The Kaelen Confederacy
The Kaelen Confederacy: Governance and Structure
Legislative Body
The Council of Fangs acts as the primary legislative force within the Kaelen Confederacy. Composed of elected chieftains and warband leaders from the various Rahki tribes, this council meets seasonally in the city of Kaelen to draft laws, settle disputes between tribes, and ensure unity of purpose. All members are proven warriors or strategists, and their votes are weighted based on the size and contribution of their tribe to the Confederacy.
Judicial Body
Justice is overseen by the Circle of the Mark, a conclave of elder Rahki judges who interpret the Confederacy's oral laws and traditions. These judges, known as Judicars, are appointed for life and are often chosen from among the wisest retired warriors or shamans. They travel between settlements, holding tribal court in open gatherings known as Trials of Sand, where evidence and oaths are weighed in front of witnesses.
Executive Body
The High Fang holds the highest executive authority, currently High Fang Tharek Baresh. His rule is upheld by a handpicked war cabinet known as the Claws of Kaelen, consisting of:
First Claw Rada Vorn – Military Marshal of the Dune Stalkers
Claw of Flame Sirek Marral – Overseer of logistics and supply chains
Claw of Wisdom Yasa Kheel – Elder advisor and spiritual leader
Claw of Scars Verek Nahn – Overseer of discipline and internal security
Structure
The Kaelen Confederacy is governed by a Tribal War Council composed of the chieftains of its seven major clans. These clans each hold ancestral lands and send a representative to the War Council.
Notable Council Members:
High Fang Tharek Baresh – Supreme War Leader and Chieftain of Clan Baresh.
Shieldmother Vhara Dren – Voice of Clan Dren, known for her stoic discipline.
Warden-Kin Maluk Tan – Sand warden of the eastern dunes, master of desert survival.
Stormcaller Jesh Varun – Spiritual guide and stormseer of Clan Varun.
Kharadon Master Orek Sall – Oversees warbeast breeding and training.
Each clan governs its own people and land independently but is bound by blood-oaths and sacred vows to come together in defense and governance through the War Council.
Culture
Kaelari culture is steeped in ancestral reverence, martial discipline, and desert survival. The unforgiving sands of Granheim shaped their values — adaptability, loyalty to kin, and strength of will. Children are trained from a young age to hunt, track, ride, and survive.
Clans maintain deep oral traditions, recounting victories and tragedies in rhythmic chants and sand-etched murals. Festivals often feature competitive combat, scarification rituals, and ceremonial hunts.
Warriors bond with Kharadon beetles or sand drakes, and wear armor decorated with desert bone, glass, and chitin.
Public Agenda
Defend the Contingent’s Border against incursions from the Rel-Vath Barrens.
Preserve Kaelari Traditions and Autonomy within the Al-Muru Daxin Contingent.
Elevate Martial Prowess through mercenary trade and elite military training.
Protect Sacred Sites believed to link the living to ancestral spirits.
History
The Kaelen Confederacy began as a loose alliance of Rahki warrior clans inhabiting the harsh deserts surrounding the Rel-Vath Barrens. Though disparate in origin, they were united by shared hardship and ancestral reverence, and became guardians of the land.
During the rebellion against the Vorr’Khal Sultanate in 280 AEL, the clans joined the uprising after witnessing Sultanate slavers encroach upon sacred grounds and exploit desert resources. Under Tharek Baresh’s leadership, the clans organized into a single martial coalition, forming the Kaelen Confederacy.
Their mountainside capital city of Kaelen was carved into the cliffs bordering the Barrens, becoming both fortress and cultural heart. The southern city of the Silver Steps rose later, anchoring the confederacy's influence across southern Granheim.
Kaelari warriors fought with distinction during the wars of liberation and now serve as the vanguard of the Contingent, their unwavering watch shielding the south from what lurks in the Barrens.
Though fiercely independent, the Kaelari see themselves as eternal guardians of Granheim’s balance, and their reputation is one of unyielding strength, harsh justice, and enduring legacy.
Territories
The Kaelen Confederacy spans a harsh desert expanse between the mountains that house Kaelen and The Silver Steps, forming the southern flank of the Contingent.
Military
The Kaelen Confederacy's military force is known as the Dune Stalkers—fearsome warriors trained to ride Kharadon beetles, sand drakes, and other beasts. Their tactics rely on mobile raids, swift ambushes, and terrain manipulation.
Notable Units:
Stormfangs – Elite mounted scouts
Sunpiercers – Spear-wielding infantry with desert-forged armor
Vath-Bound – Volunteers who operate closest to the Barrens, hardened by exposure to its horrors
Laws
The laws of the Kaelen Confederacy are built upon oral tradition, sacred scripture, and ancestral precedent. Known collectively as the Oaths of the Dune, these laws are passed down from generation to generation and recorded by the Circle of Stone in carvings and codices.
Key tenets include:
The Right of the Trial Path – Any accused of a serious crime may demand a Trial Path: a test of endurance, combat, or divine favor, judged by the Circle.
The Law of the Flame – All tribes must offer warriors for defense of the Barrens during the Storm Season.
The Covenant of Water – No tribe may poison, dam, or redirect a shared water source without consent of the Council.
The Law of the Hunt – Warbeasts and drakes may not be hunted for sport; only for survival or defense.
The Stone’s Law – No one may disturb ancestral cairns or sacred flame circles under penalty of exile.
Enforcement is carried out by Stonewalkers, traveling magistrates empowered to interpret and execute judgment based on local customs and Confederacy-wide law. These agents are revered and feared, often accompanied by armed retinues and spirit-wardens.
In the cities, a more structured force known as the Fangwardens ensure order, collect tithes, and maintain tribal peace. In times of internal strife, the High Fang may declare a Rite of Silence, granting the Circle of Stone temporary military power to pacify rebel elements.
Agriculture & Industry
Despite their arid homeland, the Kaelen Confederacy thrives through:
Cactus and Succulent Farming
Dry-Season Aquifers and Deep Well Irrigation
Beast Leather, Bonecraft, and Scale-forging
Training and Export of Warbeasts
Salt and Resin Mining from Desert Ridges
Education
Formal education is rare, but knowledge is passed through oral storytelling, battle rites, and elder teachings. The city of The Silver Steps maintains the Hall of Echoes, a central repository of Kaelen history, poetry, and martial theory. Prospective leaders and scholars often apprentice here under scribes and memory-keepers known as Lorefangs.
"Through the storm and the sand, we endure. Through blade and blood, we prevail."
Founding Date
280 AEL
Type
Political, Confederation
Capital
Alternative Names
The Southern Fangs
Demonym
Kaelari (singular: Kaelaran)
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Location
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
