Uroxian Federation

**Population**: 97% Westrasi Human (Uroxian), 3% Westrasi Human (Other).

**Capital**: Caedox.

**Government**: Federal Elective Monarchy.

### **Culture**

Uroxians are famous for their severe and brusque behaviour, and for their almost fanatical adherence to the science of Euhaematics. It is the study of the human condition and how it can be improved, through a combination of selective breeding and rigorous training. What little free time they have is spent on self-improvement, on the excision of weakness through physical hardship. When it comes to marriage, Uroxians select their spouses for their health and their lineage above all else, and go on to produce a great deal of offspring.

Every child is inspected by a Euhaematician of the University of Caedox at the age of twelve. During the examination, the inspector must decide whether the child is an invalid or an aspirant, based off of their mental and physical health. Invalids are taken and sent to labour camps, where they will spend the rest of their lives. Aspirants are taken in and raised in crèches, where they receive intensive training and education. At the age of sixteen, they are inspected for a second time, to determine whether they are an exemplar or a median.

Exemplars are seen as the future of the Uroxian Federation. If an exemplar is the child of median parents, they are immediately adopted by one of the exemplary families, which serves as the aristocracy of Urox. If they were born into one of these families, then they may return to it.

Medians make up the vast majority of the Uroxian population, and are allowed to breed and live their lives as free men and women. They may learn the ways of the Euhaematician at the University of Caedox, serve as metalworkers in the foundries or join the ranks of the Steel Legions.

Invalids are damned to live the rest of their lives in bondage, toiling in the quarries and mines of Urox. They are denied the privilege of breeding, so that their impurity does not stain the future of Urox. If the child of exemplary parents is declared invalid, they are quickly disposed of before their family's reputation is tarnished.

#### **Orthopale**

The Uroxian Federation is home to a peculiar form of wrestling known as Orthopale. Originally devised by the Euhaematicians of Caedox as a method of testing and comparing the strength of adolescents, it has transformed into a popular spectator sport in the country.

During a match of Orthopale, two competitors must wrestle with each other in a square arena. A competitor has two methods of scoring points. First, he may force his opponent's back or either of his opponent's shoulders to touch the ground. Second, he may force his opponent to make contact with the ground outside of the arena. The victor of the match is the first competitor to score four points. However, the wrestlers are limited by a list of rules, the most important of which is the exclusion of the legs. The legs must not be used offensively or defensively, and targeting the legs is prohibited. For this reason, throws are the dominant technique of Orthopale.

The most common competitors in Orthopale are young men from the exemplary families, the federation's aristocracy. Eager to earn fame and prove the strength of their blood, every year they gather to compete in the Alithiox, a tournament held during the summer equinox in the northernmost duchy of Urox.

The greatest peculiarity of Orthopale is the nudity involved, as the competitors must wrestle each other naked. The other countries of the Westrasi Sea consider this barbaric, as the Church of the Divine Duality takes a dim view of nudity and considers it uncivilised. Though Orthopale has been gaining some traction in the Saramese Kingdom, most of the Westrasi region still scoffs at the sport, declaring it little more than “naked men tossing each other around.”

### **Religion**

Euhaematics ultimately has religious roots, as it was founded on the belief that humanity were created as a perfect race by Gloria-Etalia. A combination of indolence and cross-breeding led to the degeneration of humanity and the departure of the Two-Faced God. Gloria-Etalia will only return if humanity is able to reclaim perfection, or so the scripture claims. For this reason, the Uroxian Chapel is closely tied to the University of Caedox, with Euhaematicians doubling as clergymen in the eyes of many.

### **Organization**

   The nation of Urox is divided into twelve duchies. Each of these provinces is led by a duke, who possesses a great deal of control over the internal affairs of his state. Each duchy is divided into estates, each of which is controlled by a count, the only truly hereditary title in the Uroxian Federation. The count's titles are inherited by his eldest male descendant, provided that he is legitimate.

As for the inheritance of a duke's titles, the counts that once served him must elect a male successor from his dynasty upon his demise. This even applies to the Duchy of Aegost, which belongs to the Archduke of Urox and is home to the city of Caedox. The fact that the provincial dukes have no say in the election of the Archduke is a common source of resentment and was the cause of a bloody civil war almost a century ago.

The current Archduke of Urox is Matthias Gotha, who has overseen two decades of relative prosperity and stability for the Uroxian Federation. However, he is past his prime and with tensions rising all around the Westrasi Sea, it is believed by many that the coming years will be fraught with chaos. The Archduke himself has succumbed to these fears and is singularly focused on preparing the Urox Federation for the coming storm.

### **Origin**

   As is the case with many countries that border the Westrasi Sea, Urox was once controlled by the Verani Empire. During its imperial occupation, it was known as the Uro Tribelands. Even back then, the natives sought to cultivate their strength through a combination of diligence and selective breeding, a lifestyle that they called the Way of Heaven. In the eyes of their Verani overlords, this made them ideal slaves. So they subjugated the Uro Tribes and put them to work in plantations and mines. Though the tribesmen suffered greatly under the dominion of the Verani Empire, they bade their time.

At the end of the Era of Discovery, the decline of the Verani began. It didn't take long for the empire to collapse in on itself, leaving its provinces vulnerable. As one, the Uro Tribes rebelled against their masters. However, driving their overlords out of their country wasn't enough. Instead, they declared a campaign of extermination and set about killing every last one of the Verani. Once the purge was complete, the Uro Tribes gave the land a name and set about partitioning it. This was the birth of Urox, a fractured land ruled over by a dozen chiefdoms.

Though there was occasional infighting, the chiefdoms of Urox managed to coexist with each other and whenever they were faced with invasion, they banded together and fought as one. As the centuries passed, the Uroxians gradually adopted the feudal structure of their neighbours and the chiefs became dukes. It was during the Era of Expansion that the Way of Heaven transformed into the science of Euhaematics, with the establishment of the University of Caedox.

The Euhaematicians declared that the holy mission of the Uroxian people couldn't possibly be accomplished while Urox remained divided. Over the course of a decade, the disparate duchies were convinced to band together beneath a single Archduke. In 4542, the twelve dukes of Urox met at the University of Caedox and signed the Affirmation of Heaven's Will, forming the Uroxian Federation.

### **Diplomacy**

    Urox is viewed in a strange light by the other Westrasi nations. The Uroxian people are commonly viewed as culturally bankrupt boors, and every country seems to have its own joke about their humourless ways. However, Uroxian steel is highly sought after and the University of Caedox is renowned as the pre-eminent medical institution of the subcontinent. For these reasons, merchants and traders tolerate the dismal manners of the Uroxians, at least until their backs are turned.

The last time that Urox went to war with one of its neighbours was over fifty years ago. For this reason, the Uroxians currently enjoy a cordial relationship with the Saramese Kingdom, the Euraxian Kingdom and the Leixi-Airoxian Commonwealth. That is not to say that the Steel Legions do not see conflict, as the Uroxian Federation frequently sells their services to the highest bidder.

However, the Uroxian Federation is on poor terms with the Church of the Divine Duality. Two centuries ago, Archbishop Naran II declared the Uroxian Chapel to be a heretical sect. This was due to its strong ties to the science of Euhaematics, which he described as an “inhuman and immoral conceit.” Despite frequent petitioning from the Archduke of Urox, the Church of the Divine Duality is yet to rescind its declaration of heresy.

### **Geography**

Urox possesses little in the way of flatland. It is a land full of rocky hills and verdant valleys, with plenty of steep slopes and sheer cliffs that make it difficult to traverse. The weather can best be described as subtropical, which leads to hot, humid summers and cool, mild winters. Unperturbed by the verticality of their country, the natives commonly build their settlements into hillsides and live in squat houses made of rusty red stone. One can rarely travel for more than a mile without seeing some sign of Uroxian industry, typically in the form of great quarries and iron mines that scar the land.

### **Economy**

It is no secret that the majority of Urox's wealth comes from its foundries. These great halls of industry are found in almost every Uroxian town and serve as the destination of the ore that is gouged out the countryside. Through a rigorous and standardised process, the unrefined iron is transformed into good, strong steel. Though the majority of this goes towards arming the Steel Legions, the surplus is sold to the other nations of the Westrasi Sea at a premium. While some merchants recoil when they hear the price that the Uroxians ask for, many others are happy to pay out for steel of that quality.

Despite the condemnation of the Church of the Divine Duality, the services of the Euhaematicians are sought after throughout the Westrasi subcontinent. Centuries of dedication to improving the human condition has made them an authority when it comes to matters of medicine and anatomy. Many of the world's greatest surgeons and physicians hail from the University of Caedox and whenever a lord or lady seek to stave off death or save the life of a loved one, they will often pay an arm and a leg for a Euhaematician's expertise.

Over half a century of peace has meant that the Uroxian Federation has had no need to retain its professional military, the Steel Legions. Rather than disband them however, the Archduke sells them to the highest bidder. One third pikemen, one third swordsmen and one third arbalestiers, the Steel Legions are famous for their unshakeable discipline and lockstep marching style. Having participated in a number of wars and skirmishes, they have made quite a name for themselves as a mercenary army. They never stray far from Urox however, in case their homeland requires their services once more.

### **Player Character Notes**

The Uroxians are a grim, focused people who are disliked by a number of neighboring nations due to the primitive form of eugenics they practice.  However, their reputation as disciplined fighters, and their knowledge of medicine and anatomy means they are tolerated in many adventuring groups.