The Embergrasp Dynasty

The Embergrasp Dynasty is a monarchy located in the east of Griselderyn, calling most of Darimark (see: Griselderyn), with the exception of The Griselder Valley, its territory. It had its beginnings around 350 pSF, though the nation would not properly form for another 50 years or so.
Together with the nearby city state of Ordinnean, it is one of the only 2 "proper" nations in the wider region of Griselderyn. While historically its influence on the world stage has been rather minor, this has begun to change with the fall of The Ashuurian State, the general decline of Upper Zagesi and the invention of iron forging in the region.

Territory:

The Embergrasp Dynasty has historically spread throughout the entirety of The Griselder Woods, though as of 32 SF it also counts The Dha-Gillain, as well as small parts of The Howling Hills along The Griselder River amongst its possessions, granting it control over The Northwind Pass.

Government:

The Embergrasp Dynasty has always been under the control of its founding house, Clan Embergrasp, ever since its founding. That said, power In The Dynasty is a lot less centralized than it is in many other monarchies of Kashura. Regional governors, clans and nobles have pretty much free reign to do in their lands what they wish to do, so long as they pay their tithes, enforce the axiomatic laws of The Dynasty, and swear loyalty to Clan Embergrasp. Besides the nobility, the clans, the clergy and the other usual power players there is however one more significant power to consider in The Embergrasp Dynasty: The Guilds. The Guilds' sway over commerce and society in The Dynasty is quite extensive, making it so that, even though they do not hold any actual governing power (in most cases), their influence over the people can sometimes rival, or even exceed that of The Dynasty itself. The seat of Clan Embergrasp and Capital of The Embergrasp Dynasty is Aximander. The current Ruler of The Embergrasp Dynasty, King Uther Embergrasp, resides here.

History:

The early history of Clan Embergrasp is mostly shrouded in mystery, most records of their family history having been lost or purposefully obfuscated. As such, all that is known before 350 pSF about them is that they used to be a minor clan in the then still heavily contested region of Darimark.
Around 350 pSF, Clan Embergrasp enters the historical records through an unlikely military victory against one of the then major Clans of the region. They annex their vanquished foes and over the coming decades quickly consolidate many clans under their rule, be it by the sword or diplomacy.
It would take another 50 years for The Embergrasp Dynasty to become a proper state as it consolidated control over its heartland, forging alliances with the other states along The Griselder River. Alliances which it would be forced to uphold in the following decades as, for its own security, The Dynasty would find itself involved in Nagazaar ‘s resistance against The Reign of Terror (see: The Ashuurian State).
The decades after that would be mostly filled by border skirmishes, as The Embergrasp Dynasty would seek to extend its territories, furthering its hold over Griselderyn. This would culminate in a war between it and Ordinnean in the years between 218 pSF and 212 pSF, a war it would lose spectacularly. As it turned out, Ordinnean was not known as “The Fortress City” without reason.
Having learned from this crushing defeat (and the reparations enforced upon it), The Embergrasp Dynasty would spend the coming decades performing damage control at home, stamping out various rebellious and pretender factions.
The Dynasty would never attack Ordinnean again, and while it would take some time for the rift between the two to heal, their relations would eventually normalize.
Following these years of relative peace, reconciliation and reconstruction, The Embergrasp Dynasty would once again set out to further its control over Griselderyn and would, over the next 32 years between 118 and 86 pSF, consolidate all of its current territories under its rule, subjugating the last independent Clans of Darimark.
While there were, and still are regular border skirmishes with the clans of The Howling Wilds (see: Griselderyn), The Embergrasp Dynasty has in the meantime not engaged in any large scale conflicts.
In the 118 years since then, The Dynasty has experienced what some would classify as a Golden Age, improving infrastructure, building places of learning and establishing a vast trade network with other nations across the continent.
With the decline and eventual fall of The Ashuurian State, it has managed to secure itself as one of the dominant political entities in the region, and would strengthen itself again with the invention of Iron Forging in the region around 2 SF.

Culture & Society:

Having its origins in the fractured clan cultures of old Griselderyn, the people of The Embergrasp Dynasty can not be easily categorized. As mentioned before, most clans still hold a substantial amount of autonomy over their ancestral lands, and the people living there follow many regional customs. That said, there are 2 general cultural pillars which apply pretty much anywhere:

The Guilds:

Guilds have existed in Griselderyn long before The Embergrasp Dynasty was so much as an inkblot on a map. Starting out as simple loosely organized gatherings across several clans for various different reasons, their ability to penetrate the often quite entrenched clan rivalries for the greater good of the region allowed them to attain both power and prestige over time. They were often petitioned to hold peace negotiations, form militias to defend against outside threats or hunt down dangerous predators that terrorized the region.
Fast forward to The Guilds of today, and one can easily see that, while their role in the lives of the people of Griselderyn may have changed, the power they hold is still quite real, perhaps more apparent than ever. Nowadays most Guilds have abandoned their past as militaristic organizations, turning instead to craftsmanship, trade, bureaucracy and finance. Some “Adventurers Guilds” still exist though, focusing mostly on requests by the populace which the crown guard lack the funds, manpower, time or willingness to handle.
A Guild occupies a space somewhere between a trade union and a cartel. They take care of their members and their families in case of sickness, old age or death, provide education for their children and more, depending on the Guild. At the same time, Guilds heavily enforce a quasi-monopoly on their given field of expertise, regulating prices and forcing independent actors to join them or, should they refuse, running either their business or them into the ground, depending on the Guild.
That is not to say that it is impossible to be an independent merchant, craftsman or whatever have you, especially in the less populated regions of Darimark, where the Guilds lack the connections or willingness to operate. The increased security and connections are however reason enough for many of those to still cooperate with The Guilds.

Worship:

The Dominant religion in The Embergrasp Dynasty is The Ur-Ashaar, no question about it, though they tend to favor one god above all else: Torgael. one would assume that this practice can be traced back to the immense influence of The Guilds in the region, though historical records show that this preference supersedes even them.
That said, as is common for The Ur-Ashaar, its followers in The Embergrasp Dynasty have incorporated many of the old stories, practices and traditions into the worship of their, comparatively, new Gods.

Laws & Institutions:

The Laws around Kashura generally don’t vary all that much from one another, murder and theft is pretty much illegal everywhere for instance,this section will therefore focus only on the noteworthy:

Slavery:

Like most other states on Kashura, The Embergrasp Dynasty practices slavery, though it would be considered by some a bit more benign than that practiced in other regions.
Slavery in The Dynasty serves mostly as a way of societal integration, as its slaves vastly consist of criminals and prisoners of war. These people get the choice to either serve their sentence or serve as a Slave for a duration of 10 years, during which they will most likely be performing menial labor for the highest bidder.
The buyer is obligated to provide their slave with food, water, shelter and medical care, should they require it, though the degree to which this is enforced varies from place to place.
Once a slave has served their 10 years they are considered a freedman and citizen of The Embergrasp Dynasty, no longer required to work for their buyer, though they are of course free to continue doing so if they wish to.
The Dynasty also doesn’t practice legacy slavery, meaning that the children of slaves are not slaves themselves.

Equality:

In The Embergrasp Dynasty, all strains, sexes and genders are considered equal before the law, though what happens at home is your own business.

Worship of Foreign Gods:

The worship of foreign gods is perfectly legal in The Embergrasp Dynasty, with the exception of Tiamat, which carries a hefty prison sentence.

Major Settlements:

Aximander - The Capital of The Embergrasp Dynasty and Home to around 15.000 people, around 80% of which are of The Hominid Strain, with the rest being a mix of all the others, though there’s slightly more Wildkin. Aximander is also home to the largest Temple of Torgael on Kashura and serves as a bustling trade nexus. Dhalain - Originally just a trading outpost for merchants traveling to and from the less “civilized” parts of Griselderyn, under the control of The Embergrasp Dynasty Dhalain grew into a sizable trade hub in the region. It is home to around 9.000 people, half of them Hominids, with most others being wildkin. The City is most well-known for its jewelry and seafood. Uthern - A mining city near the northern borders of The Embergrasp Dynasty, known for exactly that, mining, nowadays mostly silver and iron, which it gets from the surrounding Mountains, The Auroras and The Worldspine. It is home to around 6.000 people, most of which are of The Hominid Strain, though there are also sizable minorities of The Wildkin Strain and The Elven Strain.