Kingdom of Aran'Nack
The Kingdom of Aran'Nack, as many individuals from there will no doubt inform you, is the preeminent subterranean kingdom. It draws a direct line of succession from the great kingdom of Orzar’Nack. Aran'Nack is the largest and most powerful kingdom of the dwarves and gnomes.
Geography
The Kingdom of Aran'Nack is located in the continent of Runedastil, in its northwest, and runs along the southern shore of the great Seuibe River. While Aran'Nack does have a number of major settlements on the surface, the vast majority of the land they control is subterranean.Population
The vast majority of the population of Aran'Nack are dwarves and rock gnomish, with less than 10 percent being made up of the other races; of the other races refugees from the Underdark make up the largest portion with Duergar being the most common.Religion
The vast majority of the population of Aran’Nack worship the Morndinsamman, also known as the dwarven or Rock Gnome pantheon. Grand temples to the Morndinsamman are present throughout Aran’Nack, and rarely temples to individual deities of the Morndinsamman. It is rare for priests to dedicate themselves to individual deities within the Morndinsamman, although it is not unheard of, instead most pay worship to the deity of the Morndinsamman most relevant to them at the time.Racial Relations
The people of Aran'Nack view the dwarves and rock gnomes as essentially the same race, common in their perspective and struggles. For the most part, the people of Aran'Nack lack the racial hatered present in many other kingdoms, instead the kinds of suspicion and hatred is reserved for outsiders who must put in significant effort to overturn these kinds of distrust. While the people of Aran'Nack do not as a rule express discriminant in racial terms there are exceptions, racism is expressed towards the Duergar and Drow.Views on Magic
The peoples of Aran'Nack view magic with deep suspicion, as unrestrained it is destructive. Those born with magical capabilities are given extensive training to control their abilities, with no legal option to refuse. Once trained the are given the opportunity to join the Spellforger Caste, it is for this reason that the Spellforger Caste is considered the most mobile caste of the caste system.Politics
The Kingdom of Aran’Nack is a joint monarchy with three Kings known as the Council of Crowns who rule at the same time; each King represents one of the three largest cities who formed the Kingdom of Aran’Nack in the aftermath of the fall of the Orzar’Nack Empire. The nobility of Aran’Nack is represented by the Assembly of Stone, which is a parliament composed of members of the most powerful houses of the Kingdom of Aran’Nack. The Assembly of Stone has broad power to contest that of the Council of Crowns, being able to overrule the monarchs with a majority of seventy-five percent, which is not unheard of in the politics of the Kingdom.International Relations
The international relations of Aran'Nack are dominated by the Yhess Kingdoms across the Seuibe River; those powerful kingdoms reave and slave the lands south of the Seuibe River. This had led Aran'Nack to join alliances with the northern Free States, known as the The Seuibe Alliance.Caste System
The Kingdom of Aran'Nack follows a strict caste system which has developed since the day of Ozer'Nack Empire. The caste system is ridge but the ability for mobility does exist, though it is a rare process. A member of a higher caste may adopt a person no older than 30, and a King or the Assembly of Stone are capable of raising one's caste by creating a new house. The highest rank within the caste system is Royalty, followed by Nobility, then Warrior, Priests, and Smiths, then Crafter, Stone Masters (builders and architecture), Merchant, Spellforger, Soul Worker (entertainer, historians, etc.), then Steward, Labour, and Farmer, and finally the Casteless.Education
Education within Aran'Nack is entirely based upon one's caste. A farmer receives what basic education is needed to understand the agricultural processes of crop rotation and the like, while a stone master is schooled in the strengths of different stone and metals, and geological processes of tectonic shifts, and the nobles receive broad and an elongated education.Gender, Sexuality, and Inheritance
Within the Kingdom of Aran’Nack gender identiy is not determined by the sex of a person when they are born; instead a person within Aran’Nack is free to choose and change their gender identiy until they reach maturity. Once a person reaches their maturity as a part of their coming of age they must ‘set in stone’ the gender identity. There are thee general recognised gender identities within Kingdom of Aran’Nack, male, female, intersex. A person whose gender identity does not match their sex is treated the same as a person who sex matches their gender idenity. In general male and females are considered equal, however, intersex people are treated with a degree of amusement and confusion and can be sometimes be relegated to the worst jobs within their caste. Gender roles within Aran’Nack are strictly defined. All genders have a place in the activities of the caste system, with female roles generally being less physically demanding. As a rule same sex relationships are viewed as normal, as are those with individuals who different gender identity to that which they were born with. There is, however, an exception for the nobility and monarchs who view it as essential to carry on their bloodline. The Kingdom of Aran’Nack possess an absolute primogeniture which is a form of primogeniture in which sex is irrelevant for inheritance; this exists for all forms of inheritance from the monarchies to familial wealth. Individuals like experienced adventurers and mages are often spared the worst of this system as a result of the power they oft possess.Infrastructure
The subterranean Kingdom of Aran'Nack possess extensive roads with other kingdoms to facilitate trade and movement of troops against the Yhess Kingdoms. It is however their subterranean Darkroads which are the true marvels of the subterranean lords, which connects all of the cities of Aran'Nack; these Darkroads can also pose a threat to Aran'Nack with it being a pathway for the dangers of the Underdark to reach the Kingdom. Aran'Nack has also extensive systems to move air and water into the subterranean cities, move sewage away from populated areas, and systems to use magma to light and heat the cities of Aran'Nack.Agriculture & Industry
The agricultural system of Aran'Nack is based upon subterranean fungus farms, and conventional farms in the semi-arid lands surrounding Aran'Nack, supported by aqueducts. The industry of Aran'Nack is its true power, it is bountiful with veins of Dimeritium, gold, platinum, Mithral and tin. The Kingdom of Aran'Nack is a major producer of arms and metallurgical goods, they produce magnificent works of gold, platinum, Dimeritium, and their work with Mithral is unparalleled, The Kingdom of Aran'Nack is a net importer of foodstuff and timber, both of which are necessary for the survival of Aran'Nack. Aran'Nack is a large exporter of weapons, armour, and metal work.History
The roots of the Kingdom of Aran’Nack can be traced back to the Orzar’Nack Empire and one of its jewels, the city of Aranthaig. The Orzar’Nack Empire had existed since the Age of the Elder Races but was brought to its knees towards the end of the Age of Contact in 1497:Contact when the Darkquake hit. Orzar’Nack collapsed into a succession crisis and civil war known as the War of a Thousand Kings. The Orzar’Nack Empire never recovered, and was dead well before those involved accepted it.Age of Conquest
Aran'Nack declared independence from the dying Empire early within the Age of Conquest, and came to be seen as the successor state of the Orzar’Nack Empire.Aran’Nack's early days as an independent kingdom were marred by the relentless onslaught of the Khurgo Horde, a formidable force of goblinoids. For centuries, the people of Aran’Nack fought valiantly within their cities and the sundered Darkroads to rid themselves of the Khurgo Horde's menace. Once the Khurgo Horde was vanquished, the Kingdom of Aran’Nack sought to reassert and restore itself. This endeavour, known as the Restoration began in the Age of Conquest and was an undertaking which took many generations to achieve. Aran’Nack worked to rebuild the damaged Darkroads and sought to expand their influence. Through a combination of diplomatic negotiations and military campaigns, they managed to bring various dwarven-gnomish petty kingdoms in north-eastern Runedastil under their control. The Restoration met an unexpected halt when the denizens of the Underdark launched relentless attacks on Aran’Nack. The extensive work on the Darkroads had unwittingly opened more pathways between the Underdark and the subterranean realms. Drow, troglodytes, and other horrors such as the Illithid infiltrated Aran’Nack, causing widespread terror. The most horrifying discovery was the sunken city of Shal’rack, where dwarves and gnomes had been mutated by the experiments and influence of the Illithid. In response, Aran’Nack sealed off the Darkroads connected to those dangerous realms, limiting the kingdom's reach to north-eastern Runedastil.Age of Blood
Aran’Nack was plagued by undead, fiends, and weave aberrations during the Age of Blood. Whilst this was a disaster in of itself there were far greater threats to Aran’Nack. During the first half of this period, the kingdom faced two major conflicts. The Spider's Wrath saw the Drow attempting to launch an invasion of the surface world through Aran’Nack. Simultaneously, the Wars of Vengeance arose as the embittered peoples of Shal’rack sought to destroy the kingdoms that had abandoned them. Aran’Nack nearly succumbed to these conflicts, but it managed to construct Adamantine gates to protect Aranthaig, its capital. It also launched limited offensives into the Underdark, which eventually led to a cold resolution of the conflicts. The latter half of the Age of Blood witnessed a significant threat from the Illithid. The Illithid were about to bypass the defences of Aran’Nack through the use of psionics, assaulting and bringing about a kind of madness within the people of Aran’Nack’s cities. The kingdom struggled to effectively combat the Illithid, as they seemed stronger and more relentless than ever before. However, mysteriously, at the end of the Age of Blood, the Illithid attacks suddenly ceased, leaving Aran’Nack perplexed and without a satisfactory explanation for this unexpected end to war.Age of Contempt
In the aftermath of the tumultuous Age of Blood, Aran’Nack, like the rest of Runetalras, entered an era of reconstruction during the Age of Contempt. The surface of Aran’Nack had been ravaged by undead, fiends, and weave aberrations, while its subterranean heartlands had suffered plundering at the hands of the Drow, the people of Shal’rack, and the Illithid. The period of reconstruction was hampered by the War of the Lost Crown. It was believed that the royal line of Hlavor had been extinguished during the Age of Blood, leading to the establishment of a new royal lineage known as Battlemane. Yet, when the last surviving member of the Hlavor line, Andrus Hlavor, emerged and laid claim to their birthright a civil war erupted. This conflict, known as the War of the Lost Crown, witnessed both the Battlemane and Hlavor lines vying for the ancestral crown. Ultimately, Andrus Hlavor emerged victorious, reclaiming his family's crown, legacy and ascending the throne as a monarch of Aran’Nack. The recent centuries and decades of Aran’Nack's history have been marked by ongoing conflicts, both political and military, with the neighbouring Yhess Kingdoms. These conflicts have shaped the kingdom's relationships with its neighbours and have tested the strength and resolve of its rulers. In 533:Contempt Aran’Nack entered into the Wars of Undeath when its capital was attacked by a host of undead and demons in a battle known as the The Stand at the Gates, where Aran’Nack was joined in the defence of Aranthaig by the Heroes of the Free States, Vefaunan Arcane Bastille, Tee'Chaher, Lords of the Storm, Aarelan, the Elnurian Alliance, and Barakmycos. Following The Stand at the Gates, Aran’Nack played an active role through the Wars of Undeath, joining in the Assault on Kelmar, Slaying of the Avatar of Orcus, and Second Battle of Garthedd. In 543:Contempt Aran’Nack played a role in the Crusade for the Underhold as a key supporter militarily, politically, and financially. This war led to the creation of the Unvanquished Domain in 549:Contempt, which is a major ally of Aran’Nack.
Strong as Stone, Good as Gold
Population: 2,200,000
Founding Date
Early in the Age of Conquest
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Government System
Monarchy, Constitutional
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Major Exports
Precious Stones and Gems, Dimeritium, Mithral, Tungsten, Salt, Lead, Copper, Iron, Gold, Platnium, and both high and low quality industrial products.
Major Imports
Silk, Wine, Timber, Beeswax and Honey, Flax, Ironwood, Glass, Yew Wood, Adamantine, Coffee, Incense, Ivory, Jade, Spices, Sugar, Tea, Cocoa, Livestock, Weaveite , animal furs, and as well as extra-regional foodstuffs.
Legislative Body
The Assembly of Stone
Official State Religion
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
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