Noclon Confederation
The Noclon Confederation is a relatively young but thriving nation on the continent of Baephios, born from rebellion against the madness of the third king of the Vridium Empire. Two and a half centuries ago, a coalition of nobles, warriors, and mages severed their ties with the Empire, carving out a land of their own in the fertile coastal regions and rugged Mirrored Rise mountains. Unlike the rigid monarchies of its neighbors, the Confederation rejects a kingly ruler in favor of a council, a gathering of powerful individuals known as the Burrowshire Council. While the council rules collectively, one figure, Dante Burrowson, acts as the de facto leader, a charismatic and calculating young man who inherited his position from his late father.
Life in the Confederation is marked by its contrasts. Its sprawling capital, Burrowgrove, sits at the heart of a nation known both for its bountiful resources and its tolerance for diverse peoples and practices. The Confederation is a human-majority nation, but unlike the Viridium Empire, it welcomes firbolgs, gith, and even small populations of grungs who’ve migrated from the swamps of Zochakha. Its cities are vibrant, its farmlands rich, and its forests alive with both wonder and peril. Monsters, cults, and wild magic are far more common here than in more tightly controlled lands, making the Confederation both a land of opportunity and constant danger.
Though many outsiders see it as a place of revelry and freedom, and indeed, its citizens are quick to drink, dance, and celebrate life without a crown hanging over them. The Confederation is not without its challenges. Pirate incursions from Rum Drunk Cove, growing hostility from Viridium loyalists, and the ominous rise of a lich commanding a growing undead force all loom as threats to the nation’s stability. Still, its people remain spirited, relying on adventurers, their navy, and the untamed resilience of their land to defend their independence.
Structure
The Noclon Confederation is ruled not by a monarch, but by the Burrowshire Council, a coalition of influential nobles, battle-tested warriors, and powerful mages who deliberate on the nation’s laws and policies. While every council member wields significant influence, Dante Burrowson, the heir to the Burrowson line and de facto head of the council, serves as the Confederation’s unifying figure. His family’s deep connections to Burrowgrove and the surrounding mountain tribes make him a natural rallying point, though his leadership remains subject to the council’s approval.
Regional lords and guildmasters hold significant autonomy, governing their territories and contributing troops and taxes to the Confederation’s defense. This decentralized structure allows flexibility and local representation, but it also fosters rivalries and political intrigue, as powerful factions compete for influence within the council. Despite its flaws, this model appeals to the common folk, who view it as a safeguard against the tyranny of kings.
Culture
Noclonian culture is rooted in a deep love of personal freedom, celebration, and resilience. Festivals, tavern gatherings, and spontaneous revelry are woven into daily life, and its people are known for their jolly and outgoing nature. Unlike the Viridium Empire, where rigid hierarchy defines every social interaction, the Confederation’s citizens, from humans to firbolgs, gith, and grungs, often mingle freely, bound more by community than class.
Adventuring is a way of life here, not merely for heroes or mercenaries but for commoners seeking side income or the thrill of battle. Monster hunting, cult purges, and treasure runs are common undertakings, with adventuring guilds thriving in every major city. However, the Confederation’s looseness also breeds problems: witch covens, criminal syndicates, and heretical cults flourish in the shadows, taking advantage of the council’s slower, consensus-based governance.
Public Agenda
The Confederation seeks to expand and refine its model of decentralized governance, proving that a nation can thrive without a crown. To maintain its independence, the council prioritizes strengthening its defenses, supporting adventurer guilds, and fostering trade relationships, even with rivals like the Viridium Empire. Publicly, the council portrays the Confederation as a land of opportunity, a beacon for those seeking freedom from oppressive rulers.
However, maintaining this balance is no easy task. The rise of a lich commanding a growing undead host threatens not only the Confederation’s borders but its idealistic vision of freedom. The council has begun investing heavily in fortifications, increasing naval patrols, and offering bounties to adventurers willing to hunt the lich’s forces, even as it tries to keep the looming threat from igniting panic among its citizens.
Assets
- Rich natural resources: fertile farmlands, forests, and mineral-rich mountains.
- Burrowgrove, a thriving capital city and political center.
- The second-largest port network in Baephios.
- A sizable navy and defensive fleet.
- Adventurer guilds producing a steady stream of monster hunters and mercenaries.
- Multiple noble-kept castles and fortified towns scattered across its territory.
History
The Confederation was born out of rebellion 255 years ago, when King Jonathan Rigby III of the Viridium Empire, whose erratic decrees and brutal governance earned him the title of “the Mad King”, drove many of his nobles and their vassals to secede. The secession was not without bloodshed, but with the aid of skilled adventurers, powerful mages, and tribal allies from the Mirrored Rise mountains, the rebels carved out a new domain, naming it after the secretive Noclon Society that had united them during their planning.
Over the centuries, the Confederation grew into a thriving, if sometimes turbulent, nation. Burrowgrove became not only its capital but its cultural and economic hub, a city whose growth reflected the Confederation’s ideals of progress and freedom. In recent years, Dante Burrowson ascended to lead the council, inheriting both his father’s influence and the challenge of guiding a nation on the brink of its next great trial: the rising tide of undead commanded by a shadowy lich.
Demography and Population
The Confederation’s population is majority human, but its open borders and progressive ideals have made it a haven for other races. Firbolgs and gith are common in the rural and mountainous regions, serving as mediators with nature and arcane scouts, while grungs from neighboring Zochakha have established several small communities, often along the southern coasts.
This diversity has given the Confederation a distinct character compared to its more insular neighbors. While tensions sometimes flare between cultures, the Noclonians’ shared value of freedom and the omnipresent threat of monsters and pirates keep most groups working together for survival and prosperity.
Territories
The Confederation spans the Mirrored Rise mountain range, its dense surrounding forests, the rolling eastern grasslands, and a rich stretch of Baephios’s eastern coast. Its geography offers both bounty and peril, fertile lands for farming, bountiful forests for lumber and game, and abundant mineral veins, but also dangerous monsters, roving giants, and hostile dragons lurking in its wilds.
Burrowgrove, the capital, lies at the junction of the mountains and plains, serving as a hub for trade, governance, and the adventurer economy. Dozens of smaller towns and keeps dot the countryside, serving as strongholds against the dangers of the untamed land.
Military
The Confederation maintains a standing army, but much of its strength lies in its navy and its thriving adventurer population. The navy patrols its ports and coastal waters, regularly clashing with pirates from Rum Drunk Cove. Adventuring guilds, though semi-independent, are a crucial military resource, often hired by the council to clear monster nests, hunt cult leaders, and investigate threats beyond the capabilities of standard soldiers.
The standing army, while smaller than the Viridium Empire’s, is highly mobile and skilled in guerrilla tactics, relying on the rugged terrain and fortified keeps to counter superior forces.
Technological Level
The Confederation is moderately advanced, blending basic arcane practices with traditional craftsmanship. While it cannot match Hugo City and their industrial output or airship fleets, its focus on practical magic, alchemy, and sustainable resource management has made it self-reliant and resilient.
Religion
The Noclon Confederation is open to any and all gods to worship and be worshipped.
Foreign Relations
The Confederation’s greatest political rival remains the Viridium Empire, whose loyalists still view the secession as a stain on the empire’s honor. Though open war has been avoided for decades, border skirmishes and diplomatic hostility remain common. Relations with Zochakha are uneasy due to pirate activity spilling from its borders into Rum Drunk Cove, though the Confederation avoids escalation whenever possible.
Trade continues with both rivals and allies alike, including the Vaera Kingdom, as the Confederation’s ports and resources are too valuable to isolate. Still, the Burrowshire Council remains vigilant, knowing that foreign threats, particularly the Empire, may someday test the Confederation’s resolve again.
Laws
- Governance by the Burrowshire Council; no monarchs permitted.
- Worship of any deity is allowed, though cults practicing human sacrifice or necromancy are outlawed.
- Adventuring guilds must register with the council and report monster kills for bounty approval.
- Piracy, smuggling, and treason are punishable by imprisonment or death, though trials are guaranteed.
- Citizens may own land freely but must pay taxes to their regional lord.
- Magic is unregulated unless it endangers others (necromancy, curses, or large-scale destruction).
Agriculture & Industry
The Confederation’s fertile plains produce grains, fruits, and livestock in abundance, making it largely self-sufficient in food. Its forests provide lumber, while its mountains supply copper, iron, and small veins of precious metals. Unlike Hugo City’s heavy industry, the Confederation’s production is modest but steady, prioritizing sustainability over sheer volume.
Guilds specializing in potion brewing, rune crafting, and light artificery thrive in the Confederation, though its technological level lags behind steampunk-driven Novakuzren.
Trade & Transport
Trade is concentrated along the Confederation’s eastern coast, with Burrowgrove and its surrounding towns acting as major hubs for both domestic and foreign commerce. Its ports handle traffic from Nineveh and, less frequently, Arasaka. Roads and river routes connect the inland towns to the coast, though monster attacks make some stretches perilous.
Airship travel is rare here. Most goods are transported via sea or caravan.
Education
Education varies by region but is largely community-driven. Burrowgrove hosts several academies, including the Freeblade Collegium, which trains adventurers, and the Arcanist’s Hearth, a school for general magical study. Most other towns rely on guild-sponsored training or apprenticeship systems for trades and crafts.
Infrastructure
Stone keeps, wooden farmsteads, and sturdy port towns define the Confederation’s architecture. Roads and small bridges connect settlements, though upkeep can be inconsistent in more remote areas. Coastal cities are well-defended and boast impressive shipyards, while interior settlements focus on sustainability and fortification over luxury.
Mythology & Lore
The Monarchs of Baephios are an avid myth in all the nations of Baephios.
“Freedom Forged, Strength Earned.”
Dissolution Date
1032 PA
Capital
Alternative Names
The Confederation, The Burrowlands, Land of Free Blades
Demonym
Noclonian
Leader
Head of Government
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Market economy
Major Exports
Grain, lumber, metals, potions, and mercenary/adventurer contracts.
Major Imports
High-end crafted goods, luxury textiles, advanced magical devices.
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