Karrnath

Government

King Kaius III rules the nation of Karrnath. The great-grandson of Kaius I, son of Jarot and first king of Karrnath after the collapse of Galifar, Kaius III has held the crown for less than a decade. He ascended the throne upon his twentieth birthday, taking over from his aunt, the regent Moranna, who had been ruling since the unexpected death of his father, King Jaron, shortly after Kaius III was born.
The royal family has weathered a number of setbacks and threats to the crown over the years, always coming through with the support and confidence of most of the nobles and vassal lords. As for the people of Karrnath, they might not have loved all of their rulers, but they always feared and respected them. A fierce patriotism, flamed by slogans and a constant call to arms, kept the people focused on winning the war despite the hardships and suffering they had to endure.
The royal family of Kaius ir’Wynarn rules Karrnath. The blood of Kaius I flows through a powerful extended family that oversees all government and military functions. The next tier in status, the nobles, have become warlords over the course of the last century, serving the crown as generals and admirals, as well as overseeing the land their titles grant them. Since the time of Kaius II, the warlords have been kept in line through harsh treatment and the use of force. The new king, Kaius III, has begun to make overtures to change this practice, though he has shown a remarkable ability to perform whatever action is necessary to maintain control and keep his plans on track.
Though Kaius III has shown some desire to transform his nation along more progressive lines, it remains a military dictatorship. Royal mayors govern towns and cities. Royal ministers oversee departments that handle all aspects of government and foreign affairs. Laws and regulations promote a society where might makes right, and while the Galifar Code of Justice provides the basis for civil rights in Karrnath, the Code of Kaius that developed from it is more rigid and less forgiving. Indeed, the nation has labored under martial law since the earliest days of the Last War.

Industry & Trade

Karrnath’s forests, especially the densely packed Karrnwood that covers the northern portion of the nation, provide some of the most notable exports sold throughout Khorvaire. Karrnathi pines produce valuable high quality timber used in every nation. The Karrns have also perfected the process of making paper, and Karrnathi paper draws a premium price throughout the continent. Their dairy farms provide milk, butter, and cheese for markets across Khorvaire with some of the more exotic cheeses selling for more than their weight in silver. Beef, pork, and poultry raised in Karrnath also rank among the best on the continent. House Ghallanda in particular prefers to serve Karrnathi beef and pork at its inns and fest halls. House Orien provides an invaluable service with its magically cooled caravan wagons and other methods for preserving food stocks during transport.
Another beloved Karrnathi creation, served in all Ghallanda hospitality enclaves, is Nightwood ale. Nightwood ale has a thick, full flavor to match its dark, robust body that glistens with thin streams of golden bubbles.
As in the other nations, the dragonmarked houses maintain emporiums and outposts throughout Karrnath in order to conduct business. Two houses run their vast enterprises from within Karrnath’s borders. House Jorasco’s Healers Guild headquarters occupies a massive complex in Vedykar, where it also operates a training institute for the healing arts. House Deneith makes its headquarters in Karrlakton, where the Sentinel Tower rises high above the rest of the city.

Guilds and Factions

The Royal Family: Karrnath’s royal family consists of King Kaius III, his wife Etrigani, the king’s younger brother and sister, and assorted uncles, aunts, and cousins. Kaius retains the services of his aunt, the Regent Moranna, as his chief advisor and minister of internal affairs.
Queen Etrigani met Kaius when she appeared before his court on behalf of the government of Aerenal during a diplomatic tour of the Five Nations. An intense courtship followed, and the two were married in 993 YK, on the second anniversary of Kaius’s ascension to the throne. The queen has taken an active interest in the affairs of her adopted nation, and Kaius regularly sends her as an emissary to foreign courts.
Moranna continues to serve as regent of Karrnath, a post that has been transformed from a stewardship to an advisory position. She never ventures far from the court or from Kaius’s side, except when he sends her out in his name to handle crises near and far. Moranna, a large, strong woman, has a commanding manner and a no-nonsense approach that leaves most of her underlings shaking in her wake.
Kaius has recently sent his brother Gaius to Thrane and his sister Haydith to Breland as part of the current exchange of relatives among the ruling families. He would prefer to have his younger siblings close so he can oversee their training, but improving relations with the other remnants of Galifar is too important for Kaius to refuse to participate.
Nobles and Vassal Lords: The nobles granted land and title by the crown of Karrnath function as warlords for the highly militaristic nation. From their fortress-towns, called raths, the warlords protect their holdings and gather their legions until the king calls for their services. While most nobles are born into their status, lordships have been given to soldiers who have performed great acts of heroism that earn the King's praise. Only a handful of soldiers have received this honor during the Last War but the ones who did are still legendary figures today: The Shield of Korth, the Ebony Knight, and the Crimson Rider are such figures.
House Deneith: From high within the Sentinel Tower in Karrlakton, the patriarch of House Deneith and other family leaders conduct the business of defense and protection. Breven d’Deneith controls the family with an iron fist. Despite the family’s strong ties to Karrnath, Breven demands that all members of his house maintain an attitude of neutrality and fairness to all nations and institutions. Breven’s Defenders Guild operates out of the house enclave, as do the offices of the Sentinel Marshals. In the early years of the kingdom of Galifar, the Sentinel Marshals were granted the right to enforce laws and bring fugitives to justice throughout the land. When the kingdom shattered, Deneith’s Sentinel Marshals retained their role as law officers with the added ability to cross borders in pursuit of justice. Today, all the nations that signed the Treaty of Thronehold have agreed to allow Deneith to continue in this role as international police officers. The marshals all return to the Sentinel Tower as time and circumstance permit to report on their activities and receive updated instructions.
House Jorasco: The matriarch of House Jorasco, Ulara d’Jorasco, maintains a healing enclave in the city of Vedykar. Almost a city unto itself within greater Vedykar, the Healers Guild enclave is a huge complex from which the house conducts business across Khorvaire. The complex also contains healing facilities, a training hospital, a spa for long-term convalescence, and an asylum for those the healers can’t cure of madness and other mental maladies. Ulara rarely travels far from the enclave, leaving the business of managing distant healing centers to younger members of the family.
The Blood of Vol: A religion dedicated to the preservation of life at all costs (specifically through necromancy) the Blood of Vol has had a foothold in Karrnath since the time of Kaius I. Although the king was eventually able to break the cult’s hold on his government, the Blood of Vol continues to operate in the nation’s secret places, watching for opportunities to expand its influence and for ways to once again insinuate itself into the kingdom’s halls of power. The high priest of the cult in Karrnath is Malevanor, who oversees the rites and rituals of blood within the Crimson Monastery, the largest temple dedicated to the Blood of Vol in the nation. The Crimson Monastery commands a prime piece of real estate in Atur, the City of Night. Though the cult doesn’t draw as many followers as it once did, and though many of its shrines and temples have been closed or forced into hiding, the Crimson Monastery remains active and open to the current day. Malevanor’s adepts and other cult members have hooks throughout the kingdom, secretly manipulating events from the deep shadows while presenting a humble countenance from their open temple.
The Order of the Emerald Claw Once, this knightly order served the king of Karrnath faithfully. Now the order has been outlawed and the government has denounced its activities. Still, the Order of the Emerald Claw continues to operate, following the agenda set forth for it by its secret master, the lich Vol. When the order served the king, it provided security, elite agents, and unswerving shock troops that were a step or two better than the average Karrnathi soldier. As long as the king’s commands did not violate the will of the order’s secret master, the knights of the Emerald Claw appeared to be unquestionably loyal to the king and fanatically dedicated to crown and nation.
When Kaius I learned the truth of their allegiance and how he had been used, he started the process of disbanding and disenfranchising the order. This was not accomplished until the reign of Regent Moranna, when the order was driven underground. Now the Emerald Claw operates as a vast underground network and terrorist group, proclaiming itself to be working to return Karrnath to greatness. In truth, the order is just another elaborate plot and powerful tool in the service of Vol, the lich lord of the Blood of Vol cult. Much larger and more active in Khorvaire’s current events than anyone is aware of, the Order of the Emerald Claw is a powerful army ready to serve the will of Vol. The true nature of the order remains a closely guarded secret, and any who discover its connection to the Blood of Vol quickly become sacrifices for the blood ceremonies.

History

Pre-Galifar: Karrnath was one of the first human established nations on the soil of Khorvaire, founded by Karrn the Conqueror in -1002 YK. Karrn unsuccessfully attempted at the time to unite all of the five settlements of Khorvaire beneath him, but his power was not yet strong enough. 957 years later in -45 YK Galifar I was born in Karrnath. 21 years later Galifar assumed leadership of Karrnath. Ten years into his reign he resumed the campaign that Karrn the Conqueror abandoned nearly a millennium before, the unification of the five settlements of Khorvaire. Galifar accomplished this feat after fourteen long years of struggle. His grandson, King Galifar ir'Wynarn II, "the Dark", later institued a new calendar starting at the very year that Galifar I united the Five Nations.
Under Galifar: Karrnath always held a special place under Galifar I. In the first year of his reign, Galifar I assigned each of the Five Nations to one of his children to oversee as Governor-prince/princess. To Karrn, his eldest son, he gave the appropriately-named territory of Karrnath. However, by the time he finally abdicated his throne at the age of 85, several of his older children had already died and it was his youngest son, Cyre, who would succeed him as the second King of Galifar.
The Last War: King Jarot's son Kaius I was one of those opposed to handing the crown to Mishann of Cyre. This, of course, was the spark that ignited the Last War and Karrnath suffered some of the heaviest casualties of the war. However, three generations later it was Kaius III who ascended to power over Karrnath in 991 YK and who was the biggest proponent of peace. It was he who established that peace talks should commence in Thronehold and though the destruction of Cyre in the Day of Mourning in 994 YK is often seen as being the primary reason to end of the conflict, there is no doubt that it was through King Kaius III's establishing of an environment where compromise could be reached that the peace talks actually began.

Geography

Lying in the northeast of Khorvaire, the nation of Karrnath stretches from Scions Sound in the west to the Ironroot Mountains in the east, and from Karrn Bay in the north to its tenuous border with the Talenta Plains to the south. It is a nation of equal parts open fields and dense forests with House Orien traderoads and lightning rail tracks providing ample travel considerations.

Type

National Territory

Population

2,500,000 (52% humans, 18% dwarves, 10% halflings, 8% half-elves, 8% elves, 4% other)

Owner/Ruler

Kaius ir'Wynarn III