[b]NPC/Hiatus Sheets[/b]
Sheets marked NPC are under hopefully respectful handling by GM for plot scale actions and players for vignettes. Sheets marked pending have yet to have a player phone in their participation when it is plausible that they will, and their entities are to be left alone as far as too-direct actions until a 'yes' or 'no' answer is had to whether they will be presently rejoining.

[hider=Nexerus/NPC: The Red Empire]
[centre][u][h1][colour=darkred]Naukada Kaumntok[/colour][/h1][/u]


[b]Alias:[/b] "Red Empire" in the Common Tongue.

[b]Government Type:[/b] The Red Empire is home to innumerous warlike tribes of varying strengths, consisting of a number of Orcish clans and various different tribes of Beastkin, in their diversity. All of them, though, Orc and Beast alike, are submitted to the empire's strongest tribe: the Naukada, or "Red Orcs". The Naukada Krin—the chieftain of the Red Orcs—is, by that right, the ruler of the whole of the Kaumntok. He leads the entire empire in war and in peace (but mostly war), and is believed by the Orcish clans of the Kaumntok to be a god incarnate. When the Naukada Krin dies in battle, the Orcs of the Kaumntok do not believe that the Naukada Krin has died, but rather that he has changed form; the strongest child of the former Krin, or, if he has no offspring, the strongest of his tribesmen, is then worshiped as the Naukada Krin's new incarnation.

[u][b]Faction Species[/b][/u]

[hider=Naukada]
Red Orcs, the founders and masters of the Naukada Kaumntok. They are similar in all ways to their green counterparts, but are less variable in size and shape and are, of course, tinted red rather than green. Naukada have the height, weight and physique of an average physically fit human, but their lifestyle means that the average Naukadan tribesman is tougher than the average human farmer. Female Naukada are slightly more slender than the males, though they too are capable of becoming able warriors. Unlike green-skinned Orcs, there are no Naukada who are either gigantic like an ogre or troll or small like a goblin, their size being relatively uniform. Culturally and politically, too, the Naukada are united. It is a rare sight to find a Red Orc outside of the Kaumntok, excepting on a raid into neighboring kingdoms, as all of the Naukadan clans are located within the Kaumntok's boundaries.
[/hider]

[hider=Balor]
Quite simply, Orcs that aren't red skinned, although "balor" literally translates to "green". The Naukada refer to all non-Naukada Orcs as Balor, even those which are more like goblins or trolls, or who are tinted some shade other than green (or even no shade at all). Balor are a common sight in the Naukada Kaumntok, but most of their number of course live outside of the Red Empire, many even residing in corners of Geryon far and away from Nagath itself. Though they believe themselves to have been divided from the Balor at the very creation of the Orcish race, the Red Orcs do not besmirch them. It isn't uncommon from Naukada and Balor to interbreed, and the child will always have the tint of the mother. 
[/hider]

[hider=Zionuk]
[/hider]

[hider=Tshriv]
The Tshriv are a semi-aquatic species of humanoid beastkin, and one of the most intelligent of their kind. They resemble a cross between men and fish, their hairless and pale bodies featuring webbed toes and feet, making them well-suited to water. Of slender build, and with a greyish-blueish complexion, the Tshriv are well-known for their massive eyes, which can be coloured any variety of blue from the shade of the brightest sky to the murkiest depths of the sea. A stewardly folk, Tshriv clans are one of the few tribes of the Naukada Kaumntok to trade openly with outsiders, welcoming foreign merchants into their coastal villages for honest exchange. The one group of peoples excluded from their lands are the Xaxylii, their traditional foes, whom they slay on sight in their own territory and are just barely able to tolerate when they are seen in the other realms of the Kaumntok.
[/hider]

[hider=Xaxylii]
A race of vaguely humanoid beasts, half minotaur and half wild pig, the Xaxylii inhabit the northern face of The Claws, in the eastern part of the Red Empire. Their bodies are pudgy, bald spare for being riddled with isolated long strands of hair which sprout from their flesh in random places, usually becoming ingrown. Their hands are humanoid, but less useful than a human's hands, only able to muster a basic grip of simple objects rather than exercising anything close to fine motor skills. Their faces are disgustingly foreign to a human gaze, a huge pig's snout covering up half of their head and a long pair of slightly curved horns protruding from their skull. Their wit is sub-par; they are one step up from bestial, known for infighting even within the Kaumntok—not necessarily out of rebellion, but simply because they cannot comprehend order and peace. The Xaxylii have an ancient blood feud with the Tshriv, whom they kill on sight in their lands and are only occasionally barely able to tolerate when visiting other areas of the Red Empire.
[/hider]

[hider=Sharforukak]
Considered by themselves to simply be human beings, the slave-race of the Sharforukak are mutated and mutilated men found in the Kaumntok's west, near The Marches. They are easily identifiable, often missing entire limbs, or otherwise in some variety of freakish proportions, their flesh twisted and mangled as if their bodies had melted in the sun and then cooled again. Being slaves of the Naukada, they do not have their own tribes or territory, and simply live with whichever Naukadan clan to which they are attached. The Naukada teach that the Sharforukak are a branch of humans cursed by the god of the humans, Shar, for forsaking his worship. As it is common for the Naukada to abuse the Sharforukak, often to the point of death, and being that most of the race's offspring are stillborn, too mutated to live, it is an open secret that a great many of those called Sharforukak are actually ordinary humans captured in raids and mutilated. When taken into Votartok to be enslaved, the humans are removed of one of their limbs or otherwise disfigured, to ensure that they fit in among the Sharforukak and could not easily return to human society. Within a year of being passed around by the Naukada, it is hard to tell a man captured as a healthy human being from a true, born Sharforukak.
[/hider]

[u][b]Territory[/b][/u]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/3Tc8GRE.png[/img]

The centre of the Naukada Kaumntok, both literally and symbolically, is Lake Ukha, or the "Ukha Gujatkar" in the Naukada tongue. It is from here that the Red Orcs' creator-god-king was born, walking out of a sea only just born of the ashes of the fallen god Ukha. Along the Ukha Gujatkar's north coast sits Ahvavain, the Red Empire's capital and largest settlement, and the place at which the Naukada Krin is said to have departed the Ukha Gujatkar. The Krin's seat is located here, among a swath of simplistic semi-temporary hovels, a smaller number of homes of wood and stone, and even a handful of buildings created of stone and metal. Foremost of the latter, dominating the landscape for miles around, is the Avowas: a tower of stone, painted red and reinforced with iron, that serves as the personal residence of the Naukada Krin.

The lands of the Kaumntok east of the Ukha Gujatkar are divided into two regions. The closest of these, Diravebenia, "The Ground Beneath the Sky", is so-named for being the land over which the ashes of Ukha flew on their way to the Ukha Gujatkar. Diravenbia is a land of hills, growing higher as one approaches The Claws. It is populated mainly by Orcs, chiefly the Naukada themselves, although they do not represent a commanding majority, especially in the lands of the region furthest from the shores of the gujatkar. East of Diravebnia is Firukavukontok, "the land of the first sons of Ukha", which is the only of the Red Empire's territories populated primarily by Beastmen. The most predominant Beastkin species found here is the Tshriv, an industrious and intelligent race resembling men, but with large eyes, webbed toes and feet, and without a strand of hair. Their clans, among them some of the most recently subjugated of the vassals of the Kaumntok, hold sway over the territory of Firukavukontok closest to the rivers and sea, where it is humid and swampy. They are the ancient foes of the Xaxylii, the inhabitants of the region's mountains and the inland areas far from the river. Whereas the Tshriv are industrious and fairly intelligent, the Xaxylii are monstrously destructive and uncooperative, subject to the Naukada by force alone. A twisted mess of minotaurs and boars, they covet the lands of both their fellow Xaxylii and the territory of the Tshriv, and the banner of the Kaumntok has far from ended their persistent infighting.

Immediately west of Lake Ukha is Votartok, the homeland of the Naukada, and the first land conquered by Naukada Krin and his reborn army, centuries ago. The area's largest minority is the Sharforukak, the "forsaken of Shar" in the Naukada tongue, a race of heavily mutated and deformed humans with hideously disfigured features. Votartok a flat, fertile land, perfect for both farming and grazing, but having been used for neither for the last four hundred years. Holding little game or forage, Votartok's primary service to the Kaumntok is as a staging point for raids against Shartok, the human kingdoms to the west: what men call the 'The Marches' and 'The Imperium' in the Common Tongue. Flanked by rivers, Votartok is easy to defend from outsiders, and any encroaching human armies that do cross the rivers can easily find themselves swarmed by the Naukada's superior numbers, and without battlefield features to use against the tenacious tribesmen. Where the flatness of Votartok ends, in the south, is where the land of Ashtwa begins. Mainly populated by Balor—literally "Green" in Naukada—the orcs of Ashtwa are not Naukada, having green tinted flesh instead of red, but they follow the Red Orcs' teachings of Shar and Ukha and Krin all the same. The most devout and loyal clans of Ashtwa even paint themselves red, in reverence of Naukada Krin, a gesture both respected and mocked by the Naukada themselves. The landscape of Ashtwa is polluted, its rivers turning sour and devoid of fish and its soil unfit for seeds as one travels further and further south, but it is home to the most cherished plant in all of the Kaumntok: the hugi. This small black flower, budding year around and endemic to southern Ashtwa, is used for various purposes by the many peoples of Nagath, both within the Naukada Kaumntok and well beyond. The flower saps the life of the soil in which it is grown, killing off competing plants and desolating the environment, contributing to Ashtwa's bleakness. It is valued all the same, however, for each part of the plant is incredibly effective at its purpose; the petals at pleasure, the stem at pain, and the roots at healing. The most numerous Beastkin race in Ashtwa, the Zionuk, are short of stature and quite plentiful, but shy, their clans sharing the east-central area of Ashtwa alongside the Balor, trying as hard as they can to keep to themselves. The Zionuk have skin as if charred black, coarse and dead. This outer rigid layer of flesh can be removed from them with even slight injury, so little as an especially firm poke, and underneath it can be seen that their softer inner flesh is translucent, their veins plainly visible. They are resistant to the effects of hugi, and only their clans are known to be able to cultivate it without ruining the soil.

[b]Faction Religion/Ideology:[/b] The beastkin of the Red Empire follow their own gods of great multitude, one for each clan, to whom they attribute various legendary deeds and sacrifice their captured's flesh to when their bellies are already full. All Orcish clans under the sway of the Red Empire, however, worship the Naukada Krin as a living god. The clans all have their own legends about him and his strength and prowess, like the beastkin, telling that he once shattered this or that mountain, slew however many men, or perhaps bedded whatever number of foreign chieftesses. Central to the belief in him, however, is that he is the creator: not of the world, but of the Orcs in particular.

The worshipers of the Krin do not hold faith in the creator of the world, who they call "Shar", believing him to have died along ago. His conqueror and successor, so they say, was "Ukha", the shaper of the world as it is today. Legends say that after slaying Shar, Ukha took over domain of the world, but found that those beings born of the creator would not revere him, calling him a false god. That he could be worshiped as Shar was, Ukha created the beastkin, taking the animals of the world, shaping them into the forms he desired and blessing them with low cunning. The humans, created in Shar's own image, resented the perversion of the animals of the world into the beastkin, and sought to depose Ukha, whose form was a twisted mass of all animals to ever walk the land or fly the skies or swim in the sea. The loyal of Shar called forth their mightiest warriors and most talented smiths, and sent forth an army of a hundred thousand men to assault Ukha at his worldly keep, at Azoth Zul. Mankind defeated Ukah, destroying the god's keep. After burning his grotesque body, they sent his ashes to the wind, that his remains could never be revered.

Ukha's ashes were carried south by the wind, and landed where now sits a great lake, in the centre of Nagath. Such was the god's greatness that his scattered ashes weighed down the world, creating a depression into which flowed the sea. The beastkin wept, and many slew themselves, sacrificing their lives to pay homage to their fallen shaper. So much of the energy of Shar in the seas and so much of the captured power of Ukha in the beastkin flowed into the new lake that out of it, an entire new god was born. "Naukada Krin" waded out of the lake, in the form of a twisted man, imbued with the power of both Shar and Ukha, his flesh stained the colour of the blood of so many beastkin: the first Orc. Krin led all that remained of the loyal of Ukha to Azoth Zul, and slew the army of the greatest of the humans, whom had killed Ukha and taken up at his seat. Those that surrendered to Krin were fed to the beastkin, but those who died bravely in battle were rewarded. Raised by Naukada Krin, the Third God, with the power of both Shar and Ukha, they became the Orcs, created in Krin's image. The Red Empire's elders tell that those Orcs who willingly pledged themselves to Krin were stained in the blood of the fallen, adopting Krin's red tone for themselves and their ancestors, and that they became his devotees, the Naukada of today. The rest of the newly created Orcs ate of the flesh of the weak with the beastkin, who still wept for Ukha, and became so sick from dining on coward's meat and bones that they were turned green with illness. The Red Orcs then followed the Krin from Azoth Zul, going with him to forge an empire—the Kaumntok—at the site of Ukha's ashes. The rest of the Orcs, sickly and green, were doomed to wander Geryon with the beastkin, bereft of Naukada Krin's guidance.

[b]Faction Description:[/b] The Red Empire is a coalition of Orcish and Beastkin tribes, brought to submission under the banner of the Naukada Krin, the high chief of the Red Orc clans and their god in the flesh. Both hostile to outsiders and prone to infighting, the Naukada Kaumntok isn't actually much of an empire in the purest sense of the word, and is referred to as such by the Imperium and their allies mostly for propaganda purposes.

Occupying a vast swath of territory in the centre of Nagath, The Kaumntok has many neighbours and is friendly with none of them. Skirmishes with foreign tribes of Orcs and Beastkin, unbowed to the Naukada Krin, are so common as to be endless, although the empire's natural boundaries—carved from centuries of bloodshed—make the permanent acquisition (or loss) of territory quite difficult. If the Naukada Kaumntok could be said to have cold relations with foreign Orcs, however, their relations with foreign Humans could be fairly called frigid. Humans encroaching on the Kaumntok's territory, or even prowling within sight of the rivers that demarcate it, are taken captive by the Naukada and horribly mutilated, dragged off to become a part of the horribly disfigured slave-race of the Sharforukak. What trade does occur between the Red Empire and the rest of Nagath is mostly conducted via the more cunning tribes of Beastkin that reside in Kaumntok territory. The Tshriv in particular, inhabiting the empire's east, are known for dealing peacefully with foreigners, their villages—sitting atop stilts in the eastern swamps—a destination for some number of merchants from across Nagath.

[b]Faction History:[/b] TBA
 
[b]Important Characters:[/b] TBA

[b]Relations to other Factions:[/b] The Kaumntok has many neighbours and is friendly with none of them. Skirmishes with foreign tribes of Orcs and Beastkin, unbowed to the Naukada Krin, are so common as to be endless, although the empire's natural boundaries—carved from centuries of bloodshed—make the permanent acquisition (or loss) of territory quite difficult. If the Naukada Kaumntok could be said to have cold relations with foreign Orcs, however, their relations with foreign Humans could be fairly called frigid. Humans encroaching on the Kaumntok's territory, or even prowling within sight of the rivers that demarcate it, are taken captive by the Naukada and horribly mutilated, dragged off to become a part of the horribly disfigured slave-race of the Sharforukak. Only a fool tries to trade with a Red Orc.

What commerce does occur between the Red Empire and the rest of Nagath is mostly conducted via the more cunning tribes of Beastkin that reside in Kaumntok territory. The Tshriv in particular, inhabiting the empire's east, are known for dealing peacefully with foreigners, their swampy villages along the coast a not infrequent stop for minor merchants plying their modest wares. The Zionuk, too, in Ashtwa, even depend on foreign trade to sustain themselves. Their kind are nigh immune to the effects of the drug "hugi", whose flowers are native to their lands, and their people sell the cultivated flower to enterprising traders that then distribute the substance across Geryon, illicitly.
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[/hider]


[hider=Wernher/NPC: Clan Black Anvil]
[b]Faction Name:[/b] Clan Black Anvil

[b]Alias:[/b] The Forged, The Iron Host, Seekers of Embers

[b]Government Type:[/b] Dwarven Clan/Gerontocracy & Racial Stratocracy

[b]Faction Specie(s):[/b]
-Black Dwarves
-Greenskins & Beaskins

Species Descriptions:
[i]-Black Dwarves:[/i] The mountain dwelling stunted kind that have been slowly corrupted by the insidious evil that sleeps within the dark lands. They are taller than their cousins but didn't lose any of their girth either and as their name implies have also been tainted with an ashen skin. These dwarves have also somewhat gained in strength but lost their kin's prodigious magical resistance due to the mutations that afflict them.

[i]-Greenskins & Beastkins:[/i] Goblins, hobgoblins, orcs... just some of the countless names the dwarves have for every sub-species of greenskins. They are all slaves in some way, but the dwarves use racial division and separations to keep them at each other's throat, calling some subspecies better than others and giving them special treatments to make a hierarchy and likewise do the same to the beastkins they manage to subjugate.

[b]Territory Details:[/b] 
[i]-The Claws:[/i] Named after the impossibly dangerous creatures that inhabit the shadows of these mountains, the Claws were still the industrial powerhouse of the Dark Lands and Daigon before it fell to ruins. Enormous forges animated by enslaved primordial fire spirits created warmachines of such powers that they shook the world! Clan Black Anvil payed a heavy price to secure the Heart of the Forges and fortify its few entrances against possible but still they occupy a mere fraction of the enormous industrial complex and will need many, many times the amount of slaves they have to operate the machineries, that is, when they figure out how to lit the fires. Embers remain of the starved fire spirits that animated this place. They CAN be brought back, the dwarves know it, they feel it in their guts, but they have yet to figure out this secret.

[b]Faction Religion/Ideology:[/b]
-The Worship of the Great Predecessors: Dwarves worship their ancestors and lengthy meditate on them and their achievements in hope to commune with them, to get council and wisdom from the past. Nibelung the Seeker however was more liberal with this and didn't stop at contemplating his ancestors but other people of power. Daigon, his master smiths and engineers as he sought to unlock the hidden secrets of the Dark Lands... And they answered him! Well, their spirits or that of demons or other unspeakable evils... Dwarves listen and evil whispers in their ear, guiding them to do dark deeds but always rewarding them with the crumbs of knowledge they so dearly seek. Engineers will unlock mysteries after an illumination in a dream, warriors will have a supernatural sixth sense brought by invisible eyes that whisper what they see to them... It is like a second nature to them now, the dwarves don't even realize that evil stalk their every steps.

[b]Faction Description:[/b]
The dwarves are no longer an army like when they first took over the Claw, now they are an elite seldom seen. Indeed the task of slavedriver itself has been taken over by other slaves and the bulk of the forces of the Iron Host is composed of orcs clad in expertly made armor who fight on the behest of their masters for the benefits the dwarves bring them and by fear that rebellion might end very badly. For while they are not numerous, the dwarven core of the Host has been thinned and honed to an elite of Armored Juggernauts with several orcish lifetime of combat experience behind which hide the engineers and experts of all caliber that make this faction one of the most technically competent one in the Dark Lands. Surprisingly, they even have a couple of magic users, something you'd never see amidst normal dwarves, but these aren't normal dwarves.

[b]Faction History: [/b]
Nibelung always suspected there was something hidden. The wars against evil were mythical but true, traces of it could be found around the world despite the best efforts of the agents of Justinian to wipe away history. This force that could have almost defeated the forces of good, it intrigued him. His questions brought to him the unwanted interest of clerics who warned him to stay away from this path but it only made him feel more persecuted, more justified in the idea to find old weapons made anew that could help dwarven kind to free itself from what he saw as the oppressive yoke of a human God Emperor.

But he was no fool, he continued in secret, gathering likeminded individuals and his own clan around his idea. To gather coin, he spoke in length of the miracles that such ancient technologies could bring economically and so forth. Around the world he gathered trinkets and baubles but it was nothing. Nothing compared to what he knew hid in the Dark Lands. With a host of warrior, Nibelung went into these lands along with one of the purges of the local Marche lords. He however didn't come back, they thought him dead after entering the Machine Chambers in the Claws. But he lived and not only that but managed to send back the wonderous things he promised, slowly by boat, underground or even by air a couple of times.

Eventually time took a tool on his clan as his father died, giving him the mantle of Clan Leader while he was away. Immediately he ordered his entire clan to pack and join him along with any who would follow him outside his own clan. The travel was a calamity and many died but worst, when they arrived so did the news that Justinian had found out something was going on and that Nibelung was made an heretic to be killed. There were arguments for days but eventually one night after a long shouting match, loyalists of Nibelung, those the most touched by evil, killed scores of their own kin in their sleep, making the matter settled. Clan Black Anvil would stay and turn its back on Justinian.

It was not the end of their misfortune. The dwarves were an impossibly well armed and organized faction in this wasteland of evil that fought back countless attacks from the inhabitants of the land but each loses was irreplaceable and slowly, their numbers dwindled. They compensated with slaves but were almost anihilated during a rebellion and so developed a more careful and calculated approach to slavery, making groups hate each other so much they'd refuse to work with one another under any circumstances, rewarding traitors and snitches, organizing the greenskins in classes and even using breeding techniques to try and weed out flaws and make a more submissive kind of slaves but with limited success. Today Nibelung is old but obsessed with the hidden knowledge just beneath his feet. How to make the foundry alive again, make the fire roar and give birth to a sea of molten metal!

[b]Important Characters:[/b]
[url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/4/48/Dragon_-_Golden_Moments_-_Wining_Races_Duregar_-_Duergar.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160619154732]-Master Nibelung the Seeker:[/url] He is old, unnaturally so even for a dwarf, and holds much dark knowledge in his mind. An apt warrior and surprisingly powerful mage, he is the head of the Clan and its undisputed master.


[b]Relations to other Factions:[/b]
The Iron Host is known to be isolationist and with no real desire to expend. It willingly trades superior arms and armors even to potential enemies in exchange for many supplies they need, being hardly self sufficient. At times, squads of dwarves and their combat thralls can be seen picking through ruins, looking for whatever thing their master orders them to find.[/hider]

[hider=Flagg/Pending: The Covenant of the Worm]
[b]Faction Name:[/b] The Covenant of the Worm

[b]Alias:[/b] Vault Lords, the Covenant

[b]Government Type:[/b] Necrocracy

[b]Faction Species:[/b] 

[url=https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/totalwarbritannia.jpg?fit=578%2C325&strip=all]The Northfolk[/url] (human majority, called "the Warm" by their vampiric lords)

[url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/witcher/images/6/64/Tw3_journal_alghoul.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/350?cb=20160502062720]Ghouls, aka "Corpse-Eaters"[/url]: carrion-eaters native to Nagath. They may have been men once, or greenskins, but have long since degenerated into crouched, half-sentient monsters. They are hardy, breed prolifically, and are considered a near universal pest, even in the Imperium. In the centuries since Daigon fell, great ghoul-nests formed in the hills and tombs of the Broken Arm. When the Stryge took refuge in the Vaults, they found the ghouls easy to dominate and made them into a servant race. Feral ghouls are common, however, throughout the North and Nagath.

[b]Alghouls:[/b] ghouls allowed a sip of vampiric blood, they are much smarter, larger, and fiercer than other ghouls and fiercely loyal to their undead masters. Alghouls act at once as chieftains over other ghouls and as shock troops in their ranks. They are approximately on par with an orc in terms of strength and intelligence, though even more vicious. Alghouls often serve as a Stryge's personal bodyguards. 

[url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammerfb/images/4/4c/Chaos_Troll.png/revision/latest?cb=20150614092229]Blood Trolls:[/url] It amuses the Stryge to further twist and enthrall the already fearsome denizens of Nagath. A Blood Troll is a common troll that has been fed vampiric blood, making of it a twisted, deranged mutant. Difficult to control and dangerous to manage, the Stryge make use of few blood trolls in their armies, but these monsters wreak incredible damage among the ranks of their enemies and are very hard to kill, combining a troll's natural resilience with preternatural healing.

[url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/witcher/images/c/c3/Tw3_journal_fleder.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/350?cb=20160605100142]Chiropts[/url] Devolved vampires who have fed overmuch on the fouled blood of orcs, beastkin and mutants, Chiropts themselves become degnerate monsters, lacking the use of reason. Where many vampire clans have a policy of destroying chiropts, the Stryge take pity on these unfortunate brethren and keep them as pets, using in war as beserkers and 'hunting hounds'.

[b]The Stryge:[/b] 

[i]We used to rule, you know. Not here, not in this wasteland, but in the West. We were masters of the great cities of men, who were our slaves and our cattle. That was before Justinian came and threw us down from our hidden thrones. He was mighty. Is mighty. The source of his power remains obscure to us. The godling's rise forced us to flee east, to the lands ruled by his foe. The one they now call the Dark Lord. Some of our kind submitted to him and served him. 

Not the Stryge. We do not serve. 

So we bid our time, hidden in the great tombs of the north from God King and Dark Lord alike, feeding in secret on the norsemen who served Daigon. And when he was thrown down, and the norsemen grew desperate, we became rulers of men once more.[/i]

[b]Territory Details:[/b] Peninsula north of Ozgad's Folly, known as the Broken Arm. (WIP, details to come)

[b]Faction Religion/Ideology:[/b] The men of the north worship a variety of traditional gods, especially the Pale Goddess, who is said to rule a kingdom of the drowned beneath the waters of the Cursed Sea. They likewise honor the memory of Daigon, the Fallen King, whom they see as a failed freedom fighter against the tyranny and (to their minds) 'atheism' of the Justinians. The Weeping Widows have a substantial, tolerated following among the northfolk.

The Stryge tend to worship- if they worship anything at all- the Conqueror Worm, [i]That Which Gnaws at the World Roots[/i], a demonic force said to live far beneath the earth who will inevitably consume all of creation.

[b]Faction Description:[/b] A collection of human reaver-clans along the bitter coasts of the Broken Arm ruled by a powerful vampyr coven known as the Stryge. The humans of the Broken Arm are mostly native norsemen who have inhabited Nagath for generations, raiding their neighbors, warring with orcs, beastkin and the Marcher Lords, and hunting the great sea-beasts of the Cursed Sea. Outcasts, heretics, criminals and lunatics from the Imperium and Marcher Kingdoms also dwell among the dour folk of the Broken Arm, where they are tolerated- if not welcomed. 

Reaver society is feudal. The majority of northmen are thralls- fisherfolk and crab farmers in the freezing northern marshes. Above them are clan-swords, fierce professional soldiers who hunt whales and other great beasts when not fighting. Above them are thanes, huscarls, and other favored warriors and counselors of the jarls and clan-chiefs, who rule over their clans.

The jarls and chieftans, in turn, answer to the Stryge, Those Who Dwell in the Tombs.

[b]Faction History:[/b] WIP

[b]Important Characters:[/b] WIP

[b]Relations to other Factions:[/b] WIP
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[hider=Bright_Ops/NPC: Tushiena]
[b]Faction Name:[/b] Tushiena
[b]Alias:[/b] The County of Tushiena
[b]Government Type:[/b] Dictatorship
[b]Faction Specie(s):[/b] Tushiena has become something of a melting pot for various races, but the two primary races that make up the bulk of it's land based population are humans and goblins. It's underwater extensions are primarily populated by the 'Deep Ones', fish men who live in the sea and who survive off of a largely meat based diet... alongside hybrids of land based races that have grown their gills.      
 
[b]Territory Details:[/b] The Isle of Shipwrecks is a surprisingly fertile land. Its soil is able to support quite a wide range of different types of edible plant life, the ocean around it filled with plentiful fish life and the few rivers... are so clogged up with sludge while traveling through the single giant city of Tushiena that if you're quick enough you could run across its surface without the soils of your shoes melting at certain times of the year. The city itself is huge, covering all the islands in the Isle and connecting the various districts that this makes via grand stone bridges.

And that is just the parts of the nation above sea level. In the murky waters around the Isle of Shipwrecks live tribes of 'Deep Ones', fish men that have lived in the oceans for aeons; It is unclear if they were another race created by the Dark Lord in ages passed or if they spawned naturally from some dark corner of the sea (Through everyone agrees they are likely why the Isle is called what it is), but regardless of origin pacts and alliances of old have long brought the Deep One's of the Isle of Shipwrecks into Tushiena's fold.  
   
[b]Faction Religion/Ideology:[/b] Tushiena is not a religious nation; It does have a district dedicated to the building of temples, shrines and churches for those who are, but they are generally far to busy scrabbling with each other over ideology and possible converts to actually try and get involved in the political landscape of the city. There is even a small church dedicated to God-Emperor Justinian, through it is a very minor cult compared to several more native ones (And in the event of a lack of sacrifices for the other cults and an offering is needed in short notice, the first port of call).  

Tushiena itself is a nation of magic and technology; While it's ruler is a powerful lich, Count Vasha has always felt that for a nation to grow powerful it needed to be willing to plumb the depths of the occult and the arcane while also researching and experimenting with the mundane.

Tushiena has a proud naval tradition, it's ships some of the greatest in the world and its merchant fleet prepared to sail in the name of profit far and wide. This is as much pragmatism as it is national pride; The only means for any of those who wish to plunder Tushiena directly requires the invader to travel by ocean... and it can't do any harm if said invading fleet is reduced to a burning wreck that is sinking to the bottom of the sea with all hands lost. 

Slavery is illegal in Tushiena; Those taken alive during pirate raids are either auctioned back to their people of origin, channeled towards the Cult distract to be offered up as sacrifices to anyone who needed them or just flat out offered to the Deep Ones to devour. 

The Cult District is an island of Tushiena that was set aside largely because Vasha acknowledged that if he wanted people to be happy, they needed somewhere to pray and make offerings to their gods... or goddesses... or things with teeth and tentacles. Not wishing for any one religion to actually gain any real power in Tushiena proper, he set one of the Islands aside and welcomed all faiths to set up shop there on the condition that they kept -all- religious affairs on that island. Preaching or doing works for your faith on any other island in Tushiena is a quick way to end up as an offering to a cult following the law or fed to the deep ones if no ritual sacrifices are coming up.

Vasha does offer the cults in the Cult District access to sacrifices if their cult requires it, starting off with survivors from pirate raids who can't be ransomed back to their people and criminals in Tushiena jails. In the unlikely event that there is more of a demand for bodies than the Tushiena government can provide, the followers of God-Emperor Justinian are generally the first port of call. If [i]that[/i] isn't enough, the cults in question will generally start attacking weaker cults in order to get the bodies they need. If this gets bad enough Vasha will order a lock down on the Cult District, closing the bridge and having deep ones patrol the water ways until the civil war takes care of itself. This has only happened once in Tushiena's history.       

[b]Faction Description:[/b]
The former bread basket of Nagath and the Dark Lord Daigon's empire, once the Dark Lord had died and his nation fell apart Tushiena became an independent city nation that has largely been untouched by war over the centuries due to the combination of its powerful and feared navy, the fictionalized nature of Nagath post Dark Lord keeping local threats too focused on closer enemies and the Justinian Imperium simply being too far away to really make the effort.

Originally the Isle of Shipwrecks was colonized by humans and goblins under the leadership of the newly appointed Count Vasha by Dark Lord Daigon himself sometime during his reign in order to secure a great source of food in order to feed the Dark Lords armies, but after it became an independent nation it became something of a merchant dictatorship under Count Vasha... that people from various races and walks of live wanted to live in. Tushiena's indifference to matters of religious faith and its views on slavery (that it just wasn't worth it in the long run) combined with its impressive range of businesses, industries and the opportunities of its trading fleets to earn a living makes it a highly appealing place to live in Nagath. 

The key to Tushiena's unmatched naval power is a combination of its infamous flamethrowers, fire grenades and the Deep Ones 'Marines'; At some point in the past, the Tushiena alchemists discovered a recipe for what they called 'Daigon's Flame', a substance that sticks to what it hits and burns until it is turned to ash and long afterwards that is also highly resistant to being put out by water. Tushiena's navy deploys this dangerous weapon via ship mounted 'flamethrowers' that spray the substance where the nozzle is pointed and the fire grenades, which explode on impact after being primed. 

The Deep One Marines, who are naturally a race that lives underwater, have major advantages when it comes to ship to ship combat since they can literally assault the ships from underneath were most enemies cannot defend. All it normally takes is a bit of drilling, a primed 'Daigon's Flame' grenade and the unfortunate ship is usually sunk before they know what's going on, the crew devoured by the Deep Ones and the cargo secured.           

[b]Faction History:[/b] 


[b]Important Characters:[/b]
[b]Count Vasha.[/b]
The current and so far only ruler of the city of Tushiena is the tyrant Count Vasha, a powerful lich who according to legend was appointed as the Count of the Isle of Shipwrecks by the Dark Lord Daigon himself several centuries ago; The only one who knows what the truth is for sure is Count Vasha himself and few people are on close enough terms with him to ask. While Count Vasha is the tyrant of Tushiena and is thus free to do whatever he wanted, he is rather lawful in nature and tends to focus his powers (both magical and legal) on the well being and growth of the city rather then his own personal gain. 

He has also invested a great deal of time, money, effort and magic into creating an information network within his lands (and a spy network outside of it) to ensure that he is not only up to date on current events while they are happening, but also aware of what is going to happen ahead of time so that it can be accounted for and dealt with as appropriate. 

Vasha is one of the few land dwellers who can actually enter the deep one part of Tushiena due to his undead nature. His relationship with the fishmen is actually somewhat friendly; The tools and weapons from Tushiena allow the Deep Ones to sink ships much easier and the fact that the land dwellers occasionally offer them a free meal and somewhere safe to create and raise hybrids and in return the Deep Ones assist the Tushiena navy as Marines, retrieve treasures lost to the sea to bring back to the city state and ensure that Tushiena's fishing nets are always full. It is a business relationship that has gone on for centuries and both sides are pretty happy to continue it.  

[b]Relations to other Factions:[/b] 
[/hider]


[hider=Legion02/Pending: Sanguine Alliance]
[b]Faction name:[/b] [color=Silver]The Sanguine Alliance[/color]
[b]Alias:[/b] [color=Silver]Crimson States, The Land of Black Water[/color]
[b]Government Type:[/b] [color=Silver]Council[/color]
[b]Faction Species:[/b]
[indent][color=Silver]While most of the people are just human, they are not represented in the upper echelons of the Sanguine Alliance. No mortal can ever hope to be part of the nobility. For they are exclusively vampire. Vampires are ancient creatures. Immortal and strong. Vampires themselves are divided in several ranks and classes. The first rank are the New Bloods. Vampires that only exist for a human life time or less. They are Fledglings (newly turned) and Neophytes (Less than 100 years vampire but more than 25 years). They are generally treated as dirt, used as live training for higher vampires or as servants. Then come the True Vampires: Nightstalkers are the hunters of the Vampires. They roam the nights, generally alone, to root out dissidents amongst the human population. Reapers are the elite fighting force of the Sanguine Alliance. Blood-priests are part of the clergy and delve into the deeper secrets of blood and magic. These True Vampires are generally considered equal in rank. Though one can have a higher standing than the other due to age. The last one is a Vampire Lord. A True Vampire who distinguished himself in the eyes of the Sanguine Alliance and is granted a piece of land and a handful of thralls to tend it. Then come the Elder classes: Ascendants are ancient vampires that uncovered a truth of vampirism. More in tune with their inner power, they are stronger than True Vampires. However, their youth still influences them. Elders are vampires that have undergone hibernation and rose up again. Generally, they are more tempered but also uncaring towards the world. Finally, there are Ancients. These vampires have undergone several hibernations. Most, if not all, are recluses, preferring damp forgotten caves and dark woods. Some wait half a millennium just for a single thing to happen. Others are awaiting something unexpected. While the oldest, Ancients rarely govern. Leaving the affairs of the state to the younger, Elder brethren.
 
There are rumors of an even older vampire caste: the Antediluvians. To believe in their existence is to believe in Kain himself. For Kain was the first vampire. Stories of how he turned diverge. In fact, there are as many stories of Kain as there are bards that tell his tales. The Antediluvian caste exists of the First Children of Kain. Who laid the foundation of vampirism. The lines continue to the Last Sinners. Who were supposed to be killed in a flood. This, all stories agree on. But whatever deity wanted them all dead, it failed. Some survived and brought the vampiric curse into the new land.

Not all vampires are sane (or only slightly disheveled). Some of them delve too deep in the secrets of the blood, not heeding the warnings. The blood, in turn, corrupts them. Makes them feral. They grow pale wild. Hair grows long and webbings grow in between their hands. If no action is taken, they vanish one night. Years later they return to their homestead, devolved into a giant, bat-like creature lusting for nothing more than blood and flesh. Others surrender to the beast inside. This often happens when a fledgling is not kept in check. He grows more hungry with every kill and lacks discipline. Such vampires often run away from their lord in pursuit of more blood. It is a liege’s responsibility to hunt them down then. Sometimes, they fail and the fledgling goes on a killing spree. Only to vanish in the wild lands. Accursed they are called and they will turn into a landlocked, giant beast. Some find it again and keep it as a pet. All vampires must fear certain states of mind and afflictions. As vampires can often change in many more horrible, senseless beasts. Forever doomed to bloodlust.[/color][/indent]

[b]Territory Details:[/b]
[indent][color=Silver]The land around The Black Water is owned by the Sanguine Alliance. To the east you have mostly marches and fields. Here most of the agricultural activities take place. Traveling upwards on the eastern shore you’ll encounter Agrat-Thul. An ancient, forgotten city. Said to be the home of all vampires in Nagoth during the time of Daigon. A crimson metropolis where blood literally flowed through the streets for all vampires to drink it. However, it was sacked by Justinian and his vampire hunters when they came to destroy Agrat-Thul. The vampires never rebuild the place, though it is said that more than one Ancient remains here. Going over the farther tip, there is little land far up north. However, on the west would be the first few cities, carved from the mountains’ stone. In the mountains themselves, slaves work tirelessly to delve up gems from the mountains. Down south is newly taken terrain. Some humans have settled the southern’ sea’s shore. While the vampires have built large mansions inside the protection of the Black Water.[/color][/indent]
[b]Faction Religion/Ideology:[/b]
[indent][color=Silver]The Sanguine Alliance have no true, set religion. Though there is a collective reverence towards Kain, the First Vampire and his First Children. They revere him as a vampire that ascended to godhood. His children became lesser gods and blessed their children in turn. All the way to the Last Sinners. Now,  those blessings are still carried through the bloodlines. Though not everyone agrees upon every story. Some say, for example, that Daigon was Kain. A claim only made by fledglings with an ill understanding of their gifts. Others say Daigon was the incarnation of Kain. Others claim there was no Kain or Antediluvians. The only indication given towards a truth is that the Ancients seemingly worship nothing and nobody. But really, who can be sure with a creature that slept through ages?
 
The humans, secretly (though not so secret that their vampire overlords do not know) worship the Lightbringer. A version of Justanism where they believe the god of all that is good and light will come down and save them. Their overlords allow this practice, as hopelessness seemingly dulls the blood that is no longer tasty. However, it is a dangerous game. For too much hope can lead to action. Thus the Sanguine Alliance often commit to a culling. Publicly executing and torturing known worshippers of the Light. Yet alas, sometimes it wasn’t enough and vampires have been killed by plebs during revolts.[/color][/indent]
[b]Faction Description:[/b]
[indent][color=Silver]At first glance, not that much looks strange in the land of Black Water. Slaves work the fields, plebs work the mills and shops and all seems peaceful. Except for the black robed and masked figures, walking around with whips in their hands. Overseers that keep the people at bay in the fields. Prone to let the whip crack should any mortal not work hard enough. Life as a human in Black Water is to be chained to a Vampire Lord. You work his fields, sleep in his cottages and eat his food. When he asks for his tithe, you present you are to present your veins willingly. You can never escape lest the Nightstalkers catch you, kill your family before your eyes and then you. Most are content with their lives. They have shelter and food. Though some would dare revolt. The gibbets on the city walls though, serve as a stern reminder.
 
In the cities, one can find more vampires. Especially at night. They walk the streets as sirs and ladies. Rich and laughing with blood still on their shin. New vampires are chosen from the human stock. Often those with exceptional talent are taken. However, the façade hides an ill truth. There are never enough humans to serve the vampire’s lust for blood. Lesser vampires, fledglings and neophytes especially, must do with the lesser blood of animals, orcs and other vile creatures.
 
Older Vampire Lords are often eccentric, hosting massive balls. Others create what they will refer to as a ‘vineyard’. Though make no mistake. These vineyards are actual villages living under special circumstances. Some are put on a diet of only oranges for weeks. Other are prohibited from touching beer. This alters their blood, which their Vampire Lord then drains and bottles. Unlike wine, age does not matter. Instead, the age of the human, the name of the ‘wine’ and from which vineyard it comes are deemed important details. The same is often done for meat.
 
Vampire Lords rarely fully agree with one another. Each has their own agendas. Especially amongst the True Vampire caste. This is why the Elder caste generally take matters of state in their hands. Even though their divides are generally even deeper, they have grown accustomed to the idea of building bridges when needed. Their eventual goal is rather obvious: a world for vampires, where humans and their mortal ilk are but livestock kept at work and alive to serve their bloody rulers. A far-reaching goal for those cursed with aging. A mere test of patience for those untouched by time. Or so the vampires would believe.[/color][/indent]
[b]Faction History:[/b]
[indent][color=Silver]Despite the existence of the Ancients and Elders, lots of history remains obscure and even contradictory. The only fact considered true is the existence of Agrat-Thul, the Crimson Capital. A vast metropolis of vampires. Who supposedly worked with Daigon. However, when the dark lord was struck down and Agrat-Thul was razed to the ground, the vampires fled to the eastern mountains to hide. Many elders went into hibernation then and there. Lesser vampires who would not survive the hibernation hunted to remain alive. Eventually to crawl back out from the mountains to witness a land destroyed and ruined. Agrat-Thul was a haunted place and their once great empire was no more. Slowly the vampires expanded, taking humans as their slaves.

This expansion got a much-needed boost when vampires fled Justinian lands for Nagath. Many vampires went north, but others went south and arrived at the Sanguine Alliance lands. With this upkick in population, the Alliance could hasten their expansion. Now they have enough to raid the March Lords for the human population, as well as maintain the livestock at home. The Sanguine Alliance, in a way, is thriving. But it’s not all good. There are still not enough humans to feed all vampires and many Elders must remain in hibernation to survive.[/color][/indent]
[b]Noticable characters[/b]
[indent][color=Silver][i]Elizabeth of Vaggren[/i] – A human born in a rather unremarkable human farmer village. Not even a vineyard. Nothing in her childhood indicated any special merit, so she was barely glanced at by the Vampire Lords. However, when an Accursed began rampaging near her village things started to change. She was one of the first to pick up arms against it, long before even the Vampires could react. Very soon she had a band of men and women behind her holding pitchforks and cleavers. When the humans found the beast, the battle began. When the Vampire Lords arrived, they witnessed Elizabeth delivering the final stab into the bleeding beast below her. Initially, she was to be turned. However, word spread fast amongst the human population about her heroic victory. So, for now, she has been appointed as the representative of the humans in the Sanguine Alliance. Not that the post entails much power.

[i]Mirabella of Gorogon Island[/i] – She was but a fledgling when she fled to Nagath. She thought it would be her final resting place, an end to a life she barely remembered. Except that it was miserable, painful and harsh. She didn’t remember how she got turned nor how she learned how to feed. Older vampires in Nagath guessed her at less than 10 years when she arrived. Alas, it did not matter. Unlike the other vampiric ladies that arrived, Mirabella had no former aristrocratic blood or education. She couldn’t write or read but she could throw another fledgling across a yard. She was taken in by Ersten, an older vampire, who taught her the ropes of being a vampire. She learned to hide her more savage and aggressive nature under silk and a smile. But she never forsook her fighting spirit. To this day she is one of the greatest fighters of her generation. Her greatest achievement was winning over Lord Ultain the Grey. A vampire Lord set to become an ascendant. The defeat shamed him and he did not make Ascendant after that. These days Mirabella is growing bored and hopes for a good to war too break out.[/color][/indent]
[b]Relations to other Factions:[/b]
[indent][color=Silver]Recently rumors have spawned that vampires are also surviving up north. Details are vague so far. Tushiena’s ships are always free to dock at the Sanguine Alliance’s ports. As the Vampire Lords often require exotic goods for their next experimentation. The Weeping Widows religion has taken hold in the human population. Though in vampires, only Fledglings dare believe the tales.[/color][/indent]
[/hider]


[hider=Aquamarine/Pending: Akagi Khanate][color=A9A9A9][center][h1][b]Akagi Khanate[/b][/h1][/center][/color]
[center]"[i]Curse you sea wretches! Curse you all! I hope meet a fate worst then drowning! Worse than death![/i]"
Last word of Grand Admiral Luther Sigis, Former Imperial Grand Admiral.[/center]


[color=A9A9A9][b]Alias:[/b][/color] Sea Lords, the Saltborn, Raiders of the Twin Isles, Sea Wretches. 

[color=A9A9A9][b]Government Type:[/b][/color] Khanate 
The Akagi khanate, as the name already implies, is a chiefdom ruled by the Khan, a vicious warlord that strong armed the various pirates clans under his domain. 

At the head of the Khanate is the Khan himself. Below him are the different pirate clans that have sworn fealty to him or were forced to. The chieftains of this clans provide a portion of their taxes to the Khan and in return, the Khan offers them protection from external threats and internal conflicts. Under the chieftains are captain. Individual who own, maintain and command their own vessels of war. Usually the captains are closely related to the chieftains of each clan. Each spoils from every raid are taxed by the chieftains, usually a fraction of all the total loot being taken.

Each Chieftain is able to call upon every captain that serves under their house for war. In the days before the Khan, this was done to settle territories on land and water mostly. Any captain that refuses this call from their Chieftain would become an outcast from their clan. He would then be treated as open game for any other pirate to pillage him. The accumulated ships that form a fleet is called a host. The Khan may call upon every clan’s host if he so wishes. The combined fleet formed is known as the “Black Host”. This massive collection of ships were first encountered by Imperials in the battle for the Red Sea. 

[center][img]https://assets.atlasobscura.com/article_images/26935/image.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][sup]A chieftain's host preparing to set sail and face a rival fleet at sea.[/sup][/center]

 
[color=A9A9A9][b]Faction Specie(s):[/b][/color] Most of the chiefs under the Khan are Human however the khanate itself is diverse. A myriad of races dwell in the isles. From the most numerous inhabitants that are the Humans to the hardeir folk of the Beastmen. Orcs are also known to inhabit the Khanate. Most captured in battle or have ran away from their kin looking for a more prodigal lifestyle. 

[color=A9A9A9][b]Territory Details:[/b][/color] 
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GsA2LKl.png[/img][/center]

The capital of the Khan is Chuluun Khöl, a hold on the northern island of Tom Zagas.

[color=A9A9A9][b]Faction Religion/Ideology:[/b][/color] There had never been a mandated religion in the Khanate. Neither had there been with the different marauder clans before the rise of the Khan. Each individual is free to worship whichever Deity they see fit. The most common religion, if it can be called that, is the belief in the lord of chances. Believed to be an aspect of the Dark Lord Daigon who grants its patrons a spark of good luck when they most need it. 

Another religious belief that is notable in the isles is known informally as the Church of the Sleeping. A strange belief where a figure only known as 'the Sleeping God'. This belief only came into prominence when the Khan returned from his battle with the former Chieftain Jakai. The Khan has proclaimed himself the prophet of the the Sleeping One. His voice is the Sleeping One's will. 

Another notable belief in the isles Pale Goddess who is predominantly worshiped in the Broken Arm. Northmen looking to escape their vampiric thanes. As people of the seas, a good number in the Khanate has converted to the belief. Some would slaughter livestock and let them drift towards the horizon as a sacrifice to the Lady that under the waves.

[hider=Faction description]The Khanate is a place where freedom is held in the highest esteem, as long as you are strong enough to defend it. Before the Khan’s rise to power, there was a strict hierarchy among the pirate clans. Primogeniture was the accepted form of inheritance where males are favored more than females. 

[center][img]https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*dcOp6oHX3vBH-pr4.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][sup]Two people challenging each other for the right to become Captain. After the Khan's reform, even women may participate in the honorary summons.[/sup][/center]

The Khan broke this tradition by mandating that allowing anybody, whether related to the chieftain or not, to inherit their titles by merit, skill and loyalty rather than family ties. Females have also been give wider power within the Khanate. Now they are not only allowed to serve as pirates themselves but they can also become captains and even chieftains if they prove their worth. Crews have also been allowed the right to a share of the loot gathered from a raid. Where once they were treated as little more than slaves, only fed enough to last a fight. Not everyone is happy with this changes. Mostly the elites of the elites of the old ways who stubbornly hold on to old traditions. They are a small minority though as most under the Khanate have accepted and are pleased with the reforms. 

[center][img]https://fightstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pirate.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][sup]Pirates of the Meiji clan enjoying their spoils of war.[/sup][/center]

Of course politics matter for the average pirate of the khanate. Life is not easy in the barren waste of Nagath. Though there are those in the Khanate that practice honest work such as herdsmen and weavers, a good majority often becoming raiders and pirates. In the harsh existence of Nagath turns even the most noble men to desperate means. Of course the pirate life is often harsh and unforgiving. They are known to drink a mixture of fresh and salt water to store on up on ration. Most, if not all, of their meals are salted fish and meats to last their long voyages. Rats and other vermin that dwell in the hold of their vessels carry all sorts of horrid diseases. They are also treated with hostility by most other vessels, be they Justinian or otherwise, because of a pirate’s nature.

[center][img]https://adventuresinhistoryland.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/800px-piracy_of_the_south_china_sea.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][sup]A pirate host raiding an Imperial merchant fleet.[/sup][/center]

However how hard this challenges may be, the rewards are even greater. Treasures from simple stacks of gold to items rare and bizarre have been collected on daring pirate raids. The most infamous spoil is the Khan’s ship itself, the Unbreakable. This is why many take to the pirate lifestyle. The risk maybe great but the potential rewards much more so.

[center][img]https://www.diomedia.com/imagePreview/01AB8SVM?imageId=7464795&imageCode=01AB8SVM&contributor=DeAgostini&siteName=www.diomedia.com&title=&location=&ds=800&newStyle=1&tc=FFFFFF&tbc=333333&qv=95&icc=1&cl=1[/img][/center]
[center][sup]A typical Junk ship used by Khanate pirates.[/sup][/center]

[center][img]http://www.soldiers-of-misfortune.com/history/history_imgs/chinese_cannon.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][sup]A "huo de huxi" cannon, better known as a "hooksie".[/sup][/center] 

Most pirates under the khan use ships known as "junks". They are not as durable or yield as much power as most Imperial warships but they have proven to be more nimble and faster. They often skirt around more heavily armored ships and whittle them down with short range cannons known as "huo de huxi", more commonly known as "hooksies" to Imperial sailors. Cannon balls no bigger than a man's fist are used but in times of desperation, pirates have been known to use anything from broken glasses to pieces of wooden furniture. Other pirates have often loaded hooksies with harpoons which they fire onto an enemy ship and either use to board a ship or pull it closer towards them if the vessel is smaller. Junks do not have cannon ports under their deck. Most cannons are placed above deck with their ammunition and gunpowder stored under. Of course most prominent pirates have often stolen more sturdier ships from the Empire, like the Khan himself. 
[/hider]

[hider=Faction History]The pirate lords of the twin isle were not always the meager opportunist they are now. From the port city of Anadal-Ur, now known as Ozgad’s Folly, rested Daigon’s pearl. The Black Tide, a fleet said so large it would cast a shadow as far as the eye could see. Led by the Great Kra-aaden, known popularly to the members of the Castigati as the “Scourge of God”. According to the tales of ol he is even Daigon's own son, forged with his blood along with dark magics. The Black Tide’s last known battle was against the Justinian Grand Fleet to make way for Daigon’s Bloodspiller Orcs to seize the port town of Andorra.

[center][img]http://www.quirkbooks.com/sites/default/files/styles/blog_detail_featured_image/public/editor_uploads/original/octopus.jpg?itok=NdKT9Pwx[/img][/center]
[center][sup]Kra-aaden, attacking an Imperial ship during the battle for Andorra[/sup][/center] 

The fleets that clashed covered the sea in a blanket of ships that raced for one another. Demitrius, a grand priest of the Clerisy and poet, wrote that the waves was awash with wanton death. Wrecks and pieces floated on the waters while the dying yells of men and women filled the dreadful air. At the closing stages of the battle, Prince Arkus, saint of the empire, jumped atop Kra-aaden’s head and battled the fiend while carnage continued around them. However Prince Arkus was able to summon bolts of lightning from the sky as he slammed his warhammer into Kra-aaden. The prince was last seen going under the water with the demon admiral, fighting each other to the last breathe. This shattered the Black Tide and forced them to retreat back to Anadal-Ur. Ready to receive punishment from Daigon, the vice Admirals stood ready for retribution only to find out that Daigon himself died against the Justinians. 

The news devastated the vice admirals. Some mustered what vessels they had and sailed back to the Empire, inflicting as much destruction as they could before capture or death. Others salvaged what they could from their vessels and traveled further inland. Some though decided to break off their allegiances to whatever authority inherited Daigon’s throne and form their own lordships. Without funding from their former overlord, this petty suzerains turned to piracy and coastal raiding to fund their fleets. Infighting within their ranks occurred as keeping the chain of command no longer seemed appropriate or necessary. Martial traditions was forgone. To be replaced by wild savagery and reckless abandon. Desperation would also drive this pirate lords to pillage the other residents of Nagath. The coast of the Cursed Sea being plundered every so often by opportunistic marauders running rampant. 

[center][img]https://imgix.ranker.com/user_node_img/50060/1001197452/original/she-got-joint-control-over-the-pirate-fleet-when-she-married-pirate-king-cheng-photo-u2?w=650&q=50&fm=jpg&fit=crop&crop=faces[/img][/center]
[center][sup]A vessel of Vampire Count Vasha being raided by Khanate pirates[/sup][/center]

There had never been any will to unify the different pirate clans from the different chieftains. Each preferring to focus their fleets on Imperial merchant vessels than each other. On occasion clans would clash over territories they had set on the open ocean. That was until the arrival of the Khan. A man who was named Akagi in a different life. According to tales, he was a slave in Vritraprthvirajya before escaping. Fate would then have him on Captain Daria’s ship. The captain was a cruel taskmaster. Akagi would challenge Daria for the ship which would lead to the captain’s demise. Impressed with the daring Akagi showed, the elder of Tegin, Chieftain Shonkhor, took Akagi under his wing and taught him everything there was of the trade. Shonkhor’s own son, the impulsive Captain Jakai, became envious of the close relations between his father and Akagi. He poisoned his father and assumed Chiefhood. He then blamed Akagi for the death and ordered him arrested. Rather than run, Akagi went on to meet the chieftain in his hold along with his supporters. Loyalist of both sides clashed and Akagi found himself dueling Jakai on the ledge of the hold overlooking a tall cliff. Jakai pushed Akagi off the tall rock face but Akagi was able to grab hold of his opponent’s heel. The two fell as their followers looked in shocked. Jakai was found quickly enough. His head was dashed against the sharp rocks. Quickly the Tegin clan fell into turmoil as claims for the throne were announced. That was until Akagi came back claiming the chiefdom for his own. He had looked remarkably different. He was paler and he seemed always moist and damp. His skinned seemed wrinkled. His eyes and lips seemed sunken. He also smelled of saltwater. There were those who opposed him at first. Challenged him for the right. They were all defeated by Akagi who seemed unnaturally fast and agile, specially with his current appearance. 

With no other contenders to the throne, he renamed himself as the “Khan”. The Khan then set his sights on the other clans. He gave them the chance to join. Most at first refused. They would become the first to witness the resurgent fleet. Their uncoordinated attacks no match for the cunning strategies of the Khan. One by one the clans fell. Some by force, others by choice. The Khan would then pass his mandates, reforming the pirate culture of the isles. It has been 13 years since the unification. The fleets of Akagi seemed bolder now in their strikes. Attacking even guarded Imperial vessels and sometimes Imperial war fleets themselves. The wrath of Khan is becoming ever more notorious with each attack they commit against the Empire.[/hider] 

[hider=Important Characters]
[color=A9A9A9][b][center][h3]The Khan[/h3][/center][/b][/color]
[center][img]http://historyofinformation.com/images/genghis_khan-bust.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][sup]A bust of the Khan.[/sup][/center]

Akagi, who in time would turn into the mighty, charismatic and brutal warlord named "the Khan", came from very humble origins. He was the son a fisher and a fish monger in the southern island of Jijig Zagas. Akagi would often embark with his father to the salt banks of Iyatvathla(?), in the southern waters of Vritraprthvirajya(?). There he would catch massive catfishes with his father. So massive are this fishes that they have been known time and time again to swallow men whole. One day during a rough storm, Akagi was thrown overboard along with his father. His father became a meal for the very creatures they were hunting and Akagi was carried by the waves towards the shore. 

(Have to see Senor Herp's sheet for this). 

 
[hr]
Lady Chen "The Red Lady":
Surrat the Quick:
Chief Anjo of Clan Thais "The Plague Captain": 
The Shadow: 
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[color=A9A9A9][b]Relations to other Factions:[/b][/color][/hider]