"For Every Great Kingdom There is a King and For Every Great King their is a Future Kingdom!"
King Haldron Svendalstun the I.

Description:

Near the mid-center of all Human Kingdoms you will find the nation of Borme. Here is where one of Arkuth's grandest barricaded society imprints itself as the continents most infamous fortress city. This gigantic, walled in city is known as "Chayden'Helm". Chayden'Helm is built within the south-western region of Borme and embeds itself directly into the Iron Cascade Mountain Range, towering over both sides of the only pass between Western Ekothia's borders and Borme's southern tip, which is aptly referred to as "The Gate of Death's Calling".

Here over 2.5 million people live and work day to day within the kingdom's highly productive capital, most of which rarely journey to the other outlying communities of the nation. Most of Borme's population consists of farmers, serfs, merchants and peddlers of basic commodities. The remaining and much smaller cities within the kingdom include; Harnchiv, Shoreside and the tiny village of Barnweal (famous for being a border town). All of these communities share local resources with Chayden'Helm and generally help their capital if and when asked upon.

The people within Borme strive hard to make ends meet, yet are blessed with highly fertile land in which they continue to grow their abundant crops. The Kingdoms morale is higher than ever seeing a constant revenue stream for all, although in the last year the Duke of Borme (Graydun Svendalstun) passed away of natural causes. This left his beautiful wife Deanna holding their land titles and royal rights. Deanna now seeks to marry another worthy man and perhaps share her entitlement with him. She has given word of this throughout the kingdom and now awaits a man of true noble status to court her. If no worthy man steps up to claim her hand in marriage she will pass her land and hereditary titles to her eldest son (Maston Svendalstun) or the next acceptable family head. This of course would be "Markum Svendalstun" Graydon's second oldest son.

The knights, men-at-arms and soldiers of Borme train vigorously and are constantly searching out new weaponry, trainees and tactics to bolster their ranks. The recent skirmishes with Bryn have taken a somewhat dire toll on Borme's outlying militia groups and have left a nasty taste in the King's mouth, ripe for any upcoming conflicts. Tolls, tithes and other taxation's have almost doubled due to the losses of which war brings, however the King claims it to be temporary until all things return to that of a normal state. Thoughts of old constantly linger in King Svendalstun's mind and a once united nation of Borme and Bryn keeps him hungry for future conquest, no matter how far in the future that may be.

Like any other great kingdom the general populace participate in many different occupations. Some travel far and wide peddling their wares and some are more concerned with getting food on the table. Most of Borme's cities are small farming communities with plenty of resources to go around and thus these cities are set within tall walls of stone or sometimes wood. Precautions like this have been taken due to Borme's reputation of past, it also helps prevent unwanted thieves from looting unsuspecting citizens and monsters from wandering into the midst of town.

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Geography:

Some refer to Borme as the deepest, landlocked, central region of Arkuth. To the north one might traverse the barren forests of Hearthwood to end up in the nation of Alhtar. While to the south lies the foreboding chain of mountains known as the Iron Cascades. In the west lay the vast kingdom of Elves and to the east rests the nation of Bryn, sworn enemies of the Bormites.

The center of this Kingdom hosts an immense expanse of lowlands known as Dorian's Steppes and may indeed be one of Arkuth's most beautiful regions to set eyes on. In the midst of this region, a large deep lake known as "the Lake of Souls" gives way to the nations greatest chain of winding rivers, each making their way across the lowest altitudes and branching off into hundreds of smaller creeks and streams. It is here where the last great war of Borme took place and the many thousands of dead slowly rotted away into the marsh-like battlefields.

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History:

One year after the "Great War of Religions" Borme shaped it's borders within the now fallen Brynian Empire. The once most powerful nation in Ehriidore was no more and a new age of split nations came to be. Unlike other new nations, Borme was derived through trickery and deceit and used grand promises to coerce it's people into pledging their allegiance to a new king. Those who stood against these new ideals were imprisoned within Chayden'Helm's prisons for life or simply exiled from the region.

Borme stands for peace, prosperity and justice for all (at least this is how the common folk see it). Where in reality Borme and it's line of Royalty have all been hell bent on conquest and tell their people it's there rightful land to take back as their historical records seem to be quite skewed in their favor. Borme now stands as it has since it's creation and the general population still believe they defend and fight for a better future for all.

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Government:

Borme, like many other human kingdoms uses the feudal system as it's government type and has followed this structure since becoming a separated kingdom from Bryn. King Haldron rules the kingdom in it's current state and plans on someday conquering further regions to expand his kingdom, most notably Bryn who he considers Borme's mortal enemies. Traditional precedence and common order are held faithfully within Borme and estates and titles are generally inherited as in most feudal nations.

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Justice System:

A feudal style system that deems worthy by the King. Punishments are harsh, direct and unswerving, yet at least appear to be fair. Every man, woman or child is innocent until proven guilty. Hereafter the usual feudal type punishments are upheld. All cases are handled in order of severity, judges are appointed to determine innocence or guilt. Petty crimes are treated similarly, yet often end with public humiliation or removal of appendices (hand, foot etc).

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Military/Forces:

King Haldron's army is considered elite as they are train often and are equipped with some of the best weaponry across the land. This impressive army is not divided evenly across Borme however, as the capital city requires the most attention and is dispatched accordingly from here in times of war. The Bormite military consists of approximately 28,000 soldiers, split into 4 battles. 2 of which consist of 10,000 troops each (the rear-guard & midguard) are all quartered in Chayden'Helm. The remaining battle is split into two divisions, one stationed in the northern district of Harnchiv and the other stationed along the eastern borders in a large camp known as "The Eastern Front". Both of these divisions consist of approximately 4,000 men and make up the vanguard battle. Any auxiliary troops are strewn about the rest of the region living as able farmers within the many lord controlled fiefs of Borme.

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Economy:

Borme's economy is booming. With crops being plentiful and a constant ebb and flow of exported goods leaving the kingdom, all regions tend to see great profits. The hard working people of Borme produce a large amount of standard arms and armor for all those willing to pay for quality or in mass. Clothing, metal works, wood crafts and much more are all exported into the various other kingdoms that surround Borme, however shipping to Bryn is strictly forbidden. Those caught doing this would be tried with treason. Borme imports very little as the kingdom possesses almost all types of resources and requires very little to offset any low supplies.

The downfall of these rich lands come at the cost of invasion. Both small and large groups of rogue militants and other vagabonds consistently raid caravans on the many shipping routes leaving Borme. Those who seek prosperity outside of the kingdom usually hire escorts of highly skilled warriors to protect them from such raiders. However, the monetary gains seem to be well worth the risks.

In Borme, the poor are far from destitute, the middle class have access to most products and services that their social class might not normally entail and the upper class are generally quite well off, having several servants and a host of luxuries not commonly seen in the human kingdoms.

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Culture:

Bormite's partake in all traditional norse holidays, like that of other Norse kingdoms including all minor festivals such as Einherjar, Sigurdsblot and Mabon. Yet Bormite's in general are a tense, wound up sort of people who do their best to relax but rarely do so as they have come to believe their hard work sets them apart from other kingdoms. Parties are short lived and those who indulge heavily are quickly shamed and asked to leave.

All traditional northmen clothing are still worn to some degree, however most of the population have come to fashion that of a more western-european look, as that of medieval times. Armors consist of light leathers, through plate mail. While a vast arsenal of weaponry can be found throughout the kingdom. All standard items, equipment and arms can be found within Borme.

People live in small log homes with thatched roofs for the most part. Some of the richer classes have larger homes that require stone work as well. All two-story homes usually consist of a stone lower level, with the upper levels being made of logs. Although there are many instances where the entire home is made of stone, with the exception of the roof itself. Occasionally one might find a home with glass windows installed, but these are very rare and are generally reserved for the extremely wealthy.

Fiefs are usually covered in farmlands which are divided according to class and/or families. Irrigation systems are almost always deep cut channels carved out of the ground to allow small flows of fresh water closer to the crops. Borme is rich with fertile soil and has a vast array of fresh water lakes, creeks and rivers across the region. Allot of the largest crops are maintained by a large group of families that live within the lowlands and settle these areas as nomadic tribes might, working only in the spring, summer and fall seasons and then returning to Chayden'Helm for the winter months. It's common practice to grow crops outside the protected walls of the cities as growing with confined areas is just not feasible for the most part. As such, small patrolling groups are regularly dispatched in all plantation areas and the Bormites typically tend to their crops in shifts as to maintain a constant watch. The exception to this is nightfall, where crops are left mostly unattended and occasionally fire, lightning or crop beatles may destroy an area.

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Magic Use:

Magic within Borme is common throughout the region. Arcane magic is tolerated, those that practice these arts are expected to use them responsibly and/or as instructed. Exceptions are made for those using arcane magic to defend the kingdom either in times of war, or in general. Those found to be misusing their talents are usually punished appropriately by the local authorities.

As with most places in Arkuth, divine magic is considered the norm across the land. Clerics and other priests are held with high respects and can usually be found in the communities across Borme. Clerics who use their god given powers for evil or simply to harm others are usually executed, however their are cases where they are simply imprisoned for life.

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Notable Legends & Lore:

• The Dead Marshes
• Curse of Crying Harpies
• Hags of Hearthwood
• The Crystal Keep of Agmer

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Regional Maps: