Kragvost - Politics

INTERNAL:

The Warlord leads Kragvost as the mightiest clan chief, claiming the title through ritual combat or raid triumphs, with authority rooted in the number of warriors and thralls under their command. Kragvostian society is clan-centric and survival-driven, where loyalty is enforced through shared raids and blood oaths, and internal rivalries are settled by duels or sacrificial rites.

Clan chiefs, commanding their own warbands and thrall labor forces, form the Chief's Moot, a raucous assembly in the frozen halls where decisions on raids and resource distribution are made by voice vote or axe. Positions shift with conquests or defeats, and the Warlord maintains power by rewarding successful chiefs with spoils while executing the weak. Shamans and raid captains offer spiritual and tactical advice, but their roles are subordinate, often serving as scapegoats in failures to preserve clan unity.

EXTERNAL:

Kragvost interacts with other nations through aggressive expansionism—raiding for thralls and resources while begrudgingly honoring the Veilsea Accords to avoid unified opposition. They exploit Thaloryn's neutrality for opportunistic trades but frequently test Accord limits with border incursions.

With regard to individual nations:

Duskreef: Kragvost sees Duskreefers as kindred chaotic spirits but fierce competitors for raid targets, forming alliances for joint assaults where Kragvost provides ground forces and Duskreef ships, though these break over loot, sparking sea skirmishes.

Ironcrag: Kragvost trades raw furs and timber to Ironcrag for tools, but has little other use for them, viewing the dwarves as sturdy foes worth raiding for their resilient thralls, though Ironcrag's defensible shores make them an unlikely target.

Korathis: Kragvost clashes frequently with Korathis due to proximity and mutual hatred, despising their structured discipline as weakness while Korathians view Kragvostians as undisciplined barbarians; all-out war has been declared only a handful of times, mostly prevented by Thaloryn's sanctions and Accord enforcement.

Lumivale: Kragvost would love to raid Lumivale for arcane-touched thralls to bolster their shamans, dismissing the mages' elitism as weakness. However, the distance a significant deterrent to Kragvost's limited seamanship, so most engagements are joint raids with swifter Duskreef ships on lone Lumivale assets.

Nyxumbra: Kragvost has supplied thralls to Nyxumbra for rituals in exchange for dark magical artifacts that increase clan chief's personal power, fostering a dark alliance but with underlying distrust over sacrificial practices that could target Kragvostians since they are one of the closest and most populous nations to Nyxumbra.

Sylvara: Kragvost targets Sylvara for its large population and magical thralls, launching brutal raids into the groves but suffering heavy losses to druidic twists, leading to vengeful cycles. The narrow Ritual Straights separate the two nations, making Sylvara the closest, and easiest, target for Kragvostian bloodlust.

Thaloryn: Kragvost resents Thaloryn's Accord enforcement as meddling but uses their ports for winter trades, or neutral ground for trading with other nations, pushing violations until sanctions force temporary compliance.

Valthorne: Kragvost sells captured thralls to Valthorne's markets for weapons, competing in raids but occasionally partnering for high-value slave hunts in contested areas. That doesn't stop Kragvost from targeting Valthorne's villages or ships if they present an opportune target.

Zephyris: Kragvost will occasionally assemble a raid on Zephyris's remote aeries or nomadic tribes seeking agile thralls suited to scouting, but aerial evasions make successes rare, prompting ground-based ambushes.