The Outerlands

The Outerlands or “Outremer” is a region roughly defined as north of the Middlehearth mountains but south of Orcish territory. Until recently, the region had been broken up into smaller kingdoms, fiefdoms, cities, tribes, and merchant collectives.

## Silver Hearth

Silver Hearth was the political and cultural center of Outremer identity. Even after the battle of Silver Ash and the subsequent destruction of the city, the legacy of Silver Hearth powers revanchist sentiments to “reclaim” the Outerlands to its rightful rulers.

# Factions

## The Boyars

The Boyars represent the landed nobility of the Outerlands. There was a time when Boyar rule was unquestioned, but with the rise of commercial hubs such as Sirex and Tarrin, their authority over time has been undermined. What’s left is a house divided against itself. Splinter factions of the Boyar class in the Outerlands have been increasingly desperate to safeguard their power by forming grain cartels to fix prices flowing into Sirex as well as designing austentatious rituals to cement a rigid class structure. There are parts of the Outerlands where merely insulting a civil servant of a petty lord carries a death sentence. Each of the factions below have noblemen that would be considered “just” and “fair” as well as dynasty members that commit horrible abuses.

### The Bogatyr

As noble power has wained, the Bogatyr, a class of unlanded noble warriors, have become increasingly restless. This faction likely would have caused a political crisis on their own if not for the Orc war. The massive casualties sustained by this social class enabled their sidelining for the next generation. Aggrieved, utterly hostile to reform, and trained primarily in combat, the Bogatyr represent some of the most daring and radical elements of the Boyars.

### The Order of the Sublime Keyblade

Members of the Order are the “haves” of Boyar society. This group ostensibly sets policy for the rest of the Boyars and hosts elaborate balls and rituals passed down from generations. Although preaching a notion of unity, the Order itself is a carryover from only one former Outerlands kingdom. There is great disunity and politicking within these halls. Most Boyars and Bogatyr grudgingly respect the Order as the oldest political institution in the Outerlands and thus a worthwhile organization. The vast majority of Nobles participate in the Order, with only a few Numistic Nobles forgoing their traditions.

### The Numistics

The Numistics are basically the carpetbaggers of the Outerlands. Through some form of Sirex imperialism, these nobles have gained status, support, and positions based solely on playing ball with Sirex and the merchant interests from the south. Numistic is a portmantaeau of the derogatorily used descriptor “Numismatic” and the (sirex run) “logistics” academies that the Numistic nobles tend to frequent. This is the most powerful noble group, but they are not so well established. Many Numistics have trouble administering areas of the Outerlands that lack a sizeable Sirex military presence.

## The Burghers

### The Silver Frith Guilds

The Silver Frith Guilds are a collection of journeyman organizations that assert political power in workshops and other urban settings. They are the early version of a union, although their power has been reduced with Outerland’s admission into the protectorate.

### The Abernath Group

The Abernath Group is a speculative investment group of (mostly Sirex) merchants that received preferential decades long leasing rights to multiple properties that were seen as “endangered” during the Orc War. The Abernaths aggressively bought these rights for low prices during the war and have become a huge player in Outerlands politics after the ceasefire. Some of the property that they bought was forcibly expropriated using Protectorate armies during the initial phases of demobilization. As such, the Abernath group has a terrible reputation among Outerlanders. Additionally, they are a powerful pro-war lobbyist within the Protectorate, as some of their investments remain behind the lines of the Orc incursion.

### The Wobblies

The Wobblies formed as a peasant militia resistant to the Abernath groups expropriative practices. Since the Orc wars their membership and mission statement have both expanded to include unfair labor practices, abuses by nobles, and guaranteeing safe travel along the roads. More autonomous areas of the Outerlands are the Wobblie’s main power centers, although the labor wing of their organization is also active in industrial centers.

### Grenwood Consortium

Dol Grenwood’s merchant consortium is a sprawling network of merchant families and businesses. Most corporate endeavors in the Outerlands have some affiliation with the Grenwood family, and those that do not usually fail. The Grenwood reputation is mixed, they are native to the Outerlands and have a reputation for fair dealings but there is some friction between the Grenwoods and the nobility.

## The Free lands of the Edrin Steppe

The Steppes are home to the Cossacks. The Free folk, as they call themselves, form a proto-state along the border between the Outerlands and the Orc territories. The different clans and tribes nominally have a leader or “Hetman” but generally are free to govern themselves.The most recent Orc wars were a change of cataclysmic proportions to the Cossacks. Groups that defected into the Orc army were assimilated into that polity, leaving the protectorate aligned clans as the only relevant group left. Protectorate aligned clans tended to favor centralization of Cossack power as a bulwark against nearby states. Because the Cossacks are largely independent from Sirex-Outerlands trade relations, their power has diminished far less over time than the power of the nobles.

### The Host System

The Cossacks at different moments throughout history have formed “hosts.” A host is a large grouping of clans formed together to assert Cossack authority. Usually these groups are mission based but have also lead to the establishment of northern Outerlands kingdoms. Generally hosts are elected from the notables of a group of clans, however the largest hosts have often forcibly assimilated dissenting tribes before raiding nearby towns and villages. There have been hosts powerful enough to subjugate other kingdoms into becoming tributaries, although such a force has not been seen in centuries.

## The Free Peoples of Rayon

The Free Peoples of Rayon is a big tent organization devoted to securing greater autonomy for the Outerlands. It was originally created at the onset of the Outerland’s admission into the Protectorate as a lobbying group but grew into a larger political cohort after the battle of Silver Ash. Many Silver Hearth refugees joined the organization when they immigrated to Sirex.

# TLDR about factions

There are three big factions in the outerlands that each have internal challenges but all have animosity towards Sirex/ the Protectorate.

The nobles are poor, have an ok military, are disunited, and have good diplomatic ties.

The Merchants are rich, have a poor military, are disunited, and have ok diplomatic ties.

The Tribes are poor, have a good military, are somewhat united, and have poor diplomatic ties.

(There is also a religious group that I have not fully fleshed out and we can decide if they could be counted as a major player.) ((There is also popular grassroots sentiment that can be subsumed by groups with good diplomacy or possibly by the religious movement I think.))