NS Nation Name:
House Name: House Mazowiecki
House Banner: Dark crimson banner with a black bear in profile.
Description of House: The House of Mazowiecki can trace itself far, far back through the ages. Indeed, they are among the very oldest noble house still alive and still ruling. The Mazowiecki are a wealthy, powerful and extremly, almost absurdely proud family, upholdig customs and traditions native to Kazarkov that predate the founding of the Rathis throne. House Mazowiecki was formed over three and a half milennia ago with King Kazimierz the Founder who carved out a Kingdom in Lukomorze and the Wartow Valley, the Kingdom which one day came to unite the Kazar realms over the following years, and so, the lords of Kazarkov placed the Icecrown upon the brow of their first King, his line has ruled the realm of the Kazar people ever since. Until the arrival of the Pandyssian Armies, where the Mazowiecki's were forced to bend the knee of the disastrous Kazar defeat in the battle of Angarsk.
What is House's view on the Empire?: Disapproving with the Empire in it's current state, wishes for either independence or reform beneficial to Kazarkov.
Description of Head of House (name, age, and sex): Lord Mieszko Mazowiecki (M, 48): Lord Mieszko Alexandr Mazowiecki rules the lands of Kazarkov with the hand the Mazowiecki's have often used, the hard but just hand. Some might call him a tyrant, while other say simply a ruler who belives that order and discipline are neccessities if any land wishes to thrive and prosper. Lord Mazowiecki may not be the most perfect example of chivalry in the kingdom, as he is a man capable of both showing great kindness to some, and at the same time great cruelty to others. He is a large, powerful man. The champion of several tournays in his youth and still a strong fighter. He has the typical sharp features, black hair and blue eyes of the Mazowiecki's. His truest strengh however is as a statesman and strategist.
Description of Relevant House Members:
Voivode Vizimir Mazowiecki (M, 45): As hard as steel he is, the younger brother of Lord Mieszko. A master of the arts of war and an expert swordsman, Vizimir has been nicknamed 'Iceblade'. He bears the classic Kazar traits of loyalty, devotion, skill, courage and honor. Vizimir is an uncompromising figure to say the least.
Claudora Mazowiecki (F, 22): Oldest child and Heiress to the Obsidian Throne. Born and bred to rule the land of the Kazars as her ancestors have done before her. Taught first and formost the arts of rulership, stewardship and battle command, groomed by her father to one day become a capable lady and ruler over the domains of their house. Lady Claudora may be young, but has proven resourceful and cunning, and is a renowned beauty, graceful, with piercing blue eyes and raven-black hair raised by her Father to follow in his footsteps.
Radowid Mazowiecki (M, 21): Having earned his nickname 'the Stern' for a reason. Radowid shares his uncle's great enthusiasm for warfare and combat which his Father has seen fit to cultivate even further, Radowid has since proven himself an excellent warrior and is known for the rather merciless level of discipline he keeps in the troops he has commanded. Radowid is an ambitious man, he will gladly see the power and station of his House rise further.
Rhamanda Mazowiecki (F, 16): A strikingly beautiful, headstrong, wilful and vain temptress surrounding herself with the pleasures and finer things in life.
Izydor Mazowiecki (M, 9): Lord Mieszko's youngest child. Dreaming of Knighthood and honor in battle. He is dutiful and though-minded.
Court Position Request:
Seat of Power: The Frozen Citadel in Visegrad
Realm Number: 11
Realm Name: Kazarkov
Realm Description: The Northern land of Kazarov, chilled and rugged, to the uninformed outsider the name of this land only conjures up images of snow, mud, dark forests and windswept plains. While there is truth in this, the natives of this realm know their home as a land of breathtaking vistas, mighty rivers and above all a place of honor and proving. It is a land where heroes have been made, crafted in the harsh embrace of their Motherland. To know Kazarkov, it to know the Kazars. A tall and sturdy race, well suited for the climate of the land they call home, if their pale skin, blue eyes and dark hair does not give them away, then their customs and way of seeing the world surely will.
The Mazowiecki's rule a domain which shifts from the warmer Southern Voivodeships, being positioned at the end of the temperate band are prone to short, harsh winters but are characterized by long, cool summers which grant a long growing season, these lands make up the breadbasket of the realm, composing of low hills and fields separated by small forests and valleys. The farmlands are worked by Boyar's serfs, free farmers and weathy gentlemen farmers known as Gospodars.
The Central Posads are not as cold as the Northern Voivodeships but overcast skies and cold rain is endemic. Winters are longer and harsher but warm summers make up for the snow covered months of winter. The center is heavily forested and is also home to the Bieszcadow Mountain chain and it´s chilly, rocky foothills. And warm valleys which during winter can be completely cut off by massive snowfall and blizzards. It is home to massive logging and mining industries which form the base of the export oriented Kazarkovian economy.
The Northeastern part of the realm is composed mainly of cold, rocky grass plains, scattered boreal forests, countless small lakes and rocky hills dotted with ancient ruins. The coasts are home to fishing and whaling towns in addition to small peasant villages who take advantage of the warmer coastal climate to grow hardy crops. It is also where the Kozzar clans make their home, herding their cattle across the plains, sharing the wilder inlands with small tribes of feral orcs and wild men.
The Northwest is home to the Lukomorze and Wartowno regions, here, in the mouth of the Wartow river lies the Gray City of Visegrad, and the mighty Frozen Citadel from where House Mazowiecki has ruled since time immemorial. Along the northern coast lie the Czarnogrbiet mountains which is also a home of large mining operations.
Capital City: Visegrad
Population: Approx 1.3 million.
Race Composition: 85% Human/3% Elves/5% Dwarves/7% Orcs.
Status of the races other than men: The Mazowiecki's non-human subjects face high levels of discrimination, segregation policies and occasional pogroms. The elves and dwarves of Kazarkov are angry, this anger can and has turned into violence. Both human riots and non-human riots have occured in most larger towns and cities with sizable non-human ghettos where most of Kazarkov's non-humans live, except for some Orcish tribes in the Northwest and a number of elvish clans in the forests of the Southern Voivodeships.
Majority Religion: Abbey of the Darkness (about 75%).
Description of the people and culture: The Kazar people have been taming this land of wooded fields, rocky hills, grass plains and hard tundra for generations and generations. And it shows, they are no strangers to hardships, whether it be farming the land or defending it against the occasional wolf or snow-leopard, the Kazarkovians have been strenghtend by their need for survival. And indeed, they have done more than merely survived, they have learned how to thirve in their harsh Motherland.
Throughout the milennia they have proven themselves among the greatest of warriors in Pandyssium, violence is an accepted aspect of Kazar life, their people face battle with a selflesness and ferocity that shocks and even appals their enemies. When he passes from this world, a Kazar is not remembered for how he lived, but for how he died. His tireless quest for honor and glory in the name of his ancestors and the Motherland has made these people a force to be reckoned with. Kazarkov, the land of the Bear, may not be pleasant or easily survived, but it makes a tough people tougher and sends the foolish to an early grave. The Kazars cultivate what can, and should be called a rather simple, honor-bound and deeply traditional warrior-culture, the way of the warrior, and the way of the craftsman are seen as bastions of glory and this manifests itself in many ways.
To the Kazar, life is a test of proving one's worth, striving to achieve honor and recognition in battle and labour which will please their ancestors, as their descendants bring honor and respect to the kin. In exchange for this the ancestors will, hopefully take them to their Hall in the Afterlife, where the dead shall dwell alongside the greatest of their kin in a place of honor and magificence. There they shall feast, drink and sing for all eternity, watching over their descendants and their kin. Judgeing their worth and deciding if they are worthy of joining them.
Description of Economy (Include major imports/exports):Kazarkov is a wealthy Kingdom. On the coasts fishermen haul in plentiful catches, whalers bring in the massive beasts to be butchered in the whaleyards of the Northern Coasts and port cities provide a wealth of trade. The lands of Kazarkov are rich in terms of minerals and lumber. And thus many skilled craftsmen and hardy woodsmen inhabit the whole realm. Indeed the Kazars are known for their craft goods, armor, weapons, furniture, stonework, jewelry and the like.
- Exports: Iron, Steel, Copper, Coal, Silver, Gold, Timber, Furs, Fuel (Whale Oil), Alcoholic Beverages, Metalworking Industry Products (Tools, Weapons, Armor, Jewelry and the like), Woodcraft Industry Products (Seasoned wood, Furniture and the like.)
- Imports: Fruits, Wines, Silks, Paper, Spices, Gemstones, Insence.
Major Cities (max five): Visegrad/Pavlograd/Soplowice/Krolewiec/Loboznow
Major Citadels/Fortresses (max five): Tretogor/Angarsk/Gorszawa/Soplicow/Horytnica
Military Description:
- Total Numbers: 58 505
- Navy: 64 Ships in total. (18 Carracks/46 War Galleys)
- Army:
500 Druzinniks, these men serve as the household guard of House Mazowiecki. These are the very finest Knights of Kazarkov, chosen for their personal bravery, skill and loyalty. Embodying the values of the Kazar warrior. These knights are tasked with protecting the lives of the immediate Mazowiecki ruling family, not any of the cadet branches. The Druzinniks are a small, but powerful company of knights, respected in all Pandyssium.
5000 Knights, raised from the Kazar aristocracy, or Szlachta as they are known. These men are clad in fine steel plate armor, inscribed with runes and shining in the sunlight as they ride into battle on powerful destriers wielding lance and sword or mace. Breaking lines and carving their way though columns. The Kazar nobility mostly live in castles and manors in the countryside, one of their main occupation being horse-breeding, indeed, Kazar destriers are highly prized.
The 10 000 Winged Lancers are drawn from the rich non-nobility of Kazarkov. These are the sons of merchants and gospodars mounted on lightly armored horses and clad in half plate armor with iconic helmets and even more iconic wings strapped to the back of their ciurasses. Armed with lance and sabre they charge with as much force as Knights, yet they are not as strong in prolonged combat as knights. This is chock cavalry.
5000 Mounted men-at-arms form cavalry units armored in brigandines or leather-and-mail and armed with long spears and secondary weapons in the form of swords, sabres, axes and maces. Their horses are unarmored and they serve as scouts, added weight in cavalry charges, fast flanking units, or they are used to run down enemy archers.
Kozzars are a term for the Kazar tribes who never settled and instead ride across the northern grass plains with their great herds of cattle. These men and women are born into the saddle and learn to shoot bows from horseback at an early age. In times of war the Kozzar chieftains ride with their warriors to answer the call of the Lord of Visegrad and serve as fast scouts and horse archers armed with composite bows and sabres and clad in light leather armor, the Kazar army includes 4000 Kozzar riders.
The Heavy infantry are the composed of mostly professionals or semi-professionals. They march into battle in leather-and-mail hauberks or half plate armor wielding bardiches, halberds, greatswords, warhammers, or a combination of weapon and shield. A strong, immovable object to lock the enemy in place while the cavalry manouvers around the battlefield. (13 000 men)
The Levies are composed of militias and peasants mobilized into regiments in times of war. They are armed with spears and shields, or bows or crossbows. They are mostly armored in brigandines or padded cloth gambesons. Their main objective is to act as missile troops and spearmen supporting the main line of heavy infantry. (2000 Archers/4000 crossbowmen/2000 Light Infantry/12000 Spearmen)
Strenghts/Weaknesses: (Must have several of both)
Strengths: Harsh terrain, inclement weather and cold climate, coupled with mighty castles and citadels commanding important passes and roads make an invasion a complicated buissness. Limited ability for invading armies to forage further contribute in making invasions costly and difficult, an invading army can be lured in to be left at the mercy of the Kazar winter and starvation.
Kazarkov is a wealthy land, and the House of Mazowiecki is rich indeed. This along with the great abundance of resources and large industrial capacity leads to the Kazarkovian armies being well armed and armored for the battles awaiting them. The Kazar knowledge in the arts of fortification leads to good knowledge in the arts of siege warfare.
Deeply rooted patriotism and traditionalism form a strong sense of national unity and creates a strange form of loyalty and fealty to the ruling house and the Motherland that many southerners do not understand. This "us versus them" mentality of the Kazars is also a great factor behind the northern morale, ferocity in battle and concept of self-sacrifice in the name of the Motherland.
The true power of the Kazar army lies in it´s cavalry and heavy infantry. The large amounts of cavalry make the army very mobile in battle. The heavy infantry regiments engage to hold the enemy in place while the cavalry manouvers to break the foe with devastating attacks and the kozzars harry the enemy flanks and rear lines. The Kazar armies are very dangerous up close and are supported by skilled Kozzar Horse Archers.
Weakness: Climate impedes efficient large scale farming and food production, climate shifts in spring and autumn can cause frequent crop faliure meaning a year without the need of a 'grain fleet' to arrive is seen as a blessing from above. While Kazarkov is wealthy, the economy is very trade-oriented, meaning that a long term naval blockade would lead to economic breakdown and could also lead to widespread famine.
Massive snowfall on the few good, well-maintained roads can greatly hinder passage and hamper overland trade in winter.
The tactics of the Kazar army are based around coopreation between the different forces, should cooperation between the elements cease, they would be at a serious disadvantage.
The archers on foot are levy militias with whatever experiance they have from huntig trips in the forest by their village, making the Kazar armies weak at range in the field.
Winged Lancers are strong fighters but not as strong as real knights, they are chock cavalry who excell at charges but not so much in prolonged combat.
The Kazar fleet is greatly overlooked in comparison to the army.
The city and the house today feel not only little loyalty, but also little hatred towards the empire. Within the mountain, a society exists, and generally, anything that does not oppose or disrupt it is tolerated, and perhaps exploited. They have only interest in preserving their peace and relative economic significance. 
