Malcois

Chaos of the seventh century
There was a large civil war that broke out between the governors of Kalathipsomi and Malcois in the midst of the lich invasions.

Not long after, the Bloodblight began its rampage across the world from Aversaria. With the southwest weakened from these calamities, the Kartharadd Imperium launched a massive invasion into Aversaria and conquered most of Malcois, only being beaten back after a brutal near fifty years of war which ended with the defeat of the last Kartharaddi army at the Battle of the Riduvian Barrows in 760 IS, marking the end of the Chaos.

People of Malcois
Aversarians from the region of Malcois are often referred to as Central Aversarians. Regarded as a rich people, they are not considered particularly proud or modern, preferring conservative politics and dress as compared to many of their countrymen. Known for managing the massive slave-estates and factories of Malcois, they wear simple clothes and armor of unpainted iron, and live in homesteads that double as forts in case of slave uprisings. Central Aversarian are considered an honest people, generally shunning intrigue and subterfuge as slave tactics and preferring their dealings me upfront and honest in nature. Rarely known for any sort of show of wealth and power, they are still feared for their iron gripped rule, and nobles regularly carry chains of iron worn about their waist or over their shoulder, or decorating their armor, as a quiet sign to their enemies. The colors of Malcois are blue, grey, black and white.

The Axeizu are a unique culture, formed in the lands held by the former Kathun-Kai embassy in Malcois after the collapse of Aversaria. The locals have latched onto the Kathunian culture of their overlords and protectors, attempting to mimic Kathuni customs despite being hundreds of miles away from Kathun-Kai. The Kathunians ruling the area see the Axeizu as being a mockery of their culture, though a convenient one, as the populace they rule over idolize them, and are thus very willing to cooperate with them. The Axeizu have even adopted the language of their overlords over the Aversarian language which all of Malcois has used for centuries.

A largely peaceful and isolationist people, the Mondecny dwelt since time immemorial in the eastern portion of what is now known as the Foglands. Though long sheltered from aggression by the mountains of the Krodgen range and the uniquely dense forests of their homeland, these natural defenses proved lacking with the arrival of the warlike Aversarian who saw in the Mondecny a most invaluable resource - a population of slaves who were unlikely to revolt. Thus began the darkest era of their history.

So it was that when Cenware's coalition broke the back of Aversarian resistance most Mondecny were brought into the Imperrech not from their traditional homelands, but from massive slave plantations located in the core of Aversaria's Katraddia governorship. Now freed after more than a generation of persecution and abuse, the Mondecny have settled in the dense Knokidbes forest in northern Malcois and many seem determined to resume their peaceful cultural traditions.

Iyrossi
The Cerussiai have lived in the central plain of Malcois for countless generations. Seen as a 'civilised tribe' by their Aversarian overlords, they were used as an engineered middle class in the colonial settlements which sprung up all over the Iyrossi Basin. Despite this, the Cerussiai were never quite absorbed into imperial stock, partly due to Aversarian efforts to keep the two groups distinct and partly due to them wishing to keep their own traditions alive. The Cerussiai were afforded liberties which their Iyrossi brethren did not, and enjoyed the benefits of it. However, now the tables have turned. Time will tell what becomes of the 'civilized tribe'.

Descendants of the various cultures brought to work in the factories, native Iyrossi and Aversarian punitive slaves, the Jassi are a melting pot of various different ideas and belief systems. Consider neither Iyrossi or Aversarian enough by their kin, they have been blamed both for the start of slave revolts and their failure. Despite this a strong sense of identity emerged within the Jassi due to their shared grievances, not clouded with delusions of the past, for the Jassi had also been slaves and nothing else, they saw the squalid conditions their people put up with for what it was, and wished for better. Treated with contempt by both the oppressors and oppressed made its mark on the fledging peoples, for as the slave revolt spread to their plantations and factories, the Jassi made no exception for those that had wronged, Aversarian or not. The Jassi represent the amalgam of the various cultures brought to work in Malcois and perhaps its future.

The Kinambrosti once called Lake Mytidon home, living on floating villages on its surface. The celebration of their patron deity Lady Selva was a sight to behold, the numerous settlements coalesced into one city and the vast amounts of petals collected from the lake's bank were poured into the water, turning its surface a myriad of colours. Of course this practice ended with the Aversarian conquest, although the cult of Lady Selva was incorporated into the Iyrossi Aagiokratian religion, becoming one of its prime deities. The lake they had called home since time begun was left in an uninhabitable state after the occupation of Malcois, and those who survived found refuge in lands to the west. This sanctuary was short lived as they were quickly put to work or sold into slavery, crushing any hope of returning to their home.

The Iyronisti were once among the most powerful of the many tribes which inhabited Malcois, it is the topic of much scholarly debate if the name 'Iyrossi' is derived from them or vice versa, or perhaps a mere coincidence. Their isolation in the Teron Valley led them to develop strange customs considered absurd even by Iyrossi standards, preventing women from drinking alcohol and banning certain genders from wearing specific colours.

Their peoples were almost wiped out by a series of despicable slavemasters, using them in deranged experiments designed to inflict as much human suffering as possible. Imperial authorities learnt of the atrocities and swiftly ended the practice worried that the loss in population may disrupt the Malcois economy. Those who survived 'The Calamity' were responsible for some of the greatest works of Iyrossi literarature, speaking of the horrors they witnessed with their own eyes. It is said that these works helped kickstart what would become the slave revolt.

Confined to the least fertile portion of the Iyrossi Basin, the Scusstari have always punched above their weight, their folk heroes having resisted Aversarian rule long after the death of King Pothaclas 'The Last Iyrossi'. Despite their humble origins, the Scusstari rose to dominance partly due to their masterful use of guerilla warfare, even before their long fought campaign against the Aversarian. Their soldiers are famously stubborn in the face of immeasurable odds which has translated into their culture too. Although other tribes may disagree, the Scusstari have stayed the closest to the customs of the Iyrossi of old, in spite of Aversarian crackdowns, vendetta killings and sibling marriages are still commonplace among the rural towns which dot the cliffsides of their home. Now the imperial grip on Malcois has slipped, it is time for the Scusstari to lead their countrymen once more.