Subculture - Carnatians

[House Kovachev 26]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlD84j7DcJU

 

Subculture : Carnatians

[ ! ] A painting of a small Carnatian village on the frontier by Andreas Krznezky. The town would be deep within the Carnatian forests, overlooking the River Dvor. Garrisoned by the Duke’s finest, the wooden town proved to be a stronghold against Dreadlandic incursions.

 

History

Carnatians are a blend of both Raevir and Hansetian culture, exemplifying the finest qualities of both. Carnatians truly began to set themselves apart as an independent subculture under the rule of Jan Kovachev during his reign as Duke of Carnatia. During his reign as Duke and his station as Lord Marshall, Carnatia established itself as a valuable militaristic vassal within the Holy Orenian Empire. During our humanity’s existence upon the Realm of Vailor, their numbers were rather few, but their presence on the battlefield was often the deciding factor in whether victory would be claimed on that day. Carnatians are a rare, yet fine breed of hardy men born out of the harsh, unforgiving cold of the Carnatian mountains. As a result, the Duchy offered to the Empire tough and durable foot troops to compliment their ranks, and men of great strategic mind to fill their officer positions. During this period, Carnatian men were renowned for their resilience, remaining undeterred from all forms of attrition and never tiring from a day’s march. Indeed were Carnatian men a valuable asset, and so universally, they came to be both respected and feared. This set the stage for Carnatia to emerge as a great power and shaped their society to this day.

 

“Put these Staunton dogs to the sword, and show no mercy! For they would do the same to us, had they the chance.” - Ivan Zvonimir, before charging headlong into Courlandic lines.

 

Language and Speech

As before mentioned, Carnatians are a mix of Raevir and Hansetian. However, aspects of Botch Raevir are completely non-present within Carnatian speech. To Carnatians, Botch is seen as a barbaric and uncivilized method of speech. On the other hand, Carnatians are a very forward-thinking and advanced society. Thus, they keep Botch out of conversation. Their accent draws influence from Raev, Northern, and Imperial speech. While Carnatians do not utilize Botch and its grammatical atrocities, they are not afraid to sprinkle in Raev words occasionally into their speech. “Da” and “Niet” in replacement of “Yes” and “No” respectively, would be a common example of this. As for how words roll off the Carnatian tongue, “Ws” and “Fs” sound more like “Vs”.

 

 

“I must say, I’ve never quite seen anything like it, these Carnatian people... Their culture, their architecture, the landscape… all so colorful.”- Adalhard Rosiere, Imperial Scholar.

 

Appearance

The Carnatian build is tall and robust. Most Carnatian men tend to be capable of

growing muscle more easy than the typical malnourished Raev. The typical hair color of a  Carnatian ranges from a pure blonde to a dirty blonde colour. These fair haired men typically have blue or green eyes, with pointed chins, and thick eyebrows. Rarely, a Carnatian household will have a trait for black hair, and will thus have jet black hair and dark gray eye color. Beards are an important part of the Carnatian culture. They are kept thick and neat, never growing beyond the length of one's neck.

 

 

The Arts

Carnatians tend to praise those who are well versed in the arts. Be it painting, music, literary, etc.. During the period upon Axios, several famous works originated from the Duchy. Paintings of the era tended to capture the beauty of the Carnatian wilderness. It seemed at every corner there was something that required an artistic rendition. As for musical arts, typical traditional Carnatian instruments include the balailaka and the treschyotka and focuses on folk music opposed to the more contemporary style of today.

 

Landscape and Scenery

The natural beauty of the lands falling within the Duchy of Carnatia were truly a sight to behold. For miles on end did dense forests of evergreen stretch as far as the eye could see. The forest was tranquil as well as it was tame. The canopies of the forest, shot upwards as if reaching out to touching the skies. It was surreal, with wildlife roaming free and unique species of flora dotting the lands. A brief stroll through the Carnatian forest was said to be all it took to soothe one’s mind from whatever troubles may have been accompanying them. For the most part, the forest was devoid of monsters and beasts, save the occasional bear or pack of wolves. As you head up in elevation, the treeline would eventually give way to the imposing snow-capped Carnatian mountains. Traversing these mountains would be nearly impossible due to the steep incline of the mountains and jagged rocks protruding their side. Deciding to use this to his advantage, Duke Jan constructed the stronghold of Gryphon’s Nest, high up in the Carnatian mountains and overlooking the surrounding valley. Construction was a massive undertaking, and numerous blasting charges were required as the keep was carved into the mountain. It proved worthwhile, seemingly impregnable and warding off Dreadlandic ambitions on several occasions. The positioning of Gryphon’s Nest could not be any more perfect, for the stronghold of House Kovachev sat upon a large deposit of raw materials. Deep within the recesses of the Carnatian mountains were plentiful amounts of ore and riches. From this, House Kovachev and Carnatia grew rich, and resulted in a speeded up process of industrialization. With the iron collected, much was used for war efforts that

Carnatia often found itself in.

 

 

“I thought I had seen it all. That was, until I stepped foot into the borders of Carnatia.” - An unknown wanderer, passing through the Duchy of Carnatia.

 

Carnatian Military Tradition

The Carnatian peoples have always been a militaristic society, be there no doubt. There is not one aspect of Carnatian society not dominated by militarism. In fact, it is required of all men to be in possession of a weapon.  From the young age of six, children are expected to learn how to properly wield a sword. The harsh and rugged mountainous of Carnatia are as unforgiving as the instructors. Yet, these efforts are not fruitless. The boys undergo rigorous training, alongside whatever formal education they may be receiving. This proves to discipline the younglings and also to teach them to fend for themselves. For some day, they’ll be out on in the world, perhaps starting a family of their own. By one’s eighteenth nameday, they are expected to be proficient with the blade and the bow. From there, whether they choose to pursue a career in the military or not, is entirely up to them. Those who are not firstborn and have no inheritance, are more so expected to take up the sword. When there are multiple sons, at least one ought to seek employment in an Order or in the banner force of their local lord. Thus, through the generations, there is a long line of standing military background.

 

[ ! ] Duke Jan Kovachev and Coalition forces marching towards the Staunton stronghold of Riga.

 

“The two pillars of which Carnatian society are built upon are the sword and the axe...” - Ivar Svedvilas, during the Courland-Carnatian War, speaking before Duke Jan at court.

 

Battles

 

The Eighteen Years War & The First Rurikid Rebellion

House Kovachev, and particularly Jan Kovachev saw their rise in power throughout the 18 years war. Jan Kovachev lead and assisted in the commanding of multiple battles throughout the war, whilst also saving John I Horen from multiple assassination attempts. Though the war would eventually be ended by waning support and John I Horens assassination. Jan would continue to serve the Empire loyally, and prevent multiple assassinations of John II Horen.

The Rurikid Rebellions

Doggers Bay

The Rurics and their Nortruppen had built one of the largest vessels known to mankind for the sole purpose of laying siege to the Imperial City of Felsen from the sea. Feeling foolishly confident, they decided to meet the Orenian Fleet in a pitch battle on the open waters. The Rurics and their Dreadlandic allies set forth with their behemoth as well as with a Dwarven steamship they had commandeered. They were quickly intercepted by three Orenian ships of the line and a standoff ensued. What was once a naval battle quickly became a land battle when the decaying carcass of what seemed to be a whale surfaced in between the two fleets. Carnatian marines quickly made the effort to cross the gap and seized the high ground. The Rurikid and Dreadlandic forces surged forwards but were ultimately repulsed forcing them to return to their behemoth. Though, they could not rely upon the behemoth for safety. The Devourer, a creature of myth and tale, emerged, most likely drawn by the scent of flesh and blood, tore apart the Rurikid fleet, shattering all hopes of a Rurikid victory at sea. The massive creature used its tentacles to tear the ship in two, devouring half the warship before disappearing into the ocean once more.

Sack of Seahelm

After being driven back inlands following the decisive Orenian victory at sea, the remnants of the Rurikid forces walled themselves in within the coastal stronghold of Seahelm, upon the Island of Avar. For weeks on end, Imperial forces laid siege to the walls of Seahelm. For the beginning stage of the siege, there seemed to be no effect upon the city. Fortunately, the trebuchet teams struck a critical weakness upon the walls, unknownst to Imperial forces and a large breach was formed. The order to charge was given, and men poured through the gap whilst men propped ladders against the stonework of the walls. Those who found themselves ‘over the top’ were surprised to meet little resistance. It had seemed the Rurikid forces had been starved out or perhaps they decided to hold elsewhere. Nevertheless, Imperial forces quickly swept through the winding streets of Seahelm, neutralizing whatever stragglers they did find. Carnatian marines engaged heavily in the street to street combat, breaching and clearing several homes in which defenders remained. Eventually, all resistance was stamped out, and Imperial banners flew proudly above the city, amongst them, the Kovachev Gryphon.

The Courlandic-Krajian Conflict

What began as an inter-vassal conflict quickly sparked into a world war when the self-proclaimed ‘King of the North’ Aleksander Staunton, called upon Dreadlandic allies to come to his aid. The conflict escalated quickly and nations began flocking to sides. Deep into the war, the Empire was taken aback when Krajia, a former member of the Coalition, suddenly declared for the Axis, opening up yet another front. Now, the Empire found itself surrounded by enemies on all sides, within and outside the reach of their borders. House Kovachev, as always, remained steadfast and loyal to the House of Horen. At every corner, Carnatian blood was spilled, though in the end, it was not in vain, for integrity of the Empire was kept in tact.

Siege of Kraken’s Watch

It was no secret that the Houses of Vanir and Staunton has butted heads for multiple years upon the Realm of Axios. Though, tensions came to a boiling point when the Stauntons illegally usurped the Vanirs of their ancestral seat of Kraken’s Watch and killed two members of House Vanir in cold blood. Outraged by these crimes, House Vanir called for the aid of true Northern houses. What became of this was the Northern Coalition, an alliance of Vanir, Kovachev, Barbanov, and for some time, Krajia. An initial skirmish took place in the Carnatian forest, in which Courlandic forces were utterly crushed and scattered. Coalition forces quickly seized the advantage and marched on Courland, while forces loyal to Aleksander Staunton recuperated their losses within the stronghold of Kraken’s Watch. Caught off-guard by the speed in which Coalition forces arrived, Staunton-allied forces were forced to stand their ground inside Kraken’s Watch. Meanwhile, Coalitions forces wasted no time in setting up a perimeter around the Keep and erecting siege equipment. For a day the Coalition forces bombard the formidable walls of Kraken’s Watch. Shot after shot battered the east wall until it finally gave way, crumbling before Coalition firepower. The horns were sounded and the charge order was given. Loyal men to Kovachev, Barbanov, and Vanir made the dash forward, braving arrow fire. All the while, Courlandic forces rushed forwards to keep Coalition forces at bay, plugging the gap. The battle proved to be a meat grinder, by far the bloodiest battle of the War. The Courlandic men soon gave way, their lines faltering, allowing Coalition forces to make the necessary push. The keep was stormed and reclaimed then reclaimed for House Vanir.

 

[ ! ] The document is stamped with the heraldry of House Kovachev.

 

[Andustar 4143]

"Ave Kovachev!" Viktor shouts triumphantly 

[Jentos 9422]

"Ave to you, old friends." Says an old, frail yet deadly skeleton.

[Smaw 2376]

"What in Carnatian?"  Yelled an Orenian hillbilly.

[HeroOfDuLoc 1935]

1 hour ago, House Kovachev said:

Language and Speech

As before mentioned, Carnatians are a mix of Raevir and Hansetian. However, aspects of Botch Raevir are completely non-present within Carnatian speech. To Carnatians, Botch is seen as a barbaric and uncivilized method of speech. On the other hand, Carnatians are a very forward-thinking and advanced society. Thus, they keep Botch out of conversation. Their accent draws influence from Raev, Northern, and Imperial speech. While Carnatians do not utilize Botch and its grammatical atrocities, they are not afraid to sprinkle in Raev words occasionally into their speech. “Da” and “Niet” in replacement of “Yes” and “No” respectively, would be a common example of this. As for how words roll off the Carnatian tongue, “Ws” and “Fs” sound more like “Vs”.

"They do not use botch.. but they use botch? Alright." Nick coughs into his fist, letting out a snort. "It is unwise to call ones ancestors barbaric, though I recall the Kovachevs today aren't actually the great grand-children of King Varon 'the Vile.'"

[6xdestroyer 1610]

4 minutes ago, Fizl / PrivetTovarisch said:

"They do not use botch.. but they use botch? Alright." Nick coughs into his fist, letting out a snort. "It is unwise to call ones ancestors barbaric, though I recall the Kovachevs today aren't actually the great grand-children of King Varon 'the Vile.'"

One would wonder why the crazed man speaks to himself.

[argonian 14254]

Quote

“Put these Staunton dogs to the sword, and show no mercy! For they would do the same to us, had they the chance.” - Ivan Zvonimir, before charging headlong into Courlandic lines.

"Ivan spoke botch, this is anachronistic." Michael would tell anyone who'd listen.

[KeatonUnbeaten 1103]

"It appears as though they left our Westmark-" A courlandic refugee would say.

[Heff 2460]

House Kovachev needs to invest in a professional scribe. *L. Gradic remarks snarkily

[yopplwasupxxx 5946]

"Cease and desist."

[Lechian Lord 1027]

Augustus finished his bread, his stomach still growling