna, and Brangrin continue to flood in—looking for fortune, revenge, or simply a place to disappear.

It is said that Kanaha is where exiles go to become kings, or corpses.

Quotable Lore

“Every kingdom sends its sons to die in Kanaha. And still, they come—for the fire. Always for the fire.”
—Captain Brolen Vask, Black Flame Smuggler

“We worship no god here. We worship the sap. It burns brighter than all your faith.”
—Inscription on the Council Hall of Port Beloo

“The sap taught me everything. It taught me what burns, what screams, and what is truly valuable.”
—Traesha, Enchantress of Port Helios

Heart of the Resistance and Spirit of Ooloo

Name and Placement

The Auliaan Resistance is not a traditional kingdom but a united front of indigenous tribes, most notably the Fur race, alongside several Faerie Rings, and a handful of other displaced peoples. Located in the central valleys and forested hollows of Ooloo, this region is cradled between the continent’s towering ranges: the Ooloo Mountains to the north and the the Sheeree range to the south. This fertile, mist-veiled land is considered sacred by the Fur Race and is believed to be where the first of their kind was raised by the lion sage Hooloo.

The Auliaan-controlled territories are intentionally unmarked on most maps, making it difficult for outsiders to even locate, let alone navigate the area. The hidden capital, First Place, lies in the Valley of the Gentle Ones, surrounded by enchanted glades and thick woods patrolled by Blackur warriors and the whispering magic of the Faerie Rings.

2. Geography and Environment

The lands of the Auliaan Resistance are rich in untouched natural beauty. Deep forests of silverbark and bloodleaf trees form the region’s heartwood, while ancient glens and stone-circle clearings mark the spiritual territories of Faerie Rings. Swift rivers, including the sacred Thaloo Run, wind through moss-laden valleys and mist-draped ravines.

Unlike the north’s permafrost found in Bleakhand Union or the trade-scorched plains of Kanaha to the west, Auliaan lands are largely temperate, enjoying cool, fertile seasons and an abundance of fauna. Crystal-clear springs are said to bubble directly from sacred wells blessed by The Mothers themselves. It is this idyllic setting that fuels the Auliaan’s belief that nature, in its purest form, is a manifestation of divine will and worth protecting at any cost.

3. Inhabitants and Society

The Auliaan Movement is composed primarily of Solidfur Tribes and Patchfur Nomads, both descended from the original seven cubs birthed by Siberlee and raised by the lion sage Hooloo. These Fur tribes live communally in forest villages or nomadic groups, with a strict adherence to the Color-Caste Code, a hereditary system determining social and spiritual role based on the Fur’s pelt color. Goldenfurs serve as leaders and spiritual guides, Silverfurs as healers, Blackfurs as hunters and warriors, and so on.

• Goldenfurs – Clan and spiritual Leaders
• Silverfurs – Spell casters and healers
• Blackfurs – Hunters and protectors
• Brownfurs – Workers and gatherers
• Orangefurs – Nursemaids and sex providers
• Grayfurs – Traders and explorers
• Whitfurs – Prophets, very rare

Patchfurs who have coats of more than one color were once exiled and thought of as impure; they have been welcomed into the Auliaan Movement, at least partially. While some Solidfur tribes remain distrustful, many Patchfur leaders have proven invaluable in guerrilla warfare against invading forces, and their inclusion signals a turning point in Fur culture.

Faeries maintain small Faerie Rings deep within the woods and cliffs. Their society is organized in matriarchal circles and holds festivals and rites that strengthen the magical warding of Auliaan lands. Though not combatants by nature, they assist with powerful illusions, healing, and environmental enchantments.

4. Governance and Leadership

Unlike traditional kingdoms, the Auliaan Movement is structured around tribal consensus and spiritual guidance rather than a formal government. The unofficial leaders are the Goldenfur brothers Mootill and Boota, whose charisma, wisdom, and fierce devotion to Fur principles have united many otherwise fractured clans.

Decisions are made at the Stone Gatherings, sacred conclaves held under the open sky where leaders of each tribe and Faerie Ring meet under a vow of peace. These gatherings are often accompanied by ritual storytelling, offerings to The Mothers, and vision quests.

5. Beliefs and Religion

The spiritual heart of the Auliaan Movement lies in its devotion to Terees, the Mother of Wisdom and Harmony, and Siberlee, the Mother of Nature and All That Is Good. These two Mothers are worshipped together, often in twin-shrines carved into living trees or stone, tended by Silverfurs or Faerie seers.

While the teachings of Hooloo, the golden lion who raised the first Furs, are not divine canon, they are regarded with equal reverence. His code of Forgiveness, Self-Mastery, and Nature’s Balance guides daily life and political policy alike.

Faeries, by contrast, honor Kanola, the Mother of Music and Dance, and express their faith through intricate rituals, sacred choreography, and the whispering of windborne ballads. Together, the two cultures form a polytheistic harmony focused on reverence for life, nature, and inner truth.

Prayer is private, meditative, and often silent. No temples mar the landscape—nature itself is their cathedral.

8. Economy and Trade

The Auliaan Movement has no formal economy by traditional standards. Instead, communal sharing, bartering, and gifting form the backbone of their exchanges. All trade is conducted by and through traveling Grayfurs. Goods such as woven barkcloth, medicinal herbs, carved bone tools, spirit-painted drums, and naturally sourced pigments are traded during Stone Gatherings and seasonal Harmony Markets. The most prized commodity is cut fur, which is often woven into blankets and clothing of races outside of the Furs. Though this type of trade is forbidden by most Fur clans, it is often conducted in secret by some unscrupulous Grayfur traders and the orangefurs willing to sell citting of their fur.

Only a select few Grayfur merchants are permitted to leave Auliaan territory to trade with outsiders. These travelers often carry stone rings, etched with glimmering Fur runes and Faerie symbols, to show their allegiance and guarantee safety within allied lands such as Elber or Feywick.

Manta sap, though valuable, is never harvested in Auliaan lands. To do so would be considered a desecration. Instead, the Auliaans guard ancient groves where the Manta trees are protected, and any effort to tap them is met with swift and terrifying resistance. It is this Manta Sap that attracts their invaders.

Their true wealth lies in spiritual wisdom, lore, and an unbreakable bond with the land—something outsiders often fail to understand until too late.

6. Military and Conflict

While the Auliaan Movement strives for peace, war has made such hopes fragile. Their ancestral lands are constantly encroached upon from both east and west: the opportunistic resource-grabbers of Kanaha press from one side, and the relentless raids from the Bleakhand Union push from the other. Hemmed in by enemies on both flanks, the resistance finds itself in a perpetual state of alert and exhaustion. The once-soft forests and river valleys have become battlegrounds in a war that many of the older Solidfurs had hoped would never come.

The defense of Auliaan territory is led primarily by the Patchfurs, the nomadic outcasts long thought impure by the Solidfur caste. These Furs—whose coats display multiple colors—were traditionally abandoned or exiled at birth due to beliefs of impurity and imbalance. Their resilience and bitterness from centuries of rejection have hardened them into agile warriors and cunning scouts, and they now form the backbone of Auliaan’s defensive efforts.

It is the Patchfurs who ambush patrols, disable supply lines, and counter-raid with brutal precision. Ironically, these very Furs were once vilified by their Solidfur kin for centuries of cub kidnappings, a practice born from vengeance and a way they can reproduce. This tension simmers beneath the surface of the movement, even as both factions fight for the same cause. Solidfur leaders like Mootill maintain a fragile peace with the Patchfur warbands, often navigating delicate tribal councils to prevent civil schisms.

Meanwhile, the Bleakhand Union’s recent escalations have brought even more pressure to the Auliaan forces. Bleakhand troops, driven by ideology and conquest, are increasingly clashing with Auliaan patrols on the eastern fringes of the forest. The rugged terrain makes it difficult for any single side to fully dominate, but the toll on the Fur population, especially on younglings and elders, is growing. Entire villages have gone silent, and only the lone, mournful cries of bonded creatures remain in areas once full of communal song.

Though they suffer, the Auliaans endure. Their rituals of memory, unity, and mourning help them survive loss without succumbing to despair. The resistance has become more than a fight for territory—it is a fight for identity.

7. Social Hierarchy and Race Relations

The Solidfur society remains rooted in the traditions passed down by Hooloo and the Matron Mothers, Terees, and Siberlee. At the top of each village or tribal unit is a Goldenfur male, advised by a female Silverfur healer and defended by Blackfur protectors. Brownfurs, Orangefurs, and Grayfurs serve their respective traditional roles, creating a closed but balanced structure. Their communities function much like extended families, and despite war, they still pause for solstice rituals, seasonal feasts, and coming-of-age ceremonies.

Patchfurs, however, live outside these castes. Their lifestyle is nomadic and raw, shaped by abandonment and hardened by centuries of survivalism. Patchfur chieftains lead with brute reputation rather than inherited rank. Though some of these bands have turned toward cooperation with the main Auliaan leadership, many still act independently, and even violently toward Solidfur caravans when supplies are scarce or tensions flare.

The Faerie rings remain enigmatic but vital. These circles of magical forest dwellers rarely leave their glades, but their healing magic, environmental wards, and subtle enchantments have saved countless lives. Though they contribute few direct combatants, their influence on morale and territory protection is profound.

Tensions between Furs and Faeries are few compared to the ever-uneasy alliance between Patchfur and Solidfur. Most village elders still harbor suspicion, if not outright hostility, toward the motley-coated warriors that now defend their borders. The Faeries’ isolatist tendencies also cause much suspicion on their part toward the Furs of any race not their own. Mootill and Boota walk a fine line as they work to unify their people, arguing that in times of darkness, even the discarded can shine.

8. Relevance

The Auliaan Resistance may not hold official titles, boundaries, or embassies, but its influence reverberates across Ooloo. It is both a memory of the continent’s untouched past and a vision of what it could be again, a land of harmony where all Races respect the balance of the natural world. Though under constant siege, its cultural and spiritual resilience serves as a beacon to pacifists, idealists, and nature-bound souls across Mernac.

As Kanaha expands westward and Bleakhand raids become more frequent from the east, the Auliaans stand trapped in the narrowing heart of their homeland. Their future is uncertain, but one truth remains: so long as First Place still stands, and Hooloo’s teachings are spoken beneath the canopy, Ooloo has not been lost.

9. Quotable Lore

“There is no enemy as dangerous as a brother you have wronged. And no ally as precious as one you finally forgive.”
— Mootill, Goldenfur Chieftain of First Place

“The trees remember. The cubs remember. The land remembers. We will not forget what was stolen.”
— Boota, Patchfur Commander of the Blackfur Stadlers

The Radiant Citadel of Light and Discipline

Name and Placement

Faithmore is a fortified city-state located in the far northwestern corner of Ooloo, nestled against the mirrored banks of the Hoolee River and bordered to the north by the jagged foothills of the Ooloo Mountains. Officially known as Radiant Citadel of Sola, with its commanding perch above both water and stone, Faithmore has long stood as a beacon of holy purpose and impenetrable defense. Its crystalline towers and glinting ramparts can be seen from leagues away, catching the light of the twin moons as if woven from divinity itself.

Strategically positioned between the Heartwood expanses to the south and the treacherous coasts of the Sea of Terees to the west, Faithmore has no equal in terms of natural and architectural fortification. It is said no army has ever breached its walls, and many doubt any ever could.

Faithmore is not a traditional kingdom, but a city-state governed by doctrine, tradition, and an unwavering devotion to the Mother of Light and Life, Sola. Founded long before written history, it is widely regarded as the oldest inhabited settlement in all of Mernac.

Geography and Environment

Faithmore’s geography is as symbolic as it is practical. Built entirely from radiant whitestone quarried from the sacred Ooloo Mountains, the city shines like a polished gem, reflecting both the sunlight of Sola and the ethereal luminance of Mernac’s twin moons. The surrounding land is temperate and blessed with rich soil, dense with sacred groves, fruiting gardens, and a ceremonial cypress known as the “Tree of First Breath.”

The Hoolee River, wide and gently flowing, wraps protectively around the eastern edge of the city and provides both irrigation and transport. A series of cascading aqueducts and shimmering cisterns crisscross the city, channeling holy water collected at the foot of Mount Voreen—where Sola is said to have first revealed herself to mortal Elves.

The city is surrounded by smooth hills, cultivated terraces, and walled gardens, all patrolled by robed soldiers known as the Sunlit Guard. Even Faithmore’s air seems touched by divinity, often carrying the scent of myrrh, whitestone dust, and blooming Koovale lilies.

People and Culture

The inhabitants of Faithmore are exclusively High Elves, descendants of the Solarisian line who left the continent of Cathall several millennia ago. These elves are devout, disciplined, and spiritually driven, living lives steeped in ritual, prayer, and structured tradition. They speak both the Common tongue and a regional High Elven dialect used exclusively for liturgical and civic matters.

Life in Faithmore revolves around religious observance and military service. Every citizen is required to serve a minimum of ten full seasons in the city’s elite military forces and is considered a reservist until death. Military preparedness is considered a sacred duty, not only as a means of defense but as a form of worship and proof of one’s devotion.

Faithmore is renowned for its deeply rooted musical and artistic traditions. The city’s sacred theater, the Hall of Sola’s Breath, is considered the highest expression of divine narrative through performance. Here, religious parables, military epics, and historic reenactments are played out by masked troupes during every holy season.

The city’s religious calendar is marked by intricate festivals, most notably the Moonlight Festival of Chandralee, during which citizens anoint their skin with powdered whitestone, sing in six-part harmony, and adorn their temples with shimmering crystal veils. Children are raised in strict communal houses led by priest-nurses and begin martial and theological training by their third season.

Religion and Spirituality

Faithmore’s people serve Sola, the Mother of Life and Light, with an intensity that borders on the divine. Temples, shrines, and oratories dedicated to her dot every district of the city, with household shrines required by law in every dwelling. Devotional offerings, composed poems, and chants to Sola are considered as necessary as food or water.

In a rare religious duality, the people of Faithmore also revere Siberlee, the Mother of Nature and all that is good, due to the ancient belief that it was Siberlee who first blessed the land and placed the first Humans in what was to become Faithmore before their banishment.

Though the worship of Sola is central to the city’s public and civic life, many homes also carry a hidden altar to Siberlee, especially among the older families who hold to the original founding myths.

No temples to the Fathers are permitted within Faithmore’s walls, and all known associations with them are banned by civic law. This restriction stems in part from the shameful period in Faithmore’s history when the High Elves, under a dark spell cast by the Fathers, enslaved the Faerie population that once cohabited the city. Though the spell was eventually broken and the Faeries fled to form their hidden rings, the cultural guilt remains. It is now tradition that each holy week begins with a Day of Remembrance for those enslaved, marked by public silence and ritual flagellation by the city’s priesthood.

History and Founding

The sacred history of Faithmore begins with a simple truth: it was here, in a humble grove near the banks of the Hoolee River, that Siberlee first placed the Race of Man. For several hundred seasons, the settlement was a place of peace and human devotion. But this golden era ended in blood.

The mortal Onas Brushstroke, beloved of Siberlee, was deceived by the Fathers and led to believe that Hooloo, the divine lion and protector of the Fur Race, meant to harm his goddess. In his misled passion, Onas attacked the great beast. For this transgression, Hooloo banished all of mankind from Ooloo. Most of them fled east and settled on the Tian Islands or Permia, where they remain to this day.

In the absence of Humanity, a group of High Elves from Solaris, religious zealots dissatisfied with the spiritual dilution of their homeland, migrated to the empty village. They built over its ruins and created what would become Faithmore.

The city grew slowly but steadily, fueled by their theocratic discipline, divine favor, and the inexhaustible labor of their citizen-soldiers. For several hundred seasons, it flourished in isolation. But tragedy returned when the Fathers cast a binding enchantment over Faithmore, driving the High Elves to enslave the Faeries who had joined them in settlement. These Faeries later escaped and formed the secret Faerie Rings of central Ooloo, but the scar of that era remains a haunting aspect of Faithmore’s collective soul.

Government and Leadership

Faithmore does not possess a traditional monarch. Instead, it is ruled by a theocratic council known as the Sanctified Assembly, composed of Seven Elders, each a master in their respective field: law, war, faith, scholarship, art, commerce, and tradition. These Elders are not elected but elevated through ritual selection after long service and spiritual examination.

The Assembly is advised by the High Archon of Sola, the highest religious authority in the city, and presides over major decisions, disputes, and legislative decrees. In matters of supreme importance or divine interpretation, the High Archon may override the Assembly with what is called a Sola Mandate, though such declarations are rare and often met with unease.

Military authority lies with the Order of the Sunlit, Faithmore’s elite archery corps. While technically beneath the Assembly in hierarchy, the Sunlit carry immense influence, both as a symbol of divine defense and as keepers of the city’s martial virtue.

Military and Defenses

Faithmore’s defenses are legendary across Mernac. Built with unmatched precision, its walls are ten times the height of a grown elf and sheathed in reflective whitestone that makes scaling nearly impossible. A slick coating of native moss known as Sinti grows over all outer surfaces, making them treacherous to climb. The city’s battlements are angled to allow archers a full view of all below that as far as the eye can see.

The Gate of Judgement, the city’s only true entrance, is sealed by a portcullis forged of tempered steel and adorned with protective wards said to have been blessed by Sola herself. The gate is flanked by twin towers with retractable bridges and internal barracks capable of housing a full garrison.

Every citizen of Faithmore is required to serve in the Ten-Season Duty, a mandatory military commitment upon adulthood. Training begins early, often before the fifth season of life, and continues with discipline unmatched by most other cities. After their term, all citizens remain on reserve until death and must answer the city’s call should its walls ever be threatened.

Despite its modest size, Faithmore can call upon over 40,000 trained reservists, in addition to the active Lahja regiments and various priestly guards.

Faithmore has never fallen. Not to the Azemen raiders. Not to mercenary clans. Not even to the combined siege forces of Kezia and Port Helios during the Twin Ember Campaign. Its defense is not merely physical – it is spiritual.

Trade and Economy

Though isolationist in many aspects, Faithmore does engage in limited trade. Its primary trading partner is Greater Gilmore, particularly the city of Traddlebow, where carefully selected merchants represent the Faithmorean interest.

Exports include:

• Refined whitestone dust, used in spiritual rites and luxury architecture.
• Gilded religious iconography, intricately carved by temple artisans.
• Sacred music scrolls, considered masterpieces of divine composition.
• Archery equipment, famed for its balance, beauty, and lethality.

Faithmore does not permit the export of military tactics, religious texts, or sacred relics without Assembly approval. Imports are tightly regulated and inspected by the Custodians of the Gate, a militant order of scholars trained in identifying corruption, toxins, or heretical influence.

Faithmore uses the Mernal, as does most of Mernac, though the city’s own coinage—called the Solar Sheen, is used for internal transactions and religious offerings.

Faithmore has no tolerance for black markets, slavery, or flesh trade. All such activities are punishable by exile or death. Even rumors of such crimes draw immediate attention from the Inquisitors of Light, a small but feared sect known for their relentless pursuit of spiritual impurity.

Relevance

Faithmore’s influence far exceeds its modest size. It is a religious and cultural cornerstone not only of Ooloo but of all Mernac. As the reported site where Siberlee first placed Humanity, and where Sola’s first whispered promises were spoken, Faithmore is a place of pilgrimage, awe, and historical weight.

Its refusal to fall to invaders, its cultural refinement, and its holy practices have made it a symbol of Light’s endurance against encroaching Darkness. Despite their fervent faith, the High Elves of Faithmore are not evangelists. They do not seek to spread their beliefs; rather, they guard them as sacred treasures meant only for the worthy.

Faithmore is often consulted by religious orders, artists, and rulers alike, who seek visions, prophecies, or a glimpse of divine favor. It is said that any blessing granted by a Priest of Faithmore is as binding as a royal decree.

Though the city plays no active political role outside its walls, its word carries weight in treaties, magical accords, and religious reforms. It is the quiet voice that silences all others, for when Faithmore speaks, it is believed that Sola speaks through them.

10. Quotable Lore

“The walls of Faithmore shine not because they reflect the sun, but because they remember the touch of the divine.”
— Scribe Haleth Moondreamer, Reflections on the City of Light

“We do not fear death. We serve until the last arrow, the last breath, and the last moonrise. Then we rise again.”
— Creed of the Lahja Guard

“To walk beneath the alabaster towers of Faithmore is to know there are still places in Mernac where the Light has not dimmed.”
— Merchant Thaldan Veris, upon returning from pilgrimage

“We were born to serve Her. We live to reflect Her. And if need be, we will die to protect Her.”
— High Archon Rivael Elarion, Temple of the First Dawn

Land of Frostblooded Fury and Unforgiving North

Name and Placement

The Bleakhand Union lies in the frigid northeastern reaches of Ooloo, where the permafrost never fully thaws and the land is marked by jagged cliffs, icy plateaus, and wind-scoured tundra. It stretches from the eastern curve of the Hooklock Mountains to the icy bays of Iniquity and Scavenger’s Hold, with Sentential and Mount Desolation forming the treacherous southern border. It is flanked by the Dismal Straits to the north and northeast, a cruel and restless sea that isolates it from the rest of Mernac. To the west lies the Auliaan frontier, a land that the Bleakhand Union increasingly raids.

Though technically referred to as a kingdom, the Union is no kingdom in the traditional sense. It is a violent confederation of tribes and factions held together by custom, conquest, and brutal necessity. The largest and most feared of these are the Azeman Clans, immense fur-covered humanoids resembling beasts more than men. The Azemen, alongside lesser Trolls and scattered Snow Giants, dominate the frozen landscape, establishing strongholds carved into the ice and stone.

The region’s name derives from the frostbite-blackened hands worn as trophies by its warlords, symbols of endurance, savagery, and eternal winter.

Geography and Environment

The Bleakhand Union is among the harshest environments in all of Mernac. Much of the land is locked in permanent frost. The Hooklock Mountains tower over the western edge, casting long shadows over the blizzard-swept fields of ice and scree. Rivers run sluggishly under crusts of cracked ice, and trees are stunted or altogether absent. Snowdrifts swallow entire structures, and whiteouts are frequent enough to erase entire caravans.

Scattered across this expanse are dozens of caves, natural hot springs, and labyrinthine tunnels carved by ancient glacial movement. These are where the Azemen and their kin dwell — subterranean fortresses built into cliffsides, volcano-heated warrens, or cave-temples carved with crude depictions of their Patron Father, Tul, the Father of Anger. However, among more devout clans, it is Linthur, the Father of Revenge, who is whispered to rule from beneath the frost.

The settlement of Scavenger’s Hold serves as a chaotic port and slave market where warbands return from plundering for trade and drink. Meanwhile, Iniquity, perched atop a coastal plateau, acts as a crude capital, if such a word can apply to a place where law is forged by blood and loyalty shifts with the wind.

Inhabitants and Racial Distribution

The Azemen are the undisputed dominant race of the Bleakhand Union. Towering at three paces tall and covered in thick white or gray fur, these brute-like humanoids are infamous across Mernac for their physical power, savage traditions, and utter disregard for other civilizations. Though not wholly lacking intelligence, Azemen value action over thought, loyalty over law, and blood over diplomacy.

There are two major Azeman castes: the Ironfists, who dwell in mountainous strongholds and are known for their resilience and combat ferocity; and the Ravenbloods, who roam the snowy plains in war-hordes, riding monstrous three-tusk mammoths and practicing brutal raiding rituals. Both revere the darker gods, primarily Tul and Linthur, through rites of pain, sacrifice, and conquest.

Alongside the Azemen are scattered enclaves of Fur outcasts, minor tribes of Cave Trolls, and a rare few Snow Giants who have made ancient pacts to remain neutral in their mountain sanctuaries. Occasionally, displaced Patchfurs from the Auliaan frontier end up enslaved, conscripted, or killed.

Small groups of all the races of the dark can be found drawn by the lawless and brutal culture the Azemen are known for, and the riches from the frequent raids in the central and western portions of Ooloo.

Government and Power Structure

The Bleakhand Union has no true monarchy or centralized rule. Power rests with the Thirteen Warlords of Frost, each representing a dominant Azeman clan or military faction. The Warlords meet once every twenty moons at the Stones of Bleeding Silence, an ancient ice-ring where disputes are settled with duels or blood oaths.

The most powerful of these warlords is currently Vaak the Pale-Maw, a battle-scarred Ironfist who claims lineage from the original Azeman champion said to have devoured a Dwarven king whole. Under his influence, the warbands have grown more coordinated and aggressive, especially in their recent incursions into Auliaan territory.

Though the Thirteen Warlords may compete and even wage war amongst themselves, all will unite under a single banner when threatened by an outside force or offered sufficient opportunity for plunder.

Culture and Beliefs

The culture of the Bleakhand Union is rooted in vengeance, strength, and survival. Worship of the Fathers, particularly Tul, Linthur, and occasionally Werk, defines their morality. Mercy is weakness. Honor is found in domination. Life is fleeting, but bloodlines endure through conquest.

The Azemen do not farm, rarely build above ground, and scorn written knowledge. Their oral traditions and battle songs serve as living history, passed from war-singer to war-singer, often performed around bonfires stoked with the bones of their enemies. Runes are carved into flesh more than stone, and prophecy is drawn from the patterns of blood spilled in snow.

Slavery is common, particularly of outsiders. Females of other races are highly sought after as breeders, field-workers, and servants. Slaves are marked by frostbite brands and traded at Scavenger’s Hold or gifted in ritual offerings to the gods.

Their rituals are brutal: Ear-chains are worn by those who’ve killed in battle, each ear representing a fallen foe. Blades of Reclaiming are used in blood feuds, and the Bone Crown is granted to warlords who have conquered three tribes.

Military and Warfare

The Bleakhand Union is almost entirely structured around war. Every Azeman child is trained to wield a weapon by the time they can walk. Their military is not formal but rather comprised of mobile warbands led by clan-chiefs or frost-generals, ranging in size from a dozen to over a thousand warriors. These groups form and disband often, driven by raiding cycles, blood feuds, or the shifting alliances of the Thirteen Warlords.

The front lines of battle are dominated by the Ironbound, elite Azeman berserkers clad in patchwork armor and wielding massive axes or bladed chains. Behind them charge Ravagers, mounted Azemen astride monstrous three-tusk mammoths, whose very steps shatter fortifications. Their siege weapons are crude but effective, usually built from the bones and iron of conquered settlements.

In recent seasons, the Union has begun to employ a tri-front assault doctrine, striking at multiple points simultaneously to break up enemy coordination. This strategy has been devastating against the more peace-focused defenders of the Auliaan Movement, and increasingly, the raids extend southward toward isolated mining outposts near Mount Desolation.

Their biggest military weakness is internal rivalry — the warbands often refuse to coordinate unless directly ordered by a powerful warlord. Many battles are lost not to strategy but to ego.

Magic and Mysticism

Magic among the Bleakhand is primitive and brutal, often focused on blood rituals, elemental cold, and divine wrath. Cave-tongues, the mystic class of smaller Azemen and Cave Trolls, function as both priests and spellcasters. They draw upon the frozen bones of ancestors and the howls of the Dismal Straits to channel arcane fury.

Some mystics are known as Painseers, capable of entering trances through self-mutilation to predict bloodshed, victory, or betrayal. Others specialize in Curseblood Alchemy, brewing tonics from venom, ash, and glacial mold to strengthen warriors or infect enemies with disease.

It is said that the greatest of their seers can speak directly to Linthur, and in times of war, many warriors carve his name into their skin to become vessels of revenge. Unlike the magic of the Elves or Faeries, Bleakhand magic is chaotic and often dangerous to its user, but in a land where life is already painful and short, few care about such risks.

External Relations

The Bleakhand Union is reviled and feared by most other kingdoms of Mernac. Its raids into central Ooloo have destabilized trade routes and forced neighboring territories to militarize or form temporary alliances. The Union is in direct conflict with the Auliaan Movement, whose resistance efforts have stalled Bleakhand expansion along the southern slopes of the Hooklock Mountains and the Valley of the Gentle Ones.

These raids have intensified in recent seasons as Vaak the Pale-Maw pushes harder into contested territory. The Auliaan Movement now finds itself caught between the slow, corrupting crawl of Kanaha in the west and the merciless, ice-carved blades of the Bleakhand in the east. It is a war on two fronts, with pacifist Solidfurs increasingly forced into uneasy reliance on their more aggressive Patchfur cousins.

Despite their brutality, the Bleakhand Union occasionally trades with fringe smugglers or the lawless harbors of Port Helious and Stormhaven, exchanging slaves, beast pelts, and cursed relics for alcohol, forged steel, or enchanted fetishes.

The is also unofficial trade with most of the Kingdom of the continents of Cathall, typically agreeing to take the most egregious criminals, malcontents, or those some noble simply wants to disappear. These criminals,s on landing in bleakhold lands, face off with an Azeman champion in a first blood battle. If they draw blood first, they are allowed to give a blood oath of loyalty and join the clan as free men. If the champion draws first blood, their fate is to join chain gangs as slaves digging under the ground to expand Azement cities. Most, however, die in the battle.

Relevance

The Bleakhand Union remains one of the greatest existential threats to peace in Ooloo. While they do not seek conquest in the traditional sense, their ever-growing population and cultural imperative for warfare ensure that conflict is inevitable. Their presence has driven major political shifts across the region and brought temporary unity to otherwise divided peoples simply through the necessity of survival.

With recent signs of unity among the Thirteen Warlords and a surge in slave-taking expeditions, whispers have begun to circulate in Faithmore and Port Helios: could the Bleakhand Union ever set its eyes beyond central Ooloo and the Furs? Could the Azemen have their eyes on the profitable Manta Sap trade in the west?

Though no clear leader has claimed supremacy over all Bleakhand clans, the rise of Vaak the Pale-Maw, and the spreading influence of Linthur’s flame of revenge suggest that Ooloo’s north may soon grow colder for everyone.

Quotable Lore

“When the wind howls louder than a troll’s rage, and the stars vanish beneath the veil of snow, that is when the Bleakhand come. Not for conquest. Not for glory. Only to punish the living for daring to be warm.”
— Old Faerie proverb, origin uncertain

“One Azeman is a nuisance. A dozen, a massacre. A hundred, and even the mountains start to shiver.”
— Boota, Fur Warchief of the Eastern Auliaan Reaches

“They don’t build cities. They don’t farm. They don’t record history. They only leave behind screams, and the silence that follows.”
— Testimony of a Solaris scout, recovered near Scavenger’s Hold