Remnant

Children of a Fallen Empire

We've lost everything. When once we stood proud in cities of marble and brick, now our children freeze in makeshift huts as these northern men settle in what we've built. Rest assured my dear people, we will not hide from savegry forever. A day will come when the Remnant march from this frozen hell and take back what's rightfully ours!

— Abar Naqya, 309 AU

The Remnant are a people made up from nearly all the ethnicities that once served the Rahyamin Empire. What they lack in physical similarities, they make up in their common goal and culture — a love of the fallen empire and its customs. The culture emerged from the ashes after the once great power had crumbled to pieces and its loyalists were forced to flee into hiding. The Remnant of Pekkola had to flee from the hostile native populace, resulting in their retreat to the harsh frozen wastes of the Sunless Paths and Bratayya.

Appearance

Because of the way the Remnant culture came to be, there is no one phenotype that best fits the entire culture. The Remnant are made up of all the peoples of Pekkola and countless other ethnicities that the Rahya had incorporated into their empire. The way an individual looks matters not as the unifying factor for them is their purpose and ideology, not blood or language.

Idiri Characteristics

Even though the Remnant come in many shapes and colours, among the native people of Pekkola the image of a typical Idiri conjures in their minds when they think of what an average Remnant man or woman might look like.

The Idiri were the founders of the great empire, the people of the House of Rahyamin. They ran almost all aspects of the empire’s government, but few ever stayed in Pekkola.

They have dark skin and thick jet black hair. Idiri men often proudly displayed as much chest hair as they could, although that custom has fallen out of favour now among the Remnant in their new cold homes. Most traditional Idiri costumes have fallen out of use as they had failed to protect their wearers from the frost.

Following the conquest of Pekkola, more and more of our native people have moved into this newly gained land. Migration has been slow, however, as it appears our people do not favour the climate of these parts.
So far only our most noble lord and ladies of the Bahal have made their journey here along with the families of some of the military personnel stationed to garrison the land.

— Peoples of Pekkola - Idiri

Culture

Remnant culture is a mixture of all the other cultures that were once present within the empire. Holidays and special events once celebrated in the fallen country are still upheld in Remnant communities all across Pekkola. As they are a relatively new culture, new customs and traditions have not yet formed properly, thus leaving their common goal of rebuilding the lost state their primary unifying factor.
One critical hurdle that the Remnant have failed to solve is the restoration question. They all seek to restore the country, but not everyone can agree on how such a lofty goal ought to be achieved and what the new state will look like.

Ideological Conflicts

One of the greatest threats to the Remnant are their own internal strifes. There are three core ideologies that their people follow, but even those have their own splinter groups. The monarchists are the most powerful of the three, but they are in turn divided between the restorationists and traditionalists. The other two major groups are the republicans and radicals.
The only path forward is for someone to unite the three ideologies through war or compromise. Without their united strength, they have no hope of achieving their goals and subjugating Pekkola.

Those fools in Reniyya are no true monarchists! How do they expect to restore an empire without its rightful monarch? Restorationism is the only true way, brother. We can’t have some upstart sitting upon a throne given to the House of Rahyamin by the grace of God.

— Va'ir Abdali

Regional Differences

The people of the Sunless Paths and Bratayya are very much the same and share similar troubles. The main difference between the regions is the political landscape. Bratayya falls under the influence and military might of the March of Ahelaldi, a restorationist state that still insists that they are a subject of the empire.
Further north in the Sunless Paths there is a constant power struggle between all three ideologies. The region is far more populated than Bratayya thanks to the lake that gives life to the surrounding ground. As it's the main source of food and water for the region, it also is heavily contested by the region’s factions.

Tathland

Besides the unforgiving lands between the mountains, the Remnant have also begun to call Tathland their home. The locals there look upon the empire and all its deeds far more favourably than their other neighbours.
There, many of the Idiri customs that were lost in the mountains held on and survive to this day. There is little contact between them and their kindred folk in the mountains as the route between is rife with those hostile to them all.

Warfare

The iron mines of Bratayya are the fuel that feeds the armies of the Remnant. As they are a people who are few in number, the life of each soldier is precious. To protect their fighters, Remnant leaders clad them in the best armour they could get their hands on. Those few unlucky lads who miss out on the good stuff have to take up roles as skirmishers and raiders.
Horses are an increadibly rare sight in the mountains where most Remnant dwell and when they are spotted, they are usually carrying raiders from the lands of the Pijari.

Infiltration

Seeing as lumber was a precious resource to them in the mountains and that the cost of creating siege equipment was insurmountable, the Remnant looked for alternative ways of getting behind walls. They so realised that their best advantage was their diverse array of incorporated ethnicities.

Within their ranks they have lots of people who look like they are native to Pekkola and folk made for excellent spies. These men and women are now trained to infiltrate their enemy's strongholds and to sabotage them from the inside.
A thick and tall wall of stone won’t matter all that much when someone has left the door politely open for the invading forces to use. Besides assisting with sieges, infiltrators also influence the leaders of Pekkola so that they could use their power to further the Remnant goal.

by artbreeder.com

Total population

c. 35,000

Related Organizations

• House of Rahyamin
• March of Ahelaldi
• Principality of Sabba
• Rahyamin Empire

Related Locations

• Bratayya
• Sunless Paths
• Tathland

Idiri Names

Male

Make some sounds

Female

Make some sounds

Surname

Make some sounds

Remnant CD10 Starting Traits

Educated

+1

Contacts

+1

Persecuted

-2

Cultural Capital

Reniyya is the closest thing that the Remnant have to a traditional cultural capital. Located in the Sunless Paths, the settlement had been but a small outpost before the fall of the empire, but as it was next to a small lake, it drew the attention of the imperial loyalists who sought to escape from Aethelland, Vaijia, and Rieweck.

Sunless Paths by Matt Gross