The Kingdom of Karamorn
"Of Honor and Tradition"
Karamorn is a diverse kingdom with generally warm and mild, temperate weather, busy market streets that smell like salt and fish, peasant villages enclosed by fields of gold, and ruins of old human kingdoms, ripe for exploring.The Land of Golden Fields
Karamornians are generally a friendly people, who prefer to spend their free days drinking ale, and their Sundays praying in church. The people of Karamorn are proud and resourceful, a people who have succesfully defended their lands from all kinds of invaders for hundreds of years. They, however, tend to be caught up in both tradition and religion, and people from other countries and cultures tend to find them headstrong and sometimes even arrogant. Karamorn is however, the largest kingdom in the North when it comes to population size, and their lax rules regarding immigration has lead to a fairly diverse population. Many consider Karamorn the land of opportunity for the poor and the downtrodden, positive in theory, however, this has also lead to a booming bandit population on the countryside. Despite this diversity, the native people of Karamorn are of predominantly human descent. As they have been the main political power in the North for hundreds of years, the Karamornians tend to be somewhat skeptical, naive and condescending towards the culture of outsiders. This however, is considerably less noticable when in the numerous large cities, most whom are found on the shorelines of the country, where people from all accross the world meet to trade, live and prosper shoulder to shoulder with their peers.Climate and Geography
The climate in Karamorn is fairly varied, but generally on the milder side of the temperate scale throughout the year. With warm, fairly dry summers, and wet winters, Karamorn sees a great difference between all four seasons. The Meridian Ocean connects warm ocean currents from the south with the north which has seen higher average temperatures in the Shallow Sea, and thus the western parts of Karamorn are generally warmer than the west. On the contrary, the Median Fjord is deep and brings cold waters and winds from the North Sea, so the northern and western cities and towns along the shoreline tend to experience colder winters. The summers can be quite hot in Karamorn, especially in the southern parts, with temperatures usually staying at around 25-30°C. Late spring and early autumn in Karamorn tend to be a bit more temperate at around 15 °C on average, while winters are very varied depending on where in the country one resides. In the higher alpine altitudes, the temperatures can drop below -20°C, while in the plain, more open areas, the temperature rarely drops too far below zero. Karamorn is divided in two by the mountain range knows as Garyx Spine, a enormeous alpine range that stretches through the entirety of the land. Because of this large parts of the southern and mid-mainland sees quite high altitudes with many hillsides and a lot of mountain terrain. The northern parts of the kingdom also see some differences in altitudes, where the smaller mountains of Lostrath meets Karamorn. Under Karamornian control is also a wide variety of smaller and bigger islands, many whom are found to the west and the south-west. These have fewer mountains, and a slightly more tropical climate overall due to their location in the Shallow Sea. Karamorn is a very fertile land, with the perfect growing conditions for many different crops, plants and flowers. The land also sees quite a lot of mixed forests throughout the entirery of the kingdom.Decidious trees are slightly more common than pine, as the country is too dry in some places for the biggest pine trees to really thrive.Demographic
Approximate Numbers: 60% humans, 13% elves, 12% orcs, 5% Jotnar, 5% dwarves, 5% smallfolk Karamorn is a land mostly inhabited by humans. The diverse Irvorians are the most populous of the human rubraces, though Vanichians, and the occasional human of Cupian descent are also a common sight. Generally however, humans of all shapes and sizes call Karamorn their home, and the human population does little to distinguish based on ethnicity. Despite humans being the most popolous, there is a great variety of other races found in Karamorn, although they are still at a clear minority. Compared to the other Northern countries however, Karamorn is considered a melting pot by many. This is mostly due to trading, tourism and the numerous and grand markets you can find in most of Karamorn's cities. Karamorn is also known for being very lax on their immigration laws, and thus many travel to the land both for business and for building a better life for themselves. Even «beast» races, like kobolds and goblins, whom are fairly rare to see as upstanding citizens in many other parts of the world, are part of Karamornian urban society, as traders, merchants, gamblers and shareholders. A few wood elven clans reside in the land's forests, while the cities sport a fairly large population of so called «city» elves, elves of wood elven descent who have turned their back on the wood elven way of living. Quite a lot of dwarves whom originally came from the mountains of Garyx’s Spine practice their trades in Karamorn, while smallfolk have immigrated largely from Thenia or from the south. Jotnar and orcs commonly work as mercenaries, although the orcs too has their ancestral home in the Northern Plainlands, living in a designated reserve. Racism is less prominent in the cities of Karamorn than many other places on Antreia, especially among the coastal cities, as those are generally quite diverse culturally. However, this is not necessarily true when adventurers find themselves in the smaller peasant communities on the contryside, and travelers should be wary.Culture
(Karamorn is in many ways based on a medieval mix of italy and england. This reflects in everything from architecture, food, culture, appearance, clothing choices and (human) names) The people of Karamorn are a people of variety. Largely a merchant's land, a lot of Karamorn's culture is based around markets, festivals, good food and a beautiful countryside, to attract tourists and visitors. This also manifests in Karamornians at large, they are known to be a friendly people who are fond of the simpler things in life. Karamorn also has a culture heavily based on chivalry and heroic deeds, and as such knights and heroes are greatly respected and celebrated. Being a knight of the king is one of the greatest honors that one can receive, but any bishop or other kind of political or religious leader can also grant the same honour. Karamornians also value hard work and the crafts. As such, professions like blacksmith, woodworker, tailor and leatherworker are quite highly respected, and many chose to join one of the numerous crafting guilds that have strong influences in the kingdom. Guilds in general is a big part of Karamornian society, most of these guilds, be it crafting, magic, nature-based or religious, have bases in the other kingdoms on Antreia, but it is in Karamorn many originated and still prefer to keep their main base of operations to this day. The people of Karamorn live on farms and in cities alike, and their individual culture can value a bit from which part of the country they reside. The people, those of human origin in particular, tend towards patriarchal forms of gender roles. It is far more common to see men in the military, navy and physically demanding crafting professions than it is to see women in such occupations. Women are also generally more sheltered than the men of the land. If the country has both a king and a queen, the ruling reagent is always the king, and his first born son will always be the first in line to inherit the throne.Religion
Karamornians mostly follow The Faith and its gods. Not unlike the other northern countries it is common for each house or family to have a god of whom they relate to in particular, and rever more than the others. Being a nation mostly run by and inhabited by humans, the churches follow human religious traditions. The people of Karamorn is a people of variety however; in Karamorn you can find the most pious followers of the faith, and the ones who turn their back on it completely. Religion and the churches especially play a big part in Karamornian culture however, and most, at least when it comes to the nobility and the working middle class, is expected to devote themselves to The Faith. Many other kinds of religions exist in Karamorn however, and although they aren't explicitly banned by The Church, The Church has become more and more opposed to the rapid spreading of new ideologies, especially among the humans of the land. Heretics are banned by The Church although some other faiths like those following Fey Worship, The Giant Pantheon or The Orcish Pantheon are more accepted. The individual races of the country freely follow their own religions and customs, though many have adopted the ways of The Karamornian Faith due to pressure from the followers of The Faith and devote themselves only to The Church.Government
The Kingdom of Karamorn is ruled by a royal family, with a king most often sitting at the throne. Under the king, queen, and their children, comes the nobles of the kingdom. These are old families of noble birth who aid the king in governing smaller parts of the country. Under the nobles one can find the earls, men of high rank that command the military troops and the cavalry. The earls hold the chief command under the king, and it is the king who appoints them. Under them again, one can find the knights, vassals who have been granted the title from a lord, monarch or bishop. Knights are considered a lower class of nobility. Under the knights again comes the commanders of the smaller military groups, and their soldiers. Lastly comes the general population of farmers, merchants, crafters, fishers and hunters. The kingdom isn't too strictly governed, but they are big on defense, sporting a grand military. Taxes are fairly high compared to other countries, but they are considered quite fair due to a general sense of national pride. Generally the knights, nobility and the king is well respected throughout the country.The Royal Family:
Karamorn's current royal family is the house of Dhon, and the current reagent is King Erin, a respected king whom have reigned for many years already. He is currently 57 years old, and has two sons and three daughters with his current Queen, the younger Elisa of house Bourbon of Veileux. He also has two children from an earlier marriage, twins, their mother being the deceased Queen Ophelia of the same house. Elisa and Ophelia were sisters, untill Ophelia died when giving birh to her son and daughter, resulting in the king marrying her sister. The King and Queen both are fairly popular among the people, but there has been some controversy surrounding the Queen, her young age, the death of her sister and her own rise to the throne.Politics and Relations:
Karamorn does fairly well for itself in all things political, which is highly benificial to the kingdom, as they share a border with four other countries. It has very good relations with Lostrath, where trading routes, cooperation and alliances are honored. Thenia own islands close to Karamorn, and frequently trade, their relationship being positive and mutually beneficial despite their different views when it comes to politics and governments. Karamorn also shares a border with Veileux, their relationship is more strained however, as both countries have a considerable military and a history of conflict. Callimoria, the final bordering country of Karamorn, also tend to have a mutually beneficial and positive relationship to the kingdom where the two share raw materials and export luxury goods between each other. Even though the kingdom of Karamorn are generally on good terms with most of its neighbors, the kingdom has a considerable military and an even stronger and larger navy. This is on one hand because of the country's location, being surrounded by either other lands or the ocean on all sides. Due to Garyx’s Spine, the country is frequently harassed by drow, harpies, minotaurs, bandits and goblins from the west, which also calls for a strong military presencce. Historically, the kingdom has also been in many great battles to protect its land and its people throughout the ages, and the region has only in recent centuries settled into becoming a fairly peaceful and stable region.Economy
Karamorn's economy is rich and complex. There is not one thing that drives the influx of money to the country, but rather a great deal of different crafts, raw materials, trading deals and food that make up Karamornian economy. As guilds is a very big thing in Karamorn, big parts of the economy is dependent on these guilds and the crafters, entrepeneurs and workers whom are a part of them. Karamorn benefits through taxes, while the guilds gain military protection if it is neccessary ,and bases of operation where its members can meet and learn from each other. These guilds can be based on most anything, and there is an uncountable number of guilds, small and big, found throughout the entirety of Karamorn, and other places on Antreia. Karamorn also has some raw materials that is exported to other countries. Timber, precious metals, grapes, corn, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes and fish being among some of them. As the soil is fairly fertile and farming is a common profession, the country and its farmsteads produces more than it needs, contributing to making farming a fairly profitable profession through trading and export. Karamorn is widely renowned for its good food and exquisite wines. Many people travel to Karamorn to experience these dishes, and even more buy plenty of ale or wine to bring home. This also contributes to making Karamorn a coastal trading hub.Flora and Fauna
Karamorn, being a country of quite varied climate based on where you reside, has a great variety of animals and plants. In the land's forests, you can find most of the common forest dwelling creatures like wolves, bears, deer and foxes. In the hills and mountains of the country you can find plenty of harpies, mountain foxes and a variety of rodents. Along the borders of, and on the highlands of Garyx’s Spine, you can find snowy coated hares and foxes, and even the occasional ice troll. Along the coastline there are plenty of fish, and in the ocean big aquatic creatures swim freely. Forests in Karamorn are often a mix between decidous and evergreen trees, and as the country has drier soil than say Calen or Callimoria, the forests rarely grow as big and lush as its neighbor's, though forests of considerable size can still be explored, although they are slightly more rare. Karamorn is especially famous for its large grasslands and farmland where wheat and corn is grown, giving it the nickname «land of golden fields»
Founding Date
2A 237
Alternative Name(s)
Cain
Type
National Territory
Population
Large
Inhabitant Demonym
Karamornians
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Comments