The Echo Isles

**The Echo Isles** is a remote archipelago to the eastern borders of Ashvattha. It has often been argued whether the nation should be counted to the Ashvattha borders. They provide little contribution to the continent and they are a rather far distance away from the mainland. These jungle isles are densely populated by a variety of wildlife and species. And at the top of the food chain stands the **Lek'Golo** People, the only sentient and governing race on the Isles.

While rarely interacting with Ashvattha as a whole, they don't really hold any grudges or distaste for the outsiders, they merely believe that they have to stay on their own shores and keep to isolation in order to follow the will of their gods. Trade is rare with the denizens of The Echo Isles, but when they do engage in trade, they will often exchange their vast amounts of gold, silver, and other metals in return for "more valuable" items such as hides and weapons from Vroldafn.

## Society

The society is built upon a very strict Caste system. No Lek'Golo is permitted to perform any other task than the one they were born to perform. As every individual that comes to the world is born with all the necessary knowledge they require to fulfill their task, they get little other reason to question their position and those who dare to question the status quo will be met with a swift response in the form of a rough re-education program.

The Goblins of the Lek'Golo people serves as the people's warriors, hunters, and guards. Their sole purpose in life is to serve as the kingdom's military force, to which they perform with great expertise. Generally second only to the natives of Skaedi, the Goblins are regarded as some of the greatest warriors to walk the earth. A common saying is that the Goblins, while maybe not the strongest, is certainly the finest. This is because of their innate thought process to never disobey an order, to never show mercy unless commanded to. There have been many stories going around that the Goblins have raided villages and cities, slaughtering warriors and civilians alike without remorse or pity. Rather than deny these accusations, the Exarchs have made it abundantly clear that they are proud of these allegations and make no attempt to deny them as if that somehow speaks well of their soldiers. Out of all the races of the Lek'Golo, the Goblins are the least likely to question anything, going through rigorous training and mental conditioning to never back down and to never oppose their betters. Goblins only have the right to command other Goblins and the few Ceci which might be part of their forces. Goblins are militaristically wise and powerful, making them a dread to face on the battlefield.

The Ceci is considered by many outsiders to be the lowest of the Castes in the Lek'Golo Hierarchy. Any and all individuals of the Lek'Golo would say that this is a false assumption, that no Caste is less valuable or important than the others, there are simply different purposes for each of the races. A most common term that comes up when talking about the Ceci is the word "expendable". The Ceci are mainly serving the purpose of Civilians, to reap the benefits granted by the works of the Goblins and Exarchs. Beyond that, they also serve as the construction workers of the people's grand buildings, often risking their lives in the process. The Ceci is the most commonly born race of the Lek'Golo, making them a people in abundance has led to them at times being forced into joining the military force, which, while the Exarchs claim it to be their gods will, is more of a way to expend their numbers so that they don't overpopulate, serving as expendable meat shields to protect their more valuable forces, the Goblins. While rare, Ceci can be born with the capacity of magic, making them potent mages if trained. These few Ceci are allowed to do whatever they please with their life so long as it fits within the Ceci role.