Nova Brigodia
Towards the end of the Age of Heroes, the expansive Imperium of Bengion had heard through their scouts and emissaries of an unsettled land on the far coastline of Mana Jalqabaa. Seeking to have a firm beachhead to attack Osirion and exploit the Hyksos, the senate under Empress Astoria III commissioned the establishment of an imperial colony. Originally that colony was limited solely to Bartsama, but as its population grew the colonists expanded eastward. It was there that they built the Great Imperial Highway, extending north into the Hyksos and even to Osirion. This road system, perhaps the last great work of engineering by the Imperium in the Age of Heroes, remains to this day, along with forts and towers to protect against banditry. It was during the building of this road that the people of Bartsama first came into contact with the Mages of Sosso and Eketo.
Realizing that conflict with the decadent city states were inevitable, Bartsama sent to the Imperium for reinforcements. Duke Brigodia of Casimir responded to the petition, in defiance of imperial orders. He arrived with his entire court, but no army. The Knights of House Brigodia would instead recruit locally, bringing in Elves, Goblins, and other humanoids native to the territory and training them in Imperial fighting tactics. Within a generation, the nation of Nova Brigodia would be independently established from Bartsama, and by extension the Imperium of Bengion. No forces were sent to put down this treason, but Duke Brigodia II was stripped of all titles. The nation's stated intention was to provide defense for itself and Bartsama against the warring magisters. The Knights of Nova Brigodia fought for a time against mad mages; evacuating towns, aiding slave revolts and protecting the innocent. They soon were joined by unlikely allies. The Hobgoblins of Sihir, fresh off of their victory in the Blackfire Rebellion, were eager to align with the martial knights against the encroaching calamity which was the Fifth Apocalypse.
In the aftermath of the Matanga’s destruction, it became clear that the Eldritch Horrors unleashed upon the region were still very much active. Allying with the sorcerers of Sihir, the Knights of Brigodia fought their way towards an ancient leyline convergence in the epicenter of the war torn nation. The Great March of the Comet proved successful, the bonding of Sihirian Sorcerers to the Order of the Comet allowed for the swift destruction of the horrors near the leyline epicenter. There Duke Brigodia IV and the Sorcerer Karavax performed a terrible ritual, and initiating the Temporal Binding, holding the Eldritch Scar in the state it remains to this day. The details of this ritual are only every known to the Knight Commander and their immediate successor, and considered the nation's greatest secret.
The Centuries have not been kind to the Knights of Nova Brigodia. Their mission is now less certain than it was. As refugees slowed, as Osirion fell and Zir emerged, as the long watch drew on and on, the Knights of Nova Brigodia became more insular.
Cities have expanded out from Westgate in a feudal fashion, with a Duke ruling from WestGate directly. Nearby towns and villages are run by Barons, many of whom double as Knights in a specific order. The gradual shift in focus from defense to local expansion has caused knightly orders to lose focus. Accusations of corruption have become more common, the rate of new inductees into the order has slowed, even as Nova Brigodia has become more prosperous.
The modern degradation of the Order began with the Order of the Comet's defection close to 90 years ago. The Order of the Comet relocated to Sihir en masse, to follow their bonded mages, explaining that work was needed in Sihir and that Nova Brigodia was no longer a concern with the relaxing of its borders. This defection, while controversial, was only the precursor of greater problems. The Silence hit Nova Brigodia hard. Allied Celestials and Psychopomps and Aeons were now without their masters. Many withdrew, while others fled into the scar, and some were even killed by their own clergy. Divine magic in Nova Brigodia has begun to wane. The madness within Pharasmas psychopomps specifically caused the leadership of the Order of the Shroud to fracture on what to do.
Some of the commanders of the knightly orders began trying to find a way around the Silence, around the failing of the wards, shifts in the flow of time, the loss of the Order of the Comet. In their desperation some of the Order's knights fell into darker practices as they attempted to decipher what they had once safeguarded. This turn inward, this laxness in the face of duty caused many to falter. Ascending to their position six years ago, the Elven Knight Commander Morenial I, inherited an order on the brink of collapse. At their crowning ceremony, many of the Order of Shroud simply laid down their swords and left.
Seeing the failure of Morenial I as Knight Commander, some of the lesser squires and greedy knights took their opportunity and seized the Red Fortress. These petty bandit lords abandoned their knightly oaths and instead declared themselves the Order of the Clenched Fist. The Orders might have survived this action and retaliated against the fist, if it were not for the greater rot within their midst. A year into Knight Commander Morenial I reign, just five years ago, Knight Commander Morenial I was assassinated. They and their successor, and 80 other knights were slaughtered when the great Citadel of WestGate was destroyed. Who destroyed the Citadel is unknown, but their method was clear as day. The ancient monoliths outside of WestGate were reactivated, and an eldritch assault that began centuries ago was finally completed. Only the leaders of the knightly orders knew the monolith's secrets. At least one of the Knightly Orders has betrayed their oaths.
Civil war has raged within Nova Brigodia for the last 5 years. While the knights parrot vows to protect the civilized world from the horrors of the Eldritch Scar, few can tell which knights can be trusted and which cannot. Questions whisper in every city from Bartsama to Astoria. If the Knights of Nova Brigodia will not keep their oaths, who will?
Structure
A person may become a Knight of Nova Brigodia by apprenticing with an existing knight. The majority of the land of Nova Brigodia is feudal, with serfs serving local knights or lords as retainers. An individual knight may have a bonded mage, several squires, and plots of farmed land. The knights come from the descendants of refugees who settled in the area, or from the ranks of repentant criminals seeking to avoid a death sentence. These low templar's are considered a lesser stalk then the normal knights, and several barons do not wish them to serve at all. While it is not uncommon for foreigners to join the knights, the rate of growth from these individuals has trickled to only a few a year.
Farmland in Nova Brigodia is an awkward affair, with the Scars influence tainting large sections of usable land, and rocky terrain limiting space. Indeed this lack of farmland has limited the growth of the knightly order. The areas that are fertile though grow in abundance and have made their owners extremely wealthy, to the point where many feel no need to fight.
The largest city in Nova Brigodia by far is WestGate. All other settlements could barely qualify as small towns. WestGate is a vast fortress built at the imperium's height. Outside of WestGate is the frozen-in-time corpse of an Eldritch Horror, dead but not decomposing. A number of red monoliths also surround the countryside, the remains of a failed siege attempt which sought to send incredible entities through the pillars of red stone. Nova Brigodias only real export is incense and perfume, as they wish to cover the smell of the abomination outside their capital.
Demography and Population
The majority of the original colonists of Nova Brigodia have long since settled and ingratiated themselves with the native population. Few in Nova Brigodia swear fealty to Bengion, much less remember living there. In addition to the human population, elves, goblins, firbolg, halflings, tabaxi, gnolls, and anadi make up the core demographics of the population. Planar scions are far more common here than in other areas due to the influence of the Eldritch Scar, as are elemental genasi. While humans make up a plurality of the population, no one group has a clear majority. There is not a dominant ethnicity amongst humans, with Bekyar, Mauxi, and Zenj being the largest representative populations.
The population is largely dispersed over farmland, with Astoria, WestGate, and SouthGate being the only major population centers.
Territories
Astoria: A small but important mining center, virtually all of Nova Brigodia's metal comes from Astoria now in the grip of chaos. Baron Adegoke has been placed under house arrest recently by the Order of the Vigilant Eye, who have taken the town as their temporary headquarters. While mining operations continue uninterrupted, a number of shipments have been seized by the Order of the Vigilant Eye for reasons unknown. Even before the civil war Astoria has problems, with flora encroaching from Aouzine and underground rivers flooding the town being chief among them.
Krimbala: The Priory of Krimbala is home to the Red Order, a holy circle of Sarenrae dedicated to defeating dark enemies that others cannot. Since the start of the civil war the Red Order has closed its doors and refused to open them, even to the screams of SouthGate's nearby refugees.Whether or not the knights are dead or simply indifferent is unknown.
The Passage at WestGate: The passage is the most well known route into the Eldritch Scar. It is a man-made tunnel that exists into a no man's land between Aouzine and Sosso. Once the passage was staffed by hundreds of Knights of the Eastern Star, but with the chaos affecting Nova Brigodia, no more than a half dozen patrol the miles of mountainous terrain and tunnels that separate the civilized world from hell.
Polok: This tiny hamlet is the domain of Baroness Temitope, whose family runs the town's inn, its general store, and virtually all commerce. There are rumors that Baroness Temitope, a former member of the Order of the Eastern Star ascended to her position by murdering the previous Baron, but in the midst of the civil war, few have the means to truly investigate.
Pruit: A small farming community ruled by Baron Omolara, a former Knight of the Monument. Pruit is known as a favored destination for hunters in the Waysira Wood, but is otherwise unremarkable to outsiders.
The Red Fortress: Seized by the Order of the Clenched Fist near the start of the war, Bandit Knight Commander Matragos I spends much of their time raiding the countryside and trade shipments from Bartsama and Sihir. While he does not risk attacking organized settlements directly, his raids have already enriched his countrymen far more than their wildest dreams. Some wish to flee with their spoils into the Eldritch Scar, a move which Matragos I himself considers suicidal.
SouthGate: SouthGate was the last great town before entering into Voel's territory. Built with high walls in the event of invasion, its soldiers have been reprimanded by Voel many times for invading their sovereign territory. Perhaps this hostility is now why Voel stands by and does nothing as SouthGate faces invasion. The source of this disaster comes not from any foreign army, but their own. The Order of the Grave has ordered the dead to rise in SouthGate, and their undead army now clashes with those remaining in the city. What the Order of the Grave seeks is unclear, but SouthGate will not last long without outside intervention. Petitions have been sent to Voel and Krimbala for aid, but without reply.
The Third Tower: Home to the Order of the Seekers. Within are said to be the lost relics and artifacts recovered from the Eldritch Scar on numerous expeditions westward. The leader of the Seekers has gone eastward into the Eldritch Scar, leaving behind a fortress locked off from any outsiders under penalty of death, and a small army to enforce that edict.
The Vibrant Citadel: Home to the Vibrant Order, these followers of Shelyn spend much of their time patrolling the old imperial road into Qut Hyksos. Their order has been less affected by the civil war than most, as the bulk of their order is not present within the citadel, with many serving outside of Nova Brigodia for years at a time. Some do not even know that a crisis is occurring at all. While the commander of the citadel has proclaimed that all knights are to return home, not enough squires exist to deliver missives to far off settlements, making communication difficult and their call to action slow.
Wane: This small village exists on the edge of civilized territory and was founded by a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Baron Folami with his own funding. The reasons why anyone would build a village so close to the Star Seed's influence deeply concerned Knight Commander Morenial I, but their death prevented any action that could have been taken against Folami.
WestGate: The capital of Nova Brigodia refers to both a city and a great Citadel that served as the headquarters for The Order of the Monument, The Order of the Shroud, The Order of the Eastern Star, and The Order of the Vigilant Eye. The Citadel now lies in ruins, having been destroyed by the reactivation of strange eldritch monuments that once threatened the city during the final days of the great magister wars. Within its ruins now are little more than charred remains and broken stones. The City of WestGate still stands however, ruled by Duke Brigodia XXIII. Westgate remains an important trade hub between Bartsama and Sihir and the seat of all political power in the region. However, without a Knight Commander, Duke Brigodia is politically crippled, with little power to do anything, and a prisoner in his own city.
Military
Military
Today the knights' ranks come from native Nova Brigodians, or the occasional upstart from Sihir or Bartsama wishing for a life of adventure. Those facing a criminal sentence are also allowed to join an order, though full knighthood only comes with penance. The majority of Knights serve a local lord, with a few serving out of specific forts across the region.
The Knightly Orders:
The Order of the Black Star: Perhaps the Eldritch Gods presence was within WestGate all along. This order was founded in the wake of the Citadel’s destruction, with the expressed purpose of serving one of the unknowable beings trapped within the Eldritch Scar. They exist silently within other order's ranks, tempting knights to blasphemy as they await the glorious ending of the binding and their true lord's return.
The Order of the Clenched Fist: Little more than well equipped bandits, they operate out of the Red Fortress and raid upon trade shipments from Bartsama to Sihir. Strangely, their numbers are growing, not diminishing, as many fighters from other orders continue to abandon their ideals in pursuit of worldly profit.
The Order of the Comet: Created from the original imperial Order of the Staff, this Order's purpose is to protect the Mages of Sihir. It is customary for a battlemage to be bonded magically with a knight or squire of this order in a ceremony occurring at the Oathwood. Since the time of the Silence this order has been headquartered out of Sihir, causing massive fractures within the rest of the Nova Brigodian Orders.
The Order of the Eastern Star: Created to combat the horrors of the Eldritch Scar, this Order has by far the most experience travelling into the nightmarish land. For safety, this Order limits their tours to just three weeks at a time to preserve their sanity. With the downfall of WestGate's Citadel, this order has become the most suspect. Many of the agents of the Order of the Black Star are within their midst, and few knights trust each other enough to rest together, much less fight together.
The Order of the Grave: A splinter group that was originally known as the Order of the Shroud. In the absence of Pharasma, this order has used profane methods in an attempt to contact their Goddess through the veil of death. Those few remaining members of the Order of the Shroud insist that something answered their prayers. Something old, and listening, and as far from Pharasma as can be imagined. Many have turned to undisguised blasphemy, utilizing the dead for a new and unholy purpose.
The Order of the Monument: Created from the original imperial Order of the Lion, this Order's purpose is to protect Nova Brigodia, defend the weak, and save the helpless. Today they act as guards and policemen for the lords of Nova Brigodia. They represent the largest order in Nova Brigodia, and the most affected by the civil war. In the absence of Knight Commander Morenial I, many have turned to protecting their local lords and villages. This in turn has led to conflict as the lords of Nova Brigodia vie for power and control in the power vacuum left by the Citadel’s destruction.
The Red Order: This knightly Order is dedicated to Sarenraes warrior aspect. Few in number, this order exists to eliminate threats discovered within the Eldritch Scar whom the Knights of the Eastern Star cannot eliminate. They spend most of their existence in the Priory of Krimbala. The priory only allows members or initiates within, and no other communication is permitted. Initiates who fail their knightly proving are allowed to serve on the priories grounds, but may not leave, nor can they speak of what they have seen. The Knights have similarly taken a vow of secrecy as to what lies within Krimbala, and even with the civil war they have not emerged to end the conflict.
The Order of the Seekers: The most knowledgeable of the knightly Orders, the Order of the Seekers was founded in Bengion on behalf of the Empress herself, and tasked with finding a great and lost artifact. While that original mission has supposedly been abandoned in the modern day, the Seekers still traverse the Eldritch Scar to collect and catalog strange relics to keep them safe within their vault at the Third Tower. With the Civil War raging, many of this order have gone into the Eldritch Scar, Including their Knight Commander Asako. Their destination and mission are unknown, and those who have been sent to receive answers have not returned from the Third Tower.
The Vibrant Order: Created in the image of their patron goddess Shelyn, these knights are dedicated to patrolling the northern roads and aiding those they find upon them, bringing in refugees to the safety of Nova Brigodia and improving the land where they find it. They essentially act as Nova Brigodia's foreign legion in other territories as far north as Zir. Of all the Knightly Orders they have stayed the most true. This is a double edged sword however, as they are also the least informed and the most physically divided, with some outposts not even aware of the Citadel’s destruction.
The Order of the Vigilant Eye: This Knightly Order was founded to inspect and serve where normal knights could not. They wear no armor, carry no shields, instead they work with merchants, farmers, bankers, people of every profession in plain sight. They serve to seek out signs of corruption internally and report them to the Order of the Monument. However with Nova Brigodia's civil war, who they are supposed to report to is an open question. What's worse, many of their Order have simply stopped reporting at all. They now serve as a secret society with no masters, no oversight, and a liberal definition of the truth.
Religion
Prime deities in Nova Brigodia are Shelyn, Iomadae, Pharasma, Sarenrae, Adanye, Mazludeh, and recently Gorum.
Divine magic is used frequently to keep the waters of Nova Brigodia clean of the taint from the Scar, and to purify food for farmlands. While the Knightly Orders count Iomadae, Shelyn, Sarenrae, and Pharasma as their patrons, Adanye and Mazludeh are the chief deities of most of the population. The establishment of homes and civilization are these two deities primary concern and coincide well with the nation's growth.
The rise of Gorums influence stems from the nature of the civil war in Nova Brigodia. Gorum is said to bless both sides of the conflict and his agents are said to work in secret to flame the fires of conflict where there might otherwise be peace.
Many of the caverns in the Barsaman Hills or the Great Brigodian Wall are home to mystery cults. A large number of these are believed to serve Outer Gods from beyond Celasper, or perhaps even the Dominion of the Black.
Foreign Relations
Nova Brigodia possesses a common alliance with the city state of Bartsama through their shared origin. Bartsama provides needed trade and coastal access in exchange for overland trade, farming and protection. Some grumble that Nova Brigodia does too much for too little when it comes to their western allies, but their partnership holds strong enough for now.
Sihir and Nova Brigodia possess a military alliance, though it is clear to all parties that Sihir remains the senior partner. With the Order of the Comet now centered in Sihir's capital, a large portion of Nova Brigodias military answers foreign commands over domestic ones. There are some in Sihir who speculate with the current civil war that the Goblin Magocracy should simply absorb the entirety of the nation to restore order. Those voices have not been quieted.
Voel and Nova Brigodia have frosty relations. Incidents involving the Knights clashing with Voels military existed long before the civil war, and the two powers have vastly different policies when it comes to the exploration of and defense against the Eldritch Scar. Many in Voel blame Nova Brigodia and Sihir for the creeping rot affecting their territory, and the civil war amongst Nova Brigodia's populace has only inflamed matters.
Laws
Laws outside of the Orders are managed by a feudal basis, with a Baron or Knightly Lord having full control over their populace. These lords in turn answer to the Duke of Westgate. While it is possible for a peasant to appeal directly to the Duke if their lord is mistreating them, examples of true justice are few and far between.
Amongst the Knightly Orders, Oaths are treated as sacrosanct, and many Knight Commanders have been removed after being shown to have broken an oath. Otherwise their structure is similar to any military command, with those of lesser rank obeying the orders of those of superior rank, and with laws dictated down from the Knight Commanders of the individual Orders.
Trade & Transport
The Great Brigodian Wall offers much in the mining of iron, for which Astoria has profited greatly. In addition to the metalworks, farming is Nova Brigodias chief export to both Sihir and Bartsama. The nature of agricultural production ensures that even warfare is a seasonal affair, as all combatants have no interest in disrupting the flow of foodstuffs.
Allied in Vigilance
Founding Date
3134
Capital
Alternative Names
Brigodia, Nova Bartsama
Training Level
Elite
Veterancy Level
Decorated/Honored
Demonym
Brigodian
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Gold Standard
Location
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