Mireborn Dominion

The Mireborn Dominion

  “From rot we rise, from shadow we strike, and from the swamp we will reign.”  

Faction Overview

  The Mireborn Dominion is a coalition of swamp-raiders who dwell in the fetid wetlands of the Abritus Empire’s southern reaches. Neither wholly good nor evil, they are a brutal people forged by necessity. Comprised of renegade humans, outcast wood-elves, ambitious lizardmen, and bolstered by ogres and half-ogres, they are united not by race but by the dream of sovereignty.   They raid villages, caravans, and even Abritan garrisons for supplies, slaves, and weapons — but their goal is not endless pillage. They seek to carve out a swamp kingdom of their own, a dominion free of imperial law, where beasts of scale and wing rule alongside their riders.   Their armies ride swamp steeds, marsh-bred horses, raptors, and scaled war-beasts. Above them soar Coatls with shimmering feathers, swamp-dwelling Black Dragons, and great swamp dinosaurs — symbols of both terror and divinity to the Mireborn.  

Key Leaders & Figures

  Sskarl Bloodtongue (Lizardman Warlord) – Founder of the Dominion, scarred, cunning, and ruthless. Commands respect from both reptilian beasts and men. He dreams of a swamp-kingdom crowned in dragon-fire.   Veyran Duskhand (Human Raider-Chief) – Once a soldier of Tibur, now the Dominion’s master of cavalry and raptor-mounted warfare. A scarred veteran, pragmatic but fiercely loyal to the dream of sovereignty.   Seryn Willowgrave (Wood-Elf Shadow-Seer) – Banished from her tribe for consorting with swamp spirits. She serves as the faction’s chief mystic, weaving curses and taming Coatl with whispered oaths.   Grond Half-Tusk (Half-Ogre Beastmaster) – Towering and brutal, Grond commands the Dominion’s warbeasts — from horned swamp-dinosaurs to semi-domesticated hydras. His laughter is as loud as his axe.   Myrris the Mire-Whisper (Human Witch-Queen) – A sorceress who communes with the Black Dragons of the swamp. She claims descent from dragon-blooded ancestors and seeks to breed a new dynasty of swamp-kin rulers.   Hassith Coil-Eye (Lizardman Assassin) – A feared killer who strikes silently with poisoned fangs and curved daggers. Used to enforce loyalty among the Dominion’s restless clans.  

Leaders of the Mireborn Dominion – Expanded Histories

  Sskarl Bloodtongue – The Swamp-King Aspirant   Race: Lizardman   Role: Founder & Warlord of the Mireborn   Traits: Charismatic, ruthless, visionary   Backstory Sskarl hatched in the reed-nests of the Sunken Temple of Qorr, once sacred to a forgotten serpent god. From his youth, he spoke with a strange venomous hiss, his tongue blackened by swamp herbs he swallowed in ritual. Other lizardmen called him cursed, but he claimed it was a mark of destiny.   In his youth, he served as a scout for Tibur slave-masters. He learned their discipline, their arrogance — and their weakness. When his tribe was betrayed and slaughtered for defying tax collectors, Sskarl led the survivors into the deep marsh, vowing never again to bend knee to empire.   He rose by uniting deserters, ogres, and outcast elves under one banner, declaring the swamp itself his crown. His charisma comes not from kindness but from conviction — Sskarl truly believes the swamp wants a kingdom, and he is its chosen mouth.   Legacy His followers say: “He spits poison at kings, but speaks prophecy to us.”   Sskarl Bloodtongue – The Venomfang Spear   Appearance: A long, jagged spear of swamp-iron, its shaft wrapped in serpent-hide. The head is etched with runes that drip venom when exposed to moonlight.   Legend: Forged from a reed-fort’s melted gates, quenched in the bile of a Black Dragon hatchling. Said to carry the swamp’s wrath itself.   Powers:   Serpent’s Bite: Wounds inflicted by the spear fester with poison unless cleansed by magic.   Voice of the Mire: Once per day, Sskarl can drive beasts (raptors, crocodiles, swamp serpents) into a frenzy.   Oathbreaker’s Doom: Anyone who swore fealty to Sskarl and then betrays him will feel the spear burning in their chest, even from miles away.   Veyran Duskhand – The Oathbreaker General   Race: Human   Role: Master of Cavalry & Raiders   Traits: Pragmatic, scarred, disciplined   Backstory Once a decorated captain in the Tibur legions, Veyran earned the name Duskhand for leading night-raids that slaughtered enemy camps in silence. But his loyalty snapped during the Reed-Fort Wars. His superiors ordered him to torch swamp villages filled with children and the elderly. He refused, struck down his commanding officer, and fled into the mire.   He might have been hunted to death if not for Sskarl Bloodtongue. The lizardman spared him, recognizing his skill. Veyran, hardened by guilt, became the Dominion’s chief of discipline. He trained raptor cavalry and swamp horsemen into terrifying raiding bands.   Personality Though human, the Mireborn respect him for one reason: he never lies. To him, oaths are sacred currency. His word carries as much weight as any dragon’s roar.   Veyran Duskhand – The Lantern of the Drowned   Appearance: A dented bronze lantern, always burning with black-green flame that cannot be extinguished by water.   Legend: Taken from an Tibur commander he executed during his desertion. The lantern was cursed in the swamp and now carries spectral flame.   Powers:   Silent Muster: While the lantern burns, riders under Veyran’s command move in silence, their mounts making no sound in swamp or reed.   Drowned Light: Reveals hidden enemies within shadows, reeds, or water.   Legion’s Rest: If planted in the mire, fallen Mireborn within 50 paces rise as spectral warriors for one night.   Seryn Willowgrave – The Exiled Seer of Shadows   Race: Wood-Elf   Role: Chief Mystic & Spirit-Speaker   Traits: Cryptic, severe, otherworldly   Backstory Seryn was born among the Fenraith elves of Nedder Reach but always walked too far into the shadows. She communed with spirits of decay, spoke to carrion crows, and was caught consorting with swamp shades during rites forbidden to her people. Branded as cursed, she was cast out.   The swamp whispered to her, guiding her steps to Sskarl and Veyran. She became their spiritual tether, convincing both that the swamp itself chose them. She is said to have bound the first Coatl to the Dominion through sacrifice and song, weaving vines into its feathers as a living crown.   Personality Her words are half-prophecy, half-riddle. Raiders fear her, yet none dare question her omens. To many, she is the Dominion’s soul — keeper of the dream of Mireth.   Seryn Willowgrave – The Coatl’s Veil   Appearance: A cloak of shimmering Coatl feathers, glistening with swamp mist.   Legend: Woven during the Stand of the Coatl (601 PR) when the great serpent fell in battle. The feathers were bound with blood and shadow by Seryn’s rites.   Powers:   Feathered Shadow: Grants invisibility while in mist, swamp, or rain.   Omen’s Tongue: Allows Seryn to utter prophecies that come true within three days — but only in riddles.   Radiant Venom: Once per battle, the cloak unleashes a storm of light-feathers that burn demons and poison mortals.   Grond Half-Tusk – The Beastmaster of Mireth   Race: Half-Ogre   Role: Master of War Beasts   Traits: Jovial, violent, loyal   Backstory Born of an ogre warlord and a human camp slave, Grond was always too small for ogres, too massive for men. Cast out from both, he survived by wrestling crocodiles in swamp rivers, eating what he killed, laughing even as scars tore across his hide.   When the Mireborn found him, he was half-mad, half-feral — but he tamed a swamp tyrannosaur with nothing but a chain and a roar. Sskarl named him Beastmaster, and he raised the Dominion’s hydras, dinosaurs, and raptors as kin.   Personality Grond is jovial, always laughing, but his laughter is terrifying when paired with his appetite for violence. He treats his beasts better than men but is fiercely loyal to those who respect him.   Grond Half-Tusk – The Chain of Mireth   Appearance: A massive rusted chain, links etched with crude ogre runes. Each link is as thick as a man’s arm.   Legend: Grond used the chain to tame his first swamp tyrannosaur. When he broke the beast, the chain absorbed its fury.   Powers:   Beastbinder: Allows him to command dinosaurs, hydras, or swamp monsters as if they were hounds.   Break the Wall: When swung, the chain can shatter wooden palisades or fortifications like thunder.   Ogre’s Bond: If thrown around an enemy, the chain tightens with Grond’s will, crushing them with impossible strength.   Myrris the Mire-Whisper – The Dragon-Witch of the Black Bog   Race: Human (possibly dragon-blooded)   Role: Sorceress & Dragon-Binder   Traits: Seductive, ruthless, fanatical   Backstory Myrris was born in a swamp hovel, her mother claiming she was sired by a Black Dragon. She proved it when, as a child, she walked into a dragon’s lair and returned alive, with dragon scales melted into her skin.   She vanished for years, living among wyrmlings and learning their whispers. When she returned, she brought a brood of swamp dragons that bent to her will. Some say she mates with them, others that she bleeds with them, drinking their bile as wine.   Personality She believes the future Kingdom of Mireth must be ruled by a dragon-blooded dynasty — and she is its mother. Her loyalty to Sskarl is tenuous, bound by vision, not love.   Myrris the Mire-Whisper – The Dragonbone Scepter   Appearance: A staff carved from the femur of a slain Black Dragon, capped with a fang that drips acid. Veins of swamp-crystal glow faintly in its length.   Legend: Forged after the Dragon-Bane War, when two of the Dominion’s dragons were slain. Myrris carved this weapon from their remains, binding their spirits.   Powers:   Dragon’s Voice: Can command Black Dragons and wyrmlings, bending them with her blood.   Acid Vein: Fires streams of corrosive bile capable of melting steel.   Dynasty’s Dream: While wielding it, Myrris’ bloodline cannot be cursed or magically erased; she believes it ensures her future dynasty.   Hassith Coil-Eye – The Knife in the Reeds   Race: Lizardman   Role: Assassin & Enforcer   Traits: Silent, merciless, feared   Backstory Hassith was once a slave-gladiator in Abritus, forced to fight with poisoned daggers. His right eye was replaced with a serpent’s eye after a ritual overseen by Seryn. That eye lets him see heat and life-force through darkness.   He escaped his chains by slitting his master’s throat and vanished into the swamps, where Sskarl found him. Since then, Hassith has been the Dominion’s shadow: hunting deserters, silencing traitors, and enforcing the Mire-Edicts.   Personality He rarely speaks, except to hiss judgment before a kill. In whispers, raiders call him “the last thing you see in the reeds.”   Together, these six form the Reed-Crown Council, ruling not by throne but by war-tent consensus. Sskarl leads, but the others each hold keys to survival: steel, shadow, beast, dragon, and fear.   Hassith Coil-Eye – The Fang of Silence   Appearance: A curved obsidian dagger, its hilt wrapped in swamp serpent skin, the blade always slick with venom.   Legend: Said to have been carved from the fang of a serpent demon that Hassith slew during Zelistra’s war. His serpent’s eye glows when the blade tastes blood.   Powers:   Death Without Sound: Victims slain by the blade make no noise — not even a scream or fall.   Eye of the Coil: Grants Hassith the ability to see heat signatures and life-force through reeds, mist, or darkness.   Venom Eternal: The dagger’s wounds never heal unless blessed; even minor cuts fester into lethal infection.  

Six Notable Lairs & Camps

  The Reedspire – A tower of woven reeds hardened with swamp resin, rising from the middle of a lake. Acts as the Dominion’s war-council chamber.   Fangmarsh Pits – A brutal training ground where raptor-riders are raised. Raptors are fed on prisoners to sharpen their savagery.   Skullfen Hollow – A cavern lair carved into the side of a peat bog. The Mireborn’s Black Dragons brood here, bones of fallen knights scattered like trophies.   Coatl’s Perch – A temple-lair of vine and stone high in the swamp canopy, where the Dominion worships their Coatls as omens of power.   Drowned Bastion – The flooded ruins of an abandoned Abritan fortress, now crawling with ogres, dinosaurs, and warbands. Serves as both armory and prison.   The Mireth Throne – An island camp at the heart of the swamp, marked by a throne of dragonbone and driftwood. Sskarl Bloodtongue sits here, awaiting the day he proclaims the Kingdom of Mireth.  

History of the Mireborn Dominion

  Origins in Chains (470–487 PR)   The roots of the Mireborn lie in the collapsing southern reaches of the Tibur Empire. After years of over-expansion, Tibur turned the swamps into prison lands, where criminals, deserters, and slaves were worked to death harvesting peat, reeds, and rare alchemical fungi.   In 474 PR, a devastating flood drowned several prison camps, and hundreds escaped into the marshes. These fugitives mingled with exiled elves, feral lizardman tribes, and rogue mercenaries, forming the first swamp enclaves. The Tibur Empire assumed they would starve — but the swamps kept them alive.   The First Conclave (487 PR) – Outlaws and escaped slaves fled into the swamps during an Tibur civil war. At first they were scattered, fighting over food and shelter. But a warband led by the lizardman chieftain Sskarl Bloodtongue began uniting them.   The First Conclave (487 PR)   By 487 PR, Sskarl Bloodtongue, a lizardman warlord with visions of grandeur, rallied these outcasts under his banner. He declared:   “The swamp does not kill us — it crowns us. We are its chosen teeth.”   The First Conclave marked the birth of the Mireborn Dominion, though at that stage it was little more than a loose coalition of raiding bands.   The Pact of Scales and Shadow (495 PR)   The Pact of Scales and Shadow (495 PR) – After years of feuding, Sskarl allied with human deserter Veyran Duskhand and wood-elf exile Seryn Willowgrave. Together they swore an oath under a young Black Dragon, promising to forge a new dominion in the marshes.   The raiders might have collapsed under infighting if not for Sskarl’s alliance with:   Veyran Duskhand, a human deserter who trained the Dominion’s first cavalry and raptor-riders.   Seryn Willowgrave, a wood-elf seer exiled for consorting with swamp-spirits.   The three sealed their pact beneath a young Black Dragon, whose hatching they believed a divine omen. From then, the Dominion called themselves “Mireborn” — reborn from filth and shadow.   The War of the Reed-Forts (498–502 PR)   The Tibur Empire retaliated with reed-forts and river garrisons. For four brutal years, the swamps were choked with blood. The Mireborn unleashed raptor-mounted charges, ogre shock troops, and their first trained dinosaurs against the forts.   When the war ended in 502 PR, most reed-forts lay drowned in bog-water, their Tibur banners rotting in the mud. The Dominion had carved out true sovereignty in the swamp, though the Empire refused to acknowledge them.   The War of the Reed-Forts (498–502 PR) – The Mireborn began raiding Tibur swamp towns, destroying river garrisons and torching fishing settlements. The Empire retaliated, building forts on the reedbanks — but many were swallowed by swamp magic or overrun by dinosaurs.   Early Days of War (500–520 PR) – Raiders in the Crossfire   When Zelistra first unleashed her armies of demons, the Tibur Empire looked southward with desperation. The swamp dominions of Tibur Empire — where the Mireborn lurked — became both shield and scar.   The War of the Reed-Forts (498–502 PR) overlapped with Zelistra’s first campaigns. Tibur tried to reclaim the swamps to secure their borders, but their forts fell to Mireborn ambushes. Ironically, this left a swamp buffer zone that slowed Zelistra’s southward corruption.   The Mireborn did not yet care about Zelistra — they raided both demon-led and Abritan supply lines. To them, all were prey in the mire.   Sskarl Bloodtongue declared:   “The demons are but another empire with new chains. We fight them as we fight all who come into the swamp.”   The Age of Beasts (510–540 PR)   Rise of the Coatl (510 PR) – A shimmering Coatl, believed to be a divine herald of the swamp itself, descended into their camp. It was tamed and revered as a living god, cementing the Mireborn’s belief they were chosen to rule.   The arrival of the Coatl in 510 PR changed everything. The radiant serpent-bird descended upon the Mireborn’s central lair, resting on the Mireth Throne. To the Dominion, this was a divine sanction.   With dragon, dinosaur, and Coatl alike under their dominion, the Mireborn’s power surged. They became a terror to river traffic, strangling trade routes between Abritus and its colonies.   By 530 PR, they controlled nearly the entire southern swamp basin.   By 540 PR, emissaries from other swamp tribes (Gnolls, Frogfolk, outcast Tieflings) came to ally with them, drawn by their growing legend.   The Spreading Corruption (530–560 PR) – The Age of Beasts   Zelistra’s demon lords sought to turn the swamps into breeding pits for fiendish spawn. Demonic ichor poisoned bogs, creating twisted horrors of vine and flesh.   Seryn Willowgrave, the Dominion’s wood-elf mystic, led rituals to ward off the corruption. Her Coatl familiars were said to burn demon-taint with radiant feathers.   The Mireborn unleashed raptor and dinosaur cavalry against demon warbands, ambushing them from reed-choked canals.   Yet, many humans and ogres of the Dominion were tempted by Zelistra’s promises of land and power. The First Mire Schism (546 PR) saw entire bands defect to her, forming swamp-demon cults. Sskarl executed defectors by drowning them in dragon bile, declaring loyalty only to the swamp.   The Dragon-Bane War (561–566 PR)   Now the Tudor Empire since the fall of Tibur Empire in 510PR Thanks to Zelistra Invasion, The Tudor Empire became desperate to destroy the Dominion, hired mercenary dragonhunters and unleashed poisoned ballistae to slay their beasts. Two Black Dragons fell, and many raptors perished.   But Myrris the Mire-Whisper, a human sorceress who communed with dragons, turned the tide. She struck a bargain with a swamp hydra and birthed a bloodline of dragon-bonded witches. The Tudor dragonhunters were devoured, and their weapons sank beneath the mire.   From this point, the Mireborn began to dream not just of raiding — but of a crowned swamp kingdom.   Zelistra sent fiendbound dragonhunters to slay the Dominion’s Black Dragons, fearing they could rival her demon wyverns.   Two dragons were slain in poisoned reed marshes, devastating the Dominion’s morale.   Myrris the Mire-Whisper struck back, forging pacts with a swamp hydra and birthing a new line of dragon-blooded witches. Her magic is credited with saving the Dominion from collapse.   The Dominion hardened, becoming less a band of raiders and more a proto-kingdom, forged in the fires of demon war.   The Tudean Crusades (570–590 PR) – The Empire Strikes the Mire   The Tudor Empire, desperate to hold back Zelistra, launched a massive southern campaign to eliminate the Mireborn once and for all — believing them too unstable to guard the swamp frontier.   Five legions marched in 589 PR, burning reed villages, draining swamps, and attempting to tame dinosaurs for their own use.   The Mireborn fought back with ambushes, diseases, and hydra stampedes. Half the legions drowned or rotted in bogs.   The Drowned Bastion was taken and retaken seven times before vanishing into the mire for good.   When the dust cleared, only one legion limped home. The Dominion remained standing, bloodied but unbroken.   Ironically, this left Tudor weaker to Zelistra’s assaults. The Mireborn became the unintended shield that kept the demons from pushing fully south.   The Tudor Siege (589–590 PR)   The greatest test came when the Tudor Empire launched a crusade of fire, sending five legions into the swamps. The Dominion retreated into their lairs, forcing the Tudor to fight the mire itself — poisoned water, biting insects, ambushes from raptor cavalry.   The Drowned Bastion was taken and retaken seven times in one year.   Half of Tudor’s warhorses drowned in bogs.   Disease killed more soldiers than battle.   When the campaign ended, only one legion limped home. Tudor quietly signed pacts with local nobles to “watch” the swamps — but never tried to conquer them again.   The Hundred Years’ Dusk (590–608 PR)   The later years of Zelistra’s war were the most perilous for the Mireborn.   Demonic Blight: Many swamps blackened with ichor, turning trees to bone and spawning monsters. Whole Mireborn clans were devoured or corrupted.   The Coatl’s Stand (601 PR): A great Coatl descended, leading a miracle charge of Mireborn riders and swamp beasts against a demon-host. Though it perished, the Dominion enshrined its feathers as holy relics.   The Pact of Mireth (605 PR): At the Mireth Throne, Sskarl Bloodtongue, Veyran Duskhand, and Seryn Willowgrave swore to form a true swamp kingdom after the war — the dream of Mireth was born here.   Final Years (606–608 PR): The Dominion avoided open war, raiding weakened Abritan supply lines and demon camps alike. They emerged battered but intact when the war ended.   Legacy After the War   When the Black Dragon Scales and Dread Hunters finally broke Zelistra and Marcus’ forces in 608 PR, the Mireborn were not celebrated as heroes. To the Abritus Empire, they were still raiders.   But within the swamp, the Dominion claimed victory:   They had outlasted Zelistra, Abritus, and even the demonspawn.   Their Black Dragons and Coatls had been tested in the crucible of demonfire.   The swamp itself had chosen them to endure.   From then on, the Mireborn Dominion carried a new cry:   “We are not raiders. We are kings unborn.”   Present Day (615 PR - 620 PR)   The Mireborn remain fractured but strong. They raid when food runs low, negotiate when strength is lacking, and strike hard when opportunity arises In the now Abritus Empire since the split of Tudor Empire when the Emperor died, Darion Tudor II died in battle against the Abyss Empire and his two sons split the Tudor Empire making Tudor Empire and the Abritus Empire.   Their ultimate goal is the Kingdom of Mireth — a sovereign realm of swamp, crowned in dragonbone and feather, where no emperor dictates their lives.   Now whispers spread that Sskarl Bloodtongue, grown old and scarred, prepares to proclaim himself “Swamp-King of Mireth”. If he does, war with Abritus Empire is inevitable.   Present Day (615 PR) – The Mireborn Dominion thrives in secret strongholds. They remain fractured, yet united under the banner of dominion. Their dream is to declare a Kingdom of Mireth, but first they must break Abritus’ grip on the wetlands.  

Themes & Legacy

  Survivalists turned aspirants: Born of desperation, now dreaming of thrones.   Beast-brothers: Dragons, raptors, and Coatls are not just weapons, but symbols of legitimacy.   Cycle of defiance: Abritus can burn them, drown them, or starve them — but the Mireborn rise again.    

The Mireborn Dominion – Culture & Structure

  Core Laws of the Mireborn   Though born of chaos, the Dominion survives through a set of brutal but binding laws, known as the Mire-Edicts:   The Swamp is Sovereign – None may claim the land but the Dominion. Outsiders pay tribute, or they are swallowed.   Beast and Rider Are One – Those who slay or mistreat their mounts without cause are executed; mounts are sacred kin.   No Blood Without Purpose – Raiding is permitted, but pointless killing within the Dominion is punished by banishment into the mire.   Scales, Branch, and Flesh Are Equal – Lizardmen, elves, humans, and ogres share spoils and rights of war. Racism is a crime. Betrayal of unity is death.   The Right of Teeth – Leadership is earned through challenge. Any warrior may issue a ritual duel to depose a commander, but cowardice in such a duel is punished more harshly than defeat.   The Mireth Oath – All Dominion warriors swear to the dream of a swamp kingdom. Treachery against this vision is the gravest sin.   Raider Codes   Every raiding band carries its own war-standards and oaths, but all follow these common codes:   Spoils by Bloodline: The kill determines the first share, but spoils are then distributed by band. No raider goes hungry.   Prisoners of Value: Captured enemies may be ransomed, sacrificed, or given to beasts — but never wasted.   Silence in the Reed: While hunting or raiding, loud speech is forbidden. Communication is done with whistles, clicks, or hand-signs.   The Black Flame: Before every raid, a torch dipped in black swamp-oil is lit. If it burns bright, the raid is blessed. If it sputters, many turn back.   Symbols of the Dominion   Banner: With a Coatl coiled in a circle around the Black Dragon with its wings spread. Colors: black and swamp-green.   Marks of Rank:   Raiders wear bone charms and teeth of their mounts.   Commanders wear reedwoven crowns dipped in dragon blood.   Shamans paint themselves with mud laced with Coatl feathers and dragon-scale dust.   Sacred Totem: The “Mireth Crown” — a jagged circlet forged of Coatl feathers, dragon fangs, and swamp-gold, worn only during conclaves.   Rituals of Initiation   The Reed Trial – New initiates are abandoned in the swamp at dusk and must return at dawn with proof of a kill (beast, soldier, or rival raider).   Blood of the Mount – When given their first raptor or horse, the rider must cut their own palm and let the beast drink their blood. This bonds mount and rider.   The Mireth Oath – Before the throne of Sskarl Bloodtongue (or his successors), initiates swear the Oath: “From mire I rise, in mire I reign. None shall chain me, none shall bind me. The swamp is my crown, the beast is my brother, and the Dominion my blood.”   Dragon’s Breath (rare) – Those chosen for high rank must survive being anointed with burning dragon-bile, symbolizing both trial by pain and rebirth in swamp fire.   Balancing the Races   The Dominion is not a natural alliance — it’s a pragmatic one. Their culture works because every race has a sacred role:   Humans (The Spears) – Most numerous and flexible, they serve as cavalry, raiders, and tacticians. Their adaptability makes them the backbone of warbands.   Lizardmen (The Scales) – Revered as swamp-born natives, they are beast-tamers, dragon-speakers, and the Dominion’s spiritual elite. None question their right to commune with dragons and Coatls.   Wood-Elves (The Shadows) – Seen as the eyes and ears of the swamp, they are scouts, ambushers, and bowmasters. Though distrusted by humans and lizardmen, their link to swamp-spirits grants them respect.   Ogres and Half-Ogres (The Tusks) – The raw strength of the Dominion. They form the shield walls, smash reed-forts, and carry siege gear. Though often mocked as dull, their loyalty is prized — a Tusk’s oath is unbreakable.   This division of role prevents endless infighting: each race is essential, and no one group can survive the swamp alone.   Swamp Religion   The Mireborn’s belief is not one god, but a trinity of swamp-divinities:   The Black Wyrm (Dragons): Symbol of strength, conquest, and dominion.   The Feathered Serpent (Coatl): Symbol of omen, fate, and protection.   The Mireth Itself (the swamp): The land is alive, feeding, drowning, and sheltering. The swamp is both womb and grave.   Ritual sacrifices — usually Abritan prisoners — are drowned in reed-altars, believed to nourish the swamp and strengthen the Dominion’s bond to it.   Justice & Punishment   Drowning – The common punishment; criminals are bound and drowned, their fate left to the swamp.   The Mire-Mark – For lesser crimes, raiders are scarred with swamp-mud brands that fester into permanent markings.   Feeding the Beasts – Traitors are thrown alive to raptors, hydras, or dragons.   In short: the Dominion survives by creating a culture where mounts are sacred, spoils are shared, unity is law, and the swamp itself is both judge and crown.  

Relationships of the Mireborn Leaders

  Sskarl Bloodtongue ↔ Veyran Duskhand   Dynamic: Respect born of betrayal.   Details: Sskarl admires Veyran’s discipline and loyalty to oaths — he knows that if Veyran swears allegiance, he will never turn. Veyran respects Sskarl’s vision, though he thinks the lizardman’s ambition sometimes blinds him. They often clash over tactics: Sskarl favors bold strikes, Veyran prefers measured raids. Yet, in the end, Sskarl trusts Veyran more than any other human.   Sskarl Bloodtongue ↔ Seryn Willowgrave   Dynamic: Prophet and King.   Details: Seryn claims she saw Sskarl in a vision long before they met, standing crowned in dragonbone. He tolerates her cryptic omens, believing her connection to the swamp’s spirits legitimizes his dream of Mireth. Still, he worries her loyalty is to the swamp, not him. Privately, Seryn sees Sskarl as both weapon and pawn — necessary to fulfill her prophecies.   Sskarl Bloodtongue ↔ Grond Half-Tusk   Dynamic: General and Beast.   Details: Grond loves Sskarl like a father, or perhaps a master. He obeys his commands without question and enjoys the freedom Sskarl gives him with beasts. Sskarl uses Grond’s loyalty as both shield and hammer — unleashing him when force alone will do. Some whisper Grond would die for him without hesitation.   Sskarl Bloodtongue ↔ Myrris the Mire-Whisper   Dynamic: Allies bound by dragons, not trust.   Details: Myrris respects Sskarl’s dream of Mireth but sees herself as the true future — through her dragon-blooded children. She often tempts him with sorcery, visions, and flesh, but he resists, knowing she seeks her own dynasty. Their relationship is one of necessity: his leadership, her dragons. Neither fully trusts the other.   Sskarl Bloodtongue ↔ Hassith Coil-Eye   Dynamic: The King’s Shadow.   Details: Hassith serves Sskarl without hesitation. The two rarely speak in public; their bond is silent. Many believe Hassith would slit Sskarl’s throat if ordered to, but never without it. For Sskarl, Hassith is a living reminder to the council that betrayal means death.   Veyran Duskhand ↔ Seryn Willowgrave   Dynamic: Soldier vs. Seer.   Details: Veyran finds her riddles infuriating and untrustworthy, preferring the clear lines of battle. Yet, he cannot deny her omens have saved his riders more than once. Seryn sees Veyran as limited but useful — his discipline keeps the Dominion’s human raiders from falling into chaos. Their alliance is practical, not warm.   Veyran Duskhand ↔ Grond Half-Tusk   Dynamic: Order vs. Chaos.   Details: Veyran despises Grond’s recklessness and tries to impose discipline on his beast charges. Grond laughs at him, calling him “little man with big rules.” And yet, on the battlefield, the two complement each other: Veyran’s precision with cavalry and Grond’s raw destruction break even imperial legions.   Veyran Duskhand ↔ Myrris the Mire-Whisper   Dynamic: Mistrust edged with desire.   Details: Veyran mistrusts Myrris, seeing her as dangerously self-serving. He also resents her sway over the dragons, which he believes should be bound by riders, not witches. Myrris, however, finds Veyran’s grim honesty amusing — she enjoys taunting him with temptations and half-truths.   Veyran Duskhand ↔ Hassith Coil-Eye   Dynamic: Respect through silence.   Details: Veyran knows Hassith is the most dangerous man in the swamp, but because Hassith has never broken his silence or turned against Sskarl, Veyran treats him with soldierly respect. They rarely speak, but when they do, it is with mutual bluntness.   Seryn Willowgrave ↔ Grond Half-Tusk   Dynamic: The Seer and Her Beast.   Details: Seryn often uses Grond in her rituals, anointing him with swamp ichor and guiding him into trances that connect him to the beasts he tames. Grond trusts her almost as much as Sskarl, though he doesn’t understand half of what she says.   Seryn Willowgrave ↔ Myrris the Mire-Whisper   Dynamic: The Rival Witches.   Details: These two loathe and fear each other. Seryn communes with swamp spirits and Coatls, Myrris with dragons and bile. Each sees the other as a rival priestess of the swamp’s will. Their quarrels nearly broke the Dominion more than once, but Sskarl forbids them from open war. Still, their followers often clash in the shadows.   Seryn Willowgrave ↔ Hassith Coil-Eye   Dynamic: Prophet and Knife.   Details: Seryn saved Hassith’s life by replacing his eye with a serpent’s gaze. He owes her a debt, though he now serves Sskarl first. Seryn whispers omens to him in private, guiding his assassinations. Some say Hassith is her hidden blade as much as Sskarl’s.   Grond Half-Tusk ↔ Myrris the Mire-Whisper   Dynamic: Predator and Witch.   Details: Grond doesn’t trust Myrris — beasts dislike her scent, and he listens to them. But he respects her power over dragons and avoids crossing her openly. She, in turn, sees Grond as a blunt instrument, useful but beneath her ambitions.   Grond Half-Tusk ↔ Hassith Coil-Eye   Dynamic: Joy and Silence.   Details: Grond often tries to make Hassith laugh with crude jokes, but the assassin only stares. Strangely, this does not bother Grond — he calls Hassith his “quiet brother.” On the battlefield, the two have fought back-to-back often enough to form an unspoken bond.   Myrris the Mire-Whisper ↔ Hassith Coil-Eye   Dynamic: Temptress and Judge.   Details: Myrris has tried to seduce or sway Hassith into serving her, but his serpent eye sees through her glamour. He tolerates her, but the two often clash in the council. Still, she knows if she ever betrayed Sskarl outright, Hassith would be the one to cut her throat.  

Overall Dynamic

The Reed-Crown Council is not bound by love, but by balance:   Sskarl is the dream.   Veyran is the order.   Seryn is the prophecy.   Grond is the brute.   Myrris is the ambition.   Hassith is the fear.   Each distrusts the others, but together they form a swamp kingdom-in-the-making.  

Factional Tensions in the Mireborn Dominion

  Sskarl Bloodtongue’s Circle – “The Scales of Mireth”   Followers: Most lizardmen clans, veteran raiders of mixed race, and a few loyal half-ogres who see him as “the true king.”   Culture: His camps emphasize loyalty to the dream of Mireth above all. Raids under his banner often have symbolic targets — burning Abritan banners, drowning imperial tax collectors, hanging captured knights from swamp trees.   Tensions: His claim to kingship grates on Myrris (who dreams of a dynasty through her bloodline) and on Veyran (who sees premature crowning as reckless).   Veyran Duskhand’s Cohorts – “The Riders of Dusk”   Followers: Human deserters, raptor cavalry, and those who crave discipline and fair shares of loot. Many half-elves who distrust the mysticism of Seryn also follow him.   Culture: His riders practice nightly drills, keep spoils meticulously divided, and uphold a code of “no lies among brothers.” He keeps their camps ordered like legions — tents in neat lines, steeds tethered by rank.   Tensions: His order clashes with Grond’s chaos. His raiders scoff at ogres’ lack of discipline and often mock them, sparking brawls. Seryn’s followers call them “blind soldiers marching into mud.”   Seryn Willowgrave’s Bands – “The Shadowed Reeds”   Followers: Wood-elf exiles, spirit-bound cultists, mystics, and even some swamp-hag covens. They also attract lizardmen who prefer omens to spears.   Culture: Their camps are eerie — filled with bone charms, dreamcatchers woven of reeds, and whispered rituals. They do not raid for loot alone, but to enact what they call “the swamp’s will.” Victories are celebrated with smoke rituals that leave warriors in trances.   Tensions: They loathe Myrris’s dragon-witches, claiming her sorcery is “blasphemy of scale.” They also mistrust Veyran’s pragmatists, who they see as soulless tools of order.   Grond Half-Tusk’s Warbands – “The Tusks of Mireth”   Followers: Ogres, half-ogres, and beast-tenders who respect strength over words. Many human and lizardman youths drift to his camps, eager to prove themselves by taming monsters.   Culture: Their camps are rowdy, filled with drinking, feasting, and beast-fights. Raptors and swamp-dinosaurs are treated as equals at the table, fed alongside men. To Grond’s bands, laughter is as sacred as blood.   Tensions: Their undisciplined nature infuriates Veyran, and they often ruin carefully laid ambushes by charging too early. Yet when unleashed, they are terrifying shock troops. Myrris uses them when she wants destruction without subtlety.   Myrris the Mire-Whisper’s Brood – “The Scaled Womb”   Followers: Dragon-blooded witches, human cultists who worship dragons, and several Black Dragon wyrmlings. She commands absolute loyalty among her brood-sorcerers.   Culture: Her camps are filled with dragon shrines, acid-scarred idols, and chanting acolytes. Her followers breed beasts with twisted rituals, creating hybrids like acid-spitting swamp serpents. They believe Mireth will only be true when a dragon-blooded dynasty rules it.   Tensions: Hated by Seryn’s Shadowed Reeds as a usurper of swamp spirits. Distrusted by Veyran, who sees her as dangerous ambition wrapped in silk. She treats both with cold amusement, knowing her dragons give her leverage.   Hassith Coil-Eye’s Hunters – “The Silent Coil”   Followers: Elite assassins, poison-masters, and lizardmen loyal to Hassith’s reputation. Many wood-elf rogues and human killers also seek his favor.   Culture: Their camps are silent and disciplined. All wear serpent-eye markings in honor of Hassith. They are more feared than loved, acting as enforcers of the Mire-Edicts. When traitors are drowned or flayed, it is Hassith’s hunters who carry it out.   Tensions: Respected by all, but loved by none. His hunters are often resented for their role as executioners. Grond calls them “joyless reeds,” while Myrris occasionally tests their loyalty with subtle temptations.  

How These Rivalries Divide the Dominion

  Split Camps: Raiders often pledge loyalty to one leader more than the Dominion as a whole. Feuds break out — for instance, Grond’s beast-bands brawling with Veyran’s disciplined cavalry, or Seryn’s mystics sabotaging Myrris’s dragon-shrines.   Shared Spoils: The council enforces the Mire-Edicts so spoils are shared. Without this, warbands would splinter entirely. But arguments over spoils often escalate to duels under the Right of Teeth.   Mixed War Parties: To prevent outright civil war, Sskarl often mixes bands from rival leaders in raids, forcing them to cooperate. A raptor rider might fight beside an ogre beast-handler, watched by a Shadowed Reed shaman. This shared blood tempers divisions.   Religion vs. Dynasty: The greatest looming divide is between Seryn’s swamp-spirit mysticism and Myrris’s dragon-dynasty vision. Many whisper that when Sskarl dies, the Dominion will split along this line.   Hassith’s Balance: Hassith Coil-Eye enforces balance — assassinating those who openly conspire to tear the Dominion apart. His fear is the glue that binds the council when loyalty wavers.   Summary:   Sskarl – vision of kingship.   Veyran – order and oaths.   Seryn – prophecy and spirits.   Grond – strength and beasts.   Myrris – dynasty and dragons.   Hassith – silent enforcer.   Day-to-day life in the Dominion is a constant balancing act of these powers. Raiders may brawl, witches may curse each other, and warbands may splinter — but when outsiders invade the swamp, the Reed-Crown Council forces them to march as one.