# Karrak Kingdom (KAIR-ack) The Karrak Kingdom (pronounced KAIR-ack) is the northernmost of the Miryag nations, seated in the southern lowlands of Skaan, known locally as the Sun Valley. It holds sovereignty over the **Huldura** of the Frostgate, the **Bolgren** natives of the Easterlands, and the Miryag of the lowlands. It is considered to be a backwater nation, having little military power and a modest economic potential. The cold climate and looming threat of Hultzig or Kynar invasion make is a place few would choose to visit. To those who live here, the quiet, pristine atmosphere, the breathtaking view and the good-natured people make Karrak a paradise.  ## History ### Founding The Karrak people arrived on Skaan after the dissolution of the Miryag nation. Unthar Karrak vowed to deliver his people to a place where they would be free to live their own lives as free men, as their conscious dictated. Not as the subject of a self-serving ecumenical tyranny. The Karrak people lived in a small section of the lowlands at first, out of the way of the native Bolgren people. The Bolgren sought out the Karrak, seeking allies in their ancestral war against the Hultzig. Unthar saw the worth of the Bolgren people, and the value of an alliance against the foul trolls, and thus journeyed into the Easterlands to aid the Bolgren in their cause. Unthar's bravery and heroism saw him named Jarl of the Bolgren; the first outlander to achieve such an honor. Shortly thereafter, the Karrak proclaimed Unthar Karrak the first King of the Karrak. The newly established Karrak army routed the Hultzig, driving them into the northern mountains. The Miryag and the Bolgren formed a bond that remains steadfast to this day, living together and defending the south from the trolls that remained in the northern mountains. But the Hultzig were not the only threat to peace on Skaan. The Kynar, frost giants of the Frozen Wastes, were poised to wreak havoc upon the fledgling kingdom.  ### Unifacation The Kynar, a barbaric horde of Yai living in the Frozen Wastes at the top of the world, had long been mortal enemies of the Ylvani of Nantua Yanan. They had little knowledge of, and less interest in, the lands of Skaan. Among the population of the Kynar was a small-statured race called the **Huldra**. The Kynar had held the Huldra in bondage for millennia, and the Yai's great strength and stature erased any hope of uprising. Escape, on the otherhand, was a much more promising solution. Over the course of many years, Huldra slaves risked their lives and that of their families to escape south, into the Frostgate of Skaan. There, it was hoped, the Kynar would not find them, and they could live their lives in peace and seclusion. During the later years of this great exodus, the Huldra were discovered by St. Unthar Karrak and his people. St. Unthar had come to the Frostgate to face the fiend **Iskalör**, who had sent storms from the Frostgate to wreak destruction upon the Karrak settlers of what is now Artenheim. The monster was as great a danger to the Huldra as it was to the Karrak, so the Huldra embraced Unthar's arrival and offered to aid him in his quest. They offered Unthar their most precious religious artifact, the **Heart of Winter**, which would allow a worthy wielder to call forth the primordial cold. Unthar learned of the Huldra and their origin. He was sympathetic towards their plight, and outraged by the idea that others were held in servitude by the Kynar. Unthar vowed to set out and vanquish the Kynar and free the bonded Huldra, but the Huldra archelder **Nas-Raevon** plead with Unthar to stay his hand. A war with the Kynar would only alert them to the presence of the Huldra who had fled to the Frostgate, and endanger the tenuous safety so much had been sacrificed for. Unthar relented, and instead vowed that those who came to the Frostgate were under the protection of Unthar and Amangyr. For this vow, for wielding the **Heart of Winter** and for his heroism in the defeat of Iskalör, the Huldra named Unthar the **Sun Champion**, and swore fealty to him and his Kingdom. To this day, the Kings of Karrak must prove worthy of the Heart of Winter, and thus the title of Sun Champion, to ascend to the throne of the Karrak Kingdom.  ### Kynar Invasion The **Heart of Winter** is relic of significant cultural and religious significance to the Huldra people. Its awakening stirred the souls of the Huldra across the world, letting them know that a worth Sun Champion had arisen to defend them. Unbeknownst to the Huldra and St Unthar, the **Heart of Winter** was also tied to the Kynar Titan-King **Vorstenbür**, who was once a member of the Huldra people. When the heart was awakened, the still-frozen remains of Vorstenbür stirred to life, deep within the catacombs of the Kynar stronghold **Kashyractyl** The stirring of the Titan-King was a powerful omen for the Kynar, and it was not long before they discovered that the source of the power was on Skaan. King Stormjard marshaled his people and launched an invasion of the Karrak lands. St. Unthar and his people met this challenge head-on, but the Kynar were too numerous and powerful for the united Karrak people. The Yelin, ever watchful of their northern adversaries, quickly learned of the Kynar's invasion, and came to the Karrak's aid. Together, the Karrak and Yelin were able to push back the Kynar, and drive them back into the Frozen Wastes. The decisive battle of the war was waged at the gates of **Kashyractyl**, where St. Unthar Karrak and Stromjard clashed in single combat. Unthar was victorious, but died shortly thereafter from his injuries.  ### Legacy of Unthar > The years of the Kingdom with a living memory of St. Unthar. The fallout of Angar's failed coup, and the establishment of the Society of the Hidden Memory. The organization of Karrak peerage and the rise of the Church of St. Unthar.  Legacy of Unthar > The years after the living memory of Unthar has died, but the descendant of Unthar continue to reign over the Kingdom. ## Government Freidrich Hensz Karrak III is the current king of Karrak, Jarl of the Bolgren and Sun Champion of the Huldura. The descendants of Unthar have reigned over Skaan in an unbroken line for hundreds of years, and have done so in a manner more or less in keeping with their patron’s vision of strength and honor. The noble families of Karrak also reflect that vision: Valorous and strong nobles retain favor within King Hensz's court, while those who give in to the temptations of greed and corruption find themselves out of favor with the king and the people alike. Unlike many noble traditions, simply being the son or daughter of a storied family line is not enough to gain prestige in the Karrak court. In fact, a heroic legacy often works against nobles who must struggle to live up to the name their parents or grandparents have made for them. The **King's Army** is the secular military of the Karrak Kingdom. The bulk of their efforts are expended along the northern border of the kingdom, keeping the kingdom safe from invasion at the hands of the Furiyag, Kynar or the Hultzig. The remainder of the King's army is assigned to the ealdormen to defend the people of the kingdom from brigands and monsters. The leaders of these men are titled **caarls**. The leader of the King's Army is **Lord Caarl Jothan Gren**, a Bolgren man known by most as the "Tower or Karrak." In a society where the high-born must strive for recognition of their nobility, the greatest power lies with those who are able to pass judgement on their good deeds. So it is that the real power within the kingdom is the Church of St. Unthar. Nobles who are found lacking in the eyes of the church find themselves with less influence in court. The church commands the **Knights of the Shining Maul**, who are the most revered law-keeping force in the kingdom. The knights command the forces of the **Order of the Lightbringer**, and are also given authority over members of the King’s Army should they deem them necessary in the pursuit of justice, and such orders do not conflict with the commands of the King. The current high priest of the Church is the **Alaene Brocten**, Light of the Flame of Amangyr. She is a half-ylf, which has strained relations with Yelin Nelsuir, as the frost ylvs look poorly upon women who claim to hold divine power. The lowlands are divided into a number of small holdings that are overseen by Ealdormen. These ealdormen are charged with maintaining peace within their lands, settling disputes and they arise, defending the roads from banditry and monsters, collecting tax and tribute, and martially forces when called for by the crown. Settlements that are large enough to warrant it will receive a Thane. Thanes are typically chosen by the people of their town, and formally recognized by the Ealdorman. While ealdormen outrank thanes, in most instances the ealdorman will leave thanes to their business, involving themselves in local affairs only at the behest of the thane, crown or church. Thanes are responsible for ensuring the safety and peace of their town and the surrounding areas. Some thanes will act as their own enforcers of peace, while most will appoint a reeve to act as the strong arm of the law when needed. For the common people, the laws of the Kingdom are quite few and contact with the nobility is rare. St. Unthar felt that people are fundamentally good, and could be trusted to live together freely without some lord or overseer telling them how high to build their fences or where to graze their flocks. He offered five dictates, and they stand as the only decrees of the land: - Thou shalt suffer not those who prey upon the weak and helpless, for to harm those who cannot defend themselves is evil. - Thou shalt suffer not those who force their attentions on others in acts of rape, for the forcing of such congress on another is evil. - Thou shalt suffer not those who kill without need or reason, for to glory in death and pain is evil. - Thou shalt suffer not those who take without compensation, for to steal hard earned goods or labor from another is evil. - Thou shalt suffer not those who bear false witness, for to bring false accusations against the innocent is evil. Those who violate these dictates are subject to exile. Sometimes merely an expulsion from a town, handed down by a thane or by town elders. Other, more grievous violations involve the Church of Unthar passing the down the Sacrament of Exile. When invoked, the cleric passes a sentence upon the judged, a length of time they must live outside the kingdom, in the wilds of Skaan. They are stripped of their possessions, given a dull sword (their “sword of honor"), fitted with an iron collar sealed with divine magic. Then they are taken to the edge of the kingdom and left. During this time, it is said that they are “on the path.” If they survive their sentence, the seal on the collar wears off, and the judged is free to return. The Huldura and Skannak regions have an ealdorman named to their regions, though their title is faldorman. Unlike the ealdormen of the lowlands, faldorman are named by the Huldura and the Skannak regions, rather than appointed by the King to the lands. Faldormen have greater influence at court than individual ealdormen, as they represent a much larger group of people, and because the king's duty as Sun Champion and Jarl are co-equal with his responsibility as King. ## Inhabitants ### Bolgren The Bolgren are the native people of Skaan. Most live within the Eastern Highlands, where the snow rarely melts and the air is not so thick. Some do come down into the Sun Valley to live among the Humans and the experience a more modern way of life. Bolgren are an everyday sight in the larger cities of the Kindgom, especially in the Northern parts of the Kingdom.  ### Dwarves Dwarves from the Crighoren and Feldcroghten Kingdoms have a significant economic presence in the Karrak Kingdom. Most dwarves can be found in the Southern cities of the Sun Valley, though demand for quality dwarven craftsmanship can be found throughout the kingdom, and wherever such demand lives dwarves will find their way there.  ### Huldra The Huldra are people of ice and snow, and are uncomfortable in the intense (for them) heat and sun of the Southern reaches of the Kindgom. They are more insular than the Bolgren, though are not unwelcoming of visitors to their lands. Those that do journey out of the Frostgate are typically traders and merchants, and their trips into the wider kingdom are often seasonal. There are outcasts who live their entire lives among the humans of the Sun Valley, though such folk rarely make their way South of Torlheim.  ### Human, Miryag Humans are the largest population of the Karrak kingdom. Most live within the Sun Valley, but those who prefer a quieter and more self-sustained lifestyle can be found in the Easterlands, living among the Bolgren or beyond the Frostgate among the Huldra.  ### Ylvani The Karrak and Yelin people share a strong bond in their alliance against the Kynar of the Frozen Wastes. Trade between the nations is strong, and many Yelin who find themselves put out by the rigid societal structure in Yelin Nelsuir feel right at home among the Karrak, in their open and free society. Yelin can found in the Kingdom, though their acclamation to cold and high altitude allows them a greater freedom to live among the Bolgren and Huldra people. ## Society and Culture ### Economy Much of the economy of the Karrak is built on simple necessities. What livestock and crops can be farmed over the summer are stored over for the harsh winters. The mountains of Skaan have solid and reliable veins of iron and tin, though little precious metal has been discovered. Skaan has a rich supply of sturdy timber and animal furs, which form the bulk of exports from the kingdom.