An armor-clad hobgoblin wearing a pointed helmet grips his bow tight as he charges with his centaur companion wielding two scimitars into the white-eyed enemy lines. A firbolg farmer watches over his flock of sheep and goats as snow begins to fall in the middle of a barren desert knowing that soon, she will be packing up the family tent to migrate southward. A tabaxi trader wearing thick boots and draped in silk summits a steep mountain pass where below he can see the tents and yaks gathering around a village of wooden shacks, jovial music and harmonious singing rising up through the wind. This is the Ondrul Empire.
Overview
The Ondrul Empire resides in the center section of Wilder atop the steppes and deserts. The Ondrul Empire has the strongest army on the continent that can mobilize quickly and kill easily. This results in most surrounding civilizations to fear infringing upon Ondrul territory and risk provoking yet another bloody war.
Travelers who wander through the Ondrul Empire will find the territory itself treacherous, but despite the people’s hard edges for survival, they are tolerant of outsiders and welcoming to those who can help tend their flocks and buy their wares.The Ondrul Empire is one of great military might, cultural tolerance, protected trade routes, and shepherding nomads.
This section will detail the key aspects of Ondrul: its main races, government, military, economy, culture, and religions.
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Government: Militocracy Military: Army and Cavalry Economy: Travel and Trade Culture: Collectivist Religion: Animism/Shamanism and The Way of Transcendence
Races of Ondrul
Races of Ondrul primarily include the following:
- Centaur of Wilder - Centaurs are held in high regard in Ondrul society, being that they make up the majority of the empire’s cavalry. They also make excellent herders for nomadic groups.
- Hobgoblins of Wilder - While Centaur’s make up the military backbone in terms of providing a strong cavalry, Hobgoblins make up the military’s tactical backbone. Hobgoblins, however, are not native to Wilder. They arrived on the continent about a thousand years ago, fleeing a continent wrecked with disaster. Their militaristic way of life allowed them to best integrate into Ondrul life.
- Minotaur of Wilder - Minotaurs make up a smaller portion of Ondrul society, but their position is one of significance. Those who resemble the Yak are considered spiritually significant and are often Shamans or religious leaders, especially in nomadic groups.
- Firbolgs of Wilder - Firbolgs make up a wide majority of the common folk in Ondrul society. They make great nomads, herders, tradesmen, advisors, and more. You can find Firbolgs both inside towns and out with nomadic groups. No matter where they reside, their ability to communicate with animals make them excellent herders, butchers, veterinarians, and fur traders.
- Other races, like Rabbitfolk of Wilder and Tabaxi of Wilder, can be found in Ondrul too.
Government
The Ondrul Empire is ruled chiefly by its military leaders. They have a specific chain of command that leaves the emperor/general on top, called the Büren Erkht (Sovereign). Then, each division of the military has a head who acts as a leading governing body. These generals answer to the sovereign, but the sovereign gives them reign over their military branch. These leaders are then in charge of collecting taxes, guarding roads, delivering mail, and handling disputes of law: the most vital government duties of the Ondrul Empire.
Otherwise, the Ondruls have a very free lifestyle. People can choose to live in towns, where the militarized government provides protection and benefits, or nomadically, where there is only a duty to pay taxes, shelter military, and assist messengers when the government demands.
Military
The Ondrul Empire is famous for their military, primarily their cavalry. Centaur make up the bulk of their cavalry, though some common horses are used as well. Equally as well known as the Ondrul’s cavalry are the Ondrul archers. They have mastered the art of bowfare while mounted. The deadliest combination of these two include a Centaur Cavalryman with a mounted archer. Together, a cavalry unit can be composed of double the archers earning the Ondrul’s their place as military masters.
Ondrul Bows are not typical wooden longbows, but are composite shortbows that can be fired easily from atop a mount while also maintaining the power and range of most other longbows. These composite bows are made of a combination of wood; horns from Yaks, goats, or even Firbolg; and iron. These bows function like a longbow with the size of a shortbow, though the composite bow still requires martial weapon proficiency.
The military’s chain-of-command system of organization also helps it run more smoothly than other armies. One Arav is made up of ten people, ten Aravs make up a Zuu (100), and ten Zuus make up a Myanga (1,000), and ten Myangas make up an Army (10,000). The Ondrul Empire is made up of ten armies all of which answer to the Büren Erkht.
Economy
The people of the Ondrul Empire have a thriving economy that relies heavily on trade and agriculture.
Situated in the middle of Wilder, Ondruls have a distinct advantage when managing trade networks through their territory as they greatly benefit other civilizations by providing shortcuts across the center of the continent. Otherwise, other civilizations would have to navigate around the Ondrul Empire.
Agriculturally, the Ondruls raise the continent’s largest set of livestock. These include goats for cashmere, cheese, and milk; sheep for wool; horses; and cattle for milk, cheese, and meat.
Otherwise, the Ondrul Empire is highly successful in managing trade routes through its territory. Friends of the Ondruls pay taxes to use the trade routes. They guard the trade routes with designated cavalry to make these roads some of the safest across Wilder. The Xianya Dynasty, in particular, uses these trade routes to ship their silks across Wilder.
Culture
The Ondrul Empire possesses two cultures that are constantly feeding off one another: the nomads, and the settlers. Nomads farm and produce important trade goods for towns, and towns facilitate trade for nomadic groups. One cannot survive without the other. Nomads are highly respected throughout all of Ondrul culture, but over time, young people are slowly moving into towns for education they can’t receive on the Steppes.
The Ondruls are culturally very accepting. Unlike other empires, they don’t require that new subjects convert to a new religion, or even adopt Ondrul laws. The Ondruls only care that they receive their fair share of goods from places they have conquered, and later, taxes. However, problems arise when Ondrul leaders perceive insults from other cultural groups despite their verbal commitment for acceptance. Many outsiders have been prosecuted by Ondrul’s militant laws much to their confusion, and it’s created an aura of hypocrisy and barbarism to Ondrul’s great empire.
The Ondruls have their fair share of traditions, too, that help them stand out from other cultures:
- They revere the three northern mountains said to be Giants resting after flattening out some of the desert steppes.
- These three mountains are symbolized by the three triangles on Ondrul’s pennant flags.
- The Ondrul’s have high respect for horses. And though a centaur never likes being compared to one, they consider horses to be spiritual kin.
- Clothing in the Ondrul Empire uses a lot of sheep/goat wool to stay warm in the winter months and provide good moisture wicking in the summer months. Silk is often used too.
- To get an idea of what some of these clothes look like: https://www.discovermongolia.mn/about-mongolia/culture-art-history/mongolian-traditional-clothes#
- The Ondruls have strict gift-giving and -receiving traditions
- When offering a bladed object like scissors or a knife, always offer the handle and not the blade.
- When offered drinks, always accept even if you don’t want the drinks. If you don’t want the drink, just sniff the glass or pretend to drink, and hand it back.
- When offering things with openings, anything that opens upwards like a box or a purse are considered celebratory as they keep contents inside. Anything that opens downwards, like a hat, are gifts of mourning or loss as what is inside falls out the bottom opening.
- When children come of age, they’re given a special meal of goat testicles. It’s one’s first steps into adulthood.
- The Ondruls have seasonal festivals where nomads come into town and host games.
- Think of these as kinda like seasonal Olympics, though more local, friendly competition.
- These festivals are ways for the townsfolk and nomads to unite as one.
- The end of each festival concludes with a group dance.
- These celebrations also celebrate the Yak, and no beef is eaten throughout the whole festival.
Religions
The Ondrul Empire has two primary religions:
- Animism/Shamanism - the belief that people, animals, and places all hold spiritual essence. Everything from human invention to the desert sand is alive. Anyone can interact with the spirits of things, but Shamans have a special gift for it. Shamans tend to be Druids or Rangers if they have any class at all.
- The Way of Transcendence - this religion is the most prominent religion on the eastern side of Wilder. There are no gods associated with this religion, just the belief that all creatures suffer, and they can let go of their bindings to struggle and transcend into enlightenment. Because there are no gods and the religion’s beliefs are simple and straightforward, it’s easy to incorporate other religious practices into The Way of Transcendence—including religions that have deities.**