Kostaránet

"Yes, I believe I've heard of Kostaránet. It's a bit of a freak, isn't it? Those strange people who live under the mountains near Pallama? They're interesting, but hardly important."
— Sir Joseph Walpole Wolff, Envoy from the Empire of Albion to the Diocese of Alo

Kostaránet is the nation of the Troglodytes, a race which lives almost entirely underground. It has very limited contact with the surface world, and those who have been permitted to visit their territory report that it consists of a single moderately sized city and a scattering of villages, all within the mountains directly north of Pallama. Kostaránet was one of the first nations to fully embrace The Church and supported its campaign to remove the Living Gods of the Pallaman Empire. Soldiers from Kostaránet were also instrumental in defending the Diocese of Alo from invasion during both The Church Wars and the Dragon Wars by keeping control of the passes through the mountain range. Due to their small size and isolationist tendencies, they are not often discussed in the context of international affairs, and many people may not have even heard of them.

Public Agenda

Kostaránet is isolationist, and conducts a small amount of trade with the surface, mostly for food items they cannot produce underground. They do have good relations with The Church, although they do not permit the Hierarchs to send their own priests and bishops underground - by long-standing agreement, all Troglodyte clergy are selected by the Archbishop of Kostaránet, who also has the right to name their own successor. In many ways, the Archbishop operates almost as a fourth Hierarch, but with a small and limited domain. Other than the occasional merchant or rare scholar, most citizens of Kostaránet will never ascend to interact with the world at large.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Mundane Folk

The Troglodytes are not capable of Magic of any sort, being unable to connect with and manipulate spiritual energies. They do not see this as a handicap, and consider the use of Magic to be slightly obscene. The Church's rejection of Magic is one of the reasons the Troglodytes allied with them, and continue to support them to this day.

This article is a stub, and will eventually be updated with more complete information. Let me know in the comments if you would like me to prioritize it!