Domain of the Meteor King
Far on the north-easternmost shores of Erandor, beyond the Defender's Range, beyond the Iskar River, rise the great cliffs of the Wolfs Head Peninsula. There, above those step inclines lies the great Kingdom of the Stars, known to most as the Domain of the Meteor King. Theirs is a kingdom ruled by a dynasty of sorcerer kings granted their right of rule by the blessings of the Dragon's Head Meteorite, a mysterious heavenly body that rests underneath their great castle within the Imperial City.
Culture
Over many hundreds of years the native human and goblin populations have closed ranks and developed something of a mutual understanding of each other that is unique compared to the rest of the world. With such limited space and resources, both sides once fought each other for supremacy but an alliance between a prominent human and hobgoblin family spurred by the arrival of the Dragon's Head Meteorite prompted a great change across the land.
Soon
Public Agenda
The Domain is primarily concerned with rooting out the demonic and malevolent fey influences in their lands to ensure the safety and prosperity of their people. With fiendish incursions usually coming from The Corpse Grove, the Domain makes military service a requirement for a minimum two years, but offering a wider selection of positions due to this strict conscription.
History
Long ago, many disparate tribes lived in the reaches of the land known by outsiders as the Domain. These tribes of humans, goblinoids, and fey warred with each other constantly. Ogres, and goblins snatched up children and women from fey and humans alike. The men with metal fought back, and many of the fey were caught in the crossfire, burned from the iron of man and scarred from the claws of superstitious goblins. Resentment all around, the billowing miasma from their conflict drifted west with the wind, down the cliff-side and settled into the nearby forest where bitterness and hate grew together with the land. The ivy choked what it could reach. Only the most selfish trees grew to reach the canopy, greedily blocking what little light that shone through the clouds at these high latitudes. The animals changed and grew cruel, hunting for sport not for survival. A sick new gleam in their eyes.
Slowly, like creeping wisteria did demons and evil spirits come out of the forest in all directions. Attracted to the source of delicious hatred, they came into the villages of men under cover of darkness. Entire households would disappear in the night leaving only a red, streaking trail where once fingertips clawed for sanctuary, only to be discovered by a terrified neighbor the next morning. Some houses would even be marked with the symbol of a prominent demon in the blood of their once residents, and soon entire areas become the territories of powerful demons.
The goblinfolk fared little better as they were prime ambush targets for the demons to pounce upon since they rarely ran. The vile creatures wagered on goblin stubbornness and bravado to keep them in battle where they would be churned like fresh meat for the evening meal. The fey of the region could sense the fetid miasma of the demons as they ran through the forests, and forded the streams, hid in the hills, valleys, and forests to escape them. For everywhere the horde went, everything they touched, nothing was safe from their rapacious appetite and their terrible influence.
In grave desperation to flee an imminent rampage of demons, a tribe of humans found themselves chased onto a field where they encountered not only the goblins, but the fey as well. A recent storm in the mountains caused the demons some confusion and a small window of opportunity presented itself. In their desperation the three Peoples decided to form a pact and fight the demons together or face annihilation. Almost as soon as the pact was struck, a great searing fireball fell from the heavens. Careening downward, shimmering with brilliant hues of whites, greens, blues, and reds as it struck the ground nearby. The force of the impact knocked the gathered folk to the ground and blew away the clouds for some distance.
Most of the people were terrified of this sudden cacophony, each certain that the falling star foretold of doom. Many of the goblins believed it to be the wrath of their ancestors for being so weak in the face of the demonic onslaught, and some of the humans did as well. Other humans and some fey believed it to be a symbol from the guardian gods of the land, but did not approach for fear of reprisal. Still, one member of each species went to inspect the stone: a young man, a hobgoblin warrior, and a fey woman of mysterious origin. Together each received gifts from the stone, bestowing great power in each of them. They were set upon by demons soon thereafter, but defeated them with their newfound strength and routed their forces when they rejoined with their people. After this great victory the pact continued to evolve as the Humans began building their settlements and the goblins aided them. The Fey, however, decided to return to their forests as many of their kin had been corrupted by the demonic influences and had to be destroyed.
This was many, many years ago and the pact is not what once it was. Goblinoids and their kin are treated with unfortunate contempt by their human counterparts, though some have found solace in the military. The fey have since splintered into factions in attempts to police their territory, fighting their corrupted kin. The demons continue to threaten these noble lands, but the majority of their forces are focused on the Demon Gate, though there are always fears that one or two may slip through and ferry their dark brethren through the border by other sinister means. Perhaps one day the pact will be invoked anew, though most who live in the Domain of the Meteor King know that the situation will likely be dire if it is ever enacted again.
Demography and Population
Humans are the most populous denizens of the Domain, though goblinoids, giants, elves, and fey are also very numerous in decreasing numbers according to the order presented.
Humans number somewhere in the hundred thousands with goblinoids following at half the number. Those of fey ancestry, including elves, follow very closely behind goblinoids, though each distinctive member of both races breaks down even further. The giants are the least numerous of the races, but nearly all of their subspecies are present in this land, making it a very unusual place for that reason alone.
Foreign Relations
Many Iskarans blame those in the Domain for the current state of The Corpse Grove and as such harbor some animosity towards them, baring them from venturing westward through the their territories or the Defender's Mountain range at the mountain pass. Occasional clashes in recent history have done little to improve this relationship.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
Kingdom of the Stars, Kanmuri. The Domain
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
Kanmurians,
Leader
Leader Title
Family Leader
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Magocracy
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Palace economy
Judicial Body
The Celestial Tribunal performs the majority of the judicial responsibilities for the Domain. Though, on certain extremely weighty occasions, the reigning Meteor King/Queen will be added to a panel of two other judges to aid in securing a tie breaking vote. However, due to the monarch's many responsibilities, this is exceedingly rare; sometimes never occurring during a given monarch's reign.
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Comments