Kingdom of Feldcroghten

Sakmarang Cras’Syrrhn Gors’Feldcroghten always knew he was smarter than his peers. He was a prodigy at the War College of Syyrhn, the youngest ever to graduate, and naturally it was at the top of his class. He was a talented wizard but also a powerful sorcerer, an insightful tactician and in fairly short order he had risen through the ranks of the Fledcroghten legion. Eventually, he was chosen as one of Rarsand’s Ger-Ricar.
Sakmarang had always disdained martial strength. He ordered his fighting force around arcane power, and marginalized the grunts, brutes and lunks, because he knew that the 10 smartest Dwarfs could defend the kingdom better than 1000 of the strongest. This was not a popular notion among the Ger-Cahar. They sneered at “Sakmarang’s Glass Cannons.” Even if he had created a useful weapon of his legion, Rarsand knew that Sakmarang’s arrogance and his contempt for mundane soldiery made him an unfit successor. Thusfar, King Sakmarang’s philosophy of arcane power over martial might has been vindicated. Feldcroghten is the second largest of the five kingdoms, and the military equal of Rassmussen.

Government

King Sakmarang is the absolute ruler of the Kingdom of Feldcroghten. Beneath him is the Hermetic Table, his council of advisors who aid in his rule. There are eleven such advisors, officially titled chancellors, and each selected by the King and placed at the head of an arcane college.
The colleges are places of learning, but also act as the municipal and military authority within the territories of the kingdom. Under the Chancellor, each college is lead a board of regents, a collection of select heads of noble houses who make the decisions on behalf of the college. In addition to control over the decisions of a college and leadership of their own noble houses, the regents also delegate the authorities of the Fellowship.


The fellowship (or fully, the Fellowship of Masters of the Thaumaturgical Arts) are noble arcane casters who have reached the peak of scholarly knowledge and arcane power that established education can provide them. They are typically heads of smaller houses or ranking members of the more influential houses. Fellows can be tasked by regents to appoint civilian governors, lead military divisions, and even in some instances to lead smaller academies to attend to those capable of arcane magic, but not wealthy or talented enough to attend one of the colleges.

Under the fellowship are associates (or fully, the Association of Practitioners of the Thaumaturgical Arts). Associates are arcanists who have completed their course of studies at an arcane college, and can rightfully be called “wizards.” Since the term wizard is so widely used (and misused) by the wider world, Feldcroghten Dwarves tend to refer to this rank as “associate” or “practitioner.” The later title applied to those who find themselves working outside of academic contexts. Practitioners are assigned to civilian governors as advisors or magistrates, but also find independant work as sages, artificers or wardens of the peace.

The Church of Duchar has little direct power with the government, but does have a measure of influence. The Divine Regent, the leader of the Church of Duchar, is the only Regency guaranteed by Feldcroghten law, and the only one chosen independently of the colleges or other regents. The Divine Regent is eligible to become a Chancellor (and thus a member of the Hermetic table), but this has not yet come to pass. Nevertheless, the Divine Chancellor can independently lobby the King on behalf of his house (which is the Church of Duchar), which no other regent has the power to do. Fathers (that is members of the Order of Patrons of the Theandrical Arts) will be assigned to civilian governors as theological advisers, personal healers or other theologically relevant positions.
Civilian authorities factor largely into the lives of ordinary Feldcroghten, but a dwarf cannot advance far in society without access to magic. The strongest warrior or most cunning of tactician could never rise to an officer’s rank in the legion. The wisest and most devoted leader could only find himself a regional governor. The most enterprising and well-connected businessman would find himself stymied by economic power of the the nobility. Even those who are born into existing noble houses will find themselves disinherited and disowned if they are wholly incapable of arcane magic.

Foreign Relations

There is a strong sentiment among the noble houses that Feldcroghten should become and remain a sovereign state, wholly independent of the other dwarven kingdoms. The other kingdoms are not worth the effort or bloodshed necessary to bring to heel, and would be undesirable elements of diamond legion under Feldcroghten rule. This sentiment, even if not officially supported by King Sakmarang, has lead to noble and even royal envoys being dispatched to establish trade and diplomatic relations with other nations. The Feldcroghten did this well before the other kingdoms, giving other nations the impression of Feldcroghten as the standard for dwarven people.

Guilds and Factions

The Church of Duchar

The Church of Duchar exists partially within the arcane power structure, though typically with a standing less than true arcanists. The institution is a quasi-noble house. The leader of the Church has the title of “Divine Regent,” the advancement of members is left wholly to the regent and those to whom they choose to delegate authority, and the members capable of channeling divine magic take the clan name Cras’Duchar.
Each of the arcane colleges has a seminary where scripture and divine magic can be studied. The advancement of a seminary student mirrors that of any other student for the first few years of fundamental education. However, seminary students do not have the arcane skills necessary to become associates. They instead take vows and become members of the Brotherhood (or Sisterhood) of Followers of the Theandrical Arts. Those whose education and divine power reach sufficient heights can be elevated to the Order of Patrons (or Matrons) of the Theandrical Arts. These dwarves receive the title of Father or Mother, and are typically found as the leader of individual temples of Duchar, or are assigned to other influential positions around the kingdom. The regional leaders of the church are the Unity of Elders of the Theandrical Arts, who hold the title of Elder. It is they who do the heavy lifting of church administration, raising fathers from the brotherhood, assigning them within the church, the kingdom or to the military and electing a Divine Regent.

• Government: Miltary Magocracy
• Terrain: [Text Pending]
• Area: ????
• Capital: Starnhald Feldcroghten
• Other major settlements:
  • Starnhald Edrighm (??,???)
  • Starnhald Ukaart (??,???)
• Religion: Duchar
• Imports: [Text Pending]
• Exports: [Text Pending]

Type

National Territory

Population

~1,250,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Feldcroghten

Location under

Darsun Kingdoms