Great Skull

***“**I am aware that the remnants and migrants of the Great Skull have been extremely fortunate since the tribe's destruction. Despite contrary beliefs, I had nothing to do with it.**”***
— Piqumi

The **Great Skull** were a Northern Human tribe located north of the Green Grove, in the territory of the modern Duchy of Redlyre. It was founded after a Human slave revolt overthrew the Hyllidan Freehold of Kainiya between 210 and 212 AW.

With a relatively low population and high internal disunity, the Great Skull were a bit of a footnote in the history of the North at the time, and they were ultimately conquered in the Wyrsian Invasion of Great Skull, which sparked the Great Skull Migration. The Migration saw major consequences across the North and Eastland, solidifying the tribe's legacy,

## History

### Independence War

The Freehold of Kainiya had been established in the wake of Lyxis the Blind's invasion of the North during the late Third Human Rebellion. The relatively unpopulated area, which had previously been part of the Faerian Freehold of Laenius, was taken by the Nytalyrians and turned into Kainiya, a Freehold with little purpose but to act as a buffer state between Laenius and Hykkfjord.

Lacking an established economy or a shared history, Kainiya was established in 44 BW. Initially, the Kainiyans turned to forestry and farming, yet this proved largely unfruitful. Facing economic struggles, the Freehold became increasingly reliant on the Nytalyrians to uphold its economy. Lyxis the Blind stated her intentions to stop supporting the Freehold economically from 10 BW onwards. When 10 BW came, and no progress had been made, the Kainiyans turned to slavery out of economic desperation, capturing local Humans and putting them back to work.

While this fixed the Freehold's economic problems somewhat, it caused extreme internal instability with constant slave revolts. The Nytalyrians, wanting nothing to do with the keeping of Human slaves, broke the vassalage of Kainiya, leaving them to rot. At the same time, the Freehold descended into increasing tyranny just to keep from collapsing.

In 209 AW, a significant slave revolt broke out in the capital of Kainiya itself, led by Gern Freeman. The rebellion severely destabilized the Freehold but ultimately ended the same year with the death of Gern. His head was cut off and put on a stake to serve as a warning to the other Humans. However, his skull instead became a symbol of unity against the Hyllidans, leading to an increase in widespread slave revolts. By 210 AW, the Freehold of Kainiya began to properly collapse when Faerians joined the Human slave revolts from the Green Grove. By 212 AW, the Freehold of Kainiya had fallen, and the Human rebels, inspired by Gern "the Skullbearer"'s beheading, named their tribe Great Skull in his honor, starting the rule of the tribe.

### Under House Kirne

Great Skull, now an independent country, came under the control of Catadar Kirne, a former slave who had captured the town of Kyrn, later renamed Cnoc Kirne. Catadar soon became the most influential of the warriors within the larger tribe and was elected the first King of Great Skull in late 212 AW. The first century was relatively rough within the lands of the Great Skull, as many difficulties arose with adapting to independence.

The early years under House Kirne were marked by infighting and bloodshed, as many questioned the authority of the kings based in Cnoc Kirne. It can be argued that the only thing keeping the Great Skull together was their mutual hatred of the Hyllidans, which became a target for genocide, with many Hyllidans fleeing to neighboring Hykkfjord.

However, by the 4th century AW, it became increasingly clear that Cnoc Kirne and its rulers were in a challenging position to rule. Cnoc Kirne, small and isolated, had little insight into what happened in the rest of Great Skull. One particularly problematic area was Cnoc Cain, formerly Kainiya. The large town had been ruled by House Annuhin, which provided protection against Hykkfjord and oversaw the surrounding area from Cnoc Cain's central position. Essentially, the Great Skull suffered a cultural split between east and west, with local clans loyal to House Kirne or House Annuhin.

### Under House Annuhin

Tensions between House Kirne and House Annuhin finally boiled over in 365 AW when King Kunag failed to arrest Kan Annuhin, the ruler of Cnoc Cain, for treason. In response, the country descended into a brief civil war, with the wealthier and more politically connected House Annuhin being the victors.

Under House Annuhin, the Great Skull modernized somewhat. The capital was moved to Cnoc Cain, allowing economic and political progress. However, the golden age that many of House Annuhin's followers expected never came to pass. As the neighboring Mage-Duchy of Redlyre was conquered and the Kingdom of Wyrsia was formed, it became increasingly clear that the Great Skull was at a disadvantage compared to other Human states in the North.

The Great Skull entered somewhat of a dark age from the  6th century AW onward, as the clans began bickering once more. Many Great Skull warriors became mercenaries, fighting mainly for the Alliance of Fühlgart. While mercenary work allowed for some new income, it wasn't enough for the Great Skull to catch up, and they were soon overshadowed by the Kingdom of Wyrsia, which had become far more powerful.

From the 7th century AW, many former mercenaries, who lacked work due to the Alliance of Fühlgart lacking enemies, turned to banditry or raiding throughout the North. Wyrsia was often targeted, as Great Skull kings encouraged the acts, making the tribe somewhat notorious throughout the continent. After a devastating raid in the Duchy of Redlyre, the Kingdom of Wyrsia formally declared war on the tribe. In the resulting Wyrsian Invasion of Great Skull, the tribe was decimated and ultimately conquered, becoming part of Wyrsia.

While Great Skull became little more than bandits and mercenaries in the end, their conquest had a significant impact. What remained of the Great Skull scattered in all directions in an event known as the Great Skull Migration. The descendant of Great Skull, while prone to similar bickering, spread to many corners of Enselonde. Many modern countries have Great Skull roots, most notably Green and Orange Skull, Gurtrenn, and even Avateaux on the Eastland.

## Military

### Land

* Army of Cnoc Cain - Great Skull's attempt at fielding an organized military force. Outdated, undisciplined, and disloyal, the Army of Cnoc Cain was notoriously incompetent when deployed in battle. Instead, Great Skull relied far more on smaller regional Warbands, who were more loyal to their leaders.

### Sea

* Orange Fleet - The Orange Fleet mainly consisted of captured merchant ships or outdated ships bought at a meager price. The Orange Fleet acted more as a group of privateers than as an organized navy. While the Orange Fleet was relatively effective, it was severely hindered by its small size.

### Air

* Great Skull lacked any form of airpower.

## Kings of Great Skull

* House Kirne
	+ Catadar I, 212-238 AW
	+ Eor I, 238-257 AW
	+ Eor II, 257-260 AW
	+ Vidde I, 260-275 AW
	+ Eoda I, 275-291 AW
	+ Vigran I, 291-310 AW
	+ Vigran II, 310-318 AW
	+ Fangor I, 318-338 AW
	+ Ketian I, 338-349 AW
	+ Kunag I, 349-366 AW
* House Annuhin
	+ Kan I, 366-379 AW
	+ Ongan I, 379-408 AW
	+ Modighar I, 408-413 AW
	+ Fangor II, 413-432 AW
	+ Catadar II, 432-462 AW
	+ Eor III, 462-502 AW
	+ Astos I, 502-518 AW
	+ Achvind I, 518-535 AW
	+ Munod I, 535-546 AW
	+ Fangor III, 546-561 AW
	+ Modighar II, 561-591 AW
	+ Fangor IV, 591-632 AW
	+ Astos II, 632-650 AW

## People of Great Skull

*For a full list, see: Category:Characters (Great Skull)*

* Astos II - Last king.
* Catadar I - Slave revolt leader, first king.
* Gern the Skullbearer - Slave revolt leader, martyr.

## Locations of Great Skull

*For a full list that includes buildings, see Category:Locations (Duchy of Redlyre)*

* Cnoc Cain - Capital city.