Kymos

Overview

"Do not speak of Kymos, I beg you. Do not speak of this place, which I pray to forget, though its horrors sear my memory like white-hot metal."
To the common folk of Ekrune, Kymos is a land to be spoken of only in whispers. It is a land of magic and evil, the two being so completely intertwined that to say something is "of Kymos" is to expect it to be a malevolent magical creation, made only to hurt or kill. The Wizards of Kymos are considered by many to be the epitome of corruption, more dangerous than a flight of dragons and more treacherous than the Zhentarim.
Most of Kymos is located atop the heavily settled, rocky Kymosian Plateau, accessible only at a few well-guarded locations. The nation is otherwise surrounded by high cliff walls known as the First Escarpment, which have proved virtually impregnable to large military forces. The central volcanic peaks of Kymos sit atop the inner fortress of the Second Escarpment (another series of cliffs). From the mountains pour the three major rivers of Kymos; Eltar, Umber, and Lapendrar.
Most of Kymos has been thoroughly tamed, cultivated, and settled by the Wizards and their subjects. The bulk of the plateau is covered with slave plantations, villages, and small fortresses known as tax stations. Commerce and travel in Kymos centers along two great highways: the north-south High Road, and the east-west artery called the Eastern Way.
But Kymos is known more for its inhabitants than its geography. The Wizards are a threat to all of Ekrune, held back by the Damara and Calimshan and their own disorganization. Those who know Kymos realize that it is the Wizards own lack of a coherent structure and their refusal to combine forces that keeps them from conquering the rest of Ekrune.
The nation is divided into 11 political regions known as tharchs. The rulers of the tharchs, the tharchions and tharchionessesare selected by the Anarchs, the council of powerful Wizards who truly rule the land. Within a tharch, the tharchion or tharchioness has absolute power only so long as his or her will does not conflict with that of the Anarchs. In Kymos, the Anarchs rule supreme.

People and Society

In Kymos, there are four societies: the Kymosian Wizards, the nobility, the commoners, and the slaves. The slaves far outnumber the others, and the commoners labor nearly as strenuously as the slaves; the nation is controlled absolutely by the Kymosian Wizards, and they share their authority with no one.
The people of Kymos are almost all Mulani. They are tall, spare, and sallow complected. Fashion dictates that the Mulani remove what little body hair they possess, usually replacing hair with fanciful tattoos stylized representations of dragons, fiends, legendary monsters, cryptic runes, or abstract designs. Among the Kymosian Wizards, tattoos are often magical as well as decorative. This passion for tattooing has spread throughout Kymos, and it is said that the skin artists in the port city of Pyrados are the best in all the Realms.
The less common ethnic peoples of Kymos are Rashemi, descended from the same stock as the inhabitants of western nation of Rashemen, but they differ greatly in history and culture. They are tough and sturdy, averaging a little over five feet in height, dusky of skin and dark of eye. Men are stout, often bearing bushy beards, and are handsome in a somewhat ursine manner. Women tend to be short and muscular, and wear their black hair long, often in elaborate braids. Both sexes are strong, hard workers and make good warriors. Rashemi in Kymos dress simply, in baggy trousers, tunics, or smocks. Personal decoration is limited among the lower classes, though an occasional earring, bracelet, or ring is not uncommon. Wealthier Rashemi wear rich robes and cloaks and often shave their heads and bear tattoos in imitation of the ruling Mulan class.

Slaves

Many other races inhabit Kymos as well, but most are not considered civilized beings by the general populace. These are the slaves, and they come to Kymos from many lands. The most common slaves are those from neighboring Damara, Minotaur Clanlands, and even far western Rashemen, captured in slaving raids by the forces of various Kymosian Wizards and tharchions. Humans from dozens of other nations may also be found here along with dwarves, halflings, gnomes, orcs, goblins, gnolls, and other nonhumans. Elves are the most prized slaves in Kymos, but they are rare, being hard to get in the first place and having a tendency to die rather than submit to captivity. Drow are the rarest slave race (those here are provided by the drow themselves from among defeated noble houses, criminals, and escaped slaves) but seem to take to it better than their elven cousins. Slaves crouch at the lowest rung of Kymosian society. They are considered nothing more than property and are treated as such; bought, sold and traded, mercilessly punished or thoughtlessly put to death for the smallest infraction. Most agricultural and mining slaves wear only the most minimal clothing: rags, loincloths, or tattered tunics. To distinguish them from their masters, slaves are forbidden to cut their hair, and one can tell the length of their enslavement by this.
The notion of slaves as individual beings with hopes, fears, and feelings is completely alien to the Kymosian Wizards, who see them as nothing more than property or, at best, useful animals. Although slavery itself is an evil institution and the Wizards have little or no sympathy for the suffering they create, wanton cruelty or punishment is frowned upon and generally considered to be bad for business. Overly enthusiastic punishment reduces the value of the property, and even the Kymosians know that a dead slave isn't nearly as useful as a live one. (Barring transformation into an undead creature, of course, but undead slaves often prove clumsy and unreliable.) Cruelty is considered a tool: Used with restraint and intelligence, it creates hard working, compliant slaves; used foolishly or too often, it makes slaves sullen, resentful, and rebellious. Far better to punish, torture, or kill a single slave as an example to the others (so Kymosian believe) than to punish all the slaves equally (which lowers slave morale and inspires thoughts of rebellion or escape).
Though the lot of slaves in Kymos is so poor as to be virtually hopeless, there are many roles played by slaves, and some are less onerous than others. The worst job for a slave is, not surprisingly, in the mines, where they are worked every day to exhaustion and fed only so long as they continue to work. Slaves there die by the score each day and are immediately replaced. Escaped slaves, incorrigibles, and troublemakers usually become fodder for a Wizard's experiments, and these can do little but pray for a quick death.
Most slaves work the slave farms found throughout the nation. Slave farms are found everywhere; grim, cheerless places with vast cramped barracks for slaves and quarters for the guards who oversee them. Although some Kymosian nobles are more humane slaves'Driven mercilessly from dawn to dusk and fed only enough for basic survival, individuals sent to Kymos' slave farms usually live only a season or two, eventually succumbing to disease, despair, or the swords or magic of their captors. Their lot is somewhat better off than in the mines, but not by much. Most farm slaves hope for either escape or promotion to the position of house slave.
House slaves run the gamut from simple domestic servants to concubines, cooks, teachers, and even erudite, intellectual companions for Kymosian nobles. Whatever their position, household slaves' lots are far better than their unfortunate counterparts in the mines and on the farms. The threat of shipping an unruly slave back to the farm is usually sufficient to restore unquestioned obedience.
Manumission, or freeing, of slaves is forbidden in Kymos. Once an individual is sold, he or she is considered a slave for life and nothing short of escape can bring freedom. Particularly beloved or successful slaves are sometimes given their own estates by grateful owners, or are given positions with considerable authority and freedom, but in the eyes of the law they remain slaves. The children of a slave are likewise considered slaves and can never be freed, either. Outside observers have noted that this tradition means that when the Kymosians enslave someone, they are enslaving that person's descendants in perpetuity.

Law and Order

Anyone, foreigner or Kymosian, traveling in Kymos must carry a pass issued by a tharchion allowing the traveler to use specific roads and visit specific cities. All tharchions delegate the task of issuing passes to minor officials and officers, which means that a travel permit for most points can be purchased with a suitable bribe (generally, 10 to 50 gp for foreigners). Soldiers, messengers, and officials engaged in the performance of their duties are exempt from the requirement to obtain permission to travel, but they generally carry tokens of their authority. Outsiders traveling without authorization find it difficult, if not impossible, to move about the plateau. Patrols constantly scour the roads and byways, searching for escaped slaves (and the occasional brigand, criminal, or foreign spy). The penalty for being caught is usually death. Those found inside a Kymosian Wizard’s estate, on the other hand, are in for an even worse fate as the subject of painful magical experiments. The laws of Kymos are simple, and the penalties are brutal. They are mostly concerned with establishing who’s in power. The tharchions and anarch consult a set of tomes known as the Library of Law when faced with a serious problem. However, most of the time, the authorities ignore these books in favor of expediency. These are the most important laws of Kymos:

• Only Kymosian Wizards may wear red or mahogany robes, so that all will be able to identify them right away.
• Do not steal from other Kymosians or harm their property, especially their slaves.
• Do not kill or harm another Kymosian. (In practice, this usually means don’t harm anyone above your social class.)

The proscription against wearing red or mahogany robes is unusual, but Kymosians take it so seriously that most refuse to dress in any clothing of that color. The penalty for being caught in such garb is execution on the spot. It’s rumored that some of the forces of the Kymosian Wizards always carry a spare red robe or two. This is then supposedly thrown onto the body after the guards have killed someone, giving them an excuse for their actions. The laws of Kymos are enforced by whoever claims to have jurisdiction over the people involved or the location in which the disturbance occurred. In Kymos, just about every Kymosian Wizard employs slaves or commoners as private guards. The more powerful the person, the more numerous and more skilled the guards. In Kymos, might makes right, and the Kymosian Wizards have plenty of might. The trouble comes when more than one group of guards claims jurisdiction over any particular issue. This happens often, and when it does, a fight usually breaks out.

The Kymosian Wizards

See link - Kymosian Wizards

Current Anarchs

Anarch of Abjuration. Lallara Mediocros (CE half elf Abjurer 21):
Anarch of Conjuration. Nevron Qaula (NE Human Conjurer 22)
Anarch of Divination. Yaphyll (LE Lich Diviner 25)
Anarch of Enchantment. Lauzoril (NE Human Enchanter 24)
Anarch of Evocation. Aznar Thrul (CE Lich Evoker 28)
Anarch of Illusions. Mythrell'aa (NE Human Illusionist 23)
Anarch of Transmutation Druxus Rhym (NE Human Transmuter 21)
Anarch of Necromancy Zer-Koh Huelahr (NE Lich Necromancer 30)

Government and Politics

To outside observers, the term government as applied to Kymos is a joke. The land is ruled with iron fists by the Kymosian Wizards. The wizards choose the anarchs from among their own ranks, while the anarchs choose the tharchions and tharchionesses who rule Kymos' tharchs, or provinces. Tharchions choose their own subordinates, known as autharchs, to carry out their will, and the autharchs usually become scapegoats when things go wrong.
Tharchions and tharchionesses may be of any class, including Kymosian Wizards, though this is rare. Wizard tharchions see the position as a route to the greater power of anarchood. The tharchions and tharchionesses are completely beholden to those who placed them in power, making Kymos a patchwork of competing political factions, cabals, conspiracies, and secret societies. Given this, it is no wonder that every attempt at expansion by the Kymosians has collapsed into bickering, with tharchion fighting tharchion and Wizard battling Wizard. Many hidden civil wars have wracked Kymos throughout its history, though the land remains secure within its borders.
There are presently 11 Kymosian tharchs, named after its capital city. Each tharch, its character, and ruler are described below.
Tharch of Sarshel - This small but important tharch comprises the island of Alior off the Southern Calishite coast, site of Kymos's largest naval base. Tharchioness Thessaloni Canos has managed to keep ahold of her office for the last three decades in the face of considerable conflict and rivalry from other Kymosian politicians, as well as the death of her brother Mikal, who was a strong supporter. Facilities here were heavily damaged during the Salamander War of 1192 AC and were replaced with more up-to-date and sophisticated installations.
Tharch of Tyraturos - Tyraturos, once a blasted ruin of a city, was once capital of the of the pre-calamity Mulani empire. Utterly destroyed in the Calamity, Tyraturos was settled in the shattered shell of the city and has existed as a powerful city ever since, although its Underdark is rumored to be full of lost treasure, magical traps, and magical secrets.
The tharch of Tyraturos controls all land east of Lake Kymlambar and the River Mulsantir. The previous tharchion, Mikal Canos, occupied himself primarily with exploring and exploiting the ruins, with slave revolts and Kymosian politics for diversion. While investigating rumors of a powerful artifact in Tyraturos five years ago, Mikal disappeared and has since been presumed dead.
The new tharchion of Tyraturos, Invarri Metran, is less interested in treasure hunting. He has given himself region'sstrengthening the border against occasional invaders from the Buffer Zone. A relatively young tharchion from a relatively young family, Invarri realizes the troubles that Kymos's divided government has caused and is a supporter of Zer-Koh's attempts at unification.
Tharch of Kymos. This tharch, which encompasses the Kymosian capital city and land to the southwestern shores of Lake Kymlambar, is one of the most politically important in the nation. Its ruler is the exotic woman known only as The Tharchioness. Dmitra Flass has severed all ties with her original family. The Tharchioness was for years in an extremely precarious position, ruling the central tharch of Kymos while at the same time not offending the legions of Wizards and their servitors who lived in the city. Though a young and relatively inexperienced Wizard (at the time she was said to be no greater than a 6th-level illusionist), she managed to stay in power by avoiding conflict, leaving major decisions to her autharchs, and maintaining good relations with her sponsor and chief ally, the anarch Zer-Koh Huelahr.
Since her early days in power, the Tharchioness has managed to consolidate her authority considerably. Now an accomplished illusionist, she manages to keep the Kymosian Wizards of the capital under tighter control and rarely has to deal with challenges to her rule. She is considered quite an exotic beauty despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that she is completely hairless; her head and face are covered with elaborate tattoos, many of which are said to be magical. She recently married High Blade Selfaril Mulmaster of the Zhentarim, giving her powerful political pull outside of Kymos too.
Tharch of Birica - Ruling the mineral rich gorges and mountains, Tharchioness Azhir Kren is a warrior, magically youthful, and has considerable experience fighting the Rashemi. Though her invasion of Rashemen in 1157, backed by Zer-Koh Huelahr's zombies, was eventually driven back, Kren has not stopped plotting to eliminate the Rashemi and their (imagined) schemes to take over the tharch. Her legion is one of the best in Kymos and is still backed by Koh's zombies. She naturally supports him in the current plans to unite the realm; the two are united by their hatred of the Rashemi.
Tharch of Thelnam - Comprising much of Southern Calishite coastlinejourneysthough many areas are patrolled and garrisoned only sparsely.
Currently under the control of tharchion Hezess Nymar, a priest of Kossuth in the pocket of a number of wealthy Kymosian Wizards, Thelnam was considerably more important due to its central role in the scrapped invasion plans of Calimshan. After the death of its tharchion Hargrid Tenslayer and the formation, Thelnam is still rebuilding. Nymar claims much more territory than he actually controls, including the coastal cities of Taskaunt, Lasdur, Tilbrand, and much to its citizens amusement, Laothkund. The Kymosians retain a firm grip on the port city of Escalant, which has become an important economic asset.
Somewhat vague and weak willed, Nymar is a supporter of the wizards who oppose Zer-Koh Huelahr. He does little to actively help them, leading some to suggest his replacement.
Tharch of Kontos - This newest tharch comprises territories south of Calimshan. After the tharch's creation, the tharchioness Mari Agneh, made it clear that she wanted rulership over the expanded province. Her rival, the cunning and thoroughly wicked Aznar Thrul, squared off with her in a furious wizard's conflict from which he emerged the victor, reducing Agneh to the status of mindless slave. Agneh lives today, a puppet to Thrul's will and kept alive for his amusement, though most believe she is dead.
Aznar Thrul rules the tharch with an iron fist. Its people are his to exploit, enslave, and kill as he desires. Thrul's troops roam the Priador, looting and killing in his name, taking slaves and property as they choose. The people have been terrified into submission and rarely resist, and when they do their defiance is ruthlessly punished. Thus far the Red Wizards have ignored Thrul's excesses since the region continues to prosper, but constant expansion of his will is always provoking Calimshan.
Thrul is out for himself and no one else. His alliances are carefully chosen to benefit his own position and are abandoned the moment they become ineffective or threaten his plans.
Tharch of Damos - Though Damos is a smaller tharch, it is important since it controls access to the mountain in the west and the coast in the east. The tharch reaps income from the mountains' rich mineral deposits and from the motley crowds of adventurers who use Damos as their jumping-off place. The current tharchioness, Nymia Focar, was chosen after the removal of the realm's former ruler, Valerios Theokillos, in the wake of the destruction of Kymos's Griffon Legion during the Salamander War. Focar carries on Valerios' policies, charging adventurers small fortunes for the most basic equipment, and raking in huge amounts of gold from taxes on mining operations in the badlands and hills.
As Focar derives considerable personal wealth from the Kymosian system as it stands, she opposes Zer-Koh Huelahr but takes little active role in the struggle.
Tharch of Machamos - The tharchion of Machamos controls the regions below the mountains as far as the Great Sea. Tharchion Homen Odesseiron is a former Kymosian Wizard who maintains strong garrisons against the Rashemi and occasionally leads raids into Rashemen. He also assisted Myrkul's Legion, Zer-Koh Huelahr army of zombies, in its invasion of Rashemen in 1157, but he feels that Koh did not sufficiently support him and has since turned against his ally. As he leads powerful military forces and has foiled several plots against his life, Odesseiron is an important player in the struggle for control of Kymos. Unrelated specifically to the Tharchion, Machamos is a major food producer, feeding a majority of Kymos on its own.
Tharch of Pyrados - Until recently, this tharch was primarily a military fortress and reserve area intended to aid in the defense of Kymos against foreign invasion. The tharch also contains gold mines which bolster it's economy. Its former tharchion, a fighter named Spiros Dehkahks, bitterly opposed Zer-Koh Huelahr.
Dehkahks disappeared over a year ago, to be officially replaced by a young Kymosian civil servant named Pyras Autorian. Many believe that Autorian is far too young and inexperienced to run such an important tharch, but he was chosen personally by Zer-Koh, and few voice such concerns openly.
Autorian seems to take little real role in the administration of Pyrados, reinforcing the general opinion that he is nothing more than Zer-Koh's puppet and that the true ruler of the province is the Anarch of Necromancy himself. Pyrados has been a beehive of activity lately. Zer-Koh Huelahr and many of his important allies have met here, and numerous Kymosian forces have been dispatched to the Citadel, the ancient fortress at the heart of the region. It is apparent that the Anarch of Necromancy has chosen Pyrados as his headquarters and base of operations for his bid for power in Kymos, but no one knows why. Most assume it is because of Pyrados's strategic central location as "entrance" to Kymos, but his reasons may be far deeper and more significant.
Tharch of Gamos - It is the port that connects trade with eastern Damara and the Riverlands. Its tharchion is Milsantos Daramos, a fighter of considerable experience. Well into his fifties, Daramos rides with his troops and exacts considerable control over this Tharch. He has decided to ride out the current troubles in Kymos and remain neutral, though he secretly opposes Zer-Koh Huelahr.
Tharch of Tantharnam - This tharch controls the city of Tantharnam as well as the Southern Trade Route in the Pacjour Sea, the most important trade routes in Kymos. Tharchion Dimon of Tantharnam is an intelligent and surprisingly reasonable man, who recently admitted to being a (former) priest of Harrus. He sees the value of a united Kymos and supports Zer-Koh. He taxes caravans only lightly and keeps the roads well patrolled. Despite his political leanings, he has made few enemies and seems relatively secure in power.

Kymosian Nobility

Kymos has a strict and nuanced hierarchy of castes, with nobles at the highest levels of influence and implicit grades of power within the upper crust. The vast majority of Wizards and higher level clerics come from noble backgrounds, and most of Kymos's governors and enclave leaders do, as well. Those of Mulani blood are allowed to breed with other Mulani, outsiders, and some other races of interest (such as tieflings and aasimar). As Kymosian enclaves have become fixtures in far-flung cities, a number of Kymosians have arranged sanctioned marriages with aristocracy from abroad, as well. To keep bloodlines "strong" and maintain their social structure, there are many laws surrounding marriage and birth and few find their desired match an easy goal to reach.
With each new marriage, and sometimes with individual births, nobles pledge their children to one house or another to avoid divided loyalties and feuds. Thereafter, a claimed child is considered to be the responsibility and asset of that house until their status changes. The family provides an upbringing befitting a high ranking citizen, and in exchange it can command the member's obedience in childhood and services in adulthood. Unsanctioned births are treated with various levels of harshness, ranging from hefty fees to being expelled from the noble sphere to the child being seized as a slave or a sacrifice.

Economy

Kymos is known as a prosperous land with mercantile mercantile, is the vast store of free labor provided by slaves. It is ironic that slaves, members of the lowest and most despised Kymosian social class, are in reality its most important resource. Without slaves, Kymos's economy would quickly collapse, reducing even the most powerful Kymosian Wizards to poverty. The tradition of slavery was inherited from the ancient and corrupt empire of Mulan. It was a natural state of affairs for the Kymosian Wizards who founded the nation, and they saw no reason to change it. In fact, the Kymosians have surpassed their old masters in terms of the sheer extent of slavery and its role in the Kymosian economy.
Slaves are sold in Kymos from all across Aralla. Professional slavers, though hated and despised by all free folk, ply their trade throughout the world. Many methods are used to gain slaves for the Kymosian trade: raids on coastal communities and villages from Turam to the Cliffgan Mountains; kidnapping likely candidates, often from under the noses of their families and friends; luring innocents with promises of riches, love, or friendship; attacks on legitimate merchant caravans. All these and many more techniques are used to sustain the wicked institution of slavery, and to keep the Kymosian economy alive.
Kymos's economy is primarily agrarian, with enough different grains and fruits sufficient both to feed the nation's inhabitants and export the excess to foreign lands. Grains include wheat, oats, and barley, while major fruit crops are apples, pears, citron, figs, and oranges. Timber is also harvested by slaves on large tree plantations, where pine, maple, alder, and the unique Kymosian blackwood are grown. Blackwood is (as one might suspect) black, sometimes with a dark red grain. Furniture and sculpture made from blackwood are popular outside Kymosian among collectors and wealthy individuals who choose to ignore the pain and suffering that went into its creation.
Kymosian magic keeps the land's weather favorable, even in times of drought in surrounding lands. For this reason, many nearby nations, particularly Minkai and Minotaur City-States, are dependent on Kymosian crops to keep their own people fed. In the past, the competition and bickering of the Kymosian Wizards have prevented any concerted effort to use food as a political weapon, but the possible unification of Kymos under Zer-Koh Huelahr has once more raised such a possibility.
Artwork created by slave craftsmen and often enchanted by the Kymosian Wizards is popular outside of Kymos. Kymosian sculpture, utensils, jewelry, and other items are another source of outside income for the Wizards; these are crafted of gold, silver, or platinum from their mines and embellished with gems, rare hardwoods, and semiprecious stones such as jade and lapis. Though they are fully capable of producing magical weapons and objects of considerable power, Kymosian Wizards are forbidden to sell any item of military use outside of Kymos. Of course, most Kymosian Wizards ignore this rule and sell such objects if the price is right. Such dealings are hazardous, for treacherous Wizards often accept a client's gold, then turn the luckless buyer over to the tharchions for horrific punishment, leaving themselves both prosperous and with the appearance of selfless patriotism.
An extension of the Kymosian Economy outside of the nation itself is the Enclave System.

The Enclave System

Kymosian Enclave System

Armed Forces

Though Kymos is nothing short of a military powerhouse, capable of standing off and even defeating the most powerful of Ekrune and Asora's nations, the nation's armed forces have rarely, if ever, been used effectively. As might be guessed, this is due to the same old and familiar cause: the chaotic and competitive nature of Kymos's government.
Each anarch and tharchion is allowed to raise his or her own body of troops (usually referred to as legions), limited only by finances and resources. Even ordinary Kymosian Wizards are allowed to maintain bodyguards, units that sometimes contain thousands of troops. Few generalizations can be made about the Kymosian military. Infantry legions range in size from 800 to 2,000, and in type from nearly naked goblin skirmishers, heavily armored virtually immobile foot knights, to the advanced and extremely trained Kymosian marines. Cavalry legions are even more varied, with such diverse units as unarmored archers, lancers, and heavy knights, all mounted on a bewildering variety of animals; these have included horses (naturally the most common), giant cats, manticores, leucrotta, griffons, hippogriffs, giant beetles, and even, with little success, dragons. The Kymosian dreaded black unicorn cavalry is the nation's best known cavalry force, consisting of hundreds of evil female fighters mounted on a corrupt strain of unicorn created by the Kymosian Wizards.
The races who serve in the Kymosian military are just as bewildering. Among the most popular are goblin slave troops, used as light skirmishers and archers, orcish mercenaries and slaves, and such miscellaneous monstrous creatures as hill giants, ogres, and trolls. The tharchion of Pyrados best unit, Moldros's Legion, is composed entirely of orcs and orogs and is considered one of the finest in all of Kymos.
Aside from the human forces, the most popular troops are gnolls, a race favored for its ferocity and violence. Gnolls' morale is known to be brittle, however, and they often rout at crucial moments, forcing more reliable human troops to stabilize the situation. Some leaders make the mistake of training gnolls with normal human weapons - swords, maces, and axes rather than more traditional gnoll types such as flails, flindbars, and simple teeth and claws. Gnolls trained in this manner are invariably inferior due to their clumsiness with the unfamiliar weapons.
The best known aerial Kymosian unit is the Griffon Legion, commanded personally by the tharchion of Pyarados. Numbering over 350 griffons, each with a Kymosian Wizard mount, the legion itself is a potent fighting body capable of defeating forces many times its own size. Though crippled and almost completely wiped out by the Salamander War, the Griffon Legion has since been rebuilt to full strength and remains one of the most potent military units in Kymos.
Given the chaotic and disorganized nature of Kymos's military, it is actually magic which provides the Kymosian Wizards with their true martial strength. Circles of Kymosian Wizards and their apprentices serve in every major military engagement, casting powerful spells to smash, drive off, or dishearten foes. Undead creatures raised by Kymosian clerics and necromancers such as Goena's Legion and the Legion of Bone (a skeletal cavalry unit), both under the command of Anarch Zer-Koh Huelahr, serve on the battlefield and strike terror into the hearts of his enemies.
Probably the best recent development from the Kymosian military's standpoint is the successful breeding of a new race of orcish warriors, tentatively called the neo-orog. These creatures combine a fierce loyalty to the Kymosian Wizards with the martial skill and stamina of the orog. The only drawback so far is that breeding of the neo-orog has gone slowly, and only a few units have actually been fielded.
Kymos maintains a moderately sized and efficient navy based in the land's smallest tharch, Sharshel, a small island south of Calimshan. Kymosian naval forces are considerably less chaotic than its army, since the navy is under the unquestioned control of the tharch of Sharshel. Kymosian vessels range from small raiding caravels to large, multibanked, oared galleys driven by hundreds of slaves. The navy is supplemented by several magical vessels including a vast metallic construct known as the Red Scourge, a terrifying vessel that has never yet served in battle.

Religion

Arcane magic is supreme in Kymos, but even the most jaded of the Kymosian Wizards can’t deny the power of the gods. Even the anarch at least pay lip service to a chosen deity. To do otherwise is to invite retribution. Evil deities—Goena, Babylon, Xaanke, Umberlee, and Teseyr—are openly worshiped. Veneration of good gods is not forbidden, but it is discouraged. Still, the Kymosian Wizards know that there are times when anyone—even a lawful good deity—can come in handy, so they rarely advocate the burning of any metaphorical bridges.
The most widespread and powerful faith in Kymos is that of Kossuth, the Lord of Flames. The Kymosians find the neutral aligned elemental deities to be a good match for their oppressive land. The tenets of good deities such as Harrus or Molotl stand in direct opposition to the hierarchy built by the Kymosian Wizards, and evil deities demand the submission of their followers. Kossuth represents power and mastery without constraints, and so he finds favor among the Kymosian Wizards. Kossuth’s faith enjoys a primacy of position and numerous special considerations in Kymosian society. Clerics of the Firelord are among the very few people a Kymosian Wizard cannot harm or kill with impunity.
The brutal humanoids in the service of the Wizards continue to worship their own pantheons. Orcs venerate Moldros, much as they do elsewhere, and gnolls worship the demon tainted god Yeenoghu. A common misconception outside Kymos is that the Kymosian Wizards worship demons and devils. Actually, many ambitious Kymosian Wizards do make regular contact with such evil outsiders, but only to strike bargains with the creatures. The Kymosian Wizards consider themselves the equals of such beings—at least, when they band together as a group.
Slaves are not forbidden the worship of their deities but their practices are regulated. Slaves cannot raise temples or gather in groups larger than 10, but they are allowed to make shrines and religous goods, like holy symbols, provided they acquire the materials legally. Any shrines must be in the slave quarter or another designated area out of sight of main thoroughfares. All prayer in Kymos is legally deemed to be private, even with slaves, and spying on prayers is a serious offense. Slaves are not usually given time off for individual holy days but once their chores are done, they can choose to spend time in worship. The major seasonal festivals n Aralla (Greengrass, Midsummer, Highharvestide, and Midwinter) are granted as rest days for all slaves, despite the grumblings this causes in the upper classes.

Demography and Population

Total Population : 6,634,670 non-slave citizens in 1200 AC
Races (Citizen) - 92% Human (Majority Kymosian, Minority Rashemi, Very Small Minority Calishite and Chondathan) 2% Elf (Majority Drow, Minority Wood Elves and High Elves) 2% Dwarf (Majority Duergar, Minority all others) 2% Intelligent Undead (Majority Ghouls, Vampires, Liches, Dhampirs) 1% Outsiders (Devils, Demons, Daemons) 1% Others (Free Tieflings and Elemental Races, Gnomes, etc.)
Races (Slave) - Great Number of Undead Servants and Laborers. 54% Orc and Goblinoids (Majority Orcs, Minority Goblins and Hobgoblins) 25% Beastfolk (Majority Birdfolk, Gnolls, and Minotaur, Minority all others) 9% Human (Majority Kymosian, Very Small Minority Calishite and Chondathan) 6% Planetouched Races (Majority Tieflings, Minority Aasimar) 4% Halfling 2% Others (Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, etc)

Religion

Major Main Religions - Kossuth, Babylon, Goena, Xaanke, Baara, Ordum, Akades Major Secondary Religions - Teseyr, Umberlee, Chauntea, Jergal

Founding Date

92 AC

Type

Geopolitical, Magocracy

Capital

Kymos

Demonym

Kymosian

Ruling Organization

Undying Council

Government System

Magocracy

Economic System

Traditional

Currency

Metal Coinage

Official Languages

• Mulani

Neighboring Nations

• Damara

Related Ethnicities

• Mulani