02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

266 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
On parchment the Protectorate is a semiautonomous
province of Cygnar. In actuality it is the
newest of the Iron Kingdoms and a dire enemy of its
parent nation. The Protectorate of Menoth formed
over a century ago during a messy civil war that divided
Cygnar along religious lines. Peace was restored when
the Crown agreed to allow the Menites to govern
their own lands as they wished—conditionally. The
Cygnaran Crown ceded a large tract of inhospitable
territory along the shores bordering the Bloodstone
Marches, and in the last century the Protectorate has
developed a unique culture centered on a strict, castebased
theocracy.
Although they claim to be conventional in their
worship, the Sul-Menites—the name those of the
Protectorate use to distinguish themselves—are
in fact a radical evolution of the Menite faith.
The Protectorate is noted for extremely strict laws
controlling virtually every aspect of the lives of
its citizens. Within the walled cities and fortresscathedrals
of the Protectorate, Menoth’s will is the
Law meant to govern all mankind, revered above all
else and followed without question or hesitation.
Throughout the years the Protectorate has been
heavily taxed by the Crown to support Cygnaran
protection, but each collection has served only to
stoke the fires of enmity. In retaliation, the theocracy
completely devalued Cygnaran coinage by refusing
its use. Just a few short years after its establishment,
Cygnaran coins were not accepted anywhere in the
Protectorate and, even today, are considered the
currency of fools and blasphemers. Visiting merchants
and travelers must change their coins at exorbitant
exchange rates for Protectorate currency (see Chapter
Two for more) or risk engaging in illegal and extremely
dangerous under-the-table transactions in foreign
currency. Since the time of devaluation, the theocracy
paid its exorbitant taxes in uncut diamonds harvested
from its plentiful mines—surprisingly plentiful to the
Cygnarans who ceded the land.
Despite the accord in 484 AR, Sul-Menites view
the Cygnaran Crown and adherents of the Morrowan
faith as enemies of Menoth especially since the rise of
Hierarch Garrick Voyle who has plainly stated that the
Civil War never really ended—there has simply been
a prolonged ceasefire. Whatever their view might be,
Protectorate governors are required never to create
a standing military that could threaten insurrection
again. Publicly the visgoths agreed, but they continued
to train troops in secret. When Cygnaran dignitaries
soon raised the question about what appeared to be
soldiers in Protectorate society, their existence was
justified under the pretext of protecting their holy
men from “the savage natives.”
In truth the scrutators set about subjugating the
native tribes soon after they moved into the region. In
those decades, tens of thousands of Idrians succumbed
to Menite rule, largely driven by Hierarch Gevard
Luctine (499–521 AR), either through acceptance of
Menoth as their god or through genocide. Though
many came voluntarily and with true conviction,
many more converted as a gesture otherwise
meaningless to them because it was beneficial to
their continued survival. Still others went to their
deaths in the thousands, condemned to burn for
refusing conversion. Sad stories abound about families
condemned to burn alive where mothers threw their
children into the fire before jumping in themselves.
Of note, “Idrian” is a blanket term applied to an
agglomeration of different peoples in the western
Bloodstone Marches, each with a different culture.
Over a century later the descendants of these
converted natives still suffer some prejudice from the
Sulese, but many Idrians have been integrated into
nearly every aspect of Protectorate society.
A Division Among menites
Almost from its founDAtion, A schism hAs existeD between
the ProtectorAte’s sul-menites AnD menites of the olD
fAith. Although visgoths in KhADor hAve never Altogether
AccePteD the concePt of “Absolute Authority” regArDing the
ProtectorAte’s hierArchs, they sent AiD to their brethren
whenever Possible. unofficiAlly bAcKeD by the KhADorAn
regime, this AiD occAsionAlly tooK the form of smuggleD
weAPons AnD tools of wAr incluDing wArjAcK cortexes.
KhADor’s motivAtions were not entirely chAritAble or
religiously motivAteD; they funneleD weAPons southwArD with
the intent of sPurring uPrisings Along cygnAr’s eAstern borDer.
sure enough this creAteD hunDreDs of PrivAte stocKPiles in
the ProtectorAte. since the sul-menites AlwAys yeArneD to
be free from reliAnce uPon foreign Powers, for yeArs they
secretly lAboreD to ProDuce their own weAPons. they went
so fAr As to AbDuct wizArDs AnD ArcAne mechAniKs AnD force
them to creAte cortexes for wArjAcKs mADe of smuggleD PArts.
unDer the Pretext of refining heAting oil, they ProDuceD A
number of volAtile exPlosives. the most Plentiful of these
is Known throughout the KingDoms As menoth’s fury. inDeeD,
thousAnDs uPon thousAnDs of Dutiful citizens AttenDeD covert