Kengrim
Overview
Kengrim is the easternmost country of Plimia. Much of it is covered in deserts and savannahs. It was the first country discovered by the dwarves of Degerov after they managed to make it across the Endless Sea. Kengrim is home to many dwarves still as well as an ethnic minority of wood elves displaced after the 100-Year War with Everglen. Kengrim's mountains and mines drive its economy and produce the majority of the world's precious metals. Kengrim is also home to schools that practice dark magic. Dragons roam the land freely and there are cults inside of the Kengrim that worship them.
Kengrim is home to more merchant guilds than any other nation, and these guilds heavily influence the decisions of its leaders. It is home to the Lord's Frontier, the largest desert in Plimia. The Frontier takes up the majority of the eastern half of the country and stretches out to the Endless Sea. The nation's capital, Jengrim, is located in this desert.
After the Mark appeared, Kengrim's already shaky government entirely collapsed. It is now run by a lich named Malak who seeks to unify the merchant guilds under his family name. Though many have tried, none have succeeded in assassinating Malak...
Geography
The Lord's Frontier
Kengrim is dry and hot. The southern territories are dotted with swamplands that creep into Empiredon. Farmers have trouble growing most crops, and the farms that exist are in the western and southern lands. Though generally hot, Kengrim can freeze up north and it has unpredictable rainy seasons that flood the dry deserts for weeks. Though it isn't forested like Everglen, Kengrim is home to patches of woods in and around its savannahs and swamplands. The Creepvine Woods cover most of the southwestern portion of the country and are infamously the deadliest forests in Plimia.
The eastern lands are dominated by the massive Lord's Frontier, the hottest and most desolate desert in the world. Great treasures and ancient elven temples can still be found forgotten in the sands. Jengrim sits on the edge of the Lord's Frontier and the Endless Sea, where they often trade with Empiredon. As Kengrim is the primary source of precious metals and ores in Plimia, Empiredon is an eager trading partner.
Demography and Population
Kengrim is primarily inhabited by humans, dwarves, elves, and goblins. It was originally settled by the dwarves thousands of years ago, and many stayed for the abundance of metal and ore in the scattered mountains. Kengrim openly supports dark magic, and as such, tieflings are drawn to study magic there. There is also a minority of dragonborn in the wilds of Kengrim. They exist mostly as nomadic warrior tribes, and they are rumored to walk with the dragons that fill the landscape.
Territories
Kengrim is small compared to its three neighbors, but its military is strong enough to contest them all. Kengrim's loose laws on magic and open military enrollment allow for all sorts of soldiers and mercenaries to fight in their ranks. Ousted giants from Northwind often find themselves fighting alongside rogues, fallen knights, and goblins in the endless border battles with Everglen. Empiredon will sometimes provide some of their incredible technology to these territorial disputes, but it tries to remain neutral.
Kengrim does not quarrel with the tribes of Northwind and accepts refugees from Everglen's wars against the giants. These territorial lines rarely change, but Kengrim cites the Everlgen military bases in Northwind as violations of treaties long forgotten.
Technological Level
Kengrim's education levels are lower than Everglen's, but they hold up past those of Northwind, Malfastar, and Xenex. While the few large cities in Kengrim support open and free education, there is a crisis of funding thanks to Kengrim's focus on military strength. Still, their magical schools offer training that few other nations do, and their historical societies are top-notch.
Thanks to their close partnership with Empiredon, Kengrim has many scientific advancements when compared to other nations. Yet, these boons are squandered in fruitless wars or reserved for the lich Malak only. While people drag wooden carts around their cities, Malak drives a magically powered dwarven vehicle through the deserts on holiday.
Government Structure
Kengrim is dominated by the lich Malak. His intentions change with the day, and the people cannot decide if he is the greatest leader in their history or the most destructive. Malak has solidified his hold on the sole dictatorship position and seeks to unify the merchant guilds under his name, arguing that "nothing gets done when everyone is fighting over money." Malak has been killed dozens of times over the past two decades of leadership, but he always seems to come back. Would-be assassins are rarely tried for their crimes, and Malak instead hires them to his court, citing their drive and intelligence for being able to get at him at all.
Malak is bitter about losing many a war to Everglen and claims that he stands for displaced wood elves when he starts new wars with his neighbor. It should come as no surprise that Kengrim is considered one of the most corrupt countries of Plimia. Malak's mood changes with the wind and he is often easily swayed by the merchant guilds, the very thing he seeks to bring down...
Major Cities of Kengrim
- Jengrim (Capital city set on the easternmost border of the country in the Lord's Frontier)
- Karakistan (Old capital and the home of most merchant guilds, more centrally located for trade purposes)
- Darius (Pirate town in southeastern Kengrim)
- Fortune (Dwarven mega city in the swamplands of the south, known for its array of adult attractions)
- Harabeth (Historical center and educational capital of Kengrim, settled in the northeast)
Kengrim's capital, Jengrim
Capital
Jengrim
Government Structure
Lich Dictatorship
Neighboring Nations
- Everglen
- Empiredon
- Northwind
An elven ruin in Kengrim
A savannah of southern Kengrim
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