Fortress of Avaarin

"Milen Kula! Death in honour!"

— The cry of victory from an Avarian warrior

The Fortress of Avaarin

Avaarin is a clan of independent warrior-priests worshipping their God of Battle, @milen. It was founded in 397 A.U. and has maintained a small claim of sovereignty, acting as a protectorate city-state of the Wythian Empire in exchange for guarding the western border of Northwythe.

A Theocratic Warrior-State

While Avaarin is known for housing some of the strongest warriors on the continent, the clan's members focus their strength solely on the glory from combat in the fortress' gladiatorial arena. Each day, Avarian warriors challenge one another to prove their worth to Milen Kula, the late leader of Clan Avaarin- ascending to godhood as the sole diety in its pantheon.
These routine duels are brutal, and by Avarian law are always to the death. The victors invoke their gods name before finishing off their opponent, with their telltale battle cry of "Milen Kula! Death in Honor!" This is an act of respect to a fellow Avarian, working as an acknowledgement of one's enemy and allowing the dead to pass into the afterlife. A popular legend about Avarian warriors is, since duels must be lethal, seeing one outside their clan's fortress implies that they are an undefeated fighter.
As the fortress is a protectorate of the old Wythian Empire, the clan pays for supplies with a tithe of highly skilled regiments of soldiers, used in the Wythian military as powerful frontline units. The Avarian Vanguard are feared for their brutality and effectiveness in battle, and are the personal favourite of the current Emperor, Konrad Wythe.
Today, the Fortress of Avaarin is known as one of the last northern footholds of the faltering Wythian Empire; the clan maintains its culture through robust indoctrination at birth and a strong importance of personal strength to uphold the Avarian traditions.

The crest of Avaarin, circa. 430 A.U.