Kingdom of Othune
Quick Overview
The Kingdom of Othune has a storied history dating back to the days of the War between the Worm and the Trickster, as well as the rise and fall of the Dwarven Empire. Currently, it stands as an ardent bulwark against the predations of orc and goblinoid and they shield the Free Realms from much of the dangers presented by the wild northern lands. Known for its rocky terrain, it is covered in coniferous trees and plays host to a large assortment of rivers and streams that cut deep into the relatively shallow topsoil and into the rocky underside. The kingdom hosts part of a truly vast network of lava tubes, underground rivers and natural caves. This creates an entirely separate ecology underground. Referred to commonly as the Underdark, it hosts not only strange and exotic flora and fauna, but also hides access ways for goblinoids and hidden populations such as the shadowy Order of the Ebon Hand.
The Kingdom is ruled by King Malcador, known as the Brazen Hawk. He is a martial leader, a devotee to the arts of magic and the forge together. He rules the Kingdom as a near-absolute monarch, but spends most of his time on military matters, foreign affairs and statecraft, and maintaining the dominance of the Great Arsenal which produces high quality, elven-made magical items that rival the Arcanum and the Church of the Divine King in the Free Realms and beyond. This is a source of some friction with the great guild of wizards, but so far it has been managed.
Structure
The Kingdom of Othune is a realm ruled by a long-standing half-elven dynastic house. The current King is Malcador the Brazen Hawk, a relatively young monarch at the head of a highly-organized and militarized nobility. The king rules in such a way that it approaches absolutism, a trait morelike the high elves to the south than the more egalitarian wood elves of their heritage. He delegates much of his authority in domestic matters to his Royal Secretary and a Clerk of Numbers. Malcador takes a much more active role in foreign affairs, military planning, command of deployed forces, and the general affairs of the Great Arsenal.
Lower levels of governance are entrusted to nobles of various titles who perform services for a portion of the tax and other levies collected by the Throne. These aristocrats are almost entirely half-elven, though there are two prominent elven nobles and one notorious human family operating amongst the fourteen others. Save the elven and human Houses, the rest of the nobles descend from the original Torchbearers who manned the border citadels throughout the ages. Rewarded for their valour and reliability, these Houses now control productive lands and lead hundreds into thousands of Royal subjects who work the land, participate in trade or commerce, or perform other duties on behalf of the Throne.
Culture
The Kingdom of Othune is a realm of half-elves, who exist as their own distinct culture that is neither fully elven nor fully human. Embracing that distinction, Othunites tend toward vigourous participation in what have become historic and local cultural practices that differ greatly from their full-blooded neighbours.
Much culture is informed by religious belief, and Othune is no different. Though they cleave to the Old Faith and its holistic approach to life in Creation, they also embrace the Sages in a way that diverges greatly from the elven interpretation of Yhera's Pantheon despite their central role in the ascension of the Divine King. The official stance of the Throne is that worship of the Divine King and/or participation in the Imperial Cult is permitted, but those who do not also venerate and make sacrifice to Yhera's Pantheon must pay a tax to cover the annual cost of sacrifice and prayer made in their name by designated Priestesses and Priests.
Othunites are deeply interested in performing arts and music performed for larger groups of people. Rather than the private salons and intimate performances in small venues favoured by the high elves of the southern regions, the half-elves enjoy a common experience shared by dozens to hundreds of individuals in purpose-built theatre houses or concert venues. Generally speaking, Othunites tend to be less enthusiastic for the written word. Whether it be poetry, prose, history, news or fiction, these aren't particularly popular as they might be in the island subcontinent of Guelphia or the Dwarven Commonwealth.
Assets
The Great Arsenal
To be determined...
History
The Great Arsenal, the lands and waters that supply the finest elven quality arms and armour has a storied history. Othune was once a shining outpost realm ruled by High Elves who created fine arms and armour to go with their devoted warriors guarding the passes to the north. Traditionally, it fell to them to ensure that the threats from the north and northwest did not penetrate into the heartlands of the ancient and prosperous elven realms. In the deep past, Othune and its current northwestern neighbour Okar were united as one realm. This all changed after the rise of Nymarga the Worm King, where he marched upon it from the vulnerable south and torn its rulers apart. The only remnants were the bastards who took an oath to keep to their bastions on the borders of orcish and goblinoid territories to spare the lives of the northwestern province, now called Okar after the largest of these citadels.
Like the rest of the elven and human-blooded realms during the time of the Worm, Othune was slowly bled of its shining souls -- its lands bearing the same scars of mutilation that became evident on the faces and bodies of its former masters. The High Elven Princes were slowly tortured in annual rituals, and over the years, they became twisted and horribly scarred. In the name of the Worm King, their bodies became the scrolls upon which the most profane words were written, and their presence became a corrupting influence upon the very lands itself. The High Elves of Othune slowly fell apart, bringing much of their beloved realm with them.
Too many years past, and the lands of Othune were mostly-occupied by humanity at this point. They scratched out a living on blighted lands, forbidden to enter the still-shining cities built by their former masters. Twice annually, they paid horrifying tribute to a corrupted lieutenant of the Worm, the fleshcrafter Endrek Sahr, but it resulted in a sort of life, if only barely above that of survival. It was only after the great rebellion and ultimate destruction of the Worm King's Empire that Othune found itself in a position to free itself. The half-elven protectors of the bastions, now free from their oath to the worm, sallied forth from their citadels to cleanse the realm of its corrupted influences. The hated Endrek Sahr fled with the bulk of his retinue and knowledge, leaving behind vast networks of his hellish creations throughout the realm in the hidden places.
Now known as the The Torchbearers, the half-elven guardians finally cleansed the lands of the deepest and widest evils. From there, they were able to reestablish order and begin governance for the betterment of the lands and its people. The northwestern province, now known as Okar, was secured first and used as a base of operations to liberate and cleanse the rest of greater Othune. The Torchbearers were ultimately successful after incorporating more human members into their order, the vile creations of Sahr were difficult to locate, but most were seemingly cleansed from the darker corners of the realm.
It was centuries later, during the rise of the dwarven God-Emperor, that the realm of Othune became a cohesive realm with a stable government and economy. Despite misgivings about the dwarven method of order and peace through conquest, the half-elven leaders came to appreciate Anadar Yhenné (high elven for 'Heaven-Blessed Warlord' which was their moniker for the dwarven God-Emperor) as a necessary influence upon the Lands of the Blood. Othune became an early ally of Victor Magnus, and their relations served as the basis for the creation of the rules for the effective autonomy of the Shield Lands realms.
During this time of peace and alliance with the imperial dwarves, Othune transformed from a crippled land and a downtrodden people into a disciplined and focused realm led by a highly-militarized and near-absolute monarchy. During this period of consolidation, the Torchbearers found their original homeland, Okar, torn asunder by the formerly hidden remnants of Endrek Sahr's influence, an enigmatic group calling themselves The Order of the Ebon Hand. In the once-proud realm of Okar, all but the City of Okar was lost, and a figure referred to only as the Ebon Praetor left behind a curse upon the lands: “The realm divided, must unite; and once united, must divide. Return the Throne of Okar, abandon the unity once held so dear. Heed this call, lest the Tree bloom once more to sing the Hymm of the Worm.”
The King of Othune took this warning to heart, and upon the advice of one of his twin sons, reestablished the realm of Okar, having a throne carved from near-black basalt veined with gold. The King has yet to have the throne sent to Okar’s sole remaining citadel, understanding that it must be established soon as there are increasingly-frequent signs that the Ebon Hand is much more of an immediate threat than previously expected.
"Sun and Moon, Star and Sky, May We Shield the Blood from Harm"
Founding Date
Pre-Dating the Wars of Nymarga
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Alternative Names
The Great Arsenal
Demonym
Othunite
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Official State Religion
Location
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
Comments