Valakia

The province of Valakia is known to be a mystical and dark place. It was formerly a part of the Zimean empire, but when its previous ruler rose to power following the mysterious death of his father it broke away from the rest of Zimea. A war broke out as hordes of undead creatures flooded from the valleys of Valakia. The war ended with the apparent death of Valakia's ruler and the creation of a great wall between Valakia and Zimea.

Structure

The mountainous county of Valakia was once a province of the Empire of Zimea, but following the War of the Dead it declared its independence from the empire. Whilst not being recognized as a separate nation by the imperial counts, the valley is separated from the rest of Zimea by a great wall. Those who defy the separating barrier and choose to venture into the valley are never heard from again.   The valley of Valakia is governed singlehandedly by Vhordrak von Draylor from his home in Castle Noxima. The mysterious count who was thought to have died in the War of the Dead over four hundred years ago. Some believe that this is all a front and that the ruler is being replaced from time to time, but no one knows for sure as the count almost never appears to his subjects in physical form. His ruling style was mostly through proxy, and all the duties of tax collection are carried out by the villages' burgomasters. However, Count Vhordrak is a feared tyrant who takes whatever he wanted and whom no one dares to disobey.   The count has a lively court at castle Noxima. These influential nobles live in the castle and advise the count, as well as aid him in governing the valley. Although they don't actually have any authority outside of what Count Vhordrak provides them.   Technologically, the land lags behind the rest of Zimea in terms of proper infrastructure and even the barest levels of education, where the commonfolk of Valakia are still a highly superstitious lot. The emergent middle class of Zimea scarcely exists here, and an unbridgeable gap between the peasantry and the nobility persists, one that out shadows those within the lands of even Helonia. But perhaps the greatest feature about this backwater region is the thick mist that surrounds the borders of the valley. None of those who enter the mist are ever seen again. Only a select few of Valakias citizens have left the valley. These are the original Valakians whose ancestors supported Count Vhordrak in his war for independence.  

History

The Last Loyal Count

In the waning days of Zimea's influence over its distant provinces, Valakia stood as a bleak, brooding territory plagued by isolation and superstition. Though it remained under the nominal control of the Zimean crown, its governance was often left to the whims of noble houses loyal only in name. Among these, the House of Draylor began to rise in influence, led by a cunning and ambitious man: Istvan von Draylor.   A noble of modest means but great political acumen, Istvan von Draylor secured his appointment as Count of Valakia through a mix of strategic marriages, suppression of rival houses, and the quiet favor of Zimea’s faltering aristocracy. Unlike many of his peers, Istvan sought to bring a semblance of order to the province. He quelled banditry with ruthless force, consolidated control over the trade routes, and re-established tithes to the distant Zimean throne. Though his methods were severe, they were effective, and for a time, Valakia experienced stability.  

The Turning of Vhordrak

Istvan’s only son, Vhordrak von Draylor, grew up amid shadow and severity. He was a pale, introspective child with a mind for strategy and a fascination with death. Schooled in both statecraft and the occult, Vhordrak’s magical talents quickly eclipsed those of his father, but so too did his hunger for power. During a diplomatic mission to the crumbling borderlands of Dhil Ahldur, Vhordrak vanished.    He returned months later, changed, stronger, colder, no longer fully human. Whispers claimed he had consorted with ancient undead entities. Whatever the truth, he had become a vampire of immense power. Istvan, seeing his son’s transformation, was horrified. He tried to have Vhordrak quietly imprisoned and later assassinated, but the attempt failed. In a single night of slaughter now remembered as The Crimson Sundering, Vhordrak overthrew his father. Istvan’s corpse was found nailed to the gates of Castle Noxima, drained of blood.   

The War of the Dead Begins

Following his patricide, Vhordrak declared Valakia’s independence from Zimea and raised an army of the undead. Backed by a court of vampires sired by Vhordrak himself, he began mustering his forces. Necromancers, graveborn warriors, and cursed beasts swelled his ranks. What began as a rebellion swiftly turned into a full-blown cataclysm. The War of the Dead raged for decades. Zimea, already weakened by the war against Chitax and internal strife, could not hold the province. One by one, its border strongholds fell to Vhordrak’s relentless march. Refugees fled in droves, carrying tales of ghost-plagued roads and nights of raining blood.   In time, Valakia was no longer a province, it had become a nation unto itself. Ruled by its immortal sovereign, its a place cloaked in mist and myth. The mists that now shroud its borders are remnants of ancient death-rites, warding off the living as surely as steel. Thus did the House of Draylor sever its last ties to Zimea, and thus was born the dread dominion of Valakia, with Vhordrak von Draylor upon its throne.

Geography

Almost the entire valley consists of densely forested rough terrain, with sheer cliffs and outcroppings. Few areas are easily traversable, and it is always dangerous to stay off the road. Winters are usually long and bitter. The sky of Valakia is permanently overcast with storm clouds. Even during the brightest hours of the day, light is unnaturally muted and dimmed, and do not affect normally sensitive creatures such as vampires. In many locations, the mists partially or completely obscure vision.

Military

Valakia’s military is unlike any other in the world. Where once mortal men marched under banners of loyalty to crown and coin, now stride unliving legions bound by necromancy. Vhordrak von Draylor's armies are a terrifying synthesis of death-magic, tactical brilliance, and sheer, unrelenting fear. These legions march out of the dread mists surrounding Valakia to wreak havoc on the surrounding nations. Since the erection of the great wall seperating Zimea and Valakia, Dhil Ahldur and Helona has held the line against Count Vhordrak's forces, backed up by troops from the empire. But with the mist blocking their way, the living can only hope to hold back the undeads advance.   The Grave Hosts
The core of Valakia’s military force is the Grave Host. A vast and tireless army of reanimated dead. They require no food, no rest, and no pay. Raised from the battlefields of the War of the Dead and countless crypts throughout the land, they are animated by runes of binding etched into their bones and maintained by a corps of vampiric officiants. Their forms range from Zombies and Skeletons, to undead wolves and bats.     Grave Host soldiers are organized into phalanxes commanded by sentient undead officers called Wight Lords, many of whom were once nobles or generals slain and reborn in Vhordrak’s service. Some retain their memories, making them tactically formidable and cruelly creative in the execution of war. These are protected by the most elite of the undead, the Barrow Guard. Bigger, stronger and more heavily armed than those of the rank and file undead. These also make up the cavalry of the Grave Hosts. The Barrow  Knights are undead knights mounted on skeletal steeds. They are elite shock troops used to break enemy lines, harry supply routes, and terrorize distant settlements. Their mere approach is preceded by unnatural fog and the howls of beasts unseen.   The Sanguine Aristocracy
The Aristocracy of Valakia, these are the former nobles who chose to ally themselves with Count Vhordrak during the War of the Dead and as a reward were turned into vampires. These lead the Grave Hosts into battle and control their own legions of undead. The Vampire Lords sired by Count Vhordrak inherit but a fracture of his power, and as they sire vampires of their own, the bloodline become more and more diluted. Therefore the vampires created by the Count's underlings are lesser both in terms of physical strength and magical prowess. The lesser vampires sired by the Lords ride into battle in units mounted on nightmares with blood red barding. These are known as Blood Knights.    The Veilguard
While most of Valakia’s forces are undead, the Veilguard are living mortals, death cultists, vampire thralls, and sworn servants of Vhordrak. Highly disciplined and fanatically loyal, they act as inquisitors and internal enforcers. They are often gifted with dark boons, such as extended life, shadow-walking, or immunity to fear.   Border Defenses and the Living Mists
The borders of Valakia are shrouded in an enchanted mist, thick with warding glyphs and the essence of death itself. Within this miasma dwell Mistbound Wraiths, incorporeal guardians who feast on trespassers’ souls. Strategic outposts and watchtowers manned by Veilguard necrosentinels further reinforce the perimeter.