The Kingdom of Carregor is the first kingdom of the Sogel Empire. It is made up of a number of duchies.
The kingdom is troubled by internal strife. Since the king of Carregor is the heir apparent for the entire empire, the king-heir doesn't always provide enough control because of inexperience. This allows the nobles themselves to feud, raid, and so forth.
One of the more potent forces in the kingdom is actually the Order of Heralds. The heralds have adopted the additional burden of enacting laws on the king's behalf. The heralds use their well-known neutrality to act as messengers, arbiters, and lawyers. The nobles don't mind - after all, the heralds spread news and rumor, and the nobles know how to use that to their advantage.
There are several
The kingdom was founded by NNN, whose descendants
The kingdom
The various duchies
Many dark rumors circulate about the Duke, It is rumored that Monacher assassinated his own father to seize his lands. There are rumors that the previous Duke has returned as a ghost, evidently seeking revenge.There are even rumors that Monacher is some sort of unholy Death Knight. It is known that a number of the fortresses that he has sacked in his conquests have become haunted by the ghosts of the slain.
Narym has a number of very strong castles across the land. The Duke's forces, known as the Black Legion, are one of the strongest in Sogel, and the Duke is a military genius. He has a small fleet of Caravels, but has not concentrated on naval campaigns.
The Guardians of the Grey Castles, as the Count's men are called, are very devoted to the castles' defenses. Duke Vanista, known as the Grey Falcon, has recently sealed a non-agression pact with Duke Monacher
The Forest of Salezia is inhabited by men and elves, and a number of sylvan creatures (dryads, satyrs, a few centaurs). The elves have taught the men skills of woodcraft and archery. Encouraged by the Duke, these men have formed bands of bandits and troublemakers. They usually target Duke Monacher's men, although some bands have been known to raid the king's own castles. They generally mean no harm to those that are of good heart. The men of the Salezian forest are known to be on good terms with many of the sylvan creatures which call these woods home. They have druids in their number who have learned to shape the very trees, merge them with man-made structures, and allow the trees to continue to flourish. It is assumed that they learned these skills from the elves, as this is a typical elven talent.
The inhabitants travel by raft up and down the many rivers of their territory.
It is rumored in some circles that Duke XXX has become enamored of the Royal princess Iscala. This may have either resulted from, or been the cause of, a raid to capture her a year ago.
Daracor is a mountainous region at the southeastern corner of Carregor. It is home to several true dragons, as well as races of demi-dragons. Historically, it has been the home of the kingdom's magical power since Sogel was formed. The rulers must all be proficient in arcane magics, and they are responsible for providing magical advice to the king.
The duchy has an organized military, and even patrols the SSS sea on the kingdom's southern border. Large patrols are often augmented by demi-dragons, and patrol commanders are often dragon riders. Of course, the military is also responsible for dealing with rogue demi-dragons, and they have established ways of corralling and controlling the dangerous beasts.
The duchy is ruled by an egotistical wizard named Nadjisto. He is already over a hundred years old, and still quite active. Nadjisto has a large number of the demi-dragons under his control, and evidently has strong influence on even the true dragons. He has befriended a true red dragon, and knows a great deal about other draconic creatures. Nadjisto likes to sport the traditional 'wizard' appearance - stars on the robes, pointy hat, full white beard. He also has gnomes working in his forges, making weapons for his forces.
The center of power in the duchy is Castle Carreg, which was also the original home of the king of Carregor. Castle Carreg was turned over to the dukes of Daracor in return for their continual allegiance and magical support. Castle Carreg is just outside the town of Ogwen. The town is also home to a College Arcane, and mages are welcome to study - under Nadjisto's watchful eye, of course.
The Duchy of Firinar is in rough mountains, and covered by rough forests. It is located at the eastern edge of the kingdom, and borders Umorast and Harphor, though Harphor is only accessible thru difficult mountain passes. Duke Basileus rules it with an iron grip. The duke's palace is built on a tall mountain spire, and its towers rise to dizzying heights.
Basileus is rumored to be either a vampire, a werebat or some other foul creature. He has not been seen during the day for at least a decade, which lends credence to the rumors.
Basileus has a strong ally in Methaxis. Methaxis is an evil witch who has recently gained power. Originally part of the ducal family of the forested land now known as the Hemlock Forest, she gained power when she sacrificed her brother to her diabolic masters. She has taken advantage of a black dragon which Nadjisto had shunned, and started to establish territory of her own. She has recently allied to, or sworn fealty to, Duke Basileus. Their dark alliance is considered a dangerous threat to the stability of the region. and they defy any of the imperial forces to break her grip on the MMMM mountains.
Methaxis maintains her own estate in the mountains, where she keeps her dragon ally. She has sent the dragon's children to Basileus, and he uses them in his schemes. She also maintains a small army of skeletons as her personal servants. Many of these have been magically enhanced.
The Hemlock Forest is a dark wood which borders the kingdoms of Harphor and Spiarrak. It is technically a duchy of the kingdom, as it is ruled by Duchess Cyliri, younger half-sister to Methaxis. However, because of Methaxis' betrayal, Cyliri is trapped within a magical pool, and only able to exert her will in minor ways, usually near bodies of water. Because of this, there is little central power, and the duchy is quite lawless. Brigands operate more or less openly, plaguing the nearby area.
Originally this land was considered part of Salezia, even though the reach of the Duke didn't officially extend into this region. When Methaxis rose to power, she tainted the lands through her evil. The wood twisted and darkened, and is home to brigands from elsewhere. Renegades from nearby duchies have gathered in the forest, and ambush any who trespass. The brigands' number is frequently augmented by undead, and other fell creatures are common in the dark wood.
The Hemlock forest extends underground, into the uncontrolled region known as the Bolgortha Vault.
The badlands are a land of rugged terrain with little ground for harvesting crops. It was founded in YYYY, when a potential noble was willing to try forming a new duchy in the harsh land. The king gave the land as a grant to try to curb the noble's ambitions. Unfortunately, the new duke was not able to establish any sort of economy in the land. The current duke, Arnidas, is only a duke in name only; the true controllers of the land are the bandits.
The Badlands are the domain of the Wolfpack, led by the charismatic Jimmar Blackfox. The Wolfpack are the defacto law in this small duchy, and they are brigands and smugglers of the highest skill. The Wolfpack ruthlessly strikes into surrounding duchies, and are quite brazen in their raids. They are masters of concealment, and use wagons with secret compartments for smuggling. Many of the bandits are renegades from other duchies, and Jimmar Blackfox claims to be an outlawed noble from Kimorik, but that has not been proven.
Rokanar is near the center of the kingdom, and is the home of the king of Carregor. The duchy is small, as the king spends much of his time touring the kingdom and consulting with nobles. His protective force of knights is quite potent.
The lands of Rokanar are rolling fields, and most of the inhabitants are farmers. There is only a single moderate city in the duchy, surrounding the royal palace. Small towns and hamlets dot the countryside, but the land itself, though fertile, is generally unremarkable.
The royal palace is expansive, and dominates the city of XXX. It contains hundreds of rooms and passages, many of which are unused. Since the king of Carregor is also the heir-apparent to the entire kingdom, the castle has been the site of several assassinations and coup attempts. A few skelters have been discovered in the palace, leading to quite a few rumors.
Kimorik is one of the stronger duchies in the kingdom, in the southwestern portion of Carregor. It has recently emerged from a time of internal strife, as several claimants to the ducal throne vied for power. But the current duke won the approval of the various counts within the duchy, primarily though personal charisma and valor.
There are a number of orders of knights within Kimorik, each sponsored by a different noble. Each County family has adopted an animal as a symbol or totem, and each knightly order aspires to follow the spirit of their guiding symbol. The various orders enjoy friendly rivalries, and fighting tournaments are common. Several of the orders have developed some rather unique tournament settings and scenarios, and each order hosts at least one grand tournament during the year.
Some of the knightly orders are known to follow, or be affiliated with, the guardinals of Elysium. The duke in particular follows Talisid the Leonal, and sponsors the Order of the Lion. It is believed that other orders may be associated with the Beast Lords. There are rumors of a few secret orders which seek to undermine the duke, but to date they operate in secret.
The nobility within Kimorik typically wear masks or helms which resemble the family totem. Even non-combatants wear light-weight masks, and being seen without a mask is considered vulgar. The masks of each noble and family are well-known and unique, so counterfeiting them is difficult.