Populres
The Kingdom of Populres is a land best known as the domain of monstrous humanoids such as the dragonkin, demonkin, orcs, and goblins. They embrace the slavery of other humanoids, keeping humans, elves, and dwarves on the bottom tiers of their society. They rest on the northern edge of Emicara, with only the Deadlands as their border to the north, the wild Apps to their west, and the Kingdom of Recfrere to the south.
Structure
The Demonkin are at the top of the rigid caste system that dictates all ways of life within the Kingdom of Populres. At the very top are the heads of the seven noble houses of the Demonkin, Zherlius, Karchar, Zerthos, Aetmong, Salira, Maleakas, and Kyakas. Whenever a king dies, the heads of these seven houses vote among themselves for the one of them that shall follow the late king to the position. Although the king or queen wields absolute power in many senses, and has final say over budgetary and military efforts, it is a foolish ruler that does not use the noble houses to assist in administration. Each house has varying amounts of power, but great sway over those who serve them.
Culture
There is a clear order to Populresi society, a caste system that is considered sacred to everyone within. The castes are based upon races, and it is plain that one should never step outside of their proper role. Those who do are promptly cut down, and if they're lucky, only executed. Demonkin are at the top of the chain, as the rulers and leaders of the nation. Dragonkin soon follow, holding positions of generals and high bureaucrats and leadership. Orcs and goblins find themselves as the free rank and file, with the most opportunities available to them throughout the kingdom. Lastly, you have humans and halfbreeds, who are mandated as slaves within Populresi, forced to serve their betters in the most menial of tasks and labors.
History
Prior to the founding of the Kingdom of Populres the Deadlands of the north were the origins of many orc invasions of the human lands to the south. These efforts were mostly disorganized assaults, seeking to gather as much loot and treasure as they could rather than conquering territory. These attacks were usually destroyed by human defenders, but some had more success than others. In the down time between invasions, the orcs typically fought unending fights among themselves. It wasn't until the dragonkin, a closely knit tribe from the north, emerged in the Apps, and successfully demonstrated their skill and prowess with an invasion of Recfrere in 505, that things began to change. Using their own success, they rallied the majority of Apps orc tribes and invaded northern Recfrere, conquering the land north of the Peedee River. After carving out their territory, they proclaimed the Kingdom of Populres.
The humans who remained in the territory conquered became slaves in their owns lands, though many tried to flee. Those who tried to flee were met with the harshest of punishments, and the dragonkin proclaimed themselves to be kings above all. Populres originally was a lawless land in which the dragonkin warlords fought each other, as much as trying to preserve the foundations of the country, with the orcs simply rejoicing in the bloodshed. Few laws and organization existed, although the kings attempted to keep peace, even as they would have to defend their thrones. This anarchy continued for nearly fifty years, when the demonkin arrived on the border of Populres. Initially viewed as just another group of invaders, the dragonkin and demonkin fought. Despite their small numbers, the demonkin proved a determined foe, and earned the respect of the dragonkin, who allowed them to live within Populres as equals.
The demonkin proved to be political manipulators and excelled at the calming and pacification of orcs and dragonkin alike. They still met with constant violence and resistance, until the outbreak of the First Populresi-Recfrere War. This conflict allowed the demonkin to demonstrate the obsolescence of the dragonkin way of organization. The demonkin took the reins of national management and used the war to forge the Populresi into true country that could withstand an organized invasion. The Recfrerans were held back and the Kingdom of Populres was preserved.
The defeat of the Recfrerans came at a timely point, as the Populresi slowly became more aware of the dangers arising in the Deadlands. New orc tribes had not come from the north for centuries, and no one had heard much of anything of events outside of Emicara itself. In the middle of the seventh century, undead began showing up in large numbers along the northern borders of Populres. The demonkin responded forcefully, putting the armies in the way of further invasions. There was no organized enemy invasion or armies to defeat, just a constant stream of animated corpses trickling into the kingdom. These attacks continue into the present day, but new castles and forts were built to fend off the occasionally vast waves of creatures invading Populres.
The constant fighting against the undead was without much glory to the warriors of the kingdom, and tensions began to grow politically. Aware that the warlike nature of the orcs and dragonkin could not be contained for long, and hoping to inflict fear once more upon Recfrere, an invasion of that human kingdom was launched in 729. Although a few communities were sacked and battles were fought, little was accomplished in this war. This simply laid the foundation for the next war to come.
In 784, from the west, the goblins appeared for the first time, and due to the size of Emicara, it took some time for these creatures to arrive on the borders of Populres. They did so after a rampage across Recfrere, looting towns and villages and eventually seeking refuge within the borders of the Populresi. The demonkin rulers of the kingdom were impressed at the skills in engineering and combat that the goblins represented, and they extended an invitation to join the caste system at roughly the same level as the orcs. The goblins were happy to do so, but this provoked yet another war with the vengeful Recfrerans, which the Populresi won. Goblin ingenuity helped greatly in the expansion of the kingdom's infrastructure and development.
The Populresi participated within the Great War, having been brought into the conflict by the Bahamis, who had more open opinions on human slavery. Populresi ships joined in naval strikes against the coast of Jakonia, and a few clans were even sent to fight on the main front alongside the Shin Empire. Their forces were rarely welcomed in collaborative efforts, and the Populresi slowly eased their involvement in the war and returned home before the final treaties were signed. Part of the reasoning for this was a dramatic increase in undead coming across the northern border, and nearly every clan available was required to hold them back. This led to the longest prolonged conflict against the undead, lasting nearly one hundred and fifty years as it seemed millions of undead abominations sought to destroy the monstrous kingdom.
The fighting against the undead changed Populresi society once again, and they began having to use slave regiments in small numbers to fight the undead, much to the anger of the orcs. Towards the beginning of the eleventh century, the attacks began subsiding, but Populres was in desperate need of workers and warriors. To replenish the ranks, they launched a new invasion of Recfrere in 1003, but the war dragged on as a stalemate along the Peedee for nearly a decade, with nothing to show for it but more dead bodies and a handful of captives. Today Populres is worn, but still standing, facing what many fear will be only brief respite before more undead arrive.
Demography and Population
The Kingdom of Populres is the most racially diverse nation in Emicara. The orcs are the most populous of the races in Populres, having arrived from dozens of different tribes and clans within the mountains. After them come the goblins and dragonkin. The demonkin, despite being the ruling caste of the kingdom, are the least numerous among the races with citizenship. Among the slaves, humans are the most common, with halfbreeds and dwarves making up most of the rest. A handful of more exotic races occasionally appear among the slave caste, when they are captured while adventuring through the kingdom or by raiders on the Endless Ocean.
Military
Unlike the armies of other nations, the army of the Kingdom of Populres is actually divided into clans, rather than into regiments or other standard military divisions. Despite the name, they typically function as self-sustaining units, providing the full infrastructure of a mobile army, including artillery and logistics. There are several dozen clans that make up the army, and each has a dragonkin chief that has its kin organize the orcs and goblins within into an effective fighting force. Many clans have rivalries and regular contests, but bloodshed has been avoided for decades, as most events involve tournaments or contests instead of battle.
The navy of Populres is more professionally organized, and attracts many dragonkin. It is organized and operated solely by House Zherlius, based out of the fortifications at Dral's Hold. Numerous slaves, orcs, and goblins provide support for the raider ships of House Zherlius, and their merchants. Despite the professionalism of the crews and sailors, the navy is the worst in terms of ship quality and equipment. Many ships sink in minor storms, and losses at sea are common.
Technological Level
Compared to the other states of Emicara, Populres is a technological backwater. They have no universities or any significant technological advancements since the formation of their kingdom, but they are not to be underestimated. Goblin engineers have proven to be masters of siege works and fortifications, in addition to being speedy in construction of these works. Demonkin have advanced magical learning and even employed and introduced some spells that had been previously unknown to human wizards. In terms of material technology, however, they seemed mired centuries behind the abilities and knowledge of their human neighbors.
Foreign Relations
At best the Kingdom of Populres can be described to be not at war with the rest of the world at any given point. For most of the nation's history, no other kingdom offered anything beyond open hostility towards the Populresi people, and no embassies were opened or available. When the Free City of Riveraineville gained independence, that changed, and Riveraineville became the site of the first Populresi embassy. The border between Populres and Recfrere is home to constant skirmishing, and the Recfrerans and Populresi regularly end up fighting on the high seas. The Bahamis are another enemy on the waves, but the nations of the Jakonian Peninsula regularly tolerate Populresi ships, when they bring in exotic good or salvage from the north.
Agriculture & Industry
The entire economy of Populres is typically arranged around the support of the army clans and the military. Although private enterprises do exist, the agriculture of Populres primarily functions to feed the people of the kingdom, while the industry provides weapons and armor. A handful of skilled goods and equipment is produced in Populres, but the most unusual and important industry is the recovery of strange artifacts and relics of the Nameless Empire from the Deadlands. The hordes of undead that wander across the border frequently have these relics upon them, highly in demand among the humans of the south, and the frontier clans are careful to preserve anything captured upon their northern enemies.
Education
Demonkin and dragonkin typically receive full educations and literacy as part of their position in the caste system. It is considered illegal to teach slaves any writing or knowledge unless their position and duties extensively require it. Even then, upon performance of those duties, they must be executed. The goblins and orcs have a bit more ramshackle approach towards education, relying upon oral tradition rather than formal schooling. The goblins do teach some elements of mathematics and engineering among their own, predominantly in the manners of siege weapon construction and trap building.
Infrastructure
Prior to the kingdom's formation, there were some paved roads and highways established by the Kingdom of Recfrere. These have been allowed to languish, and no funds have been invested into overall national infrastructure with a handful of exceptions. The roads are mostly mud in most months besides summer, and the streets of the cities are dirt roads and rough paths rather than being paved. Efforts have been made to provide more luxurious standards of living to the demonkin manors and dragonkin barracks, including some rudimentary sewers and plumbing. The only works of national infrastructure that have been regularly maintained are the fortifications built along the Peedee River and along the frontier with the Deadlands.
War to Merit, Merit to War
Founding Date
Sunscorch 17, 519
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Populresi
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Copper/Silver/Electrum/Gold
Major Exports
Slaves, Nameless Empire relics
Major Imports
Luxury foodstuffs, slaves
Legislative Body
Council of the Seven Houses
Judicial Body
The Dragon Courts
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Comments