United Provinces of the Grisic Consortium

## The Iron Crown (Government)

The United Provinces of the Grisics Consortium is
ruled over by the iron crown. The government structure matches the crown in
every aspect. The most forward two pillars of the crown represent the two
ruling kings. These two ruling families date back to the Great Binding. These
two houses were chosen by The Mother and The Father to represent them in this
marriage. Representing the Velzar people is the Clan of Trendar. Their current
king is King Frankus Trendar the Mighty. Representing the Grisics people is
Guild Condric. Their King’s name is Vintar Condric the Plentiful.

Both
houses live on the island bordering the two provinces. They are born together,
live together, rule together, and ultimately die together. The Kings are not
chosen by who is born first, rather who is born first that is also born within
a few months of the other house’s child. If the two children meet these
requirements, they become kings or queens of the nation.

Once
one dies or becomes incapable of ruling, the other steps down to take care of
the other or retire. Many who have experienced the death of the other queen or
king is often overcome with grief and commits ritual suicide or commits
themselves to the military. Those who choose this path take on the sir name,
“Shade of the Wolf.” For example; this happened to the last king and queen.
Queen Alexandria Condric died due to a terrible illness. King Hondress Trendar
took joined the military and took on the name,”Hondress Shade of the Wolf.”

It
is important to note that the two kings or queens are not married. They are
free to marry anyone they wish and are encouraged to marry other nobles outside
of the houses to extend the bloodline and to promote brotherhood amongst the
houses. At different points during the nation’s history there have been two
kings, two queens, one of each, however at this moment, it happens to be two
kings.

Traditionally, the “houses” are not
called “houses.” For the Grisics, the houses are called Guilds. Not to be
mistaken for a common guild one would attribute to the economy, a Guild refers
to a prominent family. The biggest difference of between Guilds and guilds is
first and foremost the capitalization of the ‘G.’ As well as merchant guilds
have toe word ‘guild’ at the end of the name while the families have ‘Guild’ at
the beginning of the name.

Velar houses are referred to as
clans. They are set up in a more traditional sense where normal clans put their
elders and strongest, most cunning family members in charge of the family clan.
The only exceptions to this set up are the noble houses in charge of each
province and the King’s Clan.

Guild Condric has been the
undisputed rulers of the Grisics people since long before the great binding.
They claim to be the original house chosen by the Mother to lead the Grisics
people after the Great War of the Gods and founded Grisica and chose once again
to lead them after the Great Binding. They lead by giving prosperity to the
land and its people. Times have almost always been good for the Grisic people.
In the few times when there was troubling times for the Grisic people, Guild
Condric used peaceful means to subdue the populace, often times going hungry
themselves to make sure the people are properly fed.

The Trendar Clan was not always in
power. Before the Great Binding, they were one of the weakest Clans. They were
the exception to the brother hood that The Father wanted for its people.
Leaving them out of most decisions, including food distribution and often using
them as bate or distractions for their military tactics. Clan Trendar claims
that The Father looked down upon these actions, sometimes even claiming he
caused the Great Famine because of this. When he led his people out of Velar,
he chose Clan Trendar to lead them. It was Clan Trendar who first came forward
with the plan to go to Grisica and it was Clan Trendar who had The Father’s
insight to join the two houses, and it was ultimately Clan Trendar that The
Father chose to put in charge of his people. Clan Trendar leads now by power,
example of military prowess, and justly and severely punishing those who do not
abide by the law.

The crown’s
other smaller pillars represent the governors who represent their respective
provinces. They also lead their houses. Each province is also led by the
bi-house system like the kings. However, the governor is chosen by the
provinces own practices and over seen by a Malificarum overseer. It is
important to note, they only oversee and advise the selection process, but
abide by the laws and ultimate choice of the province and who they choose as a
governor.

Once the governor
applicants become of age, they travel to the local Malificarum province and go
through extensive training. At the end of this training, they become
enlightened and commune with agents of The Mother and The Father, some call
Angels. They come back and lead their province.

## Religion

The Father is the Velzaric peoples’ god. He promotes
his followers to trust in each other. The only way to defeat your enemies and
to make great Metal works is to work with one another. In the old teachings and
traditions, there was a pantheon of different gods. Most of these gods were
lost in the great battle. In this tradition, The Father was nothing but a lowly,
mortal servant that served the cruel pantheon who forced him to work for years,
torturing him for decades. The one thing that kept him going was the forge.
This is where he made the horse shoes for his lordly masters. One day, one of
these gods chased him to his forge. As a reflex, The Father grabbed one of the
unfinished horse shoes and lashed out against his attacker. The god’s throat
was cut. Only the metal of the gods can do this. Over taken with just rage, he
took his sharpened horse shoe and finished him. He then locked himself in the
forge for a month. He forged himself armor, a shield, and sword. He emerged
from his meditation and began slaying his old masters. He found himself head of
the gods and their people. He looked down from his post high above and saw
these dragon people and saw their potential power. He granted them the gift of
god metal and his symbol, the sharpened horse shoe.

The Mother, the Goddess of Grisic people is the god
of prosperity, wellbeing, and wealth. The Mother is from the beginning of time.
Before there were people, animals, or even plants, Baestril was of rock and
fire. All the other gods used Baestril as a battle ground, fighting an immortal
battle over a baron wasteland. The Mother cared for the wounded of this war.
Eventually, they realized that the war was unwinnable and created mortals to
fight for them. The god who led their people to wipe out the others would be
ruler of the gods. The Mother over the centuries was made sick by this
violence. If the gods or other people did not kill the members of a society,
the environment would. She had had it when she saw the Grisic people. They were
not physically fit like the other races, but were incredibly brilliant, and had
much potential. Even when clearly outmatched, the Grisic people would win time
and time again. The Grisic people knew they had no chance of winning this
competition. They called out to the mother, pleading to her to stop the
violence. Moved by their intellect and pleading, The Mother bound herself to
Baestril. This created the plants, animals, and waters. As a result, the people
could live, eat, and drink. Without the mother to heal the wounded, the gods
were forced to stop the fighting. The Mother would continue to support the
people of Baestril, and the Grisic people from then on.

The Great Binding was the marriage of The Mother and
The Father. For many years, the Grisic and Velzaric people were at war with one
another. The Grisic people would create goods and a booming economy, and the
Velzaric would destroy it. This cycle ended when, Velzarica the swampy homeland
of the Velzar experienced a great famine that lasted for many years. They went
to their longtime rivals, the Grisics. They accepted the Velzaric people and
gave them what they needed to survive. It just so happened that at that time,
there were raiders coming from the sea. A great battle ensued where the Velzar
protected the Gris. That battle would be forever known as the Great Binding.
This is when the people and the gods became one. This famine was told to be the
time when The Father became distraught with loneliness. Even though the old
gods were cruel, at least they had one another. This is when the land became
baron. He became less attached to the land and more to the people. Even though
they weren’t gods, they were still his people. This however created the great
famine. Seeing that this had affected his people so, he commanded them to leave
the land. They went to the only other place they knew to invade, Grisics. The
Mother, at this time saw the invaders from the sea coming. She was trying to get
her people prepared for them, but knew it was futile. This is when the Father
showed up on her door step. Normally, she would hide from this invader.
However, she saw his vast army and also saw her chance. For the first time, she
appeared to him. She made the deal with him that she would house his people and
feed them in exchange for protection. The Father agreed to The Mothers terms,
less for the care of his people but he knew he would also not have to be alone.
The deal was stuck. The Sea invaders came and were crushed by The Father and
his great army. Through the coming years, The Father and The Mother worked
together to bring back the swamps of Velzarica to their former glory, making it
better. The two gods became close as their people did. Eventually the two gods
married and became as one. No one can place the single day or event, as it was
lost in time, but the entire time was called The Great Binding.

Today, the Gods and tails have become less
important, putting more emphasis on working together with one another in unity.

The Cataclysmic Schism was the divorce between the
Mother and Father a mere 200 years ago. Since that time the swamps of Velzarica
have grown twisted and filled with putrid stench. Velarics and Grisics both
suffer from the blighted effects of the land but together they still thrive as
one people. Each day they offer homage to the Mother and Father seeking that
they reforge their bond and return great health and prosperity to the land.

## Military

The military is made up mainly out of the Velzar
people. They serve as the back bone and the elite of their military might. This
is due to their long history of warrior prowess. Thanks to the wealth of metal
resources and a pride in their metal works, the Velzar make up The Ulvin Guard
or heavy infantry in its entirety. It is very rare for a Grisic to become part
of these elite. This is due to the pure physical advantage that the Velzar
possess. This includes staying in extremely hot and cold climates for extended
periods of time, being dropped in the middle of wild lands, and surviving
multiple severe blows. Due to a Velzar’s protective scales, this is less of a
problem. It might be extremely painful at times, but not life threatening to
most. When a Grisic tries to participate in this training, they often die.

If
a Grisic makes it though the training, however they are instantly made leader
of an Ulvin Guard legion as it is almost impossible for a human to do so. Only
five have ever been known to do so.

The Ulvin are armed
with a heavy rectangular shield that is often decorated with their Clans crest,
and the Fathers symbol of a sharpened horseshoe. They use a heavy spear, a
short bent sword with a squared off tip called a Frendin, and a sharpened
horseshoe called The Fathers Knife.

They are decked out
from head to tail in heavy full plate armor, with plush furs as the
underlining. Each fur is different as the lining is from the animals that
soldier has hunted himself. This means that the type of animal used varies from
region to region. The helm of the Ulvin soldier covers the skull and snout. It
gives the soldier a terrifying look as it makes him look like he as metal teeth
and often gives them various spikes on the head. In some regions this is a sign
of rank. In others, it’s a sign of class, but for many it is simply an artistic
choice of the craftsman who made it.

The
Vargflock or main infantry is less extreme in its training and outfitting. This
is made up of mainly Velzar the rest is made up of Grisics. Due to what each
race stresses, the Grisics people tend to become more in charge of logistics
rather than actual combat, sometimes even becoming commanders as the still of
logistics often times transfers over into strategic skill.

The
Velzar that make up the Vargflock either wish to serve their country or are
training to become Ulvin Gard. It is far easier to become Ulvin when one has
actual battle time under their belt. Each legion of Vargflock is led by one
Ulvin Gard member. This makes it easier to be noticed and picked for Ulvin
Gard.

They
are equipped with a variety of armors and weapons depending on the skill set of
each legion and even each Pack, or squad in that legion. However, a general
front line soldier is in heavy armor, protecting vital organs, equipped with a
Spear, a shield, a Fendin, and The Father’s knife. The shield is decorated
similarly to how the Ulvin Guard decorate theirs.

The
Quinarin Thrall Masters are considered to be the most elite soldiers of The
United Provinces of the Grisic Consortium. These would be considered the cavalry
of the nation; however they are much different than traditional cavalry. They
are picked at birth from a Velzar family. They are then raised in a Quinarin
clutch. A Quinarin is a massive flightless bird that comes from the swamps of
Velzar. For reasons unknown, the Quinarin only accept a new born from the
Velzar, no other race can do this. They are raised with this clutch into adult
hood while also being schooled in loyalty to the UPGC. The Velzar is then given
a horse. They are then trained by Thrall Masters in the ways of combat. This
Velzar, after training leads their clutch into battle.

Quinarin
are giant flightless birds. They are strong and vicious meat eaters, and yet
beautiful. They have the tails of peacocks and the colors of one as well.
However, their heads are something to behold and to be dreaded. Their eyes are
the first thing one noticed; red like the color of a dead man’s blood freshly
spilled. The head has only a few feather patches revealing its scaly black
skin. This flows into its beak. It tips into a point making it easier to penetrate
their pray. The top jaw is jagged like razor sharp teeth.

The
Thrall Master himself is clad in his choice of armor. They normally choose
something light as to stay as mobile as possible and is normally equipped with
a club and light shield. His horse is given standard horse armor. However they
normally done use it until battle is called. This is the same for the Quinarin.
They have special heavy armor to protect its vitals, but not so much to reduce
its speed. Its main means of attack are to bite, peck, and kick with its
massive talons.

The
Militaries have slightly different variations on these from region to region.
However, the metal used is most of the time imported from Velzar. This is the
same for the Quinarin to use in their cavalry. Making different military
traditions is encouraged by the Co-Monarchy as for the vast distance and
different landscape from the home land so long as loyalty is maintained and core values are kept.

## Economy

The economy of
the United Provinces of the Grisics Consortium is made up mainly of the Grisics
people. They have been in farmers and entrepreneurs since before the Great
Binding. Their land is perfect for crops, using the fruits of the forest and
the crops of the fields. Even in winder with the harsh snows, they have root cellars,
canned goods, and mushrooms in excess.

On the other side of
the economic resources, they use animals and precious minerals found in Velzar.
They export the metal working and raw metal to other countries. Same with the
exotic animals found there. The animals are some of the strangest in the world
with its strange ecosystem of swamps and forests.

There is also a great
logging industry. The northern most forests in Grisics have some of the largest
trees known to man. They use these trees to build the structures needed for
their many operations. Many of the buildings made out of this wood from the old
Empire still stand to this day. The wood is do dense it is extremely hard to
set on fire. This is why it is often used as a good substitute for stone at
many forts and castles.

Spices are also a great
income for the UPGC. It is a commodity coming from the reaches of the Kingdom
and trading throughout the empire. Its diversity and reach brings in all kind
of spices from all over and sold to everyone without it.

The Vast reach of the
Iron Crown is the secret to its economic prowess. This brings in a variety of
goods to the global market. It brings goods that one part of the world has to
the rest of the world that does not have that that specific commodity.

## Pre Great Binding History

### Grisica

The Grisic people came out of the great conflict of
the Gods as all the people of the planet did. However, they were The Mother’s
chosen people. She chose the Family now known as the Guild Condric to lead her
chosen people to prosperity. They walked across the vast grasslands and still baron
shell that was still left over from the great conflict. They continued for this
march for three years until they hit the northern coast.

Their
leader, Grisica Condric saw this sea and the land. She looked to the ground and
got on her Knees. She was very old and tired, but even so began to dig. The
others saw this and started to help her. The people kept digging until Grisica said
that the hole was deep enough. It was six feet deep and just long enough for
someone to lie in.

Grisica
went to her youngest son and told him her was the next leader of her people.
She then died, falling backwards into her grave. The people were saddened by
this. Many tears were shed into her grave and onto her body. Then they heard a
voice come from the grasses of the land around them. The voice told them that
their tears were shed for good purpose for it was enough to grow the first tree
and to start your first field.

Seeds
sprang up from the ground and hovered for a moment. They then fell into plots
in the dirt creating the first field. One large seed landed in Grisica’s grave.
The Mother then spoke to the people she called Grisic for three more years and
told them how to take care of the trees and the fields and the land called
Grisica, named after the mother that took care of them just as The Mother had.

The
Seed that became part of Grisica started the first giant Grisic northern
forests. The grave and original Grisica Tree is still the center of the Castle
of the Old Capital. The Capital was moved after the great binding to more
promote the coming together of the two races.

The Planting of a Grisica Tree is a common Grisic Burial Practice.

Since
this time, the people prospered and created more and more of a life for
themselves. However, they could not grow due to neighbors who wanted what they
had. The Velzar to the south were particularly vicious up until the Great
Binding.

### Velzar

The
Velzar were The Father’s chosen. He saw them with the capability for strength
and their strong brother hood. He gave them the scales, lizard like appearance,
and strength to become a strong people. They have always been in the swamps of
Velzar. They used to be the main food source of the Quinarin. Now they keep
them as pets and eat their eggs as part of their daily meals.

When
they found their strength, they expanded to boarders of what is now known as
the province of Velzar, some of the southern mountains, and the southern half
of Grisica. They would have contests that are still held that equate to the
real world Olympics, called the Ulvin Games. This was a contest to see which
Velzar had the greatest strength, endurance, which was the fastest, and many
other sports of skill.

Their burial rights were and still are very similar to their Grisic neighbors. They are buried in a part of the swamp that has been walled off so that it can be submerged again once buried. Put in there chest is a seed of a swamp lily that only blooms when in the flesh of something living. It is a black flower with a red center.

The
Velzar were almost always at war with its neighbors. This was how it kept its
own people fed and comfortable. The old philosophy was more in the vein of, if
you aren’t strong enough to keep it, you shouldn’t have it. Their favorite people
to invade were the Grisics who had the most food and goods. They would not keep
the lands that they invaded. They would make sure they had enough to survive
until the next time the Velzar would attack. This way they hand a constant
supply.

## Post Great Binding History

The Great Binding brought together these two great
people under one roof. The Grisic people brought back the Velzar lands from the
brink of death. It also brought both people a new outlook on life. It gave the
Grisic people a new ability to expand and it gave the Velzar people a new
reason for existence. The Velzar were entirely based on always attacking and
never looking inward on themselves as a people, seeing brother hood as more
important than fighting which stopped most of the infighting between the
houses.

This
brought rise to the bi-house system. Each house was pared with another and were
told that they were bound just like the mother and father were. Any attempts to
get out of this contract were punished severely. Some of the houses were even
striped of their status.

## The Old Empire

The
Great Binding brought together these two great people under one roof. The
Grisic people brought back the Velzar lands from the brink of death. It also
brought both people a new outlook on life. It gave the Grisic people a new
ability to expand and it gave the Velzar people a new reason for existence. The
Velzar were entirely based on always attacking and never looking inward on
themselves as a people, seeing brother hood as more important than fighting
which stopped most of the infighting between the houses.

This
brought rise to the bi-house system. Each house was pared with another and were
told that they were bound just like the mother and father were. Any attempts to
get out of this contract were punished severely. Some of the houses were even
striped of their status.

When
The Old Empire found UPGC settlers near their old seat of power, they were surprised
by the cooperation between the two races. They particularly liked the economic
prowess of the Grisic and the military might of the Velzar. This was the beginning
of another kind of binding.

The
Old Empire cooperated with the UPGC to expand its empire. They would use the
military power of the Velzar to concur most of the known lands. They used the
example that the UPGC put forward to make a stable system where all races under
the Old Empire would have equal say and were known for their diverse skills.

The
Grisic would make the Old Empire prosper economically, working closely with
other economic power houses that make up some of the nations today. Without the
UPGC, the Old Empire might not have ever happened.

After
the collapse of the Old Empire, the UPGC held on to much of the provinces that
were heavily influenced and settled by the UPGC. It also kept its neighboring
Old Empire provinces going. Cut off from their Emperor, they continued doing
what they had always done and helped keep the UPGC going however they could.
They became almost vassal states to UPGC. However, they functioned as their own
independent nations, up until recently that could do what they wished.

Recently,
there is a man claiming to be the Old Emperor from the old capital. The Old
Empire provinces have now all aligned themselves with him, calling themselves
the Concilium Malificarum. This could mean great things for The United
Provinces of The Grisics Consortium.