Kryn Dynasty

Description

The Calamity left northern Xhorhas a burnt and cracked wasteland surrounded by blackened marshland and jagged cliffs, and survival in the valley wasteland was difficult for centuries thereafter. The Kryn Dynasty, founded by drow who had turned from Lolth to a new faith in the Luxon, is the first nation to rise in the region after the end of that period, and though they still contend with not only the scarred landscape but also lingering abominations, they have been able to incorporate diverse humanoids and giants under their banner.

The cities of the Dynasty are kept shaded or even in near-perpetual night by powerful dunamancers and other umbral magic, and the capital city of Rosohna sits under constant, sparsely broken cloud cover. Its settlements are connected by dirt roads.

Notable locations

• Asarius: also known as the "City of Beasts".
• Bazzoxan: a village at the northernmost point of the Penumbra Range of Xhorhas.
• Jigow: a northern village on the shores of the Emerald Gulch.
• Rosohna: capital of the Kryn Dynasty, built on the ruins of Ghor Dranas.
• Many Hosts of Igrathad: A collection of villages south of the Sorrowseep Waters.
• Urzin: a mobile swamp city in the northwestern corner of the Dynasty, home of the horizonback tortoises.

Demographics

The Kryn Dynasty is composed mostly of drow, but they have incorporated many other races under their banner, including goblinkin, orcs, lizardfolk, and kobolds. Tieflings are also a common sight, particularly in Rosohna. Less common are gnomes and dragonborn; humans, dwarves, and halflings are rare. In 836 PD, Essek Thelyss estimated that the population was somewhere around 300,000.

Notable people

• Bright Queen Leylas Kryn: Drow Empress of the Dynasty. She has lived 1200 years and remembers the Calamity.
• Dusk Captain Quana Kryn: Partner of Leylas and leading general.
• Zethris Olios: Drow Lady supervising the city of Asarius and Den Mother of Den Olios, along with her two sisters.
• Thuron: Drow Assassin sent by Leylas Kryn to steal a beacon from Zadash.
• Sunbreaker Olomon: Minotaur Champion of Urzin, near to becoming an umavi
• Skysybil Abrianna Mirimm: Goblin keeper of beacon history and Den Elder of Den Mirimm.
• Shadowhand Essek Thelyss: Drow prodigy in dunamancy, only in the second century of his first life and not consecuted

Politics

The Kryn Dynasty is led by Empress Leylas Kryn. Power in the Dynasty is concentrated in Dens, and the three most powerful Dens (Kryn, Mirimm, and Thelyss) control access to consecution. Certain people will occasionally be adopted into Dens for consecution, indicating a familial structure of some sort.

Public office and titles

In Kryn society there are different positions in political and/or military fields, and all of them have some function in the Dynasty. A common feature in most of them is that the names they receive are related to the sky, the times of day and night and the celestial lights. The known positions and what is known about their functions are listed below:

• Bright Queen: The title of the ruler of the Kryn Dynasty. Leylas Kryn has been its only bearer.
• Dusk Captain: The title of the leader of the Aurora Watch. Quana Kryn is its current bearer.
• Skysybil: This title, based on its current bearer, Abrianna Mirimm, seems to be related with divination, lorekeeping and spiritual guidance.
• Shadowhand: The title of spies, mages, or investigators who focus on dark and unknown mysteries of the world in fields such as subterfuge or arcana. There have been several Shadowhands serving as such, including Essek Thelyss and Idrin Shadowstep's father.
• Taskhand: The title of high-ranking captains commonly assigned to a location or specific “task” to oversee adjacent and directly related military operations; sometimes, during times of conflict, they are also assigned to preside as judges. There are several Taskhands serving as such, including Verin Thelyss and Durth Mirimm.
• Sunbreaker: This title, based on its current bearer, Olomon, might be military-related.
• Starguide: This title, based on its current bearer, Uraya Hythenos, seems to be connected with an advisor-like position.
• Lightbroker: This title, based on its current bearer, seems to be related to diplomacy.

Ruling Dens

• Den Kryn: The most powerful of the Dens, led by Leylas Kryn, includes Dusk Captain Quana Kryn and the Bright Child Caelestis Kryn.
• Den Mirimm: In charge of law enforcement, led by Abrianna Mirimm, includes Taskhand Durth Mirimm.
• Den Thelyss: Led by Deirta Thelyss, includes her sons Shadowhand Essek Thelyss and Taskhand Verin Thelyss.

Other noble Dens

• Den Beltune
• Den Bilan: Includes Lord Bilan and an unnamed matriarch, both neighbors of the Mighty Nein in the Xhorhaus.
• Den Daev'yana: Includes Zyn Daev'yana, a writer and strategist, as well as a secret member of the Children of Malice.
• Den Duendalos: Established years before 836 PD by a consecuted individual born into the Dwendalian royal family, who left for Xhorhas and named the Den in "mockery of their former life".
• Den Hythenos: Includes Uraya Hythenos, an associate of Essek's.
• Den Icozrin: The owners of the Icozrin Steelworks.
• Den Tasithar: Includes Adeen Tasithar, on whom Essek pinned his theft of a Luxon beacon, and Naevyn Tasithar, an Aurora Watch scout who served in Bazzoxan.
• Den Omrifar
• Den Zolaed: Includes Belana Zolaed, a priest of the Luxon in Jigow.

Other Dens

New Dens are established with each generation. Beneath the noble Dens of Rosohna, at least one Den other than the twelve ruling Dens of Rosohna exists: Den Olios, which includes Zethris Olios, governor of Asarius, and her two sisters.

Other family names that might belong to established Dens are: Ardyth, Delanor, Demona, Dyrr, Iliera, Telaarin, Trestilya, VaSuun, and Zabriss.

Aurora Watch

The regular forces of the Dynasty are called the Aurora Watch, and they perform the functions of both gendarmerie and regular army. Their current established strength is at least 21,600, divided as follows: 13,200 divided among the cities under Kryn protection, 3300 in the capital itself, 5100 stationed at various places in the Underdark and the rest stationed on the border with the Empire. The Aurora Watch seems to consist mostly of well-armed, well-equipped, and well-trained drow. Allied and/or subject peoples of the orcish, goblinoid, gnoll and other communities seem to provide many additional supplemental forces. ^{[citation needed]}

Characteristic armor/uniforms

Soldiers and assassins from the Kryn Dynasty wear chitinous insect-like leather armor that protrudes in large sweeping hooks at the joints and the shoulders. Additionally they wear form-fitting helmets of similar black leather that has onyx studs wrapped around the head. The brow plate of these helmets have backwards facing horns, looking almost demonic. Kryn Dynasty soldiers additionally wear metal cups as part of their uniform.

Espionage

The Dynasty's spy network is called "The Lens".

Methods

When war broke out, the skies of the contested borderlands were described as growing dark. Given how much of the population performs worse in direct sunlight, and that dunamancers block sunlight continuously for days or weeks at a time over the capital of Rosohna, this may indicate the use of magic to reduce sunshine for tactical advantage.

Elite units of the Aurora Watch use magically controlled purple worms to navigate the Underdark quickly, even burrowing deep into enemy territory for surprise attacks in times of war.

Similarly, soldiers of the Dynasty use special collars to magically control udaaks, turning the immensely strong fiends into living siege engines that they use in wartime.

Laws

Sentencing for crimes is carried out by presiding officials entrusted with the wisdom of the Bright Queen. All fines and punishments for crimes against an Aurora Watch soldier or noble are doubled. All fines and punishments regarding crimes against a Den official or member of the Bright Queen's council are tripled.

• Theft: 2-5 days incarceration and a fine equal to the worth stolen.
• Slavery: 10-20 months incarceration and a fine of 1500 gp.
• Trespassing: 5 days incarceration and a fine of 120 gp.
• Damage to Private Property: 5-20 days incarceration and a fine of twice the worth of property destroyed.
• Damage to Dynasty Property: 12-50 days incarceration and a fine of twice the worth of property destroyed.
• Kidnapping: 60 days incarceration and/or fine of 800 gp.
• Worship of Betrayer Gods: 150 days incarceration, or execution.
• Assault with Intent to Injure: 12 days incarceration and a fine of 200 gp.
• Assault with Intent to Kill: 200 days incarceration and a fine of 1200 gp, or execution.
• Murder: 5-10 years incarceration and/or a fine of 4000 gp, or execution.
• Treason: Execution.

Religion

The drow of the Kryn Dynasty worship an unfamiliar deity referred to by The Cobalt Soul as " The Luxon ". The drow seek to bring all of Xhorhas under its "Burning Banner". Followers of the Luxon use the phrase "Light be with you" as a farewell. Despite the Kryn's overall devotion to the Luxon, they do not force anyone to follow their religion, according to Wursh the blacksmith. Though not nearly as well tended as Luxon temples, small shrines to other deities can be found in the Dynasty. That said, worship of Betrayer Gods is punishable by imprisonment and even death, and their mere influence is used as part of religious propaganda to encourage consecution.

Artifacts

• Luxon beacons
• Nightfall Pearl

Culture

According to stories Yasha had heard, the drow of the Kryn Dynasty would use man, beast, and demons for labor and would use them to fight under their war banner. They also keep the skies above their capital city dark to protect their majority drow population from the sunlight. The Kryn use Luxon beacons to reincarnate certain members of their society who have earned consecution. These reborn individuals slowly begin to remember their previous lives as they reach adulthood. More lifetimes bring one closer to being an umavi, someone so wise through their life experience they are considered a "perfect soul".

"Crick"

As referenced in the semi-historical portions of The Courting of the Crick, this derogatory slur use against those from Xhorhas by those of the Julous Dominion, and later by those in the Dwendalian Empire, originated from the cricket-like noise the armor worn by the soldiers of the Kryn Dynasty made when they charged into battle. Designed with tubes and holes, the armor would make a high-pitched sound like an orchestral swarm of crickets rushing into battle.

Dunamancy

War mages of the Kryn Dynasty use a school of magic called Dunamancy. Very little is known about this school of magic outside of Xhorhas. The Kryn Dynasty's experiments in Dunamancy focus on manipulation of gravity, entropy, and time.

Background

Most of the Kryn Dynasty are drow, who were brethren alongside all elves until their minds were swayed and corrupted by Lolth, the Spider Queen. Under her will, they became deceptive, cruel and violent.

The drow who would eventually found the dynasty, Leylas Kryn, was born before the Calamity. Fatefully, about two centuries after she was born, Leylas was present when the first Luxon beacon was found. Abrianna Mirimm is almost as old as Leylas, suggesting she was one of the early converts.

Following the Divergence, Lolth's children could feel the lessening of their banished god's influence. The drow of Xhorhas mostly abandoned their centuries-long worship of Lolth, turning instead to the Luxon, who is inscrutable to the Spider Queen. After the final battles of the Calamity reduced Ghor Dranas, the stronghold of the Betrayer Gods, to ruins, the scavenging drow deep beneath Ghor Dranas, led by the house of Kryn, were guided by the light of the Luxon toward the surface. They slowly reclaimed the halls of the fallen citadel from the abominations that lingered there and built anew, both below and above ground. But it was not until after 536 PD that the drow of Xhorhas emerged to live on the surface.

Because of the 100-mile range in which consecuted individuals can be reincarnated, some Kryn drow began to be reborn into the bodies of neighboring non-drow. The society began to take a more welcome, assimilating approach to other races of intelligent creatures.

After Rosohna was reclaimed, settlers headed north and began to renovate the ruins of Bazzoxan and formed a thriving community over a few generations.

Before 686 PD, the Emerald Loop Caravan Stop, just west of the Barbed Fields, had become a haven for travelers.

Roughly around 736 PD, the Dynasty began to bring roving, rivalrous orc and goblin clans together into a common society in Jigow and, not long afterward, brokered a peace agreement between the seven villages of the Many Hosts of Igrathad. In 796, the Kryn warrior Sunbreaker Olomon successfully challenged Ogre Lord Buhfal in deadly one-on-one combat for leadership of Urzin, bringing the roaming settlement into the Dynasty. It was around this time that dungeon-delvers unintentionally reactivated the rift to the Abyss within the Betrayers' Rise.

During this century of fast expansion, the Kryn Dynasty finally started to reveal itself to the outside world, and clashes with the now-neighboring Dwendalian Empire began. Starting before 806 PD, a long string of skirmishes with the Empire escalated before full-scale war broke out in 835 PD (see below). During the Chroma Crisis in late 810 and early 811 PD, news spread of the fall of Draconia and the occupation of the Dreemoth Ravine by the ancient white dragon, Vorugal. The Kryn Dynasty temporarily withdrew to Rosohna, fearing another attack. But about a year after the crisis, there had been recent attacks on outlying townships on both sides of the border. Around 822 or 823 PD, there was a localized but bloody conflict between forces of the Dynasty and the Empire in or near Nogvurot. According to a later account on the Dwendalian side, a secret "sect of Kryn missionaries" had been discovered in Nogvurot, leading to a confrontation that cost many lives on both sides and sharply escalated tensions going forward. As Essek Thelyss told it, a Luxon beacon had been brought in range of this great battle, so when consecuted soldiers were slain, their souls were reborn into local children. In 835 PD, Nogvurot was plagued by several supposed child abductions, with Xhorhasians as the suspected culprits. This news spread through the Empire; town criers hundreds of miles away in Zadash told townsfolk to seal their windows and doors while they slept.

Indeed, starting years after the first open conflicts with the Kryn began, the number of people, mostly children of adolescent age, who disappeared in the night grew steeply for a generation. The Empire blamed these apparent "abductions" on the Kryn.

War with the Dwendalian Empire

→ Main article: War of Ash and Light

Between Fessuran 835 PD and Unndilar 836 PD, the Kryn Dynasty was at war with the Dwendalian Empire. The Dynasty believed that the Empire had stolen two of the Dynasty's sacred Luxon beacons, when in fact a traitor within their own government, Essek Thelyss, had secretly handed them over to the Cerberus Assembly for mutually beneficial study. On 3 Fessuran, the Dynasty launched an attack on the Ashguard Garrison guarding the Empire's borders. That same day, two Dynasty operatives used a terrorist attack as a diversion to extract one of the beacons, and though they died in the attempt to escape with the beacon, the Mighty Nein recovered the beacon and eventually returned it directly to the Bright Queen. Eventually, the Mighty Nein helped to arrange a cease-fire and a peace agreement in which the second beacon was returned to the Dynasty and prisoners were exchanged.

Diplomacy in Tal'Dorei

By about Cuersaar 836 PD, the Kryn Dynasty was sending emissaries to the elven cities of Syngorn and Lyrengorn in search of new followers and Luxon beacons, and with hopes of using the light of the Luxon to free some of the drow of Ruhn-Shak from Lolth's grasp. By that time, some adventuring drow who had developed a deep antipathy to aberrations (such as those that sieged Ruhn-Shak) had become paladins of the Luxon or of Pelor, whereas only 24 years earlier they were only noted to turn to Pelor.

Diplomacy to the Menagerie Coast

At some point presumably in the 840s PD, the Bright Queen personally led a diplomatic mission to Xarzith Kitril, which she considered "a crucial foothold in the Menagerie Coast." The mission did not go well.

Interest in Eiselcross and the Apogee Solstice

At some point between 836 and 841 PD the Cerberus Assembly managed to completely take control over the Aeorian ruins in Eiselcross. However, during the apogee solstice of 843 PD many Xhorhasian soldiers were still found on the island, particularly near the ruins, suggesting that their outposts there were still active and maintaining their interest in the potential wealth of knowledge and power that could be found within the Aeorian ruins, something that drew them there even before their conflict with the Dwendalian Empire began.

During the period of crisis caused by the solstice, the Dynasty had contact with the Exandrian Accord, according to Allura Vysoren being good allies from the very beginning, motivated among other things by their desire to recover the Luxon beacon Ludinus Da'leth was using for his plans. The Bright Queen herself, guarded by Kryn soldiers, attended one of their meetings in Vasselheim. They were part of the attack in which the Malleus Key was destroyed.

After Bells Hells defeated Ludinus and returned with Predathos inside of Imogen, they returned to Exandria and convinced the gods to use the Rites of Catatheosis to be reborn as mortals, thus being undetectable when the God Eater was released. When the Divine Gate fell and the Matron of Ravens herself announced she needed a Luxon beacon to use as the focus of the ritual, the Kryn refused to provide one or use their dunamancy to resurrect Ashton Greymoore after he offered himself. When a man intervened, using dunamancy to restore the barbarian, but revealing himself as Essek Thelyss in the process, the Kryn failed to trap him, so they started looking for him again.

Leylas was ultimately glad that Ashton hadn't died, and during the following years she and her people invited them multiple times to visit Rosohna, although the genasi only accepted once.