Karrnath

Map of Karrnath
Karrnath
Geography
Capital	Korth
Society
Population	2,500,000
Races	Humans 52% Dwarf 18% Halflings 10% Half-elves 8% Elves 8% Other 4%
Commerce
Exports	Ale, dairy, glass, grain, livestock, lumber, paper, textiles
Politics
Gov't type	Monarchy
Ruler	King Kaius III

One of the Five Nations of Khorvaire, Karrnath is a nation ruled by King Kaius III that is proud of its martial heritage and is the oldest of the Five Nations. It was founded by Karrn the Conqueror over two thousand years ago. The nation is particularly noted for its widespread use of undead troopers during the Last War and the ruthless dictatorship of its monarch.

Location

Lying in the northeast of Khorvaire, the nation of Karrnath stretches from Scions Sound in the west to the Ironroot Mountains in the east, and from Karrn Bay in the north to its tenuous border with the Talenta Plains to the south. It is a nation of equal parts open fields and dense forests with House Orien traderoads and lightning rail tracks providing ample travel considerations.

Society

Karrnathi Heraldric Crest

One of the oldest human nations on Khorvaire, Karrnath was built on a strong military tradition, one that carries on to this day. Karrnath supports a heavy middle class with plenty of trade businesses running in the large metropolitan centers throughout the western region of the country. Every Karrnathi citizen is forced into compulsory military service lasting at least two years. While many turn this service into a life-long career, others are quick to fulfill their duty and begin their actual lives. Most interesting about Karrnathi society is their use of the dead. There are no qualms about necromancy or undead in Karrnath and the forces of the military in the Last War were bolstered by skeleton and zombie forces. The summers are hot, short and wet while the winters are long, bitterly cold and full of snow. The people have grown hearty and robust out of this constant weather patterns.

People

• King Kaius III
• Haydith ir'Wynarn
• Regent Moranna ir'Wynarn
• Malevanor
• Gruden ir'Erdei, High Counselor of Rekkenmark Academy
• Caldrus ir'Kurtvach
• General Yorin Thauram, Commander of the White Lions
• Hyran ir'Tennet, Civic Minister of Korth
• Roerith, Prelate of the Sovereign Host
• King Galifar ir'Wynarn I, warlord of Karrnath and first King of the Kingdom of Galifar
  

Power Groups

• Blood of Vol
• House Deneith
• House Jorasco
• The Order of the Emerald Claw
• The Order of Rekkenmark
• The Royal Family
• The Twelve

History

Pre-Galifar

Karrnath was one of the first human established nations on the soil of Khorvaire, founded by Karrn the Conqueror in -1002 YK. Karrn unsuccessfully attempted at the time to unite all of the five settlements of Khorvaire beneath him, but his power was not yet strong enough. 957 years later in -45 YK Galifar I was born in Karrnath. 21 years later Galifar assumed leadership of Karrnath. Ten years into his reign he resumed the campaign that Karrn the Conqueror abandoned nearly a millennium before, the unification of the five settlements of Khorvaire. Galifar accomplished this feat after fourteen long years of struggle. His grandson, King Galifar ir'Wynarn II, "the Dark", later institued a new calendar starting at the very year that Galifar I united the Five Nations. (Sources: ECS 130 & 225, FN 10)

Under Galifar

Karrnath always held a special place under Galifar I. In the first year of his reign, Galifar I assigned each of the Five Nations to one of his children to oversee as Governor-prince/princess. To Karrn, his eldest son, he gave the appropriately-named territory of Karrnath. However, by the time he finally abdicated his throne at the age of 85, several of his older children had already died and it was his youngest son, Cyre, who would succeed him as the second King of Galifar. (Sources: ECS 225, FN 8 & 10)

The Last War

Karrnath forces battling Cyran forces.

King Jarot's son Kaius I was one of those opposed to handing the crown to Mishann of Cyre. This, of course, was the spark that ignited the Last War and Karrnath suffered some of the heaviest casualties of the war. However, three generations later it was Kaius III who ascended to power over Karrnath in 991 YK and who was the biggest proponent of peace. It was he who established that peace talks should commence in Thronehold and though the destruction of Cyre in the Day of Mourning in 994 YK is often seen as being the primary reason to end of the conflict, there is no doubt that it was through King Kaius III's establishing of an environment where compromise could be reached that the peace talks actually began.

Cities and Settlements

Other Notable Features

• Ashen Spires
• Iceflow River
• Icetop Mountains
• Icewood
• Ironroot Mountains
• Karrn River
• Karrnwood
• Lake Dark
• Madstone
• Nightwood
• Scions Sound
• Shadowmount Forest

Notes

Karrnath bears a lot of similarity to Dracula by Bram Stoker. Karrnath bears a distinct Transylvanian feeling with a lingering aura of darkness, thick pine forests and a burgeoning middle class. Indeed the correlations of a vampire king lording over a military dictatorship holds sway with the imagery of Stoker's work.

Grammatical Reference

Karrnath is a noun and refers to the nation as a whole.

Karrnathi is the adjectival word refering to an item or quality that derives from the nation of Karrnath (e.g. Karrnathi skeleton).

Karrn is a noun used to refer to a person of Karrnathi heritage or who is a citizen of the nation of Karrnath.

Related Pages

• Vurgenslye

References

• Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, & James Wyatt (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 176–183. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
• James Wyatt, Keith Baker, Luke Johnson, Steven Brown (2006). Player's Guide to Eberron. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 65. ISBN 0-7869-3912-5.
• Bill Slavicsek, David Noonan, and Christopher Perkins (2005). Five Nations. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 95–123. ISBN 0-7869-3690-8.