Yanosh

At the far eastern extremity of the "Known World" lies the land of Yanosh, a dark kingdom at war with itself. Once the ancestral homeland of the Noladen people, it is now ruled by a powerless yet divine "God-King". Under this divine figurehead are countless clans, each controlling a small area, each trying to gain control over its neighbors.

The Yanoshi worship a deity named Yanok, who demands blood sacrifices in exchange for blessings.Yanok is apparently an actual deity, possibly a manifested Mayravanha which has adopted and corrupted the human civilization of the island continent of Yanosh to his rule. Yanosh stands alone in the degree of glorification of predation and death, raising conflict to a religion. The actual leaders of the land are the priesthood, dark-robed clerics who constantly foment discord in an attempt to produce growth through conflict. The Yanoshi believe that Yanok will eventually consume the entire universe - those who serve Yanok will continue on in the afterlife as his minions, those who do not will simply be devoured. It is the goal of every worshipper to advance his agenda and to gain status through the dedication of captives and executed slaves to his blood-stained glory. Yanok is worshipped during yearly festivals. Slaves are killed during huge public rituals to commemorate a new military season. Victims are dragged up the temple steps, stretched across the stone altar, their chests cut open, and hearts ripped out. The corpse is skinned, dismembered, and the pieces sent down to the rulers and nobility for consumption. The heart is consumed by the priests or burnt as an offering to Yanok. Worship of Yanok is considered an abomination by nearly every other civilization in the Known World, but the military prowess of the Yanoshi have prevented any efforts by the rest of the world to wipe Yanosh out. Despite the savagery of their culture, Yanoshi arts are highly developed, and weapons smithed in Yanosh are extremely prized. This is especially true for the national weapon, a strange affair called the "Urum". An Urum is a strange short polearm, a blade affixed to a three-foot staff, with a weighted chain some six feet long at the other end. The weapon is dangerous to use, and requires great skill to use properly. When the whole affair is sheathed, the Urum resembled an oddly proportioned staff. There is a large body of knowledge developed around this weapon both in use and etiquette. In addition to this odd, unwieldy staff weapon, the Yanoshi utilize the full panoply of weapons and armor found anywhere in Aestas. Yanoshi warriors tend to be larger and stronger than most humans, and so favor heavier armor. The advancement of Yanoshi military science is counterbalanced by a seeming racial ineptitude at magic of most sorts - Yanoshi magic users of any sort are at "Disadvantage" to cast spells. Keller mages theorize that this is the result of "interference" from their association with Yanok, while more spiritually minded folk believe it is the gods at work, cursing the Yanoshi for their evil. As a result of this hindrance, the Yanoshi rarely use magic, and are willing to trade or raid specifically for magic items made by more magically adept societies. On the other hand, Yanoshi clerics and even paladins (which do exist), are quite powerful and dangerous. They are best modeled using the "Villainous Class Options" detailed on DMG p96-97.