Siadan

Siadan

Primary Culture

Siadunan Harpy

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Religion

The Hunt

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Traditions
+0.15 Infantry Shock
-20% Unjustified Demands

Masters of Far SalahadSince the collapse of the Firanyan Queendom fractured the harpy peoples into a hundred flocks, the Far Salahad has been ruled by the Siadúnan Matriarchs. From the slopes of the Serpentspine and Paravimvata they soar to raid and hunt, casting foreboding shadows on the empty sands and jagged crags from which they survey their domain. In the skies above the desert the Siadúnan harpies are undisputed masters, the Mašnsih nomads and Ghankedhen shepherds keeping constant vigilance against their lightning raids. This harsh land is theirs and has been for thousands of years - and if the Siadúnan harpies have it their way, it will be that way for a thousand more.
+1 Attrition for Enemies
-20% Land Attrition

Memories of SiadanlénOnce, the harpies of the Far Salahad were united in a great matriarchy, the mightiest since Firanya's own empire was sundered by the bow of the Huntsmistress in times lost to the fog of history. The Matriarchy of the Far Sands was called Siadanlén, or 'Siadúna's Country', by her people, and she was an impregnable fortress from which the Daughters of Siadúna Flaming-Talon could rule. None could assail her remote mountain roosts, or encroach upon the vastness of the badlands, and for hundreds of years Siadanlén was a major power in the East.\n\nBut the coming of Jaher and the Sun Elves blew like a fell wind across the Eastern Sands, and the Matriarchs of Siadanlén were finally faced with a foe implacable and skilled enough to not only defeat them on the field but to pursue them to their mountain fastnesses and lay terrible siege to her nests. Shattered by Jaher's onslaught, the roosts fell one by one, and countless sisters were killed by the self-proclaimed Sun God. But the years have been long since the Phoenix Emperor cast down the Matriarchy, and the elves are weak and off-balance from decades of infighting. This is the moment to strike, to reclaim the legacy of Siadanlén and revenge ourselves on the elves who still occupy the Far Salahad and the traitorous flocks who have given them succor.
-10% Aggressive Expansion Impact

Boons From the RajDespite the threat posed by the Siadúnan harpies, merchant caravans are a regular sight in the Far Salahad, lured by the riches of Rahen and Haless and the great profit they can make selling rare silks and porcelain goods in the markets of Bulwar. Between the safe havens of Azka Sur and Davharral, however, there is no shelter from the winged corsairs of Siádan, and these caravans make for easy targets. The Siadúnan harpies have become accomplished and organized ambushers from their many years of preying upon the merchants who are unfortunate enough to garner their attention, and the gold and captives they carry off from these caravans have made Siádan very rich indeed.
+10% National Tax Modifier

Cooperation with the GnollsWhile our western sisters in Harpy Hills consider the gnolls as pests and competitors for their rightful prey, the Matriarchs of Siádan have historically made common cause with the old masters of Bulwar. Instead of conflict and rivalry, the matriarchs of the Far Salahad have found that the enmity for the Bulwari and the Sun Elves that they share with gnolls is far greater than their animosity towards each other. Over the years, the unspoken agreements to focus their efforts against the Bulwari instead of each other grew into grudging cooperation between gnoll and harpy, culminating in the first ever official alliance between the two species being forged between the great pack of Zokka Devourer-of-Suns and Matriarch Astárta Siadunó's flock in 1424 AA.
+1 Diplomats

Screech of SiádanThe War Screech of Siádan is a terrible thing to behold, an ululating cry that pierces the ears and reverberates off every crag and stone, resonating deeply within the bones of those unfortunate enough to hear it. Though all harpies are capable of terrible cries, the warrior-flocks of Siádan invoke a special degree of terror and supplication in those who hear their call, and the wise have learned to lay down their arms and goods instead of going to an early grave when the terrible thunder of the Winged Hellscreamers rumbles across the plains.
-0.05 Monthly Autonomy Change
-25% Harsh Treatment Cost

The Crest of IštaraIštara Ivoryfeather was the greatest matriarch to ever rule the Matriarchy of Siadanlén, an unsurpassed warleader who was as savage in battle as she was wise in her rule. Under her banner in the early 800s AA the Matriarchy stretched from Azka-Sur in the west to the Marutha in the East, and the Hellscreamers of Siadanlén launched raids throughout Bulwar and Rahen uncontested by the bickering kingdoms of tiger, gnoll, or man. Those who fell under her rule found the Ivoryfeather to be far from a sadistic tyrant, however - and all those who were willing to regularly pay their tithes of finished goods or specialty knowledge were dealt with fairly under her Matriarchy.\n\nIt was during the days of the Ivoryfeather that the greatest symbol of the Siadúnan Harpies was crafted - the Crest of Ištara, a magnificent crown of gold, gemstones, and the matriarch's own feathers, a diadem as radiant as the rising sun, crafted by a dozen captive dwarven artisans. This resplendent crown is still used to coronate the matriarchs of Siádan to this day. With each new matriarch adding her own feathers to the regal plumes with her ascension, the ever-lengthening rainbow trail of feathers is a visible testament to the power of the long and storied line of great harpy warmistresses who have come before.
+0.5 Yearly Devotion
+0.5 Yearly Horde Unity
+0.5 Yearly Legitimacy
+10 Maximum Absolutism
+0.15 Yearly Republican Tradition

Brood Forged by SteelThe introduction of gunpowder to the Far Salahad caused a major shift in the way that the harpies of Siádan fought and conducted their raids. The footbow, long a staple of harpy skirmishing tactics, was always useful against unarmored targets but had proven unreliable against shielded or well-armored foes. The penetrating power of the arquebus, meanwhile, allowed the harpies to circumvent the weakness of their shortbows if the problems of long-range accuracy on these early muskets could be overcome. Always militaristic and willing to adopt new tactics, the Siadúnan harpies experimented with arquebuses captured in their raids along the golden highway and began to modify their formation flying for firearm tactics in the later 16th century. Young harpies of Siádan would be trained in gunpowder warfare starting at a early age to familiarize themselves with using such weapons on the wing or standing, and the great accuracy cultivated by these youths would be a boon to the Free Matriarchs of Siádan in their long war of resistance against the Jaddari Desert Phoenixes. Delivering devastating volleys on the flanks of an enemy to demoralize or stagger a front line before plunging into the line with razor talons, the harpies of Siádan proved that the Mistresses of the Skies could and would remain formidable foes in the new age of powder warfare that was dawning on Halcann.
+0.15 Infantry Fire

Ambition
-0.02 Monthly War Exhaustion

History

TBD

Strategy

TBD