This is an NPC only Kingdom
Kingdom Summary
A wild and untamed kingdom of survival of the fittest in the thickest jungles of the African Congo basin, where struggles for dominance are commonplace. Once a kingdom of bloodthirsty warlords competing for favor of the God of the Hunt, and the powerful Blood Diamonds, it was briefly ruled by an ancient ancestor spirit of the bakongo people who withdrew from the political arena. A recent coup by the God of Iron, Ogun, has returned the seed of violent conflict to the kingdom. Only time will tell if Ogun’s reign will last.
Dominant Races
Shifters and Mages, some Fae
Politics & NPCs
Prior to their war with the Middle Kingdom, the internal politics of the Kingdom of Diamond were chaotic. Inhabitants of the domain remained in a state of constant, bloody competition with one another for power and supremacy. Due to the reclusive nature of the inhabitants, little is known of the politics following the upheaval. It is not certain if this practice continues, or how the new lord of the kingdom has shaped it. The former king Tore has been deposed, and the ancient tribal ancestor spirit, Nzambi a Mpungu, overthrown. Last heard, the God of Iron, Ogun, rules the Diamond Congo, with all others serving him. Their society is heavily built around the veneration of ancestor and nature spirits, and Shaman regularly perform rites to honor such spirits.
---Loading Oaths---
Allies
Dischordia, German Free States, Iron Lotus
Enemies
Aztlan, Jukurrpa, Ukhu Amarumaya, Vechnyy Uzhas
Umbral Realms
Low Umbra - Shroud 5 (Bush of Ghosts - Shroud 1)
Middle Umbra - Gauntlet 0 (Pangaea - Gauntlet 2, Atrocity Realm - Gauntlet 5)
Dreaming - Mists 6
High Umbra - Periphery 8 (Afterworlds - Periphery 5)
Kingdom Views
Death is not the end of life, but a transition from one form of existence to another. The ignorant fear death because it marks the end of an existence that is known and the beginning of one that is unknown. The strong prey on the weak, that is the way of the forest. It is necessary. Like my ancestors before me, I embrace this - I will be strong. I have become an aged tree; I will no longer die; I have become two hundred hills rolled into one; I am immovable.
Aether: Mbombo was alone in darkness and water before he vomited up creation, and he will one day clean his mess. When there is no one left to remember us, we will truly be gone.
Avalon: Our opinion of them is neither high nor low.
Aztlan: A ruler should take up arms to guard his people, not slaughter them like cattle. This is what Tore never understood and it was his downfall. May they change their ways or meet a similar fate.
Dischordia: They value the strength of iron, and of those who can claim and hold power.
German Free States: They have proven themselves industrious, and they have a will of iron to stand on their own.
Iron Lotus: Ogun and Kali look upon one another and see kindred spirits, father and mother to their people. Only time will tell if our two gods of iron can coexist, or if one must prove themselves the stronger.
Jade Empire: They must impose order on their people to maintain balance, ignoring the balance which exists naturally. Even the beasts of their courts are forced to follow their rigidly defined culture. For a kingdom which claims enlightenment, they have much to learn.
Jukurrpa: The people of Uluru understand that the chaos of creation and destruction go hand-in-hand. But the weak predator does not eat, and the strong prey does not get eaten. They are weak, hiding behind Balor's cold iron throne, but unable to protect themselves.
Lazarus’ Empire: They hide from their nature within their cities and their courts, and rejecting the beast within them. They think this makes them civilized and superior, but they are hollow mockeries of life. None fear death so much as the dead.
Ukhu Amarumaya: The people of this kingdom cannot decide if they wish to flourish with the wild or wither with the slaughter of their people.
Vechnyy Uzhas: Madness infects this land like a pestilence, the source of all troubles since the beginning of time.
Historical Information
Africa Fractured, Africa United
The Kingdom of Diamond and the Middle Kingdom were among the first guests of the Court of Empires. The most powerful of the Diamond's warlords, King Tore, sought to expand his kingdom. His sight fell upon his closest neighbors: the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.
Read more: (Court of Empires) Africa United
The Diamond's ambassador approached Dischordia to trade in weapons and beasts of war. In exchange for this, he promised hordes of magical gems, diamonds the color of blood. It was not long before the Dischordians learned the truth of the Blood Diamonds. Each gem held spirit of a tribal ancestor, trapped in an endless nightmare of blood and death. Each gem offered power to the wielder, but at a terrible price: destruction of the spirit within.
The Middle Kingdom grew enraged that Dischordia had armed it's enemies. To sooth the diplomatic incident, Dischordia offered to aid them as well. Tzeentch, of the Wolves of the North, sought his domain's aid. He promised land and population to the Wolves, if they would assist in the Middle Kingdom’s war efforts. But he had failed to make any such arrangement with the Middle Kingdom.
Set placed the Dischordian troops on the front line, as he and his followers enacted a great ritual. At the ritual's conclusion, the Blood Diamonds shattered. No longer bound within the gems, the angry spirits turned upon their captors. When the truth became known, the Kingdom of Diamond was thrown into upheaval. The spirits and their descendants turned on Tore and his warlords. When the dust settled, the grateful spirits of the Diamond had joined with the Middle Kingdom. For a time, Africa united under Pharaoh Set.
A Bargain with Ptah
During their first visit to the Court of Empires, the Middle Kingdom received a surprise. Among the nobles of Dischordia, they recognized a follower of Ptah, a God of their Pantheon. Set sought to make a deal to return their people to the Umbral realm they considered home. Doc agreed to aid them, in exchange for the fealty of those who remained. But before Doc could fulfill his part of the bargain, war came to the shores of the Middle Kingdom.
Read more: (War of Maelstrom's Rebuke) Bargain with Ptah
Lazarus sent the Stygian Legions to retrieve artifacts and knowledge. Set demanded that Ptah deliver his people as proised, and protect his people from this war. Doc obliged, opening an Umbral gateway to allow most of their number to return home. Many chose to remain.
During this time of transition, the Kindgom of Diamond reclaimed its independence. Ogun, God of Iron and the patron deity of warriors, saw Set's actions as cowardice. He led a rebellion and seized control of the Diamond Congo. Slaying those who had kowtowed to Set, Ogun severed their Oaths and freed the Diamond from Set's control."
The Sublime Cataclysm
As two powerful kingdoms waged their war, the other kingdoms watched and waited. No matter who would be victorious, their victory would alter the political landscape. Few could have suspected the true cost of the end of the war, or the impact it would have on their own kingdoms. In the war's final months, Lazarus' Legion marched on Dischordia and laid waste to their domains. In response, the Dischordian lords enacted a plan of unsurpassed devastation. None outside of Dischordia witnessed the ritual, but kingdoms the world over felt the impact.
Read more: (Sublime Cataclysm)
The first sign of the Cataclysm was the haze on the horizon. Blood-red and fire-orange, it was visible even in kingdoms across oceans and hemispheres. Storms of fire raged across the European continent. Those who survived the strikes saw clouds of dust and fire, and felt the ground shake from the impact. The reverberation of the catastrophe could be felt all around the world. Tsunamis, floods, and hail storms devastated the Jade and Iron Lotus. Earthquakes rumbled and volcanoes erupted in Ukhu Amarumaya and Aztlan. Sinkholes opened in Jukurrpa swallowing stretches of land. Heat waves ravaged the Diamond Congo, withering the jungles. Great sandstorms blasted across the African deserts. The Antarctic Aether grew even colder as it’s blizzards raged. Across the globe, maelstroms tore their way through the kingdoms of the world.
Treaty of Maelstrom's Rebuke
The war ended one year, to the day, after the events which marked its beginning. Delegates from Dischordia and Lazarus met to solidify a treaty and bring the war to a close. Every kingdom sent diplomats to witness the signing, but each had ulterior motives. Each hoped to see their kingdom's goals reflected in the final document. The Treaty detailed terms of ceasefire, such as returning prisoners and withdrawing troops. Yet it also contained several initiatives which advanced specific agendas.
Read more: (Treaty of Maelstrom's Rebuke)
Shifters from every domain celebrated the Treaty. The kingdoms of Jukurrpa, Ukhu, and the Diamond each supported a single agenda. Through their efforts, shifters of all breeds were bound in the pursuit of balance. To achieve this, they would all resume the hunt against the taint of the Corruptor.
The Treaty established a stronghold - an International court for all Shifter kind. The Sept of the Mended Spirit, dedicated to Bat, on the Jukurrpan island of Papua New Guinea. There, shifters from all over the world would be welcome to gather and seek wisdom from others.
Most Shifters were relieved at having a purpose once again, but some had concerns. Some shared concerns about the Sept in Jukurrpa. The Wyrm, the very corruption they committed to fight, had once driven Bat to madness. The Treaty had accepted the Kingdom of Aether into Reality. They knew that the force of destruction they represented was part of the Balance they sought. But they too represented corruption and devastation of the Wyrm's influence.
