Kal-Oni Empire

Category	Fallen Empires
World	Bal-Kriav
Region	Hells Womb
Government	Autocracy
Capital	Zayr
Population	(225,000+ at peak)
Races	Tragaran 90% Nermanean 5% other 5%
Deities	Arcana, Ares, Hades, Neld-Rac
Enemies	Tarkrath
Leaders	House Kal-Oni
Reign	1016 - 1266
Map	Lirgaza

In the Great Exodus ( 998 - 1017 ) , hundreds of thousands of refugees, fleeing fallen empires and those soon to collapse, departed parts of Azrik and nearly all of Gulimbor. These regions of the Karterus continent had become uninhabitable due to a devastating magical cataclysm sweeping across the land. One group of refugees settled in the Hells Womb, a southern coastal region of the Brucrumus mainland. Nearly all of these individuals were Tragarans, former citizens of the recently collapsed Cal-Thaoun Dynasty, ruled by the Cal-Thaoun family for the past seven centuries.

Tragically, most members of the Cal-Thaoun family perished on their voyage to a new land they had assumed they would govern for another seven centuries. The refugees, left without leadership on the shores of Hells Womb, sought new guidance, with many looking to the Kal-Oni family as a potential solution. The Kal-Oni were a prominent and prosperous family, frequently supporting the government. In fact, they were so trusted by the Cal-Thaoun family, having worked in tandem for many centuries, with one controlling the government and the other commanding vast business interests, that the Cal-Thaoun family placed their protection under Kal-Oni ships rather than their own military vessels. This would prove to be a fateful decision, as the entire Kal-Oni family was ultimately cast overboard by crews driven to madness by the songs of sirens.

On 3 Bliss 1016, the Kal-Oni family assumed leadership of the newly established Kal-Oni Empire. They distributed all significant positions within the military, government, and state-owned enterprises. It was a dynastic rule, with an Empress or Emperor overseeing the entire operation. Adhering to traditions dating back to the Lith-Crillion Era, the government was led by a sole head of state, never an Emperor and Empress; the spouse was relegated to a role outside of the administration.

The Kal-Oni were an aggressive people, taking what they desired through force of arms. They proclaimed to the populace, "We are surrounded by entrenched peoples who have long inhabited these lands, none too pleased with our presence. To survive, we must be strong." In the empire's first century, Graagvrii raiders from the Ghar-Lakh Swamp and orcs emerging from the Kamoni Jungle posed a common threat. In times of peace, they traded with their temporary allies and more permanent neighbors to the northwest, the halflings of Bathor and the elves of Celebriän. The Kal-Oni Empire also maintained strong trade and friendly relations with Ivory Asylum and their fellow Tragarans, who had settled along the eastern coasts of Ma'Ohari (cf. the Burterinii Empire ).

In the Ghar-Lakh War, the Kal-Oni engaged in conflict with Ghar-Lakh's Graagvrii. This confrontation stemmed from the Kal-Oni's desire to secure the Mynzuth iron reserves. With the war's conclusion in 1022, the parties negotiated terms beneficial to both sides. The Kal-Oni would lease the land at relatively low rates, and in exchange, they would adopt a more assertive stance against the area's orc population. Fulfilling this agreement, the Kal-Oni established Troom, which provoked conflict with the orc tribes claiming sovereignty over this part of Mynzuth. These orcs had inhabited the region since the Horgon Era and were hostile to outsiders, each other, and those who had chosen to settle in Tarkrath, seen as having "lost the way."

One of the most influential groups to counsel the Kal-Oni government was the Bralda-Balc crime syndicate. In 1026, one of their exploration teams discovered the Lab Journals of Neld-Rac. While these journals held religious significance, their bearers remained unaware. This would lead to a revival of Neld-Rac worship and the proliferation of information on dark rites and necromancy.

Between 1031 and 1041, the empire engaged in war with the orcs of the Kamoni jungle. These were the most feared of all the orc peoples, scattered like a crescent from Kamoni, across part of the Mynzuth hills and into the guts of the Cormindar Mountains. This conflict became known as the Kamoni War. A Kal-Oni victory led to the depopulation of Tarkrath. The orcs fought as guerrillas for a few years, then departed in what became known as the Arduous March ( 1041 - 1096 ) .

In 1080, civil unrest was becoming a persistent issue. Many were fatigued by the dynastic rule, and the majority yearned for popular elections, while others desired a government more conducive to trade or other interests. This unrest can be partly attributed to groups like the Cult of Worms and Bralda-Balc's splinter groups. At the time, the lich Caliguworm headed the Cult of Worms. Under the guidance of Thasmudyan, these two figures are believed to have been pivotal in the ensuing turmoil. The government was aware of these malicious actors, even resorting to assassinations when sufficient evidence could not be gathered to bring them to trial. Much of this covert operation was carried out by the Hulo Sect (c.f. Tearberon ) and the Shadow Sect.

In 1090, the empire was confronting a growing number of undead threats. Regrettably, the government was slow to respond, leading to another wave of unrest. Fifteen years later, in 1105, the populace learned the reason for the poor defense against the packs of undead roaming the countryside and the unusual leniency towards necromancers. The League of Magicks provided compelling evidence to leaders outside the government, proving that the true emperor of Kal-Oni had been killed fifteen years prior, the same year the undead problem had begun. Since that time, the head of the Cult of Worms, the lich Caliguworm, had been ruling in his stead. The deception was so effective that even members of the Kal-Oni family were unaware or under a spell not to raise the alarm. The Kal-Oni High Church (a group of priests representing all the major gods worshipped in Kal-Oni's sphere of influence) issued the Shadow Bull , a religious proclamation forbidding all activities involving necromancy. Caliguworm was subsequently removed from power and taken by the League of Magicks to serve an eternity in a Hibernation Bay.

In the 1240s, the undead were again becoming a troublesome presence. In 1244, the empire dispatched assassins and seasoned adventurers to purge the lands of necromancers, dark cultists, death priests, and their supporters. The Cult of Worms continued to gain power even after the imprisonment of Caliguworm and the Purging of 1244. In secret, they persisted in inducting new members and spreading necromantic practices. By 1255, they had amassed the necessary resources to raise a vast army of undead. The Cult of Worms demanded the rescinding of the Shadow Bull, and when this did not occur, they unleashed the Pitch Bone Legion, which ravaged the Kal-Oni lands. As the Cult lost control of this legion, the undead wandered about, destroying everything in their path. Over time, the Pitch Bone Legion grew in strength as fiends, death priests, and necromancers joined their ranks, instilling terror in the Kal-Oni people. The Kal-Oneans united against this threat and appealed to their government to banish the Cult of Worms, as well as requested that the Kal-Oni High Church issue a bull forbidding the worship of evil gods. However, their appeals fell on deaf ears, as the government was now firmly in the hands of a former faction of Bralda-Balc, known as the Shadow Sect. Unable to sway the government's dark path, the strongest and most influential merchant lords of the empire sought the help of the elven republic of Celebriän. To deal with the Pitch Bone Legion, the elves enlisted the aid of the Lances of Merioss, and the Gwaeldior Alliance was formed by the elves, knights, and merchants to put an end to the undead horde and bring down the Kal-Oni government.

The Kal-Oni War raged for six years, leaving a wake of widespread devastation in its aftermath. In the end, only a single settlement, a small fishing port known as Paradomea (see Paradomea City ), remained standing amidst the ruins. The merchant lords of the Gwaeldior Alliance subsequently established the Merchant League and took control of this solitary port.