The Kai Protectorate is a specially-designated part of the Royal Estates of Sommerlund for the usage of the Order of the Kai in Sommerlund, encompassing the Kai Monastery as well as the surrounding lands. It was gifted to Sun Eagle, the first Kai Lord, by King Bern I in MS 3810, and has remained with the Order of the Kai since.
History[]
After the Battles of Moytura Pass and Maakengorge in MS 3799, Baron Shaen Ruanor of Toran received a vision from the God Kai about the future Kai Monastery, and compelled Ruanor to undertake a quest to retrieve the lost Lorestones of Nyxator, which would bring about the defeat of the Darklords. In MS 3810, Ruanor returned to Sommerlund, far stronger and wiser due to the Lorestones, and adopted the name "Sun Eagle", becoming the first Kai Lord. His liege-lord and friend, King Bern I, granted Sun Eagle a portion of the Royal Estates for his use, and work began on the construction of a training ground, that would become the Kai Monastery. The Monastery and surrounding lands were subsequently declared to be part of the Kai Protectorate.
Over time, the Kai Protectorate and Order of the Kai developed. The Kai were called into battle several times, including the First Vassa-Sommlending War, where Kai Grand Master Moon Hawk sacrificed himself during the Battle of Wheaton, allowing the forces of Sommerlund and Durenor to win the battle. The Kai, however, suffered a devastating loss in MS 4434. Sun Eagle had recorded his knowledge in the Book of the Magnakai, allowing future generations to continue to learn from the wisdom of the Lorestones, but towards the end of the First Vassa-Sommlending War, the Book of the Magnakai was stolen by Vassagonian bandits. This slows the progress of the Kai considerably, the period becoming known as the "Lost Years". The creation of the Lore-circles in MS 4771 by Kai Grand Master Grey Wolf helped mitigate this to some extent.
In MS 5050, the Kai Monastery was attacked in the Massacre of the Kai. Only one Kai Lord, Silent Wolf, survived. This Kai Lord renamed himself to "Lone Wolf", reflecting his status, and at the urging of King Ulnar V, retrieved the Sommerswerd, and used it to vanquish Archlord Zagarna. Lone Wolf subsequently became one of the greatest thorns in the side of the Darklands, slaying Zagarna's successors Haakon and Gnaag, defeating the Darklands at the end of the Darklands War.
With a degree of peace returning to the Freelands after the defeat of the Darklords, Lone Wolf set about restoring the Kai Monastery and the training of a New Order of the Kai.[1] The New Order was tested in MS 5077, during the events of Dawn of the Dragons, where Naar sent a horde of Lavas to attack the Kai Monastery via a Shadow Gate. Gradually, the New Order began to develop, producing a number of talented Kai Masters who could lead the Kai in Lone Wolf's absence.[2] By MS 5083, Lone Wolf himself reached Kai Supreme Master, and a number of his protégés had risen to become Kai Grand Master. By MS 5102, these Grand Masters had become strong enough to independently take on powerful threats alone.[3]
Geography[]
The Kai Protectorate is located in the north of Sommerlund, north of the Royal Estates but south of the Baronial Confederation of Toran and west of the County of Tyso. It is approximately as large as the County of Tyso, although a significant proportion of the land is taken up by the Durncrag Mountains. The Kai Monastery is the most important settlement in the Kai Protectorate, but the Protectorate contains multiple non-Kai settlements too.
Settlements[]
- Kai Monastery
- Fogwood
- Oak Hill
- Rockstarn
- Searsby
- Yrsonor
Places of interest[]
- Tower Bern
- Raumas Ruins
- Malis Mound
- Sunken Forest
Politics[]
The Kai Protectorate belongs to the Monarch of Sommerlund. It is maintained by the Order of the Kai.[4]
The exact political agreement and terms of government are unknown. However, it is presumed that the leader of the Order of the Kai, currently Lone Wolf, is the de facto steward of the Protectorate.
Economy[]
The Kai Monastery is a broadly self-sufficient settlement, with its own land and machines for food production, as well as its own wells and workshops.
The non-Kai settlements have small economies of their own, and sell their surplus to the Kai Monastery first.
- Fogwood
- Timber, iron ore, cattle
- Oak Hill
- Predominantly a tertiary industry settlement, offering services in blacksmithy, food, clothing, and forestry tools
- Rockstarn
- Bronin, weapon and armour production
- Searsby
- Predominantly a tertiary industry settlement, as a stopping point for coaches and trade wagons between Toran and Holmgard, offering a bakery and blacksmithy
- Yrsonor
- Livestock
Demographics[]
The exact population of the Kai Protectorate is unknown. However, in MS 5000, there were 1,273 Kai Lords.[note 1] There is also a population of Loyals, non-Kai who work in the Kai Monastery. Several are master craftsmen and honour graduates from the Guilds of Sommerlund, who help the Kai produce quality wares and teach the younger Kai Lords vocational skills. Many of these Loyals live in Searsby.
The non-Kai settlements are home to civilians. In Rockstarn, villagers are known for their hardy and industrious nature, due to the harsh weather, the occasional raids by Giaks, and the mining of Bronin ore; they are also famous as armourers, and have forged exceptional weapons and armour for the Order of the Kai as well as the King's Guard of Sommerlund.
In Lone Wolf media[]
Within the gamebooks, the player characters Lone Wolf and Grand Master spend time in the Kai Protectorate, but the story usually only describes the Kai Monastery. Flight from the Dark and Dawn of the Dragons venture into the most detail.
Outside of the gamebooks, the rest of the Kai Protectorate is occasionally explored in the Lone Wolf Adventure Game books:
- Book of Kai Legends
- Malis Mound, Fogwood (briefly)
- Terror of the Darklords
- Yrsonor
Sources[]
- Dever, Joe [2017]. The Realm of Sommerlund. Cubicle 7, pp. 25–31.
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ The Plague Lords of Ruel: The Story So Far...
- ↑ Wolf's Bane: §88
- ↑ Dead in the Deep: The Story So Far
- ↑ Dever, Joe [2017]. The Realm of Sommerlund. Cubicle 7, p. 58.