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Despot Divkral "Steel Hand" Of Drazhún
The eastern reaches of the Tsardom of Galburia are allegiant to the tsar only in name, for they are inhabited by the sons of mercenaries and raiders, and ruled not by a chieftain, but by a despot.
This strange rulership was born off war and greed. Whilst Emperor Alexios Hadrianos was getting his army killed at the battle of the thrown mountain, his servants were sending letters to allies and greedy enemies of the galburians. Soon, a navy of Vanneti ships, Varangor and Kythenian warriors sailed of Istvanopoulis and crashed onto the eastern reaches of the Tsardom. Figthing was fierce, but eventually a tenuous peace was settled.
City of Drazhún, built off an island in the mouth of the Gule river.
In the despotate one can find humans, goliaths and bugbears in roughly equal quantities. Gnomes descending from the Vanneti navigators and the almost extinct galburian shadar kai are also present here. The culture is a mismash of istvani, thalic, varangor and steppe traditions, and whilst the ruler is named Despot, it holds little real power over the many mercenary captains that have garnered themselves many decour titles.
Drazhún lies in a stretched peace, held with a myriad of deals, the convienience for the powers of the region and the greed of its nobles. It nominally belongs to the Tsardom of Galburia, but its mercenary warlords pay tribute to the Istvani Empire. The Vanneti have a small enclave in the capital of Drazhún, making them a minor trade interest as well.
People in the Despotate are rough and tough, but tend to be preventively agressive. Farmers and craftsmen tend to be left alone, but once one joins a mercenary company or becomes any sort of warrior, it becomes free game. Mercenaries offer their services to the highest bidder, or the most convenient at the time. The port cities also function as places for smuggling, ransoming of slaves back to their loved ones and the trading of newly enslaved peoples. It is well known that the Shidte of Karandu buy slaves both from the Ratartes and the Drazhún.
Whilst there are no organized learning for magic, wizard mercenaries, galburian druids, and many warlocks of dark deities are to be found, as well as clerics of the many faiths. The only shunned practice is the one of blood magic, although blood tokens are used as currency without much issue.
Ramzat Bogdanof, Captain of the "Chernarukov" mercenary company
In battle, the mercenaries of the Despotate will band together to push overt external influence that may undermine their freedoms. Scale mail and axes are the preferred kit, ranging from the small tomahawks to the largest battleaxes. Of renown are Chernaruvok and Steel Hand companies. The former being a company of Shadar Kai and Vanneti gnomes, mixing the defensive potential of the poleaxe with supporting and destructive magics. The latter being the personal guard of the despot, formed by bugbears and goliaths wearing the finest Vanneti three quarters plate alongside the best Varangor runed axes, earned trough contracts and alliances with those nations.
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