Scratchpad
I'm kind of continuing the theme of several of the 'bad guy' nations being Foils to Erenor in various ways, partially on accident ha ha.
The Cursed Barony of Strigoi:
A twilight land of death and monsters.
General Overview: Covered by endless twilight through strange weather patterns and deep swamps, Strigoi has become something of a cursed land, one feared and mistrusted by many outsiders. The lands are filled with especially deadly monsters, ghosts, and other threats, and danger is always around the corner. They are kept safe and ordered by the mysterious Vampire Queen, whose sorceries and minions defend the people in return for a blood tithe donated by the citizenry. Since time immemorial it has been a cursed and bizarre land, with few visitors or traders and even less known about them. The people of Strigoi are paranoid, superstitious, inbred, and largely cowed by their vampiric masters. At least, so the legends go.
Geography: Strigoi is a land mostly composed of swamps and wetlands, areas that only the truly desperate fled to when the Terman Empire fell. In between the disgusting swamps are broken, rocky hills where the few humans make a living as sheep herders. Near one side of the Barony is a large mountain range, which traps and spreads the water through the region. In addition to the swampy air and atmosphere, Strigoi is unique in how there is almost constant rainfall and cloud cover, the nation seemingly being stuck in an eternal twilight. None can say if it is due to natural phenomena of the mountain range, some curse from the gods, or the foul magic of the Vampire Queen that causes it.
History: When the Terman Empire fell and the people were splintered, there was a race to capture land and resources in the shattered and chaotic lands following the great calamity. The faithful took the plains that would become Rand, the strong and organized took the valleys that would become Erenor, the clever tamed the deserts that would become Al'Quadar, each getting their own homes and fiefdoms. There were those however, who had none of these talents, and were forced to settle in terrible conditions. They fled to the wetlands and swamps, where they found a hell of disgusting water, biting bugs, wild plants and dangerous monsters awaiting them. The people were sure that they would die, that there was no hope.
But they came upon an unlikely savior, a creature spoken of in myth and legend. The Vampire Queen. She took pity upon the broken people who had fled to the swamp, and pledged to help them if they gave her their blood and obedience. The people were amazed by her beauty and awed by her power, and having few other options, created the covenant that would form Strigoi. The Vampire Queen tamed the wastes with her magic and minions, raising the most loyal, brave, and beautiful of the peasants to become her new court, the Midnight Aristocracy that would rule the land and protect the people.
Other nations scoffed at the idea of listening to or respecting a monstrous leader, but their armies were repelled and soon all feared the name of the lands. They called her a Baroness more out of spite, but she did not care for their slight. She had a kingdom now...one that would be eternal.
Government: The government of Strigoi is strictly feudalistic, albeit with stricter class divisions that might make even the most caste obsessed Daimyo uneasy. Each member of the Midnight Aristocracy has their own fiefdoms, ranging from small groups of peasants to vast tracks of land, but all must be subservient to the Vampire Queen, who holds court in the capitol city of Brasov. Peasants and serfs have few to no legal protections, and their treatment varies wildly based on the demeanor and whims of their particular vampiric lord. The Vampire Queen can override anyone's authority however, and is said to wander the lands on mysterious missions and aims.
Current Leadership: Since its creation the Barony of Strigoi has been ruled by the Vampire Queen, a mysterious being of incredible power and influence. Nobody is quite sure of her true appearance or name, although some use the names Lilith or Carmilla to refer to her. Some whisper she can change her shape, and go wherever she wills. The Vampire Queen can most often be found in her court of Brasov, entertained by her courtiers and partaking in parties and games, but she equally often wanders the lands, some say even outside of Strigoi.
Races: Strigoi is almost entirely human or formerly human. The Vampires prove a significant minority, and there are other undead creatures such as ghouls, ghosts, and wights who serve under and beneath them as well.
Faith: The Althean religion is almost unheard of in Strigoi. The Vampires tend to hate the sun and its respective goddess, while most of the peasantry feel abandoned by her. However, the Lunarian faith is still represented among the populace, as well as the old gods. Many villages, inbred and superstitious as they are, worship small local deities. The Vampire Queen has also allowed a cult to be formed in her name, which worship her as a deity while giving and drinking blood ritually. Some devotees are chosen to join the Midnight Aristocracy, providing them with many fresh members.
Major Industries:
Trade with the Barony of Strigoi is a strange thing. There are only a scarce few towns on the border where it exists at all, since foreigners are rarely let deeper into the kingdom. They provide various goods such as slaves and pigs, and they are traded largely for luxury goods, pieces of art, and strangely enough performers, especially slave ones.
Subsistence Farming and Gathering - With large areas of Strigoi covered by bogs and swamps, arable land is rare, and many families are forced to rely on gathering wild mushrooms and herbs to keep eating. Most peasants are forced to toil purely for survival, with little room for luxuries and the like. There are, however, a few rare mushrooms which fetch fine prices in outer markets, but these are usually plucked and sold by the Midnight Aristocracy.
Pig Raising - Hogs are lucky among animals in how they can eat just about anything. The Strigoi varieties of hogs and boars have developed especially strong stomachs, and are able to eat even the largely rotten and disgusting vegetation of the swampy terrain. As a result, pigs are a useful food source, especially since their blood is supposedly close to human enough that they can be safely consumed by poorer vampires. Pigs are one of the very few exports of the Cursed Barony, and considered surprisingly scrumptious considering their origin.
Blood - The men and women of Strigoi are protected from the myriad horrors of their homeland by the grace and benevolence of their Vampiric masters. In return however, all must pay the blood tithe, draining a certain amount of their blood and turning it in with the sorts of taxes usually taken by nobles of other nations. The constant draining of blood means illnesses are common, but even that is better than facing the wrath of the beasts of the swamp or their Vampiric masters.
Slavery - In such a hardscrabble land, families are often left with more children than they can reasonably feed, clothe, and support. However, there exist those willing to take on these children, and even pay the impoverished people for the privilege. The desperation of Strigoi makes them a producer of slaves for other lands, most notably the Al'Quadari. It's largely unknown how much the Midnight Aristocracy cares about the practice.
Military: The military of the Barony is mysterious and unknown. Althean crusaders once attempted to attack Strigoi, the few survivors returning with mad tales of monsters and foul magics. It seems the powers of the Vampire Queen are incredible indeed, and it said she can raise whole armies of undead beings to defend the province if necessary. Some members of the Midnight Aristocracy are said to also be supremely skilled knights stronger than any man, and having supernatural powers as well. A rare few have been seen in Erenoran games of Hastilitude or Bolgan Arenas, and they always make a most impressive showing. Thankfully the military of Strigoi has mostly kept to their own borders, something spymasters and scholars claim to be due to Vampire's weakness in sunlight.
The Midnight Aristocracy: The Midnight Aristocracy are the mysterious, immortal rulers of Strigoi. Although originally human, they were transformed into powerful and dangerous vampires, needing to subsist on blood but graced with power and strength. Their appearances are varied, with some looking like grotesque monsters and others as extremely beautiful humans. For whatever reason they patterned their society after the nobility of Erenor and Rand, with Gothic Castles, elegant balls and parties, and a sophisticated honor code.
While outsiders might see the Midnight Aristocracy as nothing but simple tyrants, in reality their society is more complex. Being immortal beings, the Midnight Aristocracy is under the constant threat of boredom, and must find some way to sate it. Some serve as knights battling eternally against the monsters of the swamp, others try to find ever new heights of pleasure and decadence, while yet others seek to find or create art that can sate their boredom, and finally some choose to sate themselves with mad games and politics, even marshaling their fiefdoms to war against one another over petty grudges.. The Aristocracy in Strigoi have intense personal power and privilege, even if they are expected to protect their subjects in return for the blood tithe. Occasionally they choose humans to bring into their number, transforming them as they gain title and influence. Becoming a vampire is the highest feat a Strigoi commoner can aspire to, as it brings riches, influence, and immortality.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:07, Mon 04 Feb 2019.