Free Kingdom
„Free Realm" · „Kingdom of Soumun" · „Free Lands of the Southeast" · „Free Lands Beyond the Imperial Border"
The Free Kingdom is an independent human state southeast of the Empire, founded in 294 after the uprising around the city of Soumun. Outwardly it stands as a symbol of resistance against imperial power, while inwardly it is divided between parliament, wealthy houses, castes, and a colorful mixture of races.
From the Chronicler's Atlas
📖 Summary
The Free Kingdom arose in the year 294 of the imperial calendar as the result of a southeastern uprising against the Empire during the reign of Untred I. The inhabitants of the southeastern provinces felt abandoned, neglected, and threatened by raids from the east, above all by orcs. The uprising gathered around the city of Soumun and, thanks to the tactic of scorched earth, the exhaustion of the imperial army, and Untred's unwillingness to risk wider internal upheaval, it won its own independence. Although the Emperor originally expected only a vassalage exempt from taxes, the newly arisen state soon rejected imperial rule entirely and began to build its own parliamentary system. The Free Kingdom is today a colorful, lowland, and steppe-covered country without ordinary taxes, with pronounced social differences, strong trade, corrupting pressures, conscription law, and a population made up of humans, nomads, orcs, centaurs, gnomes, elves, dwarves, kobolds, and other minorities. Although it calls itself a kingdom, its real ruler is not a hereditary king but a parliament, which in times of crisis may elect a head chairman with powers similar to those of a monarch.
The Only Free Human Kingdom
The Free Kingdom lies southeast of the Empire of Magnursar, and it carries its name not only as a label for a political entity but also as a declaration. It is not the only independent state on Ulvenor, for outside imperial power there exist, for instance, the gnomish lands or the elven empire, but it is the only significant human kingdom that openly defines itself as independent of the emperor. For the inhabitants of the Free Kingdom the word free means above all the rejection of the old imperial administration. It is a reminder that their forefathers refused to be merely a distant province defended by the capital only when it suited the capital. The name of the state therefore carries pride, defiance, and a hint of provocation toward Magnur.
Born of an Abandoned Southeast
The roots of the Free Kingdom reach into the reign of Emperor Untred I. The southeastern regions of the realm at that time felt themselves more and more neglected. The inhabitants had the sense that their troubles were forgotten, that they lay far from the heart of the realm, and that their lives mattered less to the imperial court than the wealthier provinces around Magnur. These fears grew stronger when raids from the eastern lands began to appear. Orcs struck at the borderlands, plundered weakly defended settlements, and sometimes pushed even deeper into imperial territory. Untred I wanted to drive the orcs away for good, but he needed time to mobilize a great army. For the southeastern population, however, the waiting looked like proof that the Empire did not truly wish to save their land.
The Uprising Around Soumun
During the war with the orcs, a great uprising began to take shape around the city of Soumun. Soumun was one of the largest cities in the southeastern part of the realm and became the natural center of resistance. The rebels claimed that if the Empire could not protect them, it had no right to collect taxes from them, to demand obedience, or to decide their fate. The imperial army had numerical and organizational superiority, but the rebels chose the tactic of scorched earth. They destroyed supplies, emptied the countryside, broke the roads, and forced the imperial banners to march through a territory that turned itself into a trap. The enormous army began to have trouble with supply, and every further advance grew more costly.
Untred's Agreement
Decisive was not only the military situation but also the exhaustion of the entire realm. Untred I had to deal with several conflicts in succession and did not want to risk the uprising spreading into other parts of the Empire. The southeast, moreover, was not particularly wealthy for Magnur. No important raw materials were mined here, the economy was not exceptionally strong, and the region required defense against eastern raiders. The Emperor therefore agreed to a settlement. Soumun and the surrounding territories were to gain self-rule in a limited sense, to receive their own administration, and to be freed from taxes to the Emperor. Untred presumably assumed it would be a looser vassalage, that is, a territory still formally belonging to the imperial sphere, but without direct tax obligations and without a claim to imperial protection.
True Independence
The rebels, however, read the agreement differently. Soon after it was concluded, they proclaimed the end of imperial rule and the rise of an independent Free Kingdom. It was therefore not merely a tax exemption, but a complete rejection of imperial authority. This step was unpleasant for Magnur, but the realm was at the time too exhausted to immediately risk another prolonged war. The Free Kingdom thus arose simultaneously as a political mistake, a diplomatic concession, and a bold use of the moment. To this day both sides view this event differently. In the Empire one often speaks of betrayal and the abuse of imperial leniency, while in the Free Kingdom this is the founding moment, when the people of the southeast finally stood up for their own fate.
A Kingdom Without a Real King
Although the state calls itself a kingdom, it has never had a fully classical hereditary king. Its rule rests on a parliament that decides on most laws, trade rules, internal administration, and relations with the surrounding world. The title of king is here more an extraordinary office than a dynastic right. In times of war, disaster, or grave threat, the parliament may appoint a head chairman, popularly called the king. This person gains broadened powers so that he may act faster than the ordinary parliamentary council. Once the crisis passes, his power is meant to be limited. In practice, however, it is precisely this office that often gives rise to disputes about who has the right to decide in the name of freedom.
A Land Without Taxes
One of the most striking principles of the Free Kingdom is the rejection of ordinary taxes. This law was born of resistance against the Empire, which according to the rebels took money from the southeast but provided insufficient protection. For common inhabitants the absence of taxes is one of the greatest symbols of freedom. The system, however, has its dark side. Because the state has no stable tax revenue, public power depends on fees, gifts, trade agreements, extraordinary collections, private financing, and the influence of wealthy houses. This opens space for corruption, lobbying, and situations in which the wealthiest inhabitants enter parliament not to serve the country, but to protect their own interests.
Parliament, Codes, and Castes
The Free Kingdom is governed by several books of law and administrative rules. They determine who may sit in parliament, how trade agreements are concluded, who has the right to carry certain weapons, how the city guilds function, and what duties the various strata of the population bear. For rural settlements this system may feel distant, but in Soumun its impact is very pronounced. The city and its society are divided into several castes. The lowest strata have only limited access to power, education, and certain districts, while the highest caste of wealthy merchants, lawyers, landowners, and old parliamentary houses controls most decision-making. Officially the inhabitants are free, but in practice the economic and social gap is very wide.
Many Races in One Land
After its founding, the Free Kingdom began to receive migrants from various parts of the Empire as well as from the eastern lands. Here came humans dissatisfied with imperial power, nomads seeking quieter territory, orcs from the western end of migration routes, centaurs from the Yellow Plains, gnomes, elves, dwarven travelers, and even a few kobolds. Today humans make up about a third of the population, while the rest is a colorful mix of other races. In some villages the inhabitants are predominantly human, in others orcs, in others nomads, centaurs, or mixed communities. A traveler may therefore feel that, when crossing from one village to another, he has stepped into an entirely different land.
Landscape of the Southeast
The geography of the Free Kingdom is made up mostly of lowlands, southern steppes, and slightly parched plains. There are not many hills or pronounced mountain barriers in the landscape. The very openness of this space long made the movement of raiders easier, but it also allowed the rise of caravan roads, herding routes, and larger settlements. Even so, it is not an entirely dead land. A number of watercourses run through it, around which more fertile belts arise that are suitable for agriculture. It is precisely these regions that feed the smaller towns and villages. The rest of the land is better suited to herding, hunting, the movement of caravans, and military marches than to intensive farming.
War, Conscription, and a Pact with the Empire
The Free Kingdom likes to present itself as a state that does not want wars and prefers trade, self-rule, and survival outside the great empires. Even so, its laws include the right of conscription. In the case of attack or grave military conflict, all inhabitants may be summoned to the defense of the land, regardless of race, origin, or caste. At the beginning of the 14th century of the imperial calendar one of the greatest clashes of the Free Kingdom with the Empire took place. The wealthy strata and part of the parliament tried to use the levy of the lower castes to win new influence and territory. This attempt, however, ended in defeat. Emperor Magnus VIII, called the Endless, managed to defeat the Free Kingdom and forced it to sign a non-aggression pact together with reparations. Since then the Free Kingdom has not been eager to enter direct wars with the Empire. The peace has so far held, even if in the parliament and among the more radical inhabitants voices still rise that the kingdom should help to liberate further imperial provinces. The trouble is that the Empire has built a third defensive line along its border, and any attack would require resources that the Free Kingdom simply does not have.
Trade Instead of Expansion
It is precisely for this reason that the Free Kingdom has long pursued its interests through trade rather than war. It maintains contacts with the Empire, the elves, certain orc tribes, and other eastern groups. Merchants here can earn from food, animals, fabrics, weapons, craft goods, guide services, and the brokering of contact between worlds that do not trust one another. The Free Kingdom thus survives thanks to its ability to be useful. It is not strong enough to compete with the Empire in open war, and not rich enough to dictate terms to the neighboring powers. It is, however, able to bring together different races, trade interests, and border groups. This very flexibility is its greatest strength and at the same time its greatest risk.
Sub-Locations
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Soumun
Soumun is the capital of the Free Kingdom, the center of the original uprising against the Empire, and the seat of the parliament in which freedom mixes with corruption, trade, and a hard social hierarchy.
Soumun is the largest and most important city of the Free Kingdom. It was here that the southeastern uprising against the Empire gathered, and here that the foundation of parliamentary rule was laid. The city lies in lowland country at an important junction of watercourses, trade roads, and steppe routes. It is home to many races and feels like a living, loud, and at times chaotic space, where parliamentary halls, markets, caravan yards, slums, wealthy quarters, and guild houses stand side by side. Soumun is a symbol of freedom, but also the place where it is most clearly seen that freedom without taxes and without an emperor does not automatically mean justice.
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The City Where Independence Began
Soumun was, even before the founding of the Free Kingdom, one of the most important cities of the southeastern part of the Empire. It was not as wealthy as the cities of the Heartlands of Magnur, but thanks to its location it carried weight as an administrative, trade, and defensive center. It was precisely because of this that the uprising, which in smaller settlements would never have gained sufficient weight, could gather around it. During the fighting against imperial power, Soumun became a symbol of southeastern resistance. From its squares calls to defense were proclaimed, in its warehouses supplies were gathered, and in its council houses the idea was first born that a land could function without direct imperial oversight.
Seat of the Parliament
The most important building of Soumun is the Parliament House, a vast complex of halls, courtyards, archives, and council chambers, where the running of the kingdom is decided. It is not a royal palace in the classical sense, but rather the political heart of the land. Its architecture is starker than the imperial style, yet more grand than ordinary frontier buildings. In the Parliament House sit the representatives of wealthy houses, guilds, urban castes, trading groups, and influential communities. Officially the parliament is to defend the freedom of all inhabitants, but in reality the loudest voice belongs to those who can finance the administration, the army, the caravans, or private guards.
A City of Castes
Soumun is the most striking place in which the caste division of the Free Kingdom shows itself. The highest strata live in well-protected quarters near the parliament, the courts, and the merchant houses. They have access to better schools, lawyers, guilds, and personal guards. The lower castes live farther from the center, often in dense districts around workshops, stables, warehouses, and old defensive walls. Officially they are not slaves and not subjects of the emperor, but their chances of advancement are limited. Relations between the lowest and the highest caste are strictly watched by social rules and in some cases also by law.
Markets and Caravan Yards
Soumun is a city of merchants. In its markets one can find grain from the steppe villages, animals from the Yellow Plains, fabrics from imperial cities, small gnomish products, orc weapons, elven herbs, dwarven tools, and goods brought in by caravans that have passed by the Helk Marshes. The caravan yards belong among the liveliest places of the city. Here races meet that elsewhere would stand on opposite sides of borders. It is in this that Soumun is most free in the original sense of the word. Not because it would be just, but because it allows meeting, trade, and agreement where other states would see only suspicion.
Poor Quarters and Political Unrest
The greatest internal problem of Soumun lies in its poor quarters. The absence of ordinary taxes may sound enticing to the inhabitants, but it also means a weaker public administration, worse upkeep of the streets, uneven protection, and dependence on private money. Where the wealthy finance their own quarters, order reigns. Where money is missing, frustration grows. It is precisely from these quarters that voices often rise demanding a more real freedom, an extension of rights for the lower castes, or a limitation of the power of the wealthy parliamentary houses. Soumun is therefore a city of political speeches, secret agreements, corruption scandals, and street unrest. Every great change in the Free Kingdom begins precisely here.
Symbol and Weakness of the Kingdom
Soumun is a symbol of independence, but at the same time the greatest weakness of the Free Kingdom. If the city were to fall, the entire state would lose its political center, its trade hub, and its founding story. For this reason most of the defense, diplomacy, and inner intrigue is concentrated around it. The Empire knows well that Soumun is no ordinary city. It is an idea translated into stone, market, and parliament hall. As long as it stands, the Free Kingdom can claim that a human land can exist even outside the imperial order.
Yellow Plains
The Yellow Plains, also called the Golden Plains, are the southeasternmost region of the Free Kingdom, known for their yellowish grass, lowland steppes, and the ancient origin of the centaurs.
The Yellow Plains, historically named the Golden Plains, form the southeasternmost region of the Free Kingdom. They are vast lowland steppes and sparse groves with their characteristic yellowish grass, from which they take their name. In ancient times the elves carried out here magical-biological experiments that gave rise to the centaurs, a race combining humanoid intelligence with the strength of horses. The centaurs were originally used as a working and subordinate race, but around the third millennium before the imperial calendar they rebelled and formed a great tribal union. The later worsening of conditions and the unsuitability of the plains for their way of life led to a wide migration, yet some centaurs remained here. Today the Yellow Plains are part of the Free Kingdom, and the local centaurs belong among its most respected warriors.
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Land of Yellow Grass
The Yellow Plains owe their name to the peculiar grass that grows here in great belts and has a yellowish to golden color. During dry seasons the land looks almost like a sea of old hay, while after the rains, green stripes appear among the yellow blades around streams, low pools, and shallow valleys. The country is predominantly low, open, and steppe-like. The forests here are not thick; they are rather scattered groves, clusters of hardy trees, brush, and sparse growth along the watercourses. To a traveler on foot the Yellow Plains may seem empty, but to a rider, hunter, or centaur they are full of paths, scents, hiding places, and old tribal traces.
Cradle of the Centaurs
The Yellow Plains are one of the most important places in the history of the centaurs. It was here, according to tradition, that the elves conducted magical-biological experiments meant to join humanoid intelligence with the strength, endurance, and working potential of horses. The result was a new hybrid race, originally meant to serve above all as a labor force for the fields, transport, and heavy service. This origin is painful for the centaurs. They are not a race that arose through natural evolution like humans, orcs, or dwarves. They were created for a purpose. For this very reason the Yellow Plains carry a double meaning in their memory. They are the cradle of their birth, but also a reminder of the time when their lives did not belong to themselves.
Revolt Against the Elves
Around the third millennium before the imperial calendar there came the revolt of the centaurs against the elves. The centaurs refused to submit further to their original purpose and began to join in a larger tribal union. It was not only a military revolt, but also the first true declaration that the centaurs were an independent people, not the instrument of a foreign will. There arose a great tribal confederation, which for a long time existed precisely on the Yellow Plains. Its leaders were not kings in the human sense, but chieftains, warriors, and spiritual authorities, joined by the desire to preserve the freedom of the newly awakened race. This time belongs in centaur songs to the most sacred period of their history.
A Land That Was Not an Ideal Home
Although the Yellow Plains allowed the centaurs to survive and to unite, they were never an entirely ideal home for them. They offered open space, but not always enough food, water, and game. The soil here permitted basic farming, but the centaurs were not a people of great farms and settled husbandry. The centaurs are rather of a hunting, mobile, and steppe-bound type. They need vast space, pastures, seasonal routes, and the ability to follow game and weather. The Yellow Plains gave them freedom, but not lasting plenty. It was precisely for this reason that the idea of a great migration gradually began to be born.
The Great Centaur Migration
Around the year -2750 of the imperial calendar there came the greatest centaur migration out of the Yellow Plains. The reasons were worsening climatic conditions, a lack of suitable food, the pressure of surrounding powers, and the desire to find a land that would better answer to their way of life. Most of the centaurs set off away, and after long journeys their history began to move into other steppe and plain-covered regions of Ulvenor. For a long time it seemed that the Yellow Plains had been left almost empty. In reality, however, a few tribes remained here and preserved the old memory of the place.
Centaurs of the Free Kingdom
The centaurs who remained on the Yellow Plains formed smaller tribes and adapted to life within today's Free Kingdom. They are not the most numerous group in the country, but their importance is greater than their numbers. They belong among the most respected warriors the kingdom can summon when threatened. Their relationship to the Free Kingdom is peculiar. On one hand they appreciate that it is neither an imperial province nor a classical monarchy; on the other hand they guard their own tribal autonomy very carefully. In case of conscription the centaur detachments are valuable, but the parliament must treat with them cautiously. The centaurs do not like to be ruled by those who remind them of their old masters.
Present Form of the Yellow Plains
Today the Yellow Plains are a sparsely settled but important territory of the Free Kingdom. The kingdom even renamed them the Golden Plains, so that the name would sound more grand. Here one finds smaller centaur camps, mixed villages, herding stations, old sacrificial places, the remains of elven experimental sites, and several routes used by caravans that move between the southeast, the Helk Marshes, and the inland of the kingdom. For adventurers it is a landscape that at first glance feels open and readable, but hides a deep historical pain. Every old ring of stones, abandoned elven ruin, or centaur song may remind one that the Yellow Plains are not merely a steppe. They are the place where one race was created, enslaved, awakened, and finally forced to seek its own fate.
Hooks for GM
Story fragments waiting for their heroes, ready for use at the game table.
The Price of Freedom
A political crisis erupts in Soumun after the lower castes publish proof that several parliamentary houses have been secretly selling decisions to guilds and foreign merchants.
A New Head Chairman
A threat appears on the borders, and the parliament debates whether to elect a head chairman with royal powers. Some fear that he will never give that power up again.
The Yellow Grass Burns
Vast belts of steppe on the Yellow Plains begin to burn. The centaurs insist this is not an ordinary drought, but magic out of an ancient elven place where their race was created.
A Pact with the Empire
Imperial diplomats demand the renewal of part of the reparations from the days of Magnus VIII. The parliament is divided between those who wish to give in and those who see in it the first step toward the restoration of imperial dominion.
Centaur Refusal
The parliament tries to summon the centaurs under conscription law, but several tribes of the Yellow Plains refuse. They claim the law does not bind them, because their freedom is older than the kingdom itself.
Connections
👤 Figures
⚑ Factions
- Empire of Magnursar
- Parliament of the Free Kingdom
- Soumun Houses
- Centaurs of the Yellow Plains
- Orcs of the Eastern Tribes
- Nomadic Communities