Kingdoms of Cahar

Taking its name from their ancient lore, the Kingdom of Cahar was originally created by the indigenous tribes of Terrevinda in an attempt to unify against the ever-expanding colonizing nations of Sendrenne, Andriax and Teshyr.
Today, having either pushed, or been pushed, into the northeastern reaches of the continent, the Kingdom of Cahar comprises of four (or five) petty kingdoms unified under a High King.

by Raken

The Petty Kingdoms

Tuara

(Pop. 1.5 million)
The lands of Tuara sit on the large southeastern peninsula of Cahar. Rich in tradition, Tuaran songs tell of its people occupying the lands when gods, giants and fey creatures roamed the earth. Abounding with deep forests, misty lakes and lofty mountains, the land itself further gives rise to the popular conception of Tuara as a mythical land. Druids play a large part in the people's daily lives being a central part of society, religion and politics.

by Roy Steur

by Mariusz Kozik

Gahenei

(Pop. 1 million)
The Gahenei are the direct descendants of the horse-riding tribes of the vast central plains, and today they are still renowned as a semi-nomadic horse-riding people. Over the centuries, the Gahernei have been pushed back to their current lands based around the Dundeere Plateau that guards the western reaches of Cahar. Although more famed for riding lighter breeds of horses, Gahenei destriers are highly-prized by knights and heavy cavalry units all over the world.

Lyr

(Pop. 4.5 million)
The people of Lyr have appropriated more from the cultures of the non-native Founding nations than any other indigenous kingdom. Among outsiders, they are widely regarded as more 'civilized' than the other Cahar kingdoms. First-time visitors to Lyrian port cities might have difficulty believing they were not in Andriax or Teshyr. The 'Common' tongue is the preferred language used, and druids have less social influence here.

by Dmitry Burmak

Ossorin

(Pop. 2 million)
The Ossorin have fought against the nations of the foundation longer than any other existing country. Once occupying the lands surrounding Novisendra City, over the years they have pushed northwards to their current lands on the southern shores of the Sea of Ice. Centuries of living in the cold, barren climes of northern Cahar has made the Ossorin a hardy, taciturn people who are ferocious warriors, and lose no opportunity to remind people of how cold and barren their lands are.

Dalrada

Originally a barbarian horde invading from the frozen north 300 years ago, the Dalrada only unified under the Cahar Kingdom in 961. Despite Cahar affiliation, the petty kingdom was invaded by Teshyr. Currently, all Dalrada's former lands are occupied, its young king is in exile and much of its populace is enslaved.
Although the conquest started a war between Teshyr and Cahar, military action has been limited to skirmishes around the borders of former Dalrada lands. (See below)

by merlkir

Culture, Language & Religion

All Cahar kingdoms claim indirect descent from the first mortals who inherited the lands from divine / 'fey' beings. However, after centuries of independence, the pervasiveness and strength of traditional Cahar culture, religion and language varies widely from kingdom to kingdom.
The Tuara are generally regarded as having the strongest and most traditional form of Cahar culture. There, the druidic order plays a large part in society, politics and daily life. The 'Common' language of the Founding nations is rarely spoken, or even understood, and the influence of outside cultures plays little part in daily life.
In contrast, Lyr, has readily assimilated the culture of Teshyr, Andriax & Sendrenne. Common is now the mother tongue of most Lyrians, and few bother to learn any of the Cahar dialects. Druids have little social influence and Lyrians are as likely to pray to the Hextanthic gods of Sendrenne as they are to Cahar deities.

Succession Laws

A traditionally problem for previous Cahar unifications has been the issue of succession. A strong King may be able to unite the various independent Cahar kingdoms, but when he dies, a petty king will have little desire to hand over suzerainty of his lands to someone else.
The 1st Kingdom of Cahar had standard primogeniture rules of succession, but essentially fell apart as soon as the first high king's died and his son tried to take authority. The 2nd kingdom tried a method of elected monarchy, which worked through four successions until ill-will and power struggles resulted in civil war and dissolution of the kingdom.
The current Kingdom gets around the problem quite unusually. When a high king dies, the druidic order chooses a new high king from among the petty kings. The new high king will hold the title for life, and after his coronation, the petty kings must choose to either leave the kingdom or swear allegiance to him. The system, surprisingly, maintains a good balance of power because, on one hand the druids know they will lose social influence if a nation chooses independence, on the other hand, the petty kings have good reason to maintain traditional druidic Cahar culture. The current ruler, Gorin II, is the 11th High King of Cahar.

The Dalrada Problem

Invading Terrevinda from across the frozen northern mountains over 200 years ago, Dalrada is the odd-man-out among today's kingdoms of Cahar. Although the Dalrada and Cahar may have originally shared the same base culture, centuries of separation left those connections tenuous. In their invasion, the Dalrada overran much of northern Terrevinda including large parts of Teshyr, before eventually being pushed back to the lands south and east of Lake Baliol.
In 953, King Tolmid ascended the Teshyr throne with a determination to recover all lands previously taken from them by the Dalrada. A series of battles resulted in the Dalrada being pushed back to the eastern shores of Baliol. However, tensions between the two countries continued to grow as military retaliations became the norm. Increasingly unable to resist Teshyr pressure the Dalrada asked to join the Kingdom of Cahar.
Politically, there was not much enthusiasm within Cahar to antagonize Teshyr by accepting Dalrada's request. However, the druids, seeing a chance to extend their influence over their Dalrada cousins, pressured King Gorin into accepting Dalrada into the Cahar Kingdom in 960.
Incensed, Teshyr King Tolmid launched an immediate invasion of Dalrada, occupying their lands and enslaving the populace. Cahar had little choice but to declare war on Teshyr.
There is little political, and even less military, will for this war on either side. For the past six years the 'fighting' has been limited to half-hearted skirmishes along the borders. There have been rumors of staged fake 'battles', and the armies on both sides make no effort to hinder cross-border trade.

Founded
724 AF
Population
Approx. 8 million (not incl. Dalrada)
Government System
Elective Monarchy
Current King
High King Gorin II of Lyr
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Notable Members

• Cormac Dalrada