Karrnath

Capital: Korranberg
Hallmarks: Ale, dairy, glass, livestock, lumber, martial discipline, paper, textiles, toys, undead   In a nation of storms and long winters, the grim and stoic Ursine are accustomed to enduring hardship without complaint. Though their warriors have long been famed for their strength and ferocity, they've also historically been considered mindless brutes. When the Karrns split off from their cousins on the western coasts to create their own kingdom, they did so with the goal of rectifying that reputation.   Though no one would call them a great military power yet, they are now known as much for their strategy and discipline as they are for strength. Rekkenmark Academy is the premier military institute in the North; all of Andalos' officers were trained at Rekkenmark during the last war. But despite all of that, their soldiers are yet to have been battle tested in war (mostly experienced against marauding undead), and lack the magical support of other armies.   This failing hasn't been an oversight, however. King Igor Karpov has been determined to raise the prestige of all pillars of Karrnath - not just its military - among those being their magical and artisan trades. Though they've seen middling success in both of these in the form of their artificery, it's approached nothing close to the success that the Gnomes have seen in these fields. By neglecting the theoretical aspects of magic development, the Karrns fundamentally lack a crucial component for advancement.   Karrnath suffered a series of severe food shortages and plagues early in the last war. As a result, the king, embraced the Sovereign Host as the national religion - a reformation of the Church of Silver Flame that he would have direct control over. He also took hold of all trade, both foreign and domestic. In these moves, he eliminated a class of merchants as well as put the clergy under his thumb. The laws of Karrnath are also harsher than those in the nations of Andalos, approaching a state of martial law. In protest of their barbaric roots, Karrnath culture has a rigid order of noble aristocracy. Traditionalists say that this is why, despite their lack of valuable resources, they've managed to raise such impressive urban centers.   Rather than wars of expansion, Karrn kings prefer to enrich their motherland through state-sponsored merchant ventures. Nobles are sent out into the world once granted the right permits, but they're fined heavily in dues once they return - with or without any spoils.