Grothen Kingdom

*A Kingdom built solely on war, the hobgoblins of Grothen are ferocious fighters. Casting aside malformed infants at birth, the citizens of this kingdom follow a strict caste-based society. Every caste has fighting training, even their poorest of beggars can stand in the shield wall if ordered to. While they lack in sheer overwhelming power, the hobgoblins organize and fight similar to Greek Phalanxes of our world.*

## History

An alliance between Hobgoblin tribes formed during the final summit of the clans in 5201 HR as the Wasteling horde that threatened to exterminate their species encroached from the south. After fifteen years of fighting the existential threat that was pushed back into the mountains where it was cornered and utterly destroyed. By this time a new generation of Hobgoblins had been raised, one that knew only war on a united front against a common enemy. This outlook was instrumental in the decision by the Unified Generation in overthrowing their elders when their tribe leaders attempted to break off the long standing alliance. It was then the Grothen Kingdom was formed, named after the tribe that originally pushed for the alliance - though was wiped out during the war.

The years since then have lead to the kingdom being in a state of perpetual war as the leaders, those who were clever enough to claw their way to power, understood that this was the only way to keep their aggressive people unified. To the north the Groth launched raids and pillaged the farmlands of Grenalia. To the south they laid siege to Dwarven fortresses and Elven villages, though they quickly learned to engage the elves only outside of their forests.

## Geography

The Kingdom's lands are split into several biomes.

### West Coast

The West Coast, also know to the locals as the Baldrut Burdrid, which roughly translates into 'Death Jungle' or 'Jungle of Death'. Despite its name Baldrut Burdrid isn't all that dangerous close to the roads that cross it as the local Groth noble families, which have a vested interest in assuring armies can traverse them with minimal casualties, have regular patrols clear out any dangers.

It is the depths of Baldrut Burdrid that gave the jungle its name though. The vast majority of flora and fauna that call the depths of the jungle their home are carnivorous, venomous, or poisonous. Stark little information is known about the contents of the depths, but the locals speak of ancient temples and the anomalous creatures of folk lore that guard them.

Past the jungle is one of two coastlines that the Kingdom owns. The Kingdom claims that the great lake, which they named Koma after General Koma, is theirs. As such their warships can frequently be seen striking out at any vessel that has the misfortune of coming within line of sight.

The beaches along the coast themselves are as idyllic as a local can get within the kingdom. There are few creatures capable of threatening armed individuals as most of the predators stay deep within the jungle or farther out at sea. That doesn't mean they are completely safe though. Riptides are a common occurrence due to the high quantity of sandbars near the shoreline. Hurricane force blizzards are also a constant threat along the coast. During the fall as cold storms push northwards they are warmed by the lake which drastically and rapidly increases strength creating supercells capable of snowing in all coastal villages and coating them in ice.

### Southern Mountains

The Guthug mountain range, as it is known to the Groth, is one of the most inhospitable locales in the kingdom. Sheer cliffs that scarp the sky which at the base are horrendously hot, but become freezing cold at their peaks. The terrain is barren of all but the hardiest flora and fauna capable in living in desert or arctic-like conditions. Many species migrate up and down the peaks depending on season to find more comfortable living conditions as during the summer and winter the base and peak respectively are suffer extreme temperatures.

It was officially recorded that the time to cook eggs on a rock at the base during summer on a rock heated only the sun was comparable to a stove. The winters at the peak are no less forgiving with the deaths to explorers from hypothermia occurring despite being equipped with high quality cold gear. The creatures that don't migrate are often outright immune to the severe conditions they live in - with reports of white and red dragons living in caves at the peaks and bases of mountains respectively.

### Central Plains

Despite being mostly plains, the arid nature of the kingdom leads deserts growing and shrinking in the region depending on rain levels of the previous years. The most prominent threats here are natural ones as tornadoes often appear during the spring and fall. Despite this the central plains are the most futile and is where much of the food is farmed for the kingdom.

Much like the rest of the kingdom's wilderness the creatures that lived here are a threat to those who aren't prepared. The deserts contain many nocturnal hunters who prefer the cool nights to find an easy meal, and creatures that lie within the shade and oases to snag the unsuspecting.

The predators of the plains are no laughing matter either. An armored caravan with a coordinated guard team is suggested to ward off any interested creatures as even roaming herbivores can become agitated and attack seemingly without provocation.

### Eastern Coast

Unlike the western coast, the eastern coast is far more habitable. Much like the center of the kingdom, the eastern coast is rolling plains filled with herd animals. Much like the beaches to the west, this doesn't mean the land is completely safe. There are many dangerous ambush predators that stalk the plains looking for easy meals, and as such it is suggested that people travelling should move in armed groups.

The weather in this region is much more moderate with the only notable dangers are the frequent hurricanes that come in from Ocera during the spring. Prudent planning and travelling in reinforced carriages will mitigate this natural danger though Groth patrols are a constant threat to all who don't belong.

## Settlements

Prigrad, Nughen, Huvlod, Vomsufi, Rolnut, Boso, Talgung, and Zidrer

## Government

Their drive and military training keep their foes at
bay and allows them to have their very militaristic society. They do not do well in diplomacy as they are known to take slaves, but any force that attacks
them would have to face devious traps and formations with the resolve of stone. The kingdom is not very large as infighting does occur when they have no one else to fight. Upper caste members swear fealty to the Warchief but can fight other houses as seen fit. As such, the ruling family has not had to deal with any civil war actions for many generations, as successful maneuvering and
intrigue has many of the houses too weak for any major coup.

## Military

When legions are formed during war times, they often bear the names of their home cities or regions, with numbers indicating which generation of the legion they are part of. They carry their banners on their back on small flagpoles if they are officers, and each member of the unit will often keep a small token as proof they served.

### Martial Tradition

Phalanx Soldier

The phalanx is a group of soldiers who combine spears and shields to create an impenetrable wall of death. Even when not flanked by their brothers-in-arms, a phalanx soldier is still a deadly force on any battlefield.

**Bonus Talents:**

* **Equipment:** Shield Training, Spear Dancer
* **Shield sphere**
* **Variable:** Phalanx soldiers gain either Finesse Fighting from the Equipment sphere or a talent of their choice from the Shield sphere.

## Society

Most of the soldiers of this nation have side positions as a kingdom without workers cannot survive for long, but their main profession is fighting. The cost of maintaining armor and at least a spear is not cheap, as the Warchief demands they pay for it themselves, so often lower-caste members often attach themselves to a house either as soldiers or champions if they can prove themselves. The only way for a member of a lower caste to advance is to distinguish themselves in battle, or to become so rich they can higher soldiers for their own household.

The Groth society has been brutal since before the tribes united to fight off the Wastelings and those traditions have survived mostly intact. It is expected that all who live within the cities of the kingdom be capable of fighting and provide their own equipment. As such it is a rite of passage for Groth, regardless of ethnicity, to travel north and participate in a raids on the Kingdom of Grenalia for a year.

Upon returning, if they showed satisfactory performance, a fraternity of warriors will induct them into their ranks. However most Groth do meet the standards of the fraternities so they return to work whatever profession they worked prior.

There is a clear divide in the power structure of the citizens of the Grothen Kingdom shown by the two castes. There is the soldier caste which are the people who have proven themselves to be exceptional fighters and were taken in by a fraternity.

Then there is the labor caste. The labor caste is everyone else who isn't proficient enough of a combatant to be in the soldier caste, so they take up all the other jobs required for a society to function. The labor caste, by themselves are vulnerable to the soldier castes, so they pledge their skills to a fraternity in exchange for protection.

The Kingdom as a whole is run by the strongest fraternity who throws around their military prowess to control the lesser fraternities and the common population. .

## Religion, Magic, & Technology

### Magic

The Groth culture focuses on martial prowess above all else so magic is looked down upon as a lesser skill - though powerful mages are still utilized by fraternities.

### Technology

The Groth do not have access to advanced technology such as airships as most technological infrastructure would have difficulty surviving the harsh environment and constant warring.