This is an ancient kingdom of the Andu on Aduria. Located almost 1000 miles from Cerilia on the Northern coast of Aduria across the sea of storms. It is a large peninsula that juts into the sea.

Lurech was hard pressed during the War of Shadows and almost fell, the only reason it did not was Azrai’s forces being shattered at Deismaar.

The language is derivative of old Andu but different from modern Adurian, like langue d’oc and Langue oui.

The people of Lurech are swarthy and dark haired, but they prize fair hair and skin.

Slavery is legal, but they by law cannot enslave fellow Christians. Fair skinned and haired Rjurik female slaves for concubines are popular imports for sale to the wealthy.

Lurechans are seen as passionate and high tempered or high strung. If they befriend you, you will find no more devoted a friend. If they become your enemy, enmity will exist between you for as long as they live.

Their high-strung temperament makes them as a people prone to crimes of passion. Affairs are common, men being allowed to get away with them. A Lurechan seducing another man’s wife can expect a knife in the dark, an ambush, or a duel. A wife cheated on in some instances is likely to kill her spouse. For example, a husband she loved instead of a marriage of convenience.

They have a tradition of female Trouvares and actual bardic colleges. Troubadours are important.

They have hatred and antipathy towards beastmen, the only good one is dead regardless of alignment.

Other than for trouvares women retain traditional roles. An example they are not allowed to be knights or priests, but they have power in their society in feminine roles, especially their nobility.

There is some feeling that Anuireans and other Cerilians aren’t quite as good as them because they fled the Shadow.

They have a court of love which is run by the reigning Queen or if she is aged her eldest daughter presides and the court has the weight of public opinion if not law.

Lurech is roughly one third the size of the Empire with a population of approximately 10 million plus. It has 30 provinces each with a count and two or three barons. Each county has a bishop seated in the primary city or town. The head of the church in Lurech is an arch prelate. Every town also has a small shrine or temple to each god of the old pantheon, plus certain rural sites in each county may be sacred and have a small temple.

Every Lurechan is a practicing Christian, but also honors the old pantheon appealing to specific gods at special need. Witches pretend to be Christian, but worship in covens. In game mechanics, every province has a pantheon slot (1) or (0) in a level 1 province, the remaining slots are Christian and a level (0) devil worship slot.

The church of Lurech is considered heretical in Anuire as they are dualistic in outlook attributing the devil to be a near deity in power in opposition to God.

The feeling of their being heretics is compounded by the common people appealing to the old deities.

Witches are more common than in Anuire, and they are dreaded and feared. This ties in with the heresy of dualism, where they fear the real potential of the triumph of evil, rather than believing in the inevitable triumph of God. This is no doubt due in large part to their experiences, and near annihilation during the war of shadows.

Magic users as a result are the cause of suspicion and feared. Magic users must be licensed by the church and crown, and they are often monitored.

The alodal system is still in operation, so a number of commoners (roughly 1 in 4) hold their land directly from the king in return for non-knightly military service, owing no vassalage to any other lord.

Resources/exports
Gems – (hiddenite), tiger eye topaz, rose pearls
Dyes – rare purple dye
Medicinal – Quinine, opiates, toxins
Resinous sweet wine
Slaves
Soda ash

Imports
Fine wools, silks, luxury textiles, tin, fine wine/liqueurs, fine weapons or armour, mast wood

Lurech has a navy, but it is defensive in nature, and not as large as the armies it raises. The total of ships in the king’s service is 3 squadrons, each of 10 war gallies, 5 caravellas, and 2 great ships with an additional royal great ship as the navy’s flag ship. The oarsmen of the gallies are convicted felons and sometimes prisoners of war which reduces the cost of the navy by ½. Crews of other ships are all Lurechan free sailors, as are the sail crews, officers and marines of the war gallies.

Lurechan armies are usually formed in three battles. During wars these operate often as independent field armies, each of roughly 10,000 men. These armies are composed of several elements. The standing army consists of the royal guard, and the southern marcher counts in turn each maintain a small standing army.

The second element of professional soldiers in the core of the armies is composed of temple guards and crusading orders. These are dedicated to killing beastmen, creations of the devil, and rooting out witches.

The third element is the fighting vassals, the retinues of counts and barons, and their knights. More importantly including the direct free vassals of the crown, and royal knights. Finally, the crown can raise the arrie-ban of all free Lurechans, and easily double or triple the numbers of a field army – several times over if an initial army were destroyed. The most organized of these forces would be the civic militias of large towns and cities. The most effective of these are town militias close to the southern borders, which are often exposed to dangers.

TYPES OF TROOPS RAISED BY LURECH

Knights (these are a little lighter than Anuirean knights)
Cavalry – equivalent to Anuirean cavalry
Paladins – as Lurech’s knights with Knight of Haeylan abilities
Elite Infantry – usually noble bodyguards
Infantry – armed with spears and shields
Archers – armed with composite bows
Slingers—skirmishers
War dogs – armoured and used especially against beastmen
Levy – armed with spears, slings, light crossbows, or flails


Dress in Lurech

Males wear tunics: a nobleman's tunic is beginning to be tailored, with embroidery at the neck, cuffs, and hems. Under the tunics they wear linen shirts and brais. Chausses – chausses amongst the well off and servants of the well off tend to be patterned.

Short and medium length cloaks and capes are fashionable, shoes tend to be round toed turn shoes, leather is often embossed and pierced.

Hoods are only worn in winter, unlike Anuire, Lurechan winter cloaks often have integral hoods.

Males are clean shaven or moustached. Only priests wear beards.

Men wear small round caps, either fitted or pill box in form. They wear brimmed straw hats in summer.

The color purple is reserved for nobles and their servants.

Women wear linen chemises, short silk or fine wool hosen – linen hosen in the case of the poor, and ankle length gowns. Side less surcoats of silk or brocade are often worn by noble women. Headware is usually coiffured hair with veils, or some caps with veils and barbettes of fine linen or silk. Linen head covers and hoods are worn by common women.


Royal Family of Lurech

The royal family of Lurech is the Bramevaque family which has reigned for more than 1000 years in an unbroken line. The late king is Bertram III who recently passed at the age of 72.

The new king is Bertram IV (MA, Vo Maj, 20) who is a fit and healthy man, aged 50, a 14th level knight/7th level noble who is principled.

The queen is Solahnz (FA, Ba Maj 31), a 12th level noble. She is 47 years old and unprincipled.

The late king Bertram III, had 8 legitimate children and nine, known illegitimate children. The current king is his only legitimate surviving male child. King Bertram IV has nine legitimate children and one illegitimate child.

The heir apparent, Bertram V (MA, Ba Maj 26), is a 7th level knight, and a scrupulous man. He’s the eldest legitimate male child and has spent most of his adult life fighting the beastmen and enemies of Lurech on its frontier. He is 25 years old.