The Jen'Nurath

The Realm of Haearn is a bleak and inhospitable place ravaged by wild magical storms and plagued by incursions from the Outer Realms, the demonic entities which call that place between Realms home frequently invading and despoiling the kingdoms that call Haearn home. Those kingdoms have for untold centuries stood alone, fortified bastions that have endured despite internecine wars and the predation of demonic hordes.

Yet something has changed.

A new force has arisen, driving back the demonic incursions and bringing order and stability to Haearn. Well trained and well equipped legions march to battle, augmented by formidable war engines and potent arcane-industrial might. One by one the beleaguered kingdoms of Haearn are absorbed, offered a choice to join willingly or face the consequences. Those that choose the latter are quickly and brutally brought to heel. It matters little. Their domains and people become a part of something greater and the relentless industrial empire expands ever further across the Realm.

The Jen'Nurath are on the rise.

The Industrial Revolution

Owing to how dangerous Haearn only the most brave or foolhardy Travellers have ventured there. It offers little to even the most curious of tourist so for a long while it has been largely ignored. So when rumours began to spread of a growing Empire that was not only brining unity to its disparate kingdoms but driving back Outer Realm incursions some Travellers grew curious. They found a name being spoken frequently and that name was Jen'Nurath. What few cared for such things knew Jen'Nurath to be a minor city-state in a truly god-forsaken part of Naearn, a place of little consequence. So they investigated further.

What they found shocked them.

The Jen'Nurath are an industrial powerhouse, stripping the land of resources to build weapons of war and a rapidly spreading infrastructure of locomotives to feed its rapacious hunger. Even the Outer Realm demons are not safe from this for by means as yet unknown the Jen'Nurath are able to capture and bind demons to power mighty war engines. This strange and often disturbing techno-sorcery augments the formidable Iron Knights of the Jen'Nurath, armour plated behemoths wielding huge cannons and other weapons.

But what of the leaders of this new empire?

The Travellers who dare to risk venturing into Haearn say that the Jen'Nurath is a theocracy and is led by a council of High Priests called the Imperishable and above them a Priest-King whose name is so holy none may speak it and could be a living God. There are no monuments to this being and as far as the Travellers can tell they do not make public appearances. Still, the average citizen of Jen'Nurath from the city of the same name hold their Priest-King in absolute reverence and those they conquer must too pay obeisance lest they be declared heretic and suffer the consequences.

Any further attempts to probe deeper have failed. The Jen'Nurath are suspicious people and those who ask too many questions fall afoul of the state police, the sinister Gormansheki who have eyes and ears everywhere and are lethal assassins. More than one less than careful Traveller has disappeared when investigating the Jen'Nurath.

Thus far the Jen'Nurath have seemed content to restrict their imperial ambitions to their benighted Realm of Naearn but once it is completely under their dominion whose to say they will cast their eyes further. That only Travellers can access the High Path between Realms is some comfort yet what would happen if the industrious Jen'Nurath and their profane techno-sorcery found a way? What would result if their armies were able to spread?