North Thaera
Proper Name: Vak'Moor ("Blademoor")
Provincial Government: Hereditary Dictatorship, Mind Control
Leaders: Crutag Kolan The Fifth (CN Hob M Bard 3/Aristocrat 1) , The Great Collective (LE Illithid Elder Brain Psionicist 20), Shoto Kahlas (NE Hob M Fighter 14/Aristocrat 3)
Provincial Capital: Crutagia
Major Cities & Towns: The Twelve Towns of Crutag
Districts: The Fields of Sorrow
Resources: Arms, Armor, Horses, Soldiers
Coinage: Crutags (Gold Coins)
Population: Total # - Racial Makeup Hobgoblins 70%, Humans 15%, Half-Goblins 10%
Languages: Hatanese (Goblinish), Ortho Common
Alignment (Populace): Lawful Neutral (Humans and Hobgoblin Citizens), Lawful Evil (Hobgoblin soldiery)
Alignment (Law): Lawful Evil
Faiths: Hextor (Hobgoblins), The Lords of Order (Humans)
Vak'Moor is is a land of endless moors, swamps, and stone bridges that criss cross the land to islands that contain the stone and clay cities of the Hobgoblins of Ortho. It is not anyone's idea of a paradise but more than half the land has been drained and cultivated to slowly become one of the stronger nations of the planet.
The cities of Vak'moor are unattractive places that are usually dominated by austere Armories, Barracks, Coliseums, Temples to Hextor, Training Grounds, and Royal Palaces. The greatest of Generals are allowed to construct vast palaces that become symbols of hereditary prestige that is expected to be lived up to by future generations. They are frequently dotted with monuments to great leaders of the past and spontaneous parades honoring the triumphs of individual members. Humans are extremely rare in this city and armored humans are always expected to be visiting members of the Harmonium. Those who aren't armored are expected to produce their papers immediately. Beholders, Orcs, and other races are almost unknown in Thaera.
The only rural region in Vak'moor is the Fields of Sorrow that are vast rice and other muddy crop producing regions. The houses of the human populous are often made of mud, wood, and thatch with only charity constructed buildings being made of anything else. The only stone buildings in this region are Churches to the Lords of Order and quite a few have sank thanks to the climate.
People
Hobgoblins on Ortho are expected to be soldiers and its only been in the past two hundred years that other trades have been allowed to them as 'honorable' professions. A Hobgoblin may now pursue a path as a armorer, athlete, horse trainer, smith, military orator (bard), or war wizard. All other positions are considered to be dishonorable and subject to shunning or worse. The Clergy and Healing have always been available to Hobgoblins but the later is considered to be a woman's field. Most male priests of Hextor are expected to wield only offensive spell casting on the battlefield.
A typical Hobgoblin is taken from his family and enrolled into the military at age eleven where he proceeds to have all of his education handled by retired veterans. He is given all the teachings of a warrior and spends the next seven years in study before he is given full status as a man. Most are rewarded for their first two years on the battlefield with a bride if they perform adequately. They are selected based on performance and some Hobgoblins recieve multiple wives for their accomplishments. Divorce is permitted by Hobgoblin females but most rarely see their husbands unless they are home for recreation. Most hobgoblins retire before the age of forty five and those who do not are often elevated to the status of Evoc ("Noble Warrior").
"Otaki" (Half-Hobgoblins) occupy a peculiar place in Vak'moor as they are allowed to fill in the places that Rural humans are not allowed to. Most servant positions and bureaucratic roles are occupied by those who have incomplete goblin blood. They live reasonably well but are expected to live 'out of sight' and do not marry true goblins. A few Otaki have been allowed into the military or elevated to the status of true Hobgoblins but most of these have done so by 'passing' as a full blooded member of the race. Much of Vak'moor's economy is run by Otaki and their human slaves (see below).
Rural humans live a miserable existance here and are provided for by the Hobgoblins only to the level that is minimally required by the Harmonium. Charities and mission work by the Harmonium's various churches is common here but strongly discouraged by the Hobgoblin leadership. Nevertheless, aiding the Humans of Vak'moor is a frequent bit of political and clerical theatre. Regularly, a few humans are taken from the rural humans to be raised as translators or personal servants for wealthy Otaki.
Leaders
The Generalissmo of the Hobgoblins is the Crutag. The role is traditionally given to one of the descendants of the previous Crutag by vote of the Council of Generals. The position is held for life and he is largely given absolute authority over most matters pertaining to war and civics. Traditionally, the Crutag appoints the Vak'moor representatives to the Council of Ortho and many foreigners feel that he has too much power. The Hobgoblins of Vak'moor feel that other races put too much faith in an unstable system like democracy.
The Council of Generals are composed of dignified Hobgoblin veterans of noble birth that are almost invariably fifty years of age or more. They appoint their own successors and mostly administer the promotion of troops. The Council of Generals are always pressuring their representatives in the Council of Ortho to find new wars for the troops of Vak'moor to participate in. They are thus viewed as unrepentant hawks by the majority of Ortho citizens (and that should tell you something since most Ortho folk are war supporters by nature).
The current Crutag, Kolan the Fifth is a bit of an abberation. A womanizing and bizarrely dressed fop, a lot of Vak'moor consider him to be a disgrace to the race. Furthermore, he's repeatedly shown himself to have almost no respect for the Harmonium or their ideals. Despite this, the Council of Generals largely supports him. This has lead Shoto ("High General") Kahlas, a respected member of the Council of Generals to withdraw his troopers in preparation for a military removal of the man.
The Harmonium is unsettled by this turn of events and is prepared to aid in the prevention of Civil War. However, both Shoto Kahlas and the Council of Generals have stated they will join their forces to repulse any Harmonium incursions into their province. This has utterly shaken a lot in the OCA as they've rarely had to deal with armed revolt from an otherwise loyal province. Given the abnormally high percentage of troopers from Vak'moor (fully twice any other individual province in Ortho), many consider that attempting invasion would be a disaster. Make no mistake, the Harmonium would win thanks to their endless supply of troops but the conflict would throw countless other operations into conflict. The military force needed to suppress North Thaera would probably lead to its utter destruction as well.
The Dark of the Leaders
Nobles in the Hobgoblin race are those soldiers that have distinguished themselves upon the battlefield to be invited to become officers of the military and permanent members of the aristocracy. There's no such thing as officer training that doesn't include time with the grunts and all leaders tend to be grizzled veterans as a result. They live exceptionally well and the Hobgoblin tradition of battle includes taking spoils. This has lead to a great number of enriched Hobgoblins and a ridiculous number of reprimands from the Harmonium who tend to frown on this sort of robbery. At the very least, Hobgoblins pick the pockets of all of the battlefield dead if they can get away with it.
Children of officers tend to advance more quickly but never are given their positions unless someone pulls strings. These officers tend to be killed in 'accidents' and to be a Zokat ("Unarmed Promotion") is one of the most frequently leveled insults at the current Crutag.
The actual power in Vak'moor is 'The Great Collective' that lives under the capital city in a vast underground warren. The Great Collective arrived on Ortho when a group of Illithid slavers misinterpreted the world as one without Spell jamming technology. A Squid Battle cruiser was shot down after deploying a landing party and they were subsequently marooned. Over the past few centuries, they've constructed their own Elder brain and have been controlling the Crutag lineage since then.
About a hundred Illithids currently live in Vak'moor and are constantly looking for ways to expand their number while maintaining their secrecy. The Harmonium's connection to the Outer Planes has put them in touch with the rest of their race. They've constructed their own portals to the Outlands in order to import slaves and equipment. On occasion, the Illithids snack upon human slaves brought to them by their dominated Hobgoblins and those members of society that won't be missed. Most of their food is still bought at the Gate Town of Ribcage. The Sanitarium for Well Being (see below) is one of their greatest creations.
Shoto Kahlas is the first leader of the Council of Hobgoblins to be free of the Illithid's control. This is because he long ago sold his soul to Alzrius and gained an immunity to mind-control as one of the fringe benefits. While as militant and authoritarian as most Hobgoblins, the Demon worshiper has often felt the need to be flexible about ways to advance the race's cause. Alzrius has promised him ample rewards if he steers the race back to their 'roots.' The fact he knows that the Illithids control the Council and that they know he's controlled by the King of Brands has prevented both from revealing the truth to the rest of the Harmonium.
And Kolan? Kolan is just an idiot that was picked because he had absolutely no ambition or desire to investigate the strange goings on in his homeland. The Illithids haven't even bothered to mind control him.
History
Whereas the other provinces have the Knights of Harmony, The Hobgoblins have the story of Crutag. Crutag (LE Hob Proxy of Hextor M Fighter 21) lead a vast host of warriors from the Heavens in order to come to the world of Ortho and battle the forces of Chaos. Crutag's legendary exploits would include defeating the Elves and one of the Lords of Chaos in hand to hand battle. Ultimately, Crutag was treacherously slain by one of his minions poisoning him before battle with the Balor Zoad. The Great Prince Rohmel then slew the Balor and won the eternal friendship of the Hobgoblin people.
According to the Hobgoblins, the lesser humans of the Harmonium rewarded their race's faithful service with a horrible piece of swampland rather than the entirety of the Thaeran Empire as they deserved. The Hobgoblins repaid this treachery by claiming all of their battle captives as indentured servants and using them to carve a true nation from the land. They also proceeded to set Crutag's youngest son above them in eternal rulership of them, for he was the most capable of Crutag's hundred or so offspring.
Vak'moor has been something of an eyesore in the Harmonium ever since. There's no denying the Hobgoblins are firm allies of the Ortho government ever since. Whenever there's a large scale military engagement, the Hobgoblins are happy to be first in line to contribute troops. They were there for the War of Iron (a "glorious way to die") and they've happilly filled every last levy request that Factol Faith has asked for recovering the missing Plane of Arcadia ("Fight the dreaded bugs!"). They've also repeatedly told the other provinces to mind their own business whenever the issue of human rights in Vak'moor comes up.
The fact is that the Hobgoblins are always spoiling for a fight and are one of the reasons that the Harmonium has the somewhat questionable reputation that it does. They supported Julhein whole heartedly because, despite being a human, the Composer having absolute power and making the rest of Ortho more like a military made sense to them. They also don't seem to get that colonies of Ortho should consider themselves subordinate until they start conquering their own worlds on the Harmonium's behalf! That's how Hobgoblins would do it, after all.
The Hobgoblins *have* improved as the humans of Vak'moor are no longer occasionally hunted for sport, the right to leave their families behind if they want to join the Harmonium, and can practice their religion in peace. The expanding of honorable trades and the outlawing of the Gladiator Games is also a result of the Harmonium's influence. Indeed, they no longer leave unhealthy Hobgoblin babies to die either (but send them *outside* the province for adoption). Thus, many Hobgoblins have actually shifted from the ways of evil to a more neutral outlook but it is a rare Hobgoblin that could be called 'good.'
Relations have also improved with the surrounding provinces so that plenty of Hobgoblins come back from their military adventures without the blinding prejudice that used to affect them. Nevertheless, old habits are hard to break and the Council of Generals knows that they couldn't send all of their sons to war unless SOMEONE was doing the farming for almost no pay. The thought of forcing Hobgoblins to take up a hoe and plow is unthinkable after all.
Unfortunately, it goes to show you what sort of future that Vak'moor has when they've just signed a large scale binding economic agreement between themselves and South Tharea...
The Dark of North Thaera's history
The first thing to note is the Hobgoblin's version of history is complete bunk. Crutag was an Oerth mercenary that managed to impress his God so much that he was taken to lead a vast number of Planar Hobgoblins from Acheron on various missions to support his god's faithful. They didn't arrive on Ortho to fight the forces of Chaos either. They actually had been hired as mercenaries for the Demon Lord Azlrius. It seems that Alzrius needed someone to guard his slaves while waging war against the Harmonium and the monstrous creature's vast wealth allowed him to import an entire civilization of Hobgoblins to do the deed.
Crutag was an ambitious sort and seeing that Alzrius' forces were getting beaten back, decided to play the winning team. King Rohmel was rather peery about hiring them but necessity triumphed over ideals. This resulted in Alzrius sending his General, Zoad to kill Crutag. The whole idea that he was poisoned beforehand is actually just a cover up for the fact that Crutag met his end while rip roaring drunk after a successful victory on the battlefield. The irony is that Rohmel didn't even destroy Zoad, the Balor was defeated by Po Ji The Wanderer some several months later but Hobgoblin leaders felt the need to give a reason why they working with humans rather than conquering them. The Harmonium has adopted the Hobgoblin story as official as well, despite the fact that Rohmel was fighting another battle at the same time that Zoad was killed.
What's disturbing is Crutag's contract with Alzrius has him needing a further year for him and his descendants to pay off the service of before he's free of it. Alzrius has waited to cash this in and the breeding habits of the Hobgoblin race has resulted in the entire race on Ortho now being a blood relation. It's only a matter of time before Alzrius decides to use this to his full advantage.
Notable Locations
Balor's Skull is a gigantic rock formation that has been carved into the image of a demonic skull. This isn't the literal skull of Zoad, which is actually entombed within, but a place of pilgrimage for thousands of Hobgoblins each year to see the place that Crutag fell in glorious battle.
Crutagia is just one of the many cities named after Crutag. It is the main center of the Hobgoblin civilization on Ortho and a place where all military honors are conducted. It is a place that most foreigners choose to visit, despite being forced into a foreign quarter that is designed to cater to their needs rather than have them associating with the Hobgoblin race as a whole. The Tomb of Crutag is here and another destination for thousands of pilgrims every year. The vast parade grounds have been known to have the sight of ten thousand or more marching soldiers at any given time.
The Fields of Sorrow are a cordoned off district of Vak'moor civilization that use a series of bridges to transplant the vast amount of crops that are consumed by the Hobgoblins each year. As the home for most of the humans in the country, they would deeply like to keep more of their crop than they earn but Vak'moor restricts representation for humans severely. Generations of toil have left many believing that they deserve to be the Hobgoblin's servants and resistant to any idea of rebellion. They do not produce enough food to feed the whole of the Hobgoblin race and many troopers are sent off to foreign provinces to keep them from being a drain on the economy.
The Ten Towns of Crutag are large cities that are just miniature versions of Crutagia in most respects. They exist to the North and were given to each of his greatest sons when he died (despite their being passed over for rulership of the Hobgoblin race). The majority of the Ten Towns tends to support Shoto Khalas as ruler of Vak'moor but there's ample support for the Council of Generals as well. Over half the cities are currently under the Shoto's direct occupation with a bloodless set of sieges being conducted amidst negotiations.
The Grand Church of Hextor is a grand cathedral that the Hobgoblins have built in honor of their god in the heart of the province. Hextor's worship on Ortho has been somewhat 'sanitized' thanks to its long association with the Harmonium. Elements like Hextor's association with Archdevils and his portfolios of Massacre plus Dischord have been largely purged from church canon. The Church is still largely LE and encourages its followers to enslave or destroy foes utterly. It also had serious issues with the inclusion of Heironeous on the Harmonium's list of approved gods.
The Harmonium would, frankly, love to outlaw Hextor's worship but the commitment of the Hobgoblins to his worship is something that hasn't wavered in the centuries since their arrival. The current patriarch of Hextor, Thomag Cultak (LN Hobgoblin Priest 15), has been the chief compromiser in the faith but is nearing the end of his life. Almost all of the candidates for replacing him are determined to 'reform' the Church. These reforms include a return to emphasizing racial pride and the support of unchecked aggressive warfare.
The Sanitarium for Well Being is a strange Castle-like hospital that exists at the borders of Vak'moor. It's Doctors travel across Ortho looking for the mentally unbalanced and deficient to take back here for specialized care. Many individuals that were found to be hopelessly maladjusted have emerged from this place as totally Lawful and devoted citizens. In truth, this place is run by the Illithids and a group of psionicist cultists that are devoted to them. The staff are almost all Thralls while the patients are alternatively food or experiment fodder. They release only as many necessary to maintain the hospital's reputation.
Those that disappear often written as cured then released into some part of Ortho they could expect never to be found in.
Adventure Hooks
+ A Otaki citizen wants the PCs to help forge his son's identification papers to get him admitted into the army as a full blooded Hobgoblin. They have to break into the heavily guarded towers of the Office of Military Records to recover a blank identification sheet and also the son's own papers. Later, it will be discovered that the son doesn't want to be in the military and is being forced there by his social climbing son.
+ Zoad was banished well over a century ago from Ortho. The Balor has been angry and annoyed about his imprisonment in the Abyss for some centuries now and Alzrius has forbidden him from taking his revenge until now. Zoad has shapechanged into the very image of Crutag and visited numerous Priests of Hextor in their dreams to start worshiping him as a god. The "Glorious Ascension" cult is causing many Hextorites to grow quite peery while the Harmonium is also disturbed by any reports of a new god.
The PCs will soon discover that 'Crutag' is also starting his doctrine off with the idea that the Hobgoblins have strayed by allying with humans and should forge their own nation.
+ A family member of a Mad Prophet that believed himself a scion of the Gods of Chaos comes to the PCs. She claims her brother was not mad but possessed and wants to get him exorcised but he's been turned over to the Sanitarium for Well Being. The woman cannot get him back and begs the PCs to help.
In truth, he IS a Proxy of the Trickster. The Illithids are fascinated by the man's gift for prophecy and have been studying his connection with the gods at length. What will the PCs do when they discover both?
[double post]