Homeland Keyword : Kralori Exile

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Centuries ago the Exarchs and Priests of the Kingdom of Splendour were driven from their Provinces by the foreign devils of the False Dragon Ring. They came to the desolate hills of Ignorance, drove off the fearsome troll overlords and began to rule the native population of humans. Without their Emperor to ensure harmony the Exarchs, now calling themselves Dragon Kings or the Empire of New Wisdom, soon became jealous rivals, mimicking, in some ways, their Ignorant subjects.

"When awful darkness and silence reign
Over the great Gromboolian plain,
Through the long, long wintry nights;
When Storm-clouds brood on the towering heights
of the Hills on the Chankly Bore:
Then, through the vast and gloomy dark..."

Keywords

Occupations Cavalry soldier (skirmish), entertainer, farmer, foot soldier (crossbowman, regular, shock), healer, hunter, merchant, petty noble, scholar, thief.
Native Abilities Kralori Customs, Obsequious, Command Ignorant, Geography of Ignorance, Know Local Area.
Typical Personality Resilient, Hate Shang Hssa
Typical Flaws Illusion, Ignorant, Sensational, Materialist.
Typical Relationships To parents, to village, to headman.
Magic Common magic, Imperial Adorations (veneration), Kralori Pantheon (theism), Hsunchen Traditions (animism)
Common Names Heseroon Marn, Kui Hui, Lu Way, Can Shu, Li Phanquan, Yao Fune, Ling Chung, Pai Raouw, Wo Lung Dung, Tung, Kulang, Julang Hombondol, Ban Yow, Huang Is

Common Magic

Instructions of Aptanace

A seven hundred verse poem. Aptanace was the father of the fourteen hundred children who took on the roles of all of the civilised occupations and social classes. His instructions teach, amongst other things, how to be a good citizen.
Feats Work Hard, Instruct Descendants, Recite Poetry, Know One's Place, Fire, Stay Calm.
Charms Please Ancestors, Good Health, Detect Illusion, Do One's Job
Spells Ward Against Magic, Resist Materialism, Remember Parents Advice, Good Etiquette.

Okerio Allgiver and Ebe Wild Man

Okerio was the Wife given to Ebe by Mercy of Dragon. Aptanace the Sage and his descendants, the True Humans, came from their association. Ebe was the First Human. He related with many Lives for his Loneliness until he was given his Wife. And he made many other races - such as the Dozaki (Trolls) and Babadi (Dwarfs).
Feats Enjoy Life, Get Angry, Vigour, Sing Raucous Song.
Charms Endure Hunger, Inspire Pity.
Spells Bless Beer, Make Rice Wine, Tame Wild Man, Vigorous Mating.

Hsunchen Beast Cousins

The people of Kralorela are allegedly descendants of Aptanace the Sage, son of Wild Man and Allgiver. However, many are also descendants of the many other children of Wild Man - thes beast peoples are now generally absorbed in the general mass of Kralori but their spirits give charms that are still useful to their descendants. The local Hsunchen include the Deer, Tiger, Yak, Day Bat, Night Bat, Eagle, Cloud Leopard, Wild Pig, Jungle Hen, Combed Sheep, Four tusk elephant, Spurred Deer, Barred Seal people, their distribution varying from Province to Province.
Charms specific animal related charms.

Specialized Religions

Imperial Adorations

The worship of the Emperor is the state sponsored religion of Kralori citizens, run by assistants to the mandarins, generally the village headman, or urban block warden. These assistants act as spies on other villages, and denounce troublemakers.
Abilities Sagely Wisdom, Worship Exarchs.
Assistants (Liturgists) only: Venerate Exarchs
Virtue Humble
Scripture

Imperial Adorations

Common Blessings Be Content with Life, Bless Exarch, Good Citizen.
Special Blessings Name Child, Protect from Illness, Resist Devils, Resist Sensation, Resist Ignorance, Resist Materialism, Resist Illusion, Bless Marriage, Bless Corpse.
Curses: Curse Enemy, Curse Devils.

Order of Metsyla

Enlightened Ones: Followers of Metsyla's Path of Enlightenment through the Seventeen Lessons to Perfection. Common among the patrician class.
Occupations Petty noble
Virtues
Scripture

(unknown)

Common Blessing Reconsecrate talismans
Formulary

Seventeen Lessons of Perfection

Sample spells Avoid ignorance, Resist Sensation, Ignore Materialism, Dispel Illusion, Enlighten Self, Patience, Remain unsullied by world, Levitation meditation, Make scapegoat

Imperial Order of Thalurzni

Balancers (Eunuchs): Thalurzni created this tradition to bring Balance to Kralorela. Its practitioners were Kralorela's first officials and bureaucrats but have since been superseded by the Mandarins. They now only survive as a few fighting orders, guardians and servitors of the Imperial Palace and as practicing alchemists. The core of the Balancer tradition is the transformation of ordinary substances into the draconic equivalent through balancing the elements. Many Balancers achieve balance by sublimating their sexual organs this transforms them into asexual androgynes, hence their common name as Eunuchs. The Balancers have a bad reputation of being corrupt and greedy this is because their greater transformations are so expensive yet so rewarding.
Occupations Scholar, Petty noble
Virtues Passionate, Strong-willed.
Grimoires

Alchemical Records of Thalurzni

Sample spells Gold to lead, Silver to Gold, Expel Shadow Cancer, Expel Secret Water, Expel Earth Eater, Expel Star Permutator, Balance Elements, Enchant Silver, Enchant, Gold, Enchant Bronze, Enchant Tin, Enchant Copper, Enchant Iron, Enchant Lead, Sublimate Desires

Annals of the Imperial Palace

Sample spells Influence government, Serve Emperor

Imperial Order of Mikaday

Mandarins (Hsin Tu): Created by Mikaday after he observed the Balancers impoverishing others. Their practice emphasizes the understanding of draconic writing to transform the self and others. They are the most common Sage.
Occupations Scholar, Petty noble
Virtues Respected, Wise
Scripture

Eminence in Learning

Common Blessings: Consecrate talismans
Formulary

(unknown)

Sample spells: Assess tax, Assess Duty on Goods, Apply Law, Keep Peace, Investigate crime, Organise public works)

Order of Vayobi

War-Dragons: The armed forces of Kralorela. Created by Vayobi. Lowest enlightened rank is the Talon while the highest is a General. This tradition emphasizes becoming participation within a Dragon of War. Looked down upon by the Mandarins as hopelessly fallen.
Occupations Soldier, Sailor, Healer
Virtues Pragmatic, Single-minded
Scripture

Meditations with the Blue Dragon

Common Blessings: Consecrate talismans
Formularies

The Art of War

A textbook for generals.

Engineering

A textbook for military engineers

Rocketeering

A textbook for rocketeers and kite fliers.

Military police

A textbook for military discipline

Surgeons

A textbook for military surgery.

Cult of Orca

Misapplied veneration of the Hsunchen majestic spirit of Orca the Killer Whale

By Any Means Necessary

How to worship demons and other horrors to defeat the enemies of Splendour - an assortment of veneration techniques for getting useful magic from demons.

Order of Vashanti

Wanderers: Sages created by Vashanti. Since the Cosmic Dragon dismembered itself, they visit the various draconic nexi to gain enlightenment. Such visits also strengthen the world and the Emperor Vashanti created these sages to reknit the world during the Great Darkness. The Sages have a mystical map, "the web of righteous enlightenment", that shows the routes between the nexi whether on this world or the otherworlds. Most of them simply travel within Kralorela while a few travel beyond. A school within the "wanderers" knows how to make Dragon Roads. Another school teaches how to send the psyche from one nexi to another they are used by the Kralori for long-distance communication and also for information retrieval.
Occupations Scholar, Petty Noble
Virtues Poverty, Chastity, Wanderlust
Scripture

(unknown)

Common Blessings: Consecrate talismans
Formularies

The Web of Righteous Enlightenment

Sample Spells: Send Psyche Between Nexi, Identify Nexus, Construct Nexus

Order of Yanoor

Faithful Dragon School: Described in the Glorantha: Intro. Remnants of Yanoor's martial teachings cobbled together along with some other debris?
Occupations Warrior
Virtues Loyalty, Brave.
Scripture

Always faithful

Common Blessings: ???
Formulary

(unknown)

Sample Spells: Know True Emperor

Order of Shoki

Demon Quellers: Shoki was a gifted but ugly scholar who was renowned in his youth for his demon-fighting exploits in the service of Emperor Thalurzni. Denied the recognition that he deserved, Shoki later sought to prove his worth to Thalurzni's successor, Mikaday the Merciful, and devoted himself to study. Once more he excelled in his work, and once more he was overlooked. Some stories claim the Emperor was repelled by his ugliness; others tell of jealous rivals who conspired against him; all agree that he came to a sorry end. Consumed by shame at his failure, Shoki took his own life on the steps of the Imperial Palace.

When his sad tale was related to Mikaday, the Emperor was moved to tears, and gave orders that his tragic subject be buried with the highest honours. Filled with gratitude, Shoki's spirit repented of his pride and vowed to serve all future rulers by passing on his skills and knowledge to those who sought them. Tormented by lack of recognition in life, Shoki finally saw the benefits of remaining in the shadows, and resolved to keep this, his last and greatest work, a secret.

Thus was born the Order of Shoki, the Demon Queller. Largely unremarked, its scholarly adherents record the form and habits of the many and varied demons and other malevolent entities that have plagued Kralorela in its long history, and quitely put this accumulated knowledge to use in combatting these enemies. In the demon-infested Kingdom of Ignorance, their skills and wisdom find frequent application...

Occupations Scholar, Warrior
Virtues Modest, Devoted, Brave
Formularies

The Vile Bestiary

Sample Spells: Identify Weakness, Banish Demon

Worshipped Gods

Halisayan, the Good Wife

Occupations Farmer
Affinities Bless Family, Bless Mothers, Bless House.

Bodkartu, the Terrible Woman

Occupations ???
Affinities Curse, Secret, Revenge.

Miyo, Rice Mother

Occupations Farmer
Affinities "Rice", "Rice and", "More Rice"

Emerald Fish Lord

Occupations Fisher
Affinities Green, Fish, Mastery

Atyar

Occupations Scholar, Thief
Affinities Knowledge, Theft.

Majestic Spirits

Orca
Cannibal Cult
Deer
Tiger
Yak
Day Bat
Night Bat
Eagle
Cloud Leopard
Wild Pig
Jungle Hen
Combed Sheep
Four tusk elephant
Spurred Deer