Ghal'guun

Out with the weak, in with the mighty...

"Look around you, Sudrilark. The age of peace you covet is rapidly approaching its end. When the monster slumbering beneath your walls awakens, will you still insist on chasing a fantasy?"

- Lhesh Malik Rhu'Shen to King Jambavan Sudrilark

Ghal’Guun, also known as the Home of the Mighty, is a city-state in southern Quina. Though it has largely evaded notice by the rest of Prostesa due to its location and isolationist policy, it is regarded by Quinans as one of the most fearsome nations in Prostesa. To Quina, Ghal’Guun is a city of tyrants, a nation that aims for nothing but complete and absolute domination. But to those that live in Ghal’Guun, those of the High Guard, the world is unkind and must be tempered through a heavy hand and a fighter's spirit. Under the guidance of the hobgoblins, Prostesa might re-enter its peaceful age once more.

Demographics

Ghal’Guun boasts a goblinoid-dominated population, with goblins outnumbering the combined population of bugbears and hobgoblins, the latter of which have the smallest number. Though there is a sizable difference in the number of goblins and hobgoblins, the difference between bugbears and hobgoblins is much smaller, at about 4%. Any other races are those enslaved and taken in by the High Guard.
Ghalguunian goblins are often fodder for the nation’s armies, with the most gifted leading covert operations into enemy territory. Because of their short lifespan and use in warfare, goblins occupy the lowest rung of society, but they tend to fit in any role and are prized for their versatility, making them valuable by Ghalguunian standards. Ghalguunian bugbears form the majority of the middle and upper-middle class such as merchants or Ghal’Guun’s local police force.
Ghalguunian bugbears are generally seen as less flexible than goblins but tend to be peerless in their craft if they are raised to fit a specific mold. A Ghalguunian bugbear blacksmith trained for the majority of their life will outperform most professional goblins and even some hobgoblins. In warfare, bugbears specialize in ambush tactics, aiming to disrupt and disorient enemy units.
Ghalguunian hobgoblins stand head and shoulders above the other goblinoids, representing the entirety of the upper class. Due to Ghalguunian law, all armies are led by hobgoblins, and those that are not army captains tend to spend the majority of their lives managing goblins and bugbears in various other career fields. Up until about fifteen years ago, hobgoblins were the only goblinoids eligible to serve as members of the Ghalguunian secret police.

Government

Ghal’Guun is led by the royal Rhu’Shen family, a lineage of hobgoblins believed to possess both divine blood and the blood of the ancient Marhu (Goblin for “emperor”), though this hasn’t been proven. The Rhu’Shen family is divided into three branches, each ruling over a specific goblinoid race and part of society. Though Ghal’Guun is hierarchical, the Rhu’Shen family supposedly believes all branches (and, by extension, all goblinoids) to be equal. The Rhu’Shen family’s claims, naturally, meet much skepticism, with the most common argument against it being how the family touts its birthright as a reason to lead Ghal’Guun.

Ghal’Guun has a police force (known as the Khesh’Taarka or “Silent Wolves”), but the members of this force are only known by the Rhu’Shen family. They operate similarly to assassins, never walking among the public and acting discreetly. Criminals typically disappear overnight before they're imprisoned.

Laws Which Choke

The “Golin” (Goblin for “quick”) branch of the Rhu’Shen family is responsible for drafting proposed laws which are then ruled upon by the “Guul” (Goblin for “strong”) branch. Despite being responsible for the foundation of society’s rules, the Golin branch is considered weaker than the Guul branch. The Guul branch is responsible for running Ghal’Guun’s courts, and it also has the authority to declare war. The "Ghaal" (Goblin for "mighty") branch manages the other two branches and has the final say on any given issue. At any point, they may disown any member of the other two branches, rendering them "failures" and no different from the average citizen. Failures of the Rhu'Shen family are branded and left to build their lives from the bottom rung of society. 

The Guul branch is notorious for its strict and quick rulings which have resulted in Ghal’Guun’s high incarceration rate. Despite numerous occurrences of false imprisonment, Ghal’Guun has a low crime rate particularly because of the punishments imposed upon prisoners. The Guul branch controls crime through fear.

Defences

Ghal’Guun’s two armed forces are known as the High Guard and the Khesh’Taarka. The Khesh’Taarka serves as the police force while the High Guard is the town’s soldiery. The High Guard consists of about a third of Ghal’Guun’s citizens, with this third being able to divide up further (among specific goblinoids) depending on the techniques required for certain missions. The High Guard’s primary virtue is flexibility; warfare against them is often difficult due to their strategies switching on a dime. Despite their prowess in battle, the High Guard is diminutive compared to armies such as those in Illwurn or Ustenstead, meaning that wars against Ghal’Guun are often over as soon as they start.

There are very few spellcasters in the High Guard. Spellcasters in Ghal’Guun are exceedingly rare, and those that do have the chance to practice magic are encouraged to specialize in evocation magic rather than other schools.

The land Ghal’Guun sits on is comparatively higher than that which lies around it. Armies that traveled on foot often struggled to reach the city’s walls, a feat made all the more difficult when taking into account the numerous ambush parties lining the trail to the town’s walls.

History

In 2800 AA, a group of migrants from Louistas fleeing war touched down on the west coast of Quina. Led by Golius Rhu’Shen with an army bearing the symbols of Maglubiyet and Nomog-Geaya, the Louistans were said to have marched unflinchingly under the eyes of their gods until they saw flecks of green cresting on the horizon. Golius envisioned an empire greater than the likes of Louistas, though instead of conquering land and expanding the territory of the goblinoids, he chose to build tall and conserve resources. The name chosen by Golius, Ghal'Guun, reflects the might of the people that helped it take shape—hence its translation: "Mighty Land."

In 2805, Ghal'Guun would hit a stroke of luck. A seafaring band of adventurers from Ustenstead was one of the first to discover Ghal'Guun, and soon-to-be King Julian Eastoft III happened to be among them. Sensing the opportunity for a strong partnership, Eastoft III offered a share of resources between Ustenstead, Ghal'Guun, and Illwurn. With the aid of two national powers, Ghal'Guun lived to its name, becoming a small yet powerful force in its own right.

During the Titan Siege of 2855, Ghal'Guun followed Illwurn when it declared war on Ustenstead. Ever since, Ghal'Guun has kept a strong partnership with Illwurn.

Founding Date

2800 AA

Alternative Name(s)

Home of the Mighty

Type

Town

Population

Approx 9,300+

Inhabitant Demonym

Ghalguunian

Alone in Death

"One day, people stop talkin' to ya; the next, nobody looks your way; the last, you're grabbin' bite to eat. That's the last thing y'get to do, and you never wake up again."

- Anonymous

Ghalguunians believe that criminals are no longer citizens the moment they commit a crime. Though it is an unspoken rule, citizens aware of a criminal tend to cease all contact with the said criminal. This allows Ghal’Guun’s secret police to easily isolate and apprehend whoever committed the crime. And as the ramifications for protecting a criminal are often harsher than the punishment for committing a crime, this unspoken rule has held since Ghal’Guun’s founding. If the criminal is successfully convicted and somehow sentenced to death, not a word will be spoken of them after they’ve been executed. All traces of them having lived in Ghal’Guun aside from family and friends will disappear as well, a practice also handled by the secret police.

The scale of punishments depends on the crime committed, and the Rhu’Shen family believes that fines do not suffice for any crime. Depending on the crime they commit, criminals undergo harsh punishments ranging from incarceration to mutilation to death.

Those who are acquitted struggle to live normal lives, as paranoia grips those they speak with and causes others to shun them. It could take several months for their lives to return to normal.