Overzeese Koningen: The Orcish Sea Kings

Government Type: Direct intervention through Warchiefs

Ruling Welkin: Koningen

Current Warchiefs:

Cort Klaarslag (CG Male Diep Orc Expert10/Druid4)

Piet Geboren Onweer (CG Male Kapoacinth Racial5/Fighter6)

Sem Visser (TN Male Diep Orc Druid14)

Hild Bloedzoeker (CE Female Scrag Racial5/Ranger6)

Anneka the Ogress (NE Female Merrow Racial2/Barbarian8/Beast Rider4)

Loes the Mad (CN Female Diep Orc Sorcerer8/Barbarian6)

Population: 1,500,000

Economic Type: Barter

Species Demographics: 60% Diep Orc (Aquatic), 20% Merrow (Aquatic Ogre), 10% Scrag (Aquatic Troll), 5% Locathah, 4% Kapoacinth (Aquatic Gargoyle), 1% Other

Capitol: Diep Overzees

Beast Totem: Basilosaurus

War Beasts: Basilosaurus, Helicoprion

Nominal Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

The Overzeese Koningen, more often to referred to simply as Sea Kings in the common tongue, live their lives in the serene depths of the endless ocean. Their Welkin, Koningen, is one of the few Welkins that chose to remain neutral. Rather than take the form of a Dragon and be called evil or that of the Titan and be known as good he instead opted to bond himself with a violet-skinned storm giant. Having always been in love with the sea, he chose the inner seas of Fallenstar for his new home. Once there he gathered the broken aquatic peoples and brought peace to their shattered world. His first act was to take a coastal clan of orcs under his wing. They were gifted with special lungs that were manipulated by Koningen to allow breath in both air and water.

The Overzeese Koningen control most of the inner seas of Fallenstar, where they guard the whirlpool in the center of the region from incursion. Several of the inner sea isles have small on shore outposts for trade and other surface activities. The warriors of the tribe patrol the waters of their territory with their trusted Basilosaurus mounts.

The vortex  is viewed as a doorway into the realm of The Keeper and the final resting place of the Earth Mother, so it is guarded with almost fanatical religious zeal. The Overzeese Koningen consider themselves the guardians of this part of the region, and care little for outside intervention. This is their sacred duty, and as such is paramount in their eyes.

Ethics and Beliefs:

Protecting unwary travelers from the vortex as well as the vortex itself has made the Overzeese Koningen are hard people. They have little patience for what they perceive as the fickle and often times flighty nature of surface dwellers. Nothing bothers a Konin warrior more than having to waste time listening to reasons why something cannot or should not be done, as well as excuses. From their point of view things are either done or not done yet, there are no words in their language for surface concepts like trying, maybe, or almost. There is and there is not, it either can be done or it cannot, and things are either done, being done, or will be done. They do not stop to consider the greater implications of their actions, an Overzeese Koningen just does it. This is more of a general attitude than a cold hard fact. The rare, more peaceful members of the tribe tend to take a more broad view of things and what might happen, while the much more common hot headed warriors live only in the moment.

Koningen teaches that all things must be done to the maximum possible extent. Underwater volcanoes do not almost erupt, or erupt just a little bit, they are either calm or they explode. The tides do not wait for a better or worse time to move, they move at the perfect time. This way of thinking has been one of the primary reasons Overzeese Koningen remain so distant from the wars and destruction of the surface world, and also why many surface dwellers perceive them as unstable and untrustworthy.

Clans of the Overzeese Koningen:

The Overzeese Koningen tribe is made up of some of the most powerful races in the seas. The bulk of the population is made up of Diep Orcs, a separate breed of orcs able to breath both water and air. These orcs are no less brutal than their surface dwelling cousins and yet have a greater degree of intelligence.

The next most prevalent race is the mighty Merrow, or more commonly known as Aquatic Ogres. Much like the Diep Orcs, merrow are surprisingly more intelligent than their land locked brethren. The merrow are more intelligent because they are another race that Koningen brought into his fold, but as they were before they were more or less sharks with arms. He used his divine powers to gift them with as much intelligence as the orcs.

Closely allied with the merrow is the Scrag, a mean spirited race of aquatic trolls. Scrags are vicious predatory savages that are kept in line only by the strength of the merrow. Originally the Scrag were simply allied with the Merrow, but after the Merrow were gifted with higher intelligence they returned to their allies and showed them a better way of life, so when the Scrag approached Koningen he blessed them with a higher degree of intelligence as well and then charged the Merrow with finding a place in the world for them. That place it the protection of the vortex.

The last, but far from the least, powerful race is the crafty Kapoacinth, aquatic gargoyles. This race is one of the most deceptive and secretive of the Overzeese Koningen tribe. They only recently joined the tribe, swimming self-possessed from out of the deeper oceans beyond the main islands of Fallenstar. Their leader, Piet Geboren Onweer, met in secrecy with Koningen himself and soon after the tribe was told to accept the Kapoacinth as brothers and welcome them as if Koningen himself were coming to visit.

The clans of the Overzeese Koningen are split into five distinct Beschermers, or Guardianships. Each Beschermer is made up of mostly orc clans with members of other races incorporated into this. The exception to this is the Bloed Beschemer, which is made up entirely of the dangerous Scrag. The names and a general overview on the races and duties of the individual clans are:

Klarslag: Mostly made up of Diep Orcs, this clan also boasts the largest Locothah population. Members of this clan are the primary farmers and herders of the Overzeese Koningen. They maintain crops of kelp and other under water plant life as well as herds of large sea mammals called Koeien. Of all the Beschermer, Klarslag is the most peaceful. As for contact with surface dwellers, the Klarslag tend to avoid it at all costs. They are the most shy and gentle element of this tribe. If surface dwellers are encroaching into their territory then they simply send for a platoon of Jagers to handle them, rather than confront the land folk themselves. Of all the clans this one will be like the unintentional best kept secret.

Geboren: This Beschemer was made up entirely of the Kapoacinth, though ceveral clans of Merrow have since joined their ranks. These nomadic hunters cruise the edges of Overzeese Koningen territory, particularly in the places where the inner sea meets the open ocean, in order to stop and question anyone entering the territory.

The real reason the Kapoacinth came in from the wide open ocean is because they are refugees from some terrible and sinister force lurking in the dark depths far from shore. They are among the fiercest of the Beschemer when it come to guarding the three passes, and they are among the most dedicated to Koningen, who took them in at their darkest hour. It is to guard their new home from this unspeakable threat that the Kapoacinth keep constant vigil.

Visser: Religious teachers and wandering healers make up the bulk of this Beschemer. Guardians of the natural world in their watery home, the Visser never stay in one location more than a few months. Visseren rangers patrol the interior of the Overzeese Koningen, checking in regularly with the members of the Klarslag clan and helping to hunt down dangerous predators that might be endangering their scattered villages. Members of this Beschemer are the ones most often encountered by colonial sailors within the inner sea. The Visser have no real opinion about the traffic coming and going above them. If anything they enjoy the occasional ship since sailors bring stories and interesting exotic things.

When a patrol comes into town it is common practice for the whole community to turn out in welcome. Community members hang on every word of news regarding the territory, and do very brisk and profitable business with the occasional traders who travel with patrols. There is oft times an almost festive atmosphere during these visits, with available maidens seking the favors of the heroic rangers and children running around and playing with the basilosaurs or helicoprions. Then, of course, there is always the inevitable hunts for the large predators that roam the inner sea, perticularly those that have been terrorizing any villages. Most commonly these are simple Megalodons or Kronosaurs, though occasionally more bizarre and dangerouse things have been hunted. These things come out of the numerous deep water canyons that radiate from the vortex.

Bloed: The most notorious and feared of the Overzeese Koningen , the Bloed are the most dangerous of all the Beschemer. The Bloed are the primary guardians around the whirlpool, their fearsome reputation often all that is need to keep curious travelers at bay. When the Overzeese Koningin go to war it is the Bloed who are called in to handle the fiercest battles. The vortex is guarded in the belief that they will keep The Taker from being roused from his home again, and to keep him from walking the lands and bringing death and destruction back into the realm.The Bloed are perhaps the most violent and aggressive of all the clans.

As far as tactics go, the Bloed keep manned lookout towers on all of the islands surrounding the whirlpool, and any ships that come near are quickly warned to turn back or be sunk, and then every soul aboard becomes dinner for the Scrag. If the ships are unable to turn back because they get caught in the current then the Bloed just say a prayer in hopes The Keeper won't be disturbed and let the ship go. This happens very rarely though, as they keep constant vigil and take their mission deathly serious.

Ziel Jagers: This Beschemer is the only clan to have two Warchiefs, Anneka the Ogress and

Loes the Mad, and made up of mostly Diep Orcs and Merrows, though a few Scrag who show decent self control can also be found here.

Anneka is in charge of the Jagers, and is charged with maintaining the coastal borders of the Overzeese Koningen territory. Her Beast Riders keep a constant vigil on any surface race that takes bounty from the sea. They keep track of how much fishing is done and tell surface dwellers where and when the best times to fish will be. They also act as liaisons between surface traders and their more reclusive brethren.

The Jager are pretty much an easygoing lot that are actually very helpful when they are approached with respect. They don't like seeing men or women with families die unnecessarily, they know how hard it is on those who must go on without their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, mothers or fathers. They won't hesitate to kill those men and womn though if those they choose to  ignore warning about over fishing or dumping off shore. They also take a very dim view of land dwellers poaching from the herds of the Klarslag.

Loes is the head of the Ziel and runs a network of sorcerers who maintain communication throughout the entire territory. The Ziel also keep a close eye on the things going on around the colonies by use of scrying spells. Loes recently made a bargain with the mercane Aulirnarme, and has begun setting up raids on various colonial ships, using the Ziel scrying powers and the ferocity of the Bloed to devastating effect.

Loes is also a very avid Adzaro player. She often takes little trips into Kuilnos to indulge in the game with Aulirnarme and several other players. In recent years she has moved her primary home into the small Overzeese Koningen village in Baía Da Soluz near Kuilnos.

Dress:

The Overzeese Koningen prefer to go about totally nude within their territories and only wear clothing, which usually consists of cloth kilts treated with the sap of B. Lubrificada plants to resist water, when they are dealing with surface dwellers and their cultural modesty. The only time they wear any type of clothing when out to sea is when they put on armor. Armor is almost always crafted from substances like chitin, bone, and ceramics they get through trade with surface races, though in recent years mithral armors enchanted to resist sea water are becoming more common amongst the higher ranking Visser, Bloed and Jager.

Overzeese Koningen wear elaborate jewelry to denote Beschemer membership amd rank within their individual clans. Signet rings, coral amulets and anklets with unworked gems set in them comprise the majority of such articles, though items of solid gold are also highly desired since gold does not tarnish in the salty sea water.

The Political Structure of the Overzeese Koningen:

The Overzeese Koningen have a loose alliance based almost entirely on their shared devotion to Koningen. All the Beschemer owe their very existance to his open arms and gentle nature. Every year there is a great gathering of all the Warcheifs in his palace of Diep Overzeese. It is not just limited to the Warcheifs though, as almost all settlements send envoys and representatives to air their problems, make trade agreements, and seek guidance from Koningen himself.

These annual gatherings are always celebrated as a holiday. In the great plaze of Diep Overzeese there is a huge bazaar, with vendors selling and trading different goods. Surface dwellers occasionally send representatives as well, utilizing magic to breath as the natives do. These delegations most often come to seek protection for their vessels and offer gifts of gold and enchanted items. It is at this annual festival that much of the salvage from ship wrecks is auctioned off, so is a good place to come in search of something lost at sea.

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