Kieverlandt

*”Here in this land of Peaks and Spears you shall dwell, my loyal Gospodin, watchers of the North.”*

*-Druska the Deathless, Wrath and Glory*

Kieverlandt is the smallest of the Druskevi Nations and its northern March, composed of the soaring peaks of the Mountains of Rhatnheim and the jagged Beznadi Highlands. This Alpine homeland of the Kieverlandti is endowed with valuable metals and gems, yet precious little arable land. Ruled by the militaristic Gospodin, who were once marcher lords for the Druskevi Tsardoms but now grow rich as mercenaries. The Kieverlandti are famed for their skill in the art of war, in their deadly warriors, noted blacksmiths and mighty fortresses. This martial nature derives from their unique heritage, mixed blood of the ancient Druskevi and Rhatnorans who joined together against the onslaught of the vile Deathlords. The governance of Kieverlandt is managed by the feudal Gospodin who meet every summer solstice at its greatest city Hallengrad in an annual conclave.

## History

Naturally remote and isolated from the wider world due to its mountainous borders and little natural passes, Kieverlandt was a refuge from the tyranny of the elves, Dwarves and Man alike escaping to to its vales. The descendants of these settlers mingled to become the Bogovan, renowned for their craftsmanship. The Fall of the Bogovan came when Druska ‘the Deathless’ through his immense magical ability carved a grand pass through the Mountains of Rhatnheim, guiding his people from their homeland of Vollaheim. The Bogovan were easily subdued by the might of the Lich-God and Druska assigned his most loyal warriors to guard the land, titling them the ‘Gospodin.’ The Gospodin and their retainers settled the Marchland, intermarrying with the forge masters of the Bogovan and defending the frontier. The Gospodin rode out over the mostly abandoned homeland of the Druskevi, defending it from elves and Rhatnorans. Yet as the madness of the Lich-God grew the support of Tabor lessened and the Gospodin were driven back year by year, until they held only Vollaheim. When Druska finally met his end and his Tsardom finally collapsed, the scores of Deathlords carved their own petty necromantic realms and for the first time the Gospodin had to defend their own lands. The legendary warriors defended their homes from their southern adversaries at the cost of the north, Rhatnoran armies conquered the last holdings of the ancient Druskevi lands and began to raid Kieverlandt proper. As the ancient Marcher lords holdings were threatened by the ravages of Barbarian and Undead alike they realized that their once great armies had diminished and came to strike a deal with the raiding thanes of the Rhatnorans. (edited)

The Gospodin would grant them and their warriors land and great treasures from the ancient vaults, and in return the warriors of the north would fight alongside them to defend their new home. The Thanes would come to accept the treaty, intrigued by the promised wealth and having long respected their equally martial foes. The combined forces of the Gospodin’s and Rhatnorans proved able to drive back the ambition of the Deathlords. The Druskevi and the Rhatnorans grew close in their struggles and began to intermarry, building vast fortresses to guard the few passes into their valleys and the thanes taking on the title of Gospodin. The renewed armies of Kieverlandt were not enough to defeat the Druzhina of Dragomir the Exalted when the hero arrived on his quest to unite the Druskevi. Under Dragomir’s Tsardom the Kieverlandti returned to their task as marcher lords, led by one of their own chosen by the reigning Tsar known as the Grand Boyar. When Dragomir’s Tsardom fell however so did the title of Grand Boyar and the Gospodin waged war upon eachother. Yet when Tsar Vladimir Perunov of Shalinsk came before the Gospodin and swore that if they would aid him in his unification of the Druskevi people he would reconquer their lost holding of Vollaheim, they united and their armies proved crucial in Perunov’s ultimate success. The Tsar proved true to his word and the Gospodin with the might of a unified Tsardom of (nigh) all Druskevi conquered their ancient lands from the Rhatnorans. The Kieverlandti enjoyed a position of prestige among the Perunov Tsardom, yet after a century and a half of rule the Tsardom began to crumble. First to fall was Vollaheim, to the legendary Orwick the Dragonslayer, then the last loyal Draelish Voivodes and finally Tabor itself.

The Perunov Dynasty would not meet its end just yet however, due to the efforts of the great Alexandri Bolyeva ‘the Bear of Petrograd.’ Bolyeva was a childhood friend of the weak Tsar and a military genius unseen for Millenia, crowned Grand Boyar of Kieverlandt and Master of the Gospodin, he and his armies single-handedly held the Tsardom together. The Grand Boyar crushed numerous rebellions, took back precious Tabor, restored the loyalty of the Draelish Voivodes through force and conquered Vollaheim and Norje. In an hour Bolyeva could have become Tsar over his friend Makarov, for the loyalty of its nobles, armies and people laid solely with the heroic Grand Boyar, yet his honor overpowered any lust for Tsardom. When the great Master of the Gospodin disappeared in the night all he had built and preserved collapsed within him. Bolyeva’s armies, titles and subjects divided among his three sons, his homeland of Kieverlandt to his eldest Makarov who reigned as Master of the Gospodin, the city of Tabor and the farms of Crovia to his son Tsar Grigor, and the vast conquered holdings of Rhatnheim to his youngest Drakov whose son Oleg would take the surname of his mother Drake-Stone, whose founder was Orwick the Dragonslayer. Makarov Bolyeva, a wise man with great respect among the Gospodin knew of the warlike nature of his people would inevitably lead to civil war, yet also considered it was their martial ability from which they drew power. Therefore he summoned a conclave of the Gospodin lords, commanding that instead of taking up arms against kin that they should sell their prowess as mercenaries in the squabbles of Arvinder.

The Gospodin, ancient marcher lords of Kieverlandt became mercenary lords, their armies of veteran warriors did not sit idly between campaigns, but grew rich at the behest of foreign kings. The honor and effectiveness of the Kieverlandti mercenary legions has become legendary. Crovia’s conquest of Riev and Lalinsk are credit almost wholly to their efforts, entire Draelish elections and Stokolosi wars are known to be decided by their hiring and it is the mercenaries of Kieverlandt who have won the Republic of Ventos’s wars. The Gospodin and their people have grown rich from selling their blades and have kept a populace of veterans, this does however leave fewer men undedicated to the art of war, therefor Kieverlandt relies heavily upon the trade of Zyabak, Crovia and Vollaheim.

## Culture

To the Kieverlandti being a warrior is the most honorable way to live, it is the fulfillment of the ancient blood oaths of their ancestors, it is to serve the legendary Gospodin and it is to bring wealth to your family. If one cannot live the life of a warrior they forge warrior’s steel, care for their flocks, brew their ale. The Kieverlandti take great pride in their martial prowess and the skill of their warriors, a merchant shall remark to his associates of a kinsman’s achievements and shepherd of a victory won through the efforts of a neighboring lords. Discipline is strictly upheld among the warrior elite however, the laws of the Conclave of Hallengrad are enforced by the Gospodin upon their men, on which the punishments are harsh. Punishment among the Gospodin is enforced at the annual Conclave, in which matters the Burghers of Kieverlandt are entitled votes. The Kieverlandti aswell largely keep to the old gods of their ancestors, worshipping a pantheon quite similar to the Rhatnoran one, the missionaries of the communion however continue to spread, mostly in part to the evangelical efforts of Tsar Ivan the Everliving of Zyabak.

## Geography

Completely surrounded by the Mountains of Rhatnheim, Kieverlandt is flanked by the impenetrable soaring walls of the peaks, in where few passes are located or widely traversable. The largest of these passes is in the north, the Pass of Druska was named after its creator, unlike its younger sibling in Draeland it was carved through sheer magical power alone, although there are numerous monolithic statues that ordain it. The Pass is heavily fortified from attack and is the main road of travel to the city and hold of Vollaheim, aswell as wider Rhatnheim. The main swathe of the country is dominated by the rugged Beznadi highlands, the peaks of these highlands are arguably mountain ranges in their own right, if they were not so outclassed by their neighbors. Dotted amongst the highlands are lower valleys where the vast majority of the Kieverlandti people reside, often gathered around glacial lakes. While those who remain in the Highlands are seasonal miners and shepherds, or outcasts and mystics. The glacial lakes of the valleys flow westward into the Gulf of Tabor (Or maybe Druska to be funny?), this coastline is infamous for its rough cliffs with few harbors. The largest of these harbors is that of Petrograd, the largest port of Kieverlandt and its second largest city, although relatively insignificant to the port of Vollaheim and vastly smaller than Tabor it serves an important access point for Kieverlandt. The largest city of Kieverlandt is Hallengrad, the capital annually hosts the eponymously named Conclave of Hallengrad and is famed for its blacksmiths artisanry.