Hylka: “Power is our birthright. Through our strength, we provide unity.” - Archmage Ki’en Lekar “Our nation was born in fire and blood. Two hundred years ago, before the Age of Power, Hylkan were hounded relentlessly by the Drenan who sought only to steal their lifeforce for use in their rituals of power. Though individually, the Drenan were weaker than the Hylkan, the Drenan swarmed them with superior numbers. The Empire of Hamor was the greatest of the aggressors and its Iron Legion relentlessly fought and enslaved the free Hylkan kingdoms. “Yet, as the Hylkan nations fell one by one, the Founder Mehrik gathered a stalwart army of Hylkan and Darhian. United, he led them against Hamor’s army, thwarting the Iron Legion’s invasion of his lands. This victory was only temporary, however, and the Hamorians soon rallied another army, eager to slaughter this Hylkan who dared to oppose their empire. “Knowing that he could not triumph with force of arms, Mehrik captured several Hamorian sorcerers and stole their rituals of power. Using these rituals, Mehrik fabricated the devices that would later become known as Light Weavers. These Light Weavers absorbed the blood of Drenan and compacted their lifeforce into a gem, forming the crystal Aether. “Before the Light Weavers, Hylkan had attempted to use rituals of power, but had always failed; the lifeforce concentrated by those rituals was too impure for Hylkan to use. Armed with the pure Aether, the Founder was able to unleash a power that had never before been seen on the face of Kerith: the Arcanis of the Hylkan. Mehrik and his followers annihilated the Iron Legion in an arcane inferno. “Yet, even with Hamor’s armies ground to ash, Mehrik knew the Hylkan would not be safe from the other Drenan nations if they remained fragmented. He gathered the other Hylkan leaders and together they founded the kingdom that would stand eternal as a bastion for Hylkan and Darhian: Hylka.” -The Found of Hylka “The division is simple. One region to produce raw goods and one to refine them.” - Archmage Ki’en Lekar “Like most modern kingdoms, Hylka is divided between agricultural and industrial regions. Only in Hylka, however, is this distinction so marked. “Central Hylka - a region which has its epicenter at the City of Eternal Light - contains the majority of Hylka’s manufacturing and industrialized cities. Particularly of note is the forge city Renhil, which constructs almost all of the nation’s goods. “Few Darhians live in this inner region and almost no Drenan are permitted entry. Those Darhians that do make their lives in Central Hylka serve one of the five great noble familes or are merchants. This is not enforced by law, but a Darhian who is not affiliated with one of the five families will find it very difficult to find shelter or livelihood in Central Hylka. “This region is surrounded by a series of mountains and gorges, so as to isolate it further from Outer Hylka. There are three passes which cut through this rugged terrain and permit trade to the outside world. These passes are carefully guarded by Hylka’s Crimson Guard. “Outer Hylka is, as mentioned earlier, a largely agricultural area. There are a few cities that produce worked metal, but none so sizeable as Renhil. In total, there are thirty cities, each led by a Darhian magistrate. Drenan are more common in this region, though they are still few in number. “The cultural differences between these two regions is just as marked as the economical difference. “Hylkan are divided into two major social categories: nobility and commoners. The commoners live far more freely than do serfs in Drenan kingdoms; Hylkan commoners are permitted to own small amounts of land, independently of a noble family and are entitled to a trial in the courts. “The nobility have four social strata: Arbiter, Elector, Lord Keeper, and Lord Chosen. The Arbiter rank is the lowest of the nobility. Unlike the other noble titles, this title does not include a grant of land and is considered only marginally above a Hylkan commoner. “The Elector rank is the lowest of the landed nobles. Small holdings outside of the major Central Hylkan cities are controlled by Electors, as are many of the caravans that trade with the outside world. “The two highest ranks of nobility, Lord Keeper and Lord Chosen, are far more exclusive. Members of the Lord Keepers are tasked with managing the great cities of Central Hylka and overseeing the Electors. There are only five Lord Chosen, each at the head of one of the five Chosen families and one of the five Tower factions. The Lord Chosen are always powerful Gifted. “Every member of the nobility has the right to challenge a court decision by rite of combat or appeal it the decision to the Headmaster of the Tower. The Headmaster does have the authority to deny these both; this has never been invoked, regarding any person of greater rank than Arbiter. “By tradition, Hylkan who are Gifted wear two rings of Aether. Darhian Gifted wear only a single ring. “The Darhian do not have any sort of nobility. Instead, social ranking is based on a combination of political contacts and general wealth. Surprisingly, talent with the Arcanis does little to further a Darhian’s standing, with the notable exception that Darhian who serve as members of Hylka’s Blades are afforded high levels of respect. “While Darhian are without the concept of nobility, they do have the rank of Magistrate, which is equivalent to a Hylkan Arbiter. Magistrates are rule over and are elected by the people of one of the eighteen major Darhian cities. “Each of these Magistrates belong to one of four Clans. While the Clan leaders and the Clans themselves are not officially recognized by the Hylkan, these individuals wield considerable power and influence in outer Hylka. “Due to the ideological differences between the Hylkan and Darhian, many Hylkan view the Darhian as inferior. This has led to a growing resentment and hostility between the two classes. Headmasters of Hylka have tended to ignore this trend, with the notable exception of the present Headmaster who has been making considerable efforts to ease tension between the two groups.” - A History of Kerith “Rulers rise and fall, nations wax and wane. The City of Eternal Light remains.” - Archmage Ki’en Lekar “The capital city of Hylka, the City of Eternal Light, is one of the greatest marvels of our time. The streets of this city are so smooth and level that a passenger riding in one of the many carriages in this city would feel no bumps or jostles. And the citizens can travel the streets freely at night, as the streets are lit perpetually. “Yet, the marvel of these perfect roads is surpassed by the marvels that are visible throughout the city. Massive and elegant structures thrive within this city, rising higher than should be possible through normal construction. Great platforms powered by Darhian Gifted will take any citizen to the top of these structures in moments and these buildings enjoy running warm water, by virtue of the Lightmatrices embedded in the plumbing. “All this is possible due to the Lightweavers that are kept in the Tower and the faroff forge city Renhil. Lightweaver technology has advanced significantly since the time of Mehrik the founder, so that Hylka needs only two Lightweavers to satisfy the Aether needs of the whole nation. In fact, these modern devices do not even operate at full capacity; Hylka could process many more Drenan than it has access to. “Presiding over all this wealth and wonder is the Tower of Arcanis. While some feel that this plain title ill befits the center of all Hylka, the Founder stated that Hylka should never forget what makes it great: the power and wisdom of the Mages. “Unlike other nations who have rulers that style themselves with such titles as Primarch, King, or Emperor, the leader of Hylka is the Headmaster of the Tower. The Headmaster does not live a wasteful and lavish lifestyle, but instead works constantly to improve the greatness of Hylka. Aiding him are the three Archmages, members of the Council of Masters that have proven their ability and have been appointed by the Headmaster to serve in this honored position. “The Council of Masters do not directly serve Hylka, but instead council the Headmaster and the Archmages, performing the advanced research that the Headmaster may not have the time for. In addition to the Council of Masters, the Headmaster often seeks advice from the Council of Factions, a group of ten Mages that represents the wishes of the Gifted of Hylka, two from each Faction. “Every Gifted that trains in the tower and attains the degree of Mage is part of one of the five factions. Each faction is led by the head of one of the five Chosen families, so a faction represents not only a fifth of the Gifted, but also a fifth of Central Hylka. To ensure fairness in ruling, a Headmaster is never chosen from among the Lord Chosen and the Headmaster renounces his former faction when elected to the office of Headmaster. “Yet, with wealth comes enemies. Though Hylka was founded on the principle of peace and learning, Founder Mehrik understood the need for defense. So, he created two separate organizations: the Azure Guard and the Crimson Guard. “The Azure Guard numbers around five hundred strong and is formed of the finest Hylka has to offer. Their duty is to protect the City of Eternal Light and its Gifted. These elite soldiers are each equipped with a Solarail and a two-handed Karhail blade. They wear no armor so should any Darhian Gifted be among the foes they face, the enemy Gifted would not be able to cast on them directly. The Azure Guard do not fear incoming projectiles as they are always deployed with a Hylkan Gifted and the Azure Guard’s Karhail blades allow them to easily win any melee. “The Crimson Guard is far more numerous than the Azure Guard, but still highly trained. It protects the passes into Central Hylka and keeps the peace throughout these inner lands. Some divisions of the Crimson Guard are attached to the Darhian Border Guard, to provide organization and - should an attack overwhelm the Border Guard - aid. Every guardsman in the Crimson Guard is armed with a steel broadsword and a steel shield. As it is often stationed in areas without Hylkan Gifted support, the Crimson Guard is armored in full body steel armor.” - The Might of Hylka “Before the Founder, the Darhians fought terribly wars with each other. Is it any wonder that they remain fragmented even now?” - Archmage Ki’en Lekar “While Central Hylka is tightly unified under the Headmaster, Outer Hylka is divided among the four Clans. What keeps them from reverting to separate countries is the Gathering that the Founder Mehrik forced upon them. “Aptly named, the Citadel of Unity is where the Gathering meets biannually, to discuss policy and concerns. All eighteen Magistrates have a vote in the Gathering. To prevent stalemates, the Gathering appoints a single individual who is not already a Magistrate, to act as Magistrate of the Citadel of Unity. A majority is necessary to appoint this individual, so this individual must have the support of at least two of the Clans. “The Gathering’s agenda is led by one Magistrate that the Gathering appoints. The Leader of the Gathering simply needs a majority to be appointed, requiring the partial support of another clan beyond his own to hold this office. The Leader has two powers granted to him. The ability to manage the Gathering’s schedule, deciding what policies are brought before the Gathering and how long each policy can be debated and the right to head any discussion of policy with the Tower. The Leader serves at the Gathering’s pleasure and can be replaced by a majority vote at any time. “All policies brought before the Gathering, require a full majority to implement. Because all Darhians owe allegiance to one of four Clans and the Clans - at this time - control an equal number of cities and therefore have equal representation in the Gathering, the Gathering often takes some time to implement a policy. “The four Clans themselves do not differ much in ideology. Their members simply seek what is best for their particular Clan. This means that most policies that are passed are trade negotiations or other things of that nature. Darhians that do not follow a particular clan are Outcast and find themselves relegated to performing the most menial of tasks. “The Clans are headed by a Darhian that has acquired the position, not through strength with or knowledge of the Arcanis, but through influence and monetary power. Occasionally, a Clan Head will be a powerful Gifted, but this is not always true. “Each Clan fields an independent army, which varies in terms of equipment and training. Hylkan law forbids the Clans from warring against each other, but it is not unknown for caravans to be raided by ‘bandits’. Aside from this clandestine operation, the Clans use their armies for peacekeeping in their own lands. “Portions of each army is conscripted into the Border Guard, which defends the Perimeter Forts of Hylka, particularly on the Hylkan-Hamorian border. Several divisions of the Crimson Guard oversee the Border Guard, ensuring that the Border Guard’s standards are sufficient and the Border Guard’s duties are performed. “Some members of the Border Guard are organized into raiding parties that strike at the lands of countries that are not at peace with Hylka. These raiding parties do not attempt to capture land or cause significant damage; instead, the raiding parties’ objective is to capture as many Drenan as possible to allow the Lightweavers to produce greater amounts of Aether. Though in recent years this has been augmented by the slave trade, most of Hylka’s Aether production is due to the raiding parties.” - The Might of Hylka
