Duskfall Horc Federation

Cover image link https://unsplash.com/photos/trnTvywx2Rg. Artist is https://unsplash.com/@marcwieland95

"As if the damned Draconians weren"t enough, we now have those trolls being themselves again. We kept them contained for so long and suddenly, The outposts have all been reduced to ruins, with our men being nothing more than Desecrated Cadavers.
"I think its time to issue a state of emergency across the entirety of the Duskfall Region and Put the legions stationed in the immediate vicinity of the outposts on high alert"
I doubt that would Deter them though. The Diaries we found, they tell us of Purple skinned trolls. First we find purple skinned Draconians and now purple skinned troll. There"s definitely a connection here . But i"ll take your suggestion. Tell Maximillian to Put the Legions on high alert but don"t declare a state of emergency even by mistake. We can"t have the publics trust in us fail during these tribulating times"
A discussion between Hans Christian Danielsen and his brother Casper about the recent increase in Horc activity around the Duskfall Plateau

The Horc Federation of Duskfall are an alliance of Horc tribes inhabiting the Duskfall plateau on Elladia. Being a Federation like Alliance of tribes, the Horcs are fanatically democratic and egalitarian but also incredibly millitaristic at the same time. They have been involved in a long standing insurgency with The Sanguine Imperium, believing them to be nothing worse than Autocratic tyrants. Though they portray themselves as the Heroic saviours and democratic crusaders, the people of the Imperium consider themselves as nothing more than hypocritic mass murderers due to their merciless torture and mass murder of human prisoners as well as so called "collaborators". For the past 30 years or so however , the Horcs have been at an uneasy peace with the Imperium, and relations have improved to the point that some Horcs have even begun enlisting in the Imperial Army. The Horcs have come to regard humanity with respect in the Past couple of years, and thus many Horcs now consider humanity as their brothers in arms against any threat which may seek to Destroy them both.

Structure

Horcs of Duskfal by Guest

Council of Chiefs

The Horc Federation is organized in a unique Tricameral Parliamentary Legaslitive system. The Council of Chiefs consists of all the chiefs of the different tribes who are the Head of State and head of government of their particular tribe and are lead by the Supreme Chief of the Federation. To become a supreme chief however, one must be the chief of any of the Horc tribes before running for the role of Supreme chief. They are responsible for conducting the annual General assembly of the three houses of the Horc parliament as well as discussing common problems and their solutions with each other in their monthly general meetings.

Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers consists of the various ministers of each of the tribes who Administer the various departments and Ministries of their respective tribes. Every year, they meet together in the general assembly and talk about how they can solve common problems and pass resolutions and common laws which each of the federal tribes must agree to. However, they can vote against the bill if they think it enroaches on their freedom too much and if they gain a two thirds majority overall from all the three houses, then the law will not pass.

Council of Commoners

The Council of Commoners represents non ministerial and non chief level Horc citizens who are elected to form the third house of the Horc parliament. They are the most powerful representatives of the people , and not only do they have the power to make new laws and abrogate old ones, they can also call public referendums to resolve special issues. Like the other two houses, they also meet together in their general assembly to disscuss common problems as well as their solutions and how cooperation between the tribes can be increased more.

Public Agenda

" In Venkoral, Tros mekon"
The official motto of the Horc Federation, which in the common tongue translates to, "By the people, For the people"

The Horc Federations first and foremost goal is to promote the unity of the entire Horc race, as well as the ensurance of their basic rights. In the long run, the Horcs plan to free the entirety of Elladia from any trace of autocracy, being diehard democrats and egalitarians themselves.

History

The Beginning

Valley of life by Crs1009

"Our Civilization wasn't as advanced as it is today you know? We used to be the most uncivilized and Beastly of the neighbouring races. Always arguing over petty things and murdering each other for simple things like expressing ones own opinion. It took the Great Schism to knock some sense into us. After witnessing the sheer level of barbarity displayed by all the sides during the conflict, our great alliance was born"
Troll Scout Krosnan, telling Maximillian Christiansen about the formation of the Federation

Not much is known about the early history of the Horcs. It is known however that they were far less united than they were now, and existed as separate tribes that were more or less always warring with each other. A Horc would kill another Horc over petty things like expressing ones opinion or yawning in the Presence of a senior person. All of these continued till the Great Civil War happened.

The Great Civil war and Unification

"It was a necessary evil for us. Without the amount of Horc Blood spilt in that war, we wouldn't have been like this in a thousand eternities. It knocked some sense into us to finally cooperate with each other and forge unity amongst the entire Horc race"
Krosnan, speaking about the Great Schism to Maximillian

Known as the Great Schism to the Horcs, the events of this war are just as fuzzy as other events which took place on Elladia around that time period. What is known however is that the magnitude of destruction and bloodbath shocked the Horcs so much that they agreed to give up violence against their own kindred for all eternity. The survivors also convened together and set the charter for the formation of the Horc federation on the basis of upholding unity, equality, liberty and the basic rights of Horcs. Thus, the Horc federation of Duskfall came into existence.

Insurgency against the Imperium

"Autocrats and tyrants. The Fucking lot of them. They deserve nothing more than our pure hatred and wrath"
Attributed to a Horc soldier

Even though the Horcs were a democratic and egalitarian lot, they still have not forgot their militaristic ways. As soon as they had a strong enough army, they began an insurgency against the Sanguine Imperium that would last for thousands of years. Despite portraying themselves as Democratic crusaders and egalitarianists, they were unparalleled in their cruelty and hatred against human soldiers and any civilians that they deemed "collaborators". POWs were routinely tortured both physically and mentally, and the Horcs did not shy away from using terror tactics and mass murder against the POWs and "collaborators" to Achieve their goals.
This had earnt them the near universal ire of the Commonfolk in the Imperium, who saw them as nothing more than hypocrites. They often pointed out that not only are most of the positions in the Imperium Democratic, their universal rights were also guaranteed by the monarchs. The Monarchs kept working tirelessly for the welfare of the citizens, and the Horcs kept Brutally massacring human POWs. Another thing which Invoked the wrath of the commonfolk were that they were trading partners with the Aegean empires, who were just as autocratic if not more so than the Sanguine Imperium. In fact, many humans from provinces other than Duskfall had also enlisted in the Imperial army just so that they could Fight against the Horcs .

Treaty of Maastrikt

"This war has gone for too long. For the sake of our peace, I have to sign this treaty"
Axel Danielsen, the previous emperor Giving a speech to a crowd.

The millennia long war had tired both sides over to the point that all they wanted was peace. Many Horcs and Humans had lost family members and seeing that the war wasn’t going anywhere, the Horcs began to press their demands for peace over to their politicians. After the government lead by Supreme chief Harnar Bjornsson had come to power, they began preparing the environment for peace. The Horcs had started repatriating human prisoners as well as decreasing the number of attacks over time. The humans had also started doing the same, lusting for piece after millennia of war.
At a meeting , High Seraph Axel and Chief Harnar had decided to hold a peace conference at the city of Maastrikt. There, a peace treaty was signed which officially ended the state of war between the Imperium and the Federation. The Treaty had also pledged that the Horcs would Try their best to cooperate with the humans in every aspect including Science, Defense, Economy, Trade etc. It took a lot of Diplomatic efforts by Horc chief Harnar to convince the other chiefs to accept the Peace treaty but after some time, he also succeeded.
Whilst the Treaty was received with backlash by some parts of the human population who had grown a hatred of the Horcs, most people welcomed the treaty as it finally ended the State of war between them. Over the years, the relations between the Imperium and the Horcs have only improved, and some Horcs have even joined the Imperial army as volunteers. It would all be good until the recent times.

The Looming War

"Gods help us. The entire outpost is Nothing but rubble. The others are all rotting corpses by now, and the carrions have already started their feast. It all began with that boulder smashing the western sentry tower. Poor sods who were there on guard duty were reduced to paste. And then they started coming. Purple skinned Horcs, their eyes glowing the same colour. They simply didn't care about whether we hit them with javelins, Swords, arrows or what not. I saw one of them Smashing in Torkels head like a watermelon. If anyone finds this diary, tell the Emperor to mobilise the legions. We have to defeat this evil before it gets out of hand"
The last entry of Footman Tarkan Valkar, a soldier stationed at Outpost Vinas close to the Horc border"

In recent times, relations have been souring between the two nations again. After the destruction of many Imperial military outposts near the Horc border and the start of a mysterious number of murders Linked to a growing cult known as the "Church of Arkanos in the Horc territories", the two nations are on the brink of war again. Little do they know, that they are being played by the Dark God Arkanos.
Unless the two nations Realize their follies and stand with the rest of Elladia in fighting against Arkanos and his army, the entirety of Elladia will fall under his dread control. And the few survivors, those few tortured souls , will envy the dead. For a fate far worse than the embrace of Thanatos awaits them .

Demography and Population

According to their last conducted census, the Federations population stands at approximately 80 million. This is mostly Concentrated around areas that are fertile, either naturally or through clever artificial groundwater irrigation schemes underataken by Horc Engineers. The population growth is very low however, as Horcs are pretty well educated on the basis of family planning.

Territories

Duskfall Plateau by Jjcanvas

The territory of the Horcs are all within the Duskfall plateau, a vast elevated region found in South-Central Erinia. This region is mostly arid with the exception of some more elevated places, where clever irrigation and fertilisation schemes have allowed cities and industry to flourish. The Horcs however, occupy the mostly arid part of this region, as the fertile ones are heavily guarded by the Imperiums army.

Military

Troll Killing a Footman by Matthew McKeown

"Make no mistake boys. Those Horcs can rip your ballsacks and heads off faster than you can blink your eye. Attack them in groups and never ever, stay alone."
Attributed to Captain Janar "Horcslayer" Vanaran, known for his successful missions and battles against the Horcs

The Horcs do not have any standing unified military. Rather, the central military is drawn from the armies of the various clans. Each clan is subject to Send at least a certain amount of soldiers to the Central army, which Operates under command of the central Government. They, alongside the federal forces unitedly wage war against their enemies. The average Horc Soldier is usually armed with a sharp steel axe and an iron shield who make up the majority of their forces. Other units include pikemen , spearmen, Assault infantry, shock troopers etc.

Berserker Corps

"The Berserkers are the most dangerous lot of them. When i was newly comissioned into the Duskfang Legion, i was on patrol duty with my company. We were walking quite nicely through a grove of trees when those Berserkers struck. Before we could even tell where they started throwing their Knives from, half of us were laying dead, our armor doing jackshit against those huge knives. I managed to kill one of em by pulling the knife out of one of my comrades and throwing it right into his head. Poor Sod was too surprised to dodge and the knife flying towards him was the last thing he saw. Luckily, a column of heavy cavalry were nearby and they rescued the few of us that had survived the ambush."
"But Captain, whats the moral of the story here?"
The moral? Always keep your fucking eyes above. Above, below, left , right, backwards, forwards and whatever other directions exist. You won"t live to see your murderer if you look in only one direction"
An Exchange between Captain Janar Vanaran and one of his soldiers, on what to do against Horc Berserkers

The Berserker Corps are a special unit of Shock troopers from the Horc army, who are trained to be stripped of their emotions and fight like a wild animal. To become a Berserker is an incredibly tough process, as the training regimen often proves too hard or even fatal to some recruits. The ones that pass the test however are the bane of any Imperial soldier unlucky enough to meet them. Berserkers are often armed with four large throwing knives, which are intended for use against heavily armored units and with two gigantic axes, with which they can unleash a whirlwind of death and destruction.
Troll Berserkers often wear little to no armor so that they can move quickly and dodge attacks. A favourite ambush tactic of theirs is to hide in trees and wait till a body of Imperial soldiers pass. With lightning quick speed, they would throw their Knives at the Heavily armored troops and cavalry and neutralize them, before jumping down and unleashing their whirlwind of destruction upon the Bewildered soldiers. This has earnt them the dread of many Imperial soldiers, and they are often afraid that the Berserkers knife through their chest is the last thing they will see before Thanatos takes them to his realm.

Battlemage Corps

Troll Shaman by Kipish fon

Horc Battlemages often fight in a more indirect way than the ones employed by the Imperiums and Aegean Empires forces. They often mingle amongst a regular body of troops, so as to hide their true identity and are also Trained in basic martial combat skills so that they can defend themselves against cavalry and infantry. When the Main body of Horc Warriors charge into battle, the battlemages mingle and stop at a certain distance away from the expected meeting point of the Horcs and their enemies, before revealing their True Colours and Unleashing arcane Chaos against their enemies.

Religion

Troll Shaman by Kipish fon

Church of Salaran

The Church of Salaran is the largest and most dominiant religion in the Horc Federation and also its state religion. Whilst the Horc Federation is officially secular, the Church of Salaran or Salranism gets special benefits from the governments. The expenses of all religious Salaranist centres are paid for by the state, and the clergy are also on the Direct payroll of the government.

Foreign Relations

The Sanguine Imperium

"You may be Autocrats, but you have upheld the Rights of your citizens. For that, we can respect you.
Supreme Chieftain Harnar Bjornsson, speaking to Axel Christiansen during the signing of the Treaty of Maastrikt.

The Horcs have more or less always seen the Imperials as tyrants and autocrats, due to their absolute monarchic governmental system. This has led to them waging a war spanning a few thousand years which had concluded with the Signing of the treaty of Maastrikt, 30 years before the death of Axel Christiansen. Both sides had grown tired of the constant warfare and decided to work towards peace. This was helped by the fact that a government which was more liberal and accepting towards the Imperiums policy won the Elections by a landslide, which helped pave the path for peace. The historic treaty of Maastrikt had Signalled the end of the war and both sides committed to peacefully cooperate in many fields including research, defence etc.
Relations have again soured however, to the point that the two nations are at the brink of war again. With the destruction of many military outposts situated close to the Horc border, and with the apparent blame going to the Horcs, the two nations have been at a tense situation ever since. Horc embassies have been closed and their diplomats deported, whilst the humans on the other side have been held prisoner by the Horcs. Little do they know however, that they are being played by Arkanos, the Dark god who is plotting his return to Elladia.

The Aegean Empire

Despite being just as autocratic, if not even more so than the Sanguine Imperium, the Aegeans have been a long time ally of the Horcs. Seeing the Horcs as an oppurtunity to destabilize the Imperium, the Aegeans Recognized the Horcs as an independent state very quickly and started fostering good relations with them. Many Horcs have also gone to volunteer for the Aegean army, and in turn the Aegeans provided military aid, soldiers and advisors to the Horcs in their war against the Imperium. Even after making peace with the Imperium, the Horcs maintained good relations with them and have regarded them as one of their best allies. Of course, when the Imperium found out that they were trading with the Aegean empire, they immediately blocked all trade routes and it was not until the end of the war that the blockade was lifted again

Trade & Transport

The Horcs have developed a very efficient transport system through the construction of many roads across the country as well as sturdy bridges which allow quick travel between the chasms. The Horcs all have a free trade and migration agreement, which guarantees that all Horc citizens can travel freely between the entire Federation and all goods have zero taxes on them. The Horcs are also constantly trying to improve road connectivity by undertaking development projects in Underdeveloped areas, which creates more jobs in the market and thus, also improves the economy.

Education

"Without knowledge, you are just another dim witted Creature like the ones that roam this plateau"
Attributed to a Horc teacher.

Education is enshrined as a basic right in the Horc constitution and thus, all Horcs are entitled to free education. Students who are in their 7th year of school and above even start receiving money from the government for keeping regular attendance at school. Students can pick 12 subjects from 16 subjects including Science, Horcish, Geography, History, Chemistry, Astronomy, Medicine, Engineering and many other subjects throughout their school life. Starting from middle school, they can take a foreign language course such as Common tongue, Tenebrian, Argonite etc. At their higher education levels, they can choose from Any three of many myriad subjects to do their graduate degree from. Then at university, they can Pursue further postgraduation studies and can even visit them later on to take part in other courses.
From the beginning to the end of their academic education, the Horcs are also provided with many facilities for recreation in their Institutions. Things such as writers clubs, Speculative fiction magazines, Sports clubs , Debate clubs etc are common across every Horc school, be they Public or Private. Horcs can always take a break from their studies and engage themselves in recreational Practices if they feel bored. Horc education in itself tries its best to be fun, as according to them, the best form of education is the one which teaches you things without boring the life out of you.

Unity, Liberty , Fraternity

Life for the common Horc living in the Federation.

For a common Horc living in the Federation, life is incredibly pleasant. Due to numerous social security and citizen welfare policies enacted by the Horc governments, most Horcs live a comfortable life with their basic rights being guaranteed by the state. A normal Horc job holder works from sunrise till just before sunset, with a large recreational and lunch break at midday to break the monotony of the workers. The rest of the time is either spent with their family or their friends, as Horcs always love hanging out with their close ones.
Horcs are also entitled to free education, with the state bearing all the expenses of the students. If any Horc wants to study abroad and gets admitted into an educational institute with good results, the government ( both state and federal) will Offer to bear all of their expenses including their housing ones. Horcs also have access to free healthcare, as it is a basic right that has been enshrined in the condition. Overall, Horcs are very trustful of their government, as they have always cared for their citizens.

Life in the Confederation for a human

For the very few humans who live in the Federation, life is surprisingly Comfortable. Most humans in the confederation work as either diplomats or their assistants or as Researchers and scientists. Those on Diplomatic missions get special treatment from the Horcs, as they are thought of as key to forging a strong and lasting relationship between the confederation and Imperium and paving the way to peace. The only thing that Humans can complain about are the wild temperature swings and creepy bugs that are often found in the Plateau, but they are willing to tolerate it so as to not upset their Hosts.

Taxation in The Horc Federation

For all the amenities they get, the Horcs must however pay a huge amount of taxes to sustain the government. Most of the Horcs gladly pay their taxes, as they know that the government needs their money to run and keep up their egalitarian measures. The Richest citizens are the ones who are most taxed, whilst a certain section of the poor do not have to pay any taxes at all.

Duties of a Horc

A Horc must Fulfill some duties as a citizen of the Federation. First, they have to swear to Uphold the unity of the Federation and refrain from doing any activity that may harm the Unity of their race. secondly they must contribute their utomost to the society, and always try to maintain Good relations with another Horc and settle disputes through dialogue rather than beating them up. Thirdly, they must serve in the military ( either their tribal or the Central military) for 2 years or do 2 years of community service and military training.

Founding Date

Arround 10000AN

Type

Political, Confederation

Demonym

Horcs

Government System

Democracy, Parliamentary

Power Structure

Federation

Currency

For Coinage, the Horcs use bone coins, derived from the bones of various beasts that inhabit the Plateau. The most valuable coins come from the most rarest of beasts and their bones. Instead of paper currency, the Horcs use notes made from the leaves of a plant that is common throughout the Plateau

Legislative Body

The legislative powers of the Federation lie within all the three councils. Each can make laws and pass bills, as well as abrogate old laws. For both of these purposes however, the parties must have two thirds majority in the parliament overall ( all three houses combined) to pass the law or abrogate old ones.

Judicial Body

The Justice Body is responsible for Carrying out sentences according to the Horc penal code. They can be formed at the lowliest subdivision level to the Supreme court which is the highest judicial body in the Federation

Location

Duskfall Plateau

Neighboring Nations

• The Sanguine Imperium