Khador: at a glance

Vast, combative, and possessed of an unquenchable nationalist fervor, the empire of Khador has been at the heart of most of the conflicts that have rocked the Iron Kingdoms over the past six centuries. It has also suffered more than most other nations—first at the hands of the Orgoth, and then during the Claiming. As the infernals swept into Caen, highly placed members of the Khadoran court revealed themselves to be infernalist traitors. Infernal monstrosities reaved through the citizens of many Khadoran cities, and not even the Imperial Consort was safe from their predations.

Although modern Khador dates back only to the signing of the Corvis Treaties, the people of this harsh and wintry region trace their history much further into the past: to the horselords who ruled the human tribes who made this land their home in ancient times, to the Khardic Empire of the Thousand Cities Era, and to the Menite missionary Geth, who first brought his faith to the peoples of the north centuries ago. Hardy people born of an unforgiving climate, Khadorans are justly proud of their nation’s history and accomplishments, even though many of those achievements have come at the expense of their neighbors.

Battle is a way of life in Khador, just as it has been since the time of the horselords, and military service is mandatory. Citizens of the “softer” kingdoms to the south might see such demands as onerous or even tyrannical, but Khadorans view this service as part of what binds their nation together, and most sons and daughters of the Motherland serve their time in the Winter Guard gladly.

Khador’s history of military conquest and martial excellence may be proud, but much of it is as dark as the northern winters. The kings and queens of Khador have long counted their share of witches and necromancers among their number, from Queen Cherize the Cunning to the reviled Ivan Vladykin. During the Claiming, the Great Princess Regna Gravnoy, ruler of one of Khador’s most forbidding territories and known as the “Winter Queen” to her subjects, revealed herself to be among that number. As it turned out, Gravnoy was only the foremost member of Empress Ayn Vanar’s court who had allied with the infernals. Many others of lesser stations had also pledged allegiance to the inhabitants of the Outer Abyss, trading loyalty to their fellow Khadorans for the promise of increased power.

The revelation of these infernal traitors in the highest ranks of the government threw all of Khador into disarray, and the empire suffered a major decline in the years following the Claiming. Worker strikes were put down with brutal military suppression, and the empress struggled to hold on to her power in a fractured court. To do so, she appealed to two things that had always unified the Khadoran people: love of the Motherland and military conquest. As other nations enjoy a renaissance of technology and culture, Khador prepares once again for war, and the empire has cast its eyes not only on the kingdoms to the south, but even to lands beyond western Immoren’s shores.