Karrnath

Of the Five Nations founded by the human settlers of Khorvaire, Karrnath has the strongest military tradition. Famous as the birthplace of Galifar himself, the great king who unified the Five Nations, the nation consists of lush forests, fertile plains, and extensive waterways flowing from snow-covered mountaintops to the sea. It is proud of its martial heritage and being the oldest of the Five Nations.

History

Of the Five Nations founded by the human settlers of Khorvaire, Karrnath has the strongest military tradition. Famous as the birthplace of Galifar himself, the great king who unified the Five Nations, the nation consists of lush forests, fertile plains, and extensive waterways flowing from snow-covered mountaintops to the sea. Once, the borders of Karrnath included most of the land east of Scions Sound, covering what is now the Mror Holds, the Talenta Plains, Q’barra, and the Lhazaar Principalities.

Today, the nation stretches from Scions Sound and the Cyre River on the west to the Ironroot Mountains in the east, and from Karrn Bay in the north to the start of the Talenta Plains in the south. The nation’s name has not changed since the ancient days before the founding of the Five Nations, when Karrn the Conqueror not only established the country that still bears his name but also tried to conquer and unite all of Khorvaire under his rule.

Centuries later it was another Karrn, one of King Galifar’s sons, who rededicated the nation to himself in 32 YK, the same year when the Five Nations officially adopted the names of Galifar’s five eldest children. During the reign of Jarot, Galifar’s last king, Kaius I governed the nation. Third born of King Jarot’s children, Kaius was a tall, whip-thin man with intense eyes and a sharp mind. With the death of his father, Kaius joined his siblings Thalin of Thrane and Wroann of Breland in rejecting their eldest sister Mishann’s claim to the throne. The Last War began as a two-sided affair—Cyre and Aundair on one side, attempting to uphold the tenets of Galifar succession; Breland, Thrane, and Karrnath on the other, rejecting the crowning of Mishann but unsure how they wanted the question of succession to be settled. It wasn’t long before each scion decided that he or she was meant to rule the kingdom, and the initial alliances collapsed in blood and fury.

Current Relations

The current ruler of Karrnath, King Kaius ir’Wynarn III, uncannily looks just like his great-grandfather, that scion of Jarot from whom his name derives. Kaius came to power in 991 YK and quickly became one of the most vocal proponents of peace in all the land. He was instrumental in convincing the other nations to attend peace talks at the ancient capital of Thronehold, and consequently was the first to sign the Treaty of Thronehold. Today, Karrnath works hard to keep the current peace from failing.

Without any children of his own as yet, Kaius has nonetheless exchanged his own brother and sister as well as the heirs of his most prominent nobles with the royal families of the other nations to assure cooperation and continued peace. He has taken in two of Boranel of Breland’s children, Halix and Borina, to help ensure a lasting peace and promote friendship between the two nations.

Karrnath seeks to improve relations with Aundair and Thrane, two of the nations it fought most fiercely during the war. It continues to have a good relationship with the Mror Holds, one of its most staunch allies throughout the war. In the south, to curb continued aggression from the Valenar elves, Karrnath has established a separate alliance with the halfling clans of the Talenta Plains. This alliance has allowed Karrnathi troops to set up forts in halfling territory for the mutual protection of both nations.

Life in Karrnath

Industry

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 timber that is sold in the distant markets of Lhazaar and Breland. The Karrns have also perfected the process of making paper, and Karrnathi paper draws a premium price throughout the continent.

Dairy farms throughout the nation provide milk, butter, and cheese to the markets in Korth and Atur, and some of the more exotic cheeses sell for more than their weight in silver in distant cities and towns. 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 Ghallanda hospitality enclaves from the Eldeen Reaches to the Lhazaar Principalities, is Nightwood ale. Nightwood ale has a thick, full flavor to match its dark, robust body that glistens with thin streams of golden bubbles. Barrels of Nightwood ale and wheels of Karrn bitter cheese command such a high price in foreign markets that an honor guard of Deneith sentinels usually accompanies and protects these shipments.

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.

The Karrnathi

An urban pulse beats through the heart of Karrnath’s metropolitan centers. Here, a vibrant middle class runs shops and other businesses, engages in industrial labor, and takes advantage of everything that the largest cities east of Scions Sound have to offer. Beyond the metropolitan centers, a rural sensibility holds sway. Here, farms and ranches of all descriptions stretch out across the fertile fields and plains. Even so, Karrnathi farms can’t produce enough food to feed the metropolitan centers of Korth, Karrlakton, Atur, Rekkenmark, and Vedykar, so the nation imports foodstuffs from Aundair and the Eldeen Reaches to supplement its needs. Agreements with the two western nations are relatively new, but they have already helped turn the tide of the food shortages that spread through the nation and caused the most recent famine of 996 YK.

A rich military heritage lies at the heart of Karrnathi society, and every able-bodied man and woman must serve time in either the Karrnathi army or navy. Many families have traditions of military service, with members turning mandatory enlistment into distinguished careers. Those wishing to forego the career path must still serve at least two years before returning to civilian life, and during some parts of the war, mandatory service lasted as long as eight years for some soldiers and sailors.

The dead have become an important part of Karrnathi society. Not the intelligent deathless of Aerenal, the undead of Karrnath consist mainly of zombies and skeletons that have been called forth to protect the nation. While some of the nobles and religious leaders objected to Kaius I’s plan to employ undead troops early in the Last War, the king ignored them and used his well-armed and armored zombies and skeletons to great advantage. Royal corpse collectors would scour battlefields to restock the undead forces, and even today they continue to build regiments of mindless undead in secret that can be mustered if needed. A few regiments of undead troops remain active, defending Karrnath’s borders and fighting against the Valenar elves out on the Talenta Plains.

Storms roll across Scions Sound all year long, and particularly cold blasts can sweep in from Karrn Bay without warning. This climate has made the Karrnathi a hearty and robust people—somewhat dour, but with strong constitutions and a regimented mind-set. When the winter nights grow dark and cold, the typical Karrnathi enjoys a blazing fire, a hank of meat, a tankard or two (or more) of rich ale, and a large chunk of cheese.

The Military Academy of Rekkenmark has trained Galifar officers for hundreds of years and continues to excel as the premier training facility in all of Khorvaire. Before the start of the Last War, nobles from each of the Five Nations sent their sons and daughters to Rekkenmark for at least part of their education. Karrnath hopes to once again welcome students from all over Khorvaire into the halls of Rekkenmark Academy, but in a war-weary world only a handful of students from outside the nation have so far applied for and been accepted into the facility since the war’s end.

Religion

The Sovereign Host holds sway over the majority of the nation, with most of its temples and churches dedicated to Boldrei, Dol Arrah, Dol Dorn, or Olladra. Because of the tensions between Karrnath and Thrane, the Church of the Silver Flame has only a token presence here, with small conclaves in Korth and Vedykar. A small but not insignificant part of the population still follows the teachings of the Blood of Vol, despite the crown’s official break with the cult. In the Crimson Monastery, located in the city of Atur, the cult continues to hold open ceremonies in honor of the power of blood and the mysteries of undeath. Note that most of the normal crafters and townsfolk who adhere to the tenets of the Blood of Vol don’t know about the lich at the cult’s head and aren’t evil. They simply believe in the notion of blood as the source of life and undeath as a path to divinity.

Major Settlements

Karrnath’s citizens congregate in the metropolitan centers that lie in the western part of the nation, with a much smaller population in the farmland to the east. Consequently, most of the major settlements have grown up west of the Ashen Spires Mountains. Some of the more prominent settlements are discussed below.

Korth

Capital City, population 850,500)

The city of Korth has served as Karrnath’s capital since before the days of the kingdom of Galifar. Some of its buildings date back to the earliest human settlements; many others were built during the great expansion that marked the middle period of Galifar I’s reign. The Korth skyline rises along the southern shore of the Karrn River, with the dense Nightwood to the east of the city gates. The high walls of Crownhome, the hereditary home of Karrnath’s royal family, rise atop King’s Hill in the Highcourt Ward of the city. Another prominent structure, the Cathedral of the Sovereign Host, fills a sizable piece of real estate in the Temple Ward and has shrines dedicated to the entire pantheon.

In general, the style of the city is heavy and symmetrical, with blocks set forth in a grid or radiating out from a central plaza. The militaristic influence that infuses all of Karrnath society permeates Korth and helps define the monolithic appearance of the buildings and decorative features such as monuments, obelisks, and tombs.

Five wards make up greater Korth, and each ward has its own personality. These wards are named Highcourt, Temple, Commerce, Community, and Low District. While each ward consists of living space, markets, and other city necessities, each concentrates on an aspect of city life and is built to accommodate that aspect.

• The Highcourt Ward houses most of the government departments, as well as the halls of the royal family and some of the more affluent noble families.
• The Temple Ward features winding streets dedicated to the many religions of Khorvaire; everything from small shrines to giant cathedrals can be found here, and some representative of even the most obscure cult probably finds a location to preach from within the walls of this ward.
• The Commerce Ward presents businesses of all types and provides space for the enclaves of all the dragonmarked houses; supply and demand come together inside this sprawling ward.
• The Community Ward is the most residential ward in Korth, providing housing for the middle class.
• The Low District is a dangerous maze of narrow streets from which the poor and the destitute attempt to eke out an existence. The criminal element has a firm hold on the Low District, using its twisting warrens as a hiding place and somewhere from which to conduct business best done in the shadows.

Karrlakton

Metropolis, 421,500

Located along the Cyre River, southeast of Korth, the second great city of Karrnath stares into the face of disaster across the turbulent waters. Karrlakton, an ancient place of power and the birthplace of kings (both Karrn the Conqueror and Galifar I were born here), can never completely shake the feeling of despair that hangs over the place; the memory of poor Cyre remains fresh as an open wound.

House Deneith has a lot of influence in Karrlakton, and enclaves, outposts, training centers, and barracks can be found throughout the city. Here, one of Karrnath’s largest industrial centers churns out weapons and armor. Karrnathi armaments tend to be functional and heavy, with neither the styling nor elegance evident in their Brelish counterparts.

Because of the close proximity of the Mournland, Karrlakton attracts a number of doomsayers and apocalyptic cultists. One can look across the river to see the wall of dead-gray mist like a funeral shroud that hugs the border of what was once Cyre. Rarely does anything slip out of the Mournland and make it across the fast-moving river, but sometimes the winds change to carry a flying monstrosity or living spell into Karrlakton.

The ports of Karrlakton were once active and important to the interior sections of the nation. Since the destruction of Cyre, however, water activity has decreased significantly. The waterway has become much more turbulent and harder to navigate than it once was, and few sailors relish getting too close to the desolate shore or the dead-gray mist. For this reason, the city has lost a lot of transportation and cargo business to Atur as sea captains turn to the Karrn River for travel inland, then employ cargo caravans to move goods to Vedykar and farther into the interior.