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