The Kingdom of Gahunry

King Ladizlas of Gahunry

The current King is one Ladizlas the second, a human of many titles and great might, known for doing its best to reign in his nobles. Gahunre society is a very nuanced one, with treatment of a person depending of its ethnicity , noble title, wealth, might and ease of subjugation, but by and large this is a kingdom reigned by lords and magnates, with the king having very little real authority and the official religion of Amaunator being paid lip service to, as to avoid the eyes of the inquisition. In theory with the death of the king his firstborn shall take the crown, but even in the most orderly of times small skirmishes are had by the nobles to ensure that the balance of power is to their liking. Even the most belligerent normand noble would find itself a pacifist in this environment, as silver tongued words and cunning are only really useful after one has shown the might of the sword.

Encased in mountain ranges lies a great kingdom of many peoples, some mighty, some downtrodden, but all answer to the title of gahunres. Founded by chieftain Arzún of the Gyamar tribes when they settled on the area as a base for further conquests. They tried, but failed to conquer the lands beyond, so the horse lords got off the saddle and became lords, but rarely they ruled justly. Escaping from worse foes from the east, they knew little of ruling by the word and a lot of ruling by the sword, and so it came to be the history of the great kingdom, of many subdued to their will, but always looking at the days in which they were free.

The great kingdom borders the Blessed Maronnian Empire to the northwest, further south on the western border one can reach the Sharpheart Chieftaindom and the Banate of the Craots. To the north they have the Llapock-Luth Commonwealth, a kingdom with which they share a lot of bloody history. To the east they have the Tsardom of Varangor and the Ratarte steppes. Finally, to the south they have the Despotate and Tsardom of the Bress, and the Tsardom of Galburia.

The Gyamars:

Banner of Arzes, a relic of the Gyamars

The mighty horse lords , raiders from the steppes of the far east whose arrows struck fear into the hearts of men and whose armies raided from the lands of the Istvani to the villages of the Normand. All of these things the Gyamars were. But the pleasure of riches is the most treacherous of poisons, and one by one the gyamars are letting go of their horses and picking the reigns of their kingdom instead, the tradition of the raider is being swapped over by the knight.

Gyamars are made mainly of humans , hobgoblins, and tieflings. They can be recognized by their distinctive woolen hats to the inexperienced eye. They can be found all across Gahunry, although they are most present in the center of the kingdom and across the vast plains, as most of them dedicate themselves to the hunt, the herd, and the life of arms.

Most gyamars are owners of a small patch of land that their clan handles and the Vrache work whilst dedicating themselves to semi nomadic herding, better life than most in the kingdom. Even when one falls into poverty, the wealthy lords are expected to hire him into soldiery, thus ensuring themselves a loyal man into their ranks. Only the knights and nobles can afford armor for their horses, of which they have entire herds. A tradition that most gyamars have kept is the one of the horse archer, being skilled with the recurve bow , the falchion and their breed of swift horse , the fastest in the known world.

Gyamar Knight, Splint armor being a favorite amongst them

Whilst in theory all gahunre pray to Amaunator, it is a well known secret that the gyamars pray to many deities, amongst them Maglubiyet, Ilmater and Malar. The practice of these religions is often done deep in their castles or in gullies where no unfriendly eyes can reach them. The average Gyamar is very proud, stern and walks with an air of superiority alongside the other folk.

Worthy of mention are also the Gyalogpuskarok and the Magnates. The former are an off sect of Gyamars who pledged themselves to mercenary work for generations and adopted the peculiar arms of smoke and thunder. These weapons scare the horses of the knights that rule them, as such they are hatred for their choice, but often also recruited to deal with the things that arrows and spears wont kill. The Magnates are the most powerful "merchants" in the kingdom, using noble titles and influence to corner markets to the point that every craftsmen in a city will work for them, with the exception of the very independent Oxan peoples , with which they are forced to deal with in fair terms as they are organized in guilds , and if need be, in battalions.

The Vrache:

Vrache Servant of a noble house, some of the wealthiest Vrache in Gahunre Society

Once free men of the woods and plains, the ones who held domain over these lands, the Vrache have fallen into lives of servitude and poverty for the failure of their ancestors to hold the invaders back. Prisoners within their own lands, these folk work the farms, the lumber camps and the mines, yet rarely see any share of their riches. Some scholars even have argued that their status within gahunre society may as well be called slavery, which in theory their gyamar overlords have renounced when they joined the faith of Amaunator.

The Vrache are composed mostly of wood elves and half orcs, with halfings being less than a third put together. Your average Vrache is silent and obedient in front of the Gyamars, as those who are not were cut down generations ago, as well as hardworking and religious. In the Vrache villages the religion of Amaunator spreaded by assimilating many traditions of their wood deities , Silvanus , Malar and Mielikki, as such, their small churches are placed in the forests, far away from the gaze of their overlords. Many a peasant rebellion has started with a sermon.

Renegade Vrache hiding in forest

Most Vrache live in the Western plains of the kingdom, working at distant scrutiny of their Gyamar lords .Their huts are small and cramped and food is not abundant, but enough that very few starve when a bad harvest strikes. Some do find work under Oxan craftsmen or as retinue for trade caravans. Others escape into the forests to live like their ancestors, and are hunted for sport and order by the Gyamars, the ones who survive this ordeal feed the fires of rebellion at every opportunity they have, biding their time at the border of the woods.

Worthy of mention within the Vrache are the Vlake Virajte, those within the woodsmen who truly take the mantle of their ancestors and have learned the ways of the woods, with many friends within the old spirits. They swore to never lay down arms until their brethren are freed, and whilst few in number, they have made the Gyamars fear the woods.

The Sekelza:

In the eastern reaches of the kingdom the plains grow long and flat, the soil is fertile, the rivers slow and forgiving. Based on all of this one would think that the Gyamars would claim it as their core region, but one would be wrong, for this is the home of the only people´s that they fearfully respect. The Sekelza they call themselves, still tribesmen and openly defiant to Amaunator´s inquisition in the matter of faith, they answer to themselves and kneel to not even the king, for they know well that no kingdom has the might to truly subdue them.

The abundant majority of the Sekelza are Centaurs, although it is known that some Aarakocra from the mountains and Lizardfolk have willingly joined them under the shared name. Your average Sekelza is very proud, yet wary of outsiders, a suspicion that drives them to endlessly patrol their domains.

Sekelza Centaur

Aaracockra Warrior, commonly employed as sentinels and messengers by the Sekelza

As for their faith, the Sekelza openly worship many deities of the hunt and the wild, but will not share details with any outsider. For this they forbid any inquisitors to enter their domain, and actively root them out when they try to pass as trading caravans or other sort of travelers.

They are herders of goats and horses, but know very little of the works of iron and stone, for which they depend on others. For this only reason they engage in trade, usually with the Gyamar Mining towns of the mountains, but also with the Jazgarin that live in the forests within their domains. They are masters of the javelin, the shortbow and the bolas, and when they can find suitable armor for their bodies they gleefully pick up the lance.

Nominally all seven Sekelza tribes fall under the authority of a Gyamar noble, appointed as “Lord of the Sekelza”. In reality, this man is nothing more than an envoy, who the chieftains may listen to if his words are sound. Many attempts to subdue the pagan tribesmen have failed, be them from the Gyamars, crusaders or even the sons of mighty emperor Rexus. For this ability to endure even the most dedicated of foes, the Sekelza get to rule themselves , paying a meager tax of some goats and tasked with keeping the foes of the kingdom away from their lands, which they do without need to remind.

The Jazgarín:

Gnome Champion Ruturta Muz, held in high regard amongst the Jazgarín

In the oldest forests where not even the Vrache will delve and in the deepest caves that not even Dwarves dare to mine there are those who live like times of old, when the fairies sang their songs and the fields saw the herds graze free. When the raiders first came ages ago they hid deep where no one would look for them, and so they came to live free with the spirits that remained, watching the ones of the plains slowly fade as ruthless “civilization” set in. The Jazgarin may not live as long as many, but have the longest memories, and remember well when the Vrache came into their lands with axes and torches.

The Jazgarin are composed of many races. Firbolg, Harengon, Gnomes, Fairies and Tabaxi, are the most known, but Owlins, Dragonborn, Tortle and Kenku are present as well. To even see one is a rare occasion that only the friends of the forest and the Selekza get to experience. Those who get to meet them have nothing but kind words to speak of them, of their hospitality and the care they have for their forests, a treatment that ceases to be the moment one turns hostile or wanders in their domain without being allowed. The tales of Gyamars cooked in their armor and Vrache ran face first across spiked soil let one thing very clear, that the Jazgarin will not let what remains of their lives be lost.

Warden Onthos, a mysterious Jazgarín warrior that delves the Regierdo forest

While it is known that some of them praise Amaunator as another god, the Jazgarin hold Gond, Silvanus and Milil as their main deities. Many Druidic circles also work as godless faiths for them, and their conclaves of rangers act as their knightly orders. Other than this they have no king, lord or even a formal council to rule over them or themselves.

Of notoriety are the few and far between Jazgarin of the mountains, as most of them were eradicated by the Gyamars. These folk are also known as “the goat men” as they have been seen doing leaps no man should be able to pull and climb cliff sides with the ease that one runs. They are adept with the tomahawk, the battle axe and the greataxe , which they use to cleave apart the few who dare pursue.

Amaunator´s Most Holy Inquisition:

The calamity oficially ended when the demon armies were defeated in battle, but across the whole continent unholy beasts and heretics ran rampant. Knightly orders carried out hunts, and they were largely sucessful, but the father of the faith of Amaunator saw a need for a more precise, inquisitve institution, an order that would find the enemy within one´s ranks and within the mazes of the cities of the age. At this time, King Mathias of Gahunry heeded the call, and answered.

The inquisition has safe houses in all territories where Amaunator is praised or where there are friendly knightly orders willing to host them. Their base is the holy Cathedral of Mathias in Dabú, this being as mixture of fortress and palace on its own, capable of housing dozens of inquistors and their retinues. They are ruled by nine inquisitor Lords, who are oficially voted by other lords and the father of the church of Amaunator, although it is known that the word of grand masters of holy orders and the rulers of Gahunry and the maronnian empire weigh in as well.

Lord Inquisitor Dalzam Arbos, rewnown for leading his own lodge of inquisitors known as "The Black Rose"

Library of the Cathedral of Mathias, the greatest well meant source of eldritch lore in the world

The Inquisition usually operates in a very subtle and meticulous manner, but are no strangers to the work of the sword. It is almost an open secret that there is at least one inquisitor in every court of importance, be them of nobles, priests, knights or wizards. Criminal organizations may be infiltrated to, as a method to keep tabs in the affairs of commoners. Given this, inquisitors and their agents hail from all walks of life.

Once a threat is found it is usually dealt with swiftly and most importantly, cheaply, as the resources of the institution are vast, but spread thin. Inquisitors are educated in the lores of magic, investigation and cunning, as well as in the economy of force, most of which they borrow from allies. Local authorities are preferred, knightly orders are a second best and mercenaries are employed too, but ploys are made to expend the least amount of effort in the part of the inquisition.

Inquisitor Hector Trottenheim, famous for capturing his targets by his lonesome

As the institution regularly finds itself hunting nobles it has developed a way to prevent wars of diplomacy against it, this being fair trials. Whenever possible, targets will be allowed to surrender and be sent to trial, where the most amount of evidence will be shown to anyone interested. This weird form of accusing takes much power from the hidden supporters of the target, thus avoiding unnecessary court dramas, although assasination attempts and curses are a part of the trade.

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