Loralom
Important Information Loralom, Hain Kingdom of
|Capitol| City of Loralom
|Official Language| Western Yorumglot
|Demonym| Loral, Lorals
|Government| Absolute Monarchy
|Population| Roughly 90,000 (growing)
|Demographics|~7% Hain nobles (standing army and administration)
~33% Free hain (may be partially levied)
~5% Alien residents (various races, not protected by same rights as free hain)
~55% Slaves (mostly hain and goblins)
|Leader| King Akol "the Quickhatched"
The Kingdom of Loralom is the westernmost hain city state of the Yorum region. It was formed from various coastal fishing tribes after agriculture began to promote a sedentary lifestyle and support greater populations. Though the founding legend is vague and orally preserved, it is a mythical affair of the first king
Loral striking the northern snow away with his mace and thus allowing the grass to spread for fertile lands. Loralom was not the first city to be founded in Yorum, though its environment forged it into what it is. Its position places it as a bulwark against raiders from less fertile land to the north, promoting a strong warrior culture. Its proximity to the ocean has granted it respectable economic and military power. Iconic to its identity is its tamed kennels of huge Loralom beasthounds, bred for generations and used for war, warning, hunting, and more. While Urtelem are still a force against those that would harm the hain communities of Yorum, Lorals have preferred beasthounds for some time due to the Urtelem tendency to migrate when the hain wish to stay and tend to the land.
The current king, Akol the Quickhatched, is so named due to his early second hatching and very early coronation. He is only nineteen years of age, crowned a short time ago after the blinding purge devastated the entirety of Yorum, cutting down much of the population and killing the previous king, Akuet. Akol is known as a prodigal general, though his confidence with the people is varied due to his boisterous personality and bull-headed leadership style. Many nobles have concluded that such an obstinate leader is needed post-purge, as anyone with less energy would allow the sullen and traumatised population to sink into depression. Regardless, none question that he has saved the kingdom a number of times from desperate neighbouring kingdoms that have attacked from all directions to replenish their realta-burned granaries.
Loralom's leadership system is not particularly nuanced. Their laws are an oral tradition enforced by personal rights and the might of the monarch. There have been only three dynasties of kings in Loralom's history, but all have necessarily been bred of military commanders and demagogues. All deposed leaders of Loralom were unseated due to their lack of charisma in times of uncertainty. Loralom society is divided into a number of layers, representing rights under the law of the monarch:
The top layer is the royal house; the leaders of Loralom and their family and partners. These are officially beholden to the law of Loralom and can therefore be prosecuted by lawful members of the populace, though this is a rare occasion that does not always turn out well for the accuser. Any crime against the kingdom as a whole (attacking its subjects, poisoning the water, etc.) is a crime against the royal house, and they are the prosecutors in such a case.
The next layer is the nobility. The Loralom nobility is exclusively made up of professional hain soldiers and their families. These hain tend to be more well-off than others below them. They can own land and make wealth from it, but they also gain wealth, prestige, and glory from battle. They are the best equipped of Loralom's military and often make the core of infantry. The wealthiest nobles own beasthound kennels and ride beasthound chariots into battle. Nobles are fully beholden to the monarch's law, but hold greater political sway with the royal house. A free hain may become a noble by either amassing enough wealth to purchase good military equipment, getting sponsored via another noble to the former point, or getting endorsed by the royal house. Those that amass the wealth themselves are seen as unwashed and mistrusted, disparagingly called
softshell nobles behind their backs.
The next layer down are the free hain. These are property owners that are protected by the law of the monarch, but they are not wealthy enough to afford quality military equipment. These make up roughly a third of the Loralom population, filling the roles of merchants, farmers, craftshain, hunters, and livestock herders. While they are not capable of standing as core infantry or cavalry, they are often levied as slingers and skirmishers in the Loralom army. Levies are only called for the defence of Loralom, while volunteers may step forward for offensive campaigns. In this case, volunteers are granted a pension for their families by the monarch in their absence. Loralom hain slaves may become free hain if their owners officially free them with a noble in witness. There have been no known free citizens that were not hain.
The next layer are made up of foreigners and non-hain residents. Loralom is not a society rife with xenophobia, but they are not a particularly generous one to non-hain that arrive at their borders. These are mostly made up of travelling merchants or rovaick guests. No humans have yet set foot out this far into Yorum. Foreigners have some basic rights as guests under the law, though they may not purchase land and do not gain full protections as the free hain do.
The final layer is the slave class. These are the most populace residents and predominantly made up of goblins and hain captured from other kingdoms. Unlike any other resident of Loralom, they are treated as property of their masters, just like a plough or a hound. Masters are allowed to treat their slaves however they please, though it is the master's sole responsibility to maintain their slaves and ensure that none of their slaves cause problems for others. Other people that damage or steal a master's slaves are liable for prosecution by the master via the monarch's law. While it is not strictly against the law to mistreat, injure, or kill your slave, it is a social faux pas in Loralom to deprive them of what they need to live healthy lives. As such, it is not uncommon for slaves to be free to wander the city to shop and interact with the rest of the populace. Many even have healthy friendships with their masters. Slaves can even have relationships with other slaves of another house (once the masters have agreed on a compromise, usually a trade of slaves or a sharing agreement). However, the dynamic of master and slave is still abundantly clear. A slave that abuses the privileges that their master grants them does not go unpunished, either by a stern word or much worse. Another great social faux pas of Loralom is when a master keeps an undisciplined slave.
The city of Loralom is the centre of the kingdom, with sparse villages dotting the lands. They subsist on agriculture, hunting, fishing, and trade. One granite quarry and various small forests supplies most of its building needs, but they do not have the technology to smelt any metal just yet. They trade for some metal, a very valuable resource in Yorum, and few are seen with bronze weapons except for the royal family.
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