These are the main cultures and species appropriate for a Knights of Ustilus campaign.
Chosen by the god of humanity, the people of Ustilus believe they are destined for greatness and dream of leading humanity into a new golden age. These great ambitions have led to their greatly inflated egos, and in the name of destiny the Ustillians have waged many devastating wars to expand their great empire. Now that Ustilus has become the strongest human-led nation in the Continent and the belief in Feyn’s salvation has never been stronger.
Religion and law are fundamental parts of an Ustilian’s life. To an average citizen, Feyn is the one true god of humanity and all other entities are otherworldly spirits and tricksters that lead humanity on a path of lies. Their faith has led them to believe the Ustilians are superior to all other humans by the virtue of being chosen by their god, but they are also willing to cooperate and are tolerant towards those that treat them with respect and subservience. Laws are another important part of their life, often blindly following superiors and orders thinking they are most probably right and just.
Ustilians can be found in all major lands of the Continent, eager to spread their culture and knowledge to everywhere they can find. They form the ruling class of all Ustilus-held provinces, where they sometimes interbreed with the locals to forge united dynasties. Because of this, many Ustilians have traits from other cultures, specially Shinri, Kratoic and Temash.
Due to the aforementioned diversity, Ustilians have varying skin tones, most common of which are somewhere between fair and olive. Their hair is either brown, black or auburn, and their eyes can be brown, hazel or blue.
Ancient dwellers of the southern deserts, the Temash have seen countless civilizations rise and fall back into the sands they have sprung from. They know well that everything in existence is finite and will one day fade away, giving them a somewhat nihilistic outlook. At the same time, the Temash believe strongly in the importance of stories and legends, thinking that while all people will die in the end, tales of their exploits will live on for generations.
The Temash organize themselves in extended family groups known as tribes, each one protected by a guardian elemental spirit. This elemental spirit can bestow its magic on certain members of the tribe, teaching them the secrets of elemental magic. The individuals chosen by the spirit are extremely valued by the tribe and often become heroes or great leaders.
Currently the Temash lands are held by the great empires of Arshalan and Ustilus, but its native peoples know that someday these great empires will fall too, leaving nothing more than ruins in the desert. Some tribes accept this occupation, while others fiercely oppose it and cause great trouble to their would-be conquerors. Ustilian repression is especially harsh, forcing many of the Temash to retreat into the great Southern deserts and await the right time to strike back with all their might.
The Temash typically have skin of tanned and brownish colors along with dark hair and eyes. Some tribes completely cover themselves in desert garb in the presence of outsiders, revealing their faces only to those they trust.
The Jaddites are the valiant riders of the endless wastes, living strictly by their noble code and bringing order to lawless lands. They are a beacon of civilization and law in an otherwise savage land, but their constant time under attack by the desert´s monstrous inhabitants has forced many Jaddites to emigrate away and settle in the more prosperous lands in the north. This has led to conflicts between the Jaddi and the native Temash in the deserts, creating an old enmity between the two cultures. When the empire of Ustilus arrived at the Southern Continent, they found loyal allies in the Jaddi who would help them conquer the Temash. Now, the historical roles of the two have been reversed, with the Jaddi controlling the southern lands while the Temash chafe under their leadership.
Jaddite culture has been historically nomadic, with large clans migrating from one place to the next searching for a secure haven where their people could live in peace. Each clan has a unique code of laws that they zealously follow to the letter. These laws are what keeps the clan united and failure to follow them usually results in death or exile. Even though their rules are harsh, the Jaddi tes are one of the most charitable peoples in the Continent, making sure that the poor and elderly in their tribes are well taken care of and are often lend a helping hand to lone travelers they meet.
The Jaddite cavalry is one of the most feared fighting forces of the Continent, renowned for their fierce endurance and bravery in the face of certain death. They can be found in serving the Ustilian armies all around the empire’s lands and guarding the legendary fortress known as the Citadel from the monsters of the wastes. Many Jaddites are fierce followers of Feyn and often become Knights of Ustilus, with some even entering the Conclave or becoming Grand Masters.
Jaddites have dark brown skin and eyes. Their hair is mostly black, and they traditionally braid it once for each victory they achieve. A Jaddite rider has great devotion towards his horse, treating it as a fellow companion and hero. Their full names are composed of their personal name, the name of a previous relative who has died and their clan name
As diverse as the nature they worship, the Shinri are innovative and creative, but at the same time bound by their ancient ways and traditions. Originally from a faraway continent, the Shinri settled in the territory known as the Woodland Provinces millennia ago, bringing with them their culture and knowledge. Their arrival brought hostility from the local spirits and triggered many devastating wars, but in the end a legendary hero known as the Incarnate brought humans and spirits together, creating an ancient truce that lasts to this day.
Many Shinri are blessed with elemental powers, giving them the control over the four classical elements. Those are known as Ekta and hold great prestige in Shinri society, often becoming rulers and heroes of legend. Elemental dynasties stretch on for centuries and their stories say that they descend from the mythical spirits themselves.
The Shinri homeland is full of untamed wilderness and secretive groves where gates to the Spirit World can be found. At the same time, there are also great and powerful cities such as Klonum or Homay that serve as homes for hundreds of thousands of individuals. In recent times the Shinri lands have become consumed by war between the expansionistic Ustilus empire and the Shinri clans. The conflict has completely broken all central authority and the lands remain under the control of feudal warlords and Ekta clans who fight the Ustilian invaders as well as each other for supremacy.
Shinri generally have light skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Those gifted with elemental powers may have unique traits, such as different-colored eyes or special markings on their skin
Forged in fire and blood, the Iskarian people have had a long history marked by war and suffering. But after winning their freedom and building an independent nation with the help of Ustilus the Iskarians finally had a chance to leave their past behind them and reach a new era of peace. With peace came stagnation and corruption, and some disaffected groups have begun to recall the glorious days of old and desire make Iskaria a strong nation once again.
Iskarians descend from the same ancestors as the Shinri and share many traditions with them, such as spirit worship and affinity with nature, but the many years they have spent under the rule of the Hobgoblin Legion have had a long-lasting effect on their culture and beliefs. Even though now they are a peaceful people, these old influences can still be visible in their great skill at metalworking and the strong bonds of loyalty they feel towards each other.
In the present day Iskarians have a nominally independent country, but Ustilus still has great control over their politics and economy. Iskarian politics are dominated by a small clique of half-elven noble families which use corruption and nepotism to remain in power and keep commoners out of government. This unequal situation has bred tensions between half-elves and humans in Iskaria and it has given strength to extremist movements which seek to return Iskaria to its past glory.
Iskarians are physically similar to shinri since both of them normally have light skin, dark hair and brown eyes. Amber eyes are more common due to the prevalence of fire elemental bloodlines.
They say freedom runs in the Kratoic people’s blood. After many centuries living undisturbed on the edges of civilization have made them traditional and hardy folk. Foreign empires have again and again conquered the Kratoic lands, but every time its people would run to the hills and forests where they would keep fighting until they get their lands back, even waging war for centuries until that occasion.
In religious terms, Kratoic people have had a longstanding worship of the old gods, but decades of religious conversion by Feyn’s priests have made them adopt a double faith. They are amongst the most tolerant of peoples, able to easily collaborate with others of different cultures, mindsets, and faiths. They specially get along well with the Tandor elves and the Shinri because of their common ancient faiths, but relationships with the Mazarines are more strained because of the many centuries Kratoi spent under their subjugation.
Kratoi is often called Ustilus’s crown jewel because of its faithfulness, good quality of life and abundance of natural resources. Ustilus’ often benevolent rule has allowed the province of Kratoi to greatly develop, becoming a land of business, opportunity, and great thinkers. The way the Kratoics see it, so long as Ustilus leaves them alone and does not curtail their freedom they will serve the empire as loyal citizens and work hard to guarantee its prosperity.
Kratoics often have skin tones ranging from fair to tanned and hair often brown and black. Blond hair is not rare either, specially from those with Mazarine ancestry. Their eyes are either brown, blue or green
Heirs of the greatest empire of times past, the Mazarines are stuck in a period of decadence as a mere shadow of what they could have been. While before they could rival Ustilus for supremacy over the Continent, a series of military and economic disasters have severely weakened the power of the mazarine throne and left the nation destitute and behind the times. While some accept their fate and even flee to Kratoi for a better life, other still have hope that Mazarin will rise once again.
The mazarine homeland is a place of extreme weather and untamed wilderness, covered in miles of primeval forests and frozen taiga. The land in turn has shaped mazarine culture, fostering strong communalism and a reverence for nature spirits which persists to this day in the most isolated towns and villages. While the church of Feyn has great power and many mazarines are devout followers of the god of humanity, the ancient influence of the spirits continues to manifest itself in the prevalence of nature, earth and ice magic among its populace. While in times past elemental magic has been persecuted by the church of Feyn, the death of the god of humanity has revitalized ancient traditions among the mazarine population and made elementalists respected once again.
Mazarin’s current government is in theory an absolute monarchy, but the weakness of the current king has greatly empowered regional nobles and made the nation revert to a more feudal state. The church of Feyn, formerly revered and feared, has lost most of its power after the death of their god and is tainted by corruption and infighting. Such massive institutional collapse has fostered a culture of decadence, where many mazarines both noble and commoner indulge in many excesses and artistic pastimes to evade such a miserable reality and keep believing the lie that Mazarin continues to be the greatest empire on earth.
Mazarines are typically fair-skinned and have hair ranging from black to blond. Their eyes are either brown, blue or green. Those with traces of elemental bloodlines normally have an eye colors associated to their magic, such as ice-blue or emerald green.
Surrounded by fear and superstition, Dairovians have a dark reputation due to their natural affinity for shadow magic and their strange traditions alien to other peoples of the continent. As inhabitants of one of the most isolated lands of the Continent where the authority of the Ustilian empire exists in only name they care little of other opinions and only wish to be left to their own devices. The forests and mountains of Dairov hide dark secrets that are best kept in the dark from prying eyes of foreigners.
The origins themselves of the dairovian people are shrouded in mystery, making some believe that they originate from the Shadowfell itself. Whether this is true or not, the influence of the Shadowfell is greater in this strange land than any other place on the Continent, originating all sorts of monstrous creatures and insidious witchcraft. Likely because of this reason Dariovians fear travelling at night and even their most secluded villages are surrounded by pallisade walls illuminated by torches. Dairovian communties are very tight-knit and hospitable to strangers in need, knowing that by working together they can all brave the night.
As the Ustilian empire’s most backwater province, Dairov is a perfect place for those that wish to begin a new life or hide from the authorities. For this reason many secret societies and criminal organizations have bases in this region, subtly impacting the lives of its native inhabitants and researching the land’s darkest lore. Dairovians have a symbiotic relationship with these groups, helping them keep secret in exchange of making sure they do not interfere in their lives or discover secrets that should remain unknown.
Dairovians normally have dark hair and eyes along with pale skin. Some dairovains born with great influence of the Shadowfell develop unique traits such as pitch-black eyes or grayish skin.