Kingdom of Koilos
The Modern Day Felidar: The Kingdom of Koilos
The Felidar of Koilos are very similar to the Dwarves and Gent in that they prefer to construct their greatest cities below ground, however, differing from the Dwarven and Gent cities in that they do not build them inside of mountains. Instead they build them deep within the caves of their homeland around the bioluminescent flora and fauna within these massive cave systems. Their cities are so large that they oftentime have spires that reach up to the surface, these acting as their beacons to be seen from the surface and to allow entrance to their underground cities.
They do occupy small villages and hamlets on the surface of their homeland but, these are mostly home to many of their exiles and outcasts who have committed crimes that have caused them to be forced out of the greater cities below ground. This is a way to punish their criminals while also continuing to populate their homeland. These people are often marked on their neck right underneath their left ear with a brand that shows them to be exiles under the laws of their cities. These Branded as they are called are allowed to return to the great cities if they can complete a great task for the Felidar people or prove themselves worthy by becoming a hunter of monsters whether within or outside of their homeland.
The Felidar currently have four cities underground, known as the Great Cities of Koilos. Each of these cities, save for the capital, are run by one of the three Great Noble Houses, each of the Great Noble Houses are kept in check by a representative appointed by the Queen and bestowed the Archons Blessing, known as a Justicar. These Justicars are chosen personally by the Queen and Archon to be their eyes, ears and hands where they cannot be present at the time. Each of the Great Cities has two Justicars present at any given time. There are a total of 10 Justicars in total, two for each Great City, two for the Capital and two for any affairs that are outside the bounds of these cities.
Great Cities and Noble Houses of Koilos
The first of these cities is Necrostos, where the Noble House Malice rule. The current Matriarch of House Malice is Fotesha Malice. Felidar born under this house are often of a lighter skin tone due to selective breeding and wear many fabrics upon their bodies as the Sun has been known to burn their skin if in the middle of the day. They are a very utilitarian type of society where they value function over form. Many of their armors and weapons are bland in design and have no ornate inlays, colors or gems. Their eyes are the softest in color of all of their brethren, most of them having blue or purple eyes, with their most defining feature being the black sclera of their eyes. They are well known for their assassins and their development of poisons and toxins.
The second of the Great Cities is Merion, a port city on the Northwestern coast of Koilos. The Noble House holding control over this city is House Keliras, one of the wealthiest of the houses in Koilos due to its trade routes that lead to the south and connect with the Sea of Lendod and the current Matriarch of House Keliras is Stygia Keliras. The Felidar living in Merion are well versed in sailing and are well known for their prowess in hunting the beasts of the underground. They take their pelts, tan them and sell them at the port to the merchants from all around the world. They are dark skinned due to getting slightly more sunlight than most of their brethren as the port itself is open to the sunshine and air of the surface. Many of them have bright yellow eyes that shine in the dark. Some scholars believe this is due to their diet of bioluminescent flora and fauna in the area that glow a similar shade of yellow.
The final of the Great Cities is Rhimorra, ruled by the Noble House Arcadia. The current Matriarch of House Arcadia is Clavia Arcadia, a woman of great renown for her brutal punishments handed down to those who break the law in her city. Rhimorra is one of the most populous cities save for the capital as it sits on the northern point of Great Lake Ponteer. This lake is massive in scope, being the largest body of freshwater in all of Lendil. It is the only crossing point inland to the lands of the High Elves and is a major inland trade route with many nations further inland. This being the case means that Rhimorra is also the city with the most diversity of any in Koilos. Those Felidar born here are considered to be the closest in looks to Humans and High Elves as they are very fair skinned but do not burn as easily as those of Necrostos and normally have a wide range of eye colors from green to brown and violet.
Each of these Houses only answer to the Queen and Archon. In the capital city of Grefor, seated in the middle of Koilos the Queen and her Consort rule alongside the Archon of her people. There they play host to the Lower Noble Houses and send out their Justicars to enforce law and order among their people. In this city you can find their greatest architectural achievement, The Great Temple to Umbris and Lilith. Whereas the Humans and other races will often venerate all of the Aimur, the Felidar have long only prayed to Lilith, and after The Fall, were brought the blessings of Umbris. These two Goddesses are their patrons and whom they owe most of their loyalty. Thus, the grand temple in the middle of Grefor is dedicated solely to these two divine patrons. Here they also host one of the many Academies devoted to the sciences and understanding of the monsters that roam the world. These schools have been set up by the Hunters Guild as a sort of peace offering between the Felidar and Humanity.
To their southwest lies the loosely tied together Klans of Kur, a very unstable region in which dozens of would-be warlords and upstart cutthroats are constantly fighting over what little resources they have. Being directly neighboring to these badlands, Koilos has to often deal with the brunt of the conflicts that spill over into their territory. This happens quite often and is a regular occurrence for the Felidar. The Klans of Kur are not made up of anyone of one race but instead are a conglomeration of the rejects of every race, even some of the Branded Felidar make their way into those lands, to live out their lives as bandits and warlords.
Structure
Queen, Great Noble Houses, Lesser Noble Houses
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
- The Felidar Crest of Koilos
Nathasie Gold
