Last Peoples of the Coast

"*The world has burnt, reduced to ashes. I see it with my waking eye, the final death of our people. Do you not feel it, in the shuddering whispers of the world? The Godswar laid waste to what was once a beautiful land, the East left as little more than glass. Soon, Aea will be surrounded by festering tar and fetid wasteland, by blizzards and harsh storms on untenable seas. The western continent, Ordia, has fallen - the power of the Godswar proved too much for it as it had in the East, turning to rubble what prosperity it held. Do you not feel scared? We all should, even the strongest of us. What more will our world take, so devastated and dismembered? It writhes in agony, and yet we still move on through the sorrow and fear. It is an admirable trait, our bravery, our tenacity.. but soon it will be all for naught. I see it in my dreams. The sun flickering, the world trembling and giving way. Aea will burn, in flame and sin. I am sorry, Ator. We have failed you.*"
— Final Words of the Aizapharian Account of the Godswar, by Aizapharius Dalkinas, Defender of Myr

The world used to be so much larger. Kin used to be so much more plentiful. There once were teeming millions upon millions, spread from coast to coast of the greater world that was Paedelos. And now, what remains of it? Only a subcontinent, a place known as Aea, and the remaining pinches of sand that once made Esan. The Scorch continues to burn through the sands and oases that make up what is left of anything beyond the lands controlled by true Kin. The East fell during the Godswar, the once mighty realms of Rzia and Ovispron, the realms of Emistyereon and Dokaal - all turned to ash and cinder, torn asunder in a great cosmic calamity. It's populations incinerated, cast to the winds and chewed up by the worst of the world. What remained of the Eastfolk, the Rzian Kin, died at the hands of the Udrani. The East went out with a whimper as the Godswar came to a close. Some still whisper that the Eastlands live, that only the mighty lands were glassed - little more than rumors to many, but even this faint flicker of hope has made people head East in search of distant kin. And so it has been that for the last few millenia Aea has prospered and survived, continued on in spite of the rest of the world going dark. The rich and proud continent of Ordia fell beneath the sea, and the Ordians came from across the great ocean and landed on foreign shores, welcomed into the arms of the Kin. The ramifications of the Godswar still felt today, scarring what remains of the home of Kin. Mighty cities, holding hundreds of thousands of souls, dot the continent of Aea. And just like the many cities many armies call this place home as well, fighting for Kings, Lords and Ladies alike. The world is embroiled in flame, and Aea is surrounded by death on all sides. Perhaps in the arms of Ator the world could find peace once more, it could be made so much larger.

No matter what will be or what has been, Aea has soldiered on and endured. It is the site of the birthplace of Kin, it is the place where the mighty Kadorzul reigned, and it is the place where many of the great heroes of the sagas past were born and died in. It once held great universities teeming with Magi, vast architectural feats, citadels that touched the stars.. and now, it is tinder for a growing flame. The Scorch grows larger, threatening to finally cut Aea off from the dilapidated East. The Esani continue to move Northward in an attempt to escape this relic of the Godswar, and the Gods watch in eager hungriness at the ready amount of war and carnage wrought in their holy names. May all tremble, for the world will burn eternal.

## The Final Kin of Aea, Defiant to the End

The world of once was is now the world of history, but the same people still live on - changed, but marching ever forward despite the dimming of the Sun. And so, like an unending ocean, the blood continues and rolls forward undaunted, changing the world and itself slowly over time. Among those still drawing breath, culture divides Kingdoms, and divides the world into feuding clans and families. The worth of a man is little more than the bloodtide he inherits, and little to none look to an individual's worth; they look to the achievements, and crimes, of that individual's people. They look to what a man cannot control instead of what he can.

Many still live in the world, but some ancient bloodtides are slowly dying - thinning, and growing impotent. They fall to corruption, to the unerring march of time, or to ageless war.

To the more scholarly, and the inquisitive - the below information is that of the Bloodrealms of the Aean people. A **Bloodrealm** being the dejure Crownland that encompasses the whole of a culture. And, below that monoculture, are the **Bloodtides** - subcultures of the Bloodrealm. And, even further below to the level of individual settlements, cities, and individual families, are the **Bloodlines** - the individual, minute level of culture, heritage, and tradition. Men are much more easily united behind one of their own Bloodtide, but the second best option would be one of a Bloodrealm. Those of common cultural heritage find it far more easier to work together, and will often band together regardless of Bloodtide to outside danger if the realm is united.

> *Bloodrealm - dejure Crownland; a monoculture (ex. Narosi)*
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> *Bloodtide - regional culture; subcultures of the monoculture*
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> *Bloodline - local culture; heritage and tradition of a settlement or family*
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## Sons of the White Tower, the Narosi

"*I know many of you who ask why I stand here on the battlefield. Why I dress in mail, why I lift up spear and flag, why do lesser men not take my place? I stand here for the men I've held in my arms, far from home, weeping for their fathers and mothers - the ones they'll never get to bury. I ride for their wives and children, whose names I heard whispered in their last breath. I lead for we few who still draw breath, who look to see our motherland full of half-eaten and charred corpses. I take up my spear for my people slaughtered by beasts that live like little more than animals, for those who watched their homes turn to ash and their fields run fallow! I hold up the twin-tailed banner so that the death of my son and beloved was for a purpose! I fight for it is my duty to defend you and your blood.*"
—Barakisa Myra Belyatow-Brevawast, the Last Crown of Old Naros
*DEJURE CROWNLAND - BLACK CROWN OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE*

There was a time when the North was united beneath the shadow of the White Tower. When the Hjalikaner and Myrans had an ally to stand against the world with. When the Princelanders did not have to turn to face the South alone. There was once a power in the North capable of shattering all who marched to it's gates, who fell only because of it's own hubris - this power was the Black Crown of Naros, and it's people. Through their blood, they hold the eldest lineage in Aea; supposedly even outstripping the Aescantiri. They, through the centuries, have remained a united and unstoppable power that once swept the whole of Aea up in it's games of war.

In the last four centuries, Naros has seen victory against it's age-old rivals - the Kadorans, and the Carinites. In the March of the Northlords, the Narosi threw the Udrani back into the sea, saving their cities from sacking and sending them further south. When the Young Magi Revolt blossomed and threatened to overtake the University, Naros sent soldiers North to help their age-old ally. And yet, even Naros sheltered the Young Magi who fled to it. The country, ruled by an authoritarian and despotic hand, has seen centuries of development and grandeur far outstripping the courts of the West. Fabled alchemical achievements thought lost in the Godswar were on the cusp of being reinvented, and the Baragardatzy was feared throughout the world.

Then, the Greentide came. Following the disastrous last years of the War for the North that saw Naros reign supreme as Aean hegemon, it's weakened and broken banners could not stand against the might of the hordes of Greenskins. When they shattered the Starlight Citadel, Barakud Ayreic was the first to fall under the blade - and then it was his young son, Damyin "He Who Stood", who would deliver a wound that would never heal to Grumbarr. And, when Damyin was split asunder, cast to the four corners? It was his mother, Myra, who took up the Crown next. She would be the last to rule Old Naros, but she was the one who saved it. When she lead the Ardent Banners across the Buryk, she had gathered a coalition of Hjalikaner and Princelanders. And, with the help of Greatmark, took Grumbarr's head and shattered the Greentide. They pushed them back across the Redhyne, and were on the very edge of retaking the heartlands of Old Naros. If they managed past the river, all that was once lost would be redeemed.. and then Myra fell to consumption, and the Narosi turned on one another. A proud and mighty people, regarded by barbarians yet shown time and time again to trounce those who called themselves "civilized", the Sons of the White Tower now find themselves ridiculed. They find themselves beset on all sides, and their lands preyed upon by Pilgrims, outsiders looking to take all they can from Naros before leaving to their own homelands.

In these darkest nights, there are few who believe Naros can truly reunite. The Broken Princes lock blades with one another, the White Tower is now little more than rubble, the Crown is broken, and Naros bleeds as Aea always has. But many still hold onto that distant hope - *that one day, Naros will rule the world.*

### Bloodtides of the Narosi

#### Irikidd

When one thinks of the Narosi, they think of the numerous Irikidd, the most numerous culture group in Naros. They are the commoners, those who are lorded over and lord over none. They are very much derided as the 'countyfolk', the average peasantry and common soldier, but they are the most indispensible aspect of Naros - their numbers, their tenacity, and inexplicable capacity for survival under strife and hardship, make them breed quickly and die less. This is what lead to the Black Crown outstripping the other major powers on Aea in terms of the amount of men they could output. The Irikidd took the brunt of the damage of the Greentide, and sport a vitriolic hatred of the Greenskins as a result, and the mere presence of them is enough to send many into a murderous defense. Even to the Urabaki, who want nothing but companionship, they are openly hostile. First and foremost they are a farming culture, and are extremely insular and clannish - yet often loyal and pliant to the whims and demands of their betters.

#### Kulvashi

What is a land without it's merchants and moneylenders, without the men who mint and trade? The shrewd Kulvash, the men of the coast, those born with the sea in their blood and commerce always on the mind - they are Naros' sailors and most ardent traders. They boast some of the greatest coastal cities in the world, with great drydocks and dockyards capable of housing a fleet many times that of what the Ordians currently hold - and long before the Greentide, they once held the finest navy ever seen in Aea. That once-grand royal fleet still sits in their harbors, wasting away with no-one to use them and no money to maintain them. The Kulvash are distinctly proud of their naval heritage, with the curious tendency to refer to themselves as Kulvashi first and Narosi second. They are quite individualistic and meritocratic compared to the traditional, insular Irikidd.

#### Pauradi

The proud Paurad, the border dwellers of the Marches that kept the Hjalikan-Naros border constant and never changing. A cultural minority, one just as insular and clannish as the Irikidd yet far more hostile and far less willing to listen to orders. Historically, the Pauradi would protect from Udrani raiders, and would suffer when any far-Western Greenskins or Udrani would invade - they were originally the first Narosi colonists to step foot in their conquests in Udran, and when they lost those lands the Black Crown had them resettled in the strip of land known as Paurad. They grew a very stark independent thought away from Naros, even if they consider themselves Narosi, and they value their vaunted autonomy within the Black-Kingdom as it's sworn protectors of the Western Gate - that autonomy only afforded to them due to the Receipt of Self-Rule, a promise made by Brava III to maintain their loyalty and establishing them, firmly, as a militaristic border-culture to defend from Hjalikan (making them useless in the modern era). They are the smallest culture within Naros by far.

#### Shadruyst

Long before the Godswar, when the Great Migration of the Dokaali occured, many distinct groups fled Westward from the disasters in Dokaal - two were the Gudunish and the Carinnaja. The Carinnaja made up hundreds of tribes that followed the Carrinaja Faith of the Red-River Running, and who settled in the Ausicca Basin - what was once controlled by the Aescantiri. The Gudunish went to Naros, who were made up of two grand clans - the Vaositte and the Nubeni. The Nubeni were allowed to settle the Eastern Highlands of Naros by Prince Hudemir, and were given official vassalage by Brava later down the line - and the Vaositte went north, and found the Myric Valley. A new culture, formed of Narosi and Nubeni, formed in the river basin just on the other side of the Shadruyst Mountain-Range, where this culture would glean it's name from. To this day they remain loyal to the Black Crown, and follow their ancient nomadic heritage by settling all throughout Eastern Naros, their clans constantly on the move - for centuries they have proven loyal to the Narosi Dynasts in strife, and in peace.

#### Udstraydi

The most ancient culture of the Narosi, and the one that it is said that all formed from - they are the men born of the bloodlines of Aydilmarka, the ancestral seat of all Narosi Dynasties, and Naros' holiest site; for it holds the White Tower and the Starlight Citadel. They have proven to be the leadership caste of the Narosi through their geographic strength. They control some of the most arable land in all of Naros, and while they make up a cultural minority they are the aristocracy - and so that minority is rendered a null point. It's people are often hale and hardy, of fine physical vitality, used to the much colder climate and the constant raids of the Greenskins ranging from the far northern wastelands beyond the valleys and rivers. Historically they pioneered the sciences of ballistics, powder-based weaponry, and the high architectural fields - their people boast some of the greatest architectural feats of the modern and ancient eras, and Aydilmarka itself was one of the grandest cities in the world. They are the people that invented Whalyzok, the alchemical stone that made the distinctive White Walls of Naros; a secret lost to time. If there is a people that will restore Naros to greatness, it will be those that laid down the pillars for it's ascent in the first place - after all, only the Udstraydi have before ruled Naros.

## Children of Yorik, the Hjalikaner

"*I will stand here, and give my life for the Narosi. Why, I hear you belt at me. Why? They are our allies, they are our family. Who are we to abandon our brothers and sisters, those of our blood, those who are in need? We have been scorned by the rest of our family in distant lands, left to fend alone! I will not stand here and watch the one people we can truly call kin fade away into a tide of impotent blood. I will not have my dreams ravaged by the thought of letting blessed Ayreic, my friend, die in vain. I will fight for the Narosi, and I will give my life for the Narosi! For in our darkest time, would they not do the same? The Mother beckons for us to stand as one, and I will heed her call until my dying breath.*"
—High-King Sjoull Bjorn-Faldan Greatmark the Bold of Hjalikan

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - HIGH-KINGDOM OF HJALIKAN*

Long, long ago the Hjalikaner were not even a thought in the mind of a young world. When the Sun was new in the sky, and Aea was settled by it's own nascent native cultures, the Udrani conquered the lands of the ancient Vethites, the Sons of Vethar. The Vethites fell away before the wave of the Udrani pouring out from the snow-blasted wasteland to their North, and were drowned under a tide of blood and stone. They sacked their villages and ruined their cities, and left once again into the cold north. However, some Udrani turned their eyes to the now-barren lands of Vethia, and thought of remaining - and so some did. Others were paid or persuaded to remain to protect the remaining Vethites from any further Udrani incursion, and ended up occupying positions of power and spreading their blood through the next generation. This was shortly followd by a mass migration of the Udrani spreading out from the "Heartgrove", where it is believed the first of the Udrani were crafted out of ice by the All-Father - this lead to the Udrani spreading across all of the Northlands, what would become known completely as "Near Udran", and they even spread ever further North, into the lands of "Far Udran". To the south, on the coast of the Bay of Ghosts, the Udrani that remained in Vethia comingled with the populace and the many Udrani that migrated into those lands found themselves settling down into villages; learning agriculture and finer points of bronze metalworking. The Udrani and the Vethites formed the Hjalikaner out of their two bloodtides, and a new people were born - ones able to inhabit the cold North, ones of Aean blood, and people of a restless spirit. It is said they took their name from the first Udrani warlord to protect the ancient city of Rogtharn, Hjalik. Raiding and trade came as naturally as breathing to the newly-born Hjalikaner.

During the era of the Godswar, the Hjalikaner sailed the wide seas - their many-oared longships made battle with the dreaded corsairs of Esan, and they instilled a fear of the sea in who was left of the once-mighty Esani fleet. And when the Northmen came upon what was left of the Western Esan ports, they razed them and ash filled the skies. The Hjalikaner dove a deep knife into Esan, sailing up the Ryhma and sacking all that stood in their path. It was through their raiding and assaulting that Kador and Brava were able to pin down what remained of the Esani army - and kill the Saltan, and his heir. Yorik Godsblood, the man that would come to unify Hjalikan, was bled in these battles for control of the Ryhma. And, when the Hjalikaner were forced to leave, he took what he had learnt from Esan and brought it home. He re-established the Allmoot, and declared that all of the Clans would unite once again. He was crowned before a convention of the many-clans, decreed their new and one High-King due to his actions in the Godswar. He would go on to found a confederation that would survive the millennia, and continues even now into the days of dimming sunlight.

In the modern era, Hjalikaner continues it's trades - cutting a bloody swathe along the coastlines of Valdun Ordia, Carin, and Kadora; bleeding men of their life essence in raid, and of their silver in trade. Their longships are dreaded now in an age where the Udrani have returned, and some Hjalikaner merchants, or Wikingr, often get confused for the monsters of the cold, dreaded and far Udran. This has lead to no short amount of misunderstandings, misgivings, and slaughters. During the many formative events of the last few centuries, Hjalikan stood shoulder to shoulder with Naros. An erstwhile ally, the two had gathered together in a threefold alliance with Myr; known to the Northmen as the Iron Rite. The Iron Rite stood against Carin in the War for the North, and Myr and Hjalikan rallied to the defense of Naros during the Greentide - the High-King of Hjalikan, Greatmark, famously ripped the head of Grumbarr from his shoulders, and shattered the Greentide alongside Barakisa Myra. Greatmark still draws breath, and defends what remains of the Narosi in the lands of Paurad; an oath he took with Ayreic's death, to help safeguard his people until a new Barakud rises.

*Many believe that this oath is one he may take to his pyre.*

### Bloodtides of the Hjalikaner

#### Helvikan

The proud majority of Hjalikan, the Helvikan come from the bloodtide of Yorik Godsblood and the people like him - they draw heavily on their Udrani roots, but cling tightly to the belief that they are Aean, and truly belong in their homeland. They are the people that most men think of as Hjalikaner - they follow the Atorokopun, the faith that espouses much of what the Old Rites of the Udrani do. The Dream will end when all men Awaken, but unlike the New Rites of Udran, they do not hold genocidal mania and mass-death as central tenets of their philosophy. They hold that the whole of the world is a cycle, and it will one day end and begin anew. This comes in the form of their clannish culture, and their governance. The Confederation follows a cyclical nature of election; the High-King dies, and a new one is elected from among the High Clans. In the last few centuries, it has been that the 'election' is just a confirmation of the "Succession Cycle". Each Clan will have a time to rule Hjalikan - the Bjorn and Faldan have ruled through the joint birth of Greatmark, and still rule through him. And after Greatmark, the Sidrevssti will rule next. The Helvikan take the pursuit of trade as their main vehicle of culture, as well as a deep familial bond system that espouses loyalty to their family and clan above all else.

#### Grunnvelter

The men that patrol the borders of the 'Greenlands', the Grunnvelter, or Greenwatchers, are the men and women that live among the myriad border fortifications - be they a village or a fort with a village around it -, and who defend the border of Hjalikan to the North from what remains of the Greenskins and now from the resurgent Udrani. The Greenlands were once known as the Northpass, but became known as the Greenlands after the advent of the Greenskins themselves. Once the Greentide occured, many of those Greenskins went East to go with Grumbarr, while others attempted to raid across the border and carry the Greentide into Hjalikan. Only through the brave actions of the Grunnvelter, in battles that cost around 40% of the population, was Hjalikan spared the same fate that Naros would suffer. The Grunnvelter shattered the Greentide that tried to pass into Hjalikan, and broke their idols and cast their leaders into the high mountains. And, still, they look to the North and defend the fatherland from all manner of evil - man, or beast. They follow a mixture of the Atorokopun, and the Sarkennritt - the Serpent Rite -, splitting the population of the Grunnvelt between worshipers of the Family and worshipers of the Dragons.

#### Igslundar

An extremely insular and inward-focused people, the Igslundar make up a majority of raiders from Hjalikan - and, so, they make up a majority of the Wikingr. They are, as a people, as xenophobic and spiteful as they come. They are a majority Sarkennritta, and are often looked down upon by the High Clans that rule from the mainland. The Igslundar themselves are ruled by one High Clan instead of twenty like the mainland, and only have a small collection of Low Clans that rule the disparate islands. The High Clan of the Igslundar are the Oerinhautr, who have ruled for as long as the Igslundar can remember. They finance the many raids that originate from the islands surrounding the coasts of Hjalikan - and, famously, they allowed any Udran who landed on their shores leave to come and establish their own communities and join existing ones, as long as they were fellow Dragon Cultists. The Igslundar are currently heavily disenfranchised in the wider Hjalikaner political sphere, but they maintain their independent and isolationist spirit. They only heed the word of the High-King, and even then? They are often regarded as tenuously loyal, and largely uncontrollable.

## Warriors of the Red-River Running, the Carinites

"*Say, who are you, wonderful, high, holy spirit - fair, and kind? You who are adorned with golden light, strolling through the world? I've heard you called by many names, always changing with the place and time. But it seems, to those who know you, that you are always the same - in the fires of war you kiss the heads of the dying, and grant them life in the realm beyond, in the calm of peacetime you look for where hearts beat for you, and you give us blessings. We all know you by a single name, fitting and simple - you are our Mother, our holy light. In this time of agony, grant me the sweet gift of happiness, and release my pain.*"
—Cant of Preservation, CIVALLIE VI CARINE XXI

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - RIVER-KINGDOM OF CARIN*

Of all of the descendants of the Great Migration, the Carinnaja fathered the most successful people that Aea had seen bar the Kadorans and the Narosi - the Carinites, the warlike and noble people that rule the interior and some of the southern Ghost Sea coast. Born out of fire and blood, the Sons and Daughters of the Red-River Running draw on a martial heritage over two thousand years old, and have long since dominated politics and battlefields across the continent. Driven before them, they saw the mighty Aescantiri Empire shatter in the elden days, and they drove the Kadorans before them four times before they were finally conquered by Kador and his legions. With disdain, they trace their heritage not to a first birth on Aea, but to Dokaalish tribes of the eastern steppes; the many thousand tribes that called themselves the Carinnaja, or "Red-River Blood". The Carinnaja, during the Great Migration, had come to Aea in search of this prophesized "Land of the Red-River Running", said in their prophecy to be the place that they will carve out their home, and establish an eternal kingdom worthy of the light of day. They found their land, it is said, when they slaughtered an army of Aescantiri ten-thousand strong and it watered the Theiem with enough blood to make it run red. The royal capitol of Carin, Alistehout, was founded on the fork of the River Theiem, and became known to the Carinites as the City of Two - for it was once Alistern, and Chaihout.

In the days of the Godswar, the Carinites were not even a thought in the mind of the Thousand Tribes, those that made up the Carinnaja - all that lay before them was untamed, virgin land only recently colonized by the knife-eared Lords of Aescantir. They reaved and sowed discord and strife throughout the lands of their ancient empire, and burnt down hundreds of villages, hamlets and cities in their warpath. The greatest among the Carinnaja, the man that lead their warbands, was Ricbodo Turn; known to history as Ricbodo Kingslayer. It was recorded by the many tribes that Ricbodo had slaughtered fifteen Aescantiri Princes, taken even the head of the Hierarch that ruled their Empire, and when the Ordians came cut down Kheomestorr himself. Ricbodo, however, fell at the hands of the Ordians during the fateful Battle of Oilipos. With Ricbodo's death the Carinnaja returned to the land of the Red-River Running and began to set down their roots; establishing farms, walled cities, and a barbaric society spawned out of nomads that began to settle into agrarian lifestyles. The Dokaalish 'Aeanized', and when they were conquered by the Kadorans and ruled for a millennia, they became the Carinites. They worship nobility and honor. They fight such structured wars they look more like plays, full of pomp and pageantry.

Any fool will look upon the Carinites and scoff. They will see barbarians playing at being civilized men, and not look upon the truth that lay stained upon bloody papyrus, left throughout the ages. When the Carinites unified and rallied against a common enemy, there were few that could stand against them. When the Ordians attempted to make landfall and take territories away from them, the Carinites came with a vengeance and slaughtered the invaders to the last. When the Narosi and the Carinites fought for supremacy in the North, the Carinites fought for over a century - even if they lost, they refused to surrender. Stubbornness runs deep in the blood of the Carinites, running hand in hand with their piety and nature to protect. Their society, highly structured and built around manorial living, is the only instance of a true feudal society on the continent. This, and their cultural fascination from the days of their Dokaali ancestors, has lead to a vast Equestrian tradition; spawning the development of the Knight as an Aean cultural hallmark. The ideal and idea of a Knight is now widespread across the continent in many variations, but they spawned in the throes of chaos after the fall of the Kadorzul, deep in the heart of Carin. And even now Carin's armies host vast arrays of cavalry.

Carin is divided for the first time in five centuries. The War for the North ended in a disastrous defeat for the Carinites, and the death of King Pierren IX lead to the collapse of the All-Carin Crown. It's many heroes of the war - Varick the Griffon, Sir Piete the Black Dread, Varick the Elder, and Duke Vorgesetze - are either deep below the soil or have faltered and fallen into weakness. The many cities fight and feud, the Lords bicker over who shall rule, and Carin has broken apart into separate lesser petty Kingdoms, with a smattering of independent fiefdoms fighting for supremacy.

*"In the land of the Red-River Running, we found peace; in the land of the Red-River Running, we build our glory."*

### Bloodtides of the Carinites

#### Carinoux

The first thing that any man thinks of when they think of a Carinite. The Carinoux are the majority culture of the interior of Aea - they are the noble, upstanding and chivalrous Lords who rule over impoverished swarms and hordes of peasants. They are the Manor-Lords and Barons who rule the vast vineyards and sweeping crop fields that fuel Aea's food and wine industries. They are the ones who have always ruled Carin, and are the ones that were the most affected by the Kadorans - they share no commonality with their old Carinnaja ancestors, save for their stubborn nature and love for horses, and vehemently deny ever having been barbarians. They are Aean, and they have always been Aean. This continent is their own, and by the right of the King of Blades, the Majesty of the Red-River Running and the might of Our Holy Mother, the Carinoux will rise again and take their throne.

But, in these days, their fields run fallow, and the Manor-Lords look out their windows and see barbarians on their shores.

#### Nordburgondischer

A more outlander and rougher culture underneath the Carinite bloodtide, the Nordburgondisch are one half of a whole - the Burgondisch people. The Nordburgondischers inhabit the Raenthal Highlands, a wide patch of mountainous lands and hills that buffer up against the river Kaleyn, the border to the Princelands. The Nordburgondischers inhabit the northern regions above the river Reilevouz, and are known for their sprawling fortresses, sparkling cities, and hearty infantry tradition. They inherited the more heavy infantry focused traditions of their ancestors, and are the near polar opposite of the horse-dominated Sudburgondischer Armies. They still follow many of the ancient traditions of their Carinnaja ancestors; ancestral worship, shrine and totem worship, and intermix such things with worship of the Mother. They have long been the rulers of Burgond.

Raenthal bleeds, for a Carinoux sits upon the Nordburgondischer throne. The people chafe under a foreigner's heel, and Marcher-King Henvric Couvrer-Mace finds it increasingly hard to keep hold on the throne he fought tooth and nail for.

#### Sudburgondischer

A more outlander and rougher culture underneath the Carinite bloodtide, the Sudburgondisch are one half of a whole - the Burgondisch people. The Sudburgondischers inhabit the Vaugut Basin, a wide patch of flat land in-between two mountain ranges that wrap about in a U that form the Eastern border of the Marches. The Sudburgondischers inhabit the southern regions below the river Reilevouz, and are known for their stout castles, grand fortifications, and hearty cavalry tradition. Their horses are some of the best on the continent, and it is considered an honor to own a Sudburgondisch Destrier or Charger; for they are the finest horses known to man. Considered a very austere and dour people, the Sudburgondisch are a people of no frills and no pageantry - their armor is often rough and heavy, their forces march in disciplined lockstep, and they rule from stout and compact cities that are filled to the brim with peasants. They eschew many of the ancient traditions, considering them blasphemous.

Duke Grimwald Vorgesetze still draws breath, and he rules the South - even cowed and forced to kneel, he means to fight for a Burgond free of Carinoux rule. Under his guidance may Burgond find a new Crown from below the Reilevouz.

#### Carinnaje

An outlandish culture within the Carinite sphere, the Carinnaje are a people that claim to still be the same as their ancestors, even if they are Aean. They are a multitude of clans and tribes that inhabit the highlands west of Burgond and north of Low Carin. They live a harsh life in the mountains and hills, inhabiting wooden forts and small hamlets that ply the mountainsides with terrace farms. They possess no horses, so they follow the ancient tradition of their people; skirmishers and heavy infantry. They are known to paint themselves in Woad, and dress in tartan kilts and sashes. They are known as wildmen and savages to their cousins and to much of the continent, their leaders chosen through bouts of strength or chosen by right of blood that can be drawn back to Ricbodo and the Heroes. They hate what is known as the 'perversions of the Kadorlings', the pageantry and chivalry that is so central to modern Carin. The Highland Clans of the Carinnaje hold this hate deep in their heart, and have acted on it for centuries.

They are ruled by Foltrech Karlen Barlenous, exiled kin of Duke Vorgesetze, son of his sister Agatha. He claims the true right of rule over Burgond in the style of the Old Way, promising all of Burgond to the Highland Clans; to wipe out all Kadorling influence.

## Blood of the Crossroads, the Benarese

"*.. and, Kador turned to Benara. His eyes fell on a land rift and riven, laid low by disunity and tribal politicking, a land divided by blood feud and ancient drama dating far back as the times of when He Of White Scales ruled. And when Kador stood face to face with Vendrugh Lipki, the chieftain of the Stendrech clan, he saw a man who's face was as rough as trodden path, who's armor was rusted and teeth yellowed. His every word was twisted with the miasma of disease, and slaked in fabrication and deceit - Kador resolved to draw his blade..*"
—Excerpt from Lessons of the Conquests, Page 281

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - BENARA*

When the Great Migration came, many of the native peoples of Aea fell to the blade or acclimated and became part of new peoples - the Benarese are nothing new. They are the people that rule the great swathe of plains and forests that run down the length of the Eskwine Mountains, the chain that separates much of Esan's deserts from the much more fertile lands of Aea. The Benarese grew up as a people of the Crossroads, a people between Empires consistently passed from one power to another. They are said to be the mixed blood of the Guttni and Zetah tribes of Dokaal who had merged with the local Fekwyi peoples of the lands of Eskwine.

Benara is said to be a mistranslation of the word 'Between Towns' in the native tongue of the Fekwyi. The Dokaali tribes named this land Benara due to this mistranslation that was lost to time, and it has never changed from then. During the Godswar, the lands of Benara were ones of plenty even if their populations were small. They are a people of cosmopolitan values not unlike the Kadorans, readily accepting outsiders; out of many of the Aean cultures they are considered the most welcoming. There are dozens of cultural expectations of a Host in Benarese culture, and it is considered bad form for people that must pass through your lands to go through without a gift or at least a greeting. To allow a guest to come to harm on your lands is enough for exile in some parts of Benara, and it is very common for Esani Caravans to pass through Benara rather than pass through Carin for these very reasons. Even if Benara is a land of hills and mountains, with slight valleys that hold the great farms that feed the mountain cities, outside traders pass through these lands an enrich them with their very presence. This has been the same since the dawn of time, when the Fekwyi ruled.

During the days of the Kadorzul, the Benarese formed a loyal sect of the population - often unwavering in the face of challenge and tribulation, they stood with the Kadorzul until it was certainly at it's end, and only then did their Lords declare independence. Even now they still worship in Kadoran Cathedrals, and follow the Rites of Zaekha. Their peoples are swayed by the Kadorans, and even most of their lands are ruled by Lords descendant from Kadoran stock.

*Benara is a land that has always been ruled by outsiders, and it is unlikely for that to change.*

### Bloodtides of the Benarese

#### Telbi

Formed of the blood of the Guttni and the Fekwyi, the Telbi are a people of mercantile stock - they practice the means of crowns and thalens, honing silver tongues and tightening purses. It is not uncommon for many merchants to pass through Telbi lands and enrich the cities that host them, and it is the Telbi who pioneered the extremely outsider friendly culture that Benara is known for. They are the ones that people think of when they think of the Benara - supplicant peasants and noble Lords, ruling over vast villas cut into hillsides and mountains, dwelling in fortifications that stretch terraced cliffsides.

The Telbi are broken into five lands, and each of these lands are ruled by their own King - Retah, Lopho, Shalas, Noriene, and Ghetaze.

#### Naelethi

The Naelethi are the men and women that dwell on the far borders of Benara, among the passes and mountains that make up the Eskwine Stretch. They dwell within stout castles overlooking desert and scorched wasteland, and these people have their roots in ancient Legion military culture brought by the Kadorans. The Naelethi live a structured, simple lifestyle; austere, quiet and unassuming. Their lands hold the greatest amount of monasteries on the continent, and their fortresses are considered - while simple - some of the best south of Naros. They have not fallen to the Esani, not during the days of the Godswar and certainly not now, and even now the old Legion Forts repel the Scorchborn trying to flee their curse.

The Naelethi are ruled by a single King, who is not one. Primate Jethro II rules from a fort fashioned into a grand monastery.

## Sons of the River and the Axe, the Nuinari

"*There was a time when war broke down the Bendwyili, and cast us all asunder. There was a time when Maldrid was beset upon by the twist-tongue Lord Urderic, who sought to tear him down. When I went to broker a peace, Urderic had me cast into a pit of snakes - only by the grace of the Mother did I manage to survive, and warn Maldrid of Urderic's treachery. When Urderic's neck was broken at the gallows in Kenfort, I took my vows as one of Maldrid's huscarls. I stood next to the man who would become King of us all, and I saved his life far more times than I care to count. He is my King, and I will never break my vows to him. To forsake my blood oath is to forsake my life. Bendwyil will stand under Maldrid, or it will never stand at all.*"
—Cerdic Harlan, Lord and Master of Tamboras, Marshal of Petty King Maldrid

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - CROWN OF NUINAR*

A land of storms and rain, the lonely peninsula of Nuinar has long been the battleground between the Hjalikaner and the Carinites - their bastard children, the Nuinari, inhabit a rocky and forgotten part of Aea. They possess some of the last Druids and Groves left on the continent, and many even don't worship the Mother. They follow the faith of Dragons and Grovekeepers, worshiping the little spirits of the Forest or the great scaled serpents that once roamed the skies just the same as the griffon or the eagle. Their people are contentious, insular and rabidly independent following their freedom from the Kadorans and then the Carinites. Put under the heel of the Imperials, the Nuinari chafed and rebelled against the excesses of the Kadorsanjus and their Church when they came to cut down their Groves and take away the Druids, away what made Nuinar strong. The Druids won in what is known as the 'Day of Severed Hands', where the Magistrate that once ruled Nuinar was dragged from his palace in Thraldinium and strung up by his own entrails in the woods as a crude totem by the Druids. And so when this came and went, the people of Nuinar rose up and followed their shamans and soothsayers and witches, and cast out the Kadorans.

During the days of the Godswar, the Nuinari opted to stay out of the conflict until Kador forced them to form their own Legions. They marched but their armies did not make it before the Esani had shattered. Their Legions, barely loyal even to the Earls and Wicchats that ruled over the manors and forests of Nuinar itself, did not return to Kadora but instead returned once more to Nuinar and fell apart and shattered. The Legions of Nuinar never again reformed, and the Kadorsanjus came to quickly learn that the Nuinari would always drag their feet when ordered from far-away Kadoraxon.

When the Empire fell shortly after the Day of Severed Hands, the Nuinari have stayed fiercely independent - other than for a brief time of being ruled by the Carinites - and have defended their independence with billhook and longbow. Nuinar, like many lands, is badly fractured; but none compare to the rainy peninsula. Each town is independent, each Earl and Langrat that rules a hamlet call themselves master of their own territories. Only in Bendwyil does a single King hold sway, for that stretch of coast united under Earl Maldrid. It is another distinction of their lands that they hold the last Groves and Druids of Aea, and that many witches call the dark forests of Nuinar home. Unsurprisingly, the University also holds little to now sway in these lands.

Long crushed under the yoke of the 'high people', full of contempt and pride, the Nuinari have lived shyly and humbly for centuries in deep-seated, hated shame. Their forests and their lands were pillaged and raped, and the wave of death rolled over it for centuries whenever they dare raised up their hand to break such a thing. The Kadorans came to regret chaining the dogs of Nuinar, and the Carinites felt their bite when they came through the mountains of Thauree and felt the cold steel of the Druids. Their long awaited freedom had come in great glory, and the Nuinari breathe once more.

*By the tongue or by the blade, Nuinar will be free - it will always be free, never to kneel again. The dogs will never again wear a collar.*

### Bloodtides of the Nuinari

#### Kegsjinni

The men and women that inhabit the Western Coast, the Kegsjinni have long lived simple lives as shepherds and herdsmen that live in hamlets and small smatterings of cottages and manors. Their lands hold some of the densest forests on all of Aea, and they hold the great distinction of holding three separate Grovesites; Kurh anh Bheifh, Thuah Rufti, and Dan Sohkas. They were the ones that instigated the Day of Severed Hands, and they are the ones that brought the longbow culture to the forefront of what the Nuinari are known for. They are, oddly enough, not a very seaworthy people or hold much distinction at sea at all. Their lands are buffeted by great cliffs, the White Cliffs of Kegsji, and this meant no ports could ever be built on the Western Coast.

They are ruled by no one, and live in anarchic communal hamlets and tiny villages, ruling through council or elected leadership.

#### Bendwyili

The Eastern Coast has long been the economic heart of Nuinar, for even for being on the Ghost Sea they are the only ports in all of Nuinar. Tamboras, the largest city on the peninsula, is the long-held capitol of the Bendwyili and has acted as the seat of power for many a Magistrate that ruled over the lands during the days of the Kadorzul, even if they officially ruled from Thraldinium. Now the Bendwyili stand united underneath Petty King Maldrid, and their hamlets and villages grow in times of peace and plenty - trade comes in droves from Esan and Kadora, with many eager hands ready to trade now that the blades of Bendwyil have been laid down underneath the silver crown. They hold but one Grovesite - Auanh Beth. Unlike many Groves, the Druids of Auanh Beth actively involve themselves in the governance of Bendwyil as they have always done, choosing to serve rather than hide.

Peace reigns over the Eastern Coast for as long as it may, and the peace is loved and welcomed with festivals and jousts.

#### Eagudunni

The people that inhabit the central valleys of Nuinar, the most populous group of the Nuinari. They were the ones that formed up the original Nuinari Legions, the ones that built Thraldinium and who suffered the most underneath the Kadoran's rule. They were quick to pick up arms when the revolt came, even if they hold no Grovesites anymore. The Druids were long since purged from their lands, and the Eagudunni must turn to Bendwyil and Kegsjinn for their religious needs. However, some Southern Eagudunni give patronage to the Church of Zaekha, some even to the Council of Carin, and some worship even the Tetrarchy in Aescantir - the most common of their Gods worshiped in Nuinar being Ovcu, patron of the Hunt.

The Eagudunni have suffered, and they will suffer again and again. So they pick up their sickles and their billhooks and menace them at the outsiders, acting as the first shield for their homeland - the Druids will live under their watch, even if their homes must burn for the Groves. For Nuinar.

## Children of the Forest, the Aescantiri

"*Aescantir is a unique place, my uncle. If it's people move beyond the borders, they quickly lose those features that differentiate them from other Kin. If you - or your men - had children here, they would come to look as we do. But I must ask you, uncle - what is a nation? Is it the land, or the people? Their language, their culture, their history. If these things are retained, is the nation gone? The blood is the life of the body, and the people are the blood of a nation. There will be a return. Life will enter the body once more, a revival - or a rebirth. By the All-Father there will be a return. For this is the authority of which I speak. This despairing twilight will be overcome, and the Light will reign again. It has already been decreed, and so all who have ears to listen will know it - the dead will wake to answer the call!*"
—Q'izil Qan, Scion of the Qan Dynasty to his Uncle, Captain Benjin Ariflü of the Sons of Bastards.

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - ESTEEMED COUNCIL OF THE FOREBEARS*

There was a time when Aea held dozens of cultures that were born and raised there, fired in the kiln that was the ever-burning continent of war. And then the Dokaali came, and the Udrani came, and the Esani came - and all of those cultures were thrown away, ripped apart, burnt and destroyed. All that remained were the Narosi, and the Aescantiri. They were the last true natives of the continent, and this is something the Aescantiri hold great pride in. They once ruled an Empire that was an equal to the petty fief that Kador managed to erect in his day, and it ruled since the dawn of time until the barbarians of the Carinnaja came and ripped down it's foundations. Slaked in blood and the lives of thousands of Aescantiri, their Esteemed Council fell and the Forebears were shattered. Their colonies were torn asunder, their rivers ran red with blood, and the barbarians tore apart their grand cities of marble and turned them into fetid piles of ash and slums of driftwood, timber and pelts. The Aescantiri fought tooth and nail for every inch and drove out mountains of bloods from the Dokaali, even as it seemed worthless. But when the Carinnaja made it to the edge of their Ancestral Heartland, the great Forest of Aescantir, the Aescantiri fought with such rage and abandon that it stymied any further efforts of the barbarians, and the Pentarchy and Tetrarchy still stand. The Five Cities ruled by the Four Gods.

And then the Kadorans came, and subjugated the Aescantiri and the Carinites and tied them together like slaves with collars.

During the Godswar the Aescantiri marched to war with legions of men wreathed in full suits of glittering bronze and silver, with Magi and Druids that rivaled the finest the University Sages could muster, and they fell upon the Esani with such rage and abandon that entire armies shattered under the weight of the few Orders of the Rangers that the Aescantiri could send. When the war came to a close, and the Heavens finally stopped sundering themselves, the Kadorans came and drew a bloody harvest upon the enchanted forest that the Aescantiri called home. Their Druids, for their help in the war, were given the option of a quiet, noble death and a state funeral - or, they could revolt and be dragged down and forgotten by history.

Many of the Druids of Aescantir were wiped from the history books, their spirits scattered to the winds and their Groves were ran through and destroyed by the Kadorsanjus. The Universities stood atop the conflict, and soon codexes and judicial books detailing what could and could not be done with magic were being sent across the whole of the Kadorzul. The Aescantiri were forced to accept these changes to their faith, and their faith grew regimented, disciplined and focused on holy writ and law rather than the spirits. But, the Kadorans could never excise the worship of their ancestors and forebears. Such things were universal, and were practiced across the breadth of the Empire - much to the Kadorsanjus' chagrin.

Now in the modern era, Aescantir has fallen far - it's population shrinks, it's forests are encroached upon by their age old rivals in the Carinites, and while the Kadorzul is long gone the scars of their rule still lay heavy over the land. The Order of the Rangers defend the borders of the woodlands, the Five Cities bicker as is their ancestral right, and the Tetrarchy looks down upon their children with sadness and despair.

*The Families that rule these woods have been here since before the Godswar, and remember the bloody days of the Carinnaja. Within their history books, there are entire pages slaked with the blood of their forebears - slaughtered by barbarians, by the Carinites. Their dull minds will not claim any more.*

### Bloodtides of the Aescantiri

#### Yulingelit

The First City, 'the Home Fort City', and the place where the Eternal Flame still roars and burns. Yulingel is the site of the foundation of the Esteemed Council, the site of the Pentarchic Moot, a city wreathed of marble and silver, with streets paved with gold. They hold some of the most ostentatious villas and palaces the continent has the pleasure of knowing, grand displays of wealth gathered over the course of two thousand and more years. Their bloodlines are the eldest among the Aescantiri, and they have the wealth of millions of lives within their vaults. They station the Golden Host, a legion of Aescantiri soldiers styled in the old way of the Dominion that once ruled most of Aea - they are dressed in finely wrought steel with bronze overlaid, with intricate silver patterns, horse-hair headtails and helmets done in the Nithiraai style - Their mouths are exposed, but their noses and eyes are protected by steel, and the helmet shapes around their ears.

They rule with a silver and iron fist, wrought in silk and fine linen. Their Prince, Necaf Asiman Nubargil XXIV, is a man of opulence and greed - he has fought several wars against the Carinites for the express purpose of sacking their monasteries and 'taking back our ancestral wealth'.

#### Idrislingelit

The Second City, 'the Idyllic Fort City', was founded as the heart of the Dominion's agricultural efforts. It is not surrounded by forests as the other Fort Cities are, but by great tracts of farmland and vineyards. It is known to have fostered an aristocratic culture, one focused on magic and the preservation of what nature still remained. Their focus was on feeding the great booming population of the Aescantiri before the Carinnaja, and now their main purpose is to feed who is left and make as much wine as possible. Idrislingel is said to be the most beautiful city in all of Aescantir - every boulevard is finely gardened, with trees and flowers abounding, and great parks that any and all can enjoy. It's majesty is built through it's foundations as once having hosted the many Druids that supported the Old Dominion. Even now, it still claims pride in it's ancient past.

They are ruled by Prince Yeganee Aesryfgil XXXXII, a portly aristocrat who has no sense of martial ability yet a keen sense of business; even if money flows out of his pockets and into his chef's on a daily basis, and his gut expands while his wallet retracts.

#### Selingelit

The Third City, 'the Ranger Fort City', the mightiest fortress that the Aescantiri still have access to. Sat and nestled against the highest mountain in the forestland, Selingelit is a multi-terraced and taller-than-wider urban sprawl, with grand fortress villas sat on it's outsides that act as a ring of fortifications inhabited by aristocratic families and detachments of rangers. Among them are the ancient Qan, the powerful Qormara, the venerable Zahrana, and the majestic Afadni ruling the Four Pillars that defend the vast stretches of forests that the Rangers upkeep and maintain to keep Ovcu, the patron saint of Selingel, contented. These forests are teeming with monsters and beasts, and even sometimes with Carinites, and the Rangers and the Aristocrats often flush them out on their hunts and keep the populations of these beasts, animals and simple men low.

Selingel is ruled by Prince Azhad-Ilham Qiyasli XXIV, better known as Azhad-Ilham 'Hand of Iron', for his distinctive missing hand. His left hand, taken by Carinites following one of his wars against the feckless cretins, was replaced by a solid iron cast hand - and he has multiple variations; one capable of holding a pen, one a sword, and even a soft silken cover for when he heads to sleep.

#### Qanligelit

The Fourth City, 'the Bloody Fort City', was renamed from it's original title, long since forgotten to history, after the bloody revolts of a number of indentured captives of the Carinnaja during the Godswar. Qanlingel has long since been one of the smaller Fort Cities, but it is one of stout, strong stone walls instead of mostly earthen fortifications. It is a place that hauls up the stone and iron and coal that fuels the lands of Aescantir, and it is the place where many illicit deals are made to buy slaves from the Udrani and Esani to be used as 'indentured' servants that repay their debt to Aescantir for freeing them by working their fingers to the bone in the deep, cold mines underneath Qanlingel. It is widely believed that the second they slap you in chains and send you into the depths you are very much not going to leave, but some have been lucky enough to be let go.

Qanlingel is ruled by Prince Zaerningar Imarnegil XXXI, a brutal and efficient man who styles himself in the old style of 'Master'. He rules from a mighty marble spire that oversees the entirety of the stone-brick city, and he is known to frequent the mines to 'encourage' the workers there himself.

#### Lonlingelit

The Fifth City, 'the Far Fort City', was established shortly after the Sorcerer-Kings had been defeated and the Kadorzul had finally been allowed to die. It was established to defend the Southern Route in to Aescantir now that there was no one staffing the Legion Fort, and so that Fort became known as the Old Quarter and is host to the martial aristocracy that rules Lonlingel. For the Carinites to enter into Aescantir, they have to traverse hundreds of miles of horrid, nasty forest that actively fights against outsiders - or make their way past Lonlingel and use the road systems of Aescantir to your advantage. Many attempt to do so, many are caught, and a few slip through the cracks to cause issues. Lonlingel is a city born of necessity and hurried paranoia, and it was not built to last. But with each year wood is replaced with brick and mortar, and the roads turn from dirt to true cement.

Lonlingel's Prince is one Tyrlan Vaqifoglu XX 'the Flayer', known for his eccentric and mad way of rulership - as well as his favorite pastime to conduct upon Carinites. Through his age, prestige and power he has kept his throne and has not been usurped by his heir, his cousin Shrivi, but every day he falls further into madness.

## Blood of the Chainbreaker, the Kadorans

"*The Gods must think me a divine comedy. The greatest joke to ever be uttered. That must be why I've crawled on for so long. Two decades and four summers too long. Do you know when this wasting disease took me? It took me when I was nine. Nine! I have lived with it's pains and aches for all of my true life. I lived with it before my Nameday, and if my Physicians are to be trusted, and the Gods still think it hilarious, I will live with it for decades from now. Leave me be, scribe, I just wish to lay on my bed for today - have my darling sister speak with the Legate. She's a smart girl, and he'll be fine - just a headache at most.*"
—Kador XI Kadorsanjus, the Leper - famously, Kador XI would go on to live for another two decades of pain. On his deathbed he stated that the Gods must've finally stopped laughing.

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - REALM OF KADOR*

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## Witches of the Marsh, The Kasurae

"*Blood does not dictate my actions, I dictate my own actions. The Gods do not speak for me, You do not speak for me, none speak for me. Look out from my hall, to the sea. Those waves that make up Kasura all belong to me. I stand here, in what was once the finest city of the Kadorzul, and I sit on it's throne. I rule a Kingdom of Water, and I have plans to make it rise once again from the briny depths. The marsh we find ourselves locked in will give way to beautiful farmland once again - and all it will take is the blood of those that put us here, and those that stand against me. I will fill their lungs with soil, and drink of their life essence, and I will become as a God like those that fear me. I command true authority of a God - through me His blood flows. You will kneel, and you will listen. And you will die here, with my words in your ears.*"
—Aihartti Tähtinen, the Mad Witch, Deathcaller, Poison of Our Blood to Kaarlo Witchslayer, Afikrati of the Serpent Sons before the duel to the death that would see Kaarlo decapitate Aihartti, and end his mad rule over the bitter lands of Kasura.

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - REALM OF KASURA*

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## Exiles from West, the Ordians

"*I will warn you but once - turn back! You face the might of the greatest men and women to live; we sailed the Kurthumic, an ocean many once thought unassailable, and we traded with your people for centuries. And, now, we have come as refugees, what is left of our people. You mean to throw us back into the ocean? We will drive you into the sand, and dance on your corpses. This is our home now, and there is little you can do to make us think otherwise! And so, I say, turn back! Or face Ordish iron!*"
—Kheomestorr bek Aloeus, Aenru of the Ordians, before the Battle for Oskopos - where he would defeat a Carinnajan force lead by Ricbodo Kingslayer and establish a beachhead for further conquest.

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - HIERARCHY OF REBORN ORDIA*

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## Scions of the Red-Gold University, the Myrese

"*We are a peaceful movement, we only seek reformation. The University as an establishment is admirable, and it's goals laudable. It has, for centuries and centuries, been a place of learning. It's libraries contain vast stores that echo on into eternity, and it has taught the brilliant minds of millions of men. It's halls dictate the destiny of millions more, and has written the fate of many that cannot be counted. I would not deign to raise a hand against the University, for it is my home. Those who would are no true reformers, they are power-grabbers, and usurpers. I will not raise a blade, I will work to make us grander from the inside. That is our goal, perfection through unified change.*"
—Bodnár Novak, Tri-Consul of the Young Magi, before the Revolt.

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - KINGDOM OF MYR*

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## The Unbent and the Unyielding, the Princelanders

"*There is little that more should fear than a Godserpent - you may think that is rich coming from one like me, who has slain three. That is something that most men could never achieve, and something most men would see as evidence that the Godserpents can be felled, they can be killed, and they shouldn't be feared. Nay, you should fear them; I still do. They are dangerous, and they are just as smart and as cunning as you are. And, they command the forces of the world to a far, far greater ability than we can. If you wish to march off and go fight the King of Kings, I will not stop you - but I will warn you, you and your men will not return home, and your sons will have no bodies to bury.*"
—Saint Lucian di'Angivo, the Dragonslayer warning Marcher-King Gristold about fighting Ispadasker - Gristold would go on to fight the Dragon of White Scales, and die.

*DEJURE CROWNLAND - MANY-CITIES CROWN OF THE RIVERS BURYK AND HESKA*

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