Elkler

Geography and Biology
The Elkler, like any race, are a product of their surroundings. Originating in the South-East regions of the continent of Kezara, the Elkler have grown to inhabit the entirety of Elkler Bluffs, the islands to its east, the mountain range to its west, and a southern portion of the Wastelands, creating a sphere of influence commonly known as the Elkler Empire.

Elkler Bluffs, the species origin, consists predominantly of hills and highlands with the occasional rivers and lakes in between. The first Elkler cities sprouted on the fertile floodplains of these rivers. The whole region is incredibly mineral rich, with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ore and precious stones. The topmost soil contains mostly copper, as evidenced by the blue tinge associated with Elkler Bluffs. The terrain, foliage, and even most animals are blue in color due to the high concentration of copper.

The Elkler are four limbed, bipedal mammals averaging a height of 1.2 meters. Though diminutive in comparison to most races, Elkler can typically have a significant mass due to their ‘healthy girth’. They are also surprisingly strong for their size, and can comfortably use equipment designed for human-sized individuals. Elkler are omnivorous but prefer to eat vegetarian when possible. The average Elkler would find a large plate of meat unappetizing unless paired with an equally large salad. Perhaps the most striking feature of the Elkler are their bulbous noses which grant them a powerful sense of smell as well as acting as a status symbol, with more dominant individuals bearing larger snouts.

Surprisingly, the closest genetic relative to the Elkler are the Trolls that inhabit the central plains of Kazara. It would be reasonable to suspect that their shared ancestors were split when the mountain range ‘naturally’ formed between them. Needless to say, the Elkler differ immensely from their distant cousins, not only in size, but in their behavior. Docile in nature, the Elkler only act aggressively to defend their home or protect their fellows.

Society
The world’s most ancient city, the grand city of Kanva, arose on the shores of Elkler Bluffs at the dawn of the Second Age. It gave birth to the Elkler civilization, the oldest civilization on the planet. The Elkler live in a highly stratified society run in the manner of a monarchy that sometimes, depending on the emperor, the populace, and the day-to-day politics, veers into and out of theocracy. The Emperor is the highest authority in the land. As the head of the government, and the spiritual leader of the Order of Isirah, his or her words are law. The title is passed by birthright, and many great dynasties populate the history of the Empire. Some notable emperors:
 * Oken the Great: Oken Yanku, first of the Yanku dynasty, is the oldest known Elkler emperor. He was by no means the first, but he is the oldest in recorded history mostly because history first began being recorded under his reign. Oken made Elkan the official language. Elkan, the world’s first written language, was designed in a time before paper. As a result, the letters are made up of jagged lines that can be easily carved into stone by chisel and hammer. Oken’s rule saw many reforms that focused on educating the Elkler people and raising literacy. The city of Oken was later named in his honor.
 * Palya the Great: Empress Palya Yanku, a distant descendant of Oken, oversaw the largest expansion of the Empire. At the start of her reign the Elkler controlled the lands just around the city of Kanva. By the end of her reign the Empire’s borders encompassed the entirety of Elkler bluffs from sea to mountain range. The cities of Oken and Zaru came into existence at this time. Palya also strengthened the Order of Isirah, creating a religious revival whose effect can be felt to this day.
 * Juljong the Terrible: The end of the Yanku dynasty came as the Empire started collapsing under its own weight. The rapid expansion in previous centuries, coupled with poor leadership from several Emperors led to a destabilization. As the power vacuum grew, various great families started competing for lands and influence in what became known as ‘The Hundred Sided War’ (note: the term war is misleading as never in recorded history have Elkler ever fought against other Elkler. What occurred in this era can best be described as ‘aggressive diplomacy’). This lasted for several decades until the house of Zuchi, led by Juljong, took power and reestablished imperial control over all territories. Juljong’s legacy is one of strengthening the empire. He dramatically grew the Elkler army, going from not having an army to having one. Under his reign the city of Saygal was founded.
 * Gelem Sutye: Gelem Sutye was the emperor who opened the Elkler Empire to the outside world. Until his time no one from the outside knew anything about the Elkler, and the Elkler hardly knew that an outside world even existed. Gelem’s decision allowed the Elkler to become prominent on a global scale and opened the doors to trade and other beneficial transactions from abroad.

The Elkler people have an astounding sense of tradition, still practicing rituals as old as the civilization itself. As a result, no urge has ever crossed the populace to change the way the government works, and they would sooner tolerate an insane emperor than consider adopting a constitution or anything of the sort.

Technology
To the Elkler, scientific advancement and technology are sacred and integral to their way of life. This can, again, be traced back to geographic and evolutionary causes. Kezara is known for being an unfriendly environment for magic, with most magic users even noting a weakening in magical power just from being on the continent. Creatures like the Sandvurms of the Wastelands actively devour magic, making it dangerous to use and practice. Because of this the Elkler are one of the few (if not only) races completely detached from the mystical arts. However, thanks to their intellect and ingenuity, the Elkler’s technology can capably compete against some of the more powerful magical forces in the world.

Due to its value in keeping the Empire safe, the Elkler guard their scientific accomplishments jealously. The secrets of a craft are usually only known by the masters in that field, and creations that leave the Empire are impossible to take apart without destroying.

Major technologies possessed by the Empire


 * Mining/Metallurgy: Elkler Bluffs are the most resource rich lands in the world, and the Elkler have long since learned to utilize this to the fullest. Systems of mines run for kilometers deep beneath the surface, hauling back up mountains of valuable metals, stones, and minerals. The skilled smiths and craftsmen then take these raw materials, refine them, combine them, and use them to create masterful works. The most recognized metallurgical invention of the Elkler is Elkanium, an incredibly strong mixed-metal alloy that can be used to construct large durable structures and weapons as versatile and functional as enchanted versions of those same weapons.
 * Architecture and Construction: To the Elkler architecture was an art form long before poetry or music, and to this day many cultures around the world admire and study the masterful skills of Elkler architects. Everything from an individual home to an entire city is built for both form and function. A robust infrastructure allows the Empire to healthily maintain a massive population while still working effectively. Their style resembles that of the Aztecs, utilizing predominantly stone and stepped pyramidal structures.
 * Sailing and Navigation: The Elkler were among the first civilizations capable of traversing large bodies of water, yet they did not use this ability to explore nearly as much as others. The biggest impact that sea-travel had on the empire was allowing the Island Colonies to be established and the creation of the trade network (The Far East Trading Fleet) that now ties the Empire to nations around the world.

Technologies that are vital to the Empire (that I would have given them had I had a few more turns, but which, for the sake of the world’s lore, it is safe to assume they have):
 * Weapon Smithing: Weapons made by the Elkler Empire are by far the greatest non-magical weapons made in the world. An Elkanium sword is, by any standard, as good as an enchanted or magical sword. The most common types of weapons used by the Elkler include pikes, chain blades, and crossbows
 * Mechanics: The Elkler are competent creators of various contraptions. They are masters of utilizing gears, levers, pulleys, and an innumerable other techniques to construct machines that function smoothly and effectively
 * Archery: Nearly all Elkler are trained with a bow and arrow, this is in part due to the fact that most Elkler would rather not be anywhere near the enemy when fighting. During the Second Age, Emperor Juljong the Terrible decreed that all Elkler must be proficient archers by adulthood. The Elkler also specialize in crossbows, and crossbowmen make up the largest portion of the Elkler army.

Technologies developed by the empire in later ages (Meaning that depending on how advanced the rest of the world is when used in a campaign it may or may not be appropriate to give the Elkler these technologies to balance them):
 * Steam power: Steam power would allow the Elkler to create engines and thus use larger machines for construction, transportation, and war.
 * Gunpowder: The Elkler’s understanding of gunpowder would be limited, similar to that of imperial China. This would grant them only the knowledge of simple explosives, fireworks, and a few rare blast-cannons (a cannon that does not fire projectiles, but merely uses the explosive force from combustion as a short range weapon)

Military
By no means the largest in the world, the Elkler Empire’s military focuses primarily on defense through sheer power rather than overwhelming numbers. Three individual branches comprise the military. They are the Army, the Navy, and the City/Siege Forces

The largest of the three, the army, houses all soldiers on foot. In it are sub-branches like crossbowmen, pikemen, swordsmen, chain-blade men, and so on. Crossbows and chain-blades make up the bulk of the army. Elkler use a unique type of crossbow known as a Chukonu. The Chukonu has a magazine containing a number of bolts on top of the bow which allows a higher rate of fire than a normal crossbow. The weapon is extremely easy to manufacture and use, and, in the hands of a trained soldier, could easily launch ten bolts in fifteen seconds.

The Navy defines all ships under direct control of the Emperor and bearing the prefix I.M.S. (the Imperial Majesty’s Ship). This does not include ships belonging to the F.E.T.F. (Far East Trading Fleet). The main ship used by the navy is the Galleass, a massive vessel armed with six ballistae and an additional deck of crossbow platforms. The Galleass possesses retractable sails and dozens of oars (and a steam engine if it’s allowed).

The City/Siege Forces consist of large war machines. This includes Elkler Ballistae, Trebuchets, and catapults (also simple cannons and steam powered crafts if those technologies are allowed).

Foreign Relations
The Elkler Empire prefers isolation whenever possible. They will actively work towards avoiding conflict, but will rarely put any effort into dispelling conflict between other global entities. They can be easily persuaded by any substantial force so long as the Empire itself does not come to harm, a quality that to some nations appears spineless and weak.

The Empire values trade with the rest of the world greatly, but heavily regulates it. Organizations like the F.E.T.F. are by and large ethnically Elkler, and they make prominent impacts on the Empire and the whole world.