Crowhill

* **Size**: 187.000 km2
* **Location**: South of Eastcreek and east of Stormholme
* **Authority**: Monarchy but also considerably influenced by the Church of Riahn

#### **Geography**

Crowhill's islands all experience a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with winter monsoons that appear every seventh year. Besides the main island, two other islands are large and moderately populated, the Bright island and the Sembra island.

All three islands share some similar features. The coastlines are intermittently beaches of white sands or stone and white shallow or deep waters, or rocky shorelines with either shallow or deep waters. The has always been an important source of resources for the Crow, so all the most suitable harbors had a village, town, or city grown around it. They all share the feature of some sort of mountain range, but Menas Ridge on the main island is the tallest and longest of the three. Neither mountain range is taller or mightier than the Moqard Sierra in Armathain or Orean's Hand in Beornhelm and Oldwood. Signs of erosion are visible on these mountain ranges, thus, in the past, they might have been taller. Menas Ridge is known to contain gems as well as veins of silver and gold.

The different biomes you can find on these islands are either rocky desert-like areas where only the hardiest kind of fauna and flora can be found incredibly fertile farmlands around freshwater rivers and lakes or arid grasslands. The main island has several great bays, Crow's Basin, Bay of Aurum, and the White Strait.

#### **Summary**

The kingdom of Crowhill inhabits the largest island on Frostmark and a few other smaller islands. Its geography is craggy, only river dales and the flat shoreline offer ground to build towns and agriculture. The rest are steep cliffs that rise and rise towards the mountain chain, Menas Ridge, that runs through the island like a spine.

Crowhill is the most religious kingdom on Frostmark. The Riahnish faith has been integrated into the crow society to the point that the higher position of the Church is the country's true nobility. Two major contributions to the kingdom's wealth are mined rare gems from Menas Ridge and radiant pearls from the island's waters. Most of the profit lands in the Church's hands through high taxes. Several lavish cathedrals dot the island, while most of the general population of Crowhill slave away in the mines, fields, or fishing boats.

Due to an effective legal apparatus in Crowhill and a strict culture, petty and violent crimes are surprisingly rare in Crowhill. On the other hand, the Church struggles with corruption, both from within the Church and within the bourgeois. However, expressing concern about corruption is discouraged publicly, individuals who have experienced abuse of power are often threatened or bought off to remain silent. Despite this, the Church is kept in genuinely high regard in Crowhill, even if you disregard the fact that the population and the Church share the same faith. One reason for this admiration is the extensive social welfare the Church funds. Offering relief for the poor, education for those who desire it, childcare for those who need it, and elderly care for those desperate.

#### **Living in Crowhill**

The island of Crowhill is a nation of extreme economic differences. Here lies the headquarters of the Church of Riahn and the residence of the Solar priest, the highest authority within the Church. Crowhill is faithful to the letter of all three chapters of the Radiance of Geanor, which sets it apart from the other kingdoms of Frostmark, who interpret the book per their traditions and culture.

In the spirit of the sacred texts, there are three social classes in Crowhill; The Sphere (peasants), the Warmth (professionals), and The Shining (nobility). The divide comes from the intrinsic strength and purity of their Souls. Somebody born within the Shining class is considered to have a more pristine Soul than somebody born within the Sphere ranks in Crowhill. Specific rights and duties are given to these classes. It is a Shining's duty to lead, illuminate the dimmer Souls, and shine the way forward. It is the Warmth's duty to safeguard Souls, minds, and bodies, warming those who falter and fall. Sphere's duty is to be the foundation of the system and build a strong and prosperous way of living. In rare cases, a person can prove that their Soul is different from the social class they were born into, rising or falling within the ranks due to ill-conduct or great talent. The difference between the Sphere class and the class of Warmth is mainly a question about taxes, legal rights, and license. The Warmth pay less in taxes, they enjoy greater protection under the law, and they mainly gain certain professions' license. The Warmth' professions include captains of the guard, knights of the sacred arms, priests, scribes, artisans, and legal experts.

The Church struggles to find its rightful place in this hierarchy. Their sacred text details exactly what their duty is in society, but when the Shining leads astray from the path of Riahn, the wise souls of the Church want to help steer them in the right direction again. Historically, this has been the source of many heated debates within the Church, but ever since the Church relocated their headquarters to Crowhill, the consensus is that the Church must stain themselves in these troubled times. Once Frostmark is back to the Empire's harmony, with one people, one faith, and one God, the Church can fully reclaim their old duties. For now, involving themselves with politics is only for the greater good of Frostmark.

Besides the taxes, there is peer pressure in crow society to donate to their local Church or offer their services to it. Priests are treated with the utmost respect, seen as paragons of virtue and vessels of Riahn's warming light. Ceremonies and rituals are vital in everyday life. Some of the Sphere save their whole lives to afford religious ceremonies for themselves and their family. And somehow prices rise now and then. Official work is done in the hours when the sun shines. After it sets, it is Riahn's will for his people to settle as well and rest. Only businesses that require work during the dark hours of the day are exempt from this. At least twice per week, all crows are expected to attend the local chapel's daily sunrise ceremony. To reject any of the things stated above is social and economic suicide. If you're lucky, you are fined. If you are unlucky, your social status might be downgraded one step. If you are already one of the Sphere and therefore cannot descend anymore, agents of the Sacred Arms come knocking on your door, and you will never be heard of again.

Even if taxes and rules are strict, there are several free services and functions that the Church runs for free. Elderly care, medical attention, supplying guards, educated consultation, therapy, and giving basic education to the Sphere's and Warmth's children as the parents are often busy working during daylight hours. Noble children and children of very successful Warmth members are granted further aid from the Church through advanced schooling. The children of the higher nobility are even assigned a personal priestly tutor. Like every peasant household is assigned a local chapel to worship, every noble household is assigned a personal priest for private support. It is considered a strange ordeal for the nobility to not involve their house's priest in matters of importance. If a noble doesn't act per the law or the rianish faith, their house priest informs the Church of their crude behavior. The Church can then deploy several tactics to push the noble in the right direction. This could be forcing donations, withdrawal of privileges, or even public squander. Tools were all created to keep the nobles in line with the Church's agenda.

The technology level in Crowhill is not the highest in Frostmark as new inventions are met with large quantities of suspicion. The core of the issue is the Church's wish to ensure crow society's safety and purity. The elite, and often secret, units of the Sacred Arms are not given the same scrutiny level. In the quest to root out the Six Horrid Devils' corruption, no expense or method is too outlandish. Education and knowledge are treated the same way. The Church carefully selects what knowledge is available to whom and why. Peasants may be taught skills, work ethics, morals, and the basics of the Rianish faith. Members of the Warmth acquire the education needed for their future line of work, intermediate knowledge about the faith of Riahn (unless they are a priest), and basic academics. It is only the most vital profession, nobles, inquisitors, and priests who receive a full education.

#### ***Relations with other Kingdoms***

The Church has effectively taken over the government of Crowhill. The Solar priest practically runs the kingdom, while the regent is more of a figurehead. They can't overthrow the monarchy directly due to passages in Radiance of Geanor. This section does not only explain Crowhill's relationship with other nations but also the Church's.

When Applegate stabilized after the Malgravian and Karthmerian war, Crowhill started to send relief their way. This mostly takes the form of building materials, engineers, educators, and medical attention. In return, Crowhill receives generous exports of food and cloth. Today the food exports are crucial for Crowhill and their military machine, and Crowhill certainly does not overlook the opportunity to rebuild Applegate in their preferred fashion.

The Church holds a lot of influence in Armathain, but it is restricted to areas where Armathain believes the Church holds precedence, like medical or ceremonial matters. In most areas of government, the Church is promptly excluded.

The Church of Riahn has tried many times to send missionaries to Beornhelm. Depending upon the ruler, it has been more or less successful. Today, with Kynemund as the chieftain, Sacred Arms is not welcomed at all in Beornhelm and is treated as a hostile force.

The Church is equally not allowed to have any influence in Stormholme. Only a handful of congregations exist, but only underground. Malgrave, Oldwood, and Sirendale tolerate the Church's presence but keep them a distance away from state business. Greenfield has been historically very welcoming of the Church, but since Malgrave has become more interested in their country and Beornhelm occupying almost half of the kingdom, these relations have been mostly put on hold as the Church is currently too occupied to deal with the troubled kingdom.

Eastcreek is occupied by Crowhill and an extension by the Church of Riahn. The official statement describes that Crowhill pushes Eastcreek into the modern age to bring modern healthcare and education to them. The remaining free tribes would describe the situation differently. They claim that Crowhill is slowly but surely eliminating the tribal traditions and forcing upon them the religion of Riahn.

#### ***Military***

The backbone of Crowhill's watch and the military is supplied, managed, and funded by the nobility. These units include guards, escorts, and ship escorts. The Church is in charge of the main offensive force of Crowhill, the Sacred Arms. Once upon a time, the Sacred Arms were a powerful force that waged war with Geanor and conquered all of Frostmark with him. The ancient fortress and headquarters of Sacred Arms were located in Aynor in Malgrave during the Imperial years, but after the Empire split apart, the Church fell out of favor in Malgrave. Eventually, the Church relocated with Sacred Arms to Crowhill, and new headquarters were constructed in Goldbank. Ever since the Empire cleansed Frostmark of spellcasters, artifacts, and Enna, Sacred Arms transformed large portions of their army into agents rather than soldiers. Once lethal force was no longer needed, oversight, intelligence, and control became progressively more important. This new branch of the Sacred Arms was nicknamed the Inquisition among the peasantry.

Traditionally, from the age of Geanor, the Sacred Arms consists of four military branches and one civilian one. The three military branches are the heavy infantry, the light cavalry, the heavy cavalry, and the versatile artillery branch. The heavy infantry uses spears, shortswords, and shields. They are capable of several different formations and engage the enemy with alternating frontlines. The light cavalry is equipped with spears meant for both throwing and melee engagement. Their primary purpose was to harass and pressure flanks and weak points if the terrain allowed it. Behind the infantry, the archer units stood with longbows, utilizing impressive cloud shooting techniques, as well as axes if they had to defend themselves in melee. Preferably, the artillery disperses if they are assailed by infantry, using their very light encumbrance to retreat and then resume ranged attacks. The heavy infantry was the legendary Knights of the Sacred Code. As a whole, this unit is small, mostly encompassing nobility and ridden leadership, but well-armored with excellent training.

In the beginning, the Sacred Arms' civilian branch consisted of engineers, smiths, stable hands, chefs, caravaneers, etc. It has grown to include spies, assassins, informants, inquisitors, scouts, scribes, and other agents. All considered top secret by the Church's leadership. They are equipped and trained for their purpose and tactics. These units operate with various amounts of jurisdiction depending upon the kingdom they visit. In some kingdoms, they can execute their justice in broad daylight. In others, they need to ask permission from the local peacekeeping forces and might have to cooperate with them. In some cases, they operate completely outside of the law, assassinating, stealing, and destroying what they have to.

What was revolutionary for Geanor's army in his time was the advanced formations and tactics of his infantry, their art of alternating their front lines, and their extensive discipline and teamwork training. Most other armies around before the Empire focused their attention on the individual's training instead of the group's teamwork and tactics. Due to this advantage, the army's versatility and overall discipline, Geanor's inspirational figure, as well as his mind for tactics, ensured the Sacred Arms' victories.

The Sacred Arms' military branches have shrunk somewhat as they haven't been in the business of conquering something for a long time. However, they have regained some of their numbers ever since the Church initiated the Eastcreek project. Sacred Arms still trains their soldiers in the same way as they have always done. Their equipment is solid and functional, however, their mindset and strategies haven't changed one iota since Geanor.

#### ***Royal House of Undersworth***

***Ruler***: Queen Irena Undersworth (17 years)

***Family***: Twin sisters (both 14 years)

***Coat of Arms***: A white shield, in the middle, a golden crown is displayed with a golden corona above it, in the middle of two black crow wings.

***Rule***: All of Crowhill

Irena's parents died when she was little, one to disease and the other to suicide. She grew up with her younger twin sisters in Crowhill's decadent palace in Crow's Rising, pampered and removed from any of the world's hardships. Irena loves parties and glamour. Balls are a common occurrence in the palace. Despite her significant protection, the kingdom thought they lost her when she was celebrating her 17th birthday. The party was held on a pleasure cruise out at sea, and while all-weather specialists had ensured the palace that the weather would be calm and cloud-free for many days, a terrible storm surprised the entourage. The ship went under, and many of the nobility's children died. The morning after, they miraculously found Irena on the closest beach to the shipwreck as the sole survivor. The Church claims that Riahn protected her against a storm called by the Six Horrid Devils. After her near-death experience, Irena hasn't been the same, she matured a small amount, and she pays more attention to the affairs of Crowhill. In small ways, she has started to disagree or even disobey the Solar Priest, something the Church is desperately trying to keep secret and in control.

#### ***Solar Priest***

***Ruler***: Demetria Atha (54 years)

***Family***: Deceased male partner (32 years), brother (44 years), sister (34 years), and a son (11 years)

***Coat of Arms*** (Solar Priest): A white shield, in the middle a golden sun with an all surrounding golden corona

***Coat of Arms*** (Clergy): A white shield, in the middle a golden sun

***Coat of Arms*** (Sacred Arms): A white shield, in the middle, a golden sun with two black swords on each side.

***Rule***: Officially the leader of the Church of Riahn in all of Frostmark

Demetria is beloved amongst the faithful on Frostmark. Many describe her deeds and demeanor as a concerned and protective mother, and she considers all Frostmark, her children. She has managed to keep the respect and support of the majority of the clergy. Demetria has also been able to alleviate some of the corruption issues that distract the Church. When it comes to Eastcreek, she has mostly devoted her time to ensure peace and stability in the region. She also started a huge project to reeducate the populace, focusing on the children first.