Stralová

''A dark forboding kingdom lies to the north. The east is ruled by old noble houses headed by things not quite human anymore. Their rule only extends in name to the west, where the dark creatures of the woods take any tax collector before they can make it past the Ovirie.''

Founding a Nation
Long ago, when the continent was shaped by different forces, a general from the empire traveled north into the unforgiving wilderness with a small army and his four lieutenants. Many travelers and adventurers had tried to make their way north before, and the army found what was left of their campsites and colonies as they forged a trail. But of course, none of them survived the cruel lands until Kolarov's army. Some say that the general and his army valiantly fought off the monsters in the woods until they were able to lay their foundation. Others say that Karlov and his lieutenants made a deal with what lurked between the trees; sacrificing their army and accepting the land's curse. In any case, where they built their fort is now where the capital city of Ostrova stands.

Founding Houses
Stralová began as a military colony, but after general Kolarov died, the lieutenants fought over who would rule the region. It's not well documented how the child of Kolarov managed it, but the four lieutenants were driven from the land. They fled the city of Ostrova to the outlining towns that had started cropping up.

In these outlining towns the four began to build their might to return one day and reclaim Ostrova. Their visions never flourished though. The time it took to build Ostrova and the surrounding villages had made them old. Even in the best of circumstances, the lieutenants' bones would be brittle and their hair white before they could hope to march on their old home. So they accepted their fates and ruled their small provinces with dignity, founding four of the five noble houses that now rule Stralová.

The Discovery of the West
When the lieutenants fled, three of them stayed close to Ostrova, merely a few days ride from the capital. Nadia Golovkin however made her way westward. Her journal (which is kept in a museum in Dunaislav) notes that her and her company traveled past the Ovirie river, deep into the Forbidden Wood. Many in her company fled and abandoned their mission, but those few brave souls that stayed with the Mad Witch found themselves in a small hamlet.

Here they discovered a village under Stralován rule. This was not just a declaration by the rulers in the east, but those that lived here claimed to be some of the very same that traveled from the empire to the south to settle new lands. Throughout her life, Nadia attempted to uncover the reasons for this oddity. Was it a group who had gotten lost and settled here? Was it shapeshifters trying to trick her? Was it a mad hallucination? Whatever the reason this village had for claiming to be Stralován citizens, Nadia never learned as her journal indicates. In any case, Nadia settled down just outside of Dunaislav, and since then the hamlet has been the center of house Golovkin's power.

Founding Wars
Many generations passed. The capital of Stralová grew large, and so too did the settlements that dotted the land. The Kolarov house grew powerful on the taxes it levied, always using the threat of the wild to scare merchants out of their coin for the promise of safety. The other houses grew tired and angry with the self declared monarch. They knew that without their ancestors, the name Kolarov would be just a mark on a gravestone, if it were so lucky. So they enacted the vision that their founders sought those many years ago.

House Novikov started the troubles when the matriarch Vida sent a missive to Ostrova declaring her province independent of Kolarov rule. King Alexi made the mistake of sending his army to her city of Koldra. House Nokto and Reznik saw this as an opportunity to take back Ostrova and seize the throne. They made alliances with one another, as the two heads of the houses were cousins by marriage. When their armies reached Ostrova, the city was taken in one single night as the castle burnt. They sent word by crow to Koldra where Vida announced the death of Alexi Kolarov, her aliegance to the new order of things, and took control of the army at her door.

As this cursed land would have it though, Alexi did not die that night. Those with a keen eye who took heed to the old witches' tales would have noticed the smoke from Castle Ostrova taking a curious hue when Alexi's screams faded. Those who do not heed the tales of old superstitious women would believe that Natalya Golovkin, matriarch of house Golovkin, was making her own plays that night. For three years later, assassins bearing the Golovkin crest stepped out onto the restored balcony of Castle Ostrova, holding the heads of the Nokto and Reznik houses aloft.

Founding Order
Alexi Kolarov made his triumphant return with the bloody death of the would be rulers of his family's nation. One might expect that he would smash the traitors with a tyrant's fist, but instead he made a declaration to his kingdom that has formed the foundation of Stralová's current political system. He welcomed back the four houses to the capital city. When they returned, Alexi and the four heads of the houses signed a charter. Stralovian rule would be held by one head of the noble houses. Any noble who was of age and titled land as is their birthright would vote upon who they chose to lead the kingdom. And so Lady Suncana Golovkin was named First Lord of Stralová.

The Death
When the Death swept across the land, Stralová was first to blame on many people's lips. The nations to the south of Stralová were quick to blame those tainted by the cursed north. The noble houses seemed to have faired much better. None of the heads of the houses lost their lives, and very few landed nobles succumbed to the illness. But the rest of Stralová was just as devastated as the rest of the world; west Stralová hit harder than the east. Entire villages had died, either succumbing directly to the Death or being too thinned out to carry on.

Geography
Stralová is divided into two primary regions; the east and the west; split by the great river Ovirie.

East Stralová
The region settled by general Kolarov and their army expanded to cover all of what is now Stralová up to the river Ovirie. This region was full of farmland and light forests. Settlers past called this land cursed and could never get a foothold into the region. When Kolarov arrived though, they were able to grow crops on the fertile land. The forests held monstrosities that terrifies the citizenry to this day. All manner of were-beast stalk the nights according to their auspice. Vampires feast on farmers nightly. Ghosts haunt abandoned structures built by peoples who died out long before the first settlers arrived.

Ostrova
The capital city of Ostrova sits along a lake in southern Stralová. It was built first as a fort, but as time passed it grew into a large city, with the initial battlements being converted into a grand castle. The city sprawls out around the lake in a crescent shape with concentric walls radiating out from the central castle, until the city gives way to vast tracts of farmland.

Koldra
The second largest city in Stralová sits atop a hill but a few days ride east of Ostrova. It was initially going to be the place where Kolarov's army built their fort, but was passed up for the security and benefits of Ostrova's lakeside location. Like Ostrova, the city is ringed by walls that give way to farmland. Old aqueducts carry fresh water from the Monakva lake to the south east.

Apovan
Locals say that Apovan is haunted, but that for just a few coin their charms will keep the ghosts at bay. Although their charms are just overpriced trinkets, they aren't wrong about the haunted swamp. The Apovan swamp is quite treacherous, forming a natural border with the nearby kingdom of INSERT KINGDOM 6 HERE. The nearby hamlet, also named Apovan, is host to many mediums and spiritualists. They are famed, or perhaps infamous, for digging charms and trinkets out of the swamp and off the dead for sale on their infrequent trips to Koldra.

Ovirie
The river Ovirie bisects Stralová from northeast to southwest. It runs thin enough in most places to make crossing an easy task for those up to it, before widening out and carving Stralová's southern border with Eylstrana. It's fed by the same waters that create the Apovan swamp, coming from INSERT KINGDOM 6 HERE.

West Stralová
The western part of the kingdom is in many ways a different country. The sparse forest of eastern Stralová pack tighter and tighter the farther northwest one travels until they climb the mountains which hugs Stralová's northern border. The hazards of this forest shift from bloodthirsty werewolves and vampires to bloodthirsty fey. Hags are known to inhabit bogs that dot the countryside and take the children of anyone who dares to inhabit the region.

Dunaislav
The largest 'city' in western Stralová is nothing more than a large village. While the populations of east and west Stralová are about even, those that live west of the Ovirie tend to live in smaller more spread out communities like Dunaislv. Dunaislav is situated only a few miles north of the Ovirie, but due to the dense foliage it takes quite a while to travel there. Of note, this town has a robust museum dedicated to the history of Stralová. It also boasts the largest library in all of Stralová. The town is connected via little more than game trails to other hamlets and villages. Passage by carriage is all but impossible here.

The Forbidden Wood
Part of the same forest known as the Barren Wood in Hearth, the Stralováns call this forest the Forbidden Wood. It covers the entire northwestern part of Stralová, so it's not as forbidden as one might think. The fact that there are numerous villages and hamlets within the forest doesn't diminish the region's danger. Hill giants come from the mountains to raid villages on occasion. Large wolves with sinister intellect stalk their prey. Malicious fey trick people into wandering into the woods at night, and hags steal the dreams of those who sleep just a little bit too far away from the village centers.

Government
The kingdom of Stralová is ruled by a single Lord who serves for life. When the Lord of Stralová dies, the five noble houses get together and elect a member of one of these houses to the throne. Of course, this election is held only for those members of noble houses who have come of age and received their birthright. Each of the noble houses has a birthright, or a curse. But you'll never hear this outside of the houses save for rumors whispered from fearful drunks who haven't quite drowned their sorrows. They act as governors of the various provinces in Stralová. Every stretch of land is owned by one of the 5 houses, and to these houses the serfs pay their taxes. In exchange for these taxes, the houses protect the people of Stralová from the darkness that lurks in the wilderness. Whether this is through armed force, magic, or deals, only the privileged few nobles know.

House Kolarov
The house that descends from general Kolarov, the leader of the army who founded these lands, currently rules Stralová. Kolarov is famous for its decadence. The nobles of the house hold extravagant parties regularly, and many people of Stralová enjoy the public events held in general Kolarov's honor. Long ago, the Kolarovs gained their taste for life by a deal made by their patriarch, Alexi Kolarov. Alexi ascended the throne and craved to maintain his power forever. He feared death and what it might bring to his house. So he struck a deal with the darkness in the woods. A vampire that had been plaguing the northern farms was known to the capital, so Alexi went out to dispatch it. In exchange for the kiss of unlife, Alexi spared the vampire's existence. Upon returning home he spread this curse to the rest of his family. The pain of undeath bore heavily on Alexi and the rest of the Kolarovs. They turned to earthly pleasures to sate their carnal needs, and since then the tradition of extravagance has carried on. When members of the Kolarov family take the throne of Stralová, its people enjoy years of pleasant distraction from the toils the higher taxes bring.

The birthright of the Kolarov is a plot of land and the bite of a vampire.

House Novikov
The rebellious house, house Novikov can trace their ancestry through Vida Novikov who first attempted to wrest independence from the Kolarov family. It is through this house that many public works are done. While house Kolarov gives the Stralovan the facsimile of sustenance of the body through its extravagance, house Novikov provides the real thing through its works. The house has many druids who shirk the city life to explore the woods. They use their magic to help grow crops, and their wisdom to show others how to live freely. This comes in no small part to the dealings made long in Novikov's past. No where is it documented exactly, but some time before Vida came to head the house, the nobles there contracted the curse of lycantrhopy. Instead of seeking aid to remove this affliction, the Novikov embraced this and came to rule the wilds of the east. It is rare for a Novikov to rule Stralová, but when one does the kingdom grows stronger, if a bit thinner.

The birthright of Novikov is a stretch of forest and the scratch of a wolf.

House Nokto
House Nokto, known by many as the house of the younger, shares a long relationship with house Reznik. The two houses trace their lineage back to a pair of Kolarov's lieutenants who were as close as siblings as two can be. It is through this house that many of the details of the other house's projects are hammered out. Nokto produces many individuals who are as well versed in philosophy and law. It was in fact Drazenko Nokto who established the legal argument for the sacking of Ostrova which sought to kill king Alexi. And it was his daughter Dragana who penned the first draft of the charter which now forms the basis of Stralová's current legal framework. A Stralová ruled by the head of house Nokto is a Stralová who enjoys stability; life does not diminish, nor does it improve.

The birthright of Nokto is a contract with a devil; exchanging the young noble's soul for power within the kingdom, both personal and political.

House Reznik
The house of the elder as it's known, house Reznik has always been close to house Nokto. Reznik themself was a known necromancer, and through their lineage the practice has not died, or at least not stayed dead. If house Nokto is said to be the house which turns desires into plans, then house Reznik are who put those plans into action. Large scale projects are handled by armies of undead and automatons. When the Lord of Stralová is a member of house Reznik, things change quickly; houses are built, roads are made, disease spreads, and people are displaced.

The birthright of Reznik is a phylactery, in which a noble places their soul if they chose to claim their title.

House Golovkin
The house to the west, house Golovkin claims a territory much greater than any of the other noble houses. It was Nadia Golovkin who discovered that there were people who called themselves Stralován past the river Ovirie. She and her company were the only ones brave enough to push into that dark wood that stood foreboding over Stralová. House Golovkin is in many ways like house Novikov, independent and in tune with the dark nature of the land. Unlike house Novikov, Golovkin generally keeps to itself. Often times it goes forgotten (or more likely willfully ignored). But when the Lord of Stralová dies, the members of the house to the west arrive to cast their votes. Many Golovkin are soothsayers or mediums. In a rare exception to Golovkin's insular disposition, they will often act as advisers to the current Lord of Stralová. When a Golovkin takes the throne though, happenstance would have it that great calamity threatens Stralová, but the Lord takes care of her kingdom.

The birthright of Golovkin isn't found in some material thing or supernatural gift. It is truly a birthright, available for any Golovkin to claim out in the forest where hags eat the dreams of villagers, and pine for their daughter's return.

Economy
The economy of Stralová is a simple one based on agriculture. They infrequently trade with their neighbors, exporting rare materials found in the Forbidden Woods and treasures dug from Apovan. The majority of wealth is held in the hands of the noble houses, with the occasional independent merchants holding the lion's share of what's left over.

Religion
Stralováns hold a wide variety of superstitious beliefs that are generally categorized into three main groupings.

Folk Religion
The people of west Stralová hold a wide variety of beliefs about what to do to stay alive in the haunted forest they reside in. This spills out into east Stralová in the form of many different practices to keep the creatures of the night at bay. Less of a religion, and more of a traditional philosophy, few Stralováns who practice the folk religions would call what they do any form of worship. Every village has its own methods for marking doors or carving charms that they say keep the fey out. Those in the north know to leave an offering at the edge of the mountains to distract the hill giants from coming to town with rumbling bellies.

Atheism
Quite a few Stralováns believe that their cursed land is evidence that there are no gods; for if there were things worthy of worship, they would never have created these woods. While many who adhere to this idea claim no religion, many of them still practice the folk religions that have kept their families alive for generations. The more radically minded folk not only eschew religion in their personal lives, they hold animosity towards those that would practice it. Few towns in the west have churches, and many will run the clergy out of town or worse if they come to proselytize.

The Healing Church
House Nokto has formed a church around the devils that they bargain with. The great dark force that seems to have cursed this land by their account is the very same force by which Stralováns should bargain with to carve out a well lived life. The focal entity that they worship is a figure called Oedon, the Formless. Within the house the highest ranking members bear contracts with this entity directly. The church offers healing services that rid folk of all forms of ailments save for the corruption of the Scourge. Many within Nokto fear that the devil blood used to treat people in fact is causing the bestial transformation, but the profits and power that the Healing Church provides the family is enough to keep those voices silent.

Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods
Members of Kolarov house practice at the Healing Church, but offer their worship up to a different god in secret. Their patron, Annalise, is said to have been the vampire that Alexi made a deal with all those years ago. Many fundamentalists of the Healing Church see this as a perversion of the church's tenants, claiming that the Vileblood is in fact a corrupt bloodline; stolen from the Healing Church and Oedon long ago; used be unpracticed hands to disastrous results. In any case, the power of the Vileblood cannot be denied when confronted with a warlock vested in her strength.

Scourge
Many who benefit from house Novikov's strength and wisdom seek the strength of the Healing Church only to try and attain the affliction known as the Scourge. Some theories hold in fact that the first Novikov to gain the family's birthright was afflicted not by simple lycanthropy, but rather by the Scourge, and through their own wisdom, strength, and magic, twisted the disease into the curse known today. Whether this is true or not, most members of house Novikov refuse blood ministration from the Healing Church, seeing the practice as a detour around the hazards that would make them truly strong.

Pthumerians
House Reznik aided the house of the younger when Nokto first discovered the source of the healing blood and the devils that would make contracts. What fascinated the inventive scholars of Reznik and the few other philosophers outside of it was the ancient civilization that seemed to have up and disappeared long before Kolarov first settled the land. While Nokto used the power and knowledge to prosper, Reznik used it to learn more about their arts. Quite a few Reznik nobles will be found worshiping in the Healing Church like anyone else, but more often they are there seeking knowledge not salvation.

Culture
Stralován culture is distinguished between east and west Stralová. Those in the east often live in cities or near enough to them, and are far more accustomed to the rule of nobility. Due to the harsh demands of the land, and the terror inspired by rumors of the noble curses, Stralováns tend to follow the rules and traditions. As Lords shift from one house to the other, east Stralováns are quick to fall in line with the new order. West Stralováns are far more independent though. They work in communities to take care of each other across vast stretches of land, and expect nothing from the capital. When a problem faces western Stralová, the people deal with it directly, even if that means abandoning their homes to find refuge with their neighbors.

Inhabitants
Stralová is home to a diverse array of inhabitants. Surprisingly few Stralováns are pure members of the common races found throughout the rest of the world, instead being 'touched' races of many kinds.

Astomi
One of the few native races of the region, astomi hail from the northwestern regions of Stralová in the Forbidden Woods. Their unique telepathic abilities led to a culture of stealth hunters. When Nadia Golovkin and her company first arrived they were distrustful of the astomi and their alien appearance. With time though, the company learned much about the area that the local Stralováns did not know, or share. Today most astomi are still met with caution but respect.

Caligni
A regular influx of caligni immigrants travel from the Khythn into Stralová in a bid to escape the common dangers of dark folk society.

Changling
One of the many dominant races in Stralová, changlings commonly hail from western Stralová. Often times going unnoticed as any different from other folk, changlings of Stralová tend to either migrate east into the cities or disappear into the woods upon reaching adulthood. All noble members of house Golovkin are changlings, and those who heed their mother's call are welcomed into the house's upper ranks.

Dhampir
Another dominant race in Stralová, the dhampir are frequent occurances in eastern Stralová. Unlike in most parts of the world, dhampir of house Kolarov are not faced with the same turmoil suffered in adolescence. Old and secret rituals possessed by the house keep maternal fatalities in normal ranges for childbirth despite the trauma of a dhampir birth. Strangely enough, these rituals seem to give noble dhampirs a fertility unlike their peseant cousins; giving birth to dhampir children of their own. Nearly all members of house Kolarov are dhampir.

Drow
Like the caligni, enough drow imigrate into Stralová to make them uncommon in the region, but more common than most other places in the world. Drow are often met with suspicion, like their caligni neighbors. But these suspicions subside when the drow has proven themself as no threat to the community they migrate to.

Duergar
As with the other dwellers of the Khythn, duergar occasionally migrate into Stralová for a better life. Due to the traditional dispositions of duergar though, they rarely seek better lives, and thus immigrate far less frequently. When one does, they fit right in with the beliefs and dispositions of Stralováns; life is toil and suffering, proven all too true by the cursed land.

Fetchling
One of the most common races to reside in Stralová, fetchlings are the descendants of the first settlers of the region. Over time in the cursed land, the human settlers' blood was transfused with the shadowy curse that blankets the region, causing their lineage to diverge from the rest of humanity.

Faeries
Like with most regions of the world where tricky fey reside, faeries can be found in Stralová. They reside primarily in western Stralová, being natives of the Forbidden Woods. Unlike the astomi who aided the Golovkin company, most faeries sought to play tricks on the newcomers. Likewise, they often form their own communities and stay out of the affairs of the 'big folk'.

Flower Singers
Natives of western Stralová, flower singers have long enjoyed the Forbidden Woods' fey court and the intricate dynamics of its politics. Their abilities to interact with plants has always been to their benefit in the strange forest. The arrival of the Stralován settlers gave them bountiful stories to gossip.

Gathlain
Like their faerie cousins, native gathlain did not welcome the newcomers with open arms. They did however interact with the settlers to sate their endless curiosity. In exchange for answers to their endless questions, gathlain offered their services as guides and explorers to the newcomers, which created a natural bridge between Stralovian society and the existing fey courts.

Shabti
Although rare, many shabti originate from the noble houses of Stralová. Each house has it's own particular curse that leads to an extraordinarily long, if not indefinite lifespan. Some nobles look upon this birthright with horror though, and seek to avoid the suffering they might experience in the afterlife with mystical death rites that create shabti. Although shabti are by no means bound to the area of their mortal twins when they escape to the mortal world, some linger to learn more about their origins in Stralová.

Skinwalkers
Just as common as changlings and dhampir, skinwalkers are a frequent peoples in Stralová. All members of house Novikov are skinwalkers of one kind or another. Due to their frequency, it is unsettling, but not uncommon for them to take on their bestial form when necessary. Skinwalkers are most common in eastern Stralová.

Still Ones
During the warring houses period of Stralovian history the still ones migrated to the land. Many found work as spies, assassins, and scouts for the different houses. Although never truly being inducted into any house, many still ones are treated as 'made men' as it were; afforded the luxuries of their noble houses, if not the authority of their peers.

Strix
Natives of the mountains bordering the northern edge of Stralová, the strix are one major reason that the Stralovian border does not extend further. In the time before the settlers, the strix coexisted with the inhabitants of the Forbidden Woods peacefully. When the first humanoid settlers started to encroach on their territory the strix fought them off as they would with any intruder. The discovery of iron in the mountains pushed Stralován nobility to push even more aggressively into strix territory. In spite of the problems the nobles would have moving any extracted ore through the Forbidden Woods, Stralová seeks to dominate the area now, and find a way to transport the metal later.

Tiefling
Tieflings are slightly less common than fetchlings in Stralová. All members of house Nokto are some form of tiefling, the devil contracts signed by the family ensuring regular infernal influence on the bloodline. This seeps out of course into the surrounding peoples, making tiefling children a common enough occurance.

Wayang
Wayang are one of the few natives of eastern Stralová. They were curious of the settlers, but when it was made clear that the settlers were here to stay at any cost, the wayang populations fled. Those that stayed behind made deals with the Stralován to keep what lands they had left. Over time, Stralová has marginalized them more and more, with only a few small villages of large wayang populations remaining in the region.

Threats
Dangers are abundant in Stralová. Throughout the eastern region creatures of the night regularly stalk the outskirts of towns to feed on the lonesome inhabitants. Werewolves and other lycanthropes are well known in the region. Vampires likewise hunt and feed on peoples within the cities, blending in quite easily during the night. Part of the curse of the land seems to draw spirits of the dead to it, making for many haunted locales.

As one crosses the Ovirie the ecology changes. Nights are just as deadly, but the days don't fare much better. Fey courts rule the natural realm here, and trickster fey delight in torturing lost victims. Sentient wolves hunt the region with a malicious intelligence in their eyes. To the far north and west hill giants roam the country side devouring livestock and the occasional villager that tries to fight them off. The lone witch's cottage is a frequent and terrifying sight for any lost traveler. And of course, the hags that often form covens with these witches feast on the dreams or steal the souls of anyone who strikes their fancy.