Khoven
The first great Human Empire following the Dragon and Giant wars.
Structure
The Khoven were ruled by powerful Mage guilds who served at the pleasure of Amnul. Each guild was dedicated to a particular school of Magic, and was given dominion of a Provence in southern Argantas that the Khoven ruled. Each province had a Mage who served as the Grandmaster's voice while they toiled in Amnul's court in the capital city. These Mage Lords in turn had several lesser followers who were not required to be Mages, who would oversee a number of functions throughout their province. Most citizens were not granted rights to influence their government, in return they were gifted education, food and shelter. Additionally the Khoven had a 'church' which provided free services to wounded and sick citizens.
Public Agenda
The Khoven sought to expand throughout all of Argantas and eventually further north across the sea to Sya'Nau. Amnul desired ever increasing levels of power, and his appetites could not be satiated.
Assets
The Khoven were founded on Amnul's power as a Mage, building large disposable armies of undead to protect the citizens who pledged themselves to him. Because of this standing army of undead soldiers, citizens were not required to join the military, and were educated and trained as craftsmen, farmers, elite soldiers and tacticians, and most often given education in the Arcane. Amnul required all his citizens serve him in death as they did in life however, in return their living lives would be as pleasant as possible. to do this the Lich invaded other lands and kept the Khoven in a perpetual state of war to feed his armies and gather that which his kingdom lacked.
History
Amnul was mistakenly given grand powers by the Goddess of Magic Mythlys, which the Wizard used to his advantage to quickly cow the nearby city states into submission or overawe their citizens into pledging themselves to the Mage. Khoven began slow, Amnul understood that everything in the Planescape was only as strong as it's foundation, and so for many years he cultivated trust in the people. Amnul promised them safety and prosperity, binding together every nearby city and tribe to join his banner using his Magic to improve the quality of their lives. After the majority of southern Argantus was under his rule, Amnul trained a handful of Wizards in the ways of the Arcane, with his new understanding of the Ley Lines from Myhtlys they would be the most powerful Wizards for centuries to come. While Amnul and his inner circle studied a way to expand their brief lives, they in turn had their undead armies set the foundation of infrastructure along all the cities. they build roads, aqueducts, public housing, and walls to provide shelter. When Amnul discovered the secret of Lichdom, his power grew even further. no longer bound by the shackles of mortality, he could rule the empire he had seeded for eternity. For many years Amnul build upon the foundations of Khoven, influencing his citizens and bending them further to his will over generations, breeding an unwitting populace to replace his undead soldiers and provide well trained wizards and tacticians in the process. Amnul's never ending war in the north against the Dwarves and the few rebelleous Humans who had refused to join him centuries ago also only served to expand his empire. Every soldier his undead slayed were risen to join the ranks of the Khoven. With constructs, undead, and an ever growing army of Wizards the Khoven seemed the inevitable victors of the War. Amnul kept the fire of this war well lit for centuries, to expand his armies and supply his kingdom with supplies while his inner circle and the Archlich himself focused on his true goal of ascension. Every secret Amnul discovered led him further from the Khoven, and eventually the Archlich and those central to the government abandoned the kingdom and left it to ruin. Without the Archlich and the most powerful mages to keep the Khoven armies in check, and the magically dependent cities functioning the kingdom quickly fell to ruin. As the Dwarven armies pushed in from the north, the undead broke free and became mindless and unbound. Despite being turned away from the mighty Gate of Khoven for generations, the Dwarves and their allies did not venture far into the kingdom of Khoven. they pushed deep into the Koven kingdom, they experience scattered resistance from the leaderless hordes of undead and what little human troops and constructs that still remained. As the army laid siege to the capital, experimental artifacts were used in defense of the city by Mages not powerful enough to use them properly, the city was ravaged by Wild Magic. portions of the mighty city were ignited in purple flames, broken into dust and sent into orbit around the city. portions were trapped in temporal loops, while a great portal to the Star of Annihilation was opened and trapped above the Red Citadel. The Wild Magic grew, and pushed the armies of Argantus back north where they remained. The Wild magic permanently scarred the lands of Khoven, and the mindless hordes of undead roamed freely in the now abandoned kingdom. only a handful of Mages had escaped the destruction, far to the east in Highgate, where they were forced to join the ancient lands of Krogar and their city states to survive.
"As in death, it was in life" Replacing "One Breath, One Goal"
4,211 - 4,700
Type
Geopolitical, Magocracy
Alternative Names
Black Mages. The Necrolords.
Demonym
Khoven
Leader
Location
Controlled Territories
Comments