Kingdom of Foere
The Kingdom of Foere is the heir of the Hyperborean Empires of old and to this day maintains a claim to most of the lands of Akados as well as large portions of far Libynos beyond the Sinnar Sea. At one time, the overking’s arm really did stretch that far. But today, Foere is now a mere shadow of its prior greatness. It still commands, at least nominally, the loyalty of the Duchy of Ysser, the County of Coutaine, the County of Roy, the Barony of Baldenar, the Duchy of Saxe, the Duchy of Mains, the Duchy of Listonshire, the Duchy of the Rampart, Aachen Province, the County of Vourdon, Exeter Province, and Cerediun Province. However, the domains east of the March of Mountains are in reality mostly semi-independent, as Foere has little ability to enforce its edicts at such a distance. And the lands no longer under the command of the overking far exceed those that remain. The breakup of the Foerdewaith Empire has left much chaos in its wake as the rule of law crumbles and new kingdoms have little reason not to go to war against each other.
History and People
Toward the end of the 25th Century I.R., the Hyperborean Empire in Akados collapsed. In 2496 I.R., a wildfire destroyed the imperial capital of Curgantium and spread to burn The Plains of Suilley and Matagost Forest. Three years later, the capital moved to Tircople in Libynos, and the Hyperboreans abandoned their western empire. By 2632 I.R., the last Hyperborean abandoned Tircople, and their age came to an end.
In the void resulting from the retreat of the Hyperboreans, wars raged between petty kings throughout Akados seeking to obtain and hold lands, wealth, and warriors. One such kingdom in central Akados was Foere. Their king, a half-elf named Macobert, had been a chiliarch (battalion commander) of the Hyperborean legion that faced the Cataphracts of Daan in battle decades earlier. Upon his return to Foere, Macobert overthrew his nation’s king and instituted the military traditions he learned from his time in the legion. To this he added experience he gleaned from having faced the seemingly invincible Cataphracts of Daan and bred his own war mounts to create his own heavy cavalry. The expense of their mounts and gear was such that he recruited the members for this specialized unit only from among the lords of Foere, much like the old Hyperborean hippeis class. He trained these riders in cavalry tactics and the use of combined arms until he created the deadliest fighting force since the Cataphracts of Daan. He called them his Knights.
The Knights of Macobert served as the anchor for his army and allowed him to defeat and unite all of the petty kingdoms around until soon one Kingdom of Foere ruled in central Akados. He carried the standard of the lost glory of Hyperborea, and many vassal kingdoms flocked to his banner seeking his protection or hoping to share in the spoils of his victories. Soon the Foerdewaith, as his people were called, became recognized as the dominant authority and spiritual inheritors of the ancient Hyperborean Empire. And in his 260th year, King Macobert marched his vast host, led by his thousands of Knights, in a long pilgrimage across the Isthmus of Irkaina to distant Tircople.
There he found the city in near ruins, its few inhabitants left in the wake of the Hyperboreans’ departure a mere shadow of their former masters. Macobert quickly claimed the city and at the newly cleared High Altar of Muir had himself crowned as Macobert I, Overking of the Hyperborean Monarchy of the Foerdewaith. He left a small garrison to refurbish the city and returned with his forces to the Foerdewaith fortress of Caene and set about rebuilding it into a capital to rival Curgantium. Upon its completion in the time of Macobert’s son, Magnusson, the capital city was renamed Courghais — the “Heartstone” — to serve as the seat of the Hyperborean Monarchy of the Foerdewaith.
The Foerdewaith continued to consolidate their hegemony over Akados and maintained their control of Tircople as a distant client kingdom. The road between Occibolos (later known as Oxibbul) and Tircople was kept open as a pilgrim route, but the rest of the territory between was largely left to itself, being considered too far away from Courghais’ interests to be of importance. A series of powerful Foerdewaith overkings expanded the control of Foere and brought the former Hyperborean lands of Akados under their banner as the legitimate heir of that empire. Overking Osbert II even took a large force of Knights of Macobert, supported by heavy infantry, over the Helwall and against the shieldwalls of the Heldring. The expert tactics of the Knights in flanking and engaging the rear of the Heldring shieldwalls while the Foerdewaiths’ own shieldwall held them in place proved disastrous for the Heldring so that even that land of barbaric warriors finally tasted true defeat on its home ground and was brought under the sway of the banner of Foere. The Foerdewaith did not, however, attempt a crossing of the Straits of Daan. The losses suffered by the Daanites in purging the Hyperborean Empire of its corruption were still fresh in the memory of the Foerdewaith, and Osbert and his successors chose to leave the island of Ynys Cymragh and its people in peace, reckoning they had endured enough.
In 2843 I.R., Queen Beraia, wife of Overking Paulus, gave birth to twin sons, Kennet and Cale. The royal physiker was drunk at the time of the delivery, and Queen Beraia died in the childbirth. Overcome with grief, Overking Paulus summarily executed the physiker for his gross incompetence and only afterward realized that only Beraia and the physician had known which of the twins was firstborn. The overking had been in the chambers outside the birthing room, and the group of midwives attending the physician did not see which child was first since they assumed the physiker would tie a red string to the ankle of the first child at the moment of birth as was tradition in Foere. A pious man, Paulus dared not simply decree one child as the heir in possible defiance of the will of the gods, and as a result both brothers grew up as co-heirs to the crown in the tradition of Oesson and Oeric nearly three millennia before. While the brothers got along well enough, the land was troubled by the possibility of civil war upon the death of Paulus if the brothers did not choose to administer it peacefully as co-regents.
As the twins reached the age of majority, Overking Paulus died of an illness that had afflicted him for several years. Immediately, parties supporting one twin or the other stepped forward hoping to promote their choice to take control of the empire and bring more power to their own ambitions. Instead, the twins showed a wisdom beyond their years and chose another course. Kennet would be crowned as the sole overking of the Hyperborean Monarchy. Cale, meanwhile, abdicated his claim to the throne. Kennet rewarded him by giving him sole control of the rich port of Reme as well as all the nearby marches that controlled access to the Crynnomar Gap. Shortly after, Cale began the Great Colonization, an attempt to settle the fertile and largely unoccupied grasslands of the Great Steppes. As is told elsewhere, this led to great misfortune, and resulted in the death of Cale and the near-destruction of Reme.
In the year 2958 I.R., a Libynosian king declared anathema the infidels of the Foerdewaith and led his people, called the Huun, in a holy war against the Akadonian at the Sacred Table. The Huun swept over the mountains and slaughtered the inhabitants of Tircople and the valley basin. Fully half the Justicars of Muir fell in the onslaught, with the rest being abroad in their wandering duties. In addition, the pontifex and the first high lord were slain.
In Courghais, Overking Granicus learned of this attack and called for an immediate liberation of the Sacred Table in what became known as the First Great Crusade. Justicars who had formed chapters within lands across Foere raised armies for the cause. A great flotilla eventually sailed to land a crusader army on far Libynos. The crusader forces drove the Huun before them and recaptured Tircople and the Sacred Table. Ten years later, the Huun retook Tircople, and a Second Great Crusade was launched. The Foerdewaith again seized the Sacred Table, which they held until 3169 I.R. when the Huun overran the Crusader Coast and again sacked Tircople. A Third Great Crusade failed when the entire fleet was lost at sea, and 30 years would pass before a Fourth Great Crusade could be gathered, this time led by Overking Oessum VIII himself, a pious and devoted warrior of Muir. Eight years later, the Huun army was destroyed at the Battle of the Sickles when it was caught between the crusader army and allies the overking raised from the hill dwarves of the nearby Shamash Kush.
The Sacred Table and Crusader States were secure, and Tircople was once again in the hands of the Foerdewaith. Unfortunately, Overking Oessum VIII was killed in the final battle and died without an heir. The ensuing political struggles to put any one of a number of potential candidates upon the Hyperborean throne sapped the momentum of the victory in Tircople. Plans to ordain a new pontifex and renew the faiths of Thyr and Muir — which of late had been in decline since the loss of Tircople — failed. Finally, Graeltor, an aged uncle of Oessum who had served as administrator of the monarchy while the overking was on campaign, was crowned overking in Courghais.
The reign of Graeltor was not long. Shortly after his coronation, the patriarchs of Thyr and Muir in Courghais along with a delegation of many of the other good and neutral faiths approached him about a threat arising in the wastes north of Bard’s Gate where the temple-city of Orcus known as Tsar was threatening all trade between Foere and the Isthmus of Irkaina. Though the temple-city had been there for many years, Graeltor, having been left in Akados while Oessum and his armies achieved glory in Libynos, decided to declare his own crusade against evil, which he dubbed the Army of Light. Under the command of Zelkor, Graeltor’s trusted archmage advisor, the Army of Light gathered at Bard’s Gate and fought its way through the outer defensives of Tsar. Among the many warriors who made up the Army of Light were Alaric of Tircople and Gerrant of Gilboath, the last two Justicars of Muir. After several months, the Army of Light finally laid siege to the city of Tsar itself.
The siege of Tsar lasted for over a year, during which many insidious weapons and tactics were unleashed to claim tens of thousands on both sides. Meanwhile in distant Libynos, swarms of invading Mguru tribesmen emerged from the Malagro Jungle and overran Tircople and the Sacred Table, reducing it to a burning waste. News of this atrocity rocked the morale of the Army of Light. Alaric of Tircople returned to the Sacred Table, where he and the third high lord perished in an attempt to retake the holy city. Back in Akados, Gerrant of Gilboath also fell outside Tsar. Shortly thereafter, the forces of Tsar suddenly retreated from the field and led the vengeful Army of Light on a long chase down the coast of the Gulf of Akados. At last, the Army of Light cornered the forces of Tsar in the Forest of Hope. The disciples of Orcus and the Army of Light entered the forest, and thereupon disappeared entirely. No sign of either has been seen since.
The shock of the loss of so much of the realm’s nobility and greatest warriors shook Foere to its core. Uprisings spontaneously occurred across the kingdom, with few knights or noblemen to put them down. Graeltor died some years later in his bed and passed the crown of the Hyperborean Monarchy on to his largely unknown and untested grandson Oedwin, which brought about the Foerdewaith Wars of Succession. Ramthion Island declared its independence from Foere in 3213 I.R. Pontos Island did the same in 3215 I.R. and renamed itself the Kingdom of Oceanus. Two years later, a Foerdewaith fleet attempted to retake Pontos Island but was defeated by Oceanus at the Battle of Kapichi Point. Within a few more years, Endhome, Burgundia, and Suilley declared their independence from Courghais. In 3223 I.R., Suilley defeated a Foerdewaith army at the Battle of Bullocks Bale, and soon after, Southvale, Vast, and North Heath were independent as well. Finally, in 3233 I.R., even the Grand Duchy of Reme left Foere, an event that the overking by then had little choice but to accept. As the remnants of the Kingdom of Foere turned inward and became more decadent, many of the former Foere lands east of the March of Mountains and west of the Blackrock Mountains fought among themselves as law and order slowly disintegrated in the region.
Just three years ago, however, in 3514 I.R., a Huun army appeared on the northern border of the Desolation of [Tsar] past the ruins of Oxibbul and advanced into the kingdoms of Akados. In the Lyre Valley, they found their way blocked by Bard’s Gate and lay siege to the city. The current overking of Courghais, King Ovar the Magnificent, hastily called for a new Great Crusade against the age-old enemy and rallied the nobles and men-at-arms of Foere and its independent neighbors in the defense of Bard’s Gate. But first he unleashed a fleet of ships against the sambuks of the Huun navy in the Gulf of Akados. The Foerdewaith and Heldring ships delivered a crushing defeat to the Huun ships and forced them into a retreat back up to the coasts of the Sea of Spices.
With their supply lines disrupted by the loss of their naval support, the besieging Huun forces withdrew from the walls of Bard’s Gate and marched back across the Desolation with the crusader army in pursuit. At last report, the Huun army had entered the wastes of the Irkainian Desert with the crusaders close behind, but nothing further has been heard for two years. With no word from the king of Foere nor any of the lesser rulers who marched with him, the Lost Lands are on the verge of turmoil as the rule of law is stretched by the absence of so many lords and men-at-arms. Now, King Ovar is said to have returned to his Throne Tower of the Citadel Caene alone at night astride his trained black dragon. The other lords of Akados who have heard this rumor are left to wonder how this could have happened and, if it is true, what became of the rest of the army that marched with the overking.
Loyalties and Diplomacy
Foere maintains good relations with Reme despite the grand duchy’s declaration of independence, as well as with Bard’s Gate. Foere and Oceanus continue to abide by the non-aggression treaty they signed in 3339 I.R. It has a substantially more complicated relationship with its other former vassals, particularly the Vast, North Heath, Olduvar, and Suilley. While not hostile, there is no love lost among the Foerdewaith for these realms and they will not go out of their way to aid them. That being said, Overking Ovar was able to muster support from many of the independent kingdoms that had once sworn fealty to Courghais to take part in the recent crusade against the Huun and lift the siege of Bard’s Gate. However, tensions have increased among these realms because of the rumors currently circulating that the overking has returned — without those who followed him.
Trade and Commerce
Foere remains a center of trade and commerce throughout Akados. Given its central location, the kingdom lies at the crossroads of trade routes that reach to the farthest ends of the continent and beyond to Libynos. In addition, Courghais is a center of learning and manufacture known far and wide for its smithing, stonework, glassblowing, and textiles. If something cannot be found in Courghais, it can be made there.
Several trading houses of substantial antiquity are based in Courghais, and they hold mercantile interests throughout Foere and the rest of Akados, and beyond. The most notable are Houses Iskane and Tulius.
Government
Before he disappeared with his army while chasing the withdrawing Huun, Overking Ovar the Magnificent ruled Foere with a fist of iron. In many ways, he was a throwback to previous overkings, but he was also a ruler unfortunately born at a time when his kingdom was in decline. Reynald, the overking’s son and the prince of Foere, frequently served as his father’s liaison with other realms. In Ovar’s absence, Reynald has been ruling the kingdom as regent.
Outside the royal demesne, nobles who serve as vassals of the overking possess the authority to govern on behalf of their lord. Dukes are the greatest of these vassals, followed by barons. Fiefdoms below the barons are known as cantrefs, and, before the rise of Macobert, were ruled by a prince. After the establishment of Foere, they came to be administered by lords and favored men-at-arms — frequently a member of the Knights of Macobert. Most vassalages are hereditary, but the overking may remove and appoint a successor to one of his nobles under certain circumstances.
Magistrates preside over courts throughout the kingdom and have certain jurisdiction even in the lands of the overking’s vassals. The overking appoints most of these magistrates, who are known as Listeners. Where ecclesiastical law prevails (such as in the domain of a cathedral city), the local ecclesiastical magnate appoints the magistrates, who are called Lawgivers.
Military
Foere has historically fielded one of the largest armies on Akados, although it is scattered throughout the kingdom, a necessity given the sheer magnitude of the lands under Foerdewaith control. The overking commands a sizable personal army based in Courghais, and each of his vassals also maintains military forces and is obliged to provide a certain number of soldiers per year to the kingdom if the overking so demands.
Unfortunately, a sizable portion of the armed forces of Foere left with Overking Ovar in pursuit of the invading Huun two years ago and have not been seen since. In his absence, Prince Reynald and the duchies and baronies of Foere began conscripting soldiers from the towns and countryside since the threats to the kingdom persist. But the army remains seriously depleted, and the remaining commanders fear what might happen if a war were to break out or if an invasion were to occur.
Major Threats
The largest threat to Foere at the moment is likely its continuing disintegration. Each province that secedes makes it easier for the next one to do the same. While the lands owing fealty to Courghais have been stable for some time now, the absence of the overking and a sizable portion of the armies of Foere have left the country unstable and rife with rumor. If the tales of Ovar’s return without the army are true, it is impossible to know what effect that might have on the vassals farthest from Courghais or even on the nobility of the city itself.
Region
Kingdom of Foere
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
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