Thornbound Empire
Overview
The Thornbound Empire is the largest state on the western half of Avarra. Centered in the desert regions beyond the Oraskar mountains, the Empire is known for its disciplined military culture, massive stone cities, and highly organized bureaucracy.
Thornbound identity is heavily tied to the history of the Renkari, a people displaced from their eastern homelands centuries ago. That migration — and the lessons drawn from it — still shape the Empire’s politics, religion, and national philosophy.
Imperial imagery commonly uses crimson and white banners alongside the vulture, the sacred symbol of Tyras, the dead god of war.
To outsiders, Thornbound often appears controlled, orderly, and pragmatic. Internally, however, the Empire contains deep disagreements over its past, its purpose, and what the teachings of Tyras were truly meant to prevent.
The Renkari
The people of Thornbound and Kelmet share a common ancestral heritage known as the Renkari.
Centuries ago, the Renkari lived east of the Oraskar mountain range in scattered kingdoms, clans, and trade communities bordering the expanding Kingdom of Rosvall. Over time, Rosvallian expansion displaced many Renkari communities through warfare, annexation, political pressure, famine, and broken agreements.
Large populations eventually fled west across the Oraskar mountains during a migration remembered simply as the Crossing.
The journey was catastrophic. Many died from exposure, starvation, raids, and infighting. The surviving Renkari arrived in the western deserts fragmented and deeply divided.
Today:
- Thornbound presents itself as the political successor to the Renkari
- Kelmet claims to preserve older Renkari traditions and identity
The relationship between the two nations remains tense, though they share language, ancestry, and much of their religious history.
The Witness of Ash and Carrion
One of the defining events of early Renkari history was the discovery of a Witness of Elaris during the Crossing.
Witnesses are artifacts associated with the god Elaris, believed to preserve memories, teachings, and visions connected to major historical events. Accounts differ on where this particular Witness was found, but most traditions agree it appeared during one of the worst periods of the migration.
At the time, many Renkari groups had become consumed by revenge and internal violence. Raids between refugee caravans were common, and some warbands swore vengeance against the peoples they blamed for their exile.
The Witness reportedly showed visions of endless wars, collapsing empires, and generations raised entirely within cycles of hatred and conquest.
A teaching attributed to Tyras became closely associated with the event:
“Strength without restraint creates monsters.”
The experience became a major turning point in Renkari religious thought.
The vulture, once treated primarily as a military symbol, came to represent survival, warning, and the lasting consequences of violence.
The Founding of Thornbound
After crossing the Oraskar mountains, surviving Renkari settlements gradually unified in the western deserts through military alliances, trade networks, and shared religious traditions.
Over generations, these settlements developed into the Thornbound Empire.
Imperial philosophy emphasizes:
- discipline
- order
- historical memory
- collective responsibility
- restraint in the use of violence
In practice, interpretations of these ideals vary heavily across the Empire’s political and religious groups.
Government
The Thornbound Empire is governed through a large imperial bureaucracy made up of:
- provincial governors
- military houses
- magistrates
- archivists
- religious advisors
- state ministries
The Emperor or Empress serves as the symbolic steward of imperial continuity rather than a divine ruler.
Imperial society places strong value on:
- literacy
- military service
- legal structure
- public recordkeeping
- civic duty
Thornbound is also known for its roads, logistics, and administrative systems, which are among the most developed in the known world.
Culture
Thornbound culture generally prizes:
- restraint
- education
- discipline
- service
- emotional control
- endurance
Public displays of uncontrolled anger are often viewed negatively, especially among officers, officials, and noble families.
Common visual motifs include:
- white sandstone architecture
- crimson banners
- bronze ornamentation
- layered desert robes
- curved blades and hooked spears
- stylized vulture imagery
Despite the Empire’s rigid public structure, family and ancestral ties remain central to everyday life.
Religion
Tyras
Though Tyras is dead, he remains the central religious figure of the Empire.
Modern worship focuses less on conquest and more on the consequences of violence, the responsibilities tied to strength, and the dangers of vengeance.
Because the faith relies heavily on historical interpretation rather than direct divine guidance, many competing traditions exist within Thornbound religious life.
Major Traditions
The Ashen Path
The most common interpretation within mainstream Thornbound society.
Core beliefs include:
- violence should be controlled
- strength exists to protect
- hatred eventually corrupts both sides of a conflict
- war is sometimes necessary, but never desirable
The Sisters of Saint Alba are closely associated with this tradition.
The Crimson Doctrine
A more militant interpretation centered on imperial strength and stability.
Followers believe:
- lasting peace requires force
- weakness invites collapse
- the Empire has a duty to maintain order
- the Renkari should not forget the injustices of the past
Critics accuse the Crimson Doctrine of ignoring the warnings tied to the Witness of Ash and Carrion.
The Silent Legion
An ascetic tradition made up largely of veterans and wanderers.
Members often travel the deserts maintaining gravesites, guiding travelers, and tending abandoned battlefields. Many take vows of silence.
Some communities treat them as holy figures, while others see them as grim reminders of war.
The Sisters of Saint Alba
The Sisters of Saint Alba are a respected martial order dedicated to preventing the kind of moral collapse described in the Witness of Ash and Carrion.
They serve as:
- healers
- soldiers
- judges
- historians
- battlefield mediators
The order teaches that violence may sometimes be necessary, but vengeance eventually reshapes societies into the very things they once feared.
Their relationship with the Empire is complicated. They are widely respected, but their criticism of nationalism and militarism often places them at odds with powerful political factions.