Kingdom of the Five Thanes

The Kingdom of the Five Thanes
The region close to the Archons of Magoyan now classified a Kingdom, used to be a loose batch of villages and larger towns, only connected in their enmity for the Glaciax Imperium. Through turmoil and war, they finally defeated their enemy and grew to one of the major powers on Azendé.

The inhabitants of these villages once fled the religious repression of the Imperium and founded small, difficult to find villages in the meadows and lands past Archon territory. They resided in terrible living conditions, sometimes fleeing and burying everything behind them whenever an Archamedian or Glaciax patrol was seen in the area.

The 'Kingdom' is similar to that of the Archamedians, operating on an egalitarian system, led by five great rulers who are chosen by the population of the great cities for life. These rulers are the Thanes; five leaders selected for their capacity for rulership, their ability to command and their conviction in the values of the Kingdom. This tradition was started by the founder of Thorondra: Thane Victorsson the Great.

History of the Kingdom
Hundreds of years ago, the religiously intolerant Glaciax Imperium was one of both largest powers on Azende. As a military power, it was impressive, but as a society, it was repressive and cruel. Only one vision was allowed, and that was the vision of the leaders of the Imperium. But that could not last.

In it's days of greatness, the Imperium grew complacent with it's people, and with it's honesty. Many found the room to question the ways of their overlords, now burgeoning in wealth while preaching abstinence. This time, the repression only strengthened the malcontence and the uprising became a revolt. The Imperium faced it's largest crisis yet as thousands took to the streets. But the Imperium refused to loosen it's grip and bore down on the uprising with an iron fist. That was its first great mistake.

Instead of quieting down, the rioters fled. Many of them in groups, they left the Imperium and founded small villages in the forest near Magoyan. Their living conditions were abominable, but they survived, unseen by the Imperium. This is known as the Exodus, and from this point on the Imperium has seen the refugees as Outlaws, a monicker they carry with pride.

Over the decades, the Outlaws gathered more refugees from the lands around them. Many were Archamedians who wanted a life away from the royal absolutism of their homeland. Others came from the free lands, seeking trade opportunities. Slowly, their faction grew and became more organised, finally to posess a military power great enough to defend themselves openly from the Glacias Imperium. The Imperium did not see the Outlaws as a major threat, and thus diverted it's attention to the Archamedians. That was its second great mistake.

Everything changed 60 years after the Exodus. A group of pirates from the Free Lands joined with the Outlaws, seeking wealth and better lives. They brought their fleet and naval knowledge, and did not take the Outlaws long to construct their own fleet of airships and sea vessels. After all, many of it's inhabitants were intellectuals who fled from opression. At that time, Victorsson discovered the Hollow Mountain in the Arcanum region, and founded the city of Thorondra. This gave the Outlaws a major base, and in ten years time they had become an organised kingdom, led by Victorsson the Great and his four peers. The Five Thanes emerged from hiding.

At this point in time, the Glaciax Imperium was in an exhausting cold war with the Archemedians. They never had time to react properly when the Thanes waged their war, but it wasn't an easy battle for the Outlaws to win. The fighting lasted for years, but in the end the Glaciax Imperium was too weakened to survive, and the Archemedians too busy with internal struggle to intervene. The last Emperor was nearly killed by an angry mob, but VIctorsson the Great intervened and had him incarcerated after fair trial. Many see this as a sign of his divinity, although historians tend to see it as part of his value-oriented realpolitik. Either way, this meant the end of the Glacias Imperium. The Kingdom of the Five Thanes now lived peacefully and grew beyond it's wartime borders, taking up a part of the old Imperium. The Kingdom was prosperous, and around this time the great fortress of Santora was built, as a testament to the great capacity of a free and equal society.

But the prosperity could not last. The Kingdom slowly atrophied, and now it is only a shadow of itself. It's military power still stands, but much of what it stood for has been buried under layers of legislation. It's people are murmuring for change, a revolution in the traditional sense of the word, back to former greatness. All hope is set for the election of the new Thane, a woman known for her vigilance in matters of this kind. Only time will tell if she will keep her promises. The Kingdom might need them soon.

Thorondra and the Drainlands
The capital city is Thorondra, which used to be a hidden city inside a lone, hollow mountain. Now it can be reached through a subtle entrance, on foot through the nearby Archamedian municipality of Magoyan. The primary method of travel however for its members and constituants is through the air, via airship from the Nexus Village. Thorondra houses the Hall of Thanes, were the Five Thanes convene to discuss important matters. Most of the Kingdom's adventurer provisions can be found in Thorondra. The Mountain lies in the Drainlands: this land used to be under water long ago but is now covered in woodlands and has difficult terrain near the mountain.

Santora
Santora used to be the great fortress of the Kingdom, built after it defeated the Glaciax Imperium. WIth the decline of the Kingdom's influence, Santora has become a battleground for all kinds of low-lifes vying for criminal influence. The Kingdom has not been able to stop them, and has abandoned the White City untill the problem could be dealt with.

The Silver Islands
These are a chain of islands, inhabited by pirates and any kind of beggar. At least they used to be: the Silver Islands are very rich in resources and they supply the Kingdom with much of it's raw materials, next to fish and luxury goods. The Islands can only be traveled to by ship or airship and are the best place to sightsee some of the most lavish architecture on Azendé: many entrepreneurs have built palaces in the towns of the Silver Islands, particularly Silver City. Apart from Silver City, one other location is of interest: Vil Usha, the sister city of Santora, stands on the island closest to the other side of the ocean, where it protects the islands from pirates and raiders, and now from the Ministers.

Archemedians
Relationships between the Kingdom and the Archons have never been rosey, but the last few years have seen no hostilities between the two parties. They engage in trading relationships, but in the end both parties have little in common: being so close to each other, they perceive each other more as a lingering threat than anything else. Instead of entering into a long drawn out war, which would damage the interests of both parties, they have settled disputes by treaty for the past decade.

Ministers
Upon the discovery of Siren's Cove, the Thanes were outraged. They sent an expedition fleet to thearea, but the fleet was struck by a storm and forced to return. War between both parties is inevitable: the ministers seek to restore the Imperium and to achieve that they will have no choice but to erase the Outlaws from the face of the planet. Once again the Outlaws will have to fight for their survival, but this time things are different: there is no Cold War between the Archons and the Ministers, but the Kingdom is more powerful now than it was back when it first ambushed the Imperium. The war will come, and it will be long and destructive. What the Archons will do is still unsure: some fear they will wait out the conflict and reap the benefits, others believe they might take the side of the Outlaws in preventing religious absolutism from once again threatening the world.

Santora
Santora was the Great Fortress, the White City of the Kingdom of the Five Thanes. For hundreds of years it has stood as a Stalwart in the mountains, defending the Kingdom from incursions by the Archons and other threats, such as demons. While having lost nothing of their splendour, Santora's halls are now empty. It had become such a treasure trove of wealth that it was no longer a fortress, but a target. It still stands, waiting to be reclaimed by the Thanes, but now it is no more than a battleground for raiders and pillagers.

Vil Usha
Vil Usha is the sister city of Santora, built on the other side of the Kingdom, on one of the Silver Islands. It is second in splendour only to Santora itself, but this is no empty city: the Thanes keep a large military force and a significant portion of their Airfleet there, waiting to join battle with the looming power of the ministers. Vil Usha's walls have never been broken, and its presence is the bane of pirates and raiders in the area.

The Thanes' Veil
The Veil is a waterfall, where the river from the Drainlands meets the ocean. There, two statues were erected, in honour of the Thanes that died in the war against the Glaciax imperium. They stand like guardians, and keep the entrance to Thorondra.

The Head of Victorsson the Great
The entrance to Thorondra is dominated by the colossal head, representing the first Thane. Some believe this is only the head of what was once a much larger statue, but any offical source will rebuke that.