The Kingdon of Johrase

Proper Name: The Kingdom of Johrase

Population: 25,000

Ruler: The Mammoth (real name unknown)

Government: Military dictatorship, indirectly controlled by Iuz

Capital: Kinemeet

Other Settlements: None

Resources: None

Population: 75% orc, 10 half-orc, 10% other humanoids, 5% human

Religion: Iuz, Gruumsh

Law: CE

Enemies: Redhand, Tangles

Settlements and Locations within the Kingdom of Johrase:

Cornwald

Ethelmere

Kinemeet

The Kingdom of Johrase was fashioned as a pale mockery of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, founded in 324 CY by a debauched scion of the Rax dynasty, Andrellus. In his madness, he declared himself King and all others his commoners. The seat of his power was Kinemeet, a semi-permanent settlement where the nomadic Flan plainsmen gathered seasonally to trade amongst one another and do battle for control of the tribes. Theirs was a warrior culture. King Andrellus was delighted at their battles for domination, and did his best to pervert it in the style of the gladiatorial battles he remembered from his youth in Aerdi.

The seeds of these Flan tribes would infect the deranged utopia Andrellus had hoped to create. The strongest warrior controlled the throne of Johrase, with his members of his court given the right to challenge him during perceived moments of weakness. As bandits and exiles from throughout the Flanaess were drawn to this place, race and culture ceased to matter, though humanoids were never truly welcomed. And while the lands of the kingdom were more abundant than elsewhere, few took the time to cultivate it, preferring to raid south into Redhand.

Over time, the realm’s society became increasingly dominated by the warrior instincts of the Flan, the throne being held by the most powerful warrior, regardless of race. Annual raids against Redspan ensured that the brutish influence of Johrase was known throughout the Flanaess. Nonetheless, Kinemeet became a neutral meeting ground for bandit chieftains and a marketplace for cattle and horses.

Kinemeet became the site of seasonal gatherings of people throughout the Combination of Free Lords. In the month of Patchwall, the stockyards of the city thronged with people, all arriving to put both their wares and their skills to the test. With the relatively few herders and farmers in the Bandit Lands, the fall season in Kinemeet was often the only time when their goods could be sold on a fair market. But the Harvestfest would be forever associated with the sport of trick riding, where horsemen from throughout the Combination came to compete against one another. Champions were traditionally awarded their pick of the best horse in the stockyard. The contest became wildly popular and the King’s men found themselves working around the clock to protect the best riders from assaults and vulgar assassinations.

In 583 CY, when the armies of the Old One drove through the Bandit Lands, the king of Johrase entered a formal alliance with the Theocracy of Dimre. They did not fair as well as their allies, however. During a crucial battle for the region, the king’s armies were routed and decimated by fiendish hordes commanded by members of Iuz’s Greater Boneheart. The warriors of Johrase were scattered and Kinemeet lost to Iuz.

Johrase Mercenaries Johrase allied with Dimre and fought Iuz’s forces in 583 CY, but it was routed and its men scattered to the east. Many of these warriors, still loyal to Johrase have abandoned their homeland for northern Tehn, where they fight as mercenaries against whoever they are told is to be their enemy—Tenha, the Pale, or whoever offers the most coin. In battle, they fly the standard of the black morningstar. Warriors of Johrase will never fight one another, no matter their professed allegiance.

When they meet in the battlefield, they greet one another with the solemn phrase: “One day, in Kinemeet, we shall finish this.” Some few have sought solitude in Dimre. All have long memories and have not forgotten the halls of Kinemeet. All possess a burning hatred for orcs and goblins, and will put themselves in jeopardy to attack on sight those who took their lands from them; they are proud but very bitter about their loss.

Kinemeet is now a mere mockery of its former self. Infested with orcs loyal to Iuz, they have destroyed nearly all the proud city once displayed. Iuz’s forces are charged with controlling the plains for 100 miles or more in all directions. The commander is replaced about once a year, however, thanks to duels for leadership. The orcs here are warlike in the extreme but loyal to Iuz, despite the fact that they frequently use Johrase shields and flags along with those of the Old One. The current commander here, a particularly brutish orc, known only as “The Mammoth” (CE male orcish Barbarian L9) for his prominent tusks. The Mammoth reports to either Rookroost or Riftcrag, depending on whim.

These marauders stage regular raids into the Tangles, attacking indiscriminately. More than once, this has drawn the ire of Cranzer, though the orcs here have proved too unruly even for his cruel hand.

Bandit Kingdoms

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One of the oldest holdings in the Combination of Free Lords, Johrase has long held the lands west of the Zumker-Artonsamay confluence, extending southwest from the town of Kinemeet (the capital) to the Rift Barrens and the Tangles. Formed in 324 CY by Andrellus, a debauched scion of Aerdy's Rax dynasty, Johrase represented a miniature Great Kingdom, replete with its own king and commoners (represented by local Flan plainsmen). Over time, the realm's society became increasingly dominated by the warrior instincts of the Flan, the throne being held by the most powerful warrior, regardless of race. Annual raids against Redspan ensured that the brutish influence of Johrase was known throughout the Flanaess. Nonetheless, Kinemeet became a neutral meeting ground for bandit chieftains and a marketplace for cattle and horses. Johrase allied with Dimre and fought Iuz's forces in 583, but it was routed and its men scattered to the east.

Many have taken to the mercenary life in Tenh, fighting for the Tenha, the Pale, or whoever offers the most coin. All fly the black morning star emblem of Johrase in combat, and Johrase men never fight each other, regardless of professed allegiances. Johrase bandits hate orcs and goblins, and attack them on sight; they are proud but very bitter about their loss. Kinemeet is now primarily an orcish city, its forces charged with controlling the plains for 100 miles or more in all directions. The commander here, usually a gigantic orc or intelligent ogre warrior, reports to either Rookroost or Riftcrag, depending on whim. The commander is replaced about once a year, however, thanks to duels for leadership. The orcs here are warlike in the extreme but loyal to Iuz, despite the fact that they frequently use Johrase shields and flags along with those of the Old One.