Fermas Vorokhoi and the Dark Empire

History and Foundation: Fermas Vorokhoi, known today as the Dark Emperor and the Lord in Iron, is a necromancer, warlord, and servitor of dark Gods. At the beginning of his life, Fermas Vorokhoi was king of Karkulis, a small domain in the region that will be called “Pine March”. He was a mage of some skill as well. The people of Karkulis were ethnic Sevastin, in constant competition with the Kehler and Perashdan kingdoms nearby, as well as the Dwarves and Noladen to the north. The Sevastin were once widespread, but time and demographics forced them into an increasingly untenable position between the Kehler and Perashdan. Seeking some new means to power, King Fermas began consorting with the evil deities called the Maravanna. The Maravanna offered King Fermas the power he needed, at a terrible price. In a single night over two hundred years ago, the legend says that he murdered all of his wives, children, and families in a sacrificial slaughter. In exchange, he became a conduit for unholy beings, gaining power over life and death. With personal immortality and the ability to slay and raise the dead seemingly at a whim, he proceeded to create an army of undead warriors. King Fermas was now personally unstoppable, and his small army quickly made short work of his neighbors. Fermas’ forces surged out from his homelands, growing in size and power as his domain expanded - indeed, any living soldier who fell in battle was liable to join Vorokhoi’s undead armies. Seeing the way the winds of war were blowing, numerous allies flocked to his banner, seeking power and the freedom to revel in madness and slaughter - Orcish war bands, deserters from Human armies, barbarians who sought to back the strong horse, and motley other forces. King Fermas took on the title Emperor, becoming the first true emperor in the Kehler Lands. Consolidating his gains over many decades, he ruled almost the entirety of the Western Kehler Lands as a single entity unified by force and terror, referred to as the Dark Empire. In addition to this territory, his armies controlled parts of the Pershamon Empire around the city of Susa. The Dark Empire was held at these borders at great effort by Gemric, Nyremi, the Hyspedean Commonwealth and the Alakai Domains. Sannath Khai sat safely in its mountainous region, able to keep Fermas Vorokhoi out through extensive mystical defenses. Emperor Fermas has lived for two centuries, dominating the Kehler Lands through supernatural power, military might, and simple terror.

Modern Vorokhoi Empire: Like many empires, the Dark Empire is a patchwork of different kingdoms, feudal domains, and directly governed territories all united by force and intimidation. The Dark Empire is largely held together by fear of Emperor Fermas and the forces (occult and military) that he controls. There are two organizations that serve as the primary structural glue that bonds the parts of the empire together - the Vorokhoi Army, and the Vorokhoi Priesthood. Most of the Vorokhoi Army is a relatively conventional sort of military, composed mostly of humans. At the core are those units formed in Karkulis, manned and led by fanatically loyal Sevastin warriors. These tend to be heavily armored infantry and cavalry, and are used as bodyguard units and to ensure the loyalty of other units. The majority of human troops are conscripts, provided as part of the taxes levied upon conquered and annexed territories. These troops form the bulk of the army, whether as archers or spearmen. There are also a number of feudal levies, units loyal to certain nobles who swore allegiance willingly to Emperor Fermas in exchange for status and privilege within the new order. These tend to be better equipped and led and operate semi-independently. The Vorokhoi Army also incorporates Orcs and Ogres as tribal auxiliaries and has managed to acquire the services of several Hobgoblin legions. These troops are considered to less controllable but more enthusiastic and are usually deployed only on the offensive, or used as a threat. The Vorokhoi Army has only a small naval force, mostly composed of captured vessels based in occupied seaports, with a small number of corsair bands who serve willingly.

It is the black-robed Vorokhoi Priesthood that generates the most fear and provides the most internal cohesion. Shortly after Emperor Fermas Vorokhoi became whatever he is, he attracted worshippers. While not a deity himself, it is believed that he channels the powers of the Maravanna through himself, and is thus able to grant power to his followers in some way. Over the last two centuries, this core of worshippers has turned into a well-organized body of fanatically devoted servitors who serve as his enforcers, administrators, and functionaries. Most of these worshipful servants are Clerics or Warlocks, and not a few are actually undead themselves. The best-known aspect of the cult is the “Bone Citadels”, a series of fortresses scattered throughout the empire. These structures serve not merely as places of worship, but as places of necromantic power. In the Dark Empire, taxes on communities are paid not just in labor or coin but in corpses. A certain number of the dead must be delivered to the nearest Bone Citadel every season; these bodies are then animated to serve as the tireless, fearless, utterly loyal warriors that terrify the enemies of the regime so much. Each Bone Citadel houses hundreds of skeletons and zombies, as well as providing ritual space and secure quarters for the priests who serve the Dark Empire. A few Bone Citadels incorporate smaller structures where things worse than reanimated corpses dwell - wights, ghouls, and even some vampires have been induced into the service of Fermas Vorokhoi. The countryside around a Bone Citadel is often barren and infested with the undead, though on occasion tribes of goblinoids or Orcs will make their homes there.

The civilian government subdivisions are somewhat inconsistent, a product of the expansion of the empire without subsequent evolution over time. Unlike other empires, this one will likely retain one emperor through its entire existence. The core of the empire remains the Kingdom of Karkulis. The peasants in this area, virtually all Sevastin, remain largely unmolested by the comings and goings of the Empire and its minions. They are heavily taxed and monitored for loyalty, but are subject to no conscriptions and allowed to worship as they please, so long as it is done discretely. The ethnic homogeneity of Karkulis means that outsiders and spies stand out and are easily detected.

The rest of the empire is divided into a mix of about a dozen large provinces, ruled by satraps appointed directly by Emperor Fermas and serving at his pleasure. Life within these provinces for commoners goes on - taxes are high, justice is harsh, swift, and arbitrary, and worship of deities other than Fermas Vorokhoi and his dark patrons is forbidden. Those lesser nobles still ruling do so only for as long as their loyalty is unquestioned. Penalties for crime are generally either slavery or death by torture followed by reanimation at the nearest Bone Citadel. The countryside is plagued by bandits and Orcs, many of whom serve with the Vorokhoi Army when they please, and their excesses are rarely curbed. Rebellious areas are usually scourged with fiends and the undead long before the army is sent to clean up the mess.

Commerce is mostly limited to the local level, though there is some heavily taxed trade in the cities. As expected, there is an extensive black market in the Dark Empire for avoiding the heavy taxes. The port city of Hyrcala is the primary venue for international trade, though many small coastal villages do some small-scale trade. Finally, there are a number of smaller semi-independent “Imperial Baronies”, which are territories ruled by nobles who swore allegiance early on in the conquests, and their families have continued to serve loyally. Some of these territories are like any others in the Kehler Lands, while a few are if anything worse than the typical imperial province.