[h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Religion[/color][/b][/i][/h2] [hider=Religion] [h3][color=chocolate][b]Theology[/b][/color][/h3] [Hider=Theology] [color=chocolate][b]Gyloism[/b][/color] Gyloism is a very cynical, polytheistic faith for which is tied to the subsets of three gods who are in a ceaseless war with one another. It is believed that a great creator, a singular and vile entity known as Uthena. Uthena created the sun, stars, and moon and carved flesh into her legs to form the Viyter. The Viyter created the mortal plane of existence, and had children known as the Barkotar. The Barkotar, in their oppression, destroyed Uthema and ate of her flesh, becoming gods themselves. The war between the Viyter and Barkotar was earth shattering, and the blood of that war flowed into the streams and bore the Se’muthar. The Se’muthar’s ‘disposal’ would become the mortal beings of the world. The Barkotar, taking pity on mortal beings, tricked the Viyter into a contract for which they would spare mortals in return for worship and reverence. These gods have since lived in a constant state of fighting one another, endlessly feuding to try to one up one another. [color=chocolate][b]The Viyter (Mountain Gods)[/b][/color] The Viyter are the eldest, and the most evil, of the gods of the Goyloist faith. The Viyter lived in the highest mountains and were the sons and daughters of the god Uthena, the creator of the mortal world, and built much of the world in their mother’s name. The mountain gods live in the mountains high and above in an unknown land, and whose great castles live in clouds. It is said they feast on the life of the mortal world in fall and their refuse is the snows that come in winter, for they are cruel and angry at all times towards mortals and care little for them. The Viyter are the ones who grant mortals the gifts of snow, ice, and stone in return for their eternal servitude in death. [list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Pelka[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] High Places, Mountains, Cliffs, Avalanches, Passes, Tolls, and Taxes [*]Pelka is the queen of the Viyter, and the heir of Uthena. Pelka is a goddess who lives in a vast stone fortress above the clouds and made all the mountains of the world, and despises all who live within it. Pelka despises mortals the most of the Viyter and demands much of them, and made the idea of taxes to spread amongst mortals out of spite, so that they would give her tribute if they dared pass through her mountains and domain. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Vicera[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Lust, vodka, wildness, drunkeness, cruelty, parties, gatherings, and berries [*]Vicera is the goddess of parties in the Gyloist faith, a beautiful woman depicted with a goat’s head and a bull’s hooves who pranced about changing gender and shape to all who saw her. Vicera was said to join amongst all parties, encouraging rowdy behavior and cruelly tearing apart relationships in fits of joy. Her blood was spilled in war, which grew to become berries. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Tencha[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Homes, structure, earthquakes, floods, disaster, castles, siege weapons, arrows, and rockslides [*]Tencha is both destroyer and builder, whose work was stolen by mortals to build their homes and castles. Tencha hated this and drove rocks into rivers so they would flood the lands of mortals, and tore apart the earth so that mortals could not copy his designs. Tencha hated all mortal kinds, and only granted peace to those who worshipped him. It was said he granted invaders the secrets of siege weapons so they could invade the land and hinder all who made walls and keeps without his blessing. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Garga[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Magic, arcane power, elemental power, fire, storms, lightning, sound, and witchcraft. [*]Garga is the only ‘good’ Viyter in most ways, having eagerly granted mortals the secrets of magic and seduced the first priesthoods to being given children who would spread her gift abroad. Garga hates mortals who abuse her magic and do not respect the gifts she gives, and sends onto them storms and fire. Garga in legend is said to tempt the clergy and necromancers to turning away from their faith and embracing a wilder form of magic, one which bind them to her will, where she tortures their immortal souls to feed her spells and power. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Toruv[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Law, Order, Kings, Hierarchy, Slavery, Soldiers, Smiths, Shackles, Bondage, Brokenness, Judgement [*]Toruv is a being who took the most interest in mortals amongst the Viyter, who built a realm in the mountains, an ordered society which had rules, laws, and enforcement which was copied amongst all realms of the Viyter. Toruv made rules and laws inherent in all mortals, and showed mortals how to make chains to imprison and enslave others just as the gods do. Toruv in turn demands a tribute of souls to feed into his empire in the sky. In legend, Toruv showed a spiritual slave how to smith and make tools, which when this spirit escaped, possessed the first Kerkian smith who made tools and weapons for the Kerks. When this spirit returned to Toruv’s realm, it was bound into a dungeon and forced to watch all wars ever committed by its actions for showing the Kerks the power of smithing. [/list] [/list] [color=chocolate][b]The Barkotar (The Tree Gods)[/b][/color] The Barkotar were the children of the Viyter who were hated by their parents and were forced into the menial labor of populating the world. The Barkotar are considered ‘the disgusting but good’ gods of the faith, having the most empathy towards creations and are the most associated with Kerkian culture and worship, but were also the most vile in many instances since it was the Barkotar who showed the Kerks the secrets of necromancery. The Barkotar are the enemies of the Viyter and remain in a frosty relationship with the Se’muthar. They are said to live close to mortals, living in the forests, underneath them, or in the world of shadow. The closest one came to the Barkotar was during the night, where most of their rituals were held. [list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Nausarine[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Dreams, Night, Darkness, Secrets, Thievery, Altruism, Poverty, Isolation, and Prophecy [*]Nausarine is the head god of the Barkotar, and is chiefly worshipped like most Barkotar. Nausarine is special, and is said to live primarily in a world of dreams, taking those who swear their souls to him to these dream lands. Nausarine is generally considered merciful but had kept to itself, even once having believed that it preferred not to be worshipped, and took no mortal form. Nausarine was said to spread its children, the shadows of the world, across all worlds where it learned its secrets. Nausarine was said to steal magic from the god Garga and grant her mastery onto certain mortals, and granted it’s most profound secrets to Melakos. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Saokuv[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Death, Decay, Peace, Forests, Rot, Mushrooms, Fungus, Disease, Plague, Necromancery [*]Saokuv is the god of necromancery in the faith. Saokuv made the world of the dead, and built the forests and deep caves of the world. Saokuv taught the first necromancers the power to raise the dead, and how to control them, a gift for their services. Saukov had the form of an upright and decaying stag who’s touch brought death and advanced decay, covered in fungus and plagued flies. Saokuv was said to grant favor to the Kerks, giving them their immunity to plague and making plagues so that their enemies would be lessened in number. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Tenera[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] War, Tactics, Luck, Rain, Growth, Life, Fertility, Butchery, Spears [*]Tenera is a goddess of war, depicted as a strong spear wielding maiden and is a warrior whose tales were filled with legend. Tenera was said to make her spear, Gytherya, from the metal from a volcano. Tenera was said to have destroyed a race of mountain giants who were built to destroy mortal kind, and whose tactics and trickery granted her reverence. She is said to have made the edible food of the world and taught mortals how to cultivate crops. Tenera is as much a god of war as she is a god of crops, and for this both soldiers and farmers. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Melakos[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Books, Learning, Knowledge, Unknowns, Forgetfulness, Libraries, History, Time, Immortality [*]Melakos is the dragon god, a god who is associated heavily with learning and time, and is considered the god of the Liches. Melakos is better known as the patron god of Mel Coldfinger, depicted as a great dragon. Melakos was born of Pelka and stole from her the knowledge of the world and built a library for all the Barkotar to learn from, and delivered the final blow on Uthena. Melakos is said to be the most gifted of the Barkotar, and created a wheel of time for the god Saokuv so that he would know when mortals could die. It is said that Mel Coldfinger made a pact with Melakos for immortality in return for restoring knowledge onto all mortal kind, and collecting the knowledge for the Kerks. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Nurazul[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Love, Brotherly Love, Marriage, Families, Flowers, Murder, Emotion, Madness [*]Nurazul is the ancient mistress of love and emotion, a family god who is depicted as a faceless crone. Nurazul was born of a love between Vicera and the trees, but unlike her mother who only lusted for things, Nurazul loved and cared deeply for others, and married her beloved Saokuv. She gave the dark being many sons and daughters to love, each died upon birth, but each became powerful minor deities to the ants, birds, and beetles of the world. Nurazul is deeply associated with emotion, including more negative aspects, such as murder and insanity, and she curses mortals who abuse their love for others with fits of rage and deep sorrow. Nurazul is blamed for having granted the Kerks their aggression, a curse for which was brought on by an abuse given to her while traveling amongst them in mortal form. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Pe’van[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Savagery, Beasts, Birds, Marshlands, Tameness, Pets, Cattle, Grazing, Horses, Horsemanship. [*]Pe’van is a being who is a beast and a god, taking the body of a bear, the head of a toad, the arms of a lion, and the legs of a horse. Pe’van is said to have horns which grow and twist across all the world, and hunts in the deep woods, and is associated heavily with hunting and meat. Pe’van is considered primarily a god of granted onto mortals the power to tame animals it had shepherded, such as the dog and horse. Pe’van was once wrestled by a legendary priest who granted the priest the ability to speak the tongues of animals. Pe’van is considered the father of all ‘beast races’. [/list] [/list] [color=chocolate][b]The Se’muthar (The Water Gods)[/b][/color] During the war for creation, the Se’muthar were born of the blood and gore spilled amongst the Viyter and the Barkotar which spilled into the rivers and seas, and born gods who took on forms more familiar to mortals. Se’muthar live in underwater cities made of coral and shipwrecks, surrounded by the bloated dead and fish. Se’muthar are the creators of all mortal kinds and animals, their ‘disposal’ became the flesh from which mortal kind sprung from. While Pe’van is considered a creator of ‘beast races’ in the world, the Se’muthar are the beings who made mortals such as mankind, elves, dwarves, and the Kerks. Se’muthar demand worship, but are neutral in the affairs of mortals, viewing them as little more then future slaves to their domains. [list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Okatugar[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domains:[/b] Sea, Wind, Ships, Galleys, Gulls, Sand, Sinkholes, Trade, Coin [*]Okatugar is a leader of the Se’muthar who leads the Se’muthar and was the first born of their kind. Okatugar built a city from the lifeblood of those who fought, and made a throne from the bones of a fallen Barkotar. Okatugar is considered a father of elven kind. Okatugar gifted the mortals the ability to trade for a fair bargain, but also took away their ability to fully understand it when they tried to trick him into giving away more secrets. Okatugar is said to grant an audience only to his favored priests, and turn those who trespass on his domain into golden statues. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Gaivya[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Innovation, Exploration, Settlement, Fish, Rivers, Swamps, Bridges, Otters [*]Gaivya is the goddess of exploration and general curiosity, but is generally considered to be a river god, more associated with more positive aspects. She is said to be a mother of mankind, and encouraged her children to learn and explore. Gaivya’s greatest gift was said to be the bridge and the otter, which she granted onto the Kerks, granting them furs and meat for their clans and bridges to cross the river without perishing. Gaivya was said to have taught mortals how to swim, and her generosity had made her well liked amongst mortals. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Kulchyaka[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Manslaughter, Beheadings, Bad Smells, Rabbits, Hunting, Nomadism, Hatred, Stags [*]The Kerks consider Kulchyaka to be their creator, and thus his physical appearance takes on a Kerkian form. Kulchyaka is a powerful deity in conflict with Gaivya, but did not grant Kerks aggression, but instead grant the Kerks the ability to kill during their fits of rage. He is said to have come in the form of a rabbit and bit into the neck of the first pregnant Kerk, giving them the ability to breed with many children. Kulchyaka cares little for his children and despises them, but as their parent gives them what they need to survive and protect them whenever viable. Kulchyaka is said to be spiteful of humanity, and turns men who harm his favored priests into Kerks and small woodland animals. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Mang[/b][/color] [list] [*]Domain: Moon, West, Tides, Currents, Drowning, Bloating, Shipwrecks, Dread, Anxiety [*]Mang is the moon god, who was said to dredge up the moon from beneath the ocean and made his home in the sky to escape the drama of the other gods. In his legend, Mang is a western god who takes the moon for rides around the world, and hates mortals deeply for disturbing his rest. In turn, he steals away fishermen and drowns them, wrecks their ships, and bloats their corpses in shallow water. Mang is not considered an evil god however, and is more of a cautionary one, who destroys those who disturb his domain. Mang is in constant conflict with ocean god Okatugar, who is said to always be usurping his domains. Kerks believe the Moon is a realm full of shipwrecks and dead sailors who live in poverty and misery under Mang’s tyranny. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Turzanchya[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Coves, Natural Ports, Lobster, Crabs, Seals, Sharks, Teeth, Fruits [*]Turzanchya is a god of coves and sea mammals, but is more associated as a god of prosperity, fruit, and teeth. Turzanchya granted mortals teeth and taste, allowing them to enjoy and despise what they hate, but in turn stole their ability to live without food so that they would always be hunting in his domain. He uses this to entrap mortals, demanding their sacrifices for his fish and food, and is always lurking along the ports and sandy beaches, making contracts and deals with mortals. He is said to have a special love of fishermen, whom he makes absurd deals with, turning them into crabs when they fail his missions and tasks. [/list] [*][color=chocolate][b]Pelchigar[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Domain:[/b] Dragons, Monsters, Invasion, Massacre, Tombs, Graves, Conflict, Armies [*]Pelchigar is a war god who is a mother of monsters and a bloodthirsty monster, a murderer who is said to nearly killed the Viyter god Tencha when she invaded his home and stabbed him. Pelchigar herself was slain however, but was incapable of dying, and was sealed away in a tomb where she could slumber. Plechigar is best known as a god of invaders, and her rumblings inside her tomb are blamed for the Kerkian exodus into their homeland. It is said she is guarded over by Turzanchya, who guards her tomb personally. [/list] [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Beliefs[/b][/color] Beliefs vary in the Gyloist faith, but in general, the Gyloists believe above all is the cruelty of the gods and the demanding nature of life. Gyloists do not view life with the same reverence as others, and instead view it as but a short stepping stone before the plunge into a worse world thereafter, but will worship the gods for a meager chance at power and a better outcome in the world after. Gyloists worship their gods for the power the gods supposedly provide, and because it is tradition. Only the priesthood can divine the signs of the gods, and can make sacrifices on their behalf. Gyloists believe that once one dies, the soul automatically leaves the body, and that soul goes into the realms of one of the three sets of gods. [color=chocolate][b]Magic[/b][/color] Gyloist magic is varied, with various schools which reach into partial druidism and the arcane, but its most important lores of magic is curses and necromancery. Gyloists have no intolerance towards any schools of magic, viewing it as a gift of their gods, and those who can practice it as being touched by those gods. Necromancery is fairly self explanatory, the art of bringing the dead to life, and to serve their necromantic masters as undead servants. Cursing is an art, a usually very dark art, in which the Gyloist necromancer will create a powerful brand onto the soul of their victim, infusing them with a magical malus which harms them in differing ways, or even bends reality around them to inconvenience them. Curses tend to be expensive and long lasting. The most powerful forms of magic, and the most difficult to obtain, is the lore of Lichcraft, the art of soul transfer. [color=chocolate][b]Views on Slavery[/b][/color] Gyloists have a rather unique view on slavery, which is engrained in the religion itself. Much of what a Gyloist does in their life is a reflection of their gods and ancient superstitions, and thus just as the gods enslave one another or the souls of mortals, so can the Gyloists enslave others. This view does have a unique limit to it, for Gyloists also believe they must become ‘better’ or ‘outdo’ their own gods in order to not become like them. Slaves are not seen as much as property or as inhuman, but are more seen as forced laborers and serfs who toil for their masters. Gyloists tend to be taught by the priests to be kinder then normal to their slaves, and to respect their wants and needs for freedom without giving them that freedom. [color=chocolate][b]Views on Sexuality[/b][/color] Gyloist views on sexuality are considered very warped and weird, even for a polytheistic religion which doesn’t initially care for it. Gyloists hold legends of their gods having marriages between the male and female gods, and thus just as the gods have these marriages, so do they. Gyloists have no real opinion on relationships outside of heterosexuality, but view it as a very minor taboo. This minor taboo is at best shunned or encouraged to stop, but it often depends on the relationship between Gyloists. Gyloists believe that both sexes are equal, but there are vague concepts of what is considered masculine and femenine. This often means there are some gender roles in Gyloist faith, but when it comes to political or economic matters, both sexes are considered on equal footing. [color=chocolate][b]Views on Other Religions[/b][/color] Gyloists view other faiths as interconnections of their own, and this is due to their founding myths as their own gods having created all the world and those within it. Other gods in the mind of Gyloist believers are minor gods, or are misattributed gods. These minor gods can have hundreds of explanations, but the Gyloists view these gods with similar reverence as their own. However, the Kerks only respect the rituals and practices of their own religion, and view outside gods and practices of other religions as inherently inferior to their own. Even if a god is considered one in the same with a Gyloist god, that god is worshipped in the Gyloist way. [color=chocolate][b]Views on Knowledge and Magic[/b][/color] Gyloism is deeply entrenched in knowledge and the use of magic, having a full acceptance of all forms of magic. To the Gyloists, the preservation of knowledge is a sacred act, and the truthful recording knowledge is seen as a divine means of honoring the best traits of the Gyloist gods. Knowledge is primarily associated with the favored gods of the Kerks, Melakos. Although Gyloist prefer the magic of necromancery, there is no magic that is considered too taboo for the Gyloists themselves. Magic such as light may be seen with some suspicion, but all magic is seen as a blessing of the gods and thus is respected. Mages of other faiths are seen with similar reverence, but in a different aspect, as they see mages who worship different gods as cursed beings who were sent against the Gyloists as punishment from their own gods. [color=chocolate][b]Views on Apostasy, Heresy, and Atheism[/b][/color] Of one of the few things Gyloists do not tolerate at all is heresy and atheism, and is seen with utter disdain. Although the gods are cruel, breaking the sacred oath of divine reverence of them is seen as blasphemy. Thus, those who go against the temple’s beliefs or suggest the gods are unworthy of worship are despised. Apostasy is a different realm of its own, and its more a complex issue. Gyloists shun those who turn from their gods, but do understand fully that the point of their faith is rebellion against the gods who shun them back. Those who go the extra steps to come into their faith, only to leave it, are seen as weak and misguided. [/hider] [h3][color=chocolate][b]Religion[/b][/color][/h3] [hider=Religion] [color=chocolate][b]Clergy[/b][/color] Although there are novels that could be made on all the different types of clergy within the Gyloist faith, it is best described as a faith which is meant to be rather universal, and thus priests are not a special class above others as much as they are chosen from their community to represent them to their gods. Priests come in various classes, which is all connected to the Kycer itself. Clergy for the most part perform rituals and sacrifices to the gods, and in turn act as community leaders and studious priests. Clergy have a great deal of responsibility, answerable to both the community and the gods, but also having power over the community itself. Clergy are sacred, and the harm of one is considered a deep tragedy to the Gyloists who likely elected them to their positions within the Kycer. [color=chocolate][b]Believers[/b][/color] Those who have faith in Gyloism are known as Gyloists, although this is not a name they give themselves. Gyloists simply believe themselves as ‘religious’ or as ‘faithful’. Being Gyloist isn’t an identity, at least not initially, and is more of a belief in the ancient practices and mythology of Gyloist lore. Gyloists are not expected of much, but the requirements are to pray at shrines to the gods, a monthly sacrifice in the temple, and respect for members of the clergy. Gyloists otherwise do not have a lot of obligations outside of this, and are mostly free to do whatever. Clergy do not preach to their believers often other than to remind them of their religious obligations. [color=chocolate][b]Temples[/b][/color] Gyloist temples are normally small, but fairly tall, structures where the members of the clergy hide out alongside their libraries. Temples are where the priests make their rituals and dedicate themselves to making sacrifices to the gods. These sacrifices, usually grain or meat, or presented on small altars and burned, the smoke rising through chimneys to signify they had made the sacrifice. Temples do not initially dedicate themselves to singular gods, instead they have materials for the building of shrines dedicated to specific gods and decorate their temples in the fetishes and pictographs of their mythology. Each Gyloist temple has a large basement where the clergy live and stay in, alongside their servants. Larger temples make room for more intricate courtyards and studies, with larger populations making larger sacrifices within. [color=chocolate][b]Tomb Cities[/b][/color] Tomb Cities are massive stone structures, normally located in stone mountains or built into them, where the dead of the Gyloist faith are thrown into. Tomb Cities, as the name suggests, are massive temple cities dedicated to burial and are a popular haunt for the necromancers of the faith for obvious reasons. However, beyond this, the cities are major final rests for patriarches, Kerks of importance, and the mustering ground for the undead. Tomb Cities are always being expanded upon, usually by an undead workforce, which digs new tunnels and tombs beneath these massive complexes. On top, most Tomb Cities are built like fortresses, with entire castles and stone estates surrounding it and manned by the undead. The most famed Tomb City is the Tomb City of Scribes, a burial place for the Coladdic clan and the traditional assembly ground for the Kycer. Mel Coldfinger considers the Tomb City of Scribes to be his home, and his ‘formal library’. [color=chocolate][b]Holy Orders[/b][/color] There are several holy orders in the Gyloist faith, as different bands will sometimes solely dedicate themselves to individual gods. However, there is only one relevant order in the Gyloist faith; The Death Knights. Death Knights are Gyloist zealots who perform an ancient ritual known as the Sacrifice of Flesh, in which a necromancer oversees the zealot cut away pieces of their own flesh and are ‘healed’ by the necromancer. These Death Knights then are draped in a rainbow of cloth and granted a magic blade and given a spiritual quest to seek partial immortality by doing a quest for a god. These quests can go in many different directions, but normally, the quest is complete and the Death Knight returns with knowledge and zeal for which they join the Bylamen to serve the Kycer. [/hider] [/hider] [h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Economy[/color][/b][/i][/h2] [hider=Economy] [color=chocolate][b]Imports[/b][/color] [list] [*]Meat [*]Fruits [*]Beer [*]Copper [*]Spices [*]Silk [*]Dyes [*]Slaves [*]Bones [*]Peat [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Exports[/b][/color] [list] [*]Grain [*]Vodka [*]Fish [*]Shellfish [*]Leather [*]Iron [*]Gold [*]Paper [*]Stone [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Taxation[/b][/color] Taxation is a difficult issue for Caslan, primarily due to two major issues; The Kerks and the clan structures they live in. Taxation is shaky at best, often based on the relationship between the clans and their Zupans, and Zupans with the Kycer. The Kycer does not administer their own taxes, but instead gives the privilege to guilds who bid on how much taxes they can collect. Deeply unpopular, these tax collectors have to be well guarded as they collect taxes. Kerkian clans tend to be required to give the Caslan state with about 10% of their crop, or a coin equivalent. Taxes are then stored in one of the Tomb Cities where it is counted by the undead and then spent as a budget for the coming year, with the rest being saved. Zupans and cities also pay taxes into this general treasury, but their tax bracket is much higher, usually around 20%. [color=chocolate][b]Trade Policy[/b][/color] Kerkian trade policy is very lax, with Caslan ports being very open to trade with the outside world. Caslan authorities do not mind what is traded in their markets, so long as it makes money for them, and merchants are only subjected to the same equally lax laws of the Kerks. Caslan ports demand a moderate toll to be parked in their ports, with only some limited repair services for their stay. Caslan holds some authority to confiscate ships of merchants who had offended the Kycer. The only major restriction the Kerks have on trade is the sale of slaves to outsiders. Foreigners can sell slaves in Kerkian ports, and the Kerks will buy them, but the Kycer forbids the sale of slaves to outsiders and foreign markets. This is primarily due to the major restrictions set in place during the slave revolt. [color=chocolate][b]Caslan Gold and Iron Mines[/b][/color] In the central hills and mountains of Caslan has an obnoxious amount of gold and iron nodes, which were developed many times over. Although the Kerks have little use for gold, they mint it into coins and sold it to Orduin for many different resources. Iron is considered more valuable, and thus the iron mines of Caslan are more valued above its gold mines. While in theory this should make the island rich, the use of gold is so poorly used amongst the Kerks that they often just sell entire ingots to other nations or store them in huge vaults. Most of these mines are controlled by mining clans who sell solely to the Kycer, who handle any and all trade of iron and gold. [color=chocolate][b]Okan Fisheries and Seal Hunting[/b][/color] Despite being the least known, the most considerable industry on Caslan is controlled by the Okan. Okan mastered the building of fisheries, building truly impressive fish farms all along Caslan’s coastal villages, bringing a huge stock of food for Caslan. Okan Fisheries are professionally run, well stocked, and well supplied. Kerkian clans are rather infamous for trying to get into these industries by forcing Okan slaves to build new fisheries. Associated with fisheries is seal hunting, another Okan practice of hunting the native seals of the isle for meat, leather, and bones. This practice evolved into Kerkian hunting of seals, who quickly mastered the craft themselves. [color=chocolate][b]Kerkian Paper Industry[/b][/color] Kerkian paper is highly advanced and also a core part of Kerkian society, as books and knowledge keeping is an integral part of Kerkian society. Kerkian paper is a state industry, and is thus by nature also an industry primarily used by the clergy. Kerkian paper is absurdly easy to make, and also absurdly cheap and for the most part long lasting. Paper made by the Kerks is just superior in many ways, and its production is considered as state secret. This flourishing industry is controlled primarily by the Coladdic clan, and is the primary foundation of the Kycer’s economy. [color=chocolate][b]The Doil (Social Services)[/b][/color] The Doil is a Kycer institution which acts as a form of proto-social service to the people of Caslan. Each city has a special granary set aside to doll out grains and vegetables to struggling individuals and clans which may have fallen on hard times. Getting onto the Doil is easy, but this social service does come with consequences. Those who remain on the Doil for too long or are caught abusing it can be subject to horrifying consequences. These consequences can include being conscripted to serve the Doil in pseudo-slavery as a farmer who provides 90% of their crop to the Doil, or even being sold into slavery. The Doil has a weird way of lifting half of those put on it out of poverty, and the other half being put into further misery. [/hider] [h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Territory[/color][/b][/i][/h2] [hider=Territory] [h3][color=chocolate][b]Physical Terrain[/b][/color][/h3] Caslan is primarily a very alpine land, with a long snowy season and is very hilly. The island is home to a wide range of wildlife, with limited fertile plains, but is home to a very vibrant amount of sea life. Normally, the island has very dense forests, but the farther south one goes on the isle, the clearer it becomes. [hider=Physical Features] [img]https://i.imgur.com/aYXEPfSm.png[/img] [color=chocolate][b]Peninsula of Seals[/b][/color] Caslan’s northern coast is known as the Peninsula of Seals, which as the name suggests holds a sizable seal population. Most seal hunts take place here, and is generally considered the coldest region on the isle. The Peninsula of Seals is particularly unique in its terrain, as it has large and extensive beaches which go into small tundra plains before it heads into forests. In the central part of the peninsula is a massive series of hills and cliffs. [color=chocolate][b]Felgord Bay[/b][/color] South-west of Caslan is a long bay in which goes into more shallow water and smaller marshes. The Felgord Bay is a major trade port and shipyard, but is also treacherous to navigate for inexperienced sailors. Felgord Bay is known for the large amounts of shellfish which are farmed by local Okan communities which existed for thousands of years, and it is also known to be the main body of water which keeps the port city of Felgord afloat. [color=chocolate][b]Inner Highlands[/b][/color] Beneath the Barka mountains are the inner highlands, divided by the mountains between the north and southern side. The highlands jut up more so than other hills of Caslan, noticeably higher than other hills across the isle. The Inner Highlands is considered highly valued ground due to its large nodes of stone, iron, and gold. The highlands are normally also the stomping grounds of the Beurians, although their clans normally herd in the areas between the highlands and the forests. [color=chocolate][b]Barka Mountains[/b][/color] The Barka Mountains have various names depending on who is asked. To the Kerks, the Barka Mountains are known as the ‘God’s Realm’, who believe the mountain gods live upon. To the beastfolk, they are simply known as the Inner Mountains. The mountains are popular places to build the kerkian tomb cities, as the stone and relative isolation make them perfect for the clans to build the vast structures in, far off from clan conflict. [color=chocolate][b]Barka River[/b][/color] The eastern-most river which flows from the northern side of the Barka Mountains which flows into rapids and small waterfalls until it reaches the sea. The Barka River is usually difficult to navigate. [color=chocolate][b]Lake Fergar[/b][/color] Lake Fergar is Caslan’s only major lake, and is also its deepest lake as well. Not a lot is known about the lake, although it is heavily implied that it isn’t a naturally built lake at all. The Fergar river flows into the lake, and much of its terrain is weird. [color=chocolate][b]Fergar River[/b][/color] The Fergar river is a western most river which flows from the very southern end of the Barka mountains and into the Fergar lake, where it divides into two smaller tributaries into the sea. The Fergar river is usually very peaceful and easy flowing, but is also unnaturally shallow. Much like Lake Fergar, the river itself is considered abnormal. [color=chocolate][b]Sichok Fields[/b][/color] The Sichok fields is an abnormal field in southern Caslan which is simply an abnormal grassy field, with few trees and small forests. The field is strange for being very flat, and thus is also very windy. The field is considered the ‘safest’ area on the isle. [/hider] [h3][color=chocolate][b]Political Map[/b][/color][/h3] Caslan is divided more around generalized clans then formal realms, but a lot of the borders are also based on the old stomping grounds of Okan and Beurian kingdoms as well. Most villages may not always consider themselves in one territory or region, as clans usually build their own ‘borders’ based on clan alignment. [hider=Political Map] [img]https://i.imgur.com/8sG99Hym.png[/img] [color=chocolate][b]Astar[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Helgave [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Geuderian, Ulkad Okan, Elven [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Geuders [/list] Astar is formally the true ‘capital’ of Caslan, but is not the host of the Kycer itself. Astar is home of the infamous Geuder clan who settled the region and made the capital of Helgave its home. Astar is run more like a feudal territory then other parts of Caslan, and is highly developed despite it not being a center of trade for the island itself. The Geuders, an ancient family which is known for its feud with the equally ancient Coladdic clan, is famed for their military prowess and unity of their family. [color=chocolate][b]Telgan[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Kel Felgord [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Geuderian, Midad Okan, Beurian [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Elkwoods [/list] Telgan is one of the richer northern provinces, primarily thanks to the city of Kel Felgord. Telgan is famed for its iron and gold mines, as well as its impressive tomb cities, but is poorly developed. Much of the land is cultivated by beastfolk slaves, with Kel Felgord being a center of slavery itself with its large slave slums which surround the city. Telgan is ruled by the Elkwoods, a clan famed for its pragmatic approaches and their close relationship with the Geuders, whom they descend from. Elkwoods have a long standing feud with the Hazels, and often their large scale retaliations between each other has left Telgan in a state of trouble due to historic failures against them. [color=chocolate][b]Pemolas[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Kel Gaven [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Geuderian, Ulkad Okan, Elven [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Hazel [/list] Pemolas is one of the larger provinces and also the poorest of Kerkia’s provinces, with few resources and little development. However, Pemolas is also the youngest province, its identity tied to the upstart clan known as the Hazels. The Hazels are unique in many circumstances, being dubiously pragmatic in war, and also deeply honorable. Unnaturally kind to non-kerks, the province of Pemolas is also the most unified. The Hazels are very skilled generals and warlords, having beaten the more richer Elkwoods in fight after fight. Pemolas use to be divided between the Geuders and the Elkwoods, which is why neither clan likes the Hazels, but only the Geuders gave up on trying to reclaim their lands and openly embraced the Hazels as apart of their family. [color=chocolate][b]Ushas[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Ferdgave [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Coladdic, Landdaric, Human, Tannad Okan, Beurian [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Pinewoods [/list] Ushas is a very diverse region with many different cultures and kerks which intermingle in the general area. The region is interlocked between the Coladdic and Landdaric, and is enriched off its vodka production. Ushas however is also deeply divided between Humans, Okan, and Beurians who all openly despise one another, giving the local Kerks the awkward position of policing them. Ushas is ruled by the ever troubled Pinewoods, a diplomatic family which is associated with the Coladdic, but has major sympathies with the Geuderians and Landdaric. [color=chocolate][b]Nasklan[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Kel Dargath [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Geuderian, Norad Okan, Elven [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Hydov [/list] Nasklan is the northernmost province on the Peninsula of Seals, and relies heavily on its fisheries and seal hunting for its economy. Although enriched by this trade, Nasklan is also horribly underdeveloped, leading to the region to be plagued by the undead. Nasklan is home to the largest elven population on the isle, along with the largest metal craftsmanship industries along with it. Nasklan is famed for its armored warriors and raiding musters, and its general isolation keeps the land far away from the troubles of Kerkian politics. It is ruled by the Hydov family, a Geuderian aligned family which are extremely distant relatives. The Hydovs tend to value their relationship to the Okan, much like the Hazels, and thus often tend to adopt them into their own family. Hydovs are also the only Kerkian clan to have a tomb city lost to them, and often are looked down upon for this. [color=chocolate][b]Hilgas[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Kel Loch [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Coladdic, Midad Okan, Beurian [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Coladdic/Coldfinger [/list] Hilgas is not the heart of Caslan, and is a deeply under developed land, despite what the Coladdic think of it. Hilgas is the host of the Kycer, with many of its tomb cities, mines, and paper industries within it. The city of Kel Loch however is Caslan’s smallest city, and the deep wilderness is ruled almost primarily by the Beurians. Despite this, it is the land inhabited by the Coldfinger clan. The Coldfingers is the tribe of Mel, although the name Coladdic and Coldfinger may as well mean the same thing. The clan is highly influential, deeply religious, and also stupidly conservative. Coladdic, while also being the general name of the culture most associated with them, is also highly devolved to the general groups of clans which provide priests to the Kycer. [color=chocolate][b]Fesdan[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Gangave [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Coladdic, Midad Okan, Beurian [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Gasner [/list] Fesdan is Kerkian’s eastern most province and also one of its poorest. Fesdan doesn’t have a lot to trade, but it does have a lot of settled Beurians who work as laborers. Poorly populated, the region is deeply religious and conservative, and its main goal for years was the construction of a tomb city for its Zupan. Fesdan is ruled by the Gasners, a smaller clan which broke off from the Coladdics and founded Gangave. Gangave used to be an Okan city, but was brutalized and destroyed, and was rebuilt by the Gasners. Although the clan is dedicated to religious affairs, their true main goal has been construction. [color=chocolate][b]Lowglan[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Kel Trach [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Landarric, Soukad Okan, Human [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Brav [/list] Lowglan is the only major province owned by the Landarric Kerks, and is also a center of trade. Lowglan is strange, being not the richest Kerkian province, or even the most developed, but being a busy port for which trade comes in. Kel Trach is also Caslan’s largest city, and this is primarily because of the Port Pact with Orduin. Kel Trach is littered with drydocks, warehouses, and houses Caslan’s fleet. It is ruled by the prestigious Brav family, one of Caslan’s richest families. The Bravs often are considered a very neutral family, who openly do not involve themselves in the Kycer, and often are diplomatic to outside forces to better help their trade. [color=chocolate][b]Olgan[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Capital[/b] - Port Uvan [*][b]Cultures[/b] - Landarric, Soukad Okan, Human [*][b]Ruled By[/b] - Council of Uvan [/list] Olgan has a strange history, as Uvan use to be primarily an Okan city which was protected by the Ferdgave rivers which acts as a barrier to its core lands. Fertile and highly valued, Olgan was eventually settled by a group of feuding Kerkian clans and the port city sat as another province of Lowglan. However, Olgan eventually exploded into violence, and the Zupans were ousted. The Kycer put a small group of Baruns in charge of the region, who have remained in power since, a separate republic which is run much like a miniature Kycer within Olgan. This small republic is effectively run by peasants, and is one of the freest (and richest) regions in Caslan due to its farms and fields. [/hider] [h3][color=chocolate][b]Monsters and Beasts[/b][/color][/h3] Necromancery and curses have a very bad habit of producing what the Kerks refer to as ‘blights’, a ceaseless array of cursed and undead creatures which arise naturally that inhabit Caslan’s countryside. Careless necromancers are often to blame for raising these abominations and not putting them down, and will occasionally cause trouble. [hider=Monsters and Beasts] [color=chocolate][b]Husk[/b][/color] When Necromancers gather bodies, the usually dry and decaying bodies are collected into pits within the Tomb Cities and raised as Husks. Husks are abnormal zombies, as Husks are not a single undead entity, but rather several. Organs, dismembered limbs, and skeletal fragments all are jumped to life to form a full Husk. These creatures are unnaturally difficult to destroy, and can use various body parts to better kill their prey. Husks tend to ‘eat’ their prey, which is used to regain and assimilate body parts into themselves to remain whole. Husks tend to be slow moving, but unlike Lyches, are not vulnerable to fire. [color=chocolate][b]Revenant[/b][/color] Revenants are cursed beings, who die either so angry and so betrayed that instead of dying outright, they will continue to rise up from the dead till they are appeased. Revenants are unnaturally born undead, usually the product of necromantic spells or powers. Revenants cannot die, but instead will arise regardless of circumstance or destruction to continually hunt their prey. Revenants also are partly intelligent, but are so single minded that they cannot be reasoned with. Revenants cannot be truly destroyed till either their victims is dead, or are appeased in some other manner. Normal ways to deal with Revenants is by sealing them away to a point they cannot possibly escape. Necromancers usually advise not trying to destroy Revenants, as each time they return, they tend to grow more stronger, horrifying, and resilient. [color=chocolate][b]Bog Lych[/b][/color] Lyches are basically mummified corpses which are brought back as undead stalkers and murderers which haunt their prey. Bog Lyches are variants of mummified remains of those who drowned in bogs, and arise from them. Bog Lyches, like most, tend to remain near graves unless summoned by necromancers or controlled by them. Bog Lyches are the weakest of the Lyches, but are also the most stalkerish, and are unknown to ambush by bursting from the ground and dragging their victims into the bog itself. Like all Lyches, they are usually very vulnerable to fire. [color=chocolate][b]Drowned Lych[/b][/color] Lyches are basically mummified corpses which are brought back as undead stalkers and murderers which haunt their prey. Drowned Lyches are somewhat mummified remains of those who drowned, and bloat inside watery groves until they are attracted by prey. The Drowned are most easy to spot, as they are the slowest and most deformed of the Lyches. Drowned are also the hardest to kill. Drowned Lyches are mortifyingly difficult to kill by normal means, as they rarely ever leave the water where they are at an advantage. Although immune to fire while underwater, they are surprisingly easy to set aflame, with their entire bodies bursting into flames when outside the water. [color=chocolate][b]Mountain Lych[/b][/color] Lyches are basically mummified corpses which are brought back as undead stalkers and murderers which haunt their prey. Mountain Lyches are mummified remains of ice bound bodies which died in the icey hills and mountains, basically ice mummies who had frozen in place. Mountain Lyches are terrifying enemies, being able to casually appear from the ice and attack without warning. Although easy enough to kill, their claws can cause almost instant frostbite. Mountain Lyches are dormant normally, but unlike other Lyches can ‘move’, usually towards colder climates if their old graves become too ‘busy’ or warm. [color=chocolate][b]Rot King[/b][/color] A weapon of the defensive necromancer, Rot Kings are unique undead abominations which are guardians of Necromancer tombs, but also a sign to not trespass on their groves and studies. Rot Kings are bodies infused with undead biting insects and flies, which swarm inside and around the body as a mass. These Rot Kings are held together by a magic cloak which raises dead insects around it to join in the Rot King’s festering. These beings act as turrets, sending out the swarm of biting insects to tear into enemies with horrifying results. Without the use of magical means or an absurd amount of fire, Rot Kings normally can just decimate bandits or adventuring raiders who disturb a Necromancer who had built it. [color=chocolate][b]Rat King[/b][/color] Rat Kings work in a similar way to Rot Kings, except the main difference is that undead rodents and small critters are used. While not as effective, their construction and use is very different. Rat Kings are built in cities and tomb cities as guardians and as patrolling abominations to attack would be thieves. Necromancers usually do not build Rat Kings normally, but only during a time of emergency, as the undead abominations do not always differ between enemy and neutral targets. Rat Kings are often sometimes used for more nefarious purposes, deployed in rural settings to cause chaos or to attempt assassinations of a Necromancer’s enemies. Rat Kings are considerably easier to kill then Rot Kings, but are a lot more devastating in general. [color=chocolate][b]Vaymar[/b][/color] The Vaymar are cursed vampires, cursed primarily by Mel Coldfinger, with eternal damnation. Vaymar ultimately are vampires of a sort, bound to an oozing ‘blood sludge’ which is waterborne. This cursed ooze turns its victims into the Vaymar, who become addicted to it and can only satiate themselves on cannibalism. At first, these creatures when remaining in this state are paler, having unnatural speed, and abnormal strength. However, the curse grows stronger the more they indulge, becoming more and more inhuman until a more freakish, balding, and demonic looking figure seems to emerge. Vaymar are cursed beings, eventually succumbing to their bloodlust and getting themselves killed, or feasting in secret for years. The cursed ooze eventually will blacken and die, but in its wake will raise the already deceased as undead. Vaymar also have a host of other ‘inconveniences’, such as being unable to read from books, being harmed by sunlight, being unable to look at themselves in the mirror, and so on. [color=chocolate][b]Ghoul[/b][/color] Ghouls are, for the most part, Vaymar who have degenerated to such a degree that they lose much of their abilities. While Vaymar are intelligible and aware of their curse, Ghouls are not and are very barbaric, single minded horrors. Ghouls often are a result of a Vaymar starving for blood, and thus result of eating the dead to survive. Ghouls are always hungry and will attack a living creature instantly. Ghouls, like Vaymar, are subject to all the inconveniences and curses of the Vaymar itself, but in some instances get additional curses stacked upon them. Vaymar cannot regain consciousness, and any blood they eat also harms them as well. Ghouls can drink a great deal of blood which they crave, but instantly weaken and become pained as they drink, which is when they are most vulnerable. Ghouls also lose all strength and speed associated with Vaymar, and thus become a sort of ‘living zombie’ of sorts. [color=chocolate][b]Warg Cursed[/b][/color] Like many cursed beings, being Warg Cursed is perhaps the ‘least unfortunate’ curse to be damned with. Warg Cursed during the day or forced to turn into massive wolves who prowl as any normal animal, but during the night turn into normal humanoid beings. This curse has some odd specifics, as the warg beast is automatically made into a loyal servant of the one who cursed them, with the cursed being unable to resist the words of their curser. The cursed being also constantly hungers for the flesh of their own family as a cursed being, and is damned to witness the mental images of the Warg’s kills. The Warg itself partly demonic in nature, having a hyper intelligence different from the one it is bound to. These curses are sometimes put onto the tombs of important Kerks to gravely inture grave robbers who find themselves made into unwilling slaves of the descendents they tried to rob. [color=chocolate][b]Leech Cursed[/b][/color] Leech Cursed are essentially undead being who slowly are killed and turned into terrifying abominations over time. Leech Cursed begin as common humanoids who become suddenly attractive to a common type of leech in Caslan, who hook onto their bodies, die, and then become undead. These undead leeches then suck the blood and hunt the cursed being relentlessly, eventually consuming them by sucking down their blood. Effectively becoming a being similar to that of a Rot King, the Leech Cursed are eternally pained by their existence as zombified walking leeches. Leech Cursed, once fully digested by the leeches, usually are dominated by necromancers who use them as guardians of the tomb cities, specifically the tomb cities located in marshy lands. [color=chocolate][b]Ent Cursed[/b][/color] The Ent Cursed are cursed to eventually become walking undead trees, a strange and mortifying concept which is brought to life by Gyloist necromancers. The cursed beings are ritualistically murdered and their bodies mulched into a tree, which kills the tree and springs it back to life. This cursed being is tortured eternally within it, but it is capable of moving and is infused with all manner of dark powers and auras. Ent Cursed are basically moving trees, which conjure undead birds to swarm its prey, can ooze acidic sap when it is damaged, and conjure ropes to hang nearby enemies and convert them into zombies. Ent Cursed are usually directed against traitors, and are unleashed against the traitor clan by the Necromancers, which then pollute the area with necromantic power. [color=chocolate][b]Resurger[/b][/color] Resurgers are undead beings very similar to revenants, half burned corpses which are ‘blessed’ rather than cursed. When a Kerkian family is decimated by a raid, a sympathetic necormancer will sometimes use a ritual by burning the undead to raise up a ‘Resurger’, a being made from the ashen flesh and bones of the burned dead. Resurgers take up flaming weapons and always are covered in light flame. These undead beings are then blessed with all manner of powers, the most potent of which is their aura of withering, which unnaturally ages those around it. Resurgers are terrifyingly powerful, capable of wiping out entire Kerkian clans as a single entity. Resurgers only go away once their vengeance is complete, and can be reborn from the same ash pile they spawn from. Resurgers, unlike Revenants, can be destroyed by disrupting the ash pile they spawn from, or by convincing a member of the Kerkian family which helped build the Resurger to sacrifice themselves in the pile. [color=chocolate][b]Haunt[/b][/color] Of the most powerful undead of the isle, Haunts are most doom bringing. Haunts are wraiths of sorts, effectively ghosts bound to armor but are granted all manner of twisted gear and enchantments which make them juggernauts against their enemies. Haunts are built normally by Necromancers, and the soul which inhabits them is a necromancer themselves, capable of conjuring undead beings to its aid. Haunts are very single minded and their power comes from their enchantments. Haunts usually have swords bathed in dark magic, which rot the metal and flesh of those it touches, they have unholy auras which unnaturally age those around them and turn weaker willed beings into ghoulish undead slaves. Haunts also tend to be given cursed armor which can reflect damage done to them onto their enemies. When Haunts are killed, they are not fully destroyed, but instead linger and try to latch onto their enemies far into the future to return to the place of their defeat and become new Haunts. Their images drive those they fight to madness. [color=chocolate][b]Raptor[/b][/color] Raptors are not undead, but are still dangerous beasts. Raptors are large 6 feet tall reptilian creatures which travelled with the Kerks when they invaded Caslan. They are upright animals, who hunt in packs of usually 12 to take down larger pray like stags and bears, and are a menace across Caslan. Raptors are abnormally intelligent, and their packs tend to keep to the inner parts of the isle itself. Raptors are dangerous carnivores, but while they may hunt Okan, Humans, and Elves, they refuse to hunt Kerks and Beurians. Beurians can easily kill a pack member or two with their own strength, but Kerks are oddly avoided by the creatures. [/hider] [/hider] [h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Factions[/color][/b][/i][/h2] [hider=Factions] [color=chocolate][b]Coladdic Loyalists[/b][/color] In the Kycer’s politics, there are many political factions, but the biggest one is the conservative faction led entirely by the Coladdic clan and its aligned clans. The Coladdic loyalists are stubborn members of the Kycer, deeply rooted in tradition and religion, and view outsider influence on the Kycer with immediate hostility. Although its safe to say Mel Coldfinger is a member of this faction, his influence and interest in it is debatable. The Coladdic loyalists are more interested in keeping all Kerkian affairs under their own control and using the Kycer to better control Kerkian society. The main political avenue of the clan is encouraging faithfulness, defending the status quo, and brutally suppressing attempts by the Zupans from ruining the Kycer’s politics. [color=chocolate][b]Geuder Loyalists[/b][/color] Opposed to the Coladdic are the Geuders, an ancient feuding family which has been both ally and enemy of the Coladdic. The Geuders may be a part of a clan opposed to the extreme conservatism of the Coladdic, but they are best thought of as the clan whose policies are more aligned solely to the ambitions of the Geuders themselves. Geuder Loyalists take on the causes of the Geuders which can change depending on the situation, their ultimate goals are to expand the influence of the Geuders and usurp control of society from the Coladdics. The Geuders take on various political causes, and have a strange melding of coalitions amongst slaves, foreign interests, merchants, and the nobility. This balancing act of the Geuders is also difficult to maintain. [color=chocolate][b]Scribes of Gangave[/b][/color] The Scribes are a respectable group of history makers and authors who live in a college in Gangave, which set up a guild of national libraries in most Kerkian cities. The scribes take on all manner of Caslan society to serve as historians, account writers, and philosophers to better look into the world. The scribe’s greatest patron is Mel Coldfinger, who enriches the guild and often takes on their highest members as apprentices. The scribes have a very relaxed reputation as legitimate and honest historians, who will go to absurd lengths to understand every facet of history. Scribes are honest Historians however, and their works tend to be popular more amongst the Kerks then foreign courts. The scribes are also very politically neutral, and will also go to equally absurd lengths to distance themselves from the Kycer. [color=chocolate][b]The Unbroken[/b][/color] One of the oldest organizations in Caslan is the Unbroken, a group of Okan bandits and thieves who used to resist the Beurian occupation of their cities, but became a common gang of thugs when the Kerks took over. The Unbroken are mostly a thieves guild, whose ranks are made up primarily of runaway slaves, bandits, and criminals who inhabit the underground of Kerkian society. Although most of their higher members are Okan, many poorer Kerks tend to join their ranks for quick money. The Unbroken tend to have a very negative view of the Kerks, and have little to no respect for the Kycer. Free willed, their greater goal is to free the slaves of Caslan, which makes them increasingly an ally of the Geuders and an arch enemy of the Coladdic. The Unbroken had some role in the Slave Revolt, but were uprooted by Mel Coldfinger. [color=chocolate][b]The Blackhand[/b][/color] The Blackhand are a guild of assassins and spies who provide their services to Kerkian society for coin and tolerance, a strange group which operates underground and far away from the prying eyes of the Kycer itself. The Blackhand earns much of their income from things the Kerks consider distasteful, such as assassination. Blackhand members are brought on from only specific backgrounds, with the Blackhand believing only those born of parents with unique traits for their guild can join them. This tends to make the Blackhand very diverse in race as much as skill. Okan, Elven, and Human members are common in the Blackhand, who work alongside the sons of hunters, serial killers, and even the occasional lich. The Blackhand is deeply tied to politics, but is not a part of any faction, providing the Kycer with experienced members to help defend them against attempted assassinations and spycraft. [/hider] [h2][i][b][color=chocolate]Characters[/color][/b][/i][/h2] [hider=Characters] [color=chocolate][b]Archlich Mel Coldfinger[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Age[/b] - Unknown [*][b]Titles[/b] - The Great Reformer, Cursed and Curser, Winter’s Song, Eternal Patriarch, Death Dealer, Murderer, Friend and Enemy of the Okan, Subjugator and Ally of the Beurian, Bringer of Books, Scroll Maker, Historian [/list] Mel Coldfinger is a long standing member of Kerkian society, and the head of not only the priesthood, but also effectively the tyrant over all of Kerkian society. Mel Coldfinger is physically an undead being, mummified and clothed in an obnoxiously flowing black and purple robe, all but his hands and eyes covered in cloth, and wearing a tall cur cap. Known even for his height, he is a terrifying and studious figure, deeply entrenched in his beliefs and personal motivations. Mel is ultimately a highly pragmatic and intelligent figure, going to great lengths to not only preserve knowledge, but to also collect it. In legend, he learned how to become a lich from the god Melakos, and shared this knowledge only to those he found worthy of it. Mel is weirdly enough known for his kindness, but also his retribution. As a lich, Mel had split his soul into the very ground of Caslan, into one of his oldest tomes, and into the very bloodline of his family. This kind of lichcraft, according to Mel, was painful, difficult, and expensive. [b]Associates[/b] [list] [*][b]Naya Coladdic (Female Kerk)[/b] - Naya is Mel Coldfinger’s direct descendent and a living apprentice under him, and a member of a minor clergy. Talented, Naya is honored to serve under her ancestor, as Mel prepares her to become another important member of the Kycer. In truth however, Mel enjoys aiding his most direct descendants from his now deceased wife, who he cherishes in his immortality. [*][b]Cragov Bystan (Male Kerk)[/b] - Cragov is the leader of the Scribes, and its head master over them. Although an older necromancer, Cragov and Mel are good friends and consider each other equals in the histories of Caslan. [*][b]Granchkov (Male Kerk)[/b] - Granchkov is a Death Knight in the service of Mel, and is one of his favored bodyguards. He is adorned with countless cursed artefacts, his most infamous being the Sword of Exodus, whose strike against mortal flesh can rend against the spirit of its target. [*][b]Twine (Male Undead Okan)[/b] - Twine is a nameless Okan king who had at one point insulted Mel, who cursed him into becoming his servant. Twine is an eternally reforming undead creature who is fully conscious of his existence, and teleports into Tomb Cities to warn delving grave robbers and intruders to turn back. He is also used to summon those of Mel’s interest to him. [*][b]Gra’vyen (Male Undead Elf)[/b] - Gra’vyen is an elven lich who had been his apprentice, and showed such skill and majeststy in his crafts as a necromancer that Mel granted him the knowledge of Lichcraft. Gra’vyen has been Mel’s librarian and keeper of his vast book collection, and a powerful being who often despises the politics of the Kycer. [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Zupan Dylon Geuder[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Age[/b] - 45 [*][b]Titles[/b] - Zupan of Astar, The Grim, Minor Priest, Head of the Zupan Assembly [/list] Dylon Geuder is the current patriarch of the Geuder clan, and is a rising star politically in the Kycer. Having joined the Kycer as a reformer, he was also the head of the assembly of Zupans. Dylon is an ambitious man and a near legendary commander, having put down smaller revolts and dealt with bandits harshly, but he believes he has yet to prove himself. Dylon’s grand ambitions however hide his true motives, and that of his family. Dylon has a hateful feud with Shov Coladdic, whom he despises for his staunch and stubborn beliefs. [b]Associates[/b] [list] [*][b]Mara Geuder (Female Kerk)[/b] - Dylon’s wife and co-ruler in the family. While Dylon is in the Kycer, Mara is back in Astar ruling in his stead. Mara is a very strict woman, much like many Kerkian matriarchs, and is often ruling both her family and the region with an iron fist. [*][b]Polchov Geuder (Male Kerk)[/b] - Dylon’s son and heir from his second brood, Polchov had proven himself when he help end a feud between several small clans on his lonesome, and oversaw the construction of a new temple. Polchov is currently in the studies to become a priest, which in turn will make him able to join the Kycer. Much like his father, Polchov is ambitious, but is less battle hungry like Dylon, and a very good friend of Zupan Hazel. [*][b]Daygov Geuder (Male Beurian)[/b] - Daygov was found as a young wandering pup who happened upon the Geuder farmstead and was found sleeping in a shed, likely abandoned by his clan. Dylon decided to adopt the Beurian into his family, who soon became a fanatical member of the clan, being a close friend and bodyguard to Dylon. [*][b]Uchov Geuder (Male Kerk)[/b] - Brother of Dylon Geuder, a studious necromancer and priest of the family who has considerable influence amongst them. Uchov is very centrist, much to the annoyance of Dylon, who still loves him as a brother. [*][b]Tanya Geuder (Female Kerk)[/b] - Sister of Dylon and a captain in his family, who leads the militia into battle. Beloved by Dylon, Tanya is influential over her brother’s attitude and policies. [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Zupan Shov Coladdic[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Age[/b] - 61 [*][b]Titles[/b] - Zupan of Hilgas, Head of Council [/list] Shov Coladdic is the elder patriarch of the Coladdic clan, and the Head of Council over all of the Kycer. Shov is an old and staunch archconservative, who grew up mastering the faith even though he is not a necromancer himself. What Shov lacks in magic he makes up for in stubbornness and political mastery over the rituals of the Kycer. Shov is best described to have a very ugly set of features, and generally has a long history of denying the Geuders further political power in the Kycer. Although a Coladdic, he has a nasty and toxic relationship with most of his family, and is avoided even by Mel Coldfinger himself. Due to Shov’s age and mastery in the Kycer, most of the Coladdic faction looks up to him to lead them against the ambitions of Dylon Geuder, whom he has a vicious rivalry with. [b]Associates[/b] [list] [*][b]Taspov Beusdov (Male Kerk[/b]) - Taspov is currently the other Head of Council in Caslan who joined Shov as co-ruler on a joint ticket. Although Taspov is a skilled politician in his own right, he is considerably meek in comparison to Shov’s shadow and acts more as his lackey, a political trouble which he fears will be his legacy. Unlike Shov, he is a necromancer, but not a very good one, a surprise and disappointment to many members of the Kycer. [*][b]Yila Coladdic (Female Kerk)[/b] - Shov’s wife and matriarch of the Coladdic clan, who also happens to be a ceremonial priest in the Kycer. Although Shov is not a mage, Yila is, and is a very good one at that. Yila, like many Kerkian matriarchs, are very brutal and cold women, something which Shov comes to love. [*][b]Darsov Coladdic (Male Kerk)[/b] - Darsov is Shov’s son and heir from his first brood, who shares many of his father’s beliefs and convictions, but is more hot headed and spiteful towards the Geuders. Unlike other heirs, Darsov was solely trained in the Kycer’s politics in the hopes he will become the next Head of Council after Shov passes. [*][b]Drasken (Male Beurian)[/b] - Drasken is a Beurian bodyguard and slave of Shov who follows the Head of Council wherever he goes, having been bought and trained for the sole purpose for his own protection. [*][b]‘Big Toe’ (Male Lun’Kerk)[/b] - Grandmaster of the Blackhand, a Lun’Kerk assassin and son of a spy. ‘Big Toe’, as he is named, does not in fact have big toes, but has abnormally smaller ones. Although skilled, he and Shov are in a deep political alliance in the hopes of bringing the Blackhand as a formal institution into Caslan society, in return for some dirty dealings. [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Zupan Pelkov Elkwood[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Age[/b] - 55 [*][b]Titles[/b] - Zupan of Telgan, Minor Priest [/list] Pelkov Elkwood is an important figure in the Geuderian faction in Caslan, and is generally considered a very divisive figure. Although he sides with the Geuderians, he is politically conservative, and also one of the faction’s richest members. Pelkov however is often described as a greedy creature, who is more interested in usurpation for his own family then actually improving his own realm, much to the dismay of his allies. Pelkov is also considered extensively cruel towards non-Kerks, and is arch enemies with the rising Hazel clan. [b]Associates[/b] [list] [*][b]Trema Elkwood (Female Kerk)[/b] - Pelkov’s wife and true power in the Elkwood clan, a cruel and brutal woman who has raised all three broods of Pelkov’s children with considerable efficiency. Trema has no love towards her husband and bickers often with him, and often rules Telgan with an iron fist while he is away in the Kycer. [*][b]Galya Elkwood (Female Kerk)[/b] - Pelkov’s daughter and heir from his first brood, a well trained priest and upcoming matriarch with her own family. Although equal to her father in authority, Gayla does share his personality and motivations, and is more content with remaining more neutral. [*][b]Lokov Elkwood (Male Kerk)[/b] - Pelkov’s brother and a necromancer, a priest of Telgan and a Ceremonial Priest in the Kycer. Lokov is one of Pelkov’s only true friends and companions, and both have a brotherly fondness towards one another. [*][b]Quilkov Elkwood (Male Kerk)[/b] - Pelkov’s brother, although neither share much love towards one another. Dedicated to his family, Quilkov leads his own elite band of Ghilmen, and is highly protective of the Elkwood clan and its interests. [*][b]Anyan (Male Okan)[/b] - An Okan slave of Pelkov and his personal servant. Although abused and meek, Anyan secretly works as a spy for the Unbroken, and in turn, the Hazels. [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Zupan Duman Hazel[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Age[/b] - 24 [*][b]Titles[/b] - Zupan of Pemolas, Friend of the Okan [/list] Dunman was not the first choice for Patriarch by his clan, but his upbringing and deeds became known after he and several members of his clan counter-invaded their own tomb city to free it from the grasp of wandering bandits, and then led impressive raids against the Elkwoods. When both the zupan and his heir died in a suspicious ambush, the clan chose Duman to lead them, and has since made strides that has impressed his allies and angered his enemies. Dunman made trade deals with Lavar Brav, reasserted the clan’s loyalty to the Geuders, and reformed their clan’s militia into a more professional militia. Duman is known for his strong sympathies towards the Okan, whom the Okan clans consider him friend. [b]Associates[/b] [list] [*][b]Ula Hazel (Female Kerk)[/b] - Ula is Duman’s wife, who is abnormal for the Kerks for being both very calm and kind hearted towards her family, even though she is by all means a matriarch of the clan. Ula continues to struggle keeping the clan in line alongside her husband, but is truly loving of Duman. [*][b]Jaskov Hazel (Male Kerk)[/b] - Duman’s brother from the 2nd brood and his chosen heir. Jaskov had been both a great aid to Duman during their travels, but also is mostly equal in skills. Jaskov however is very hot headed, and deeply invested in the feud between the Hazels and the Elkwoods. [*][b]Benton (Male Okan)[/b] - Leader of the Unbroken, a thief and petty thug who bribed and blackmailed his way into a position as criminal overlord of Caslan. Benton is normally spiteful of Kerks, but aligns himself with Duman out of mutual interests. Benton hates the Elkwoods in particular, as he had grown up a slave under their iron fisted rule. [*][b]Kas Hazel (Female Okan)[/b] - Kas is a supposedly minor adoption of the clan, when Duman’s father had adopted her due to her creativity and intelligence. Kas joined Duman in his adventures, but also became influential for getting him to side more for her people due to their friendship. Her main interests have been construction and building. [*][b]Lurchov Hazel, The Sunken (Male Undead Kerk)[/b] - Lurchov is a hermit lich who lives in the Hazel’s tomb city and struck up a friendship with Duman, and was convinced to act as the Hazel's main priest. Although still a fervent isolationist, Lurchov aids the young patriarch in his quests. [/list] [color=chocolate][b]Zupan Lavar Brav[/b][/color] [list] [*][b]Age[/b] - 58 [*][b]Titles[/b] - Zupan of Lowglan, Minor Priest [/list] Lavar Brav is a very political member of the Kycer, despite the objections of his family, with his main political philosophy being the stability and safety of the republic itself. Lavar is a priest, but is very secular at heart and is more interested in mediation and pragmatic statesmanship. He is popular amongst the lower members of the house, but is unpopular for his rising stardom by Dylon and Shov. Lavar has a friendly relationship with the Hazels, an upstart family of the Geuder’s political faction, and a mentor to many new members within the Kycer. Lavar is often described as a legendary orator and writer, his seething speeches and professionalism has been the bane of many of his rivals within the Kycer. [b]Associates[/b] [list] [*][b]Lena Brav (Female Kerk)[/b] - Lavar’s wife and matriarch of the Brav clan, but unlike many kerkian Matriarches, she is far more collected, calm, and concerned for the well being of her clan. That concern often means Lavar is pushy towards her clan to better themselves and aid in the clan’s success, regardless of their own personal troubles. [*][b]Torpov Brav (Male Kerk)[/b] - Torpov is Lavar’s son and heir from his first brood, a well learned and mercantile Kerk who travels often as a merchant. Lavar is particularly proud of Torpov for his engagement in politics and his starting job as a Ghilman captain. [*][b]Cilov Brav (Male Kerk)[/b] - Lavar’s brother and his spiteful rival in the family, a merchant by trade and a envoy of the Kycer. Cilov despises Lavar’s political scheming and rejection of neutrality. Cilov works with other members of the family to usurp the position of Patriarch from Lavar. [*][b]Tesner Uman (Male Human)[/b] - Tesner is one of Lavar’s friends and a merchant of Caslan, who primarily sells paper. Tesner and Lavar share many political convictions and beliefs, but also a unique taste for writing and speech. However, Tesner is not a Kerk and does not stand to get into the Kycer, but Lavar views him as equal to or better then his peers. [*][b]Lila (Female Okan)[/b] - Lavar’s personal servant and slave, although is more treated as family. Lavar views Lila fondly for being curious and well educated, having once been a scribe before her poor parents sold her to pay off debts. [/list] [/hider]