The "prelude to chaos" has reached its crescendo. Across the eight kingdoms of the north, the geopolitical landscape has shifted from a series of isolated squabbles into a tightly wound, interconnected circle of tension. While the Great Blockade and the Northern Barrier hold the southern threats at bay, the internal dynamics of the north are governed by a "Grand Circle" of dominance and nerves.
Power in Vasagarod is currently a predatory chain: some kingdoms stand as wolves, others as cornered lions, and others as spiders in a web. Here is the state of the world, defined by the ethos of its rulers and the shifting tides of their ambitions.
Status: Absolute Dominance (Aggressive)
Ethos: "Victory through visible, honorable power."
The Nerves: Despite their strength, Kharathuun is nervous about the Zharruk and Sanquor. They despise tactics they cannot see.
Current Goal: Total Continental Hegemony.
Kharathuun is the current "sun" around which the other kingdoms orbit. Under Kalsavara II, the kingdom has shed its role as a diplomatic mediator and embraced the path of the conqueror. Their dominance is fueled by the River Iryavath, which provides the wealth to fund a technologically superior army.
Kharathuun's power is "Heavy Power." They march in broad daylight with golden banners, believing that their Aristocratic pride makes them invincible. However, their nerves are frayed by the "invisible" kingdoms. Kalsavara II is obsessed with the idea that while he conquers the land, the spies of Sanquor are already in his bedchamber, and the druids of Zharruk are poisoning his wells. His goal is to force a face-to-face confrontation with every other kingdom, effectively ending the "Grey Era" of espionage and returning the world to a state of traditional, "honorable" vassalage.
Status: Rising Dominance (Expansionist)
Ethos: "Mobility is sovereignty."
The Nerves: They are terrified of the Sanquor marshlands and Gurval fortresses—places where horses go to die.
Current Goal: To seize the Zharruk timberlands and establish a "Great Grassland" that spans the continent.
Velthar is the only kingdom that can match Kharathuun in a field of battle. Their dominance is physical and terrifying; they have spent the last century raiding the Zharruk forest and expanding their borders through the sheer speed of their cavalry. King Varana views the world as an open pasture, but he is acutely nervous about the "Terrain Wall."
Velthar’s military doctrine fails in the mud and the mountains. They look at the Azarim Highlands and the engineered marshes of Sanquor with a cold sweat. Their current goal is to complete the subjugation of the Zharruk forest—burning the ancient trees to create more grazing land—and to secure a pact with Gurval to ensure their horses are shod with the finest highland steel for a final push against the River Kingdoms.
Status: Shadow Dominance (Manipulative)
Ethos: "To be seen is to be defeated."
The Nerves: Terrified of a total Peasant revolt or a direct, "mad" charge from Kharathuun that ignores political consequences.
Current Goal: To fracture the alliance between Kharathuun and Velthar before they can coordinate.
Sanquor is the most dangerous kingdom because it possesses no visible ambition. While Queen Levana smiles at diplomatic summits, her Gilded Lily network has already infiltrated the Houses of Nobles in every other realm. Sanquor dominates the information trade. They know which Defender is planning a coup and which Merchant is skimming gold from the blockade.
Their nerves are focused on the "Incinerators"—the Peasants. Sanquor's power relies on a stable, aristocratic hierarchy they can manipulate. If the world burns, their silk-and-whisper tactics become useless. Their goal is to keep the other kingdoms in a state of "controlled conflict"—enough war to keep them distracted, but not enough to collapse the system.
Status: Defensive Dominance (Isolationist)
Ethos: "Hard people in a hard land."
The Nerves: Deeply nervous about their military "Paper Tiger" status being revealed.
Current Goal: To maintain the illusion of absolute strength while hoarding mineral wealth.
Gurval is the kingdom everyone fears to invade but no one truly understands. They dominate the continent's industry through the Bustac Mine, but King Ulrath is a man living on a knife's edge. His kingdom is a fortress, yes, but its military is stretched thin.
He is nervous that if Kharathuun realizes Gurval’s strength lies only in its "Hardened Population" (the miners) and not a professional standing army, the Golden Eye will turn toward his mountains. His goal is to keep the Broken Bridge broken and to use his mineral wealth to buy the neutrality of Narethin and Khetai, ensuring he is never the first target of a Great War.
Status: Strategic Stasis (Prepared)
Ethos: "The mountain does not move; it endures."
The Nerves: Nervous about the Southern Invaders breaching the pass, which would leave them caught between two fires.
Current Goal: To remain the "Shield of the North" and ensure no northern power grows strong enough to challenge their sovereignty.
The Azarim Highlands are the gatekeepers. They dominate the "Vertical World." While they do not seek to conquer the lowlands, they possess the power to cut off trade and movement across the north. King Ghatsa and Queen Vaela are the most militarily disciplined rulers in the circle.
They are nervous about the Northern Barrier. If the southern threat breaks through, Azarim will be the first to fall. Their goal is to maintain their status as the "neutral warriors," selling their mercenary services and steel to the highest bidder while ensuring that the lowlands remain divided and unable to threaten the mountain passes.
Status: Economic Dominance (Celerity)
Ethos: "The tide rises for those who pay."
The Nerves: Terrified of the Crimson Tides and the loss of the Naval Blockade.
Current Goal: To turn the Great Sea into a private Narethin lake.
Narethin dominates the wallets of the other kingdoms. Without their fishing grounds and diamond mines, the north starves and goes broke. Queen Ysara is wise, but the Aristocrats like Lord Vesh are greedy and nervous.
They are terrified that the Southern Invaders might possess a naval force capable of bypassing the blockade. If the sea lanes fall, Narethin falls. Their goal is to use their wealth to fuel the wars of others, ensuring that Kharathuun and Velthar are too busy fighting on land to ever build a navy that could challenge Vashi’s ancient port.
Status: Vulnerable Centrality (Pious)
Ethos: "Irya flows where she must."
The Nerves: Perpetually terrified of everyone.
Current Goal: Survival through sanctuary.
Khetai is the "middle child" of the circle. They are dominated by the geography of the rivers, making them a highway for everyone else's ambitions. They are the most nervous kingdom in Vasagarod, saved only by the Sacred Irya Banks.
Their dominance is purely spiritual. Because no one dares fight on the holy ground of the Banks, Khetai survives. Queen Seesha's goal is to expand the definition of "Sacred Ground" to encompass more of her kingdom, effectively using religion to create a "No-Fly Zone" that prevents Kharathuun or Velthar from annexing her wheatlands.
Status: Declining Sovereignty (Vengeful)
Ethos: "The forest remembers."
The Nerves: Nervous about total extinction at the hands of Velthar’s fire and Kharathuun’s axes.
Current Goal: To unleash a biological or druidic "plague" that levels the playing field.
Zharruk is the most desperate kingdom in the circle. After a century of losing territory to Velthar, they have become "savages" in the eyes of the north. They dominate the "Dark Arts"—the poisons, the guerrilla warfare, and the ancient lore of the Caves of Knowledge.
King Hashta is nervous that his people are losing their pale-skinned identity as they are forced deeper into the shadows. Their goal is no longer expansion, but a "Great Reset." They want to break the Great Blockade, not because they like the southerners, but because chaos in the north would allow the forest to reclaim the stolen grasslands.
The Grand Circle is a world of Nervous Dominance. Kharathuun dominates the land but fears the shadow (Sanquor). Sanquor dominates the shadow but fears the fire (the Peasants). The Peasants dominate the fire but fear the steel (the Defenders).
The eight kingdoms are locked in a dance where no one can stop moving without being devoured. The Southern Invaders are the only reason they haven't destroyed each other yet—the fear of the "Unknown Terror" is the only thing stronger than the "Known Greed" of the Grand Circle.