Mausoleums of Urbat

All three churches of the Autocracy have sects who subtly interpret doctrine outside the mainstream dogma. These are molded by geography or history, humans are prone to schism. Generally, these are tolerated by religious authorities if they still serve the purposes passed down by any of the three faiths.

A Wayward Legion
Frontier Legions are mostly outside of strict ASH jurisdiction and often have their own customs both within the ranks and population the Legion living under their protection. The 3rd holds a radical departure from longstanding tradition, much to the ire of authorities of the ASH. Though one of the closest Legions geographically, their proximity to the mausoleums of Urbat have shifted the majority Duralian legion to a culture that would only find enmity with their folk.

Urbat is an ancient region directly south west of Dagger’s Point. Architecture studied by explorers and archeologists (spawning its own sub discipline of Urbatism) lead to the theory that the entire area was once a large coastal state. Populated by humanoid beings, the civilization long since died out. However, they never truly left. Urbat’s progenitors keep watch over their former lands, unalive but not unaware. Shrouded beings, dubbed ‘Primogenitors’ by human guests on their lands, hold court in the largest of the former ruins situated between the Dual Basin.

After Xan’s Deluge, the expulsion of much of the Autocratic military might spread humanity across the entirety of the frontier. Duralians compromised the vast majority of veterans seeking new horizons to conquer. Their advance coincided with the Primogenitor’s awakening from death itself. The 5th had not been the first to cross Urbat. Much of the material wealth had been plundered over the ages, Urbat’s cities, now superfluous ports, and towns were either lost to the creeping ravages of time, buried, or overgrown. First contact between the 3rd Legion and Urbat’s leaders only stayed peaceful with the intervention of the 3rd Savant of the Society of Inquisitive Minds. With help of Society members, communication was established. Giving in to urgings by the Society, the 5th stayed its hand to learn of the strange creatures.

Stirring of the Long Dead
Primogenitors were not leaders in their civilization. They spoke honestly of a confusion about their own history. What they are is not precisely known. None of them can accurately remember who they were, though personalities shine through and are comprehensible to human beings. As Xan’s Deluge destroyed hopes of keeping an accurate yearly calendar, the formerly dead have no ability to track their own rest. Primogenitors only recall two details. They were raised back by an exceptional human, either a tremendously skilled Fleshcrafter or extremely rare type of Cursed, and that they only gained unlife because they had been preserved. None of the rest of their species kept their form through time. This species did not truly die but was also never fully alive in a sense that was familiar to human science. Whether they could breed or simply existed or where they came from is unknown. Whatever power had been used to raise the Primogenitors transferred itself to them.

With only ruins, recent war dead of the Deluge, and hazy memories, they resolved to rebuild whatever they could. The 5th had found a nation refusing to forget itself. Urbat and the 5th decided to work with one another. While tireless troupes of unliving servitors built, the 5th provided a resource only soldiers can provide in large quantities, corpses. Soon, desert was reclaimed, the dead were put to use digging irrigation, planting, and clearing out overgrowth from former ruins of Urbat.

Repulsing raids of Padishah Shekami, along with minor nations or tribes, Urbat flowered with development. Far enough from authorities, Urbat housed both the Legion and the families that followed. Over time, some Duralians traveled over to the region. Without any request, Urbat began to send large quantities of exotic spices and cereal grains back through Dagger’s Point. Fear of attention from Kreisgrad and especially the machine church kept them isolated but productive.

Relations
Fruitful trade between Urbat and their southern neighbors, the Lesser Empire flourished. However, this also brought word through the Valanites and some Hemosan sources populating the southern colonies to Kreisgrad. Word spread of their unique sect of Dural worship, including flesh as part of the machine, not just the soul. Since then, militias have been gathered by Duralians and dispersed by ASH leadership twice over Urbat’s schism. Tensions remain high with the citadel council favoring pragmatic tithe acceptance from the wayward 5th and fearing antagonizing the rest of the Frontier Legions while the church maintains a hardline against the ‘heresy of the dead’.

Despite being a smaller region than most other Frontier Legions, Urbat is able to field a massive force. The unliving are termed ‘shrouded’ for their distinct white coverings to keep the rotting dead from scaring the denizens of the region. Every citizen of Urbat is offered a chit, allowing them amenities for willingly giving over their body for service on their death. In exchange they are mostly taken care of during their lives with food and lodgings. Additional benefits are conferred to those who choose ‘expiration’ at a specific age, given hemlock at age 40 for a more useful body. Kreisgrad maintains they violate both religious and cultural taboos against both using flesh and what they consider slavery. Additionally, incentivizing death is alarming to many outside Urbat, seeing it as extortion and purposefully breeding complacency along with the charges of heretical conduct.

Relations with other nations are complicated. They follow the ASH line in diplomacy but are often shunned by their own. Good relations are enjoyed with Mykonos, while the Padishah sees them as an extension of ASH authority at their doorstep. The Lesser Empire, a colony state populated by Valanites with a few Hemosan houses mixed in vigorously trades with the 5th but, like the ASH, is concerned by what they see as slavery. Society of Inquisitive Minds maintains a strong presence within the court as archeologists and historians, studying the civilization and helping the Primogenitor’s hold onto whatever history they can dig up. Otherwise, most Autocratic institutions steer clear of Urbat, assignment to the region is seen as a punishment. They are engaged in a rivalry with the Vivocracy directly north of Urbat’s border that spills into open conflict between the 5th and 3rd Legion on occasion.