The Immortal Kingdom of Mortannia
61% Human, 15% semyedrak, 9% chelevolk, 8% dhampir, 4% other draconics, 3% other
In all my travels I have never chanced upon a people as dichotomous as the natives of Mortannia; proud yet insular; grim yet boisterous. I would assert that if generations of living amongst the roaming undead and fell influence of the Nameless Dark were not enough to break their spirit, than nothing in these realms ever could. The villagers greet me warmly enough but have little time for small talk or gossip from neighboring countries. They simply wish to know who I am and when I will be gone from their presence. Not in an unkind manner, mind you…simply matter-of-fact.
True Mortannian beauty emanates from their cities though, in the towering stone spires of the mighty cathedrals and castles that scrape against the sky like finely honed daggers. Here the people are far more gregarious; they welcome me in their pubs with open arms and bid me to drink far more than my share in an effort to drown my sorrows. They seem heedless when I tell them I have no sorrows to drown. The word of the day always seems to be about the latest murder or disappearance, punctuated by a combination of wry chuckles and murmured prayers.
I am left with the conclusion that Mortannians are, to a lesser or greater extent, all quite mad and mostly wish to be left alone.
-Final entry from the journal of Titus Reginus, Avalonian Scholar, last seen on the 3rd Almsday of Prowess, 1295 in the North Ward of Kreschingrad.
A land of heroes and kings, Mortannia is home to the fabled hero Aleksandr Mortav and his descendants. Though centuries of latent darkness have spread like a poison across the land, the kingdom remains fiercely proud of its heritage and confidant in its resilience against the fell forces of the Nameless Dark. The kingdom has certainly seen far better days, as bureaucratic corruption and wealth disparity threatens to tear the gothic country apart from within.
Government: In the days before the Battle of the Fall, the land that would become Mortannia was ruled nominally by numerous petty noble families, often exiled to the “backwards hinterlands” from the more prosperous lands of ancient Al-Hasier and ancient Avalon. After the land was sundered, Aleksandr Mortav laid claim to Kreschingrad and established an imperial rule. None challenged his claim to the newly formed Mortannian throne after his legendary heroism during the Battle of the Fall. Mortannia has been ruled by kings tracing direct lineage to Aleksandr Mortav I ever since. Still, the kingdom relies on a feudal system and generally the farther away from Kreschingrad, the more power the local duke of the region wields. Commoners wield little to no power in the vast majority of Mortannian settlements.
The throne of Mortannia has been empty for the last 20 years and many fear that the Mortav line may have finally died out with the curious disappearance of King Vezlin III at the end of the Firefang Uprising. It falls to the Royal Steward to name a successor in this situation, but the current steward seems in no hurry to choose one.
Economy: The kingdom is a land rich in natural resources including many varieties of lumber, minerals, and land suitable for farming or animal husbandry. All resources technically belong to the Crown, but in the Golden Age of Mortannian history taxes were light and a great deal of wealth was spread to noble and commonfolk alike. Unfortunately, it has been several centuries since then, and many once prosperous households have fallen into ruin. The disparity between the rich and the poor is at the highest it’s ever been, with the truly destitute working inhumane hours and conditions while their noble masters reside in gilded castles with the finest of luxuries. Luxury goods from around the world are highly valued by the Mortannian elite, and although slavery is technically illegal in the kingdom the “Indentured Flesh Auctions” are always a lucrative market for the unscrupulous merchant.
Religion/Spirituality: The only legal religions in the kingdom are the Church of Purifying Light and its affiliated sister branches and sub-faiths. Most Mortannians are highly spiritual or superstitious at the very least and each village has more than a few rituals purported to keep the Nameless Dark at bay. The semyedrak commonly worship their own tribe’s totem spirits or the enigmatic patron of dragonkin: Severius Ryn. The Oracle of Mortannia also espouses, in flagrant disregard for the law, his own philosophy of egalitarian communism from his mountain retreat far from the capital. Additionally, a newly founded populist religion known as the Faith of the New World has cropped up in Kreschingrad, and continues to preach in open defiance of the law, bolstered by the fanatic devotion of its followers.
Lifestyle: The Mortannian people are a hardy, but beleaguered bunch. Having existed in an accursed land for so long, many of them are immune to the day to day cruelties of the world that would churn the stomachs of more sheltered people. Many outsiders view Mortannians as humorless, grim people but the reality could not be farther than the truth. Mortannian commoners have few luxuries, and make up for it with boisterous parties involving prodigious amounts of alcohol. The disparity between urban and rural, and also wealthy and destitute, is stark. Often times villagers from the hinterlands find themselves in a different country entirely if they chance to visit the more urban centers of the country.
Diplomacy: Mortannia maintains a tepid trade agreement with Al’Hasier to the south and a nominal peace treaty with Schattenburg to the west. Since the gradual decay of the Crown’s influence, the counties of Mortannia have been more concerned with threats from within than pursuing any kind of foreign policy. However with the relatively recent return of Avalon to Zenith, the two countries find themselves in direct competition for the mantle of humanity’s greatest kingdom. The two countries are too concerned with their own internal struggles, for now, but few can deny that Mortannia is devoting more effort into fortifying its navy for what can only presage the coming of an intense conflict between the two nations.
Military/Defense: A tradition of steadfast militarism runs deep throughout Mortannia. Not for any sort of imperialist dreams of expansion, but to forever be vigilant against the forces of the Nameless Dark. The Royal Army answers directly to the monarch of the land (or their own commander in times of transition), and many of the regional dukes also command loyal retainers and banner men that can be called upon in times of need. Further, even the most rural of Mortannian villages boasts a robust militia, with every family expected to maintain a serviceable suit of armor and a variety of weapons. Finely honed blades are the most common type of family heirloom in Mortannia, some of which date back to the Battle of the Fall.
Variants: A racial human variant exists for humans hailing from Mortannia.
Geography/Borders: Mortannia was once considered the far hinterlands of Antravarcia, the human civilization that existed before the Battle of the Fall, and in the farthest forests old architecture from such time still remains. The oldest of Mortannian castles bear curious architectural quirks that are reminiscent of Avalonian designs. The country is further subdivided into 6 distinct counties each ruled by a provincial noble invested with the Crown’s authority who are allowed to rule as they see fit. They are outlined in the following pages.