Kharamanid Khaganate

The Kharamanid Khaganate is a multi-racial nomadic empire originating in the space between the Ellissard Plains, The Zoresh Desert, and Edyn. Founded in 63 BDR by the Hobgoblin Warleader, Kharaman Khagan, the Kharamanid Khaganate was the most powerful and capable state to arise on the steppe, and threw off many of the vassalage and tribute requirements imposed by others, managing to defeat an army of Highfell at the Battle of the Two Bridges[page and link needed] in 57 BDR to seal their place as a world player.

Currently the Khaganate is split in three due to a succession crisis between three grandsons of Kharaman and tensions are incredibly high. As the great war approaches, both sides look to the Khaganate for their support and their expert horse archers and raiders.

## History

### Kharaman Khan and the Founding of the Khaganate

In 77 BDR The Hobgoblin chief Krasnir (later Kharaman Khan and Kharaman Khagan) was made Khan of the Morlik and the Scarick tribes on the edge of The Zoresh Desert. He took the name Kharaman, meaning Universal Hero, and proceeded to blitz his way across the steppes conquering and integrating everyone he came across.

Meeting at Tan-Hequorum[link and page] after conquering the vast majority of the tribes in the Area, Kharaman proclaimed himself the Khagan(Khan of Khans) in a three week ceremony honoring all the gods of the Hobgoblin Pantheon[link and page]. It was estimated at this time that Kharaman had over 100,000 tribesmen in attendance. As said by Ali-dun Qartoub[link and page], the historian and poet from Zoresh,

> "Tens of thousands he ruled/many great hordes/look, two and twenty thousands of the orcs/behold, four and forty thousands of the human savages/see, five and fifty thousands of the great goblins"
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### The Conquests on the Plains

After his Coronation, Kharaman Khagan turned his attention to the Fertile grazing lands of the Ellissard Plains. The semi-nomadic tribes and villages provided little resistance and over half the plainlands fell into his tributary sphere most settlements bowing to him rather than get wiped from existance. The coinquests were particularly brutal, with any army or city that opposed the Khagan being completely destroyed.

The most notable example was when the trade hub of Teoatl locked themselves inside their walls and refused to bow to the Khagan. They trusted in the wide river that flowed around three sides of their city, and in their alliance with Highfell to protect them. In a 3 month siege, The khagan dammed the river and let the city run nearly out of water, then released the built up water washing away the walls and most of the city, he then let his horde loose for a week long scouring of the area killing all refugees and burning all the wreckage. Teoatl ceased to exist after it defied the great Khagan.

### The War Against Highfell

The Destruction of Teoatl was not taken well by the rulers of Highfell who had a trading relationship and a traditional alliance with Teoatl. They mobilized a large army in an attempt to capture the Khagan and put him in his place. The campaign was as long and protracted as any by a settled society against a nomadic one with the Khagan's army eluting and wearing town the superior host of Highfell. With the Highfell army starving and tired, they encamped for the winter between two small rivers. The Khagan fell upon them there, using the frozen rivers to approach the army from a direction they believed to be safe. This was the Battle of Two Bridges, which ended the active campaigning between the Khaganate and Highfell.

### The Reign of Batu Khagan

Kharaman died old and successful, in 31 BDR the ruler and founder of an empire, and was succeeded by his oldest surviving son, Batu Khagan. Batu spent his reign trying to keep the conquered territories under control, and fought several major revolts. However, He lost control of the territories In Zoresh and didn't add any territory to the Empire. What he did do however was institute the Ordu Khaleset[link and page], the law code for the empire which has been carried on in it's successor states.

### The War of Three Khagans

The War of Three Khagans began in 30 BDR when Burhan, and Sidiq, the Eldest twin sons of Batu Khagan, contested their separate claims to the kingdom with their younger half-brother Rabban. All three took the title of Khagan, and mustered their armies for multiple protracted campaigns. By the current date, Rabban has recovered most of the territory and is recognized as the true Khagan by most Foreigners, but both of the twins are alive and uncaptured, controlling major swaths in the Northwest and East of the Khaganate.

## Culture

### Material Culture

The steppe lands of the Khaganate lack both timber and easily accessible iron. Consequentially, most of their material culture revolves around animal products, bronze and what little worked iron they can steal from or trade with neighboring civilizations. Felt, Wool, and Leather yurts, leather and silk armor and clothes are very common.

Silver, Bronze, Copper, and Gold smiths, while rare, are exceptionally skilled and valuable. They create many beautiful and useful works, and they are prestigious to the point that the word for "useful" literally translates to "bronzed". Most of these works carry a horse aesthetic, and are very beautiful.

### Practical Culture

#### Hospitality

Hospitality is a really big deal to the various nomads of the Khaganate. When a stranger approaches your yurt and asks for hospitality, you are culturally required to offer them food, a place at your fire, and shelter for the night before asking questions. The host is required to keep his visitors safe until the next morning at which time the stranger may go on their way, or they and the host can work out a deal for staying together longer. However the host is immediately freed from his responsibility to the guest if the guest takes any harmful actions and attempts to steal from his host. This cultural imposition is heavily enforced in law and violating the host-guest relationship will likely get you hunted down by several dozen mounted archers.

#### Spirit Guides and Worship

Religious and spiritual life in the Khaganate is mostly focused around trying to keep the major players in the Hobgoblin Pantheon[link and page] from smiting you for perceived slights. It's viewed as an existential duty to the entire community, therefore, the tribesmen take piety very seriously.

In addition, there is a lot of ancestor veneration, as the religion believes that the spirits of your dead family members are unable to fully pass on for a few generations, and the *Beyirs* [link and page] or burial mounds are considered haunted, and generally avoided except for spirit guides and the current head of the tribe who go to offer gifts to petition the ancestors for good luck.

Spirit guides are clerics and shamans, and they are very important for the spiritual life of the tribes. Every tribe has a few, and they are held in very high regard. They are also the few who are likely to be literate, as well as maintaining the laws and cultural stories. As such, the spirit guides are excluded from riding in warbands and instead, treat the wounded after the fact.

#### Music and Literary Tradition

Music is largely played on drums and woodwinds, and often accompanies the telling of an epic poem. Literature consists of many oral tales and epic poems, very few of which are written down.

#### Horse Culture

Horses are incredibly important to life on the steppes. Owning many good horses is a sign of wealth and status, and giving horses as a gift is very common. Often, a Host will gift his guests who arrive unmounted a riding horse.

Children learn to ride at a very young age and every tribesman on the steppes is at least familiar with riding. (Note: PCs from the Khaganate should take a class or background occupation that gives Ride as a class skill and invest a rank or two into that skill)