Peoples of the World

[Yakk]

Zwerge

The armistice treaty limited Zwerge military buildup, and barred them from harvesting the great trees of Qora.

Zwerge still resents its loss in the last great war. With one of them - Qora - disappeared, and another - Albion - damaged, Zwerge is violating the letter of the armistice by harvesting in Qora, and violating the spirit of the agreement with the Legion.

Some Major Factions

The Royal Council

Zwerge is ruled by the Council, heads of the Dwarven Clans and a few non-Dwarven Clans as well. Every 10 years the Council selects a new Heir for the Thane. It also determines the over-laws, has the right to declare war, and is the body that can welcome new territory into Zwerge. Finally, they act as advisors to the Thane.

New Thane

The Thane rules Zwerge. To be a Thane, you must be a head of a house of the Stormpeak clan. The previous Thane died 1 year ago, 6 months after the Heir was replaced, in a battle in the western marches. The New Thane has started a mass harvest of the forests of Qora, in violation of the Armistice.

Legion

The army of Zwerge is a part time military. Due to the Armistice, there is a limit to how large the army can be. Each citizen spends 1 month under arms a year, but is only formally a member of the military for 1 week in that month. For 2 weeks, they are an applicant, then for 1 week a member, then for 1 week they are formally being discharged.

The Legion is a non-military organization where people practice their skills. 80% of the part-time military is a member of it, and spends 3-10 days a month practicing. It has increasingly been acting like a military organization since the disappearance of Qora. The full-time Army staff and troops are called "toy soldiers" by the Legion.

Corps of Engineers

A nominally civilian organization whose job it is to build roadways, dams, ships and other construction for the government. Recently it has been producing a new type of Golem, and is consuming vast amounts of Qora wood in its factories to produce "civilian" airships for commercial trade reasons.

Church of the Hammer

A religious institution centered around metallurgy and crafting. They believe that the mortal races where forged out of metals, with different races being made out of different metal. Holy techniques bind the metal of your soul into your flesh, forming living metallic tattoos.

The Guard

The full-time professional military of Zwerge. It lost a lot of prestige from losing the last great war. It is the tip of the spear and the spine of the army. The Generals in the Guard are often invited to Council discussions, but are not formally part of it.

Steam and Whistle

A craft-guide that provides much of Zwerge's wealth. Their steam-powered machines have improved mining efficiency 100 fold, and they sell contraptions (like automated looms, cow milkers, etc) to the entire world. The Golems produced by the Corps are starting to compete with their machines, and the Church of the Hammer has a long standing disagreement over the purity of machine-mined metal as compared to the sacrament of the pick axe.

Hillsfolk

The people who live in the foothills of Zwerge. Considered half way between outsiders and full members of the state. Population wise, they encompass 1/3 of Zwerge, and they export food to the rest of the civilization. Their lands where overrun with battle during the last great war before Zwerge surrendered, and many are bitter at paying that price.