History of the Empire of Bone
WARNING: This is a lot of information. It gives some background as to where you live and what it is like. You won’t necessarily get ever reference, or completely absorb all of this right away. But, that’s okay, because your characters may not know every detail either. But, I enjoy world-building, and it informs and gives depth to my games. So, don’t feel like you have to study this like homework. Read it. Take from it what you will. And feel free to ask me any questions you have. :-)
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The Red Jackal is an elf from the Island of Shimera. He comes from a part of Shimera called Westland. That is where he earned the name the “Red Jackel of Westland.” He was an odd elf. A worshipper of chaos, who lived a fairly topsy-turvey life of self-interested adventures and misadventures. He dressed all in red, and had ornate silver gilded armor made for himself, emblazoned with symbols of chaos and destruction. He rarely came across a situation he could not turn into a fight, and he rarely entered a fight that he did not turn into bloody murder.
About 150 years ago, he understandably wore out his welcome in his homeland, and he was essentially exiled with a group of like-minded followers. They were put on a ship with provisions, well-wishes, and sufficient treasure (bribes) to ensure they would agree to never return. The Red Jackal and his elvan followers traveled the world for a bit, leaving messes and destruction wherever they went. They were not exactly evil, and were not necessarily committing atrocities, but the results were at best unpredictable and disruptive, regardless of their intent. Every situation or conflict into which they entered, was made worse by their presence.
Eventually the Red Jackal and his followers came to a land to the East of the Grasslands of Shronth. There in the forests at the edge of the grassland plains, were tribal chieftains, and would-be lords and self-proclaimed kings vying for control of the vast unruled territory and the humans that lived there. The Red Jackal, with his enormously loyal exiled elves, started rolling over the tribal chieftains and taming the self-proclaimed Kings. Through a partnership with the High Church of Doeth (actually, he bought this partnership with corruption, but let's not dwell on the details), the Red Jackal lent himself some legitimacy.
Far to the East, reachable only by sea-travel along the rugged coast, there was a prison colony named Respite. The world’s Empires and Kingdoms had long used the land of Respite as a dumping off place for undesirables, criminals, and malcontents. A small “guard” force maintained the peace in the nation-sized prison colony. At the same time the Red Jackal was conquoring the chieftains and would-be kings in the West, he chased off or co-opted the corrupt guards of the prison colony, and declared the people of Respite free.
The Red Jackal offered the prisoner’s of Respite amnesty, if they would follow him, and fight for him. He was offering them a second chance, and the only price was loyalty and a willingness to serve in his growing army and navy. This second chance, was a last chance…with the harshest penalties waiting for any who returned to the habits that had banished them from their homelands in the first place. They would fall in line, and stay in line…or it was the end of the line. In this way Respite fed the Red Jackal’s growing military with soldiers and sailors.
Within a decade the Red Jackal had conquered all the forest lands to the east of the Grasslands of Shronth. He held the land of Respite in the East. He had built a great army and navy. He had the support of the High Church of Doeth. And his ever-loyal elvan brothers kept everyone honest in their dealings with the Red Jackal, by intimidation or quiet violence.
The Red Jackal’s growing power and political machinations took place at a time when the great Feron-Jacobe Empire in the West was being formed by the Warlord Jestak, one military conquest at a time. The rise to power of both Emperor Jestak and the Red Jackal ran in parallel, and it was a unique time, where neither had the resources, nor the interest, in disrupting each other efforts. This neutrality in the years to come would turn into fierce competition and strife, once both men had cemented their power.
(Click Here to See a Big Version of this Map)
With the Forest lands and Respite under control, the Red Jackal made two moves to expand his territory and influence. First, he marched with legions of men and cavalry upon the Grassland of Shronth. The great wind-swept plains were easier to settle and farm, and the Red Jackal was willing to fight the axemen of Shronth for a small piece of their vast territory. The fertile land would feed his Empire, and he knew that this war was necessary. A series of battles took place over 15 years, and both sides lost many men. But, inch by inch, the Red Jackal crept his way across the grasslands.
When his army took an area, he immediately brought in a different kind of army. Engineers and builders would set up large encampments, and raise towns where only grass had every been. With each forward encroachment into the wild plains, the Red Jackal would civilize the land. Roads and towns were built at lightning pace. People were settled on the land, given land grants, and farms were tilled. When the horseman of Shronth would return to reclaim their land with another battle, they would find the land was no longer theirs…even if they took it. It had been changed…transformed, and it was something altogether foreign to their culture.
After 15 years of battle and strife, the Red Jackal sued for peace. He paid handsome reparations to the horse tribes…some would say he was ridiculously generous. But gifts buy friends. And after 15 years of conquest, the Red Jackal wanted to neutralized the horsemen of Shronth as a threat. So he bought them, and left them with such a vast amount of their territory that they hardly missed what he had taken.
The Red Jackal’s second land-grab did not involve a war. Between the forest lands and resite were tall black mountains and a great empty dry steppe. This near desert area was called the Great Barrens, and it was once home to a powerful civilization in a previous age. But, the civilization had long ago been destroyed, and only tumbled ruins and dark holes in the ground serve witness to its prior existence. Here, nomadic people scratched out a living raiding old ruins. There were small towns here and there, but they were poor and dangerous, the people there barely surviving. Monsters and bandits roamed the land.
The Red Jackal moved into this large desolate region, build roads for trade, and a chain of forts along the roads to bring a small amount of security to the people living there. When the Red Jackal took the Great Barrens, there were no treaties signed and no victory parades. He simply paid attention to a part of the world no one else wanted, and it became him. Doubters said this was a fool’s errand. A political folly. But, in the century since, possessing the Great Barrens has allowed the Empire of Bone to open trade with the Dun and the Gu-Ang Empire in the South. And it would be hard to ignore the trade in magical artifacts dug out of the ruins of the Great Barrens.
By a period of time 120 years ago, the Empire of Bone consisted of the forest lands and the settled areas on the Plains of Shronth in the West, and then the freed prison-nation of Respite and the desolation of the Great Barrens in the East. These two areas were split by a tall volcanic mountain range called the Devil’s Range, and the Poison River that ran through it. The split Empire was possible due to sea power, and the ability for the East and West to communicate, travel, and trade by sea. But, the Red Jackal had his eye on the Devil’s Range and the Ogre civilization that lived there.
And thus we begin the tale of the Ogaroth. These ogres had lived in the mountains as long as anyone had recorded history. Vast numbers of them. The Ogaroth claimed that they were the descendants of a great Ogre civilization. They had dignity...pride...and ambition. But, they had trouble feeding and protecting their own. The mountains and the Underdark beneath the mountains were a horrible place to live, even for Ogres.
The Red Jackel went directly to them, and made them a deal. If they served him, he would help them rebuild their great Ogre civilization. Such was his empathy and generosity, that he convinced these Ogaroth to follow him. He organized them into legions, giving them whatever resources they needed to build great forts in the mountains. He gave them important roles in his Empire. He gave them ways to protect their women and offspring. And he at no point, in any way, ever betrayed them or disappointed them. If trouble arose in taming their mountains that was beyond their power to deal with easily, the Red Jackal went there personally with his elite elvan forces, and fought right alongside the Ogaroth.
With the addition of the Devil’s Range, and the Ogaroth legions to his own army, the Red Jackal had built the Empire of Bone from nothing. 50 years after being exiled from the Island of Shimera, the Red Jackal was Emperor. And none within his lands could challenge his power.
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At the time we start our game, 100 years have passed since the Ogaroth began serving the Red Jackal. There are 25 legions of Ogaroth soldiers, each legion having its own sprawling fort, flag, and unit pride. Unless there is an active war, the Red Jackel leaves the legions to guard their forts, their women, and their offspring. He has even brought in scholars and historians to look for evidence of the great Ogaroth civilization, in an attempt to help the Orges rebuild what they lost so long ago.
As odd as it seems, the Ogaroth legions are the backbone of the Red Jackel's power. There has never been a serious mutiny among the Ogaroth, even on a local scale. The Ogaroth practically worship the Red Jackel, with an ill word said about him likely leading to immediate and brutal execution without trial.
Your characters are part of an irregular unit attached to the Ayrvogh Sirt (Burning Heart) Legion. You live in a small barracks constructed specifically for you within the fort, which is located among the volcanic mountains of the Devil's Range.
So, the Red Jackel built the Empire of Bone, with its diverse areas and diverse peoples. His reputation is fiece, with many calling him the Dark Lord (not ironically), but as a sign of respect. He is seen as the Savior and almost a father figure by the Ogaroth. They call him "Estoki" (or Father). The Holy Church of Doeth, which is the singular religion of the people of the Empire of Bone, gave him the title of "Vysshiy Yeretik" (High Heretic) and "Zashchitnik Boga" (Protector of God). His elite elvan followers, whose numbers have grown greatly over the years, simply call him the “Red Jackal,” as in days of yore
The Red Jackel's home and refuge is the Mountain of Man. It is carved into a skull shaped rock in a large volcanic field that stretches for hundreds of miles.
Outside the Empire of Bone, the Red Jackel is seen as an evil leader...a despicable figure, to be feared and hated. He treats his enemies very poorly, and his reputation for being ruthless is not unfounded.
But to those who follow him, he is seen as a defender against exploitation by other Empires and World powers. He is seen as a no-nonsense leader that will stop and nothing to protect his people and defend their Empire.
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As a final note, something happened 20 years ago that changed the Red Jackal and the Empire of Bone drastically. A great war was brewing between the Feron-Jacobe Empire and the Swalduni sorcerers, and their Targ warrior allies. The Red Jackal showed up at the final battle of this war, which was called the Nameless War. The Red Jackal brought 5 legions of his Ogaroth troops, one of which was an elite Ogaroth legion. He fought with his loyal ogres side-by-side with the Imperial troops from the Mainland, attempting to put a stop to Swalduni expansion.
The Red Jackel was horribly injured in the battle, and was taken away quickly by his loyal Ogaroth troops, and back to the Empire of Bone.
Since that battle 20 years ago, and the great injuries he sustained...most of what is known about the Red Jackel and his condition is rumor, and most of it contradictory. It is believed he has not left his refuge at the Mountain of Man in the 20 years since the battle, and many say he was horribly maimed or crippled. Despite this, his human, ogre, and elvan subjects remain loyal to him, and the military generals, the Church of Doeth, and the government system he put in place, continues on despite his apparent absence from public life.
