Source: Cultures of Karrnath
The smallest of the duchies, Karrlakton occupies Karrnath’s south-facing border with Cyre and is best known for being the home of House Deneith. The duchy is less urban than Korth, as Karrlakton is the only city of note within its borders. The mile-high dead gray mists of the Mournland are visible even as far inland as the southern border of the Nightwood, and its presence has weighed heavily on the minds of the residents of the duchy for the past four years. The Duchy’s eastern and western borders are marked by small tributary rivers that feed into the Cyre River.
History
Within two centuries of humanity settling in Karrnath and the founding of the original Kingdom of Karrlakton, a curious new birthmark appeared among a few different families within Western Karrnath. The Mark of Sentinel was the first dragonmark to appear among humanity, and its powers of awareness and protection gave these families a leg up, allowing them to become the first batch of warlords.
As these early warlords were establishing themselves, events in Aerenal led to a mass exodus. Many of these elves arrived in Karrlakton, but their presence was unwelcome at best. After they were discovered to harbor vampires, the elves and their allies were attacked by the human warlords and forced to flee north, through the Nightwood, eventually arriving at the head of the Karrn river where they would found the city of Atur.
Just under a millennia after the arrival of humanity, Karrn the Conqueror was born in Karrlakton. Presaging Galifar’s unification of all the houses under him, Karrn’s greatest diplomatic triumph was uniting the Sentinel-marked families into House Deneith while ensuring that they were loyal and subservient to him. Deftly navigating the cutthroat political world of Western Karrnath, he gave them control of the city’s central keep, which would become Sentinel Tower. With this magically enhanced army of premiere warriors, Karrn was able to march west and conquer Korth, from where he united all of Karrnath.
Karrlakton's status as the number two duchy was cemented during the thousand-year period following Karrnath’s unification. While the city’s harbor is not as high quality as Korth’s, it’s still conveniently on the waterway and engages in plenty of trade. Marriages between noble families from Korth and Karrlakton have always been common, with Karrlakton earning a reputation as a quieter and less conniving court than the capital.
Galifar ir’Wynarn was born in Karrlakton, but as a child moved with his family to the court in Korth. While he did not explicitly visit political favors upon the duchy, the security needs of the early kingdom deeply enriched House Deneith. Those riches flowed out to the rest of the duchy, as Karrlakton became the central home for Deneith’s formerly scattered training programs. This continued until Jarot’s reign; even without the general threat of war, House Deneith mercenaries were always in demand to deal with internal security and frontier conflicts.
Like the Duchy of Korth, Karrlakton was invaded repeatedly throughout the Last War, primarily by Cyran forces crossing the river. The city, protected by Sentinel Tower, was virtually impregnable, but the surrounding countryside did not benefit from the aegis of House Deneith. The town of Vurgenslye, on the western edge of the duchy, was the site of several pitched battles between reinforcements from Korth and the Cyran military.
Unfortunately, Karrlakton has not been able to recover from the ravages of war like Korth. The Day of Mourning immediately thrust the duchy into turmoil, as panicking Cyran refugees crossed the river en masse. Unlike the tragedies that befell those fleeing into Valenar, Karrnath generally refrained from violence against refugees, but neither did it provide the aid and welcome that Breland and Thrane did. Instead, the refugees were rounded up and held as prisoners of war for two years until their release was negotiated as part of the Treaty of Thronehold. The camps they were held in have been mostly dismantled, but their effect on the landscape is still plenty evident.
Governance
The Duchess of Karrlakton, Olivier ir’Mira (human she/her), is a fierce leader and veteran who’s led her forces in dozens of battles. Her personal prowess is unquestionable, having graduated Rekkenmark with top marks in both battlefield leadership and dueling. She’s survived several assassination attempts, including one from the traitorous Order of the Emerald Claw, without even acquiring a scar.
Politically, Duchess ir’Mira is an ally of the crown but has questions about Kaius III’s current goals and choice of spouse. Despite her successes in the war, she has no interest in restarting the conflict; she’s repeatedly rebuffed entreaties from the pro-war caucus At All Costs. She also keeps one eye on House Deneith, recognizing that the Blademark Guild’s strength combined with the Baron’s ambition is a cause for concern in the post-Thronehold order.
Beneath the duchess, Karrlakton is divided into a handful of counties. The war provided plenty of opportunities for turnover, as military expectations significantly increased the mortality rate among nobility. Those that survived have found mixed success in the post-war order; falling tax revenues from depopulation combined with sustained military obligations have made some sympathetic to the forces arrayed against the crown.
Cultural Hallmarks
Paper. In addition to agriculture, Karrlakton's signature product is paper. Mills along the Cyre River boomed during the 9th century and were lucky enough to avoid destruction by Cyran artillery during the Last War. The appearance of the dead-gray mists has unnerved enough people over the last four years that the mills are struggling to find enough workers to meet demand, a weakness some laborers are seeing as an opportunity to fight back against hazardous conditions and the unjust Code of Kaius that protects them.
Order of the Blackened Sky. While Karrnath is most often associated with the directly martial gods like Dol Dorn, Onatar’s role in stoking the industry of war is also important to Karrnath’s military success. After Regent Moranna ended the Blood of Vol’s elevated status, Olivier’s predecessor—the late Philip ir’Mira—founded a new order focused on mixing traditional Karrnathi martial practices with artifice. The Order of the Blackened Sky remains one of the most socially open of Karrnath’s orders, welcoming people from all walks of life who embrace its tenets of curiosity and embracing technological change. The group’s role evolved in 994, as horrors periodically left the mists to terrorize Karrnathi citizens. Olivier charged its members with protecting the border, a role they gladly embraced with the cessation of ordinary hostilities. Today, members of the Order of the Blackened Sky fight Mournland monstrosities with all sorts of alchemical concoctions. The order’s commander, Evetius ir’Denka (they/them), is always looking for independent groups to gather intelligence and material from inside the mists.
Fashion. While Karrns are typecast as grim and covered up in heavy cloaks, Karrlakton is different. The duchy’s relatively southern location and proximity to the Cyre River keep it warmer and wetter than the rest of Karrnath. Far more important, however, is the presence of House Deneith. While all the houses have enjoyed a certain immunity to petty regulations such as sumptuary laws that restrict fashions, only House Deneith has publicly flaunted rules and standards for dress. The house’s signature green, yellow, and purple colors date back to when a Galifaran monarch banned the colors and the baron of the house decided to outfit their soldiers in poofy, garish tunics, a fashion that periodically returns and has become a permanent feature of the duchy as a whole.