Agbithan Crusade
"Agbith is gone. She's been gone for 70 years. But don't ever let them hear you say that."The Agbithan Crusade is the rump state of the former Kingdom of Agbith and has been embroiled in a bitter war against the dragon Inkrimane ever since its inception. Though the territory of the crusade is under the nominal control of the Ras Gafhi, in practice the various crusading armies operate under their own laws and own authority. Loosely allied under the common goal of containing Inkrimane and restoring one or both of the historic Thaner realms, the crusade is poor in everything but fighters, and is sustained in large part by a regular influx of donations, supplies, and warriors from exiled Thaner nobility and sympathetic foreign powers.
Structure
While the Ras Gafhi in Harhoun nominally rules over the old province of Agbithan Gafhi, in practice civil administration has collapsed and been replaced by impune warlords and stationary bandits. Yaner tolerates these elements out of necessity in exchange for tribute and military assistance against the dragon. While in the south and west further from the dragon's territory the Gafhi Serafi are able to impose some level of civility and order, east of the river might increasingly makes right.
History
Demography and Population
Three generations of exodus have seen the original dwarven populations of both Deim't and Agbith (now Inkrimane) drained. An accurate census of the Agbithan Gafhi, let alone the lands under Inkrimane has not been conducted in over 70 years, but anyone can plainly see that the Gafhi is depopulated, with the ruins of old farmhouses and the remains of old terrace farms carved into the hills, now overgrown and abandoned to the elements.
The remaining productive peasantry in the Gafhi is heavily taxed to provide for the crusading armies, and Gafhi has been struck by famine twice since the establishment of the Crusade. As a result, only the most stubborn remain and every generation more flee their homeland to the lowlands of the Mekub or even up north into Runber. The influx of foreign fighters and settlers has made the Gafhi a more diverse place, as expeditionary forces under the command of foreign lords arrive to assist in containing the draconic menace.
Territories
The Agbithan Crusade controls the territory known as Agbithan Gafhi, an old hinterland of the Kingdom in the southern Gafahraz Mountains. They continually contest the mountain forts of the old kingdom with the draconic hordes of Inkrimane, but remain in a rough stalemate.
Foreign Relations
The Crusade is on amicable terms with its neighbors, except for Inkrimane. As the realms of Mekub consider the stubborn dwarves of the lost kingdom a valuable buffer zone, they support the Agbithans with money, supplies and soldiers. Though few outside the Crusade believe that their ultimate goals of restoring the Thaner realms are possible, the conventional wisdom goes that so long as Agbith refuses to concede defeat, the dragon will not come after anyone else.
Really interesting. I like how stubborn they are, though it may probably seem foolish to others.