Creative Exercise: The Sovereign Dominion of Eyros

[Khorod]

Among halflings, piracy and theft are not considered crimes.

Murder, however, is invariably punished by being banished from New Haven. Such bannishment is called the 'Outcasting', and each individual floating city has different rules for how they deal with such individuals.

Self-defense is sometimes an exception. Killing in time of war is an exception. There are few others.

Executioners and those whose tasks involve threatening others with death (rare amongst halflings) operate under a special condition of the Outcasting. They are generally not allowed inside New Haven, but can gain special permissions to be on New Haven during daylight. Again, the other floating cities each have their own variations in how they treat such people. These are called 'Honored Exiles' (translated into Eyrosian) because they give up much of community and society in there lives to serve the well-being of the community.

 

[Arkhandus]

The great sea stretching south and southwest of Eyros is the Thorntide Ocean, known for its great reefs hiding just under the surface, catching unwary or unlucky ships and tearing leaks in their hulls. Though there are few of these reefs near the mainland, they do prove an obstacle to any significant sea travel along the south. Storms are known to occasionally blast sharp chunks of the reefs and send them drifting towards the shore, presenting a danger or at least a nuisance to ships along the shoreline. Fey and harpies and sirines are known to live amongst some of the reefs that reach above the surface, and are often hostile to intruders. The elves of Nistadeen, however, have found a few navigable routes around the most dangerous reefs, allowing them better access to Xaleris, Indracca, and other lands by the sea, and this is how their ships have survived long enough at sea to find the desert land of insect-folk in the distant southwest.

 

[Sarellion]

Contribution:
The bugbear tribe of kwlloch is scattered all over the country. Smaller clans live in caverns and burrows under the earth. They forage food from underground sea or plants that grow there. The largest clan lives in the ruined dwarven city of Kesh. Kesh was founded by dwarves refugees who fled Alkshalnjar after the Valjin conquered their country. Several centuries bugbears invaded the city and killed the population. Kesh is the main and sole city of the bugbear tribe.

Bugbears forage for food on the surface, fish in underground lakes or harvest the special plants the dwarves brought with them. Kesh for an example is built on islands in a large underground sea, fed by several tributaries connecting there.

Most the tribe´s strongholds are located near the border to Eyros. They tunneled extensively below the surface using this network between their strongholds to harass invaders and their resupply lines. these tunnels are cramped and rather crude but they serve their purpose adequately.

 

[Dr. Harry]

Contribution:
The bugbear tribe ....

The culture of Eyros is strongly expansionistic, as successful war is seen as vindication of the rightness of the cause, and how could expanding Eyrosian civilization be wrong? There have been very few wars of this type in the last couple of generations because of the decline in military service among the ruling classes. This slide in public service combined with the militaristic drive in the culture, has led to the rise of private forces, especially as the numbers of internal forces have declined as military might is shifter to the borders. Some nobles have sizable private "security forces".
The government has not objected greatly to this because:

1) Some law and order (or "someone's law and order") is needed to fill the gap, and

2) More soldiers under private arms does NOT mean more Masks.


I hope I didn't cancel myself with a contradiction to something I didn't recall.

 

[Rystil Arden]

The culture of Eyros is strongly expansionistic, as successful war is seen as vindication of the rightness of the cause, and how could expanding Eyrosian civilization be wrong? There have been very few wars of this type in the last couple of generations because of the decline in military service among the ruling classes. This slide in public service combined with the militaristic drive in the culture, has led to the rise of private forces, especially as the numbers of internal forces have declined as military might is shifter to the borders. Some nobles have sizable private "security forces".
The government has not objected greatly to this because:

1) Some law and order (or "someone's law and order") is needed to fill the gap, and

2) More soldiers under private arms does NOT mean more Masks.


I hope I didn't cancel myself with a contradiction to something I didn't recall.

This is probably contradictory to the fact that military service is mandatory, except for a few cases of nobles dodging out, and someone said that many of the Pillars take pride in serving, particularly House Malarn if I recall correctly. It was very long ago, though, so I may be wrong.

 

[Sarellion]

House Zhal is militaristic, too.
The pillars already have their own troops. They are used for province capital security. Officers for the legions in a province are from a different pillar than the political leadership of the province. This indicates that the Senate would mind if there were significant private armies. We also have a post discussing lobbying for an increase in Pillar forces when the Grand Monarch will step down but there aren´t many at the moment.

Government hegemony is enforced by the Praes Thanatos. I assume that this means they are the major enforcers of internal security and they don´t like losing power.
Surveillance for magical threats is done by the Arcaneum with Masks/Praes acting as troubleshooters.

Current military situation:
No war for generations, internal rebellion by the dwarves. The guardan maks were able to repel invasions (probably with help) during the war of the fallen pillar.
Kwlloch: Barbarian raids, problematic but nothing so serious
Xaleris: beyond the sea, riddled with internal problems
Nistadeen: Up and coming power but not a sufficiently large ground based military able to start an invasion
Indracca: Perhaps a problem but Eyros got a solid chunk of mountains in this direction.
Ghalfaen: Protectorate
Saagersberg: Hm, well they have a Solar that hasn´t done anything for a long time and a militia. I assume that Kwlloch could and would take them if ole buddy Conquers twice wasn´t there.

If the alliance would be able to start an invasion together this could be a different affair.

I think that Eyros doesn´t need most of his forces on the border.

 

[Rystil Arden]

House Zhal is militaristic, too.
The pillars already have their own troops. They are used for province capital security. Officers for the legions in a province are from a different pillar than the political leadership of the province. This indicates that the Senate would mind if there were significant private armies. We also have a post discussing lobbying for an increase in Pillar forces when the Grand Monarch will step down but there aren´t many at the moment.

Government hegemony is enforced by the Praes Thanatos. I assume that this means they are the major enforcers of internal security and they don´t like losing power.
Surveillance for magical threats is done by the Arcaneum with Masks/Praes acting as troubleshooters.

Current military situation:
No war for generations, internal rebellion by the dwarves
Kwlloch: Barbarian raids, problematic but nothing so serious
Xaleris: beyond the sea, riddled with problems
Nistadeen: Up and coming power but not a sufficiently large ground based military able to start an invasion
Indracca: Perhaps a problem but Eyros got a solid chunk of mountains in this direction.
Ghalfaen: Protectorate

I think that Eyros doesn´t need most of his forces on the border.

Sarellion has it exactly right. Well, except that he left out those new Enforcer Masks or whatever they were called that patrol the borders, so there actually are some troops on the border, but he's pretty much got the situation right on the money.

 

[Sarellion]

I think some of them are even in Ghalfaen.

The Enforcers probably need some military backup. They are weaker and it would make sense that they are the magical artillery and support of a legion. A legion would have some of their units with them.

Don´t you want to do some contributions?

 

[Rhialto]

A mysterious masked prophet has been raising havoc throughout the Empire, demonstrating eerie powers, and calling for Eyros's fall.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Sure, I just don't want to be exert an undue influence

Contribution: One of the strongest proponents against an expeditionary force against Kwlloch is Garthal dal Malarn, an old human senator who points out some of the disastrous failures that have befallen Eyros in the past when hasty and shortsighted attacks were made against her enemies. Jorinius, desperate to garner support for the assault, has attempted to make contact with a skilled assassin to slay Garthal and make it look like he died of natural causes. Only time will tell if he can find a member of the Midnight Cruor or some other skilled assassin.