Alright, well here is my Night Elf death knight as a nation.
Nation/Kingdom Name: Ebon, also known as: The borderless kingdom, The Ash Remanent, The Nationless, The Mercenary Kingdom, The Roaming Country and The traveling Hordes.
Government Type: Succession Leadership
Coat of Arms or Banner: A cracked stags skull mended with gold and adorned with three effigies, hung from its antlers in giant spider silk thread, these are a figure in the shape of a crescent moon, a figure of a humanoid in the fetus position and a chipped arrow head. Variations exist with different animal skulls and figures but this is the general design.
Capital: Unofficially, The Grand Host.
Ethnic Groups/Species: Originally of predominately elven ethnicity, they have over time become a minority compared to its current 64% human, 22% dwarf, 10% other civilized humanoids, so as to now only making up 4% of the current population.
Religions: Various minor and greater powers: 36% Creole Religion, 12% Flayed God, 4% The Hand, 41% Torthlorn, 7% Night Wicca.
Imports While importing a great many things, the primary imports are: Metals, Tools, weapons and Foodstuffs
Exports Mercenaries and Mounts.
Hallmarks: Ebon has no walls and does not posses any borders
Signature Weapon: Unofficially the double bladed sword staff.
National Dish: Weald, a wild game slow stew with herbs and mushrooms. Made in large cauldrons which is then kept warm and simmering for days as more wild is added to it.
Interesting Things About Ebon
- Ebon is a decentralized nation, brought to ruin in ages past by dark forces but rather than wither and die it has kept itself alive through the resilience of its people, they have no walls, no cities and no border to speak of anymore. Instead they live in wandering armies known as Hosts, the largest of which is known as The Grand Host
- Ebon Spirit Sages converse with the dead to gain insight and help, it is through these sages their dead is venerated and their history and identity is kept alive. Some sages can even employ the dead to serve again for a limited time when the Host face a dire situation.
- The Ebon of today is comprised of many hosts, that wander their ruined kingdom , combating demonic foes, bandits and warlords alike, though originally a small group of survivors, they are now a nation of armies, loosely connected through a shared goal to retake and restore what they have lost. each host acts as its own independent, with rules, regulations, politics and tradition, however each of them are connected through a shared goal to see the dark forces pushed out.
Characters of Ebon
- With the progress of time and the fatigue of an endless crusade, the original elven natives of Ebon have become a minority within their own “nation”, drifters, mercenaries, wanna be heroes and tribes have flocked to the banner, whether its to find safety in numbers or to aid Ebon in its crusade, the overwhelming influx of “migrants” is what keeps the ranks filled and the wheels of progress turning.
- Because of the hosts constant need to move, mounts have become synonymous with the people of Ebon, as they move across the land mounted atop trusted beasts of burden, such as the noble horse, The Cunning Plainstrider, tall flightless birds and the Strong Weldermer, large and bulky creatures resembling four legged reptilians with a spiked tail and bone plated head and thick body armor of leather.
- Generally speaking necromancy is allowed and even encouraged by traditional Hosts, however rather than raising the dead carelessly, each host employs a spirit sage to form contracts with the dead, allowing them to serve under agreed upon conditions.
Places of Interest:
- Kingsfall, A rather unremarkable location where the last king of Ebon fell, it is not marked with grandeur, neither banners, buildings or statues stand in the kings honor as to not draw attention as a place of importance for the enemies of Ebon to exploit or defile.
- The Grand Host, to call it a caravan would be a disservice, rather the Grand Host is more easily compared to a great city on legs.
- New Port, While Ebon does not establish settlements, some still exists within the former nations borders, the largest of which is New Port, formally a pirates shanty town, it has become a hub of legit trade and many aspiring recruits, seeking to join any of the Hosts in their long crusade, begin their journey here.
Politics And War
- The Hosts that make up Ebon is decentralized purposefully to make them harder for their enemies to combat and destroy, however communication between hosts are common using various methods such as messager birds, outriders, and coded symbols left behind. While it limits direct communication and coordination between two hosts, each of them act as independent townships with a ruling chief, the chief is expected to take apprentices to train to take over when they eventually die or cannot lead the host effectively. This does mean there is tendency to deviate from the cultural norm in Hosts where the population of native Ebons are low or non existent and such hosts often become little more than roaming mercenary armies to eventually be absorbed by a larger host should they survive long enough or be defeated and scatter if they don’t.
- Ebon does not posses one singular army, instead it could be argued that it is entirely comprised of smaller and larger armies operating independent of one another towards a shared goal. If that is true, then Ebon despite its nationless statues, boast the largest armed force on the continent, if only because every single resident would be considered a soldier. In terms of favored tactics, The Hosts relay heavily on cavalry, preferring to either overwhelm and overrun or hit and run if the enemy force outnumber them.
Their diverse selection of mounts allows a diversity in how they want to approach combat, combined with the wide spread use of the double bladed sword staff, utilized as both a lance and glaive.
Curiously Ebon also have a positive view on necromancy which allows them to bolster their forces with the spirits and sometimes bones of the dead, though such practices may be seen as crude or even abhorrent to outsiders, its important to note that the undead soldiers of the Hosts are willingly raised and serve out of a desire never compulsion.
Inspirations/Cultural Analogues:
Low Fantasy, post apocalyptic, Mongolian hordes,