Gnoss Lords

Powerful wizard tyrants, the Gnoss Lords ruled the desert wasteland of Kazzak for centuries before being overthrown by the Whillin Knights and Duōzhǒng princes.

## Founding

Much is unknown about the Gnoss Lords, as most Gnoss records and relics are safeguarded by the Whillin Knights. Some legends have survived to the modern day, however.

It is said that before The Iconoclasm began, The Obelisk was a more prominent force in Kazzak. Inspiring people to wander the wastes, it would shelter its nomadic children from the harsh desert by guiding them away from its dangers and to the treasures of the sands. One tribe, the Gnoss, were particularly beloved by The Obelisk, which showed them its most closely guarded secret, Ichor. The Gnoss reveled in the power of Ichor, using it to practice spell craft and construct machines far beyond contemporary technology. As their local spring began to dry up though, the Gnoss's greed began to bloom, inspiring them to seek out more. Searching for wellsprings, the Gnoss traveled around Kazzak, scarring the land where ever they passed with their eldritch machines. As more tribes began opposing their exploitations of the land, the Gnoss started to subjugate and conquer all who stood in their way, founding the Gnoss Empire in the heart of the continent.

One known thing about the founding of the Gnoss Empire is that before being established there were many upstart wizards trying to claim the powers of Ichor for their own, but that once the Empire was founded the practice of certain Gnoss rituals and customs was restricted solely to the emperor and individuals chosen by them. Often called "The Pride of Place", this rule mostly existed to prevent the Gnoss Lords from killing each other, instead restricting their ranks to a small number overseeing the vaster empire.

## Gnoss Technology

The Gnoss Lords were particularly adept at constructing technology powered by Ichor, which they used for the conquering of local tribes and eventually to start digging deep underground in search of something lost to history. Gnoss Technology included war machines, giant drills, and other constructs. While most schematics are lost or hidden by the Whillin Knights, relics can be found spread throughout The Badlands and have been repurposed into modern day technology in Ozymandium. Among these modern creations are Dusters, repurposed war machines used for travel, racing, and combat in the Badlands.

## Gnoss Experiments

In addition to technology, modern scholars theorize that the Gnoss experimented to create monsters capable of guarding their vaults and subjugating their peoples, resulting in many of the horrors of the wastes. Among the known creations of the Gnoss are large quantities of undead, many of which still wander the wastelands. Outside of that its unknown how many Gnoss creations may exist, and many of the more unique monsters of Kazzak are accredited to their designs.

In addition to these experiments, some surviving documents show a strange obsession with Chaos by some of the wizard kings, which might have been a fueling source of inspiration for their many experiments.

## Gnoss Involvement in the Iconoclasm

Although records of the Iconoclasm are difficult to obtain, some have been found hinting that the Gnoss Lords may have aided Keedronnor during the war. Theories about this aid vary wildly, but one popular idea proposed by Ozymandium historian Tacitus is that they likely saw Keedronnor's close connection to Chaos and wished to see if they could gain access to its power.