Knagel

## Kingdom of Knagel

The flag of Knagel. It is adapted from the coat of arms of the Dukes of Arester - the white represents purity and the arrow represents purpose. The crown was added when the Dukes were crowned Grand Dukes.

### Adjective

Knagel

Knagel is a Grand Duchy located on the south-eastern border of the Accord Lands. Even during the time of the Silent Empire, the people of Knagel were famous for being extremely religiously devout and suspicious of outsiders. With no major ports and only a single road connecting it to the rest of the Accord Lands, Knagel was known for being extremely isolated - its only substantial contact with the rest of the Empire was religious, due to the Divine Forges of two Archons being located within the province.

Following the death of Basarab XV , the Duke of Arester and several other Knagel nobles supported a third pretender as an alternative to those promoted by Vortigern and Marlia, leading to war. The Knagels did not have a reputation as great warriors but their armies performed extremely well, not least due to the religious fanaticism infused into their ranks. The Knagels also proved to be very effective at the darker side of warfare, and many a Vortigern or Marlian General fell to Knagel assassins, or found their army stymied by effective sabotage of bridges or supply camps. This Knagel military skill had its darker side - the Knagel belief that they were fighting in the cause of the Archons meant that they took very few prisoners, often executing or even torturing their prisoners.

When the Treaty of Accord was signed, Knagel withdrew into isolation once more. It was alwas the Accord Land that least involved with the others - Knagels travel rarely and trade only for strict necessities, which means luxuries are rare in the Grand Duchy, even among the upper class. While the Suliaro are isolated by their culture, the Knagels are isolated by choice. The Grand Duke's army patrols its borders more zealously than any other Realm, and it is generally regarded as the safest of the Realms, although its cultural and intellectual life are considered lacking by the standards of Vortigern or Otherite sophisticates.

Although it was the third most militarily powerful of the Accord Lands, perhaps due to divinely inspired humility the Duke of Arester refused to take the title of King, instead proclaiming himself a Grand Duke. The original Grand Duke, Ofen I, was succeeded by his son, who died childless. The throne was then passed to Count Gauthier Brucfael, a military hero from the Battle of Covington who slew the Vortigern pretender Basarab XVI. The house of Brucfael still rules, but following the signing of the second Treaty of Accord, Grand Duke Gauthier III announced he would take the title of King, claiming that collapse of the Kingdom of Vortigern made the assumption of a royal title a necessity. Few argued either within or without the realm. The current ruler, Ofen III, is treated as an equal by the Kings of Marlia and Suliaro on the few times he ventures forth from his realm.

Knagel devotion meant that the Church of the Inner Sea was energetically persecuted in the realm during its early days. The Knagels agreed to tolerate the Church under the terms of the second Treaty of the Accord, and although for several years they dragged their feet about implementing it, the realm now has a reasonably large community of Church followers. Although they are still the minority and sometimes face some discrimination, they are not as persecuted as those in Suliaro.

Knagel's concern for its borders led to it stationing troops in areas of the eastern Swordlands. There was some debate about annexing some of these territories, but the King was reluctant to extend the Kingdom beyond its natural mountain defenses, instead opting to set up several puppet rulers in the Swordlands along Knagel's borders.

Knagels tend to be short but powerfully built. They have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Knagel men are known for growing their hair long. Knagel is notable for being home to many Dwarves, and it is often joked that the short, stocky, long-haired Knagel humans have interbred with Dwarves to create their characteristic complexion.

The patron of Knagel is Iaxtra.