BW PDF - Midnight Campaign

The Kardan RepublicPOPULATION LANGUAGE RACES2,000,000 Pelediem Human, AnyPolitical StructureRepresentative DemocracyUntil relatively recently in history, Kardan was under thecontrol of the Salvaran Empire, and were ruled from afar.The Kardan Republic forged itself through a messy andlong period of unrest, ultimately leading to revolution.This revolution left them with a fairly large populationwith limited skills, mostly how to fight and how towork in the labor camps, the mines and farms that theempire left behind. The new Kardan government hastaken advantage of this, creating a complicated systemof mercenary guilds and prison camps that let the unrulypopulation manage itself through bounties, punishingits own aggression through short sentences in the camps,which in turn create wealth for the government and thusthe population.Despite its unruly people and corrupt bureaucracy,Kardan has become a thriving place for businessand has developed a new aristocracy, who claim torepresent the interests of the regions under their charge.Kardan is a premier training ground for martial combat,through public arenas and the coliseum, and haveestablished the University of Arcynys, for the studyof High Magics.The Mercenary guilds in Kardan rival, and some saysurpass, the military strength of the Kardan Guard.They have dealings with nations across the continent,supplying supplementary forces in conflicts. Their looserules and structure make their guild very attractiveto adventurers. They have chapters in most civilizedcountries, even if those countries’ laws prohibit it.Guilds of thieves and assassins have been just assuccessful as the more legitimate mercenaries andbounty-hunters.Adventuring Hook: It is very easy to get into trouble in Kardan, whichleads to a brief stay in the mining camps, farms or the coliseum.Small fighting bands take pride in their status among theirpeers, and pick fights constantly. The new aristocracy, wealthybut inexperienced, are a bounty for the enterprising burglar andthief, and underground guilds are always recruiting. Kardan is ahaven for scoundrels and mercenaries, who can make money onboth sides of the law.