Nation/Kingdom Name: The Blacksoul Dominion
Government Type: Totalitarian, Feudalist, Imperialist, Theocracy
Coat of Arms or Banner: Red hand over black background
Capital: The Most Wretched Fortress of Hellsoul; a Mordor-esque fortress-state far too toxic and cruel for any mere mortal to dwell within.
Ethnic Groups/Species: Majority orcish, demonic, ogres, trolls. Mighty beast-races. Human slaves.
Religions: Church of the Sulphur God, the most Wicked Corpse-Burner - 95% / Heathens, heretics, and followers of other evil deities outlawed by His Evilness - 5%
Imports Slaves. Riches. Power. Conquest.
Exports Death. Disease. Murder. Industry.
Hallmarks: Complete and total disregard for ‘good’ and ‘moral’ behavior. Steppes of sulphur, spires of black obsidian, mighty beasts and wicked dragons enslaved by mighty warlocks.
Signature Weapon: Siege weaponries made by crafty goblins and wicked daemons; no one weapon is their signature, but the bellowing of hellfire and the tortured souls powering infernal engines cry out across the battlefield. Unmistakably cruel.
National Dish: Good ol’ Long Pig.
Interesting Things About The Dominion
- Despite its ruthlessly enforced laws, the Dominion more like a couple thousand anarchic warbands operating in fear of what their God-King may do unto them should they stray the path.
- Nobody has seen the God-King Corpse-Burner, founder of the Dominion, since his ascension to divinity during the last Thaumaclysm. However, he remains a conscious, active leader in this empire.
- The Dominion boasts incredible wonders of technological advancement. Were their technomancers put to use in anything else but war, they would’ve solved all of mortalkind’s problems a century ago. But they are bidden by their dark master to work only in favour of cruelty and death.
Characters of the Dominion
- Slavery is commonplace in the Blacksoul Dominion. However, in the Ten Thousand rules of the His Wickedness the God-King, rule eighty-seven states; “That any wretch unable to maintain power over those they subjugate, overthrown by his lessers, has no right to hold land or servants.” The strong rule over the weak. And weak leaders are constantly eaten by their subjects.
- Cannibalism, wether conscious or not, is similarly practiced in the dominion. For this, ‘human-farms’ ( and the more refined ‘elf-farms’ for the richer folk ) are kept. Cattle animals are not ensouled according to the tenets of the Sulphur God, and they are unworthy of consumption.
- Diplomats hailing from the city-state of Del’shar, a demon-ruled city on the fringes of the empire, are often contracted by the Dominion to afford talks of ‘peace’ to the locals. Often times, talks of diplomacy are reduced to a simple parchment that states; " Flee or die. "
Places of Interest:
- Fortress of Hellsoul, a blackstone colossus resting atop the highest peak in the empire, formerly the castle of High King Hlothrien the Kind, last Ruler of the Sky Elves – it is said, that upon the fateful day where the Hordes of Blacksoul lay siege to the last home of the regal elves, once the noble blood was spilled - and a pact was made to ensure the ascendance of the God-King, all of the once-beautiful lands of the elves became barren. The earth cracked. The sky sundered. Demons and beasts emerged from the bowels of the earth — and now. A large castle lays there. Amidst the Plains of Torment. Where only the brave - or the Foolish - dare tread.
- Del’shar, the Hellgate, the only civilized part of the Dominion, ruled by devils in their mockery of mortal life. A den of sin, an open maw into the realms of the Nether. It was less so conquered by the Dominion, moreso they joined as an alliance. This stands at the border between it and other lands. A place where one may seek to learn of those taken there in the slave wagons – information, passage, everything has a price… Foolish adventurers seeking to wander to the heart of torment often make their last stop here…
- Ram’gar, home of the beastmen: When the elf-kingdom was shattered, the once-peaceful faefolk of the woods took up arms against the God-King’s horde. It was the Great Ogre Thul’gar, who lead a war against them. The beastmen proved resilient. Strong. Strong enough to be spared complete obliteration by the grace of the Dominion. Now, the beastfolk live subjugated. Pixies, dryads and forest spirits are reduced to living batteries for machines of war, and the stronger satyr and minotaur are forcibly enhanced and shackled. Made to do the bidding of the Dark Lord.
Politics And War
- THE RULER ABOVE ALL; THE GOD-KING, ELF-SLAYER, DESTROYER OF MOUNTAINS AND BREAKER OF SKIES, THE GREAT WRETCH, THE ENEMY, PRINCE OF CARRION AND FATHER OF FILTH, THE BLACK-SOUL HIMSELF — THE SULPHUR GOD - CORPSE-BURNER — THE DARK LORD. Rules the Dominion as a silent emperor. A god-like figure kept immortal through constant sacrifice. Misery feeds his divine soul, and he appears unto his generals and warriors like a dream, often telling them how to act.
- The land is ruled by warlords, who subjugate the lands. The strongest rule over the weakest, and often times their Dark Lord throws a wrench in the kingdom’s unity should things grow too peaceful.
- Though when the dominion goes to war, expansionist, cruel, sudden. They employ every cruel act in the book. They conquer and destroy, salt the earth and shatter culture. They fight not to claim land, but to completely obliterate any trace of their enemies. Entire cults lost to time, as anything from a cathedral to a chapel gets turned to rubble in their wake.
- They employ mighty machines, powered by the raw power of souls and suffering minds, twisting the magics of the world and leaving naught but cruelity in their wake.
Inspirations/Cultural Analogues:
EVIL BIG BAD EMPIRE FROM ANY FANTASY SETTING + Mordor + The Galactic Empire + 40k Imperium + Evil + The Evil Horde from Masters of the Universe
These are irredeemable bad guys and exist solely for the heroes of the story to retake the land and dethrone the God-King. The objective of their existence is to fail once justice prevails. Though, they stand as a force that threatens to crush all hope on ( world name ).