Kal Azul
Epithet: The Grey Abyss[edit]
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Type | Nation |
| Established | ??? |
| Areas | Capital |
| Organizations | Three Azulan Lords Kal Azulan Warrior Societies |
Known to many as either 'the Badlands' or 'Kal Azul', this continent is home to a harsh and unforgiving landscape as well as one of the longest recorded battles against otherworldly forces. The majority is almost entirely uninhabited, save for the sprawling Azure Plains of the north.
Kal Azul is a land that is ruled by the Three Azulan Lords. These Lords each lead a third of the portion of the Kal Azulans, the Resolute, the Deft, and the Spirited. While the many tribes are composed of members of all three, the Lords take responsibility for leading each group due to the nature of how Kal Azulans adapted. These three Lords, as a result, lead the three great tribes of Kal Azul, focused on doing war against the Void since the Karrador incursion until the modern day (This article is written during the 1020s).
Government[edit]
The government of Kal Azul prior to the 1020s tended to be more seclusionist. While most of this was due to the nature of the country being attacked by Karrador until the 1010s, the vanishing of Karrador between the years 1009 and 1016 did not cause the full vanishing of the Void’s influence from the continent. Remnants of the Demons, Undead, and other forces of Vul'karik remained, and are currently the focus of the Kal Azulan Government.
As a whole, the Kal Azulan government isn’t typically referred to with a name within it’s borders. More often then not, due to the tribal nature of the inhabitants, Kal Azul is interacted with on a tribe by tribe basis, outside governments such as Isegrad making contact with the tribe that has the majority of it’s members within an area.
Warrior societies are common within Kal Azul, often making up large portions of the three tribes as the members will band together to fare better against encroaching hordes of foes. These tribes often have their own beliefs and customs.
Additionally, there are some Kal Azulans that tend to not be members of the three tribes at all, the Taut falling into this category. Those that wander Kal Azul outside of the walls tend to have very short lifespans due to the numerous hordes of undead and demons that roam the Badlands, however, when these societies do come by, the tribe in the area will often speak with them for more information on what threats they might have seen in the area, sheltering them for a small bit before they take off again.
Three Tribe System[edit]
Many know of the three types of Kal Azulans, the Resolute, the Deft, and the Spirited. The reason that the groups became like this is to better battle against the invading voidic influence as a whole. The resolute would stand at the front lines, drawing the attention of the undead hordes, and acting as a shield wall to the other tribes. The Deft acted as assassins, slipping between the holes and gaps occasionally made in the Resolute’s fighting style so that they could finish off an undead, or a demon while it’s attention was drawn elsewhere. Finally, the Spirited used large amounts of magic, taking up to minutes to gather it all up into fireballs and similar attacks, and burning through massive amounts of the undead hordes, while remaining protected by the Resolute long enough to cast the spell.
It is due to this system that the Kal Azulan tribes have as much success against the Undead hordes as they do. By fighting with a strategy and as a group, they are able to clear out large armies of voidic foes, enough that the less combat focused members of the tribe can begin to build new walls and expand the territory of the tribes.
Kal Azulan History[edit]
Kal Azul was not always a continent ravaged by the Void. Thousands of years ago, Kal Azul was a lush nation, filled with greenery, rivers, forests, almost jungle-like, with prairies interspersed through the land. The prior state of the Grey Abyss can be seen reflected in the Azure plains, the most inhabited and also most northern part of the region, protected by the large, constantly manned walls that keep the region safe.
Everything changed when Kal Azul was besieged by the forces of Mavkoda and Karrador. Mavkoda came first, Felfire burning through and ending the lives of many who called the area which would later come to be known as the Blasted Steppe, home. The first force of Demons, under the leadership of Mavkoda, functioned as a Vanguard, killing, and destroying the armies, and castles that were around before going forwards, spilling onto the land and attacking the more military installations. Hours after the initial arrival of the Void forces on Kal Azul, Karrador would enter the scene. The bodies that had not been burned into nothing by Felflame would be tugged back to life by the Aspect of Undeath, turning them into mindless servants of the Void, making families and loved ones turn on each other. Karrador focused on the cleanup of that which Mavkoda left behind, on killing the civilians and militia of those who had survived the initial wave.
This siege of the Void would continue for months. The Void General Mavoka transformed the forests, the plains, the jungles, all into smoldering wasteland, into what would come to be known as the Badlands of Kal Azul before running to the next location, to spread more destruction, and slay more spirits for their master, Vul’karik.
As more and more of the Continent of Kal Azul was destroyed, the people were left with few choices. In a last ditch effort, a group of Kal Azulans choose to invoke the powers of another plane. This group would travel to the Blasted Steppe, through the hordes of the void, and perform a ritual that would cost them their lives. This ritual, paid in blood, summoned the general Relkath from the Faewild, which then began to do battle against Mavkoda and Karrador. Not expecting this level of resistance, the two Void generals were caught unaware, Mavkoda forced to fall back from his campaign and retreat into the void while Karrador would be greatly wounded however, attempt to continue to influence the land as a celestial object, where it would eventually come to meet it’s end by Amada.
The blood spilled between these three generals of the extraplanar poisoned the land of Kal Azul. While the people managed to preserve some of their lives, this poison would cause for the undead to rise within the Badlands, for what remained of the lush area to dry into desert, and for a large portion of the continent, aside from the Azure plains which hadn’t yet been touched by Mavkoda or Karrador to become considered uninhabitable.
To fight against the remnants of the influence of extraplanar forces, the Kal Azulans began to divide themselves into tribes in attempts to take back their land.
Geography[edit]
The Azure Plains[edit]
Bearing the largest share of life on the continent, the Azure Plains are home to a variety of creatures and humanoids, but predominantly the Azulan race of ancient Aiphe descent. These green-skinned humanoids are known for having great size and strength disparity depending on their decided role in their society, ranging from tall and mighty warriors to miniscule but very talented wizards.
They share their living spaces with Kal Azul humans, who, as one might expect, are functionally very similar to humans of elsewhere. Their most prominent difference is their great resilience and hardiness, allowing them to brave the Badlands better than most outsiders could ever hope to manage.
Despite its peaceful name and presumed nature, the Azure Plains are also under constant attack from its surrounding biomes. It is surrounded by thick walls of metal and stone, manned constantly by all of suiting age and stature that live within. It's only recently that these attacks have slowed and thus allowed the inhabitants some breathing room.
The Blasted Steppe[edit]
At the center of Kal Azul lies a crater of immense breadth and depth. It is reportedly the landing spot of a direct invasion of the Void many hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Since then, all but the plains have been layered in a thick cloud of roving undead and demons. The intense heat combined with these lethal entities makes life predominantly impossible there.
It's uncertain even still why the undead linger so strongly about this place, but the truth is likely rather grave: those who fall in combat beyond the boundaries of the plains are then risen to serve an unseen force, driven for all eternity against the land they once called their own. The greatest weakness of the Steppe's forces is that they're hardly organized, though, and have as of yet never been recorded 'charging' or formatting themselves.
Though our present understanding of these lands suggests it's wholly unreasonable to survive here, tribes of ursine wildkin have been known to not just survive but even thrive in the intense desert heat. While they aren't very organized, their outrageously stalwart stature and preference for the high-up mountainous plateaus provides an inherently large advantage.
Areas of importance[edit]
Rintlan, the Jewel of Kal Azul[edit]
The majority of Kal Azul is riddled with Voidic influence due to the shadow of Karrador that had been cast over the nation for centuries. However, within the Azure plains, there still resides a place that is mostly free of Karrador’s touch. This city, protected by high walls from the roaming hordes of Undead, is known as Rintlan, and is the most inhabited city within the Azure plains.
Rintlan functions as the capital of Kal Azul, a place considered sacred ground between the three tribes and held by all three evenly.
The Walls[edit]
Around all major cities in Kal Azul, the people have built large walls. Due to the amount of Demons and Undead hordes that attack places, these manned walls help against large scale invasion, preventing ground forces from being able to properly enter into the cities themselves. If large hordes do spill towards a city, the Resolute will often begin creating their shield walls, while the Spirited take to the top of the walls and prepare their spells to melt through the hordes.
Kalan, the Old Colosseum[edit]
In 1016 AC, the Colosseum was recovered from the Voidic forces due to Karrador’s lessened influence. It once served as a source of pride for Kal Azul, however has now been turned into a forward outpost, a place where the tribes gather and defend while preparing to push deeper into the Badlands and reclaim more territory for the people of Kal Azul.
Trivia[edit]
Prior to the Voidic invasion, the Kal Azulans were likely still Aiphe due to not needing to divide into a castle system at that point.
Credits[edit]
Created by Roomyrooms
https://forum.verdict.dev/showthread.php?tid=721