Lesser Kingdoms of Terra

Within the world of Terra, there are several global powers at play including the greater beings, four large political powers centred around the homelands of the various sorts of sentient mortals, dragons and more. There are also a number of lesser kingdoms that influence the history of the world and could play homeland to your character. Whether protectorates, former colonies, current colonies or with a long independent history, the lesser kingdoms of Terra flesh out the globe and history past the big four - Dawn Empire of the Sei, the Monarchy of Titus of the Gen, the Ketskian Republic of the Ketski and the Gulahack Alliance of the Kinfolk.

The following map is a work in progress. A scalable vectorized map is slowly being created.

Airigat Magocracy

Independant, former Colony of the Dawn Empire

Originally colonized by the Sei during the Conquests of Yunnan between 1371-1415, Airigat was cut off from the Dawn Empire during the Dawn-Titus War of 1415-1432 and became an independent magocracy with wildly different values from its parent nation.

The Airigat magocracy represents the pinnacle of magical specialization and what they would call the ultimate expression of meritocracy.  For in the Airigat Magocracy: mages and those who can bend the arcane to their will reign supreme.  Presenting themselves as the most civilized and educated nation in the world they assume the leadership of the educated elite and the magus kings can find the superior solution to all problems and a more distinguished society.  This refinement, the ability to pursue knowledge and the arcane arts, for a society so advanced as to move past the trappings of the past comes at a steep cost, that is the mass subjugation and, as some would call it, enslavement of their peasantry.

The Airigat Magocracy is a strict caste system: the mages rule, and all those not gifted with magic, are vermin.  Magical education is offered to those who can afford to pay for it, often the mages themselves, and one's ability to cast is what determines if one works to support the system, or who gets to benefit from it.  It is worth noting that the peasantry, who cannot leave, must live in separate slums, are paid little for their labour.  While not the slavery of Agreve’s sky raiders, some would argue it is even more pernicious.  The peasantry are “paid” the merest pittance of wages to survive, buying magically grown grain that they themselves have to plant and harvest.  The peasantry do not get to choose their work but are instead assigned to labour based on the taskmaster over them.  As projects are started, or as labour is needed for construction and agriculture, the peasant is sent to do what they need.  Unlucky is the peasant who is assigned to a task master who believes in magical or chemical experimentation.  

For proper citizens, those who have learned magic and as such are seen as worthy of respect, such worries as manual labour, hunger, or hardship are seen as uncivilized.  The state ensures access to free food, often of higher quality than that of the peasantry, to continuing education in the magical arts as well as other schools of knowledge, and subsidized housing.  For those who are willing to “serve the state” a generous basic wage to allow the citizen to pursue whatever endeavor they so desire so long as they are willing to ply their magical trade and serve the magocracy in some form or another.  As such, from the lowest taskmaster that keeps the rabble in check to the novelist who chronicles the exploits of the state, from the actor to the war magus these state servants are paid to live the lives they see fit, as to limit anyone’s free choice or creativity is simply monstrous.

The Airigat Magocracy fights wars with magic.  Because of this there is a great stigma towards hand to hand combat or non-magical combat.  When melee combat cannot be avoided Aether mages will create elemental weapons and golems to fight their battles their way.  Large numbers of Unliving have also been known to populate the front line of combat as an avoidance of actual hard work themselves.  For those mages that do have to go to the front often they do so more as nobles than as warriors bringing attendants with them and treating this more as chess than actual warfare.  This is not to say they do not wage war, the war they wage tends to be more absolute.  Seeing others who do not cast magic much like they see their own peasants war with people they see as beneath them is much like war with insects, no dignity for the other side.  It is for this reason that while powerful many other nations stand up against them.

Demographics: The Airigat Magocracy is made up of Sei as the founder population with an almost equal number of Gen who have become a growing part of the Magocracy.  While there is a fair mix of citizen and peasant Sei there are far fewer Gen who make up the citizen class as most are captives of war and kept as cheap labor.  The inverse case is true of the Kinfolk who live in the Magocracy, who while few in number have the highest rate of citizenship among their members as they are naturally gifted in magic.  Overall citizenship rates are 20% of the group population.  45% Sei, 39% Gen, 14% Kinfolk, 2% Ketski.

Leadership: Mages as citizens are permitted to serve the state and leadership up to the central bureaucracy and ruling council of the strongest mages.  The inner council has an undisclosed number of seats but it is known that there is one for each school of magic, and some great and powerful ritualists and encanchanters on that council.

Geography: A land molded by magic and worked so much over the years that the natural geography of has been completely erased.  Mountains flattened and valleys filled to make the most efficient use of space.  The natural rhythm of the land has been altered to the point where many believe that magic has to be used to grow crops, and if there is any disturbance to this magic then famine is inevitable.

Major Cities: The Great Metropolis of Athenaeum is the heart and brain of the Magocracy holding all vital functions of the nation.  Slums as well as resource colonies make up the rest of their inhabited territory

Insignia:  A golden phoenix on a red field.

Cyriland Kingdom

Protectorate of the Ketskian Republic

The Cyriland Kingdom founded by Cyril Landspyle is now a shadow of it’s once expansive and proud self.  While still staunchly feudal in its societal structure with each noble family having a castle or fortress all their own, many costly wars and changing times have left the kingdom in such disarray as to be unable to support it's wars. The kingdom at its head is now a vassal state of the Necropolis of Ash and while the titles below that of the king may not directly bend the knee to the Necropolis they do to their king.  As a result there is a lot of internal turmoil and strife among the nobles who since 1683 NE have seen their traditional power wane in favour of the more democratic aspects of the Republic.  Among the more radical nobles are whispers of Butler and his cause.  It is worth noting that this is not shared by the common people of the kingdom who have long had close contact with the Ketskian Republic and see them as saviors from the second Airigat war. It is also worth noting this is not a racial disagreement but a political one as even many of the nobles who see their power wane are themselves Ketski.

Being a feudal society has also meant that the development of large cities has been delayed in favour of the development of keeps and small regional land holdings.  The bulk of the population are agrarian serfs with what few small towns there are focused more on the production of the goods for the nobility first then for the populace.  As such there is little external trade with the kingdom and this hurts the development of the kingdom.  The primary export of the kingdom at this point is soldiers who still hold to the old ways of war, heavy infantry and pikes up front, archers in the back.  Over the years this has moved towards improvements in pike combat to reduce the need for heavy armour as well as the nobility taking to practicing with the bow as their prefered weapon of war.

Demographics: The Cyriland Kingdom has the largest concentration of Ketski outside of the Republic.  The kingdom is also historically distrustful of the kinfolk.  55% gen, 35% Ketski, 8% Sei, 2% Kinfolk.

Leadership: Strict male primogeniture for all titles.  

Geography: A combination of small forests, rolling grassy hills and rocky outcroppings, the Cyriland Kingdom sits in the north-eastern corner of Gyges. To its south, a barren desert sits, a testament to the devastation of magical warfare.

Major Cities: Having few cities, the kingdom is more known for their forts with exception to its capital Machairdeen, set in a lowly grassy bowl of once fertile farms.

Insignia: Blue and white lines

Dominion of Halif

Independent, former province

Formerly a province of Titus, the Dominion of Halif won their independence in a swift coup spawning from the riots of 1640. With their formal government being formed in 1641 with the renaming of their lakeside capital to Port Ember, Halif remains a semi-anarchic frontierland with a more localized government and an open market that makes it a very attractive crossroads for trade and global guilds due to the low federal taxes and tariffs. Their only federal bodies are the Council of Cantons, which allows the various cantons to discuss intercommunity issues, and the Knights of Halif, a distinguished order of individuals tasked with guarding the Dominion from forces that would threaten her independence and solving problems as identified by the Council. For the most part, the Knights of Halif work alongside the Sheriffs of the various cantons, but they have forcefully removed authorities that would exploit the free people of Halif past the acceptable behaviours of a free market.
Becoming a cultural melting pot over the years, the former Gen province now boasts fairly sizable populations of all races and a mixed government to match.

Demographics: 35% Gen, 25% Kinfolk, 20% Ketski, 20% Sei

Leadership:
Broken into various cantons, the Dominion of Halif has a very loose federal government, serving only to keep the various cantons informed and acting as ambassadors on the global level.

The Chief Ambassador is their Head of State, and selected every two years from the Council of Cantons. Aside from breaking ties in the Council of Canton and overseeing foreign treaties, the Chief Ambassador may also order the Knights of Halif to see to issues threatening the tenuous balance of the Dominion.

The Council of Cantons is composed of a Representative from each canton, usually elected by the people or appointed in another fashion (the southwestern canton of Frot sends their best warrior for example, while the coastal canton of Syden has a hereditary line of headmen).

Each individual canton will have their own structure although it is common for each to have:
A Representative - voice of the canton and often the leader
A Sheriff - enforcer of local laws
A Treasurer/Quartermaster - keeps an eye on the canton’s resources reporting to the Representative and other leadership if any taxation or community collection is required or if new trade deals are recommended with other cantons. May be elected or appointed, but always worthy of respect

The Knights of Halif are a federal collective of ranging warriors and scholars tasked with solving problems around the Dominion. Often selected from Sheriffs and their Deputies around the country, Knights can also be called up by the Council from the general citizenry for heroic acts and intelligent leadership. New recruits are nominated by existing knights for evaluation by the Council and then trained in the field for one year before swearing their oath of service.

Geography:
A country set on the south-west coast of Great Bull Lake, Halif is home to many mixed forests, grasslands and sudden rocky escarpments. With a comparatively short growing season, between hot muggy summers and long winters, the Dominion relies heavily on trade to feed their populace.

Major Cities:
Port Ember - capital city and primary port on Great Bull Lake, Port Ember has expanded into the lake through the usage of mage-grown islands and permanently tethered barges. With the previously ransacked governor’s palace serving as their merchant hall and seat of government, the cantons of Halif will send a representative to the capital quarterly to discuss the going ons of the Dominion.

Lesser Cities of Note:
Elswin - a central south trading post surrounded by a rural community, Elswin has garnered greater interest in recent years due to visions of it being the centre of a great Unsettling for Terra. Being ideally close to the wildlands of Gyges, Elswin has a rotating population of adventurers in addition to the supporting farms and trades that call it home.

Frot - a southwestern trading post on the Dominion’s border, Frot promotes a warrior-centric society, making their coin by raising caravan guards,  enforcers (of both legal and pirate-kind) and some of the most skilled weaponsmiths in all of Halif. They have good relations with Clans Codrilo and Cazador of the Gulahack Alliance.

Insignia: White Flame centred one-third into the flag from the hoist. The third closest to the hoist is crimson red and the remaining two-thirds are a brilliant lapis lazuli blue.

Kamouraska

Independent Gen Kingdom

The kingdom of Kamouraska is a small but densely developed kingdom founded by Simone Desloup, the first great queen.  Queen Simone with her charisma and magical ability set the direction the kingdom would follow.  While not a magocracy like Airigat, the Kingdom has always valued and accorded respect to magic users, particularly for the school of Augmentation and enchanters.  Being a largely insular people with a desire for independence from those who would seek to subjugate them the kingdom of Kamouraska has a strict stance of armed neutrality.  This militarization has led to the creation of a professional state military that is largely compiled by mounted mages and other elite cavalry units that can respond to land threats while a strong navy protects trade and allows for the delivery of marine infantry to hot spots.  While conscription is used in times of war to bolster ranks for larger defensive wars military service is seen as a great honor and respect within the society as protectors as the way this independent way of life.  Many families dynamically hold to military service and lesser noble families are expected to have members of their family take on the “green” of the army.  The military academy is open to all and admittance standards are very high, taking only the best.  noble families spend years training their children for these tests if they intend on their children attending.

Along with a strong military the highly developed cities along the central river of the kingdom engage in trade with the outside particularly with the Dominion of Halif; much of their trade goods are manufactured by local guilds.  Instead of larger multi-city guilds the guilds tend to be small and local, looking to master a particular aspect of their trade, this means that fine goods, particularly jewelry, can be produced in several cities of the kingdom.  In the most recent years with recent innovations fine textile has also become of great interest to people looking for investment, preferring to sell them to the Ketski then keep them for domestic use.

The final pillar of Kamouraska’s focus is the colleges of enchantment that sprung out of the first academy built by Simone Desloup.  Magical enchantment goes beyond battle magic and into the everyday wonders that are sold on the open market.  Often jewelry, such as a ring or brooch, will be given an enchantment to protect it’s bearer or to help in some other way.  While the colleges have started to produce more commercial means as a way of finding their own independence, they are still heavily tied to the Desloup family and still produce enchantments for war, particularly defensive tools and force multipliers for battle.  These enchantments are meant to protect the lives of the mounted elite and to make the professional army a truly resilient one.

Demographics:
Predominantly Gen with the cites having a smattering of Ketski and Kinfolk with the agricultural lands having advising Sei in the estates of the lesser nobility.  Overall 75% Gen, 10% Sei, 5% Kinfolk, 10% Ketski.

Leadership:
The Royal family of the Desloup is the ruling family of the kingdom.  Lesser noble families hold titles for land and take part in the court politics.  Games of chess and other tactical games are held in high importance and standing.  This is mirror to a degree with the common folk as well.  
The titles are King/Queen, who hold the royal title as well as the historical duchy titles there is no gender preference in the inheritance laws towards male or female heirs. Comtes and Comtesses who hold the county titles and take part in the court politics.
Finally of this lesser nobility are Seniors who are either small landed nobles or hold hereditary titles and who often enlist in the army.

Geography:
Along the western shore of the Bull’s Throat River, stretching from Great Bull Lake to the northern coast of Gyges. A smaller yet densely populated kingdom, with much of the population living along the river Kamouraska’s agricultural lands are latticed with highways and roads to allow mounted travel of the military.  Overall very developed and very little land left unused.

Major Cities:
Forteresse Desloup: a tiered palace city interwoven with gardens of fruit-bearing and medicinal plants and manicured greenspaces.
Desiles: largest populated city with strong mercantile trade.  
La Challpe: The educational hub of the kingdom with both a central church to Bard and the main campus of the college of enchantment.
Saint Simone: the home of the military academy and the main quartering station for the army.

Insignia: Green with a silver wolf

Lorelai

Independent kingdom, former province of Titus

Former southern province of Titus bordered by Titus, the Angelus colony of the Dawn Empire, and the Gulahack Alliance. Split off from the Monarchy in 1432, as part of the closing treaty of the Dawn-Titus War. Lorelai is settled by the descendants of intermarried Gen and Sei soldiers and conscientious objectors, and continues to have a fairly mixed population. In recent centuries, they have independently reached out to the Gulahack Alliance to foster trade.

Heavily affected by the Necroilit Plague of 1302 in NE, her southern coast is still marred by patches of dead land and glassy craters.

Demographics: 45% gen, 35% Sei, 17% Kinfolk, 3% Ketski

Leadership: Lorels democratically elect their local representatives and Commander, who is their head of state.

Geography: Bordered by the Angel’s Graveyard to the west and the jointure of the Lorel and Appalia mountains to the east and south-east respectively, Lorelai is a mix of scrubby forest, tropical oases and small fertile pockets set in rocky foothills leading into dry desert. While the land may be seemingly inhospitable to outsiders, the local Lorels are friendly and swear their land provides an incredible bounty if you only know how to look.

Major Cities:  
Bebasburg : Capital city of Lorelai. Former colonial fort built around an oases, Bebasburg is an unique blend of Gen stonecraft and Sei organic structures.

Insignia: Stylized brown mountain valley below and stylized clouds in white above around a light blue diamond. A daffodil yellow sun is centred in the blue diamond. The flag has a thin border of the same blue as the diamond.

Naar - The Great Horde

Independent Mixed Kingdom

The Great Horde under Clan Naar is a nomadic society, favouring a life in the saddle and wide open plains over the settlements of other nations.  This is a warrior society where one's authority comes from how many men and women are willing to fight alongside you.  In such a warrior society, loyalty is highly valued while high standards for leadership are also held, as these men and women place their fates in your hands, they are counting on you.  Due to the fluid nature of The Great Horde’s settlements across the plains and steppes of Naar, power tends to be decentralized into local leaders or tribes.  

When big decisions need to be made or wars to be declared, a Kurultai --a gathering-- is called.  Usually a week or two before the Kurultai, a head of a clan or a warlord amassing power will declare the time, place and purpose for the gathering. Those that support the purpose show up on horseback, literally voting with their feet.  If deliberation is needed once gathered members choose to stay or leave depending on if they support the current position.  In practice, from the lowest tribal leader to the highest khan, authority is only as great as one is able to convince people to follow and not based on blood but on the merit of the leader, a natural meritocracy.  The Great Hordes have traditionally been led by Clan Naar with the chain of leadership being broken in 1227 NE.

Among other greater beings, they honour their local greater dragon, Mascarvo the Ruby who looks on their warrior spirit and determination with fondness.

Demographics: The Great Horde are an eclectic people taking all races who are willing to work hard and live nomadic lives.  The people are radically egalitarian in its treatment of races and genders, all are measured on their ability and what they bring to their clan both in and out of war.  Overall 30% Gen (largely surface dwellers), 25% Sei, 30% Kinfolk (largely land folk), 15% Ketski

Leadership: The leadership of Clan Naar has been a line of Gen who claim to be direct descendants of the Forge Father, a mythical figure in their history who is said to have rebuilt the world after fire wiped out all previous life.  While the hereditary line was broken in 1227 the current head of the Great Horde is a member of Clan Naar.

Geography: In the north-eastern plains of Gyges, the Great Horde is a shadow of their former power and size and is nestled on the north-eastern shore of Great Bull Lake.

Major Cities: At present there are no major cities, as they have been driven back from their former glory.  The only place they still hold is the ruins of Lakepoint as a ceremonial site to be preserved.

Insignia: A simple red and white banner cut bottom left up to top right with red on top.

Viceroy of Clarke

Colony of Titus

Founded by Adela Clarke, the Viceroy of Clarke has long been the home of adventures looking to make a name for themselves and are looking for a fresh start.  The more tropical nature of the climate and the tropical nature of the crops of tea and opium mean that even those who stay in town or choose more sedentary lives still avoid the mundanity of the conarcy.  The passion for adventure of the founder has seeped into the water of the colony and each generation expands ever farther into the unknown seeking new lives and stories to tell.  This devil may care attitude combined with the profitability of the local crops leads to a land of opportunity where money can be made, and where a fortune is one daring adventure away.  From expeditions into the mainland and rampant piracy, the money that comes in from trade is quickly spent or lost.  It is often joked that there are no banks in the colony as there are few with the gold sitting around to simply let sit when there are new farms to build or plantations to establish.  

The charter explorer lifestyle and fast wealth has led to people coming to the colony to seek their fortune, and while not all of them find it, the tropical feel often keeps many who are tired of the long cold winters.  The common border with the Empire of Dawn has also shaped society as both the demographics shift and as trade relationships affect the dynamic of the colony.  The open trade both created a consumer of the crops harvested and refined in the colony as well as for new blood to join the adventures.  Because of the colony’s proximity to the open wilds as well as to some lingering effects of Rebirth there is a greater concentration of monsters and great beasts.  It is for this reason that the silver spear lodge has many chapter hours in the Viceroy of Clarke, as a common past time is big game hunting.

Demographics: Gen 60%, Sei 25%, Kinfolk 10%, Ketski 5%.

Leadership: The Viceroy is still the head of the colony, but is seen as a tradition for the adventurous to pay only lip service, as well as taxes, to the Viceroy and to either strike out on one's own or to sign on with a guild or adventuring company and to allow them to determine policy.

Geography: The colony is fairly temperate with both warm air currents coming from the sea as well as fairly short warm and wet winters to allow for long cultivating seasons.  This has been exploited over the years to farm very lucrative cash crops, such a tea, poppy and saffron.

Major Cities:
New Esileia: capital and first founded city.
Brunsell: A tea processing hub and trade good production hub.
Port Martnies: A common port for merchants to buy and sell wares.  
Port Ironwood: A military port and shipyard
Severian’s Bay: A port town to the north and far from the law said to be where more “unreputable sailors” gather.

Insignia: A black panther on the gold field of Titus

Viceroy of Frobisher

The Viceroy of Frobisher was established in 1440NE in the wake of the Dawn-Titus war.  After a tortuous voyage and near mutiny Marinus Frobisher was able to salvage the voyage and start a wealthy extraction porches that would continue to his getting a royal charter to establish a permanent colony.  The colony soon came into contact and later conflict with the local Caveborn and Draugr population, eventually subjugating them and using them for local labor.  To improve their labor base the colony “invited” criminals to come work the mines.  The colony was never meant to make the settlers rich but fill the coffers of the Viceroy leadership and the Monarchy of Titus.  Conditions were bad and little was done to improve matters, favouring a focus on profits.  The ability to rise up was kept low between long work days and general isolation to the rest of the world. It was reasoned that if the people did not know the abject nature of their condition then they would not know the extent of their situation.  For this reason the Viceroy would put the imported criminal population in separate camps from the local labor and would often incite distrust of the locals and the criminal population.  The effect this had was that even if a criminal would stand up and demand representation or seek justice for their situation, the locals would not believe them, thinking them mad or deluded by criminality.

This isolation would come to an end during the Bouwbenvil incident as the demand for iron became so frenetic that some enterprising merchants even started to sail to the colony to buy directly from the people and not the Viceroy’s ships.  This injection of the outside world opened both the eyes of the wider world to the horrors of the Viceroy of Frobisher but also the people living in the mining towns to the wealth of the outside world, and the injustice of their lives.  Growing sentiment within the colony reached a fever pitch and talk of open revolt was discussed reaching the mid 1700s.  Only the passing of laws by Queen Alexandrina would avoid outright war.  Now the people live much happier lives with increased autonomy and growing representation.  While the Viceroy still has a governor from the monarchy, they tend towards a softer touch in their rule and allow for the parliament to propose laws and to advocate for the people's needs.  While not as profitable as it once was, the new found freedom and wealth of the people has started to see returns in improvements in mining and smelting technology.  It is said that the large increase in Clockforged in the Viceroy signalled a move towards a more manufacturing economy and less one of simple resource extraction.

Demographics: Since the change in laws more Sei and Kinfolk have come to join the Viceroy’s cities but the population is still largely Gen and Ketski. 48% Gen (mostly Caveborn), 3% Sei, 5% Kinfolk (mostly Seafolk around the coasts), 45% Ketski (mostly Draugr).

Leadership: Viceroy is the title of the appointed governor of the colony.  Of late there is a greater focus on the parliament that was started after the passing of worker’s rights legislation 1780.  While the formal decision making power is still in the hands of the Viceroy they have become far more open to self rule and a soft touch.

Geography: Cold and rocky, mining primarily having shaped the land with mass extraction of ore.. Originally called Ananth and home to a mixed tribal nation of Caveborn Gen and Draugr Ketski

Major Cities:
Coldport: the northernmost port at the primary way station to those looking to make it to the Keskian Republic.  A new city with a population of upcoming rich locals looking to make the most of their rights.
Rustberch: An administrative hub and site of many of the main offices of guild halls.  Before the revitalization of the population with the introduction of legislation to bolster their rights, this was one of the only habitable cities by the monarchy’s standards.
Saberpoint: The fortress keeping the colonial garrison and working as a monument of the monarchy. Located to the south and in a more tolerable climate for the soldiers.

Insignia: Black Mountain Goat facing away from the hoist on the gold field of Titus