The Warrior-Rulers
Overview
Among the humanoid settlements of Ogygia, there is little to no consistent government. Power structures revolve primarily around military might, and the majority of kings and queens who claim rulership have proven themselves in the battlefield or in Ogygia’s great colosseums. Those who prove themselves in combat earn power, which directly translates to nobility and status. As such, any kingdom is subject to the laws determined by the individual (or, occasionally, group) who has risen to rule it, which leads to ever-shifting loyalties and laws. Theoretically - and sometimes in practice - any peasant could become a warrior-king and decide the course of history, and the defeat of a standing ruler in combat is equivalent to the surrender of an entire kingdom.There is, however, no law stating that an established warrior-ruler must risk their life and status in battle. Once a warrior-ruler has claimed their throne, it is often then the duty of trusted knights or vassals to take their ruler’s place in the battlefield to ensure that their ruler is not dethroned. This technicality is also one that the mercenary bands of Ogygia have capitalized on: rulers will often prefer to hire an unrelated band of mercenaries to risk their lives in battle, either to fight an enemy warrior-ruler or to defeat dangerous monsters threatening their kingdoms. The less-formal nature of these conflicts means that mercenaries have a harder time officially proving their status and power, but in exchange they have no formal allegiance to any kingdom and gain a great deal of coin. Theoretically, there may be many mercenaries who deserve a throne; but how many of them actually want such a position?
What follows is a list of some of the most prominent royalty of Ogygia. It is by no means exhaustive, as Ogygia is host to many minor lords and ladies, but these are some of the most powerful or famed figures in the nation.
by sonech
High Lord Typhos
The northwestern swamps of Lerna are a monster-infested mire, but in their depths lies the kingdom of the man who views himself as Ogygia’s one true High Lord. Typhos’s name is spoken in fearful whispers, and little is known about his origin. Some claim he was born from the blood of the great Devourer, the titanic hydra who assaulted Ogygia in years past; some say that the blood spilled in the great colosseums filled an abandoned suit of armor and brought it to life. He is rarely seen on the battlefield, but those who claim to have faced him say that every wound he suffered closed instantly, and his sword slithered as if it had a life of its own.
Whatever the truth may be, Typhos’s goals of conquest are undeniable. Hydras, catoblepones, and other beasts of the swamps guard the walls of his castle Phlegethon, and his armies swell with the ranks of former mercenaries and gladiators. The High Lord welcomes all with a lust for battle, offering union and power to mercenaries, gladiators, and the unproven. Flying black banners emblazoned with a crimson hydra, his forces march on nearby settlements to crush their rulers. Those that fall have their crowns taken, ground to dust, and scattered across the glimmering helmet of the High Lord.
While fierce in his conquest, Typhos governs his kingdom carefully. He knows that a revolt from within is a greater threat than an external attack, so he promises those in his kingdom safety from one another. Reports of crime are taken seriously and punished swiftly by Typhos's knights, at least for the lower class. Those in higher positions of power, however, are more carefully monitored and doubted; the closer one comes to the High Lord, the more swiftly they are judged.
It is known to all in Ogygia that Typhos plans to conquer the now-neutral colosseums, thereby claiming that he decides who rises to power in Ogygia. It is unlikely that he will decide the rise of anyone but himself.
Echion of the Wyrmriders
Where most Ogygian cavalry learn to fight on the backs of horses and six-legged lizards, the wyrmriders of the mountain cliffs hold the secret of taming mighty wyverns. According to their ruler, Echion, they gained this gift from slaying a mighty dragon and claiming its enchanted teeth, kept under lock and key deep within their main stronghold of Spartoi; however, no such relics have been seen by anyone else willing to speak of them.
Whatever the truth of this may be, the might of Echion’s legions is undeniable. Wyverns are normally aggressive and reckless beasts, but the wyrmriders train them to be as loyal and obedient as hounds. They are masters of the Ogygian skies, and even on the ground their mighty teeth, claws, and venomous tails have been known to wipe out swathes of enemies in moments. Even the wyrmriders themselves are a force to be reckoned with, wielding heavy lances and crossbows tipped with wyvern venom.
by Cogy
Fortunately, Echion has shown no interest in conquest. Instead, he has established a mercenary accord with as many rulers of Ogygia as possible, selling his wyrmriders to the highest bidder. So long as wyrmriders will not be forced into opposite sides of a conflict, any army can employ them for a limited time on the battlefield. Echion has thusly carved out a sturdy foothold for himself, and the extreme challenge of laying siege to Spartoi and obtaining his secrets of wyrmriding makes it unlikely that his throne will be vacant anytime soon.
The Iron Hawk
by x-VexxA
Not all Ogygian rulers are native to Ogygia. The Iron Hawk, once the son of the Imagawa shogun of Azuma, chafed at the restrictions of his father and sailed to Ogygia with a contingent of his soldiers. It was not long before he made a new name for himself and claimed a large chunk of southern Ogygia, constructing a large fort of stone and metal near the Nausicaan Archipelago.
The Iron Hawk keeps his history and true name secret, however, relying only on the feats he has achieved in Ogygia. He and his soldiers wear sturdy full-plate armor that hybridizes the styles of Azuma and Ogygia, and he has trained his soldiers mainly in Azumese weaponry and combat. Most significantly, he brought with him the techniques for crafting gunpowder-based rifles that the Imagawa shogun keeps highly regulated in Azuma, and while obtaining the materials is still an expensive and lengthy process, elite soldiers of the Iron Hawk are permitted to carry arquebuses in combat.
Despite the Iron Hawk's isolated homeland, he has been very open to collaboration and recruitment of all manner of folk in Ogygia. Those under his rule are treated firmly, but fairly, so long as they pledge their loyalty to him.
King Algolon Hyrka
King Algolon is the latest in a long lineage of Ogygian rulers. His ancestors conquered the Ogygian colosseums so frequently that their accrued status became meaningless; their presence was never a matter of whether they would win, but if the show they put on would be better than the last. And yet, the Hyrka were peaceful rulers, content only to defend their territory of Lycosura from all manner of invaders.
In comparison, Algolon is a pale reflection of his family’s past. It is highly unlikely that he could have reached his current status had it not been inherited from the Hyrka before him; his cowardice is only matched by his unwillingness to learn the arts of battle or the finer intrigues of the court. Despite this, he shows no interest in stepping down from his role, for the privilege and power are too much to sacrifice.
It is no surprise, then, that Algolon has taken on an advisor to handle management of the kingdom and conflicts with neighboring rulers. What is strange is that this advisor is the chief executioner of Lycosura, a woman named Xenia. How - and more importantly, why - Xenia rose to such a prominent status alongside the Hyrka king is a closely-guarded secret, but it is clear that Algolon trusts her judgement almost unquestioningly, and she serves the king with a terrifying zeal.
Whatever the case, while the kingdom of Lycosura has not faltered in strength and prominence under Xenia's guidance, a pall of uncertainty has been cast over its people. Many wonder who the true ruler of Lycosura is, but those who speak their concerns too openly have gone missing. Some nights, too, strange choruses of wails ebb from the castle, and those imprisoned in the castle dungeons return from their sentence shaken by an unspeakable fear.
Polemos, the Artisan
Despite their fearsome mein and enormous stature, the cyclopes have largely not taken to the warrior-culture that has formed in Ogygia. A few have decided to take up arms and join the new order, but many would still prefer to live life as they always have: as shepherds and craftsmen of the rolling hills and gentle shores.
Imagine the surprise, then, when a cyclops adorned in a full plate armor with an enormous shield and spear took to the colosseums. Both due to and despite his sheer size, Polemos quickly rose to power in the colosseums, and while non-human rulers are not uncommon in Ogygia, the abruptness and speed of the cyclops' conquest was no small source of concern for the other warrior-rulers.
However, once Polemos ascended in rank enough to achieve lordship over an entire kingdom, he laid official claim to the cyclopes' home island of Tyrins and never once returned to the colosseums or the battlefield. There he founded the city of Kerameipolis, a metropolis of craftsmen, schools, and artisan guilds, welcome to those requiring refuge from the war-torn mainland and practitioners of the non-military arts. Carrying of weapons within the city walls is banned, and any weapons crafted and sold within the city will only be provided to the buyer when they leave; even the guards of Kerameipolis are only allowed to use hand-to-hand or magical means to apprehend criminals within the city walls.
Despite Polemos's peaceful position in Ogygian government, none have been brave enough to contest his territory or rule. While he took the greatest efforts not to kill his opponents in the colosseums, there is no reason to believe he would be so merciful in the battlefield.
