Hrathisthan, The Kingdom of Watchtowers
West the Groaning Mountains of Gethamane, upon the vast expanse of the Middle North, countless watchtowers of pale stone rise from the earth. Around these watchtowers are the earthen mounds and fortresses of a people who have held watch against the dangers of the North since the Shogunate ended in plague and war.
Long ago, the Shogun, Lord of the Center, exiled the treacherous members of his Hearth and their households to the corners of Creation, charged with the impossible task of holding together the crumbling Shogunate. Some turned traitor, but Hrathgar, Dragon of the Earthly Wings and Chieftain of the Watch, accepted his punishment and penance and stood strong at the edge of civilisation. Little did the Shogun know that the world would soon end in the Twinned Apocalypse. As the world died around them, many Dragons of the Shogunate fell to despair, but Hrathgar held fast, for he had been given a divine revelation. From within his own essence, the Elemental Dragons told him thus: "Hold the Watch, Die for the Watch, and you shall find Salvation." And so, Hrathgar and his soldiers stood fast within their watchtowers, lighting divine fires to keep the Outer Chaos at bay. No faerie prince swarmed over the land, no plaguebearer survived burning arrows to infect Hrathgar or his troops, the daemon artifacts within the vaults of Hrathgar's bastion never saw the light of day. And though Hrathgar grew old and died, he was faithful to the Watch. And so, the heirs of Hrathgar stay true to the ancient charge: "Hold the Watch, Die for the Watch, and you shall find Salvation." Such is the story the Hrathgarim, the descendants of that ancient legion, tell about themselves.
The People of Hrathisthan
The Hrathgarim
The Hrathgarim are a warrior culture, riders and rangers who travel from watchtower to watchtower on a sacred patrol. They keep great herds of horses, delve ancient forests, and train incessantly until the day when their long vigil will no longer be needed, until the day they will all find Salvation. Though the walking dead and winter folk who plague much of the North threaten the Hrathgarim too, the Ever-Watch, the theomilitary society that dominates the Hrathgarim people, is more eager than most to ride them down with iron lances and berserk war cries. And at the head of this warrior-order are the royal bloodlines descended from the legendary Hrathgar, in whose veins flows the blood of the Elemental Dragons.
The destruction of dangerous undead and fae is the central tenet of Hrathgarim culture. They ride throughout the Kingdom of Watchtowers and beyond in pursuit of predatory fae, the walking dead, or other monstrosities. When spring comes, they frequently send chevauchees into the border-marches and shadowlands that litter the North. When no fae nor walking dead are to be found, they still must stand guard against the countless reavers and petty warchiefs who call the North home.
Most outsiders think that Hrathgarim(sometimes called Hrathgarings) to be an entirely militant people, and while this is true from a certain perspective, it is a gross oversimplification. The Ever-Watch rules Hrathgarim society and mandates that all Hrathgarim be at least proficient with weapons, but not every Hrathgarim is a nomadic ranger whose sole purpose and desire is to slay beasts in the night. There are Hrathgarim who cook, who forge tools, who raise horses and plan agriculture. The Ever-Watch needs people to support it, and just as importantly, people to keep the most dedicated Watchers grounded and sane.
Neither are the Hrathgarim very spartan. They produce exquisite bronze and iron jewelry and weave hunting tapestries that would make a Dynastic collector quiver with envy. The human form as an artistic ideal captivates them, and their artisans and athletes dedicate untold hours representing that ideal in its countless varieties and permutations. Many holidays include sacred games where the Hrathgarim show off either their athleticism, proficiency in song or dance, or skill at arms in the most showy way possible. An equestrian people, they delight in horse races and rodeos. The Dragon-Headed Horse is the national totem of the Hrathgarim, and an artistic motif that can be seen on much of their architecture and crafts.
Though they are not all dour faced rangers, they Hrathgarim are not without their own macabre quirks. They remain resolute even in the face of certain death, often cheerful or stoic to a degree that outsiders find unnerving. Black humor is common, and they are defined by a bleak sort of optimism that one could say is actually a form of cheerful pessimism. From the very beginning, Hrathgar was steadfast and hopeful in the face of the apocalypse, and his heirs carry on that tradition. When in foreign lands or among foreign peoples, they tend to be casually aloof, holding themselves apart from them but rarely making a scene of it. Like many similar peoples, they are more likely to lose this habit the longer they spend with a group of outsiders. There is immense social pressure to conform to the warrior ideal and exhibit zealous obedience to the Ever-Watch. While they appreciate art and fine culture, deviation from othodox sensibilities is frowned upon. "Soft-heartedness" will earn the average Hrathgarim youth endless ribbing from their peers and admonishment from their elders.
Upon coming of age, every Hrathgarim commoner must leave their parents' household and enter the communal longhouses of the Everwatchers. There, they must train in arms or a trade and perform a set number of years of service in the Ever-Watch, usually about five years. After this period is over, they are allowed to leave the longhouses and purchase property of their own or open a business for themselves. Royals may own property upon coming of age, but they may never leave the Ever-Watch, even when they reach old age they are merely considered to be on indefinite leave.
Though the nucleus of the Hrathgarim people lies in the Kingdom of Watchtowers, many Everwatchers range far beyond its borders, living semi-nomadic existences as itinerant mercenaries, monster-slayers, and exorcists. Mounted bands of Everwatchers called Far Companies ride up and down the Black Shale Road, as far east as the River of Tears and as far west as Grieve. Though these bands have tried to exert hegemony in the past, today they mostly respect the laws and authority of other rulers, at least when convenient. With no Auxilim to rely upon, they instead feed themselves by hunting or working as sellswords. The people of the lands the Far Companies range through tend to be grateful for their help when the winter folk or the dead come, though not all are fond of the Watcher's casual aloofness or unnervingly grim optimism.They maintain small watchtowers and outposts outside of Hrathisthan where they and other peoples may shelter during blizzards or take refuge against monsters.
The Royal Bloodlines
The Royal bloodlines, of which there are several, are considered the direct descendants of Hrathgar through his sons and daughters. The Blood of the Dragons runs in their veins, though somewhat thinned compared to the Scarlet Dynasty or Lookshy. Connected by a common cultural narrative, an endogamous web of carefully planned marriages, and the strictures of the Ever-Watch, the Royal Lines retain a close, if somewhat competitive relationship with each other. Children are watched carefully for signs of Exaltation, and they enter the ranks of the Ever-Watch at a younger age. Exaltation increases their chances of success within the Ever-Watch, but it does not guarantee it, they value sheer dedication as much as they do raw talent, and a hardworking and zealous mortal royal may outrank an inexperienced or lazy Exalt. Regardless of whether or not they Exalt, all royals are considered to have a degree of spiritual potency to them, and the royal bloodlines have pacted with several spirits and stranger creatures for boons and minor miracles. God-blooded and sorcerers are not uncommon among the Royals.
The Royal Bloodlines derive their authority both from the Dragons' Blood and martial dedication. They are all expected to be active members of the Ever-Watch from coming of age until death. Those who display a severe lack of martial aptitude or enthusiasm are shunned at best or quietly exiled or killed in "patrol accidents."
The Warlord of Hrathisthan, Supreme Grandmaster of the Ever-Watch, King of the Earthly Wings, Chieftain of the Hrathgarim, is the highest political and spiritual authority among the Hrathgarim. It is the Warlord who holds the most potent spirit pacts of the Hrathgarim, who knows all the secret rites of the Ever-Watch. The Warlord is expected to produce children candidates from several of the royal bloodlines. None of these children are acknowledged as true offspring until they reach the rank of Journeyman Watcher within the theomilitary and of them, only one is chosen as the true heir. Competition among them is subsequently fierce. A recent trend has been for victorious heirs to send their most ambitious (or simply least liked) rivals on an improbable mission to distant lands as a "Lone Company" with nothing more than a horse, a Watcher's gear, and a week's worth of rations, tantamount to exile and outlawry.
The Auxilim
The Hrathgarim may rule Hrathisthan, but are not alone in the kingdom's borders. The Everwatchers claim dominion over several village-states and tribes, collectively referred to as Auxilim. Some of these minorities submitted willingly to Hrathgarim rule in exchange for the protection of the Everwatchers. Others were brought into the fold by mailed fists and iron lances. Auxilim are bonded to a specific region called a Canton, and must receive permission from the Ever-Watch to travel outside of it, the ease of acquiring the permission varies depending on the season and location. Auxilim Cantons are generally allowed to keep their own customs, religion, and local government so long as the Hrathgarim find nothing disruptive about them, but the Ever-Watch may also censor or introduce certain cultural or political aspects. In return for Hrathgarim protection both at home and on the road, Auxilim must perform an annual indenture for the Hrathgarim by growing food or doing other forms of labor in service of the Ever-Watch.
As a whole, the Hrathgarim feel a sort of condescending fondness for their vassal peoples, seeing them as lesser for not living as the Hrathgarim do, but also feeling obligated to protect them (and in some cases envious of their seemingly carefree lives). Some Auxilim are treated relatively well, others are abused, and who is who may vary with the year, season, or resident Master-Watcher. Revolts are crushed with swift brutality, the Ever-Watch isolating the region so as to prevent news of it's disobedience spreading
Most Auxilim are of the Yrolthing culture, an indigenous people who lived in the lands that would become Hrathisthan long before Hrathgar and his host arrived. They build their settlements partially buried beneath the northern hills and plains, with only the roof and entrance showing. Many dwell on the same earthen mounds that the Hrathgarim build their watchtowers upon, mingling with the Hrathgarim as they go about their business. They worship their own household spirits, with whom they personally interact on a regular basis. The Hrathgarim have learned not to mistreat them too much, for an ancient pact between the two peoples ensures bad luck and spirit curses upon the Everwatchers who offend the Yrolthings who provide for them. Many are thaumaturges, spending their indentures turning their arcane gifts to serve the Ever-Watch.
The second largest Auxilim demographic are the Sioxi, fisherfolk and whalers along the coast of the White Sea. In ancient drydocks of the Realm Before, they build outrigger longships , whalebone sleds, and fat-bellied whalers. Their navigator-priests keep carefully preserved sea charts, memorizing and tattooing key details upon themselves. Long ago, they submitted to Hrathgarim rule in order to secure Ever-Watch's protection. Their coastal villages each now have a watchtower lighthouse nearby, and their merchant ships and whalers carry complements of Hrathgarim marines, occasionally slaying sea monsters and hauling them back to port.
Treatment of beastfolk and mutants in Hrathisthan varies. The Hrathgarim know not all beastfolk or mutants are the result of the wyld or other forces from outside Creation, and in several cases the Ever-Watch cooperates with beastfolk or mutant communities against the monsters that plague the North, but neither are they entirely trusting of them. Many beastfolk and mutants have been taken as slaves over the centuries, forced into lifelong "indentures in perpetuity" by the Ever-Watch for their special talents and physiology. Even for those not in bondage, Hrathisthan's society is structured in such a way to exert immense pressure for free beastfolk and mutants to obey the Hrathgarim in all things, and create social stigma for those who fail to live up to the expectation. It is in this manner the Hrathgarim attempt to exert control over them and use them for their own ends, many Hrathgarim even believe the fiction that they are protecting them from corrupting influences or their own base natures.
The Ever-Watch
The military philosophy and state religion of Hrathisthan are one and the same, the Order of the Ever-Watch. An offshoot of pre-Realm Immaculate Philosophy, they believe that the whole of Creation is the coiled bodies of the Elemental Dragons, Mela is the sky above, Pasiap is the land beneath, Dana'ad is the river and lake, and so on. Its holy scripture is divided into multiple volumes the most important of which are: The Axioms, which describe the broad cosmology of the Hrathgarim and how they view Creation; The Book of Warlords, outlining the mytho-history of the Hrathgarim specifically; and the Watcher's Codex, which contains the codes by which the Hrathgarim must abide and treatises on how to hunt various monsters.
Theology
"Hold the Watch, Die for the Watch, and you shall find Salvation." This is the foundation of Ever-Watch's theology. The Hrathgarim believe their role in the cosmic order, their reason for existence, is to protect the land of Hrathisthan (and Creation in general) from the enemies of Creation, and preserve the living essence of the world. It is this belief that elevates the Hrathgarim above other peoples (in their own opinion), that justifies their rule over the Auxilim (again, in the opinion of the Hrathgarim), that keeps their souls warm in the cold darkness of the north, and motivates every bloodthirsty foray against the walking dead or raksha. Only when the Dragons are satisfied with the Hrathgarim's vigil will they see fit to rescind their orders and accept every Hrathgarim soul back into their greater being. Only on that day will the Ever-Watch finally end, only then will the Hrathgarim find Salvation. Until then, the Hrathgarim are fated to reincarnate amongst themselves, to maintain a ceaseless vigil from their strongholds and watchtowers upon the northern steppe.
Creation is considered the living body of the Dragons, and so it must be revered and protected. The dragonlines and natural geomancy of the world must be defended from overexploitation, and manses must be constructed according to religious guidelines. Threats to the foundation of the world must be destroyed, or at least controlled. In practice, the Hrathgarim must be flexible, but the core tenets of their culture mandate reverence for the demesnes and geomancy of Creation itself as the manifestation of the Dragons.
The Hrathgarim call creatures from outside Creation "Otherlife," and believe it is their sacred duty to slay Otherlife that threatens the True Life of Creation and desecrates the living bodies of the Dragons. Should Otherlife present no threat, it must be carefully watched or bound to serve the True Life. And so, the Ever-Watch rides against the walking dead, hunts the raksha and enslaves lesser monstrosities, and it offers to do the same in the lands beyond Hrathisthan. In theory, it is unyielding against all Otherlife, in practice, it must compromise, making distinctions between more violent and dangerous Otherlife and more amenable "Half-Life", making uneasy truces and alliance with the latter against the former (were it otherwise, they would be bereft of many useful allies or tools). The Ever-Watch is mostly unconcerned with Solar and Lunar Anathema as a group, being focused on more visible and immediate threats (and being well aware of the anathema's utility as tools against Otherlife). They instead declare Solars and Lunars to be Half-Life by default and Otherlife on a case by case basis. Should one of the Anathema oppose or impede them, a Wyld Hunt is called among the Royal Bloodlines and any other Dragonblooded who wishes to join, supplemented with the best trackers of the Ever-Watch.
Unlike the Immaculate Order, the Ever-Watch practices regular worship of the Elemental Dragons through intermediary spirits called Wisdoms, and believe that each tribe or people has Wisdoms that they (and only they) are obligated to worship and a role in the cosmic order. The Hrathgarim actively worship only those spirits whom the Grandmaster Watchers have deemed to be Wisdoms of the Hrathgarim people. Wisdoms in general are spirits tied to the elements, geomancy, weather, or geography; seen to embody aspects of Creation. The Wisdoms of the Hrathgarim usually include horsemanship, war, and archery in their purviews in addition to the elements. The Wisdoms of the Hrathgarim actively cooperate with the Everwatchers, forming pacts and granting blessings to the riders and rangers on patrol. The Wisdoms of other peoples receive worship only in a propitiatory manner, and even then only out of necessity. In times of need, Everwatch commands the Hrathgarim and Auxilim to worship the upper echelons of the theomilitary, who redirect that worship towards the Dragons and the fulfillment of their mandate.
The Watchers
Every Hrathgarim is inducted into the lower ranks of the cult as an Initiate Watcher at the age of fifteen(thirteen for royals), and even when they are not actively serving as part of the Ever-Watch, they remain a part of its covenant as regular Journeyman Watchers. Should they exhibit more dedication or skill, they are promoted to Adept Watchers. The higher ranks (Master, and Grandmaster Watcher) and mysteries of the cult are usually reserved for the sprawling royal bloodlines; commoners only enter the upper echelons after great displays of merit and zeal. The nobility are descended from the officers of Hrathgar and are thus considered to have the most responsibility for the covenant and the overall state of the community and so they invariably hold high rank in the Ever-Watch. The Ever-Watch has no true priests as other peoples would understand it, but Watchers of Adept rank or above perform a role roughly analogous to that of clergy, presiding over the worship of sanctioned gods and negotiating with spirits. Various other positions and titles such as Standard-Bearer (who also double as thaumaturges, spirit hosts, and sorcerers) and Chief of the Forge also exist.
Initiate Watchers are usually inducted in mixed gender groups, casually referred to as cohorts. From the moment of induction, Watchers train in the bow, sword, and lance, learning to shoot and fight from horseback and from atop a chariot. They are also taught basic survival skills and methods to deal with many occult threats in the north. Ideological and physical conformity is heavily encouraged during the beginning service, to better instill them with a sense of discipline and camaraderie it is believed. To this end, a single cohort will be forced to dress the same (though the exact manner of dress may vary between cohorts), eat at the same times(regardless of distance), and follow the same schedule for the day. This conformity is relaxed once their initial five years are up, but the habit often remains even in the absence of rules enforcing it. Seniors in the Ever-Watch look for signs of leadership or other talents emerging among the cohort, recommending them for advancement in the ranks or selecting them for training in a craft such as blacksmithing or advanced medicine.
The Hrathgarim believe that the Dragons gave them special rites in order to fulfill their role as defenders of Creation, and most of these occult secrets are known only to the upper echelons of the Ever-Watch. Most famous is the method of lighting of the divine fires of the watchtowers (which are the closest thing the Ever-Watch has to temples), which warm but do not burn the beings of Creation. Another secret is the method of creating Brydden-Iron, metal with a whitish patina that is poisonous to Otherlife. The Ever-Watch's Standard Bearers also know how to initiate others into sorcery, though they do not advertise this fact.
The Lay of Land
Rolling hills littered with ruins, ancient shrouded taigas, the northern steppe beneath the endless sky; these are the lands where the Hrathgarim live and die for the ancient Watch. At night, the expanse is illuminated by the great beacons from the watchtowers, beams of light cast about the land by mirrors of polished bronze. It is around these towers that the Hrathgarim settle, raising wooden palisades and earthen mounds where they build their homes. Hrathgarim settlements resemble military camps more often than not, the streets planned with defense in mind, with sturdy longhouses of stone or bronze reinforced wood. Within the strongholds lie the watchtower bastions, some of ancient make, others of more recent construction, where the Master Watchers of the Hrathgarim reside. Where rivers flowing into the White Sea lie, or where the weather gods are particularly pliable, fortified homesteads and well guarded farms can be found. Auxilim serve out their indentures labor here to grow the hardy tubers, cabbages, and grains that feed the Hrathgarim.
The Hrathgarim control a key stretch of the Black Shale Road, and they tax all trade wishing to pass through, though they also regularly repair the road and patrol it for bandits and worse dangers. The Hrathgarim have built many other roads through Hrathisthan, and several remain from the Realm Before, but the Hrathgarim guard all but a few jealousy. Outsider merchants who wish to travel upon their roads must pay a toll to a Master Watcher for a writ of passage, and even then they may only travel upon a specified route. Those found upon the roads reserved exclusively for the Hrathgarim and their vassals exclusively are subject to enslavement or execution.
Upon the vast steppe and within the shrouded taiga, demesnes, manses, and ruins of the Shogunate can be found. The Hrathgarim believe that they must guard these sites from desecration, both out of respect for Hrathgar's forebears and to prevent anyone from accidentally releasing the prisoners within. Forbidden gods lie sealed beneath many of the structures in Hrathisthan's interior, bound by the sorcerers and heroes of the Shogunate long ago for crimes that no mortal remembers.
The kingdom's borders are ragged from the incursions of raider tribes and inhuman monstrosities, eager to seize control of a stretch of the Black Shale Road or the ancient ruins that the Hrathgarim guard. Every year a few watchtowers fall to raiders or monsters, and every year a few are taken back or repaired.
Places of Note
The Watchtowers, Hrathisthan's most recognizable landmarks, can be found across the entire kingdom. Some are solitary giants accompanied only by the strongholds at their bases, others form great lines upon the borders of the land, relaying messages by sephamore and coded flashes of light. Some strongholds are inhabited year round, while others have civilians for only parts of the year, most of the Hrathgarim riding to other strongholds during the winter months. The Hrathgarim believe that the fire lit at the top of each is a spark of divinity that must be maintained lest the souls of mortals be imperiled when night falls. Perhaps this is true, for the hearts of the flames are the color multi-hued jade. The watchtowers themselves are immensely sacred buildings to the Hrathgarim, they lie upon the terrestrial earth, but reach into the heavens, they are the bridge between the mortal and divine.
The stretch of the Black Shale Road that the Ever-Watch guards is called the Brydden Gap. Atop a truly immense multi-tiered earthen mound overlooking the road is the fortress-city of Bryddarad-upon-the-Gap, the capital of the Hrathgarim. So many war leaders have besieged the city that it has been nicknamed the Grave of Generals, and the main road leading into the city has slabs of stone bearing the epitaphs of those who tried and failed to conquer it. The fortress-city's walls are made of pale stone carved with images of wild horses, and the tops of the walls boast ancient war machines of the Realm Before, each tended to by worshipful Hrathgarim. At the center of the citadel lies the Hrathfort, the ancient fortress inhabited by the royal bloodlines of the Hrathgarim. The divine fire of its central watchtower has burned uninterrupted for centuries, and its warmth suffuses the city even in the harshest winters. The winter folk are unnerved by the beacon, while the walking dead become sluggish in its light. Beneath the Hrathfort lies the fabled Watchman's Hoard, a cache of artifacts and weapons that the Hrathgarim jealously guard from all outsiders.
Grove-studded Brillingland lies in the interior of Hrathisthan, well guarded from the outside world by the Ever-Watch and sheer isolated geography. The agrarian and epicurean Brillings know little of the outside world, blissfully ignorant of the many hazards that the Hrathgarim slay before they can reach Brillingland. They are somewhat afraid of the Watchers, but they send quality foodstuffs to them regardless. The Hrathgarim regard Brillingland as a cozy posting, a reward for older Watchers to rest their weary bones and hunt the odd wild boar. A bastard daughter of one of royal bloodlines was born here, ignorant of her parentage. She exalted as a dragonblood less than a month ago, and Brillingland is so isolated that she doesn't know what has happened to her.
Largest of the First Age naval complexes that line Hrathisthan's northern coast, Petrel's Roost is the spiritual capital of the Sioxi people. Surfbreaker, a pristine dreadnought of the Realm Before sits in drydock, having been launched only three times in its history. The Ever-Watch keeps a heavy presence in Petrel's Roost, and maintaining and guarding Surfbreaker is a joint effort between Hrathgarim sorcerers and Sioxi shipwrights.
The Rib Cage is the ruined remains of an immense sky ship, halfway buried in the northern soil. The Hrathgarim say that the witch-king Bagrash Kol once sent the vehicle to besiege Hrathisthan, only for it to be repelled by Warlord Wyglaf and sent crashing into the earth. The blasted land around the crash site still smokes from the impact, as if it had fallen from the sky only a week ago. Unwholesome things, attracted by the wreck's heat, nest in the ruins.
Drinland Bog is a source of constant distress for Hrathisthan, a powerful wyld zone within its own borders. The tainted demesne at its center spits forth swamp faeries and mud wyrms who attempt to ravage the land every spring thaw. Legends say that an evil sorcerer named Wyrrad the Mute lives here.
Rygas' Block is a heavily fortified market-town where the Hrathgarim hold war captives for ransom and sell slaves taken in raids to foreign merchants. Looming Rygas, an immortal giant of uncertain origins, was bound by the Ever-Watch long ago to serve as a beast of war, and currently slumbers in a kurgan within the walls, from which his snores can be heard on a constant basis. When awakened, the giant is perfectly obedient but expresses amusement at his enslavement, treating it as if it is merely a droll diversion.
The Rubblespires are a collection of ruined and partially repaired watchtowers where the Hrathgarim train their elite warriors. The labyrinthine corridors of the complex are stocked with captured zombies and hobgoblins, upon whom the most dedicated and ascetic Watchers test their martial might. Needblade, a god of ruthless combat and broken swords, holds sway here, and grants its vicious imp-like children as familiars and squires to the ascetics who impress it. Those who die in the Rubblespires are transformed into wretched monsters by the power of the god, becoming just another part of the place's dangers.
The Hippodrome of the Vast Blue is a sprawling, open air complex of racetracks and athletic fields, the stone architecture and columns left open to the rest of the plains and the sky above. Normally abandoned, the complex becomes covered in flags and tents during holidays as Hrathgarim congregate for sacred games such as horse racing and wrestling. The contests performed here have great religious and spiritual significance, and the kingdom's sorcerers and gods use them as components in various workings and rituals.
A part of the Threyll Wilderness lies in the kingdom's east. Here, Hrathgarim rangers and loggers chop down the great pines, always staying close to the boundary stones along the road. Communities of exiles and outlaws from Hrathisthan and other kingdoms live in the far reaches, subsisting off banditry and what they can forage from the forest. Another kingdom, long dead and nameless, once lived here and built cyclopean palaces, now overgrown with foliage. None among the Hrathgarim or their gods know how or when it fell, or even if its people were human. The Everwatchers periodically delve the ruins to cull the chittering things with eyes of glass that nest in the depths.
Economy
Hrathisthan's internal economy is divided between the economies of the Auxilim cantons and the economy of the Ever-Watch. As part of their annual indenture, the Auxilim must produce a certain number of specific goods(varying depending on the canton) for Everwatcher use. Some grow food, others mine ore, others work on construction projects. The Hrathgarim also produce some of their own goods, primarily for use amongst themselves. The Ever-Watch may divert resources from one canton to another depending on the circumstances.
The horses that the Hrathgarim keep serve as a major source of meat, milk, and leather. They prize their herds greatly and treat them as a valuable cultural and military asset. Several breeds exist, some kept exclusively for the exotic milk or blood they produce that can be refined into high energy rations. The most prized horses are the Melafax, or "Skysiders", a supremely swift and hardy breed used exclusively for religious rituals, ranging from simple sacrifice, to sacred races, to a sorcerous procedure that coats the horse in jade-veined bronze, turning it into a living artifact. The arcane methods of breeding Skysiders are known only to high ranking members of the Ever-Watch.
The Ever-Watch maintains a tight grip on trade through its lands, taxing and observing all caravans who pass through. Auxilim are the primary merchant class, though they must receive a trading license from the Ever-Watch and travel with Watcher escort. For trade within the borders of Hrathisthan, the license is fairly easy to acquire. Auxilim permits for trading outside of Hrathisthan are more difficult to get a hold of, and the would-be merchant needs sponsorship from a Watcher ranked Veteran or above. What the Auxilim trade for or what they sell varies depending on where they're from, but it's usually food or manufactured goods. The few Hrathgarim merchants sell primarily weapons, tools, or horses, usually as part of some agenda of the Ever-Watch.
The Ever-Watch also sells its services as mercenaries to the peoples of the North. The cost varies depending on the foe they expect to fight. Those who hire them to fight Otherlife or Half-Life see far more favorable rates than those who hire them for mundane conflicts. They primarily serve as light and medium cavalry.
Foreign Relations and Neighbors
While they do not enjoy the Hrathgarim's trade tariffs, multiple states have mutual defense treaties with the Ever-Watch, and some hire Hrathgarim as mercenaries on a regular basis. For all their eagerness to aid in the fight against the terrors of the North, foreign opinions on the Hrathgarim personally are decidedly mixed. The Everwatchers have a (somewhat exaggerated but definitely present) reputation for holier-than-thou arrogance and casual dismissal of the customs of other people. Hill tribes they have counter-raided or driven from their lands nurse bitter grudges, while wyld mutants and ancestor cultists tend to be extremely wary of the Hrathgarim at best and outright hostile at worst.
The Brydden Gap is the western terminus of Hrathisthan. To the south of the Gap lies the mountain wyld of Wayupland, ruled by the scheming Goblin Earls, who periodically exile hordes of dissenters and excess faeries from their warren cities. To the north of the Gap lies the Ankarth Hills, inhabited by the Firedrummers, hill tribes who worship Papa Black-Snow, a god of coal, soot, and smog. The Firedrummers are more amicable than the fae to the south, but even they are prone to raiding during lean times, and their mastery of crude thermal weapons make them a challenge for the Everwatchers to root out.
The coastal city-state of Rinarad was conquered by a confederation of Icewalker tribes less than a decade ago. Unusually, they decided to set themselves up as rulers instead of razing it to the ground. Now, chieftains who were born in tents feast in ornate halls and drink from cups of gilded ivory. The Rinaradi grumble about their new "savage overlords"(who are quickly becoming indistinguishable from the old civilized overlords), but plans for rebellion are quickly discovered and crushed. Emboldened by their victory, the Icewalkers now look at other settlements with conquest in their eyes.
Northwest of Hrathisthan is the cursed land of Gryss, the earth scarred by immense craters left by some ancient conflict. An entity known as the Rusted Matron holds sway here, and has plagued a stretch of the Black Shale Road for centuries. From its Tarnished Citadel, it sends forth hordes of clanking homunculi to scour the land for resources at irregular intervals. The Hrathgarim, the Firedrummers, and other armies have besieged the Tarnished Citadel before, smashing open its gates and slaying the strange beings all within, but they have never found the Rusted Matron, nor have they been able to stop its depredations for more than a decade.
The satrapy of Olmarek lies centered upon a dry lakebed called Lake Olm, the pyramid towers and stone longhouses of the Olmareki lining the areas that were once the shoreline. The god of Lake Olm, Secret Spring, died long ago when the lake dried up, and the Olmareki have never truly loved another god since his death. Olmarek is ruled by the Primaries, a cabal of monastic sorcerers who have acquiesced to the Realm's rule, concerning themselves with esoteric matters and contemplating the meaning of Secret Spring's death. The Olmareki have historically been wary of the Hrathgarim, and the Ever-Watch has long coveted the Primaries' arcane secrets and vice versa. Though Secret Spring is long dead, the Primaries can summon a powerful entity that they claim to be the lake god's angry ghost.
West of Hrathisthan, along the coast of the White Sea, lies the Satrapy of Yaroe. In secret coves, conscripted Yaroese shipwrights and carpenters work under House V'neef taskmasters to build warships for the Realm's civil war. The other Great Houses are unaware of the shipyards but Sioxi and Hrathgarim spies have discovered them and mistakenly fear they are preparing to invade Hrathisthan.
The Hrathgarim know of distant Eshirreol for its involvement on the Black Shale Road, and their opinion of the wyld-touched highlanders is one of dull animosity and begrudging respect. They encounter Eshiroi caravans every once in awhile, and though they do not attack them, they are less likely to come to their aid should the dead or fae come. The feeling is mutual among the Eshiroi, who happily scavenge Hrathgarim dead they encounter or hide fleeing wyld mutants from Everwatcher bands.
While the Ever-Watch respects the Realm's military might, it feels morally and culturally superior to the Scarlet Dynasty. The Royal Bloodlines are thoroughly martial aristocracy, and while they dwell amidst splendor and riches, they feel that it is their due for a lifetime of service to the theomilitary's sacred duty. They view the Scarlet Dynasty as spiritually deficient for allowing some of its scions to remain pampered in unearned luxury instead of placing them on the frontlines. Despite this aloofness, the Ever-Watch welcomes the aid of Dynastic kinships and Immaculates in subduing Otherlife and other threats in the North, even if their sermons are discouraged by the Grandmaster Watchers.
Dramatis Personae
Beoblod Bryndon, Warlord of Hrathisthan, Supreme Grandmaster of the Ever-Watch, King of the Earthly Wings, ascended to the throne five years ago. A particularly powerful scion of Hesiesh, his coronation was all but assured. Wherever he goes, he is accompanied by his Firebolt Host, a bodyguard of skilled and eclectic warriors, some of whom come from distant and exotic lands. All the Firebolts have a ferocious loyalty to Bryndon born of battles fought with him at their side, and Bryndon is equally loyal to them. His skill at leadership and easy charm belie a sense of vicious pride and ruthlessness, as well as a habit of conflating his own ego with the greater good. The most visible example of his wrath was the purge by exile of his least favorite siblings(an order he has come to regret but is too proud to rescind). He hides his temper well and many of those who have glimpsed that side tend to excuse it, for his dedication to the Ever-Watch and his personal vision for it are both admirable and genuine. He will stop at nothing to secure prosperity for Hrathisthan and defend it against Otherlife, and his civic reforms have been very popular ever since he took the throne. He foresees the Realm's impending withdrawal and civil war, and plans to fill the power vacuum left behind in neighboring satrapies. Many hot-blooded officers in the Ever-Watch support him in this. A few Auxilim leaders also voice support in the hopes that the addition of new cantons will lessen their own yearly indenture obligations.
Ashrablod Astryd, Princess of the Line of Ashra, is Bryndon's half-sister and first consort. A scion of Daana'd, it is through their union that the royal lines hope to preserve the dragons' blood. The princess has a cooler head and more analytical mind than Bryndon, and has often acted as the voice of reason for the hotblooded warlord. An outspoken advocate for the Sioxi people, she hopes to leverage their mutual amity to expand Hrathisthan's influence along the White Sea's coast. The royal couple are devoted to, if not romantically interested in or faithful to, each other. She is currently pregnant with the Warlord's first child, and many believe her influence will soon begin to wane. She will prove them all wrong if she can help it.
Eytanblod Enryck, Prince of the Line of Eytan, was considered by many to be one of Bryndon's rivals, though the mortal prince personally held little ambition for the throne. His charisma and skill at arms approached Bryndon's, and he had a grasp of the occult that his elder half-brother lacked, though many looked askance at his unorthodox opinions, uncomfortable questions, and irreverent wit. He caused a stir five years ago when he was exiled as a Lone Company. The prince snubbed his half-brother by "borrowing" one of the sacred Skysider horses meant as a sacrifice for Bryndon's coronation and riding into the horizon. What's more, he left a note stating his intent to depart as a Lone Company the night before Bryndon intended to announce his exile, the letter peppered with subtle barbs and mockeries that only Bryndon understood. The Warlord, though livid at the time, had no choice but to accept his half-brother's departure, but one of the court factions sent an assassin after him regardless. Nobody but the assassin knows the truth of what happened to Enryck, that he was crowned in sunfire when he decided to save his would-be murderer from a wyld-born monster.
Grandmaster Standardbearer Usyrblod Usyr is the Ever-Watch's premier sorcerer. Disfigured by a demon long ago, she wears her scars with pride, earning her the sobriquet "The Tattersage." She has proposed using sorcerous means to conceive and enhance Bryndon's future children, though the Warlord and many others in court are leery at the prospect.
Grandmaster-Watcher Drynablod Drysas is the Marshal of the Eastern Terminus, in charge of coordinating all Ever-Watch activity in the Eastern reaches of Hrathisthan. Seven years ago, the discovery of an artifact mace awakened his essence, and he has used its powers to great effect ever since then. Unbeknownst to all but Drysas, the goremaul whispers to him in secret that it loves both the ruin they make together and Drysas himself, and he has begun to reciprocate its affections.
Limber Jariq, an apparently mad ferret-folk slave in the Warlord's court, is the chief fool of the royal bloodlines. A magical pact forged decades ago binds him in service to the Ever-Watch. Improbably old, he moves with surprising agility and dexterity, and though he is considered unsound in mind, he seems to have disturbingly accurate insights into the court intrigue and foreign policy, as well as favors in unexpected places.
Mother Dana is a powerful Yrolthing shamaness, sorcerer, and clan mother. Accompanied at all times by a veritable cloud of minor spirits, including her lover, The-King-Under-The-Stove, she is immensely respected, and feared, by most Auxilim and a good number of Hrathgarim.
The Peerless Admiral of the Cruel Seas is the ruler of the Sioxi communities along Hrathisthan's coast. The title is hereditary and replaces whatever name that the Admiral may have had before coming to office. The current Admiral is an enthusiastic hunter of the great orcas and narwhals of the
White Sea, and has an ongoing feud with several Icewalker tribes who compete with the Sioxi for their meat and blubber.
Rosharu and Isutoko, Lesser Elemental Dragons of Earth and Air, are important Wisdoms of the Hrathgarim and true believers in the Ever-Watch's t
theology. They were summoned centuries ago by Hrathgar's sorcerers as minor elementals, and have been with the Hrathgarim ever since. Bearded and studded with fragments of ruined architecture, Rosharu can be found at various places in Hrathisthan, his sleeping form easily mistaken for a hill in the distance. Isutoko, her flanks festooned with prayer flags, flies constantly about Hrathisthan's borders, tearing open storm clouds with her claws. Seeing either of them is considered a good omen.
Intrigues and Mysteries
Every 54 years, the devil-spirit With-Eyes-Aflame escapes imprisonment beneath one of the monoliths that dot Hrathisthan and seeks to set the sky ablaze. It was supposed to escape again this year, but no sign of it has been found. The Ever-Watch scrambles to locate the devil, for fear that it has learned subtlety and bides its time in the shadows.
Beneath one of the Watchtowers an ancient vault has been discovered, filled with ingots of silver and gold. The few Watchers who have taken riches from the tower do not know that the treasure is cursed, and each one now carries a supernatural plague.
The war chief Yad-Kulga, who carries with him the blessing of the rumbling earth, gathers his forces in the borders beyond Hrathisthan in preparation to besiege Bryddarad-upon-the-Gap. He has tamed a deific aurochs in his travels, and plans to use his god-beast-slave to knock down the walls of Bryddarad.
A massive iceberg has been sighted floating north of Petrel's Roost. Sioxi whalers report that a serpent of jade is entombed within the ice. The leaders of the Ever-Watch theorize it could be a weapon of the Realm Before, and debate over whether to try and salvage it for Hrathgarim use, or destroy it and prevent it from running rampant when the ice melts.
Within the deepest vault of the Hrathfort, surrounded by wards and bound elementals, lies an irregular stone the size of a mortal hand, shot through with veins of jade, emerald, and a stranger, unknown substance that shines a hue none can describe other than "being the color of discovery." Only the Warlord knows its name (and little else): "The Shard of Gnosis."
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