The Dynast Kingdom of Khalsaren

Overview
The Dynast Kingdom of Khalsaren is one of the oldest kingdoms in the Esterlands, originally a collection of warring human tribes, Khalsaren was united under the conquest of the ancient sorcerer queen Yuthura, whom flew from the Wastes astride an ancient black dragon. Yuthura built a legacy from the ground up as she ruled the land of Khalsaren (Translated roughly as; The Motherland). The current royal family of Khalsaren are the Morne family, whom trace their lineage back to Yuthura herself, whether this is true or simply the irrefutable lies of savvy political manoeuvrers remains yet to be seen.

The current state of Khalsaren is at a tipping point, the lords of the north have claimed independence and have begun to try to separate themselves from the authority of the crown. The current king of Khalsaren; Carrick Morne has foreseen that this separation would lead the kingdom into economic collapse – given that the majority of Khalsaren’s resources come from the north, so a full scale war has been launched in order to prevent the south from losing their grasp on the north, which he cannot allow to happen.

Government & Politics
King Carrick Morne ruled with a council of seven individuals beneath him, each with power delegated to them for separate issues, now that his seat is vacated the council rule over the kingdom in his stead, until his heir Prince Geoffrey Morne.

The Council of Seven

Lucien Karath – The King’s Hand

Heinrich Rubrin – Grandmaster of the Church

Janosh Salt – Master of Ships

Serrice Frond – Master of Coin

Lance Cresta – Master of Laws

Jeremiah Foster – Archmage of the First Watchcircle

Amdír – Master of Whispers – (Formerly Herschel Carde)

Terrain
South Khalsaren is mainly flat grassland, with some marshlands and forests. South Khlasaren in the centre of agriculture in the country, and most of the crops grown in the south are exported to Wuulzian and Astadian, providing a great deal of commerce for the decadent south.

North Khalsaren is full of unforgiving badlands with mineral rich mountains, where the majority of ores and rare gems of the Esterlands come from. Iron and steel is common in the hills of northern Khalsaren, as well as underneath the shrublands that coat the northeast.

Capital
Hestrian – The Gem of the Esterlands. A shining example of humanity’s adaptability and their ingrained drive to succeed. The Upper city of Hestrian is filled with beautifully designed houses and villas with golden rooftops, the skyline of the city is littered with arrogantly high towers and spires. The Royal Palace is an enormous building made of gold, stone and glass, making it the centre of attention even amongst the impressive spires and villas.

Notable Settlements
Highwater – The centre of internal commerce for Khalsaren.

Arudain – The gateway to the North, an industrial city on the River Scern.

Phondram’s Peak – A city high in the mountains, the home of the First Watchcircle.

Anele’s Hope – A coastal city that functions as a naval training site.

Capella – The iron mining centre of Khalsaren, situated in the north.

Languages
Khalish – The “common” tongue.

Wuulz – A hybridised dialect stemming from common and Dwarvish.

Low Celestial – The tongue of the church of Seraphina, fairly common in Khalsaren.

Religions
The state religion of Khalsaren is the Church of Seraphina Altor, “The Hearthmother”.

Seraphina is the goddess of protection and peace as well as health and fertility, making her faith extremely important to the entire kingdom. The church holds sway with the majority of people in Khalsaren, anyone declared an enemy of the church is soon brought to justice.

Other gods such as Rudian “The General’s Fist” and Hedine “The Wench” are also fairly popular amongst the citizenry and gentry of Khalsaren.

Racial Demographics
Khalsaren is a fairly racially diverse country, however the vast majority of the populace are humans. The larger cities are the more diverse, and diversity shrinks away the more backwater the place is.

Imports & Exports
Imports; Exotic meats and vegetables, Cinnamon, Oil.

Exports; Rare ores, common ores, Tobacco.

Foreign Relations & Military
Khalsaren enjoys fairly warm relations with Wuulzian’s leadership, the pair of countries have a lucrative trade agreement, importing and exporting goods between themselves, with very few border disputes. A channel for peaceful communications has just been opened between Khalsaren and Astadian, despite the previous hostility of the two nations.

The military of Khalsaren mainly consists of swordsmen and spearmen, cavalrymen are also fairly common. The Lords of the country have their own small armies that join up with the Royal army when summoned. The supreme commander of the army is Crown Prince Geoffrey Morne, the king’s son and one of the single greatest swordsmen in the entire country. Soldiers in the army are paid considerably well, receiving about as much as a skilled labourer would receive for a year’s work, young (common) men in Khalsaren are required by law to spend at least a year in service in the army, either as a soldier or performing support roles.

Recreation and Entertainment
The national sport of Khalsaren is Polo, a team sport played on horseback which’s objective is to drive a small wooden ball into the opposing team’s goal using long wooden mallets. Polo is usually only played by the gentry and rich of Khalsaren.

Another favourite pastime of Khalsaren is horseshoes, a game where you throw horseshoes onto a nail in the wall, this game is a lot more popular with the common people.

The Order of the First Watchcircle
A clandestine order of magic users that reside mainly in Phondram’s Peak. Founded during the conquest of Khalsaren by the Sorcerer Queen Yuthura, whom told of a prophesy of a force of unparalleled power that would wash over the Esterlands and destroy every living thing on Varuna. The First Watchcircle have agents and spies all over the world whom watch silently for even the slightest indication of an oncoming storm.

The Church of Seraphina Altor
The state religion of Khalsaren as well as the moral authority of the country, the Grandmaster of the Church is held in as high a regard as the king himself by most of the populace, despite being “beneath” him.

Customs & Quirks
One such custom in Khalsaren is burning cinnamon when receiving guests, it is considered the utmost of manners and respect to make your house/dwelling smell sweet when someone enters your house.

Architecture
The majority of the architecture in Khalsaren is functional and boring with most commoners’ houses made of stone or wood, whereas the manors and castles of the gentry are large arrogant ostentatious buildings, often adorned with banners of many colours and rare metals & gems.

Banking
The Black Bank of Khalsaren is one of the most feared institutions in the entirety of the Esterlands, they hold most of the wealth of the country within their vaults, as well as holding a great deal of private wealth collected over centuries of loaning and tax collecting. The phrase – “The black bank always collects” exists after centuries of funding expeditions and bailing out decadent kings, anyone who cannot pay back their loans are paid visits by The Black Bastards; a force of mute warriors who are unwavering to the Black Bank in collecting the debts… in gold, or in blood.