[color=chocolate][i][b][h1][center]Kycer of Caslan[/center][/h1][/b][/i][/color]
[i][b][center]“Garza Vak Sher” “Glory to the Gods"[/center][/b][/i]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/Ne3u8kdm.png[/img]

[color=chocolate][b]=-=General Information=-=[/b][/color]
[list]
[*]A theocratic republic based on the island of Caslan
[*]Is ruled by the Kerks, a barbarian people who settled and conquered the island
[*]Has a large native beastfolk population, with a significant human and elven minority
[*]Is a home of a necromantic faith and its practitioners, called Gyloism 
[*]Is a fairly isolated state, although it had larger ambitions to become a power on the eastern coasts
[*]Is ruled by a powerful and immortal lich scholar and his clan
[*]They speak and write in Kerkian and Caslandic
[*]A person from Caslan is called a Caslanian
[*]Population - 2.4 Million
[*]Manpower - 120,000
[*]Wealth - Moderate
[*]Espionage - Moderate
[/list]

[h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Races[/color][/b][/i][/h2]
[hider=Races]
[color=chocolate][b]Kerkians[/b][/color]
Kerkians are a race of humanoids which highly resemble humans in many ways, being around the same height, lifespan, and shape of human beings but with some small physical differences. Kerks tend to be entirely light-olive skinned, Kerks have sunken in eyes and large noses. Kerks differ in major ways from humans in other ways, their most known features being the fact they breed in litters of children at a time, and are fiercely aggressive. Kerks are known to be unbreakable in their pursuits and violent swings of rage, often lacking in self preservation. Instead, most kerks act for the good of a group or family, and will give their own lives to save friends and family, making them by nature deeply loyal as much as vengeful. Kerks also are partly immune to disease, in which they will regurgitate diseases from their bodies by vomiting, as their bodies aggressively expunge any foreign element from their bodies. This also applies to medicine, making Kerks capable of both surviving diseases that would kill any normal person but also being near impossible to heal from diseases which affect them.

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

[color=chocolate][b]Okan[/b][/color]
Okan are a Beastfolk who are native to Caslan, a mustelid race which resemble river otters. Standing around 5-6 ft tall on average, they have large tails which helps them balance when swimming, and their fur colors usually range between light grey to dark brown. Okan are natural born swimmers, although they must be taught to do so and can ‘glide’ in the water itself. Okan fur is very dense, allowing them to swim the cold waters of their homeland with little difficulty. Okan are by their nature very social and familial creatures who aggressively defend their families and homes, but are also outwardly friendly and curious.
[list]
[*][b]Ulkad[/b] - Oldest known Okan culture which primarily lives in the north-west of Caslan, the Ulkad are deeply conservative and spiritual people who view themselves as the original Okan culture, and look down on other Okan for not keeping to their old ways.
[*][b]Norad[/b] - A north-east Okan culture which lives entirely on the coast and sea. The Norad are semi-nomadic hunters, known for their autonomy and very loose clans. Norad are deeply conservative, but in their own way, and are deeply distrustful of outsiders.
[*][b]Midad[/b] - A central culture of Okan who fled into the highlands and southern mountain rivers. The Midad are fiercely independent, and are also very isolationist and generally do not like other Okan intruding on their customs and territory. While their attitudes generally come off as xenophobic, most prefer to be left alone.
[*][b]Soukad[/b] - Southern most Okan whose culture is based primarily on their naval craft and trading with other Okan, which evolved into a general mercantile culture. Soukad revolves around sailing and trade.
[*][b]Tannad[/b] - A western Okan culture closely related to both the Soukad and Ulkad. Tannad are coastal people, who are deeply religious but also  infused with their craftsmanship and trade, being considered industrious.
[/list]

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

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

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

[h2][i][b][color=chocolate]History[/color][/b][/i][/h2]
[hider=History]
[color=chocolate][b]The Lost Era (0-777)[/b][/color]
Not much is known of the Beastfolk, let alone of the histories which proceed the first united kingdoms and tribes of Caslan. What is known is that the first kingdoms of Caslan were normally peaceful Okan kingdoms in coastal mottes and baileys, living in small earthwork settlements, with the Beurians living the middle hills and inland forests and semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers. The Okan, presumably more civilized, built the first lasting kingdoms, and discovered or traded along weak trade routes. The island was undeveloped and had its own religion, institutions, and generally was regarded with disinterest due to having supposedly few if any resources worth developing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Culture[/color][/b][/i][/h2]
[hider=Culture]
[color=chocolate][b]Appearance[/b][/color]
Kerks are a fairly simple people by nature, and this is highly reflected in how they look and what they wear. Kerks prefer comfortable and easy to slip on clothes, and have no interest in what makes them look good in the eyes of others. Kerks do not wear jewelry for these reasons, they maximum extent to what they will wear are brooches and rings, and even then these pieces of jewelry are entirely simplified. Kerkian nobility tend to wear armor and weapons, the maximum extent of their ‘formal wear’, and often simply wear more colorful clothes to identify them as a clan’s chief or the region’s Zupan. Only the priesthood and scribes wear more valued clothes, usually large and outlandishly ornate purple robes with cloth scarfs which cover their mouths. Kerkians of more notable status also wear tall fur caps, although this sometimes does not fully indicate status by default, as commoners and even slaves will wear fur caps to give off a false sense of authority and fashion. Beards are common amongst Kerks, who tend to grow out their beards into large, unshaven messes but will crop their hair short.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Military[/color][/b][/i][/h2]
[hider=Military]
[color=chocolate][b]Recruitment[/b][/color]
Recruitment is a difficulty in Kerkian society despite its abundance of manpower. Although there is a central government, Kerks do not have a truly professional army which allows for recruitment drives. Instead, individual Kerkian clans recruit from their own, forming larger levy warbands which then journey to a central mustering ground underneath an individual Zupan. The Kycer tends to have its own armies, normally specialized Coladdic clansmen and their undead levies which assist them in battle, who collect only from their own clan. In order to make up for their troubles, large and rich Kerkian clans and cities employ the use of Ghilmen, slave soldiers of the island which are professionally trained for war. Ghilmen are recruited from poor families or from the families of slaves from a young age, and brutally trained by Kerkian militia captains in a barrack society.

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

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

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

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

[color=chocolate][b]Clan Levies (Basic Division)[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Units:[/b] Kerkian Clansmen (Light Axe and Shield Infantry), Kerkian Warrior (Light Sword and Shield Infantry), Kerkian Spearman (Light Spear Infantry), Kerkian Bandits (Light Archer Infantry), Kerkian Skirmishers (Light Javelin and Shield Infantry)
[/list]
Clan levies are a long standing core of the Kerkian armies, which are mustered by the clans of Caslan into large warbands. Due to the sheer size of a Kerkian clan and family, each clan can provide a large number of levies. However, most levies are poorly armed, and often fight with little more than the clothes they had brought. At best, the Kycer will provide for these levies tents, meals, and weapons if they lack them. Clans, not Zupans or the Kycer, are expected to foot the bill for these levies. Levies tend to be trained in maneuvering rather than skills, making them quite obedient when it comes to complex maneuvers but are universally considered terrible soldiers.

[color=chocolate][b]Outriders (Cavalry Division)[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Units:[/b] Kerkian Outriders (Medium Axe and Shield Cavalry), Kerkian Raiders (Medium Sword Cavalry), Kerkian Hunters (Medium Archer Cavalry)
[/list]
Outriders are a common occurrence amongst Kerkian armies, being the backbone of the mounted divisions Kerkia will field. Kerkian horses are expensive and difficult to maintain for many of the clans. This often makes riders considered a grade above that of Kerkian levies and common clansmen, their skills invaluable for the militias of Caslan. Kerkian outriders however perform almost universally poorly, being quickly to get surrounded during engagement, being the last to retreat, and the rather odd tactic of Kerkian throwing themselves from their horses and onto their enemies. Outriders primarily act in the capacity as fast, mounted skirmishers.

[color=chocolate][b]Ghilmen (Elite Division)[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Units:[/b] Ghilman Spearman (Medium Spear and Shield Infantry), Ghilman Soldier (Medium Sword Infantry), Ghilman Skirmisher (Medium Javelin and Shield Infantry), Ghilman Archer (Medium Archer Infantry), Ghilman Saudkar (Heavy Sword and Shield Infantry)
[/list]
Ghilmen are slave soldiers who are taken from a young age, and trained into professional soldiers in the service of a specialized guild. Ghilmen are normally Okan from slave families within the cities who are sold to a Ghilman barracks. These Okan have their tails cropped and their faces permanently disfigured, but most Ghilmen are marked with special tattoos across their body which identify their status. Ghilmen are trained primarily by a Kerkian equivalent to a mercenary company, who sell the services of the Ghilmen to Kerkian clans and cities for protections, armed services, or as bodyguards. Normally grim and viciously trained, Ghilmen are well respected by the Kerks who tend to appreciate them and their services. Ghilmen who lives to an older age or perform admirably for their guild are allowed to be ‘freed’ and to start a family or business, under the contract obligation that any of their children are recruited as Ghilmen themselves and half their income goes back into their guild.

[color=chocolate][b]Bylamen (Undead/Elite Division)[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Units:[/b] Violet Guard (Heavy Halberd Infantry), Bylaman Rainbow Knight (Heavy Sword Cavalry), Barrow Guard (Heavy Sword Infantry/Undead), Skeletal Levy (Light Undead), Wraith (Medium Undead)
[/list]
The Bylamen are the elite guard and personal army of the Kycer, whose sole duty is protecting the Kycer and its assembly. Members of the Bylamen are usually elite clansmen, but its main core is made up primarily of the undead. Most living members wear a vibrant purple or violet dress around their heavier armor, who use enchanted gear. Rainbow Knights for instance, also sometimes known as Death Knights, use runed swords with various necromantic blessings and curses. The most known and terrifying element of the Bylamen is the use and building of Barrow Guard, skeletal undead soldiers who are super charged with magic. Incredibly fast, strong, and skilled in the arts of combat, the Barrow Guard also can ‘regenerate’ in the midst of combat, often tearing their enemy’s limbs to attach it to their own bodies. Bylamen are the personal guard of Mel Coldfinger, as well as the most elite force Caslan can muster in war.

[color=chocolate][b]Necromancers (Magic Division)[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Units:[/b] Necromancer (Necromantic Lore Mage), Curse Bearer (Curse Lore Mage), Lich (Ice Lore Mage), Shadow Lich (Shadows Lore Mage)
[/list]
Most Caslan armies in some capacity have a necromancer which follows them, or a member of the clergy. Most Necromancers are identified by their lavish purple robes, the colors of the Kycer, as most Necromancers are either members of the clergy, or have some role in the Kycer itself. While most lores of magic are practiced and studied, the most important lores is necromancery and curses. Kerkian tactics often require a drastic weakening of enemies, and high casualties in battle often requires an undead force being raised in the midst of battle to assure total victory. Every once in awhile, a Lich will join an army, but not by that army’s choice. Liches will often join the Kerkian ranks either as sub-commanders or as allied mages, and most Kerkian armies tolerate their presence.

[color=chocolate][b]Blackhand (Scout Division)[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Units:[/b] Blackhand Stalker (Spy), Blackhand Scout (Scout), Blackhand Murderer (Assassin), Blackhand Observer (Counterspy), Blackhand Hunter Killer (Counter-Assassin)
[/list]
The Kerks do not often use their own clans to scout or spy on their enemies, as intrigue is usually handled by an old and specialized guild of assassins known as the Blackhand. Paid well for their services, the ancient order of spycraft amongst the Kerks provides valuable services for Kerkia’s armies. The most infamous groups of the Blackhand often provide counter-assassination services to their commanders, acting as hidden bodyguard who specialize in the protection of Kerkian officers and generals. The Blackhand tends to be a very diverse group, and often shadow the Kerks wherever they go.
[/hider]

[h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Government[/color][/b][/i][/h2]
[hider=Government]
[h3][color=chocolate][b]The Kycer[/b][/color][/h3]
[hider=The Kycer]
[color=chocolate][b]Kerkian Kycer (Theocratic Republic)[/b][/color]
The Kycer is a theocracy and republic, a weird and complicated mix between a theocratic government with a secular assembly which governs daily politics. The Kycer is divided into 2 main branches which assemble into one generalized senate. There is the theocratic council, and then there is the Zupan’s assembly beneath it. There are two leaders in the Kycer, the heads of council, the major and minor ones. From there, beneath them is regional priests, ceremonial priests, representative priests of the whole of Caslan, the provincial priests, and then the various bodies of smaller institutions. The members of the Kycer meet up in a gathered assembly, usually the Tomb City of Scribes, where they would hold votes and perform rituals to the gods. The Kycer also has a body of nobles, made up of nobles of Caslan who get automatic positions based on their title, and voting power within the Kycer itself. Only priests of the Gyloist faith can join the Kycer, although becoming a priest is considerably easy.

[color=chocolate][b]Ruling Caste[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Head of the Council[/b] - The highest leading position amongst the Kycer is a member of the Head of the Council, for which there are two official positions, and one informal one. The head of council is the formal leader of the assembly itself, often having the most fitting robes and most fanfare of all the priests. Normally, the head of council is also a head of religious ceremonies, leaders of armies, and so forth. The Head of Council does not lead the vote, but does have the last say on it, and has veto power. As custom, all members of the Head of Council are bowed to in a sign of respect by all members of the Kycer.
[*][b]High Member of the Kycer[/b] - The highest offices of the Kycer, such as the administrative offices which follow the Head of Council and associated priests are considered the most important heads of the assembly. Normally living near or on the grounds of the assembly’s grounds, the higher members tend to meander and discuss law. They mainly exist as a federal role in the government in most circumstances.
[*][b]Lower Member of the Kycer[/b] - The lowest members of the Kycer, usually representative bodies and guards of the Kycer itself is a position which inhabits ‘above nobles, below leaders’ kind of position. Informally, they are the most minor positions of the assembly itself, but are formally considered a high position in Kerkian society. Most lesser members do the wet work that higher members do not do, and act as a state role in government.
[*][b]Clergy[/b] - Although all members of the Kycer are clergy, informally the true clergy of Caslan are within its temples and amongst the more ceremonial roles within the Kycer. Clergy still play a significant role in administration, as their authority and faith are the backbone of the power of the Kycer itself. Clergy have a significant social role in the lives of Caslan and are ultimately informal leaders. In all but name, the clergy of Caslan are often its most influential leaders in the Kycer.
[*][b]Zupan[/b] - Zupans are the landed nobility of the Kerks, at least in comparison to those landed nobility. Zupans often are the most powerful patriarchs of a region, having authority and power over smaller aligned clans. Zupans have some general say in local as much as national politics, and often are in ceaseless opposition to the religious authorities. Zupans swear fealty to the Kycer, who in turn grant them titles over the regions they rule. Zupans act as ‘guardians’ of the Kycer’s republican traditions, who tolerate their monarchy over their fellow Kerks.
[/list]

[color=chocolate][b]Specialist Caste[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Patriarch[/b] - In Kerkian society, the Patriarch is the clan’s leader. Chosen by the previous patriarch, the clan leader is the ruler of the entire family and makes decisions on behalf of the clan. Although all patriarches share power with an equally powerful matriarch, most clans have patriarches be their envoy and decision maker. Patriarches normally specialize in local politics as much as leading the family through crises. 
[*][b]Heir[/b] - Heirs are the inheritors of Kerkian titles, chosen by their superiors to inherit their positions and given the best in education and services to become as learned as possible before becoming Patriarchs and Zupans. It is crucial to note that Heirs are hand picked by their superiors, or by the clan itself, and do not inherit based on blood lines. Heirs tend to be the 2nd in command of a clan, being above captains and are highly respected. However, to keep themselves as heir for the clan, they must be constantly proving themselves to the family to keep their position, as it can be taken away at any time.
[*][b]Captain[/b] - Captains in Kerkian society are about the closest thing to knights they have, usually the higher positioned members of a Kerkian militia or a respectable position as an officer in a city or the Kycer. Normally a military position, Captains are often chosen by clans to lead, train, and arm the clan’s levies. Captains tend to be a close family of their respective clans, and their strongest warriors who in turn are granted better homes and lifestyles to better suit their position.
[*][b]Barun[/b] - Kerkian cities and larger towns are not directly ruled by a clan, but instead vote in a Barun. Baruns are small, meager leaders which is a title which is granted by the Kycer to rule over a city. They can be either a monarchy, republic, or theocracy. Baruns answer to the Kycer but have full reign over the city’s laws and organization, but must always bend the knee and pay taxes to the Kycer or the local Zupan.
[*][b]Craftsman[/b] - Craftsmen who make trade goods are considered a high position in Kerkian society, as not every Kerk is capable of learning such trades. Rather than working on their own, most Craftsmen live among their own family clans who help them provide resources and buy materials, often in return for a cut of their profits.
[*][b]Merchant[/b] - Kerkians are considered very poor merchants, which is why most Non-kerks who get to a higher position in society often become Caslan’s merchants. Elves and Okan buy from Kerkian clans and make deals with them to sell their products and raw resources they collect to the markets in return for a mutual and beneficial cut of profits.
[*][b]Scribe[/b] - Minor administrators and helpers of the temple priests are known as scribes and play a vital role in Kerkian society by providing meager and mundane rituals to the Kerkian clans. Often members of Kerkian clans, especially minor ones, scribes often leave the clans to get an education and then return to help organize the clan, figure out their taxes, and keep the clan in the good graces of the gods.
[/list]

[color=chocolate][b]Labor Caste[/b][/color]
[list]
[*][b]Clansman[/b] - Clansmen are the true citizenry of Kerkian society, being bound more so the clan rather than the Kycer itself. Born into individual clans, clansmen act as the laborers, soldiers, and toilers for all of Kerkia and do so for very little pay and reward. Effectively peons to their own families, most Clansmen own no land of their own and live entirely at the whims of their clan. Living without a clan is considered a death sentence for many Kerks.
[*][b]Non-Kerk[/b] - Although socially below the clansmen, being a Non-Kerk in Caslan is not considerably bad. Most Non-Kerks may not have a large amount of land, but they are considered commoners in Kerkian society. Commoners often find work much harder to come by, but it also allows them to buy their own plots of lands and homes within cities to specialize their trades. Most Non-Kerks are unfavored in politics, and the social ladder is often denied to them. However, universally, Non-Kerks live better and more stable lives than that of common Kerkian clansmen.
[*][b]Foreigner[/b] - Kerkians have a strange view of foreigners in most cases, often depending on what non-Caslan citizens interact with. Kerkian clans automatically view foreigners with suspicion and doubt, and do not care if they disappear, get robbed, or get captured by another clan. Foreigners are demanded to follow Kerkian laws, and are not treated differently from the Kerks themselves.
[*][b]Slave[/b] - Being a slave is a lifelong position for most, and a miserable one at that. Slaves are owned by their masters who can generally do with them as they please, but there are social norms and regulations which prevent true cruelty. Most slaves in Caslan are put into slum shacks, and are more or less property of an entire clan or city, with personal servants often being reserved for members of the clergy or the zupans. Slaves can buy their freedom, or earn it, but it's a very rare occurrence. Slaves are motivated often to do so, as slaves who have children in captivity will have those children also grow up to become slaves themselves.
[/list]

[color=chocolate][b]Kycer Assembly[/b][/color]
The Kycer’s assembly gathers all at once in a singular meeting. Although all members of the Kycer are priests, these priests are best thought of as regional representatives for individual clans, territories, and cities. At the head of this assembly is the Heads of Council, for which there are two. There is the Head of Council and the lesser Head of Assembly. Both are co-rulers of the Kycer. Each Head of Council had a group of administrators and clerks known as the Body of Council, who were also elected upon. Each district and region also elected a Ceremonial priest who would lead religious affairs in the Kycer alongside the Minor Priests, the main voting body of the Assembly. Minor priests were voted on by a national assembly, and there were only 18 of them at a time. The assembly also has a ‘shadow assembly’ which meets beneath them, which is made up of Caslan’s Zupans.

[color=chocolate][b]Kycer Voting[/b][/color]
Voting on members of the Assembly is a months long process, usually around a month of preparation and a month of actual voting. The Kycer allows almost universal (and weighed) voting all across society, the only requirement is for those who do vote to appear before the temples to cast it. The system allows nearly everyone to vote; free and slave, rich and poor, landed and unlanded. Even foreigners and non-citizens can vote, as the Gyloism religion views voting as a sacred art. Necromancers oversee the entire voting process, and once a vote is casted, the necromancer creates a temporary magical symbol on the palm of the voter’s hand so that they do not cast their vote twice. Patriarches, zupans, clergy are a higher vote, their casted vote counts as 2. Normal clansmen and citizens count as 1, with slaves being counted as half a vote. Foreigners who vote tend to only count as 1/10th of a vote. It is important to note that during voting, slaves who intend to vote are herded by a special group of necromancers and their undead guards into groves, so that their vote is not interrupted or overseen by their masters.

[color=chocolate][b]Kycer Law Making[/b][/color]
How the Kycer works is considerably strange, being a republic first and foremost, but also the official clergy of the country as well. The Kycer has a set date of 5 until all positions which aren’t the Zupan’s assembly are put up for voting. Members of the Kycer can be voted on several times over. When the Kycer votes, it will do a ‘talley by popularity’ where there is only a 50% majority needed to pass laws. There are speeches and discussions held beforehand before legislation is passed, but there is a moment before major discussion where a ‘gallery of vetoes’ is held. If the Legislation is considered destabilizing or simply bad, the Heads of Council can automatically veto the vote. However, the Ceremonial Priests can also veto the legislation as well, although they must have a 60% majority to do so. Minor priests and Zupans also have veto power, but their veto requires 80% veto power. When laws are passed, the legislation is then brought before shrines of the gods where laws are blessed by sacrifices and prayer, before it is made into law.

[color=chocolate][b]Kycer Institutions[/b][/color]
Most Kerkian institutions are known as Bodies, which follow the administrations of new Heads of Body. The Body of Study handles most administrative costs and affairs, along with the collection of court documentation. The Body of Enforcement handles the defense of the Kycer, and promotes members of the Kycer to become generals. The Body of Rituals performs the religious rites and establishes the chosen gods of the Kycer. Of the bodies, none is more important than the Overwatch of Mel Coldfinger, who was granted a permanent and immortal stay in the Kycer as partial leader and watcher. Liches under Mel’s directorate are refused from stay in the Kycer itself, as only he and his scribes take a very hardline stance against any form of populism and radicalized behavior. When not around, this position is usually held by an equally immortal death knight, a lich associated with Mel, or the patriarch of the Coladdic clan itself. An Overwatch has considerable powers, such as war declaration, veto power, and the ability to just outright remove a member of the Kycer. However, the most important part of Overwatch is to keep the Kycer’s politics aligned and focused.
[/hider]
[h3][color=chocolate][b]Society[/b][/color][/h3]
[hider=Society]
[color=chocolate][b]Kerkian Inheritance[/b][/color]
Kerkian inheritance is a very important aspect of Kerkian life. When Patriarchs and Matriarchs die, their possessions and land cannot just go to their first born, since all Kerks are born in broods. Instead, each Kerkian clan picks their own heir. Kerkian patriarches choose the most competent and highly skilled of their family to become the next patriarches, with all others effectively being disowned. To the Kerks, being an heir is a cursed affair, as they become responsible for a lot of their family and the clan’s affairs. Kerks tend to choose only the best amongst a wide range of family members, with cousins and distant relatives who happen to live close by often having equal status of inheritance to even first born broods. When clan leaders die without naming an heir from their family, the clan often gets together to vote on who will become the heir instead. Due to this, Kerkians tend to lack major inheritance feuds with their siblings.

[color=chocolate][b]Adoption[/b][/color]
Kerkians have a very strange sense of family, but what often complicates these matters is how Kerkians adopt. Although some clans may care greatly about the purity of their bloodlines, most Kerks often care more about their dynasty and the success of their clan. The most infamous clans are the Geuders when it comes to this, which is why the clan is well known for adoption. Kerkians will adopt virtually anyone, and anything into their clans. Kerkians of others clans, disillusioned bandits, Non-Kerk orphans, nearly anyone can be adopted into a Kerkian clan. Often, these adoptions are without a lot of flare, but the adoption process often adds the surname of that new member into the clan as a full fledged member. These adoptions can also happen at nearly any age, with it not being uncommon for Kerks to simply adopt into their families to extend their own influence. Non-Kerks who get adopted into a clan are often identified by having them wear the clan’s colors on handkerchiefs, scarfs, or small demands of clan pride emblazoned onto armor and weapons they carry.

[color=chocolate][b]Clan Autonomy[/b][/color]
Kerks are notorious for being difficult to rule, an issue the Kerks solved long ago by trying to not rule their people as much as trying to deal with them. Kerks are fiercely territorial, so to get around this the Kycer effectively rules through bread rather than iron. The Kycer collects taxes by convincing the clans of the Kycer’s divine authority, and promotes powerful Zupans to rule over the Kerks in their name. The clans often are avoided whenever possible, allowed to have their own laws and rules, and to feud amongst each other so long as they do not harm the cities and temples. Clans respect these rules, which causes the Kycer and the clans to walk a very fine line. Zoning and negotiations are crucial for the Kycer’s survival, and having a good relationship with each clan helps Caslan in both the short and long term. However, some clans are notoriously cynical and difficult to rule, and when some clans get out of line, they may be subject to being purged by the Kycer.

[color=chocolate][b]Secular vs Religious Rule[/b][/color]
The difficulties of the question ‘Is the Kycer as theocracy, or a republic’ has haunted the theocratic republic since its conception. Officially, the Kycer considers itself a republic. Informally, it is a theocracy with extra steps. Priests are still priests, and Caslan society often votes not on who will represent them, but what clan will be the one to make sacrifices to the gods. Most Kerks view the Kycer as little more than a temple, and that their lives are more ruled by the Zupans. However, the reality often is that the Zupans answer to the Kycer and obey their laws and edicts. The Zupans would love nothing more than to break away from the Kycer, but the reality often is that they need the Kycer a lot more than the Kycer needs them. The power of religion and its effects also afflicts the local political scene, where zealous priests are considered equal in politics to genuine lawmakers.

[color=chocolate][b]Clan Moots[/b][/color]
Kerkian clans feud with one another very often, and they feud so much that their wars can devastate regions. In order to prevent this, Kerkian clans hold Moots where patriarches of the entire region gather together to discuss peace and the troubles of their clan. These Moots are often temporary, and are very much a minor form of governance. However, these patriarches often meet to grant their loyalty to a Zupan, discuss ceasefires, and complain amongst themselves. Moots can often help end disputes, but they are not a sure thing, and can often very quickly backfire. This is often why when a Moot is formed, they invite the region’s Zupan or a member of the Kycer to act as arbitrators in these meetings. 

[color=chocolate][b]Zupanships[/b][/color]
Zupans are effectively the Kerkian version of landed nobility, often large estate owners who demand the fealty of others. The main difference however is that most Zupans are just very powerful and old clans, whose patriarches effectively made up their title to hold some authority over smaller clans. Zupans have some very limited, but crucial authority over a region. Zupanships tend to be very shaky at best, their authority coming from their relationship with the Kerkian clans themselves as much as their wealth and military might. Zupanships can shift often based on the mood of the Kycer, as well as the Zupan’s power. Zupans have a very limited, but crucial, authority in the Kycer itself and act as a monarchal bulwark against theocratic designs. 

[color=chocolate][b]Familicide and Proscriptions[/b][/color]
The society of feuding clans and brutality amongst the Kerks results in a very unfortunate aspect of Kerkian society; the use of purges and familicide to secure stability. Hostile clans, especially those who do not bend their knee to the Kycer, are subject to extermination at the hands of the Kycer and its allied Zupans. To the Kerks, such things are normal, as the system of family which can extend to many clans can quickly result in a severe internal conflict which can engulf an entire region if hostile families continue to thrive. These purges are not considered personal, and as a normal part of Kerkian life and governance. This practice unfortunately is followed on over for peoples to a lesser extent.
[/hider]
[/hider]