Khanite of Karazzan

The Grand Duchy of Karazzan, is a vast swathe of land, covering 2,885,000 mi² and shares land borders with The Tartus and the Kingdom of Eternus. The Duchy is located in the South-Eastern part of the Continent. It is a harsh and unforgiving land, filled with Taigas and Glaciers, as well as several large land predators. However, the people have adapted, and even claimed lands that are more hospitable than is traditionally found in the Duchy.

The Duchy was founded on the absolute truth that the Weak serve the Strong, and as such many of the more brutal races have decided to make their homes in the unforgiving landscape, often raiding neighbors and villages in the Duchy. Though these are usually short lived, as the people that settled these lands are some of the strongest in the world, where warfare and fighting are second nature.

### Politics

The Grand Duchy of Karazzan is a Matriarchal Monarchy, with an arrangement of Boyers - Exceptional Leaders of Men and Keepers of Order. The Boyers represent Regional Districts, which are broken down into counties controlled by Burgesses, which are broken down into the cities and villages, overseen by Mayors. The Grand Duchess of Karazzan is Katyana Karazzan, the 16th Grand Duchess, the most powerful Ice Witch in all of Karazzan. The succession of Karazzan is not necessarily a blood line between mother and daughter, but by who shows the most dazzling, powerful, and controlled use of magic, while also proving that they have the best interests for the Khanite. Upon being selected they are then taught and schooled in the Governance of a Country. Once deemed acceptable they are then named Heir to the Grand Duchy. To be a candidate for Boyer, one must first be deemed acceptable by ⅔ of the current Burgesses in the lands he wishes to lead. Once selected the current Boyers then look into the man’s characters and past deeds to see if he is worthy. Once he has been deemed worthy he is then presented to the Grand Duchess, where he must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no man better than he for the position, and if he is found wanting then he will never need to want for anything ever again.

### Laws and industry

The Duchy is made up of several races, where all are technically equals, but the Weak serve the Strong. Indentured Servitude  is legal in the Duchy but has strict limits and systems, One may sell themselves into slavery, whereas they will recieve their worth as half payment at the start from their master and half at the end of their contract, lasting no more then 10 years at a time. Servants must be well attended to, not go without food or shelter, and they may not be killed, unless harm is to befall another. In the event that a Servant is killed due to the master, the master must pay the family double the price of the Indentured Servant. This usually means that the weaker races like Goblins, are normally Indentured to Humans, Orcs, Hob Goblins, Trolls, Ogres, Giants, and Goliaths, with the prominent population being made up of Humans and Goliaths, though all races are welcomed, few find the lands to be hospitable. The only true law is that weak serve the strong, but it is understood that the strong should not look down upon them with disgust or contempt, because strife makes one stronger, and thus better. The Legal system is made up of a Jury of ones peers, with the Burgess or Boyer acting as judge and prosecutor. One is guilty until proven innocent, as one must prove without a shadow of a doubt that they are innocent and without guilt.

The Primary Exports for the Grand Duchy are Furs, Leathers, Rare Metals and Minerals, Lumber, Ice, and Mercenaries. The main imports are exotic foods and spices. The primary diet consists of Game Meats, Root Vegetables, Cabbages, Fish, and Whale Meats. The Men of the society learn how to survive in the harsh environment learning to hunt, fight, track, build, and armor themselves. The Women primarily tend to the households, but also must learn the skills of men to provide when they are away as sellswords or fighting wars against their neighbors.

### Magic and Religion

Whilst many people have an affinity for magic, few have the chance or opportunity to practice, and even those who do practice risk the eye of the Great Orthodoxy, Magic must be used for the greater good of the Duchy. Those who do practice are usually Nobles and other affluent members of society, and must only practice the one true magic of Ursine, that of Ice, the only true form of magic and are sent to the Ice College, where they learn how to harness their powers or they die in the process. Men are sent to the Great Orthodoxy, the church of Ursine, Ulric, Sigmar, Taal, is the primary religious group in the Duchy, a freedom for all religions is permitted in the Duchy, though if found to have Cultish followings or Chaotic tendencies are investigated and purged by the Great Orthodox, including those who would use magic against the people of the Duchy. However, most of the Men in the Church have no control over magic, and thus carry charms and trinkets to ward against those who would use magic as a weapon. The Women who pass are sent to be advisors to the various Burgesses and Boyers, helping as needed with any specialized work that is seen to be needed. This also strengthens ties between the various counties and families to bring ties closer. The men of the Great Orthodoxy aren't allowed to marry, but are not abstinent, and if any children are sired they are to stay with the mothers families. It is highly frowned upon to arrange marriages for children, but it has been known to happen to keep bloodlines from dying out.

Though the land is primarily made out of Glaciers and Frozen Wastes, the people have adapted, applying the local wildlife into beasts of burden, no easy feat when that Wildlife includes bears, wolves, mammoths. The bears were the hardest to tame, and it was only by the first Ice Witch contacting Ursine, the Great Bear God, Hunter of the wastes and lord of the wild. Upon showing her strength it impressed the bear god, and only by showing immense strength and no fear can one ever truly tame one of the bear god's children. To show her unwavering faith, she established the Great Orthodoxy, at the base of Mount Krackow, where at the top, the God Ursine watches over the people of Karazzan, snuffing out the weak who cannot serve, and praising the exploits of the strong. He is attended by the three other Gods, Ulric the God of War, Sigmar the God of Righteousness and Order, and Taal the God of the Hunt. The physical embodiment of the God bear are his children, The Sons of Ursine, giant bears standing 12 feet tall and 6 feet wide, they answer to no man, and do what they please. However, in the most dire of times, Ursine will send his children to help his most loyal followers at the foot of his home.

### Major Cities and Lifestyles

The Capital Karazzan is Karazzan, a city of 300,000, located in the south east of the country. There are 4 other major regions in the Grand Duchy, each with a provincial capital and several smaller cities in the surrounding areas. Karazzan is in the Duchy of Krackow, named after the mountain, and is the only population center in the area, being tended to by the vast farmlands and fishing fleets to the south of it, the land is to unforgiving for small villages to survive, and those that manage will soon learn what the inside of the god bears children for intruding on their lands, unless of course they provide the correct offerings.

The next closest Duchy is the Duchy of Sarpolca, lying to the northeast, residing on the shores of the ocean; its primary trade is that of Whales and Fish. The Capital of the Duchy is Bydlaska, a City of 85,000, it is surrounded by minor villages that grow the hardy root vegetables that supply the rest of the kingdom, though this is through necessity, as they cannot grow anything else in the rocky and salty soils of the area.

To the West lies the Duchy of Daza, whose capital city is Kahakiv, a city of only 45,000. The main trade is the industrial hub of the Grand Duchy, supplying the steel for weapons, as well as the more unique metals and minerals that can be found underneath the mountains. The Steel is then refined and shipped across the country, so that it may be used to make Tools, for Civilian and Military use.

To the Southwest lies the Duchy of Kosabryn, whose Capital City is Bohonov, a city of 75,000. The main trade of this area is in Furs and leathers, hunting and treating the skins of the local wildlife, as well as being the leading tamer of Wolf Dogs and Bears, to be sold to the army and nobles of the lands, though if a owner is not worthy of the bear, it will simply eat them and be sent back in the prospects that eventually someone will handle the beast. Because of the nature of this area, there are still many smaller bands of people living in tiny communities, hunting that lands and other areas, only trading their goods for things that will help them survive in the tiny trading villages that dot the landscape.

To the north lies the most hospitable of all the Duchies, that being the Duchy of Orceni, the Breadbasket of the Grand Duchy, with the majority of the land being either farmlands or barracks. It hosts the second largest populated city and province. 185,000 people live in the provincial capital of Zaye, though it is estimate that spread through the farming villages and cities that 250,000 people live in this Duchy. It has the best growing season, with the primary food source being Barley and Oats, that will be sent to the other provinces to help sustain them through the winters. It also is home to the majority of the army is trained, as the vast open plains make for excellent battlefields for soldiers to hone their skills and tactics.

Tying it all together in the middle of the country is Oslovo, a small Fortress city where travelers may take respite from the unforgiving landscape, it maintains the roads of the Grand Duchy, ensuring its own survival by making sure those roads travel through the safe walls of the city, and patrol them to ensure that travelers have at least somewhat easier. The city claims that it has never been taken, and is the Bastion of Karazzan, though this claim started after the city was sacked and forced into submission by the first Grand Duchess, who used it as a base of operations to extend her reach into the surrounding country side.

Due to the harsh environments and high mortality rates, most provinces cannot host any other large cities, and thus most of the area is simply homesteads or small communities that bring their Tithes to these areas. The rough population of the Grand Duchy rests at 5.1 Million denizens, though these numbers could never be confirmed, due to the flux of deaths and births in the country, with the people constantly fighting for survival or going to war. This number also includes Slaves, which are not listed in the population counts for the cities.

### Brief History on the Formation of the Grand Duchy

The Khanite was born through the wars wrought by the previous Grand Duchess, after Ursine taught the first Grand Duchess the rule of the wild, that the Strength is the only true power in this world and that those weaker to you submit and serve, or stand and die. It started with her tribe, the Karazzans, and at first the tribes around her gawked at the audacity of this young upstart. But as they fell one by one to her powers and the strength of her tribes they began to band together, though by then it was too late. And thus the Duchy was born. But this did not stop the Duchess plans, and she instilled in her daughter that she must do all that she can to unite all the tribes that inhabited that God Bear’s lands under their banner. And so, one by one, Tribes were brought into the fold, or erased from history, until the 14th Grand Duchess united the lands. The surrounding countries laughed at the notion that a conqueror would be able to keep a nation together, but all knew that the God Bear was pleased that his favorite followers had seen his will through, where the Strong survive, and the Weak serve. With the complete formation of the lands it was declared as the Grand Duchy

### Military of the Grand Duchy

The Grand Duchy's Military forces are always shifting, with men entering service and leaving all the time. The standing army however is 2 Regiments of Foot, The Karazzan Royal Guard, The infamous Bear Riders of Karazzan, The Auxilarious Monstrous, And two Regiments of Archers. This leads the standing army to be roughly 17,000 strong, a weak number for the amount of people living in the Duchy, but made up for with the superior gear carried by this number. In addition, in times of war, men join to swell these numbers into the hundred of thousands, all looking to bring home Fame, Glory, and of course the clink of coin. The Duchy also utilizes a highly unique method of income and military strength in the form of Crown backed Mercenaries, who must pay a tithe every year to continue to operate, but can also show off the military might of the Duchy. The average Duchy soldier is outfitted in Chain Mail, with a simple helmet. They will be issued a spear, axe, or sword, depending on their prefered fighting style, they can also be outfitted with all manner of thrown weapons, from Knives to Javelins. The Royal Guard and Bear Riders wear Chain mail, augmented with steel plates to better protect themselves, and will also have their choice of weapon, though two handed weapons are preferred by the Royal Guard, and Long one handed weapons by the Bear Riders. The Auxilarious Monstrous is made up of monstrous beings, who only wish to fight and be fed, both of which the Duchy are more than willing to do. These beings are often used as heavy shock troops, charging in to cause panic, but because they lack discipline, can as easily be routed, making them a very strategic deployment. Finally the Archers are outfitted with Recurve bows, and are often armed in only light leathers, and will be more often used to ambush enemies, after the infantry pulls the enemy into a kill box. They however, will charge enemies to fight them in close quarters, because fighting from range can be seen as dishonorable. They will almost always wear heavy furs above and below their armor, to help better insulate from the Harsh Cold of the Steppes. Units are usually led into battle by seasoned campaigners, with a boyer commanding 1 Regiment each, while the Grand Duchess and her Cohort of Ice Witches assist with their deadly magics.