Post by Enlidil on May 25, 2016 2:58:18 GMT -8
(This thread existed some time ago, giving information about the mysterious Norkari people of the Norkari mountain. With the government restructure it was deleted by accident, but luckily I found a copy saved on my hard drive so I have decided to repost it here for people and update it to reflect the current situation.)
The Norkari
Once a nation hidden in the heart of The Norkari Mountains, the Norkari have since opened their borders due to officially becoming a client state under Isra.
They once hid in the mountains of their names-sake, hidden from all until their very name was lost from the channels of history. Once they did not welcome outsiders, nor did they suffer trespassers, yet the opening of their borders to Isranian traffic now means that they have no choice. Still, the people of the Norkari mountains remain isolated and xenophobic, distrustful of anyone who is not one of them and very much preferring to keep to themselves.
Social Structure
The Norkari are comprised of multiple beastmen-like races who live in isolated tribal structures in the Norkari mountains, led at the top by a race of humanoid men with several lizard-like features known as the Draxis. The Draxis, who believe themselves to be descended from dragons, occupy several small fortifications and rule the Norkari as a religious and unforgiving military force.
In turn, the Draxis believe that social structure and one's position in society is chosen at birth based upon your race and gender. The less intelligent and more deformed beastmen will occupy lower positions in society and military, whereas larger, smarter and more powerful beastmen will in turn have their own places.
Government
and Organization
The Norkari were once ruled by five Draxis Lords, each of which ruled a fortification and their own political 'house' in Norkari society. However the most intelligent and ruthless of these, Enlidil, eventually absorbed all other houses under the rule of his own and forced the other Draxis Lords to swear fealty to him. After this, Enlidil offered the Norkari to Isra as a protected client state on the condition that they remained able to technically govern themselves.
The Draxis Lords are the heads of the five Draxis houses, political entities with their own limited independence and identity as well as personal retinues. The Draxis themselves are the military, cultural and religious leaders of all beast-races who consider themselves part of the Norkari, for they are considered the children of the dragon god Draxenssehs, who was said to have led them in a bygone age and ruled a vast empire in their name.
As a side-note, all five Draxis Lords are siblings and their mother, known as The Khatun, is said to be the ever-living wife of Draxenssehs.
Religion
Millennia ago, the Norkari Mountains were said in the old stories to have been the home and birthplace of a great dragon god known as Draxenssehs, who united the beast-races and forged an empire over vast swathes of land in the name of his people. Eventually and for unknown reasons, this empire collapsed and the Draxis, said to have been his descendants, retreated the remnants of their empire back into the heart of The Norkari Mountains and hid and isolated themselves from all outside interaction for thousands of years.
During their time in isolation, the Norkari became xenophobic and highly religious. Under the leadership of the Draxis they revered Draxenssehs as their one true god, while heresy and blasphemy against him were punishable by death; carried out by the infamous Norkari Inquisition, whose eyes scour the darkest corners of your heart for even a subtle hint of apostasy.
As the population of dragons soared and waned over the centuries, the Norkari came to believe that only Draxenssehs was a true dragon god and eventually the dragons who claimed to be his equal in divinity were killed or forced to flee. Due to this, the Norkari have a curious dislike for dragonkind, seeing them as false prophets and traitors to their father.
The Norkari religion is ruled by a woman known as the Khatun, an ancient prophet who is said to be the everlasting wife of Draxenssehs. She is their highest priestess, the head of their church and the most important and beloved figure in Norkari society behind Draxenssehs himself. However, she remains hidden and rarely ventures beyond her cathedral and as such, few living today have ever seen her.
Races
Once a nation hidden in the heart of The Norkari Mountains, the Norkari have since opened their borders due to officially becoming a client state under Isra.
They once hid in the mountains of their names-sake, hidden from all until their very name was lost from the channels of history. Once they did not welcome outsiders, nor did they suffer trespassers, yet the opening of their borders to Isranian traffic now means that they have no choice. Still, the people of the Norkari mountains remain isolated and xenophobic, distrustful of anyone who is not one of them and very much preferring to keep to themselves.
Social Structure
The Norkari are comprised of multiple beastmen-like races who live in isolated tribal structures in the Norkari mountains, led at the top by a race of humanoid men with several lizard-like features known as the Draxis. The Draxis, who believe themselves to be descended from dragons, occupy several small fortifications and rule the Norkari as a religious and unforgiving military force.
In turn, the Draxis believe that social structure and one's position in society is chosen at birth based upon your race and gender. The less intelligent and more deformed beastmen will occupy lower positions in society and military, whereas larger, smarter and more powerful beastmen will in turn have their own places.
Government
and Organization
The Norkari were once ruled by five Draxis Lords, each of which ruled a fortification and their own political 'house' in Norkari society. However the most intelligent and ruthless of these, Enlidil, eventually absorbed all other houses under the rule of his own and forced the other Draxis Lords to swear fealty to him. After this, Enlidil offered the Norkari to Isra as a protected client state on the condition that they remained able to technically govern themselves.
The Draxis Lords are the heads of the five Draxis houses, political entities with their own limited independence and identity as well as personal retinues. The Draxis themselves are the military, cultural and religious leaders of all beast-races who consider themselves part of the Norkari, for they are considered the children of the dragon god Draxenssehs, who was said to have led them in a bygone age and ruled a vast empire in their name.
As a side-note, all five Draxis Lords are siblings and their mother, known as The Khatun, is said to be the ever-living wife of Draxenssehs.
Religion
Millennia ago, the Norkari Mountains were said in the old stories to have been the home and birthplace of a great dragon god known as Draxenssehs, who united the beast-races and forged an empire over vast swathes of land in the name of his people. Eventually and for unknown reasons, this empire collapsed and the Draxis, said to have been his descendants, retreated the remnants of their empire back into the heart of The Norkari Mountains and hid and isolated themselves from all outside interaction for thousands of years.
During their time in isolation, the Norkari became xenophobic and highly religious. Under the leadership of the Draxis they revered Draxenssehs as their one true god, while heresy and blasphemy against him were punishable by death; carried out by the infamous Norkari Inquisition, whose eyes scour the darkest corners of your heart for even a subtle hint of apostasy.
As the population of dragons soared and waned over the centuries, the Norkari came to believe that only Draxenssehs was a true dragon god and eventually the dragons who claimed to be his equal in divinity were killed or forced to flee. Due to this, the Norkari have a curious dislike for dragonkind, seeing them as false prophets and traitors to their father.
The Norkari religion is ruled by a woman known as the Khatun, an ancient prophet who is said to be the everlasting wife of Draxenssehs. She is their highest priestess, the head of their church and the most important and beloved figure in Norkari society behind Draxenssehs himself. However, she remains hidden and rarely ventures beyond her cathedral and as such, few living today have ever seen her.
Races
Draxis
Magically gifted, strong and intelligent, the Draxis consider themselves the children of an ancient race of dragons and worship their dragon god, "Draxenssehs", as their mighty ancestor and protector.
Appearing mostly human, the Draxis could be considered partially deformed in that their bodies are often morphed in random anatomical locations to be similar to that of dragons. Horns, scales and spikes protruding from flesh are common, as indeed are draconic ears and tails. Curiously, wings are incredibly rare and the vast majority of the Draxis remain unable to fly.
It is suggested by some scholars that the reliance of the Draxis on incest in the past to repopulate their near-destroyed race is one of the main reasons for their current state. Indeed, incest in Draxis society is still somewhat common.
Volkrim
Strong, smart, and numerous, this race of wolf-men make up a large part of the Norkari military. They can cover ground fast, hit an enemy hard and retreat back into the wilderness before their prey knows what hit them.
They stand on digitigrade legs, have a long tail, and the upper body of a human along with its arms and hands. Their heads are that of wolves and they are covered head to toe in fur. Their colors vary wildly from black to white, from red to steel blue.
Once on the brink of extinction the Volkrim have blossomed within the Norkari. While unable to take ruling roles they are able to hold leadership positions in the military and the community. They hold the second most power of the races of the Norkari, second only to the Draxis. They are oddly content with their position.
Volkrim
Strong, smart, and numerous, this race of wolf-men make up a large part of the Norkari military. They can cover ground fast, hit an enemy hard and retreat back into the wilderness before their prey knows what hit them.
They stand on digitigrade legs, have a long tail, and the upper body of a human along with its arms and hands. Their heads are that of wolves and they are covered head to toe in fur. Their colors vary wildly from black to white, from red to steel blue.
Once on the brink of extinction the Volkrim have blossomed within the Norkari. While unable to take ruling roles they are able to hold leadership positions in the military and the community. They hold the second most power of the races of the Norkari, second only to the Draxis. They are oddly content with their position.