Ifrad

Ifrad is the home of the most skilled human fighters in all of Adremesis, rivaling that of both the Talbrian and Templar forces. It's main defining feature is the immense fortress that towers over a small surrounding village. The fortress sits over the river below it, with the common village space residing to the north and south. The fortress was built on its lonesome by Ifris using the last of his wealth so that there could be a secure place for future inhabitants of Adremesis to combat the Lord of Chaos, were he to return. Ifris was getting old and paranoid though, and its construction was a rash decision that left him bankrupt. He ended up selling it off to an extremely wealthy Marrarockan for them to station a private militia, but sent the money back to Barrodor to be distributed among his friends and family. After which, he disappeared, and no one saw him again.

Demographics

Almost every person that lives there is Ifrad-born. There is little-to-no imigration to or from Ifrad for various reasons so the people that live there are almost entirely pure blooded.

Government

Ifrad is governed by the current Commander. One of the generals is given a title of "Successor to the Blade" which gives them full right to become the next Commander when the current one leaves. There is also no term limit, so the Commander is free to remain in power for as long as they live. However, the generals also have every right to initialise a vote of no confidence to the entire Ifradian population if they feel that the current Commander is doing a poor job. Only one vote can be initialised every 3 months to not only encourage the Commander to get their act together but to also prevent bias generals getting their way.
Becoming Commander isn't as easy as signing a document and wearing new fancy armour. Ifrad is militaristic, and their legislature reflects that. When a new Commander is ready to rise to the occasion, they must complete a variety of combat trials. These trials are known simply as the Great Grindstone, comparing the new Commander to a sword being sharpened to its greatest forme. They are a big event that happens rarely, so people really look forward to them when one is on the way. There are two trials during the event:

• Combat; the new Commander must endure combat alone against 2 other Ifradians hand-picked by the generals. The only rule is to not kill your opponents, but you are otherwise free to use any tactic or weapon to overcome this challenge. The trial is complete if all 3 opponents yield. The point of the trial is simple: a Commander cannot be trusted as a leader if the common soldier can best them. They must be prpeared to take on overwhelming odds and return alive.
• Strategy; the Commander is granted a small squad of 8 that they must lead to victory against a larger force with an established position. They themselves are not to get involved beyond planning and coordinating their squad. The so-called "attackers" and "defenders" will both fight their hardest (but again, no killing) to reach or protect a flag in the centre of the location. Once any member of the attacker squad takes the flag back to the Commander, they are considered victorious. If 5 of the attackers are defeated in one way or another, then it will considered a failure due to the Commander's negligence or recklessness.

Upon their completion, the aspiring Commander will be officially granted the title along with the Commandant's Honor sword. This sword is purely ceremonial as it is extremely old and thus not to be used for combat unless absolutely necessary.

Defences

The entire settlement is surrounded by an enormous wall that is spotted with arrow slits every few meters. The only direct way in and out is through the main portcullis at the north an south sides of the wall. Immediately behind it is the settlement part of Ifrad: housing the citizens, farms, services, and such. Then, behind them again, is another even larger wall that surrounds the fortress at the centre.
Underneath the entire settlement is a deep and complex tunnel network that every building in Ifrad can reach. It's kept as an emergency escape route or defendable position in the event the fortress is lost. The supply storage is constantly topped up when its needed and the tunnels are well maintained at all times to ensure that they are in perfect condition when the time comes for them to be used. This time would emerge in 351 AFB when the Anarch Rotilim was able to overwhelm and take hold of Ifrad after an exhausting defence from the soldiery. Ifradian forces did eventually have to concede to the caves but not without inflicting massive damage to Rotilim's forces. It was here that Ifrad held on for weeks by themselves, able to essentially single handedly hold off Rotilim's pushes, but were not able to push them back in return without immense risk. Alric Solberg would eventually arrive and rally the Ifradian soldiers to victory against Rotilim's scourge.
Ifrad is the only significant military force on Adremesis that does not field a naval fleet at all. Flowem Dock is the only nearby port and that is purely a civilian location. Since Ifrad is mainly a defensive force, constructing and maintaining a navy would not be worth it for them. Were they ever in requirement of such a navy, it is very likely that either Tabury or the Templarhood would happily provide the means.

Industry & Trade

Ifrad does not produce much for themselves, though they have the means to. Much of their equipment is Marrarockan hypersteel but they do have the resources, expertise, and equipment to forge gear of their own. Ifrad is designed to be entirely self-sufficient, they have everything they need to thrive but have no problem with relying on others while there is no need not to. For example, they have very close trade deals with Marrarock as previously stated, but they also have an alliance with Talbury which includes multiple lucrative trade deals such as food, building materials (wood and stone), and general public goods.

Infrastructure

The village and fortress sits proudly atop the river which supplies them with all their watery needs. The complex network of tunnels beneath the fortress are deep enough to avoid it, at least where the tunnels pass underneath. There is no port at Ifrad since Flowem Dock is so close by, plus the river is not terribly deep so only small craft can make their way in.

Founding Date

539 BFB

Founders

• Ifris

Population

4,400

Inhabitant Demonym

Ifradian(s)

Location under

Sagely Grounds

Owner/Ruler

Commander Militaur

Ruling/Owning Rank

Commander

Owning Organization

Forces of Ifrad