The Charnault Kingdom

The Kingdom of Charnault is small militocracy ruled by orders knights and led by the Grand Master of the Ordos on the Northern slopes of the Donark Mountains. It is one that shuns the idea of a divine right of nobility; but rather claims to embrace progression primarily through dedication, hard work, and merit through one of the professional knightly orders which run the kingdom.

History

The people of Charnault can trace their heritage back through the ages to the Cenault Tribes; one of the original tribes to traverse the cold northern seas and settle in Esseas. They have live in the forests on the northern slopes of the Donark Mountains for thousands of years, and are proud of their heritage. For many centuries they were an independent Kingdom, but were eventually subjugated by the Zentherian Dynasty. When the opportunity arose, they quickly rose up against the Dynasty as part of the prolonged civil war. In the aftermath, they, along with several other short lived fiefdoms were eventually re-conquered by the Tirians and became part of the Kingdom of Tiriande. Sometime in the early 2700 5e, the elves of Thas'Dorah; still in secret at that time, began helping form a resistance in the Charnault. This was in part to attempt to create a buffer between themselves and Tiriande which they knew would be hostile to their growing kingdom. This eventually culminated in 2786 5e when the Charnault began an open rebellion against Tiriande. Unbeknownst to them, the Elves of Thas'Dorah had been doing the same on the south side of the Donarks in the province of Morencia which declared its independence at the same time; the two became known as the Twin Kingdoms.

A People of Duty

The Charnault are in one way or another impacted by their time with the Tirians. They share many of the same cultural features. A propensity for intrigue, the use of court rings as method of communication, a distrust of magic, a reliance of orders knights as a military backbone, and more. But they also deviate extensively. They distrust nobility and their belief of an inherent right to power. They have strong believe in the merits of work done regardless of colour of skin, shape of ears, or gender of the individual. There is a powerful nationalistic zeal, that everyone works for the common good and survival of the kingdom in the face of a much larger and stronger foes. Secrets are seemingly endemic in Charnault much like in Tiriande. While "The Game" isn't played because of its close ties to nobility, it is often joked that "getting a straight answer from a Charnian is like pulling a tooth from a dragon". Owing to its small size compared to large neighbors, the Charnault Kingdoms are a military based society. It maintains a large professional military primarily composed on Knightly Orders, and a large corps of foot troops. All men, women and children over the age of 14 are trained to fight, and regularly rotate into and out of service. Large barracks and armouries dot the land in the event of invasion as to quickly mobilize a large portion of the population in response. There are an extraordinary number of martial orders, ranging in size from a few dozen members who protect a single holy site, to the very large administrative orders which bear the responsibility to run entire prefectures. Over the years, Charnault has adopted a large Dwarven population who work ceaselessly on many suits of often highly ornate armour for the order members. Also owning to its large proportion of woods, and the Forests of Thas'Dorah; species like Firbolgs, Centaur's and Bugbears are more common than elsewhere.

Of Gods and Magic

The people of Charnault worship the same human pantheon as both the Ondari Dominion, and the Kingdom of Tiriande. The Church of the Celestia itself doesn’t play a large factor in the politics or lives of Charnault, but they do tend to favor the Gods Iroas, Shar, Ulmo, and Ghyran more than others. Partially because of their proclivty towards secrets, and not asking questions, the order headquarters of many religious knightly or militant orders are based in Charnault. Charnians, much like their Tirian neighbors are fairly weary of magic, as they suffered from the same pogroms and crackdowns from agents of the Zentherian Dynasty. But, those living closer to the elven forests of Thas'Dorah are more familiar and comfortable with it. Everyone in Charnault is trained to fight to protect the kingdom, likewise; anyone identified as being able to wield magic must undergo training as well in case they need to be called on to serve. Once their training is complete though, which lasts well into their early 20s; they are free to pursue their lives. Those wishing to practice magic regularly or as a profession, are able to join one of several magical orders or Adventuring Groups within the kingdom. Practicing magic outside of those orders is largely forbidden.

Leadership of the Realm

The Charnault Kingdom is run by a collection of professional, merit based order of Knights. At the top, is the Supreme Grand Master of Charnault and the Ordos, who rules from the fortified capital of Reaufort. He is then surrounded by two separate councils. The first is the Knights of the Inner Circle, and the second is the Council of Orders. The membership, mission, and responsibilities of the Inner Circle are kept a closely guarded secret. The Council of Orders is the governing body which the Supreme Grand Master chairs, and comprises of the Grand Masters or appointed officers of each of the largest Orders. The nation is broken down into a number of Prefectures, each of which has an order knights responsible for the day to day running and administration. Smaller Orders of knights will often operate underneath these in specialized roles, such as orders dedicated to the God Ishran may run medical centers. Knights act as the officers and leadership of bureaucratic bodies, with peasantry who either serve on a rotational, in the standing military acting as the workers, or are serfs of the Order that they are seeking to become a member of.

Orders of the Realm

Order of the Golden Lion - One of the largest orders of knights; in charge of the Harvolt Prefecture. Order of the Emerald Sentinels - A militant order dedicated to God Ghyran, and has several chapter houses in Charnault. Knights of the Wing - one of the smaller, but most prestigious orders in the land. They are legendary for riding into battle on the backs of Pegasus. Templar of Golden Light - An order of knights dedicated to Ishran and act as travelling healers in small towns and communities across the countryside. Knights of the Azure Waters - A small order of knights dedicated to the protection of a small lake in the mountains which produces an azure glow on nights with a full moon.