Synghgarth

*"I trust two things: Firstly, the Varnians will not leave us be for long. Secondly, they will piss themselves if we get a few thousand Synghgarthics to man our eastern fortifications." -* Grand-Mayor Arctus of the Firsan Provinces, upon the completion of the grand border fortification project.

*"I met a Synghgarthic halfling once. I was ambushed by six orcs somewhere in what used to be Eastern Na'tar. The little shit leaped out of nowhere, chopped the heads off of two of 'em, pinned one to a tree with a hand-axe and beat the remaining three to death with his bare fists. They were all in plate armor. I was terrified. But when he was done, he just apologised, told me there was a bounty on their heads, cut their heads off and disappeared. Synghgarthics aren't people, I tell you, they're war-machines." -* A Prithan Trader, ten years after the Varnian Invasion of Khiva.

## **Description**

The High Kingdom of Synghgarth is situated in the South-Eastern Tatrian continent and is known for its hilly and mountainous terrain, its beautiful shores and its incredibly blunt and honour-oriented people. While the nation has been a kingdom in name since it won its independence from Denthir, it would be fair to say that it is a military state. Of course there are plenty of farmers, goat-herders, fishermen and miners, but Synghgarth's unfortunate lack of particularly valuable natural resources means that its populace must earn a living by other means. Many choose war. Ascending the ranks of the national military is a matter of pride to some, but plenty others would rather join one of the numerous mercenary companies of the nation that are known worldwide to be the best sell-swords on the market. As such, Synghgarth, despite its overall low population, has one of the largest standing armies in the world. Mercenary companies are only partially independent as the generals of the Synghgarthic army regulates where they can go and who they can fight, depending on how well the nation currently is getting on with whatever nation or individual that is trying to hire Synghgarthic steel. Said generals are the true rulers of the land: each general is responsible for a local army and has earned their place either through ruthless bureaucracy, duels of ascension (a Synghgarthic ritual), great skill and courage in military operations, or simply seizing control of the supplies the local army needs to stay functional. Just like the generals control the inland territories, the nation's admirals control the shores and a somewhat grand, but dispersed, fleet. However, they are mostly concerned with indiscriminately raiding trading ships of other nations and care little about diplomatic ties. The current High King, Jargen Shear, is quite frustrated with his lack of control over his subjects, as he is in fact a quite capable military commander and would like to see Synghgarthic might utilised in a more centralised manner. Rumour has it that he has reached out to the Varnians to renew the ties his ancestors broke after the Great Schism of Denthir in order to gain their support in asserting dominance over his lands, but some argue that such an alliance would be very fragile considering how it ended last time.

## **Races**

The original Synghgarthics were typically Dwarves, Halflings, Dragonborn or Elves. After incorporating the territories gained in the Great Schism, Synghgarth also became home to a vast amount of Humans and Kenku.

## **Culture**

Syngarthics are widely considered to be natural fighters, which is understandable considering their traditions for mercenary work and raiding. In truth, they are simply naturally athletic and strong due to being accustomed to wandering their homeland's mountainous terrain. They are a hardy and to-the-point folk who care very little for unnecessary chit-chat... unless you're boasting and telling tales of glory in a tavern over some strong ale. Under their hard exterior, these natives of the coastal mountains of Tatria are often life-loving folk with great passion. It is just that this side of them rarely comes out unless drinking is involved, which often leaves the impression that these folk are blunt and crude.

As always, this does not define your character should they be from here - it is merely a description of how people around your character behave on average. Not all or even any people around your character need adhere to these norms, either - it is entirely up to you.

## **History**

Historically speaking, Synghgarth used to consist of about a third of the territory they hold today. Central and Western Synghgarth was only gained during the Great Schism of Denthir, but make no mistake: the people of these lands consider themselves Synghgarthic and would rather die than see the return of Denthiran rule. Before Denthiran conquest, the nation was mostly a seafaring and raiding-oriented nation controlled by a collective of Lord-Admirals that did what they pleased and didn't care much for protecting their inland possessions. This turned out to be a grave mistake when the Denthirans came. For centuries, the bloodthirsty and free spirits of Synghgarth were subjected to Denthiran Imperial aristocratic oppression and exploitation, and many Synghgarthics were pressed into serving in Denthiran Auxiliary Armies. One Lady-Admiral, a certain Annya Shear, the current king's ancestor, started organising a resistance-movement around two years before the Great Schism of Denthir began. She was overjoyed by Varnian offers of support and immediately accepted, and was only happy to join Prithan and Bornean officials in the City of Prithus to sign the Free Tatrian Alliance treaty a few months before returning to declare independence. The fact that Bornea and Prithus declared independence at the same time did not help much, however: the Synghgarthic frontline was, without a question, the bloodiest from day one. The Synghgarthics were outnumbered and had inferior equipment, but they held the line for months and eventually started pushing back, even before significant Bornean and Varnian aid had a chance to arrive. Once the Synghgarthic military, mostly consisting of sailors and hopeful youths from the farmlands, were organised properly by Annya Shear, who now styled herself High Queen Shear or Lady-General Shear, they became a fighting force to be reckoned with. When Bornean regiments arrived from the North and the Varnians brought weapons and 'expeditionary forces' from across the seas, the Synghgarthics succeeded in a grand push that almost brought them to the Denthiran Imperial Capital. Three years after the three nations had declared independence, the Denthiran military finally gave up: they had last much of their eastern holdings to Synghgarth and Prithus had occupied every single profitable patch of land in the North-East. The Denthiran military had little funding as much financial pull was required to save the fleeing nobles from across the land. Thus, Denthir recognised the independence of Bornea, Prithus and Synghgarth. The Synghgarthics had learned a valuable lesson about the importance of military might during the Schism, and this has dominated their culture ever since.