Kraznir

Flag of House Raavan, Lords of Kraznir

**Kraznir** is an island in the Nardan archipelago and a constituent of the Empire of Narda. It is currently ruled by House Raavan.

## **History**

### **Ancient Kraznir**

Long before recorded history, the ancient people settled on the Nardan archipelago, with groups forming tribes on the island of Kraznir. The surface was harsh, with much of the land either being burning sand or tropical jungle that, while extremely fertile, was sparse. Yet the majority of settlers found a third solution; an resource rich cavern that spanned underneath the whole island and beyond. It even held ancient mangrove and azalea flora, which could sustain itself despite being underground. The Ancients lived underneath the earth for centuries, cultivating the trees and trading ores with the surface-dwellers. There was occasional war; the Overworlders were envious for rich resource deposits and the Subterraneans envious for clean, abundant air, though by the next era they had agreed to stay separate.

### **The Coming of the Avians**

Some several thousand years ago, there was a great migration of Avians, birdlike humanoids, from a distant continent to Keranos. They were most likely from Flogos, though this is unrelated to the more recent Flogosian Migration. The Avians conquered Kraznir and defeated the Overworlders with ease. The Subterraneans, however, proved difficult and utilised their knowledge of the caverns to repel the Avians' superior technology.

Changing their strategy, the Avians settled for a scorched earth policy of flooding underground cities and burning trees where they could find it. Eventually, the Subterraneans were defeated, and were treated to brutal conditions by the Avians. The general behind the victory, **Raavaa of the Falcon**, became the first Avian King of Kraznir and enslaved all those who resisted the conquest. In contrast, the families that had cooperated were rewarded and intermarried with the Avians to create the first Lord Houses of Kraznir.

### **The Krazniri Empire**

As the centuries progressed, the Overworlder culture integrated with the Avians, forming the modern Krazniri culture and dialect. The Subterraneans , now called the Dwellers, continued to be treated as second-class citizens, and forced to produce resources for the Krazniri. Slavery was not exclusive to the Dwellers, however, as Kraznir conducted many raids along the archipelago and across the Sapphirean Sea.

Kraznir slowly became one of the most powerful nations in the region, even managing to conquer the other islands of the Nardan archipelago save for Khanae, which managed to stave off the few grand attempts that had occurred. Instead, Kraznir settled to trade their goods with the petty kings, even offering assistance in some wars in order to take slaves. Kraznir had an abundance of resources: ores, food and men, they were only rivalled in power by the Kingdom of Hanae. This balance of power was put to an end however, during the Akruzian Invasion, as Hanae rallied the squabbling petty kings under them to repel the Jungle Men from Khanae permanently.

### **The Conquest of Kraznir**

The union of the Khanae kingdoms into the Empire of Narda threatened the balance of power that benefitted Kraznir. The Avian King, Microw, a traditionalist who rejected the reforms of his predecessors, saw Hanae I's rule was insecure that the Emperor lacked support amongst the nobility and would not be able to muster a host against the Krazniri, and led his forces to war, believing the new Empire would crumble just as quick as it formed.

Contrary to what he believed, the war may have been the thing that cemented Narda's existence, as the lords rallied together to push back the Krazniri. While Kraznir originally had the upper hand, winning many battles and smashing the 2nd fleet of Narda, this luck would come to an end at the battle of Khorinis, where Krazniri crown prince Raacrow led a full assault against the city, with him and most of his army slain by a joint force of Nardans and Darkfallers (who had recently appeared following the Flogosian Migration). With the promise of Kraznir land as their new home, the Darkfallers fought for the Nardans and consistently defeated the technologically inferior Krazniri, in a ironic reflection of the original conquest of their kingdom.

During the Battle of the Channel, a Darkfaller knight by the name of Pingus slew Avian King Microw claimed the Raavan Heirlooms Talon, a prismarine sword from ancient times, and the Spirit of Raavaa, a bow used by the first Avian King during his conquest.

The battle signalled ended the war, and the other island territories of Kraznir were incorporated into the new land of Ardougne, with Kraznir proper being gifted to Pingus. Pingus married the daughter and only living child of Microw, taking House Raavaan for his own and became the first Dark Lord of Kraznir. When he was granted the land, Pingus made and several oaths to Hanae I, including to be an eternally loyal vassal to Narda and to forsake slavery. As a gift Osmeus gifted him the prismarine sword Oathmaker, so he would never forget his allegiance to the crown.