Of the Five Nations founded by the human settlers of Khorvaire, Karrnath has the strongest military tradition. Famous as the birthplace of Galifar himself, the great king who unified the Five Nations, the nation consists of lush forests, fertile plains, and extensive waterways flowing from snow-covered mountaintops to the sea. Once, the borders of Karrnath included most of the land east of Scions Sound, covering what is now the Mror Holds, the Talenta Plains, Q'barra, and the Lhazaar Principalities. Today, the nation stretches from Scions Sound and the Cyre River on the west to the Ironroot Mountains in the east, and from Karrn Bay in the north to the start of the Talenta Plains in the south. The nation’s name has not changed since the ancient days before the founding of the Five Nations, when Karrn the Conqueror not only established the country that still bears his name but also tried to conquer and unite all of Khorvaire under his rule. Centuries later it was another Karrn, one of King Galifar’s sons, who rededicated the nation to himself in 32 YK, the same year when the Five Nations officially adopted the names of Galifar’s five eldest children.
During the reign of Jarot, Galifar’s last king, Kaius I governed the nation. Third born of King Jarot’s children, Kaius was a tall, whip-thin man with intense eyes and a sharp mind. With the death of his father, Kaius joined his siblings Thalin of Thrane and Wroann of Breland in rejecting their eldest sister Mishann’s claim to the throne. The Last War began as a two-sided affair—Cyre and Aundair on one side, attempting to uphold the tenets of Galifar succession; Breland, Thrane, and Karrnath on the other, rejecting the crowning of Mishann but unsure how they wanted the question of succession to be settled. It wasn’t long before each scion decided that he or she was meant to rule the kingdom, and the initial alliances collapsed in blood and fury.
The current ruler of Karrnath, King Kaius ir’Wynarn III, uncannily looks just like his great-grandfather, that scion of Jarot from whom his name derives. Kaius came to power in 991 YK and quickly became one of the most vocal proponents of peace in all the land. He was instrumental in convincing the other nations to attend peace talks at the ancient capital of Thronehold, and consequently was the first to sign the Treaty of Thronehold.
Today, Karrnath works hard to keep the current peace from failing. Without any children of his own as yet, Kaius has nonetheless exchanged his own brother and sister as well as the heirs of his most prominent nobles with the royal families of the other nations to assure cooperation and continued peace. He has taken in two of Boranel of Breland’s children, Halix and Borina, to help ensure a lasting peace and promote friendship between the two nations. Karrnath seeks to improve relations with Aundair and Thrane, two of the nations it fought most fiercely during the war. It continues to have a good relationship with the Mror Holds, one of its most staunch allies throughout the war. In the south, to curb continued aggression from the Valenar elves, Karrnath has established a separate alliance with the halfling clans of the Talenta Plains. This alliance has allowed Karrnathi troops to set up forts in halfling territory for the mutual protection of both nations.
Life and Society
An urban pulse beats through the heart of Karrnath’s metropolitan centers. Here, a vibrant middle class runs shops and other businesses, engages in industrial labor, and takes advantage of everything that the largest cities east of Scions Sound have to offer. Beyond the metropolitan centers, a rural sensibility holds sway. Here, farms and ranches of all descriptions stretch out across the fertile fields and plains. Even so, Karrnathi farms can’t produce enough food to feed the metropolitan centers of Korth, Karrlakton, Atur, Rekkenmark, and Vedykar, so the nation imports foodstuffs from Aundair and the Eldeen Reaches to supplement its needs. Agreements with the two western nations are relatively new, but they have already helped turn the tide of the food shortages that spread through the nation and caused the most recent famine of 996 YK.
A rich military heritage lies at the heart of Karrnathi society, and every able-bodied man and woman must serve time in either the Karrnathi army or navy. Many families have traditions of military service, with members turning mandatory enlistment into distinguished careers. Those wishing to forego the career path must still serve at least two years before returning to civilian life, and during some parts of the war, mandatory service lasted as long as eight years for some soldiers and sailors.
The dead have become an important part of Karrnathi society. Not the intelligent deathless of Aerenel, the undead of Karrnath consist mainly of zombies and skeletons that have been called forth to protect the nation. While some of the nobles and religious leaders objected to Kaius I’s plan to employ undead troops early in the Last War, the king ignored them and used his well-armed and armored zombies and skeletons to great advantage. Royal corpse collectors would scour battlefields to restock the undead forces, and even today they continue to build regiments of mindless undead in secret that can be mustered if needed. A few regiments of undead troops remain active, defending Karrnath’s borders and fighting against the Valenar elves out on the Talenta Plains.
Karrnath’s summers tend to be hot, wet, and short, while the winters are cold, snowy, and depressingly long. Storms roll across Scions Sound all year long, and particularly cold blasts can sweep in from Karrn Bay without warning. This climate has made the Karrns a hearty and robust people—somewhat dour, but with strong constitutions and a regimented mind-set. When the winter nights grow dark and cold, the typical Karrn enjoys a blazing fire, a hank of meat, a tankard or two (or more) of rich ale, and a large chunk of cheese.
The Military Academy of Rekkenmark has trained Galifar officers for hundreds of years and continues to excel as the premier training facility in all of Khorvaire. Before the start of the Last War, nobles from each of the Five Nations sent their sons and daughters to Rekkenmark for at least part of their education. Karrnath hopes to once again welcome students from all over Khorvaire into the halls of Rekkenmark Academy, but in a war-weary world only a handful of students from outside the nation have so far applied for and been accepted into the facility since the war’s end.
The Twelve, the arcane institute funded by the Dragonmarked Houses, has its permanent campus in Korth. During the war, the Twelve tried to remain neutral but got as caught up in things as everyone else. Now, rebuilding and trying to restore a regular arcane curriculum, the Twelve competes with the Arcane Congress in Aundair for promising students.
House Orien maintains major trade roads through out Karrnath, as well as lightning rail extensions that connect major cities within the nation with the Mror Holds and the Talenta Plains. In addition, smaller roads and paths crisscross the countryside, making travel throughout Karrnath relatively easy.
Government and Politics
King Kaius III rules the nation of Karrnath. The great-grandson of Kaius I, son of Jarot and first king of Karrnath after the collapse of Galifar, Kaius III has held the crown for less than a decade. He ascended the throne upon his twentieth birthday, taking over from his aunt, the regent Moranna, who had been ruling since the unexpected death of his father, King Jaron, shortly after Kaius III was born.
Karrnath suffered heavy losses during the course of the Last War. For all its military and naval might, widespread famine and rampant disease might have ended Karrnath’s bid for power before the third decade of the war was over. Thanks to its necromancers and corpse collectors, however, Karrnath was able to field a powerful army of skeletons and zombies even when its living forces became depleted. The royal family has weathered a number of setbacks and threats to the crown over the years, always coming through with the support and confidence of most of the nobles and vassal lords. As for the people of Karrnath, they might not have loved all of their rulers, but they always feared and respected them. A fierce patriotism, flamed by slogans and a constant call to arms, kept the people focused on winning the war despite the hardships and suffering they had to endure.
Descendants of Galifar, the royal family of Kaius ir’Wynarn rules Karrnath. The blood of Kaius I flows through a powerful extended family that oversees all government and military functions. The next tier in status, the nobles, have become warlords over the course of the last century, serving the crown as generals and admirals, as well as overseeing the land their titles grant them. Since the time of Kaius II, the warlords have been kept in line through harsh treatment and the use of force. The new king, Kaius III, has begun to make overtures to change this practice, though he has shown a remarkable ability to perform whatever action is necessary to maintain control and keep his plans on track. While he hopes to keep the trust of his nobles and receive their support willingly, he uses force when such action is required to demonstrate the power and position of the crown.
Though Kaius III has shown some desire to transform his nation along more progressive lines, it remains a military dictatorship ruled by hereditary monarchs of Galifar blood. Royal mayors govern towns and cities. Royal ministers oversee departments that handle all aspects of government and foreign affairs. Laws and regulations promote a society where might makes right, and while the Galifar Code of Justice provides the basis for civil rights in Karrnath, the Code of Kaius that developed from it is more rigid and less forgiving. Indeed, the nation has labored under martial law since the earliest days of the Last War.