[u][b]Nation Name:[/b][/u] [b]Kingdom of Zakol[/b]

[u][b]Chosen Colour for Nation:[/b][/u] [color=8B0000][b]Dark Red[/b][/color]

[hider=People of Importance:]
- [b][u]Yui Wolph[/u] - The Fire Princess[/b] (Ruler) [b]-[/b] [i]The most recent descendant of the Wolph family line and current ruler of Zakol by hereditary order of succession, after the untimely deaths of her parents during diplomatic travels deeper into the lands of Alria which was blamed on cutthroats & bandits which Yui & many others doubt and to this day the princess continues to search for evidence of which nation was responsible so they can be held accountable. Aside from the loss of her parents Princess Yui is a widely admired, worshiped & loved ruler by her people, she's done much credit to her ancestors continued goals & intentions for their race, Who're many generations away now from the barbaric tribal raiders & warbands who lived in caves and muddy huts, harassing & looting any race nearby, before the various clans where united by the Wolph clan from Zakol mountain. It should be noted that Princess Yui is herself incredibly gifted in magical ability & martial prowess, In childhood she rivaled the ability of most war-magi when while showing off to her parents engulfed & incinerated an entire forest in a devastating & explosive firestorm (of doomsday proportions), scorching a large area of countryside with little more than a few movements of her hands to which she commented "It's not magic, unless it's loud & flashy!", Her Martial ability is in part due to mandatory training from her parents, but her brute strength & lethality in combat is most likely from training & sparring with her childhood friend Loxa Venn, who's for the last eight years never come close to beating Yui in a duel. Princess Yui has worked hard to strengthen her kingdoms power & wealth as it grows, while also trying to establish peaceful relations with other kingdoms and opening trade routes, but takes a strong neutral stance between warring kingdoms they have contact with instead of being dragged into other peoples wars.[/i]

- [b][u]Loxa Venn[/u] - The Blade of Zakol[/b] (Right-Hand General of the Military) [b]-[/b] [i]An Ogre General who rose from the ranks at a very young age under princess Yui's parents rule. Said to have the strength of ten ogres, Her career record is quite extensive countless deeds & acts fill many pages. Loxa has charged into dozens of bandit camps alone with just her great-sword and wiped them out, she's charged into enemy ranks with a seemingly reckless concern of her own well-being, while absolutely annihilating any enemies within reach around her. There's countless eyewitness reports of her literally slicing clean through groups of 20-30 fully armored soldiers in a single swing. Loxa's might & devastating prowess in battle easily earned her the nickname "The blade of Zakol" along with many others (Loxa the mad, Venn the demon, that psycho beatch, etc... to name a few). Its of note that Loxa Venn had never intended to become a key figure in the Zakol military or anything more than a basic solider but she apparently desired to become a member of the Hellfire Banshees, Whom at the time was a newly founded unit charged with the protection & well-being of the young Princess Yui, her parents believing Loxa was too reckless & wild to fulfill the roles required of the unit members thus failed to become a member. However Loxa became a close friend of Yui before the princess came to power & during the time since Loxa has become more reserved in nature & remains fiercely loyal to Yui.[/i]

- [b][u]Volaq Mokur[/u] - The Shield of Zakol[/b] (Left-Hand General of the Military) [b]-[/b] [i]An Ogre General who started out as a common foot-solider under Princess Yui's grandparents rule. A Tough bastard even by Ogre standards, His career record is littered with notable deeds, one such act was while defending against foreign invasion his unit was pulling back to reform the line, the enemy not wanting to let up fired volley after volley of arrows to which Volaq turned to face the enemy decked in his heavy armor, wielding an Axe & tower-shield charged towards them eventually the archers came to be more focused bringing down Volaq than harassing the ogres falling back into formation. Alone he charged into the enemy ranks wreaking havoc & sending enemies flying despite their numbers attempting to swarm him this went on for some time the enemy force almost breaking due to Volaq alone, unfortunately for them they failed to return their attention to the ogres actual army which had charged the distance following Volaqs lead ultimately routing the invading force in a single battle, after it was over the Ogres burst into laughter at the sight of Volaq there was not an inch of his armor that wasn't littered with arrows embedded into it, he looked more like a wood statue then an armored warrior, several of the arrows had pierced the armor not to mention dozens or so stabs & cuts from the melee all of which he shrugged off like it was nothing, as a result this event is what got him nicknamed the "The shield of Zakol" for distracting the enemy thus protecting his comrades in arms & the amount of damage he took without serious injury. He's a well known living legend which neighboring nation troops fear the very thought of having to meet Volaq on the battlefield.[/i]

- [b][u]Gildas Claymont[/u] - Minister of foreign affairs -[/b] [i]Head of External Political Matters, A Human that was formerly a very respected and wealthy Lord in New Engelica but sold his estate & abandoned his title due to the nations religious intolerance, After some time traveling with his extended family & loyal servants as wandering merchants, he eventually encountered Zakol where to his surprise found a nation where Humans peacefully co-existed with Ogres. Although the ogres firmly hold onto their own religion, the humans of Zakol are free to worship any faith they wish without scrutiny as long as it doesn't involve sacrifices of any sentient species. Claymont's group settled into this nation as it was steadily growing as a key trading hub between the two continents of Alria, Gildas's intelligence, talent with negotiation, & connections quickly made him a trustworthy, respectable merchant & prominent figure within the kingdom catching the attention of Princess Yui who eventually appointed him to his current position in which he serves faithfully, Additionally Yui awarded Gildas with his old title of lord when he accepted the job. Often works closely with Warren Rahmas with any and all matters that affect the kingdom as a whole.[/i]

- [b][u]Warren Rahmas[/u] - Minister of internal affairs -[/b] [i]Responsible for overseeing and operation of all internal political matters. A Human who's family have been loyal citizens of Zakol for several generations, his great grandfather in his youth settled within the territory having been fascinated with these Ogres who where nothing like the tales he'd heard in his childhood, & eventually went on to start start several small businesses a butchery, a small localized traders guild, & a brewery/pub which instantly became very popular with the ogres. Today the Rahmas family is a firmly rooted & respected household in the Kingdom of Zakol most of Warren Rahmas's brothers & cousins run the businesses while he himself served as a lawyer, & eventually became a judge where he quickly became known as "Warren the just". Now in later life with his understanding of politics & thanks to his families deep rooted businesses & connections, and his seemingly limitless intelligence, Warren Rahmas earned his way up the ladder as it where in the government to his current position overseeing all the different departments that oversee everything inside their territory. Often works closely with Gildas Claymont with any & all matters that affect the kingdom as a whole.[/i]

- [b][u]Glasha Yotul[/u] - Holy Priestess of the Sun & Moon -[/b] [i]The Religious leader of all ogres in the kingdom of Zakol, responsible for serving both the gods & her people. Yotul is a wise & charismatic person who offers charity & kindness to everyone in need, however she is a hardcore traditionalist like many of her predecessors & will often speak her mind & views but she does fairly hear out others opinions before commenting on anything. She's been against many reforms, laws, & radical changes, in cases where they've improved things she admits her views where wrong humbly, but when they've proved problematic or failed she's been all to quick to harshly reprimand others & point out she was right. Glasha Yotul has severed in her position under Princes Yui's parents rule, & has been a kind and caring influence to the current ruling princess in her childhood, additionally and unknown to Yotul is seen as somewhat as a role-model & parent by Yui.[/i]

- [b][u]Ozma Torth[/u] - Hellfire Archoness -[/b] [i]Commander of the HellFire Banshees & personal full-time bodyguard of the fire princess Yui Wolph. A Mysterious & powerful Ogre only three years older than Yui, who serves with fanatical devotion to the princess. A very quiet individual who when does speak keeps it short & to the point. The Torth clan historically was the only Ogre clan at the time with the numbers to challenge the Wolph Clan during their races unification wars countless generations ago, & are responsible for the most legendary tales of battle from the founding years of the kingdom. The Torth line had served faithfully since and true to ogre legends of old proved themselves time & time again on the battlefield, however under Yui's parents rule the continued skirmish battles with the magically gifted dwarf clan to the north saw to the deaths of Ozma's parents & brother. Her father fell in battle where his unit had been cut off & cornered into an old quarry where they fought valiantly for three days a deed which despite the mutual loathing & hatred between the two impressed the Dwarfs, the Quarry walls had been blown up & dropped on the ogres, constant ranged barrages from dwarven archers & siege equipment, occasionally interrupted by charges from dwarf infantry supplemented with illusionry troops, everything they had... the Ogres held for three whole days under Ozmas fathers command, as a show of their respect for the feat the dwarfs went as far as to build a monument to the fallen Ogres & renamed the place Torth quarry. Ozma's mother & brother's deaths however were more of a tragedy, The dwarfs during the night thought they'd come across an ogre military patrol that had made camp, it wasn't until after they had attacked did the dwarfs notice the dead unarmed humans, ogres, & carts loaded with exotic foreign goods did they realize it was a merchant caravan... (despite the skirmish-war & mutual hatred, both the Ogres & Dwarfs avoided attacking Neutrals/Innocents as a matter of pride & honor.) ...This is where Ozma lost her mother & brother. Ashamed at what had occurred the Dwarfs responsible unloaded the carts, abandoned the goods & wrapped & transported the bodies towards an Ogre garrison turning themselves in. For reasons unknown Yui's parents after the events essentially adopted Ozma Torth & raised her instead of leaving her care to the state, for this act & seeing Yui as a great leader & close friend from childhood, Ozma has worked & trained hard almost fanatically to serve & protect the Wolph family line, particularly Princess Yui.[/i]

- [b][u]Hellfire Banshees[/u] - [/b][i]Elite Body & Honor guards of the fire princess & her personal servants. Always found near princess Yui & around the palace. Lethal as they are fanatical, as powerful as they are lethal, Each of them a force in their own right, it is said just one of them would be able to annihilate a small army on their own. Note: This unit was created by Yui's parents on her birthday to ensure her safety & well being. (All Ogre females only)[/i]

[hider=Additional people of importance]
- [b]Lt.general Grumret[/b] - An Old Ogre general has now served four generations of the Wolphs, despite his advanced years, he's sharpened his mind as his body grew frail as such he's a skilled strategist with years of combat experience. Like General Mokur, Grumret specializes in defensive tactics however hasn't fought in combat for the past two decades. His veteran troops are fiercely loyal & lookup to him like a grandfather figure despite the jokes & jabs at his advanced years behind his back.

- [b]Lucretia Arnet -[/b] A Stunning beauty, with remarkable intellect beyond her years, a war-magi who was already a legend before serving with the Zakolian military, Is said to be a masterful strategist the likes of which hasn't been seen in Alria since the great alliances founding years. However she's also seen as eccentric & her personality tends to upset some people, Lucretia is an outsider who migrated to Zakol & no one really knows where she originally came from, regardless she's become a loyal citizen of Zakol, additionally very few know that she's actually a halfblood human as she's also half elven.
[/hider]
[/hider]
[u][b]Races:[/b][/u] Ogre & Humans

[hider=Traits:] 

[u][b]National Trait:[/b][/u] Magic

[u][b]Army Type:[/b][/u] [u]For Zakol & the Wolph's![/u] (For King and Country!)
[i]- Under the nurturing guidance of princess Yui & her ancestors, the ogres of Zakol have continued to progress into a civilized people & nation with some help of the humans who've merged into their society, as such their martial might has changed accordingly, Their once tribal & divided rabble-like gangs & warbands have long been changed into a united, organized & highly trained/experienced military force. Their military is mostly made-up of ogres as humans are an incredibly weak species in comparison, however a few humans do have places within the Zakol military as scouts, engineers, logistic officers & tactical advisers, just not in the main body of its forces on the field with the exception of a dozen or so of the magi & one of the war-magi. Princess Yui is seen as a strong & wise saint, a national icon who's been trying to peacefully advance her people towards a brighter future & build a strong nation able to defend itself earning her the admiration of all her subjects, evidence of such intentions are in her actions: humans appointed to key government positions based on talent/skill over race/favoritism, trying to establish trade agreements & routes with other kingdoms, additionally she's been able to maintain an icy-peace agreement with neighboring Dwarven kingdom despite their long & bloody history, however the Dwarfs still refuse any trade agreements for any goods due to peaceful but ongoing territorial disputes & claim rights. (A newly established dwarf mine recently dig into an Ogre mining tunnel, the Dwarven mining guild say's they claimed the site first, but the Ogres claim mining tunnel is quite old, the Ogres mining guild having long already been working it thus see it as their rightful territory, the fact this location sits smack in the middle of the boarder doesn't help political tensions any.)[/i]

Conscript Military Units: N/A

[u][b]Professional Military Units:[/b][/u]
- Light Infantry - 15 units, 1500 Troops
- Heavy Infantry - 100 units, 2500 Troops
- Javelin Infantry (Ogre Archers) - 8 units, 400 Troops
- Heavy Cavalry - 12 units, 120 Troops
- Counterweight-Trebuchet Artillery - 10 units, 10 Siege weapons
- Magi - 10 units, 200 Troops
- War-Magi 10 units, 10 Troops (1 War-Magi, leads a squad of 20 Magi on the battlefield)

- The Fire Princess - (H-Inf, War-Magi 2)
- The Blade of Zakol - (H-Inf, War-magi 2)
- The Shield of Zakol - (H-Inf, War-magi 2)
- Priestess of the Sun & Moon (H-Inf, War-Magi 2)
- Hellfire Archoness & Hellfire Banshees - 25 Troops (1 unit heavy inf = 25 units + 25 war-magi cost 25, +1 Archoness, units total cost: 27pt's)


[u][b]Navy Type:[/b][/u] [u]Merchant Fleet[/u]
[i]- Primarily operated by Humans as the Ogre's strongly dislike sea travel & large bodies of water, preferring solid-ground under their feet (they sink like anchors). That said its not uncommon to see the odd brave ogre sailor/merchant-guard serving on-board ships.
- [u]Note:[/u] Humans believe the seafaring Ogres have some odd religious rituals as before embarking & boarding vessels Ogres kneel & pray for a considerable amount of time & whenever they disembark after making-port the first thing ogres do is kneel while mumbling a prayer before kissing the pier/ground ceremoniously. Oddly enough the human sailors of Zakol find these seafaring Ogres behavior to be an omen of good-luck, as they often enjoy safe & uneventful voyages on-board their Merchant ships, surely it's nothing to do with most pirates not wanting to risk facing an anxious Ogre in combat within a confined space, as they're fearsome enough when they're calm.[/i]

[u][b]Navy Units:[/b][/u]
- 55 (Varied) Transport Ships
- 5 Ship units - 3 War-Frigates, 2 galleons - Outdated: on-deck catapults, lower-deck ballistas, stern-side (rear of ship) fire drums, & a large naval ram at the bow (front of ship).

Flight Type: N/A

Flight Units: N/A

[u][b]Military Traits:[/b][/u]
- [u]Fearless[/u]
[i]- "What are our allies doing?, they're charging the wrong way, the enemy's over here...", *30min later...* 2nd Ogre: "Boss says we should go back & reform the line with our allies" *3 hours & Mass-heaped enemy corpses later...* "ok, was a fun fight while it lasted". *Ogre forces reform for a second battle that doesn't come* Human scout: "They fled back over the boarder due to heavy losses". General Venn: "They went home?! cowards!... Lad's We're going on the offensive!". Princess Yui: "Nah, everyone lets go home, I'm hungry". *Ogre forces leave the field*.[/i]

- [u]Soldiers of the Line[/u]
- With some guidance from human members of Zakol & witnessing other races military forces formations to overcome different situations by working together, Ogres of Zakol have reformed their military forces, trained & adopted various tactics & developed some of their own, making their military have an even more devastating effect against enemies on the battlefield. If a rabble of Ogres can smash through enemy lines & decimate enemy forces, imagine what feats they can now accomplish as an organized & drilled fighting force.

- [u]Masterful Cavalry[/u]
[i]- Only Ogre's have managed to tame KragFangs & raise them as loyal mounts, Whats a KragFang you ask? Picture a small Rino-like creature that looks like a hairy wolf with razor sharp curved-tusks protruding from the sides of its Skull, a large piercing horn on its forehead, & thick razor-sharp claws that can easily dig into rock, Not going to mention their teeth... The Ogres have trained in cavalry formations, battle-tested & equipped their mounts with armor, these bulky mounts are formidable on their own without being prepared for war. These Creatures allow the Ogre's to field a cavalry force as horses are too weak to support a fully geared Ogre knight, KragFangs can only be fielded as Heavy Cavalry, but their mobility over any terrain where traditional horses would have trouble more than makes up for it.
[u]Note:[/u] Additionally KragFangs are lethal against enemy cavalry, they're thick Skulls are lower to the ground like a hound & during a charge sweep their tusks from side to side to slice at enemies &/or at the leg's of incoming horses, And they will utilize their large horns to impale & gore anything directly in front of them. Even more upsetting to enemy Cavalry, KragFangs are noisy & smelly creatures, their growls & grunts freak-out animals in earshot, as does their odd scent (animals have a far superior sense of smell then most races so they can pickup KragFangs scents over considerable distances). A rider may put blinders on his horse to make it charge forward but they can still hear & smell, only the hardiest & experienced war horses (heavy cav) will 'anxiously' stand against these creatures, as lesser horses (light Cav) are more than likely to panic, throw their riders, & flee from just being near their vicinity.[/i]

- [u]Superior Forging[/u]
[i]- Ogres of Zakol have always had issues with their weapons & equipment breaking frequently due to the sheer force & power they where utilized with in combat mostly forcing them into using clubs from broken trees, boulders, rocks, & bare fists which is why ogres have long been viewed as primitive barbarians. Human & Elfen stuff broke & snapped easily even against unarmored ogres leaving barely scratches as a result, Gnome & Goblin equipment was even more laughable and often made nice trophy-trinkets & decorations but were of no practical use to ogres, Orc-made equipment was bulky & primitive but alot more durable then the previously mentioned racial craft-works but ultimately met the same fate after some use, Now Dwarven equipment was very desired & the general hatred between the two races meant it could be obtained through battle, highly durable & lethal but dwarfs went out of their way to prevent fallen comrades gear from being looted raising tensions further between the two races. Until Princess Yui's ancestors came to power, uniting the different clans & tribes into what would eventually become the Kingdom of Zakol as it is today, they spent generations obtaining knowledge & practicing trade skills which today has resulted in highly skilled craftsmen & artisans who's works are by other races considered fascinating or legendary said to be near impossible to break even when used by ogres regularly, and so lethal their blades can slice clean through armor, rock, wood & bone combined like a hot knife through butter, without the Ogres natural brute strength. That said Ogre equipment tends to be larger, thicker, & heavier making it very difficult for other races to wield them effectively or lift them for that matter. To the Dwarf's dismay & the Ogres amusement Zakol ogre craftsmanship has come to rival Dwarven crafts, the few skirmishes between these two races since has been both fierce & bloody the dwarfs no longer having the upper-hand suffering larger casualties then before historically against ogres due to them no longer coming to the fights poorly/un-equipped & now bringing quality gear of their own. The only advantage Dwarves can hold over the Ogres now is rare mithril equipment which Ogres have no knowledge how to forge or obtain as there are no mithril deposits/mines in their lands, & the [u]last[/u] thing the Dwarves are gonna do is trade it to them which raises hostility between the two races in the current times.[/i]

[u][b]Naval Traits:[/b][/u] [u]Ship Building[/u]

Flight Traits: N/A

Necromancy Traits: N/A

Divine Magic Traits: N/A

[u][b]Elemental Magic Traits:[/b][/u]
- Lesser Fire Magic
- Greater Fire Magic
- Lesser Air Magic
- Greater Air Magic
- Lesser Earth Magic

[u][b]Illusion Magic Traits:[/b][/u] N/A

[u][b]Technology Traits:[/b][/u]

[b][u]Racial Traits[/u][/b]
- Awesome strength
- Valor

[u][b]Researched:[/b][/u]
- Superior Armor (soldiers are harder to kill)
- Increased Fortitude (soldiers are harder to kill)
- This…is….my…BOOMSTICK! (Acquired via Diplomacy)
- Steam Engine (Acquired via diplomacy)
- Trains
[/hider]
[hider=Nation History]
[hider=Founding History]
The Kingdom of Zakol as it is today, was founded countless generations ago by the Wolph Clan from Zakol mountain (which is a national & holy site now), after many years of fighting in what is known to the Ogres as the 'unification wars' where the Wolph clan set out to united all ogres under one banner to put an end to racial infighting & establish themselves as a people & nation that could to stand against foreign intentions. The territory back during the unification wars officially belonged to other races kingdoms that have long fallen into history or obscurity, but due to the various ogre clans the land essentially went unclaimed & untouched by them & merchants went out of their way to avoid it due to looking raids by the clans, sea travel was the only way for trade to safety travel between north & south Alria for years as a result. Some generations after the Wolph Clan had unified the clans & claimed the undesired territory, setting forth to settle the land & begin their rise to power, all neighboring factions worried at the force of a united clan of ogres holstered themselves up in their respectful territories not challenging the ogres with exception of the Dwarfs who've been fighting them longer than anyone can remember.

To other nations surprise and a couple of generations later the ogres stayed in their territory not moving to invade any of their neighbors, aside from crossing dwarven boarders to spark a fight when the battles got a little too infrequent (Ogres stuck to the old ways for a while "after all Rome wasn't built in a day"). Eventually risking a meeting with the Ogre leaders a southern human king requested for trade to be safety be allowed though Ogre territory to the north & even offered regular payment for the allowance, the ogre leaders accepting the deal & even aided in the protection of the merchant caravans along their way (To the mild embarrassment of the Wolphs hereditary line several generations later, it's historically recorded this "payment" was not in coin but in keg's of ale by the Ogre leaders request... which was remanded by their descendants & put back into monetary payment). It wasn't long before the Ogres saw the benefits of passing trade & began involving themselves in it more actively however the southern human kingdom mentioned only two generations later fell into the pages of history as they lost a war with other neighboring nations to the south of them, with few options the humans fled en-mass into Ogre territory pursued by their invaders which proved to be a grave mistake for the pursuers.

The Wolph Clan had gathered in legions in response to invasion (giving the dwarfs a kick in the teeth was a fun pastime, dealing with an invader is a unforgivable affront) the Ogres had saved the fleeing refugees & ploughed into the invading armies with the overwhelming force of an avalanche, chased them back over the boarder & cut into their attempt to stand a second time with the same results, chased them out of the friendly humans territory & over their boarders, invaded the southern kingdoms (like a flood) who'd attacked the human kingdom, which resulted in two more small kingdoms vanishing into the pages history after the Ogres looted & pillaged them bare as payment for the insult of daring to invade them.

Again to neighboring onlookers surprise, after it all the Ogres just left (with their loot) back across the boarders to their own territory, some of the human refugees went back to resettle their homes & the Ogres even sent aid in the form of resources, tools, blankets, tents, foodstuffs, & labor (To Ogres nothing is more depressing than the thought of losing ones home & lands, thus they aided in relief efforts out of charity). The other refugees requested to stay in the Ogres territory & settle under the Ogre kings rule, It is a noted historical moment of how the union of the two races came about. The humans built a monument on the boarder in appreciation, a large statue of the then Ogre king with two Ogres & their weapons drawn on his right & on the left a group of humans slightly behind the Kings shield symbolizing his protection of the innocents, the entire statue itself facing south.

Note: the humans who went back to their homes eventually also chose to join the Ogres but rather then move, the Ogres boarder lines adjusted slightly (notice how the southern boarder-lines of 25 curves slightly into 26 & 27 lol :p ).

Generations continued to pass, Ogre society evolved with them, the unity between the humans & ogres solidified to the point where they considered themselves one people, one nation, they are the citizens of Zakol. Trade flourished to the point where not a single coin in all of Alria hasn't passed though their lands in trade, Diplomacy had increased with their neighbors the Ogres no longer being a silent presence near their boarders, & the senseless fighting with the northern dwarfs continued. The occasional invader would get the idea in their heads of being invincible, wanting to conquer others and build an empire or whatever... & when they tried attacking Zakol they'd promptly be destroyed or routed later losing power, and the Humans & Ogre's continued to flourish and economically expand within their territory.

Some generations later, the Kingdom of Zakol had long ago began construction of a Grand bridge of unprecedented proportions utilizing the latest technological advancements, (at the time) to connect the north & south continents of Alria by a solid artificial land route, so they would no longer have to rely solely on countless back & forth ferry's & merchant ships, which would also immensely help commerce. It was during this some years later representatives from something known as "The Great Alliance" (in its early years) a peaceful union of various kingdoms, appeared & approached the Ogre kingdom offering them both to join & assistance with the construction of the grand bridge as it would be dramatically beneficial to all, after some consideration in a historically recorded moment the then ogre king replied "Piss off!" as he literally picked up the representatives & threw them a good few feet out of the doors of the throne room into the corridor.

Falling short of a political incident, the leader of the great alliance with his entourage came on another diplomatic endeavor meeting with the Ogre king to inquire on the refusal & why the representatives where abruptly thrown out. It was here he found the Ogre kings reasons... (again historically recorded) "We'ave no interest in fighting for you'z an'in the other races wars!, empire, alliance, *pfffft* what'ave ya!... all fighting for stoopid crap! just leave us alone!, Ann'also! That's my families bridge!, my peoples bridge! OURZ! *heavily pokes the great alliance leaders chest with his finger knocking him back three-steps* My grandfather started that bridge, & My family will see it finished! we don't want outsiders help!". The alliance leader bursting into laughter not noticing the Ogre king thought he was being insulted as a result but before anything happened the alliance leader spoke up: "I can respect that! and that bridge it's a matter of pride for you and your people i apologize for any unintended insult to you, and beg your forgiveness!". After that the historical meeting went on and after much discussion & consideration the Kingdom of Zakol became part of the great alliance as a neutral member, the Ogre's never having to leave their territory for military purposes (again with exception to the independent battles with the northern dwarfs).

To the great alliances surprise however the 'neutral member', the Ogre kingdom time & time again arrived in disaster stricken areas in relief efforts (humanitarian aid) to any member kingdom that suffered from natural disasters or crop famines offering reconstruction resources, Labor, & surplus foodstuffs they could spare to get the local populous's back on their feet. As a result many kingdoms after recovery sent gifts & tokens of thanks out of appreciation, the great alliance collectively even chipping in as a show of appreciation for their efforts. This peaceful co-existence went on for a few more generations but eventually the great alliance fell into decline & as a result the kingdom of Zakol ended up offering less and less aid eventually withdrawing itself from the alliance as other members of the alliance began to turn on each-other. So as Alria descended back into a mass of divided kingdoms and infighting some of them rising to power as others fell into obscurity, while the Ogres continued to stand & defend their lands, as trade & foreign news continued to pass though their territory.

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[hider=Recent History]
Today the Kingdom of Zakol stands as a strong & civilized nation equal to that of the other races, and the grand bridge was officially finished (it had been finished years ago but the finishing of minor detailing & decoration made it longer* though Princess Yui wanted to give it a name that represented the country or the people, the Citizens of Zakol officially named it "Wolph's Bridge" in dedication to the ruling family & the generations of whom had invested into its creation.

The Ogre's have continued to peacefully exist in their little piece of land, Princess Yui trying to fulfill her late parents ideals & goals, has been trying to re-establish outside contact by diplomacy & has been trying to establish new trade agreements in the process, breaking the isolationist like state the kingdom had gone into for generations after the fall of the great alliance. Zakols population has boomed to unprecedented numbers, this is further supplemented by immigrants & refugees leaving or fleeing from other nations to get away from the fighting & warmongering for the generations long safety & stability of Zakol, the majority of them simple farmers which has resulted in extensive farms littering the kingdom of Zakol today & their large quantities of foodstuffs produced. Additionally Their fleet stands as one of the largest merchant navy's in the land, comparatively very little gets shipped to & from the islands without at some stage utilizing Zakols merchant fleet earning them regular & profitable income, not to mention the wealth generated from all the trade going through their land routes, & their sales of their own craft goods to others.

Also in recent years, Princess Yui managed to negotiate an icy peace treaty with the dwarfs to the north using the Torth quarry (Ref: People of importance) as a starting point & example to open discussions & in an act of good faith to prove her intentions released all dwarven folk held prisoner over the years back to their people including the ones responsible for the attack of the merchant caravan where two members of the Torth family line fell (again Ref: people of importance). As such the peace has continued to hold between the two however tensions are very high as constant arguments of territory ownership & mining rights are brought up at every opportunity. Training exercises & patrols along the boarders are all to common as shows of force to prevent anyone from getting any ideas, however many ogres are getting fed up with things as they stand wanting the dwarfs to either shut up or be annihilated as they've been tolerated for too long & when given peace they constantly argue as an insult to the fire princess.

In other matters the priestesses of the sun god & moon goddess have regularly been getting omens of grave danger & darkness and cant figure out as to what they portend. Ceremony's are regularly held with large donations to the gods in efforts to appease them but so far the omens haven't eased in their intensity or frequency, Meany of the novice priestesses believe the Dwarfs are plotting something dangerous against the kingdom which isn't helping the strained relation with them as more & more ogres are calling out for the kingdom to act first before the dwarfs can attack, The elder priestesses are not convinced however which has led to extensive debates & philosophizing within the temples.

Besides that the human citizenry of Zakol are pressing to be allowed more active & dedicated roles within the military, they're fairly treated & within the government itself but still they want to fight & defend their country as well & dislike being able to only get support roles, some of the ogres on the other hand see them as too weak to stand beside in a battle & are against such an active role being allowed to the humans. Not to mention the constant debates on what future endeavors the nation should start working towards, there's constant matters arising every day as the nation continues operate amongst all the chaos.

In all, the kingdom of Zakol continues to stand as a formidable bastion & trade hub, which is attempting to expand its influence again. While the other kingdoms mostly tend to leave Zakol alone due to the commerce & trade increase via land & sea they generate, especially as the majority of trade-goods are shipped between the islands by their sizable merchant fleet or along their roads & through their trade routes. The Kingdom of Zakol basically holds he ability to hurt their neighbors economically if any dared to be a threat to the Ogres, They could just squeeze all trade through their ports & boarders, boycott all trade to the instigating faction weakening their country as a whole. Like stated though they've never seen fit to resort to such actions as they tend to get left alone due to both their military might & commercial influence.

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[hider=Places of Note]
- Zakol Mountain - Original seat of power & Birthplace of the kingdom. Now it's a holy site & it's a location for a pilgrimage for initiates that wish to become priests & priestesses & serve in the temples.
- Hakurei - Capital city of Zakol where the grand palace is & where Princess Yui resides.
- Makai - Large port city & fortress on the southern end of the grand bridge.
- Lakai - Large port city & fortress on the northern end of the grand bridge.
- Wolph's Bridge - A massive grand bridge that joins the northern & southern continents of Alria, which spans an amazing distance & width, you could march several entire armies side by side across the bridge & still have room for all the regular merchant traffic to pass it by on the sides. An engineering marvel & national icon/monument which has taken many generations to complete its construction.
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[hider=Military:]

[u][b]Army[/b][/u]
- The Fire Princess (Counts as H-Inf & War-Magi point-wise)
- The Blade of Zakol (Counts as H-Inf & War-Magi point-wise)
- The Shield of Zakol (Counts as H-Inf & War-Magi point-wise)
- Priestess of the Sun & Moon (Counts as H-Inf & War-Magi point-wise)
- 25 Hellfire Archoness & Hellfire Banshees (Counts as H-Inf & War-Magi point-wise)
- 1500 Light Infantry
- 2500 Heavy Infantry
- 400 Javelin Infantry (Ogre Archers)
- 120 Heavy Cavalry
- 200 Magi
- 10 War-Magi
- 10 Counterweight-Trebuchet Artillery

[u][b]Navy[/b][/u]
- 55 Transport Ships
- 5 War Ships[/hider]
[u][b]Territory Claim:[/b][/u] 18 and 25