Unity of Kirlin
A large country with the most diverse biome in all of Elium, featuring tropical jungles, rocky frigid mountains and hot barren hills. These diverse biomes make for a very diverse populace which is already one of the more special parts of the Unity of Kirlin. The unity houses are populace that consists mostly of races and creatures that would be deemed monsters in the other countries. This is also reflected back in it's unique leadership, consisting of several vampire lords called the Lords of the Hunt. Outcasts and creatures from all over Elium have flocked to the Unity of Kirlin in hopes of a better live and to not live as monsters.
Because of it's unique population and recent events, the Holy Kingdom of Buril has declared war on the Unity. The Holy Kingdom of Buril strongly believes that the Unity of Kirlin is responsible for the recent extraplanar invasion attempts all across Elium. This declaration of war has in turn let to the the inhabitants of the Unity banding together increasing their hate for the "civilized races". Thus far, the fights have been between the Holy Kingdom of Buril and the Unity as no other countries have decided to join the war on either side yet. This is mostly due to the fact that almost no country has the military might to spare to fight the strong monsters to reside within Unity territory.
An additional benefit of having a very diverse and "special" population is the uniqueness of Kirlin craftsmanship. Free from usual struggles, the monstrous populace is capable of learning and crafting tools and supplies that aren't found anywhere else in Elium. This includes both magical and traditional research resulting in some very unique data which is coveted around Elium. Most researchers around Elium are hesitant to request data from the experiments performed in the Unity of Kirlin as most of them would be considered unethical in other countries.
Structure
The Unity of Kirlin is ruled by Lords of the Hunt, this ruling body consists of three of the five Lordly clans. The current lordly clans with their corresponding rulers are :
| Clan | Ruler |
|---|---|
| Nether Coven | Xeranoth Vilebrim |
| Night Wings | Quinter Hearthvein |
| Sanguine Mist | Lance Vermillion |
| Shadow's Gift | Jaqure Rubywater |
| The Scarlet Kiss | Tearle Bloodrose |
Every 20 years the lordly clans have a "sporting event", the winners of this event will become the Lords of the Hunt for the coming 20 years. Meaning they get to make the final call on most important country wide decisions.
Culture
The culture is the Unity of Kirlin is not actually to different from most "civilized" countries on Elium. It just so happens that they adhere to their guiding principles to a more extreme degree than most others. The core beliefs in the Unity of Kirlin can be summarized as follows:
- The strong control the weak
- Wisdom is gained trough experience
- United we stand, divided we fall
- Diversity brings perspective
Public Agenda
Before the war with the Holy Kingdom of Buril the Unity of Kirlin was a very isolationist nation. It focused wholly on internal affairs and keeping unwelcome outsiders away from their cities. Now that the Holy Kingdom of Buril his declared war on the Unity of Kirlin they have a much more public agenda concerning their neighboring nations. It is no secret that the Unity of Kirlin is actively trying to keep the Coalition of Sand and Dreams a neutral third party in the whole conflict. Furthermore, the Unity of Kirlin has focused on publicly thanking the Alliance of Hurora for not making any rash decisions and following the baseless accusations of the Holy Kingdom of Buril.
The Unity has repeatedly made public announcements, based on the accusations of the Holy Kingdom of Buril, that they have nothing to do with the extraplanar invaders Elium is suffering from. They have stated numerous times that invasions do occur in the territory of the Unity of Kirlin, causing thousands of deaths and untold damage. So far the Unity of Kirlin has refused investigative teams from the Holy Kingdom of Buril entry to Yormgundr.
Assets
Economically the Unity of Kirlin is doing very well. Being a mostly self sustaining nation, with a populace not used or in need of many outside exotic goods allows they Unity to keep a great amount of their wealth inside of their own country. The noble houses and particularly the Lords of the Hunt should be counted among the most wealthy individuals in all of Elium.
The wealth that is (publicly) flaunted by the noble houses isn't found everywhere in the Unity of Kirlin. With a strong focus on fending for yourself ingrained in the culture, there isn't a social structure in place for those less well off. This poverty is most often observed in the great cities of the Unity of Kirlin where the broken dreams gather in search for new chances and salvation. Folks living in the countryside are often capable of sustaining themselves and their communities without much outside help.
The biggest influence on the amount of wealth an average citizen of the Unity of Kirlin possesses, is the noble house that is ruling the territory. While some noble houses foster and grow their population, some see the populace only as resources to be used. This latter kind drains as much as possible from the population for their own self gain, thus dramatically lowering the wealth possessed by the inhabitants of such a region. Although unhappy, the population often doesn't leave bad noble territory for fear of retaliation. Additionally, because loyalty is a very valued trait within the Unity of Kirlin, the lord of a new region probably wont be to favorable to those that have shown disloyalty to another noble.
The largest amount of wealth obtained by the Unity of Kirlin stems from the export of tools and knowledge. The unique population of the Unity of Kirlin has amassed a large variety of knowledge that is no longer available in other parts of the world. This knowledge is no longer available because the population that had the knowledge has either been destroyed or moved away because they were deemed "monsters" by the other inhabitants of the lands they hail from. Thus, The Unity of Kirlin is home to very specific (magic) tools and enchantments which can not be acquired anywhere else in the world. Furthermore, the noble houses earn quite large sums of money be leasing experts is peculiar subject to other influential individuals in the world.
History
The Unity of Kirlin was founded 840 years ago. Three Vampire lords belonging to the Sanguine Mist, Nether Coven and Shadow's Gift bonded after beating back a particularly strong "holy invader" from their territory. The united fight showed them that it would be better for the clans if they would like to remain "alive". The alliance was loose at first, but after more and more conversation the lords started to expand their treaties and combined territory.
Not long after the lords started expanding they found other's like them, hiding away from the gaze of the world. Slowly they inducted weaker straggelers but soon encountered stronger ones belongen to the Night Wings and The Scarlet Kiss. They large and strong clans would not submit to the young alliance easily and demanded they get equal say in all alliance matters. Eventually "the hunt" was created to deterime which of the clans was mightiest and thus most fit to rule. This sytem has kept the Unity of Kirlin together for many years now.
Military
The Sanguine Mist is primarily responsible for the state of the military and law enforcement within the Unity of Kirlin. The conviction of most inhabitants of the country to be a strong as they can be helps make that job much easier. Inhabitants from the Unity of Kirlin are eager to sign up for the military and/or law enforcement functions for numerous reasons. Their position with the army immediately increases their respective power purely based on their function. Furthermore, the military is a great place if you'd like to promote your social status. Great fighting skills and displays of power are often recognized by the nobility and might just allow regular folk a place amongst the nobility.
Because of their huge military the Unity of Kirlin hasn't been attacked by the Holy Kingdom of Buril on a full scale. The Unity of Kirlin is also very aware that their forces are much more numerous and strong than their neighbors from the Coalition of Sand and Dreams and the Alliance of Hurora. Fighting a multi front war would however cause their troops to stretch thin and thus it is preferred that their fight remains purely with the Holy Kingdom of Buril.
Religion
The Unity of Kirlin doesn't have a state religion and most of the population should not be considered religious. The existence of the gods and their influence on Elium can however not be denied and thus there are followers to be found everywhere, including the Unity of Kirlin. Perhaps the most peciluar thing about religius practice in the Unity of Kirlin, is that worship to Xaramanara, The Destroyer happens publically and the same as other gods.
Fer, Ruler of Night is recognized by most vampiric houses in the Unity of Kirlin because it is believed that she control the night. Multiple members of the Nether Coven swear by the practices of Mephos, Knowledge through Practice, specifically citing that Mephos, Knowledge through Practice is not some weird Gnome, but rather a Lich that has been deathless since the beginning of time.
Economic strength: High
Military might: Very High