Osse

The realm of Muerthe is one of the more stable regions in the Midlands, providing an anchor in the east for trade and travel into the area. Osse is its capital, located along the Antyr river in the foothills of the Pessamits. The city holds dominant elements from its Routot founders, while also featuring influence from Comati mercenaries who passed through the area during the crusades. A large bluff juts near the city, originally home to an Orc hillfort. The hilltop now hosts a great temple to Korin, its peak crowded with various buildings in service to the goddess. Osse sits at the end of a well-kept road stretching eastwards to the Dwarf hold of Lowpass and the Routot lands beyond it, being the final safe stop for many merchants into the region. To the west, numerous smaller roads spread out, crossing the Sorbu before winding through the treacherous Middle Princes. These are rarely patrolled by Muerthe soldiers, often plagued by bandits and other monsters, who also serve as a form of defence for the city from its more established western rivals.

Politics

As the capital of Muerthe, Osse naturally is the centre for administration and politics in the realm. It boasts the largest population in the eastern Midlands, and is a major hub of trade into and out of the region. Despite this importance, it sits in the northern part of Muerthe, somewhat removed from the more rural and spread out southeast. This has provided problems throughout its young history, especially given the volatile nature of its western neighbours. The Kings of Muerthe are often forced to exert tremendous will simply to keep their realm together, continually fighting to make their suzerainty more attractive than Middle Prince autonomy. For the most part, appointing loyal vassals to key lordships in the kingdom has proven the best way to counter this, though occasionally ambitious knights do pop up as challengers to the status quo. For exterior threats, a series of fortifications lies along the Sorbu river, marking the official end of Muerthe’s border. These keeps are kept well supplied and stocked, and serve as a major deterrent to any upstart Middle Prince who would seek to launch an assault against Osse or elsewhere in the kingdom.

Aside from all of this, Muerthe is currently seeking to expand its control over the remainder of the kingdom. Muselle is currently its biggest challenge, long resisting the proper authority of the King over its hills and valleys. Here, Halflings have mostly dodged the crown’s representatives, pursuing their same age old traditions and lifestyles in the face of new leadership. King Lobar has sought to put an end to this, bringing the territory fully under heel. His methods have been seen as heavy-handed, but they have managed to displace the old Halfling ways with laws more in line with the rest of the kingdom. Along with Muselle, King Lobar seems to be putting pressure on Lothier again, though that city’s success in defending its borders is no doubt giving him pause. Instead, he and his forefathers have seen fit to simply support the trade cities along the coast, gradually accepting a more prominent role in the Hellainic League as it seeks to resist the Erengrad Clique in the west.

Groups

The Spearhead

The spearhead are a group of highly trained followers of Korin, who acts as mercenaries to raise funds for the cult itself. They tend to be hired as bodyguards for the wealthy, or in roles of seniority to help advise on military actions. Princes in the Midlands are especially known for their services, using the Spearhead to ward off assassins or other would-be murder plots. The Spearhead fights with spear and shield, symbolically and ritualistically, though most are also adept with other weapons. They tend to fight as a cohesive unit when together, highly trained and disciplined as a group. Individually, they are still worthy opponents, and command immense respect across the continent. The group has its base in Osse in the Midlands, based out of the Temple of Korin there. The Spearhead also makes up the permanent bodyguard of the rulers of Muerthe, whose patronage that temple relies on to survive.

Landmarks

Temple of Korin

The Temple of Korin is a mighty sight, dominating the centre of Osse. Sitting atop a fortified hill, it is a marvel that can be seen from the surrounding countryside. Eight large columns mark its entrance, while twelve more flank either side. A statue of Korin stares sternly out from a post near the front of the sanctuary, her flesh carved from white marble. Her shield and spear are cast in polished bronze, while a bronze helm rests atop her brow. The temple is said to be near to a copy of her greatest in the Comati lands. Intricate reliefs wrap around the main temple building depicting the goddess in her various myths and tales. The hilltop also hosts several other buildings, with a barracks for her soldiers, apartments for her clergy, and several other outbuildings occupying the hilltop. Catacombs wind beneath the temple, hosting various relics attributed to the goddess, which are brought out for special occasions. Her greatest saints are also interred here.

Personalities

Lobar the Boar, King of Muerthe

Osse was established as one of the first major cities in the Midlands during the crusades, built upon the site of an Orc hillfort taken by Routot forces. It served as a major stop for merchants resupplying the armies as they marched across the region, slowly accruing more and more as the area became safer to travel. Its early rulers influenced and eventually conquered their neighbours, creating the Kingdom of Muerthe by sheer force of will. Not recognized officially as a Routot kingdom, it nonetheless has all the trappings necessary to be considered one, separated from the rest of the confederacy by a spur of the Pessamit mountains. Since then, its rulers have worked to expand their holdings, forming the most stable state in the eastern Midlands, and possibly its entirety. Lobar is the current king of Muerthe, known as the Boar by his subjects. Earned for his sizeable stature, as well as his extraordinarily stubborn nature, he is the sort of strong personality the kingdom needs to survive in such a lawless land. His moniker is not entirely without insult, and only the bravest of his councillors refer to him as such in his presence. A warrior first and foremost, he traces his lineage back to the founder of the kingdom, a Routot mercenary of the same name, and by all accounts, very similar in his nature as well. Lobar has a big bushy black beard and thinning hair, and a pot belly. Despite his physique, he maintains immense strength, and an imposingly deep voice.

Marotte Leseur, Leader of the Spearhead

Little more than a peasant girl, as a teen Marotte received a vision that her village was to be attacked by Orcs. She was able to rally the townsfolk nd lead their defence, chasing off the assault and keeping her family safe. After the battle, she was encouraged by another vision to join the cult of Korin, and so she travelled to Osse to submit to the temple there. Under the cult’s guidance, she excelled in her training, ultimately becoming a master of strategy and combat at a surprisingly young age. Rumours of her being the reincarnation of Korin are certainly exaggeration, though she is undoubtedly a very capable and influential young warrior. She acts as the head for the militant arm of the church, and chief guard of the temple in Osse. While young, she commands tremendous respect, and has earned every bit of it through her actions. Her hair is brown and shoulder length, kept in a loose braid. She’s tall and muscular, moving with the practiced confidence of an athlete. She speaks gruffly with a peasant’s accent.

Guilhelm Anelier, Executioner

The city of Osse straddles the river Antyr, with the temple of Korin and the bulk of the city on the eastern riverbank. A bridge links the city with its western suburbs, one of which is home to Osse’s most notorious citizens. Guilhelm is the King’s executioner, and is a fairly strange individual. A tall and broad man, he is nonetheless very calm, quiet and reserved. He keeps mostly to himself, and his neighbours tolerate him, protecting him from the abuse of others. His movements are heavily restricted, forced to live on the west bank and only able to cross the bridge to carry out an execution. This is justified as a safety measure to protect him from his victims families, though is more likely a result of superstition. When an execution is to happen, he dons his red robes and hefts his axe, crossing the bridge to excited shouts from the townsfolk. A crowd generally gathers behind him, following him to the main square where the acts are carried out. Guilhelm keeps a detailed journal in his home, noting everything about the day and victim. As of now, he is well over five hundred executions, the political instability on Muerthe’s borders keeping him busy.