The Kingdom of Phan

Capital: Kar’Phan

Mainland Population: 3.5 million (40% human, 20% half-orc, 10% dwarf, 10% half-elf, 7% halfling, 5% gnome, 5% elf, 2% orc, 1% other)

Languages: Common, Orc, Dwarven

In the arid, untamed desert of the Dragon Tooth Expanse, the great kingdom and colonial power of Phan holds sway, and its capital in Kar’Phan has stood for two-thousand years. The nation is composed largely of humans and half-orcs, drawing from the native population of the Expanse. The majority of the resident dwarven population draws from one or another of the three major dwarven holdings in the vast desert, and all other population figures are either the result of immigration over the centuries, or approximations of migrant populations.

The kingdom was founded by its capital’s namesake, Kar’Phan Drakeblood, in a campaign of subjugation, alliance, and enslavement against and with the various clans and tribes of the Expanse, and the capital was forged in the heat of the desert, hammered into shape by Kar’Phan’s legendary iron fist, and cooled by the delta of the Crystal River. Since those ancient days, the kingdom has flourished and grown, and as greater supplies of minerals, wood, and other raw materials were required, the guilds of Phan stepped forward to commission the adventurers and sell-swords of the kingdom to establish colonies across the sea.

As the guilds grew in influence and power, it became clear that the kingdom could no longer be governed by a king and his court alone, and King Wohop, known for his occasional strokes of unusual brilliance, called for a parliament to be formed of representatives from all of the major guilds.

Industries

Phan’s trade guilds provide much of the production labor in the kingdom, and a high baseline quality can be expected from most of their work. These guilds span the fields of smithing, woodworking, and farming, and are delineated on strict sub-field lines. Smithing guilds are broken down into armorers, weapon-smiths, blacksmiths, metallurgists, and glass-wrights, and often also house or associate with stonemason guilds. Woodworking guilds consist of shipwrights, carpenters, and woodcarvers. Farming guilds provide almanacs, seeds, beasts of burden, and farm equipment to members, as well as serving as farmers’ markets for the general populace. Under the purview of the farming guilds are also those guilds who make immediate use of the raw materials produced by the farms, such as the weavers’, alchemists’, culinary, leather-workers’, and handlers’ guilds.

The entire guild system hinges upon the most critical element of Phan’s success: its colonies. On islands and mainland locations across the known world, the guilds have established colonies in the name of Phan, that new sources of ore, wood, and other resources may be procured for production. To this end, adventurers, mercenaries, and sell-swords from around the world flock to Kar’Phan’s harbors, seeking coin, adventure, and prestige, all paid for by the fat purses of the guilds.

Life and Society

The kingdom of Phan was founded on the principle of mortals ruling mortal kind, and its capital, Kar’Phan, was built without magical assistance, its economy based in quality handcrafted products, and its kings relying on the advice of mortal advisers alone. Since those early days, the kingdom has made little use of immortal power or influence, compared to their neighbors in the Coral Archipelago.

Since those ancient and noble beginnings, official and social policy on pact magic has relaxed. Clerics of Qadeshtu and Resheph tend to the wounded and ill, necromancers fueled by demonic power provide cheap labor for the mines, and druids of the Summer court offer their services in the fields. While the government makes only essential uses of immortal magic, it has crept inexorably into the culture and economics of the kingdom.

Nonetheless, in the past decades a new movement has taken shape, aiming to exorcise immortal involvement in magic weapons and armor, tools, and even food production. An entire market for mortal-made goods has surfaced, though prices are inflated on such products due to the increased difficulty in manufacturing. A few enterprising wizards, however, have taken up the call for non-immortal goods, and offer a middle ground solution: wizard-made goods and enchantments.

Government and Politics

Ruled by Queen El’vina Drakeblood (LN female human aristocrat 2/monk 3), Phan maintains the monarchic line it has had since its founding. However, during the reign of Wohop, a parliamentary system was enacted. Comprising two houses, the parliament handles the majority of day-to-day affairs in the kingdom, including budgets, economic controls, lawmaking, and the founding and funding of the colonies.

The first house, the House of Guilds (often known to the citizenry as the “Gilded House” or the “Guilted House”), handles the majority of economic concerns, and are at the beginning of almost every colonial motion. The Guilded House is made up of representatives from each of the major guilds of Phan, selected by guild leadership and serving at the pleasure of the crown. Should a guild representative displease the reigning king or queen, he or she will be dismissed and a replacement will be selected from their guild. For this reason, many representatives from this house spend their days at court, gauging the monarch’s interest and disposition regarding any motion before putting it to a vote on the House floor.

The second house, the House of Nobles, is somewhat misnamed. It once was filled with members of court and nobility, but those inheritors have since been slowly replaced with elected officials from the various colonies, cities, and provinces of Phan. This house handles the majority of legislation, sets taxes and budgets, and makes the final parliamentary approval for colonial matters. The representatives in the House of Nobles serve, like the guild reps, at the pleasure of the crown. However, there is much greater hesitation in the dismissal of an elected official, as such an act is not only a strike to the politician, but an offensive gesture to their constituents. Repeated dismissals will do little to engender trust and respect in the monarchy, and the affronted colony may well take actions of protest or, in extreme circumstances, secession, cutting the mainland off either temporarily or permanently from their much-needed resources.

Queen El’vina is in a difficult position, as her ascension to the throne less than a decade past made her the first Drakeblood crowned “Queen” in Phan’s history. As the only scion of her father, the late King Bornam, she took up the obligation and responsibility as the sole heir. While the kingdom has long been ruled with a gender impartiality stance, and the citizens rarely contradict this view, it is still a major break from two-thousand year tradition. As such, El’vina has conducted herself as much according to tradition and duty as possible, taking up the monastic arts like her forefathers under the tutelage of the Iron Fist monks, and attending court as stately and proper as her father. Nonetheless, there is some concern amongst the guilds and the laypeople of Phan about how the princess might handle whatever crisis may cross the kingdom in the decades to come.

Organizations

Scions of the Iron Fist
An ancient order of monks following in the tradition of Kar’Phan Drakeblood, these unarmed warriors train and teach in the mortal styles of combat employed by their namesake. Most Iron Fist monks serve in the highest echelons of the Royal Guard.

The Order of the Azure Storm
A more recent monastic tradition founded in the last several centuries, Azure Storm initiates display mastery of not only unarmed combat, but sorcerous lightning. These warriors sell their services, most often as law enforcement or guild bodyguards. The source of their sorcery is a closely guarded secret known only to the initiated.

The Royal Guilds of Phan
Not so much a single organization as an assortment of related and interconnected guilds, these economic powerhouses control the majority of business and organized labor in the kingdom. The guilds have representation in government, financial investment in the colonies, and employment of the largest total population of skilled craftsmen and artisans in Arkhos.