Vandran

The former capital of the Overlord’s Empire. For half a millenia Vandran has been prosperous while the great houses warred against one another, the threat of the Overlord kept all but the insane from attacking. During the Black Iron rebellion the prosperity of Vandran broke down piece by piece until armies sat at Vinthadel’s gates, only held together by the Iron claws of the Invincible Overlord, within the City of Blades, Vinthadel. Then in an instant half of the capital froze, encased in a star of ice, before falling into the sea. Now chaos has taken over Vandran, death, poverty and civil war have engulfed the jewel of Kharotar.  

Government

Until recently Vandran had been ruled directly by the Overlord. While his governors in the Great Houses ruled the nations and Apostles combated his enemies, Vandran was his seat of power. Since the collapse of the Last Empire, the rule of Vandran has been in constant flux. Currently the Aureate Counts control the regions of Vandran, each count aiming to depose the other and all entwined in the dark plots ongoing throughout the deadland. These counts are feudal warlords by another name, governing through coercion, fear and strength.   Count Victor Daine controls Caltengrad and the Malleus Maleficarum more commonly known as Inquisitors, former lord of the Arcana. Daine has perpetuated the worship of Abadar within the northern reaches of Vandran. His intense sense of law and order has made him infamous. Often feared and refuted in court, his Inquisitors have given him immense influence.   Something which Count Daine can offer to all Vandran is protection from the beasts, monsters and other horrors which stalk the land. However, the Malificarum is indiscriminate in their destruction of heresy. The Inquisitors are feared as much by the locals as the monsters they hunt. Among the Malificarum’s duties are also their destruction and apprehension of illegal magics, banned books and demonic influence. Any found harbouring these aspects of oblivion are punished under Inquisitorial law.   The Inquisitors are judge, jury and executioners. They are warranted and encouraged to enforce Inquisitorial law upon any they find to be lacking. Any acts against Inquisitorial law is considered to be heresy. To turn your back on the law is to turn your back to Abadar, or if you still believe in the Overlord, then to him. It is not uncommon for the slightest act of heresy to be met with bloody execution. Inquisitors often abuse their power, the order itself mostly filled by zealots and sadists. The few good men within the Malleus Maleficarum are far and few, often not lasting in a profession so foul. Inquisitors are salvation and damnation to the masses.   It is a dangerous thing to oppose the Malleus Maleficarum. Each Inquisitor has a sample of their blood taken and stored within the Sanguine Vaults. These samples are used to judge the corruption and status of individual Inquisitors. If an Inquisitor is under heretical influence, the vial turns purple. If they are injured it turns brown, and if they are dead the vial turns black. Through the use of Sanguimancers within the Magistar Millitarum, the Inquisitors can find the position and cause of death for said Inquisitors. Even attempting to harm a member of the Malleus Maleficarum is punishable with death by fire.   Countess Lydia Heldrec controls the Magistar Millitarum, daughter of the lord of Magick Obscura. The youngest of the counts, Lydia continues the work which her father spent his life creating. As the premiere magical force in Vandran, the Countess works hand in hand with Count Victor Daine. This is not to say that the two see eye to eye. Daine detests magic, and any method of the Outsider. Heldrec however follows her fathers footsteps, wishing to bend magic to serve man.   Within Vandran magic is persecuted heavily. Unlike in any other part of Kharotar, magic is subjugated and mandated by the Maleficarum and Millitarum both. Licensed Magisters are the only magicians legally allowed to perform magical feats on Vandrani land. While it is difficult to enforce this law throughout such a divided land, it is best to keep such skills to yourself.   Becoming a licenced magistar is a difficult and lengthy process. Its teachings focus on lessening the chaotic effects of magic, teaching forms which are legal and drumming it into the students head to stray from any illegal magical practices. Among the most important of this process is instructing the magistars how to avoid and fight off demonic influence. If any person is found under their influence they are given to the Inquisition, if a magician is found to be under this influence however they are to be killed immediately.   The Magistar Militarum is the formal structure of militarised magicians known as Magistars. These magical practitioners are a standing army which can be rallied under the Millitarum’s banner. However, it is mostly a control structure to manage the number of magicians and their influence. The number and power of each magician is studied and evaluated by members of the Malleus Maleficarum.   Both the Magistar Millitarum and Malleus Malificarum were former staples of the Last Empire. Their power began to crumble as the Black Iron Rebellion rose over the one hundred year war. The Inquisitors and Magistars however do have influence outside Vandran. The Inquisitors often flex what little control they have within the nations in a strange attempt to keep the Overlord’s law.   Count Alex von Locke controls the Vandran Free companies, Former lord of Supreme Law. Alex von Locke had an interesting position within the Last Empire. He was The Blue Eyed King’s personal servant. His envoy and Lord Justicar. The Blue Eyed King was the Apostle of Justice and enforcer of the Overlord’s Will. Locke attempts to continue this law and is one of the few Counts to still worship the Overlord.   Locke was left with the Blue Eyed King’s treasury as he left in the Overlord’s passing. Locke used the last of these funds to secure the loyalty of the Vandran Free Companies. A series of mercenary companies who give their services to the highest bidder, the treasury has secured their services for years to come.   The Free Companies are the closest thing to a standing military within Vandran. They secure influence through protection rackets and have attempted to stomp down would be warlords and cults. They often work with the Millitarum and Inquisitorius is a fragile alliance. The counts of Vandran are in constant conflict, be it open or subtle. However, the military and legal structures often attempt to keep a semblance of order in the midst of this chaos.   Locke also managed to secure a vested interest from the Prowlers. This aloof faction of monster hunters make use of both arcane tactics and strange mechanical weaponry. Due to the threat which the monstrosities of Vandran pose, Locke did not believe the Inquisitors were equipped to deal with them. So, he established the Prowlers a place within his court. The Prowlers come into conflict with the Inquisitors consistently, in competition for contracts with their god or coin.   While the Prowlers operate throughout Kharotar, and even across the Primaterial, the order has taken an interest with Vandran. Some believe this is due to their heritage. One look at a Prowler sparks images of Vandran, their thick leather, forked hats and mechanical contractions. The Prowlers invoke strange rituals and guard their mechanical secrets as they perform their duties all for coin. Their goal is to exterminate the beast, they are the definition of hunters.   Count Balthazar and Countess Annalise Ecaterina control Ecaterina Castle and the Harpies. The duo were infamously reclusive before the fall of the Overlord, but were known to be an influential family with a refined history, dating back to before the Domination.   The Harpies are the premiere diplomatic agency within Vandran. The Harpies are cut throat diplomats, spies and cortiers. They secure trade deals, negotiate between the counts and foreign leaders and are renowned for their ability to secretly pass on and make use of information. Vandran, having not been annexed yet, is often attributed to the Harpies and their skilled manipulation of the broken Empire.   The Harpies are often called Black Envoys by foreign courts. This is due to their gothic dress, attitude and often the news they bare. Few good rumours come out of Vandran and it is the Harpies job to make sure the nation's power is as obfuscated as possible.   The Gheists are another functionary of the Counts court. The Gheists are skilled combatants who hunt the court's enemies with lethal abandon. They are infamous within Vandran. Their skilled use of swordsmanship combined with strange occultism which the Inquisitors seem to abide results in a tenuous cooperation. The Gheists dress in feathered cloth and leather. They also don full face metal masks with the symbology of the Ecaterina family emblazoned upon them.   Below the counts sit barons and viscounts. Again, if only by name. These feudal lords have carved up the territory within Vandran, often allying with the count of their region, even if they only control a small few miles. Civilisation is slowly returning to Vandran, but very slowly.   Some warlords swear no oath to any of the Counts, rather attempting to stake their claim on their own. These types of warlords are often killed, with others replacing them soon after.   Backstabbing, conflict, murder and infighting are commonplace in modern Vandran. Since Vinthadel fell into the sea, Vandran land has been won by might and tenacity. Any alliance within the Aureate counts as a fine balancing act which always sits on the precipice of toppling over. If one intends to survive within Vandran, they must steel their hearts as the monsters of the Marshes and deadlands may strike fear. But the acts of the counts and their rivals are far more fearsome than any monster.  

History

In the ages of old, Vandran was known as Auric the land of knighted kings. Seven of which ruled this disparate and massive province. These seven kings were some of the few to have held the knowledge of the Arenmar immortal elves’ resurrection magic. This usage of the Wend was able to allow the seven kings to live eternally, brought back from death as they were. A form of magic lost during the Overlord’s Domination as he scoured and abolished its use.   The Overlord did however allow the Namerian’s to use their new form of necromancy, bringing creatures back from death, however touching them with the all consuming touch of undeath. The Namerian’s have peddled this magic across the world with the Overlord turning a blind eye, presumably due to its faux longevity making others less suspicious of his own.   Vandran was the first nation to be conquered by the Overlord. The history of Vandran before the Domination is far and few between. Only rumour and inaccuracy remain. The Overlord used Vandran as his capital and amalgamated several cities close in proximity. Creating the monolithic structure that was Vinthadel.   Vinthadel’s sheer size cannot be understated. It was the largest standing structure of its time, a gargantuan city which rose to the heavens and spanned the country. It was a cultural, trading and military hub for the Last Empire. It’s great courts and structures maintained by the fearsome Apostles of the Pact.   The Prowler’s were first established within Vandran after the first Beast Plague outbreak. This plague caused its victims to exhibt bestial, almost lycanthropic traits as well as becoming feral and violent. Some believe that the beast plague was caused by the Prowlers, in their haste to create more Prowlers they unleashed their cursed blood among the population.   The first cannon may have been constructed in Ruskkar, but were christened with innocent blood in Vandran. Fired against insurrectionists within one of the old magical colleges. The Overlord coverted both steel and magic. It was his idea to combine the two, Elemancy his child and he the patron saint, quite literally. Vandran is the start of all Sky towers within Kharotar. Each one leading back to its birthplace, Vinthadel. Under the guidance of the Overlord Vandran became an unstoppable force, and with the power of whale oil powered firearms and faith on their side he formed an empire which dominated the continent.   The Overlord was not born in Vandran, in fact the Overlord’s gender and age are lost to history. So too is his place of birth. The Domination was completed nearly one five hundred years ago. The war in which the Overlord rallied what was formerly Vandran to his banner, slaughtering the Sfall, Triumvirate and any others who stood against him. Little history has been recovered from the Domination, however it is understood that it was a time of great conflict which had not been comparable to any recent conflicts until the Black Iron Rebellion. A surviving record of the Dominion is that the final resistance to the Overlord’s rule took place within the Tower of Lilies, a long since toppled structure. It is said the siege lasted three years over the course, three million dying. The greatest mass loss of life in Kharotar’s history. Its aftermath was far more barbaric as the Overlord let loose the Hellraiser upon the holdout. Watching as children tore their parents apart and wives gutted their husbands. Once the demolition was complete, the survivors were executed.   100 years of civil war have eroded the values of the Vandrani. The steadfast propaganda of duty and service crumbled as the Overlord was pushed back and back. The final nail in the coffin was the death of Vinthadel, as the city was encased in a star of ice the structures of Vandran crumbled into the sea. Riots sparked in the wake of the Overlord’s defeat, his statues and chapels defiled and brought down by those who sought his destruction and soon after the few loyalists who still resided in the capital were exiled into the Deadlands.   The Overlord infamously was a Saint. Not just a title, a saint, who was so pervasive with power that paladins and clerics rallied under him, and drew strength from his magnitude. His death knights carving a path of destruction and putting down rebellion until his end. The Overlord and his Bishops made themselves members of the major religion in Kharotar for some time, the Arcana. The bishops of the Overlord were soldiers and death guards. Powerful beings who were worshipped for traits we would now see as vile. The Overlord even appointed Saints, claiming himself to be ascendant from Saint, to God.   After the defeat of the Overlord half of Vandran fell into the sea. The heart of the deadlands is centred around the Coldharbour. The space in which Vinthadel and half of Vandran fell. All the terrors which once stalked the shadows of the capital, feeding on the Overlord’s path of destruction clawing their way to the fore. Necromancers, Vampires, Werewolves and other gothic horrors once only whispered of under the Overlord’s rule stalk the country, feeding upon its rotting corpse which once held ultimate rule.   As the Counts came to power and picked up the pieces of Vandran, total chaos consumed the country. People became cruel and tribal as they fought to survive. The elderly were driven from villages or killed to save resources. Those with the strength to survive did so, becoming feudal warlords. The Counts of Vandran established themselves in the following years, able to rally a strong presence in the face of such chaos. The Free Companies and Inquisitors began the task of bringing law to a broken land. One which to this day they continue.   It is believed that this chaos consumed the people of Vandran. Each needing to commit awful actions to survive. While so hail the Free Companies, or even Inquisitors as archons of law. Most see them as warlords or even monsters themselves.  

Geography

The landscape of Vandran is scarred, a fetid corpse of its previous prosperity. The fields and farms were once fertile with crops, now much like a microcosm for all Vandran; they are soiled, rotten and scoured by monsters.   Vandran is wide and vast even now. Large forests, swamps and hillsides border the Alastar and Ruskkar mountains. The lowlands of Vandran are stooped in chaos, thrust into a war with no winner. As the Counts fight for control Vandran falls more and more into disrepair. Not only have the Counts scoured the land, independent warlords and powerful individuals vie for Vandran. Feudal strife has come to Vandran, and its effects are bloody and destructive.   It is not uncommon to see bodies hanging from the tree line, punished under either Inquisitorial or feudal law. Large pits full of bodies are common to find as well. The weak do not live long and are often removed to allow for the strong to thrive. The volume of dead bodies have given rise to the immense amount of undead which roam the land. Vandran is a meal for these creatures.   The Beastherds are said to have come to Vandran as well. These herds of beastmen from Ruskkar are a foreign concept to the people of Vandran. Yet it seems at least one of these tribes is attempting to wrestle control from the Counts. Entire farmsteads and towns are said to be found slaughtered. The populace was torn apart and eaten. Women impaled on stakes as a warning and children hung by their mothers' entrails. The wilderness of Vandran has become vile, forgotten and cruel.   The structures of Vandran are tall and imposing, built to look like chapels in every respect by the Overlord’s rule. Gothic architecture lays wartorn and in ruins, being pieced back together by the counts and mass of populace trapped in their home. The former chapels of the Overlord and his Saints have been ransacked and left in ruin. Only in the wilderness and forgotten corners of dark cities will you find those who worship the Overlord and his saints, such as Czorgan. In fact, Czorgan is one of the few Saints of the Overlord said to still live.   Vandran cities are massive, reflecting the capital of Vinthadel in more ways than one. These monoliths of modernity house industry and capital. Money has been poured into these gargantuan pillars of civilization.   Lightning rails cross the cities, allowing fast transport for goods and those with the coin to pay passage. Airship docks lay silent, the resources required to take to the skies put to more needed use. The dry docks however have seen intense use. Ships carrying resources from abroad and care packages from Vandran’s allies mostly do so by ship. Only Alastar has more connected cities using lightning rails.   These cities also stretch outward for miles and up for some time. They are the pillar of modern cities in Kharotar and are metropolis mazes which one can become lost within for years. Canals are common in most Vandran cities and often create these incredible maze-like and intricate districts and streets. Companies and tradesmen from around the world have positions and facilities within Vandran. Avetika arms and Eldbridge chemicals have large storehouses in Vandran cities.   Disease and death fill the streets of Vandran. Plague carrying rats and rotten food carries dreadful plague throughout larger settlements. So prevalent is a particularly deadly strain of this disease that many Inquisitors are outfitted with flamebelchers and stalker stands in order to exterminate the plague ridden. Using these mechanical legs to avoid the rats and flamebelchers to burn both human and animal infected, the Inquisitors have expanded their repertoire of equipment substantially.   The effects of the plague have been catastrophic to the major settlements and cities of Vandran. The maze-like gothic structures hide many of the victims, which are later risen as undead. The Prowlers may often choose to scoure the wilderness for beasts, but cities are home to just as many. The plague and the dead have not only brought the undead, it has also brought werewolves, fledders and a thousand other sources of corruption. The plague is often called the Beast Plague, as its victims begin to exhibit bestial qualities.   The Deadlands only appeared the day the Overlord fell, when Vinthadel and half of Vandran was scarred by that crystalline star. The deadlands are not ice, though black snow falls from the sky. A fresh, cold ash covered the land, coating all the history of the Overlord in black ice. Now as it has settled, people return to the barren waste, competing with the undead, lost souls and other manic creatures.   The Deadlands cover most of the Coldharbours coast and stretch somewhat into the Black Marshes. The Deadlands are considered to be the most dangerous regions of Vandran. Ruled by despotic warlords or the monstrous creatures which roam free. In the Deadlands, even the ground of which you tread wishes your blood and meat. Swallowing graves they call them. Areas of marsh which have been weakened by the fall of Vinthadel. A single step will cause these paper thin pieces of land to topple, drowned by the foul mixture of blood and water below. Marsh hags, undead and Fen Stalkers make use of these graves as traps for their prey.   Another common danger in the Deadlands are the insectoid swarms of massive flies and wasps. These creatures burrow into the dead woodland and make any who fall into the hives their prey.   The Coldharbour is situated in the centre of the deadlands, Versia and Akkis. A bay where Vinthadel fell into the sea. Some claim that you can see the twisted form of the Invincible Overlord lurking below the black waters if one stares for long enough. Like many of the deadlands, the citizens of Vinthadel were ripped from Archaron’s wheel. These souls now latched to those living on the coast, the Children of Coldharbour.   The Coldharbour itself is an ice cold body of water which dead bodies routinely appear from. Living beside the Coldharbour is a dangerous prospect. Dead bodies washing ashore are not your only concern. Creatures stalk the depths of the Coldharbour. Amphibians like monsters which eat the dead and prey on the living. It is also whispered of great shadows appearing on the horizon of the Coldharbour. Massive figures with a thousand eyes and a dozen legs which move the tide with their footsteps.   The Taken are a bizarre affliction found within Vandran recently. This symbiotic infection has recently become one of the most dangerous situations for those within Vandran. The common name for the Vandrani plague of undeath is the Taking, its scientific name is Necris Ambula, a creature infected with the Taking is called a Taken, during infection they are in the process of being ‘Taken’.   The Taking originates from the Night Vault, having been locked away by the Divinity. It is believed that the Divinity once intended to use the Taking to wipe out humanity if they ever chose to invade. This assumption is based on Elven resistance to the Taking. Un-surprisingly this has led to further persecution of elves, with many humans assuming them to have unleashed the Taking.   They are said to steal sunlight and wail like newborns. Their cries are horrific and often throw legions into panic. They do not transform the dead, they can only infect the living.   The parasite is passed through ingestion, scars and bites, the mucus which the infected secretes within their mouths, or if plants, their dew is the carrier of the parasite.   The chance of infection is not definitive. If the victim is infected, their body can fight off the infection if it is hard enough. However, once the parasite takes hold it cannot be stopped. The victim will become violently ill, their bones and flesh beginning to malform. Within the next one to three days, the parasite will begin to reorganise their body, creating weapons from their bones, extending their teeth and in some cases entirely reorganising their body to work best for their predatory behaviour.   It is believed that the victim is still conscious after coming under the control of the parasite, their brain appears to be left mostly intact, meaning that theoretically, the victim experiences all the parasite's actions and pains as their own. The parasite appears to come together in hordes, and create flesh dens, shedding their hosts excess skin and flesh to create hives of biomass. The Taken need to consume, not only does this increase their ability to transform their bodies, but also allows them to rise in their strange hierarchy. Through the acquisition of new biomass, the Taken can heal from wounds and eventually add to their bodies.   Taking, humanoid transformations; Spawn, a spawn is an infected human. Typically these Taken are the most adaptable and varied of their ilk. They make use of the human body to turn themselves into generalists, making use of bone forged weapons and often transforming the bone and marrow of their victims into armour.   Shrike, a shrike is an infected elf. Typically these Taken are lean, with long teeth and claws, making use of elven agility, speed and stealth. Shrike’s are less common than many other Taken due to elvenkind’s resistance to the Taking. Shrikes have been known to shred victims apart in seconds, and even change their blood to poison and hollow their claws, making them into injection devices.   Harvester, a harvester is an infected dwarf. Typically these Taken are stocky and hardy, with bone shifted armour acting like an exoskeleton. Harvester’s often have shovel-like appendages allowing them to sift through soil and stone, in some cases becoming quadrupedal and transforming their skulls into brutal horns and spikes.   Phalanx, a phalanx is an infected orc or goliath. Typically these Taken are towering, coated in dermal armour and sporting large serrated tusks. Phalanx often transform their hands into bludgeoning maces and hammers and are able to engulf a small human whole within their dislodged jaws.   Gnawer, a gnawer is an infected halfling or gnome. Typically these Taken are tiny in stature, using their multi jointed limbs to suffocate, climb and consume their victims. Gnawers have the ability to use their multi jointed appendages to climb like insects.   Taking, stages of infection; The victim begins to develop a fever, starts to excrete fouled fluids and feels heavy levargy within the first six to twelve hours after infection. The victim develops darkened, grey eyes which ooze, suffer from severe migraines and feel an ‘itch’ beneath areas of their skin within the next five to ten hours after the first stage. The victim feels their skin, flesh and bone moving, begin acting out of their control and begin exhibiting rashes, skin rot and early transformation within the next four to eight hours after the second stage. The victim begins to visually transform, their skin, flesh and bone acting out of their control and begin to experience out of body experiences as the parasite takes control within the next six to twelve hours after the third stage. Finally the victim loses total control, becoming a Taken as they completely lose control of their mind and body within the next three to six hours after the fourth stage.  

Culture

Culture in Vandran has changed in the past decade. Before the fall of the Overlord Vandran was supported by the state completely. His cradle, given the finest handouts as long as servitude was maintained. Worship of Overlord a long winded scheme to make obedience and loyalty built into the population. His religion originally started as a sub sect of Abadar, slowly being twisted into the worship of the Invincible Overlord. While the Overlord had never intended to be worshipped as a singular god, he did not let the opportunity go to waste, as he nurtured this development. The Overlord’s true religious goal was to instate himself as a member of the Arcana, the first god to be seen on Kharotar.   Insurrection and rebellion were not commonplace during the Overlord’s rule. News of the outer nations rising strength embedding a growing fear of civil war. All but confirmed when the Black Iron rebellion assassinated nearly a dozen of the Overlords Protectorate death knights with the help of the infamous mercenaries, The Last Howl.   Since the fall of the Overlord the most powerful force in Vandran for civilisation, are the Inquisitors. Skilled killers tasked to find and eliminate any monsters, witches and other aberrations. With the change of leadership came a change in attitude. Inquisitors are indiscriminate, uncompromising murderers who have grown a habit of burning outcasts and non-humans in public to set a precedent and prove a point. Their religious standing in the Arcana is paramount, blessed by priests in the grand cathedrals to help their holy crusade against the beasts.   Religion in Vandran is zealous and devout. The churches built here look to the Overlord as a God among others the Overlord appointed as Saints, with the Overlord set as a near deific prophet. Vicious religious practice has always been performed and the Overlord has always been put on an even greater pedestal since the Empire grasped control. While his name, image and purpose have changed, twisted by the mixed legends of Vandran heroes. This is a highly divisive religion, with many fighting against it for its veneration of a tyrant while the remnant forces of Empire loyalists attempt to use it to clammer control over the nation once again. Since the Overlord’s death, the Arcana has become Vandran’s major religion. In particular the god Abadar being venerated above others. His ideals of civilisation and law resonate with the Vandrani who have been sundered. Abadar defines the Inquisitors and culture in Vandran. Abadar was once a man, entering the Arcana through the strength of soul alone.   Within Vandran the Chapel of the Overlord still holds a semblance of influence. As such the worshippers of the Arcana and more specifically Abadar still follow some hold outs of these traditions. Most clergymen did not sit in place like a bishop or priest. Instead they sought to praise the Overlord’s name through action. This faith through action concept has been transposed onto the Arcana. Most Inquisitors are Empire veterans and clergymen who still follow this concept.   The people of Vandran are a religious and devout bunch. With the fall of the Overlord, the Arcana and Abadar have become the dominant religions. Most Vandrani worship the Arcana through faithful prayer, following the Inquisitor's guidance and a solemn vow to push back against corruption.   The people of Vandran live in fear and the grace of the Inquisitors. To defy them is futile, the law and Abadar stand on their side. The Inquisitors are often seen as the masses' salvation as well as their damnation. No other man can sow such a sense of fear in the guilty and innocent. It is common for even the most innocent to hide when they pass through town.   Corruption is something the people of Vandran fear most. A beast is dangerous because it can strike you down. However the corrupted bring death to all. Corruption comes in many forms, werewolves, vampires and the possessed are among the most feared. However, the demonic outsiders wrestle control from all. Any slight modicum of corruption is met with lethal abandon by the Inquisitors and their crusade to purge them all.   Vandran was once prized for its military prowess. The finery of their dress and refined tactics made them a force to be feared across Kharotar. The Headhunters were born in Vandran, these elite military snipers who often killed from immense distance. Since the Overlord’s fall the military state of Vandran has changed. The once regimented uniform has fallen out of fashion in favour of poorly put together armorants with their Counts sigil roughly painted atop.   Weapons, guns and cannons were common in Vandran before the fall of Vinthadel. As such these tools have been widely distributed and it is not uncommon to find travellers, homesteaders or even townsfolk carrying heavy arms. Vandran is a dark place where being unprepared can kill.   It is common practice now for all to attend combat instruction. In the days of the Overlord only adult men were conscripted to the military or the watch. Now however, any able to carry and use a weapon are legally obligated by the Counts to either join the Free Companies, Harpies or the various guards across the country. It is of little surprise that most spend this tenure protecting their settlements' borders by joining the Watch. This however does mean that the majority of Vandran’s populace are skilled in combat. The laws which maintain this instruction however only stretch as far as the major settlements and headquarters of the Counts, straying too far from civilization is a dangerous task.   Clothing in Vandran is modern. High collars, long coats and sweeping dresses were common within the nobility. Even peasants were able to engage in the modern fashion as clothing became easier to produce and procure. However, now such senses of fashion have vanished. Only the extremely rich and influential care for such trivialities. For many nobles little has changed, they just have an opportunity to gain further power. The black cloths and burnished leathers which made Vandran fashion famous now reflect the mourning that all Vandrani feel.   The nobility live in relative safety, defended by the watchmen, favoured by the Inquisitors and able to hire the Prowlers. Members of the nobility are not beholden to conscription and can often pay to have their Magister licences falsified for any magically talented members of their household.   The nobility of Vandran has always been corrupt and selfish in their actions. The houses of the Empire are as powerful as they are old. The Overlord’s law however did judge all equally, making the current change in some ways preferable. Many Vandrani serve the nobility as envoys, watchmen, personal guards and of course servants. As with everything, not all members of the nobility are evil natured. Some have chosen to use their influence and wealth to better Vandran and during the fall of the Overlord many noble families housed refugees and others displaced by the chaos.   Vandran was once the most technologically advanced nation in the world. Their lightning rails, airships and master planned cities are able to rival any from across the Primaterial. Now Vandran sits on the precipice of total chaos, however the technological marvels have saved the nation from total damnation. Lightning rails are commonly used for transportation along with canal boats within waterbound cities. The many rivers of Vandran were often used to construct cities over, making these great canals which many Vandrani make their livings from.   Life within Vandran cities can range from luxurious to downright doomed depending on your status of birth and wealth. For the nobility these massive cities present copious opportunities. But for the common man these icons of opportunity often become hives which they cannot escape. Crime is common, from individual criminals to organised gangs. For many resorting to working with or for these organisations is the only way to survive.   The Watchmen are the guard for major settlements in Vandran. The term is often used for village and town guards across the country, but its origin is the night watchmen of the cities. The Watchmen are conscripted from healthy men and women of age, however the more chaotic and dangerous the regions become the more common it has become to conscript women and younger watchmen.   The Ecaterian Crows use Ortifex hearts to seek out their targets, attuning the hearts syphoning sensors to the blood of their victims. To do so, only requires a drop of blood within their heritage. When in range to their target, these hearts begin to syphon from the target, small tendrils sucking in large volumes of blood.   These Ortifex hearts are said to whisper to the Ecaterian Crows and are believed to have been plucked from the Crow’s own chest. Other theories suggest that these hearts were in fact harvested from the seven kings of Vandran, for seven Crows.   A Prowler’s non-dominant arm is removed. This is done as it is believed that their beast blood's madness begins in the traitor arms fingers. This belief comes from the ancient perception of possession, the non-dominant hand being the least connected part of the body's whole, resulting in it being the first thing to rebel against its host.   The Prowler’s replace the arm with a Botched Prosthesis. Each of these prosthetic arms are unique, made individually by the Prowler. Their design, while it differs, always includes a crucible jar and cannula. The Prowler uses their own arm’s bones in its construction and carve runes of their blood into the bone to animate it. Sometimes these prosthetics are equipped with weapons and tools in order to target a specific monster’s weaknesses.   A botched prosthesis is powered by the constant use of a Prowler’s blood. This in turn allows for their tools and the arm to act with the use of few mechanical elements meaning that the prosthesis can be maintained easily.   As well as allowing for the extraction of blood, the prosthesis is always equipped with a crucible jar at its centre, which holds excess blood for the quick refilling of their cannula, this collected blood is what the prosthesis’ runes sap in order to power it. This crucible jar is also able to vapourize their blood and expel it, allowing the Prowler to use it as a casting component to spells.   Prowlers make use of their cursed blood in alchemical mixes, spells and for their grimly consecrated equipment. The beast blood which the Prowler’s house can light a flame, become cold as ice and any number of magical combinations. Prowler’s carry a vial case with them, inside each of these Botched Cannula vials lays a portion of their own blood, combined with other alchemical mixtures. Through the imbibing of these mixes, the Prowlers can edit and transform their own body. Popular doses include a tonic which lights their blood on fire while inside their body, making combat with vampires sizably easier.   Prowler’s to attach their cannula injection kit to the elbow of their prosthesis, allowing the fast application of tinctures and extraction of their blood.   Prowler tonics are made using ingredients primarily from monsters, combined with Prowler blood. This allows Prowlers to create vanishing mist from vampire ash, bestial rage from a werewolf’s adrenal gland and many more monstrous concoctions.   Prosthesis tools are uncommon and unwieldy, only used by the most experienced hunters. Weapons such as spears, swords, axes and knives are among the most common to be attached. Alongside in equal parts firearms, crossbows and flame beltches.   More unique tools such as unfurling shields, grappling hooks and poisoned needles which are ejected by springs exist. The most unique are spinning scythes which bypass natural armour. Powdered silver and poisonous spores which are added to the crucible jar. Melting crucibles which apply molten silver, gold and other metals to their weapons. Even spinning saw blades which shred flesh and create bladed shields.   Each Prowler has a mental ‘beast’, a voice which calls for hunger, violence and the commitment to bestial acts.   The Prowler’s beast blood carries several unique advantages. Firstly, the Prowler’s blood coagulates and clots rapidly, stopping rapid blood loss and allowing their use of botched cannula to be done so with greater ease. Secondly, when the Prowler sleeps, their ‘beast’ stays conscious and alert, allowing the Prowler to fight fatigue within the most hostile of locales. Thirdly, the ‘beast’ within the Prowler is able to inform their host of blood and fleshes origin. By drinking a potion, drinking blood or eating flesh the ‘beast’ will communicate to them where it came from and the emotive nature when it was shed. Fourthly, the Prowler has heightened hearing and sense of smell, the beast blood is able to turn the average convict into a proven hunter.   The beast blood of the Prowlers also comes with a curse. Along with their talents for sensing monsters, smelling magic and the use of said blood as a universal component, the Prowler’s are said to be doomed to meet a singular fate. Each Prowler will one day be taken over by their ‘beast’, malformed and contorted into monsters so foul that once symptoms show, it is the Prowler’s brothers duty to put them down. The leading reason for these immediate executions is to hide the truth. If the public knew that their protectors were as monstrous as the beasts they hunted they would turn their swords on them.   The curse which the Prowler’s force upon themselves during their prowling ritual is what gives them their beast blood. Rumour says that the prowling ritual calls out to an outer entity, of which the ‘beast’ which speaks with the Prowler is. If true, the motives of this being is unknown.   With the new Necris Abula plague rising in Vandran, the Prowler’s immunity is believed to be due to the ‘beast’ parasite already finding a home within their Prowler host.  

Peoples

  Vandran is a diverse region of Kharotar, having been the centre of power in the Empire for generations. The Overlord himself encouraged the intermingling of people from all over the world within Kharotar, many believing that his intentions were not solely cohabital. The Overlord wished to rule all, not only men, but elves, dwarves and any other. After 700 years as the capital of Kharotar, Vandran has people and ancestries from all over the continent and even the world. However, since Vinthadel fell into the sea, few come to the jewel of Kharotar anymore. Vandran was one of the major centres for mankind after their migration from the Long Shadow. Their culture in Vandran is defined by their former obedience to the Overlord. Now without focus this zealotry has turned to the religious teachings of the God, Abadar.   Dwarves were ushered into Vandran during the Overlord’s push for militarization. Joining the Ruskkar Military with his own Militarium. Ironically few Humans served in the battles over the Empire, mainly fielded by the Inevitable and foreign forces. The many forges of Vandran are maintained by the new masters of firearms after their creation in the gold road far from Kharotar.   Non-humans face many of the same prejudices found in other nations, however unlike the sister nation of Versia, under the Overlord each individual found a place in their service to the Empire. Many Elves became covert ops and lancer Jezails, Dwarves as artillerists and so on.   Now the growing religious sentiment in Vandran has begun to create a fear of the supernatural and the magical. Non-humans are treated with fear and mistrust, shunned from the settlements of Vandran. This racism toward Non-humans is only stoked by the Inquisitors, who often lynch and burn Non-humans. Not all Vandrani share the Inquisitor’s vile hatred. Many work to undo their control, wishing for Vandran to be a free home to all.   In hushed whispers vampires and werewolves are said to stalk the land. These creatures wearing human skin are more feared than any other. Stories of families being pulled limb by limb by their own father, prostitutes being found drained of blood and hundreds of missing peoples cases have led to a great fear of these night beasts. The Inquisition has been known to burn shifters, changelings and any other individual who shares appearances with the folkloric concepts of these skinwalkers.   The Children of Coldharbour are an aberration, the souls pulled from the Wheel conjoined with these youths, unable to enter the wheel of rebirth. Their connection to the Wheel allows them to peek into the minds of others in a similar way to magical Ciphers. As well as the odd manifestation of their twinned soul. They are said to communicate with spirits in their dreams, a hyper realised incarnation of the dreams many awakened mortals experience. Kalashtar are also immune to possession, possibly due to the fact that they already house an aberrant spirit.