Okse Dominion

This article is a work in progress.

Iron roots, blood fruit.

Beneath brooding, iron-grey skies, the Okse Dominion sprawls — a land where the wind howls through craggy mountain passes and the scent of wet stone and pine needles clings to every breath. Rain and snow fall in endless succession, drumming against wood, slate, and thatched rooftops and soaking the moss-laden earth until boots squelch with every step. In the shadow of jagged peaks, forests stand dense and ancient, their trunks carved with runes and bone charms, while icy rivers gnaw through the land, binding villages in a frigid, unyielding embrace. Here, the world is never silent: the lowing of oxen, the distant crack of axes, and the mournful call of the taglharpe echo through the mist, a ceaseless hymn to endurance and survival.

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The Okse Dominion is a hardy land of towering peaks, impenetrable temperate rainforests, deciduous woodlands, grassy highlands, and sheer cliffs. Its varied climates and rough terrain have made it an incredibly defensive nation, one hardened by generations of systematic brutality.

Under skies burdened with brooding clouds, the sun’s warmth seldom graces the soil. Rain and snow more often than not dance their ceaseless waltz across the Dominion. Craggy mountains pierce the sky, steep hills challenge the bravest souls, tundral plains stretch to what feels like eternity, and icy rivers etch their veins through dense forests, binding coastal towns, cities, and villages alike in a frigid embrace.

History

In the turbulent shadows of the Uxifirar family, the Okse Dominion was forged from the rift that cleaved kin from kin. Ralof Gullhyrndr would forge a new nation under his rule. The golden-horned son — ambitious, fearsome, defence-minded, and already in command of the Vetruxi Kingdom’s armies — would brand Errack’s face with the flag of the Okse Dominion.

To ensure the might of his father’s land would not falter, Ralof set his eyes on fortifying the nation and developing an industrial machine that could arm his followers. The Oksmun would not rely on imported ores or equipment.

Meanwhile, Ralof’s younger brother, Asgrim Torradsson, a man deeply attuned to the pulse of their father Torrad Uxifadir’s realm, would birth the Krass Dominion from the soil’s womb. In the wake of the schism, Asgrim ensured that his people tilled the land and clung fiercely to the threads of independent culture and the unyielding mindset of the Vetruxi Kingdom.

Bound by blood, yet split by divergent ambitions, the two brothers navigated a tumultuous partnership. Each harnessed their unique strengths to pursue their individual aspirations, transforming their brotherhood into a strategic alliance that would carve two distinct destinies.

In a solemn tradition, the Oksmun, like their Krassian kin, would elect their once-leader to bear the esteemed title of Kóngr Eilífr. It was a pact born of shared reverence for Torrad, the Ox-Father, the mighty Bulwark of the Vetruxi Kingdom. They swore to forever eschew the titles of Kóngr or Dróttning, for their people continued to hold Torrad in the highest regard. He remained their father figure, revered leader, and a figure of living legend, uniting both Dominions under his enduring legacy.

People

Oksmun culture

The Oksmun are shaped by hardship and ritual, their faces weathered by biting winds and the glare of snowfields. Each scar is a story, each tattoo a ward against ancestral curses. At night, the air thickens with the sweet, smoky tang of burning tallow and blood, as bone charms rattle on a warrior’s armour and the ground is stained with sacrificial offerings.

Children learn to wield a blade before they can read, their lullabies sung in the guttural tongue of old gods. To survive here is to submit to the land’s demands: to kneel in the mud, to bleed in the frost, to rise again and again, unbroken. This is not a culture for the faint of heart. It is a way of life where combat and defence reign supreme, etching warrior traditions deep into their souls.

Displays of bone charms, inscribed with ancient runes, adorn battle-worn armour, weaving protective wards and ancestral blessings into Oksmun attire. Their existence is an intricate dance with the relentless metal of war. In this realm of stone and steel, the Dominion’s imports are scarce; its self-sufficiency is a testament to Oksmun endurance and their enduring alliance with the Krassians.

Submit, and serve

In the shadow of the Halvmane Mountains, a Thrall wipes oil from his brow, the sweet, burnt-charcoal reek clinging to his skin. Above, overseers chant the old prayers, bone charms rattling in the wind. Each swing of the pickaxe sends shudders through his arms, each breath a struggle against the stifling, tar-thick air. He dreams of snow and silence, but the Dominion’s hunger is endless, and the oil must flow.

In the unrelenting churn of Oksmun society, power is an ever-shifting maelstrom, a ceaseless cycle of dominance and submission. Power in the Dominion is measured in scars and obedience.

Thralls and Ambátts toil in the choking blackness of oil pits and the stifling heat of forges, their backs branded with the sigils of their masters, sweat and blood mingling with the reek of crude oil and iron. The clang of chains and the crack of overseers’ whips are as constant as the wind.

Sometimes, a Thrall is unshackled — raised to Leysingi, neither free nor truly kin, their eyes haunted by the memory of the mines. Hope here is a blade’s edge: sharp, but always threatening to cut.

Hardy attire

Oksmun garb is armour against the world: a patchwork of coarse wool, animal pelts, and oil-darkened leather, heavy with the scent of smoke and wet fur. Cloaks hang thick and sodden, stitched with crimson thread and ivory beads, tokens of clan and conquest. Even in the dim glow of lamplight, every sleeve and hem is a testament to survival, each stain a memory of storm or battle.

Resonance within the Dominion

Few Resonants emerge from the crucible of the Okse Dominion, yet those born with arcane gifts often embrace either Muld or Svar sorcery.

A shadowy legacy of Muld sorcerers, the architects of a bygone era, has bestowed upon the Oksmun a profound mastery of structural engineering. Consequently, an unrelenting decree has reigned for decades: all who show affinity for Muld sorcery must be registered with the Dominion’s Jarl in charge of monitoring such individuals, or face a merciless death.

In contrast, Svar sorcery weaves its fiery threads with more liberty, its wielders labouring in the blistering crucibles of industry or amongst the royal blacksmiths, their powers less regulated, but no less potent.

Economy

Though predominantly an isolationist nation, the Oksmun rely on an import of slaves to fuel their economy.

Oil: The Black Gold of the Dominion

Oil has emerged as a new resource fueling industrial might and military prowess. This black gold has become the lifeblood of the Dominion’s economy, transforming its landscape and society profoundly.

The discovery of vast oil reserves beneath the Dominion’s rugged terrain sparked a revolution in Oksmun industrial capability. Engineers quickly developed methods to harness this valuable resource, integrating it into their culture, technology, and military infrastructure.

In the forges and armouries, oil found a crucial application. Oksmun weaponsmiths discovered that treating their arms and armour with oil not only prevented rust but also imbued their steel with a menacing dark sheen. This innovation soon became a hallmark of Oksmun military equipment, adding to their fearsome appearance on the battlefield.

The military applications of oil extended beyond preservation. Oksmun engineers developed a specialised oil-based propellant for flamethrowers, creating a terrifying weapon for the Dominion’s forces. These devices, spewing liquid fire, became a signature tool of Oksmun warfare.

However, the bounty of oil came at a grim cost. The Okse Dominion’s reliance on slave labour found new depths in the oil industry. Thralls and Ambátts toil in perilous conditions, pumping crude oil from the earth and processing it in refineries. One of the largest of these operations is housed within the infamous Rauthrbak Min prison, where a section has been converted into a massive oil well.

The search for new oil deposits drives the Dominion to push its slave workforce to ever greater extremes. Exploration teams, comprised mostly of expendable thralls, venture into treacherous terrain, risking life and limb to locate fresh reserves.

Even the Dominion’s iconic longboats have not escaped the influence of this new resource. Once primarily vessels of war and raiding, these sleek ships now serve a different purpose. Their holds, once filled with plunder, now brim with barrels of oil, slaves, and other goods vital to the Dominion’s burgeoning trade networks.

The oil boom has reshaped the Oksmun way of life in unexpected ways. While traditional fats from whales, pork, and beef remain important for cooking and tallow, oil lamps have become a common sight in Oksmun homes. These steady sources of illumination pierce the long, dark winters: a small comfort in the harsh reality of Dominion life.

As the Okse Dominion’s reliance on oil grows, so too does the complexity of its society. The black gold that flows beneath their feet has brought both prosperity and new forms of suffering, fueling the industrial machine while deepening the divide between master and slave. In the smoky glow of oil lamps and the shadow of towering derricks, the Oksmun forge ahead, their future as dark and potent as the resource that now defines them.

Major exports

Ore and ingots

Thanks to the plethora of mines and metalworks dotted around the Dominion, there is an abundance of metals. So much so that the sale of ores and ingots is now one of the Dominion’s largest and most guarded exports.

Arms and armour

Second to the sale of materials to other nations, the sale of Oksmun-made arms and armour is highly coveted by those looking to protect themselves and deal devastating damage.

Structural engineers

Known for their grand defensive structures, the Dominion has started to allow those who helped design and build these fortifications to sell their skills to nations and rich individuals for a high price.

Wildlife

Within the Dominion’s tundra and coniferous realms, the tapestry of life is woven with hardy, thick-furred beasts of various magnitudes. Towering mammoths have been tamed to serve as living battering rams, while smaller highland cows graze the wide-open fields and rolling slopes.

In the skies above, Sigdfugl rule the aerial realm, their predatory instincts honed to perfection as they hunt small prey. Amidst the shadows of coniferous forests and wooded enclaves, where slightly milder climes provide respite, the land teems with life. Berries and fungi thrive in these realms, offering sustenance to creatures as resolute as the land itself. Here, amidst towering trees, deer, wolves, bears, and cunning foxes roam.

Venturing to the shimmering waters, a kingdom beneath the surface stirs. Countless rivers, both fresh and salt, converge with the unyielding sea, harbouring a vast realm of sealife. Whales, seals, voracious pike, and the elusive Elvormr all carve their domains in the waters of the Okse Dominion, where survival is as ruthless as the land itself.

Armed forces

In the embrace of the Okse Dominion, might is the currency of power, where leadership demands both brutality and ingenuity. Kónungsson Erlend Nautleif stands at the helm, commanding the Dominion’s formidable armed forces.

The vast population, hardy and militaristic, is responsible for the sheer size of its standing force. Their weapons are tools of war, ruthlessly efficient, designed to endure the horrors of the battlefield. The warriors, embodiments of relentless intensity, iconically bear tower shields with angular, menacing edges, mirroring the brutalist armour they don. Darkened steel weaponry, efficient and merciless, is their trademark. For those of rank, a touch of gold, fur, and cloth embellishes their attire.

Their ranks brim with Juggernauts, colossal beings whose might shapes the Dominion’s strategy. Among their duties, some master the art of long-range archery, wielding gargantuan warbows that launch arrows as massive as a man’s forearm. These warriors unleash devastation from afar, embodying the Dominion’s relentless might.

Resonants, few in number, are strategic assets reserved for significant threats to the Dominion. They are often deployed with an entourage of supporting foot soldiers and, in some cases, guardian Juggernauts.

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