Khiraspid
Khiraspid
Religion
Traditions
+15% Reinforce Speed
+20% Trade Steering
An Eye for QualityEvery porcelain city has a different specialty. Some pursue economical methods of production, others explore colourations as vivid as any Raheni dyes. In Khiraspid, the focus is singular: quality. Even as porcelain became more common in Cannor, following the rush of Cannor-Halessi trade in the 19th century and the opening of the Jashar Canal, Khiraspid porcelain remained on a tier of its own. The richest Lencori wine-lords, the haughtiest imperial magisters, the most exacting gnomish artificers — all would seek out wares marked with the city's signature identifier: a circle at the center of a horizontal oval.
+1 Yearly Prestige
Eyes everywhereRumors swirl through the streets of Khiraspid like whispers in the night, weaving tales of shadows with eyes and whispers that hint at the presence of shadowmancers finding sanctuary within our city's walls. Using forbidden magic, they are rumored to be capable of sinister deeds - from covert assassinations to espionage and kidnappings, no task is deemed too nefarious or beyond their reach.\n\nThey masquerade as beggars and common drunks, blending into bustling streets so their true identities are hidden from prying eyes. Contacting them is a near-impossible task, for their headquarters remain in constant movement, shifting from one slum or alley to another with each passing day. Only those who know one of their many complex codes have the privilege of contacting and referring to them by their real name, The Black Wind.\n\nYet, the whispers grow even darker, suggesting that the rulers of Khiraspid themselves may be entwined with this secretive guild of Shadowmancers, and that they use the service of these figures to deal with rivals and to keep close watch on everything that happens within and outside of the city. Whether these rumors hold any truth or are merely figments of fearful imaginations remains to be seen.
+20% Spy Network Construction
The VadatalaWhatever deal may exist between the Shadowmancers of The Black Wind and the lords of Khiraspid is most evident in the powers wielded by the most elite of the city’s warriors. In the depths of secrecy, The Vadatala as they are called, undergo training in the forbidden arts of Shadowmancy, learning techniques of stealth and subversion.\n\nCloaked in armor woven from shadow itself, these warriors are ethereal specters upon the battlefield, their movements fluid and elusive. As they glide across the landscape, they strike with precision and stealth, blending into the shadows that surround them. If ever overwhelmed, they possess the ability to summon spectral clones forged from shadow - half-phantoms, not quite real but material enough to strike with deadly precision, that distract and disorient their foes as they slip away in the chaos of battle.\n\nTo our foes, the Vadatala are elusive phantoms, striking from darkness with speed and unpredictability. By the time they realize the truth, it is too late, for they find themselves swinging at shadows, unaware of the true threat that lurks.
+15% Infantry Combat Ability
Lengthy VacationsKhiraspid employs many ministers to ensure that every piece of its bureaucracy has a watchful eye and guiding hand at its helm. But for most departments, there is a steady churn of such, as ministers are known to go on vacation and never return. Do they seek out porcelain cities with less-stringent laws? Do they retire to a small palace along the Dhenbasana? Is something else happening entirely? Only the masters of the Porcelain Guild know for sure.
-0.1 Yearly Corruption
Moving ShadowsIn the covert operations of war, the shadowmancer infiltrators emerge as silent ghosts, slipping through enemy defenses to sow chaos and discord from within. From the shadows, they manipulate and corrupt local authorities, turning them against their own people and causing dissent to fester within enemy ranks. Using dark illusions they create diversions and distractions, shadowy beings who cause distress and then disappear into the gloom, diverting attention away from our impending assault. \n\nAs the siege ensues, the infiltrators continue their work within the enemy stronghold. With swift and deadly precision, they target key captains and commanders, eliminating them with stealth and cunning, further disorganizing and causing disarray among the ranks, leaving the defenders vulnerable and unable to mount a cohesive defense
+10% Siege Ability
The White GateDuring the old days of the Rahenraj, millennia ago, many of the major forts of Dhujat grew into cities in their own right. Especially after the conflicts between the Rahenraj and the kingdoms east of it, around 600 BA, Khiraspid was fortified to the point of having some of the thickest and tallest walls. Within it, the porcelain workers felt safe to revel in their riches. But everything changed when Harimar attacked.\n\nThough the walls were insurmountable, the gates were not. The harimari troops quickly breached the city's mighty gates, and quickly overran its defences. But Harimar was a benevolent conqueror, and he saw the value of a kind example in bringing the rest of the Porcelain Cities under his paw. Instead of sacking the city, he allowed its rulers to proclaim him sovereign. Then, before he left, he ensured the shattered gates would be rebuilt out of pure porcelain, a shining white beacon so that all would remember how quickly he had seized the city — and his mercy afterward.\n\nThe days of the old Harimraj are long gone now, but the White Gate still stands, the symbol of Khiraspid and harder than any wood or stone. And though hobgoblins threaten from the north, zealots threaten from the east, Khiraspid's White Gate will stand strong, nigh-insurmountable, against them.
+15% Fort Defence
From Around TownSome live in ornate palaces, funded by porcelain wealth. Some make their lives in small houses, passed down from generation to generation. Still others reside in dense, dark, slums. But all are mandated to serve in the city guard from the ages eighteen to twenty. Not a single individual, no matter their fitness or position, is allowed to shun this duty, and it ensures that Khiraspid never goes without a well-manned guard.\n\nThe other Porcelain Cities often looked down on this practice, which meant an apprentice porcelain-worker would share a spear with a street urchin, especially when mercenary forces and Bhuvauri slave soldiers were well-trained, plentiful, and cheap. But it would pay off in 1699 AA, when following the execution of an elven diplomat accused of porcelain espionage, Lorent paid the Bhuvauri a vast sum and promised them exclusive Cannorian trade rights to turn on their would-be masters and sack the city of Keyattordha. That city was left ravaged, and the slave soldiers also looted a few others as they abandoned the Porcelain Guilds' contracts in full. After the "Typhoon of Broken Vases", as the event became known, Khiraspid alone stood untouched.
+15% National Manpower Modifier
Ambition
-10% Advisor Cost
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD