Krandryia

The highlands located just east of the Kingdom of Dakar are home to a diverse collection of family clans and tribes. While most of the inhabitants are human, there are several villages of dwarves, orcs and goblins. The northeast of the land is controlled by some rock trolls, but they rarely deal with their neighbors.

What brings them together as a nation is not only a fierce defense of the highlands, but binding oaths made to Alderok. Alderok, also called the Honor's Bite, is to have been the weapon wielded by Vayne when he slew the Chaos Lord Sanmmuhhphir to end the Dark Ages and trumpet the Return of the Gods. Alderok was given the men of these lands so they may stand against the darkness.

• Capitol: Adderroc
• Languages:

  • Dakarian
  • Irillian
  • Orcish
  • Dwarven
  • Goblinoid
  • Vaynite
• Demonym: Krandryians or Vaynites
• Government: Champion by Combat
• Monarch: xxx
• Area:

  • Total Land: 120,000 km² (47,000 mi²)
  • Arable Land: 21,500 km² (18%)
  • Forests: 57,600 km² (48%)
• Population: 550,000
• Currency:

  • kan (1 oz silver)

These lands were created when Vayne passed the axe into the hands of men, he created a beacon that drew many to its cause - the cause of honor and battle. These highlanders, calling themselves Vaynites, were fierce warriors who neither asked nor gave quarter to those who followed the lords of chaos. The reputation of the Vaynites spread quickly throughout Miran and soon legend overtook reality.

Decades later it was the Dakarians and their magicians who finally defeated these untamed warriors. In the first few years of the Kingdom of Dakar, King Reiner I led his knights and marched into the highlands to conquer the Vaynites. The conquest was a failure, but during the battles Alderok disappeared. The Vaynites tell tales of dark sorcery that stole the souls of their warriors and allowed the Dakarians to steal the axe. Dakarian history say that the Dominar surrendered to their knights and were given the axe as part of the surrender. No matter the truth, the end was that the axe left the highlands and disappeared.

The Vaynites had descended into a land now inhabited by trolls, orcs, goblins, and all manner of creatures. The few humans who still remained lived in small clans under the guidance of the warlocks who once provided wisdom to the Dominar. The warlocks stopped any from entering Adderroc until the return of Alderok to its rightful place. Several thieves over the years have entered the great keep, but none have ever come out. As the decades passed and the remaining Vaynites descended into clan warfare, Adderroc and the warlocks waited.

It came to pass in the Kingdom of Dakar, upon the death of their father King Reiner II, that his twin sons were left to inherit the throne. King Reiner II had died from an assassin’s dart with no time make the line of succession clear. Kran was strong-willed and was an excellent general during his years with the army. Most of the military and many of the younger nobles rallied behind his cause. King Joshua was more like his father, thoughtful and politically savvy, most of the established nobility rallied around him.

The civil war was just beginning in the outer holdings when both princes met in secret and decided upon a solution. Kran abdicated the throne to his brother in exchange for release from oaths of fealty for those that would follow him. He would leave the kingdom with his followers to forge a new nation. In just a few weeks the civil war was over and Kran, along with his followers, left their lands behind and traveled east into the highlands of Vayne.

It was a difficult journey, as they were under near constant attack from both the Vaynite clansmen and the creatures that had settled these lands. Undeterred these men built keeps and fortified towns as they pushed their way deeper into the highlands. Although his advised by men he trusted with his life to stop and strengthen their hold on the land, Kran continued to push east. So it was, after nearly a year, that he stood before the gates of Adderroc. Both the warlocks and his men watched as Kran entered the accursed city alone.

For ten days his men camped outside, thankful for the respite from battle. On the morning of the 11th day the gates swung open and Kran emerged carrying Alderok. Legends say he battled the spirits of those Vaynites whose courage faltered and mastered them and that he slew the lingering spirit of Sanmmuhhphir which stained the land. The warlocks declared Kran the Champion of Vayne and quickly spread the news through the land. Within months, leaders from each of the Vaynite clans came to recognize their new Champion an renew their vows upon Alderok.

Kran died on the throne having bested every challenger that faced him over the years. Ten valkyries appeared at his burial and escorted him to Vanheim. Upon seeing this the warlocks renamed the land and those who lived here Krandryians after the man who reclaimed their honor.

The borders of Krandryia are nearly identical to the borders the Vaynites controlled at the peak of their expansion. The northern border is defined by the basalt flows from the Iron Mountains; although the exact boundary is unclear as the rock trolls drive off any intruders. The River Kald and River Isar are the generally accepted borders; although a great deal of cross-border raiding happens over each of them.

Krandryia is sub-divided into four geographical regions. The Basalt Hills is in the northeast corner, the Southwest Lowlands, the Central Highlands, and Eastern Uplands. Except for the Basalt Hills controlled by the rock trolls, the other lands are further sub-divided into various regions controlled by Vaynite clans and other villages that have swore fealty upon Alderok.

Except for the lowlands, the land is more suited for herding and hunting than agriculture. Several Champions have tried to extend their lands west, but the Dakarians have repulsed each of their efforts.

To the east is the White Sea which provides a bounty of fish and whale oil. The Krandryians have several settlements along the shore, but their attempts to expand further east into the prairie has met with fierce resistance by the Carthins.

The Krandryian economy is dominated by the small amount of arable land capable of sustaining agriculture that can be found in the highlands. Instead, most of the arable land is turned over to pastures for the raising of goats, sheep, pigs, and cattle. Highland cheeses are highly prized by the wealthy in both Dakar and Irill. Krandryian merchants have a reputation for excessive haggling, seemingly enjoying it more than the actual trade itself. In addition to cheese the Krandryians export mostly various ores and other mining wealth.

When Kran claimed Alderok he knew he would have the loyalty of the Vaynites and his own followers, but many others had settled into the highlands over the years. To rule the land he divided it into 23 burghs each ruled over by a Burgess named from each of the largest factions. Each Burgess exercises a great deal of control over their own land, providing Adderroc only with a small fraction of their economic output. Six of the burghs were given to his loyal followers, twelve went to the Vaynites, three to the dwarves, and the final two were given to the two largest orc tribes.

When Kran and his men first crossed over the border the population of the land was about 200,000 Vaynites and another 75,000 dwarves and orcs. Since the restoration of Alderok, the land has flourished and the population has grown. There are currently 400,000 men of mixed Vaynite and Dakarian heritage, along with 150,000 others - mostly dwarves and orcs.

Linguistically the majority of the population speak Dakarian, Tradestongue, or a dialect near enough Dakarian to at least be understood. Even in the burghs controlled by the dwarves and orcs a large percentage of the population speak at least passing Dakarian. Given the large number of merchants a single language has been a necessity of trade.

Most of the Vaynites descended from various clans that crossed over the Iron Mountains long before the Dakarians passed through Stoneheart Hold. They brought with them the gods whom they worshiped, principal among them Vayne the god of battle and Gemen the forger. When Kran arrived he brought with him several priests of the Temple of Light. While Kran ruled the Temple of Light spread quickly among the Vaynites. With the passing of Kran the Temple has lost much of its momentum, especially given that two Champions where dwarves. Still the Temple of Light is the largest organized religion in Krandryia, followed by the worship of Vayne, the Earthmother among the dwarves, and the orcish gods.

The Warlocks are not men who worship the gods nor do they act as intercessors between the spirits of the world. The Warlocks are men of knowledge and tradition, skilled both in the art of magic and law. They travel the land guiding the men of Krandryia in the true way of Vayne and the laws of the Vaynites. There are several mavericks among the Warlocks who want to drive out the Priests of Light for fear that they are corrupting the path of Vayne they undertook to trod. Their numbers have divided into small factions that have been working, sometimes overtly, to drive out the Temple of Light. Most of the Warlocks have at least cordial relations with the Priests of Light and instead see themselves more as observers and wisemen rather then firebrands.