Kryn Dynasty
Structure
Bright Queen
The 12 Dens
Culture
They cherish unity in community, but also value free choice and the power of the individual mind. For each soul to carve a unique path is the best way for a soul to learn about the world. Casting off the teaching of Fate and Destiny taught by some of the current pantheon, the followers of the Luxon are taught that the real power of the universe comes from the power of choice.
Public Agenda
The Kryn Dynasty is seeking out to recover the Luxon Beacons scatterred across Exandria to bring about the eventual rebirth of the Luxon. With each beacon collected, the range of the consecution ritual broadens and expands the continued conversion of others.
With some beacons stolen by operatives of the Dwendalian Empire, the entire Kryn Dynasty has mobilized to retaliate. They are gathering armies to assault Western Wynandir while sending assassins and spies through the subterranean paths of the Underdark, hoping to recover the beacons and simultaneously weaken the evil and blasphemous empire.
History
The Kryn Dynasty rules the northern wastes of Xhorhas, and has only revealed itself to the wider world within the past century. Centered around—and under—the ruins of Ghor Dranas in Eastern Wynandir, the dynasty governs many townships and small villages where the Kryn have helped establish a modicum of civilized living among the nomadic wastefolk. They believe that beings not yet beyond redemption can be turned to the light of the Luxon, and often struggle with the unruly denizens of the wastes, hoping to gain converts to their cause and faith. Those that do accept the dynasty often do so because they seek protection from the dregs of the Calamity that wander the wastes, as well as the scouts of the Dwendalian Empire.
Dark elves are the most populous race within the Kryn Dynasty. The drow were the first people to uncover the first buried Luxon beacon many ages ago, in a time before they turned from Lolth and escaped enslavement from the Betrayer Gods. The dark elves claimed the dread citadel of Ghor Dranas as their own, as well as the massive network of underground caverns that make up the Underdark of Wildemount. The Kryn are stealthily becoming a force to be reckoned with.
The Kryn drow who emerged from the shadowed depths of the caverns beneath Xhorhas now endure periods of sunlight as part of their worship, though their cities are shaded by umbral magic during daylight hours. When hunting, or in times of conflict, the warriors of the Kryn don their signature chitinous armor. A series of small airways woven through this armor can be opened to emit a loud, clicking buzz to intimidate their foes as they charge. This noise has inspired outsiders to call the Kryn "cricks," referring to this cricket-like din.
Artifacts left behind by the Luxon that hold its essence are known as Luxon beacons and are coveted by the Kryn Dynasty as central to their civilization. If a proven soul is ritualistically bound to a Luxon beacon, they can enter a process called the consecution: when a mortal bound to the Luxon dies within a hundred miles of a beacon, the beacon ensnares their soul from its intended afterlife and prepares it to be reborn in a new child within that same vicinity. When that child then matures into adolescence, they begin to recall subtle knowledge from their past life's experiences, a process called anamnesis. Through meditation with a guide, they can unlock the memories of their past lives and become a more complete being. When a soul has cycled enough to believe they are ready to greet the Luxon, they are called an Umavi, or "perfect soul," and are revered within the Kryn society. Some beings that naturally reincarnate, such as the phoenix, are considered holy creatures that carry a shard of the Luxon within themselves.
If a life continues long enough to achieve a state of clarity called achess, where they believe that they've learned all they can learn from their current life, they can choose to partake in a ritualistic termination of their current life, assisted by an Umavi in proximity to a beacon, thereby setting them on the path to a new birth. While considered an honor within the Kryn Dynasty, this practice is misunderstood and seen as barbaric outside their culture.
The Kryn Dynasty is a society restructured from the Lolthite history they rejected. The people of the dynasty stand under the first Umavi, known as Bright Queen Leylas Kryn. Beneath the first Umavi, there are twelve noble Dens that mark families of souls who have lived together through generations: Dens Kryn, Mirimm, Thelyss, Hythenos, Icozrin, Biylan, Tasithar, Duendalos, Daev'yana, Omrifar, Beltune, and Zolaed. When someone is believed to be experiencing anamnesis, they submit to a deep meditation with a guide trained in the ways of consecution. This process helps restore memories of the past life, which then mingle with current memories.
The awakened soul is then reunited with their Den. Dens do grow as new souls enter the consecution and join their ranks, and new Dens are established with each generation. The oldest Dens, especially those helmed by an Umavi, are held in the highest esteem, and generally answer directly to the Bright Queen. The older the soul, the more prestige it holds in the dynasty. Beneath the Dens of Rosohna, guilds and Den representatives govern the other cities of the dynasty that stretch across Xhorhas, spreading the faith of the Luxon and watching over all Xhorhasians who seek the safety of civilization.
This seemingly benevolent societal structure does have a dark side. A closely guarded secret of the highest Umavi is a challenge in the consecution called typhros: some souls that have undergone multiple cycles of the consecution are driven mad when their minds cannot reconcile the memories of many lifetimes. Those who fall to typhros are quietly removed from the dynasty and either left in the wastes or mercifully slain away from the beacons. Signs of madness are beginning to show in the Bright Queen herself, but those closest to her do all they can to shield others from such portents.
Territories
The mass majority of Eastern Wynandir
Military
There are around 21,600 Aurora Watch legionaires across Xhorhas. Most are scattered to the cities under the dynasty's protection with a good portion stationed in Rosohna. Another section is scattered throughout the Underdark beneath Wildemount employing magically controlled purple worms to allow quick navigation. The remainder are stationed along the borders to prevent invasion from the empire and collect land when they advance.
Laws
Within the sight of the Luxon, the Umavi, and the Dens who protect the lands of Xhorhas and its people, any who are presented for judgement before the presiding officials entrusted with the wisdom of the Bright Queen are to have their sentence carried our accordingly. All fines and punishments for crimes against an Aurora Watch soldier or noble are doubled. All fines and punishments regarding crimes against a Den official or member of the Bright Queen's council are tripled.
Theft: 2–5 days incarceration and a fine equal to the worth stolen.
Ownership of another intelligent humanoid creature: 10–20 months incarceration and a fine of 1,500 gp.
Trespassing: 5 days incarceration and a fine of 120 gp.
Damage to private property: 5–20 days incarceration or a fine of twice the worth of property destroyed.
Damage to dynasty property: 12–50 days incarceration and a fine of twice the worth of property destroyed.
Kidnapping: 60 days incarceration and/or a fine of 800 gp.
Worship of Betrayer Gods: 150 days incarceration, or execution.
Assault with intent to injure: 12 days incarceration and a fine of 200 gp.
Assault with intent to kill: 200 days incarceration and a fine of 1,200 gp, or execution.
Murder: 5–10 years incarceration and/or a fine of 4,000 gp, or execution.
Treason: execution.
Capital
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Location
Related Ethnicities
Related Plots
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