"Ukunqoba ngokwethu, sibambisene sonke."
—The Covenant's motto, translating to "Victory through unity, together we stand."

The Calamity Covenant is a loose confederation of four states located on the continent of Eqos. The alliance originally formed in response to the threats posed by their powerful northern neighbor, the Kasaaqi Dynasty, and the eastern colonizers of the Lunar Collective. The Covenant represents a fragile but determined alliance, with still a lot of internal strife between the states. This is to be expected, as they are the newest major faction, after all. They differ in governance, cultures, religions, and almost all matters of day to day life, united only by their shared defensive interests.

Led by a council with representatives from each of the states, four key leaders vote on the decisions. Together, they are the largest land power on the continent, and control nearly half of the southern coast. They're all very different from each other in their own governance, with two monarchies, a theocracy, and a republic. They each have their own leaders and governments separate from the alliance.

The four states that comprise the confederation are:

State of Jamre / Kwadenhi. At the center of the Covenant is the city of Jamre, the most important and powerful of the states. Located in the middle of the Edeni Expanse, Jamre is a bustling metropolis of traders, artisans, and scholars, renowned throughout Abmarah for its wealth, culture, and casinos. Its three gargantuan walls are wonders of the world, and its armies are well-trained and well-equipped, making it a formidable stronghold against any enemy. It is arguably one of if not the largest city in the world by population and size.

State of Vyzum / Vyzumi Republic. Governed by the city of Erumaltu, it is the second largest state. A merchant republic formed by refugees from Aurial, it won full control of the Vyzum Wastes. Despite being less powerful than Jamre, Erumaltu serves as the capital of the Covenant, as the alliance did not want to put too much power centered on the Jamran houses. The state also contains the city of Newhope as well as Kaitzur, which used to be a fifth independent state.

State of Varkunast / Varhamsat Khadumate. A theocracy centered on the holy city of Varkunast, the center of the religion of Varkaniyyah which venerates Varkayan. It sees pilgrims from across the world, and is situated next to the mouth of the Vazi river. This ashen volcanic riverbank is the only naval entry point for the cities of Jamre and Eru, making it one of the most important strategic chokepoints for the Covenant for both trade and warfare.

State of Yoldra / Kingdom of Yoldra. Ruled by the volcanic city of Yoldra within the southern Km’mala Peaks, it is a state of dragonborn sages and warriors, dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and guarding the primary door to the plane of fire. Yoldra’s armies are primarily composed of dragonborn and fire elementals, making it a formidable force on the battlefield.

In addition, the Covenant also secures each of the smaller villages, tribes, and towns that surround these parent cities. Despite their differences, the states are bound together by a common goal to defend their lands and their people against the external threats they have faced for thousands of years. Whether through diplomacy or war, they will stop at nothing to protect their homes and ways of life. That being said, their collective military is ultimately not cohesive nor that large, only managing to stand up to either the Hukumat or the Collective, not both.

Goals

The Covenant came together to defend the states against foreign aggression that the lands have historically faced, whether by the lunars or the kasaaqis. In addition to defense, it also aims to create a greater trade ecosystem in which all these cities can finally cooperate, ideally leading to greater prosperity for all. Their different cultures and languages kept them divided for millenia, but the modern day brings faster travel via trains and airships, allowing better connectivity and assimilation. The Covenant seeks not to expand by conquering, but by slowly adopting the other free city-states of Eqos into its security. Perhaps by liberating even the lunar colonies in the eastern expanse, it can lead to greater eqosi freedom and independence from colonizers. 

They do not discriminate based on culture, with all the city-states having wildly different cultures and languages to begin with. They do not treat civilians from the Kav’orra or the Protectorate badly, as they believe that they are simply now a part of a “Modern Eqosi Culture”. That being said, a lot of deep rooted resentment remains within the Covenant, against both outsiders and each other. Keeping this confederation alive without devolving into in-fighting is perhaps their most important goal.

Relationships

The relationships between each of the individual states has varied through history, but as a whole, the Covenant is slowly coming together as a cohesive group. Collectively, they have decent trade relations with most other foreign nations at the moment, with prior trade agreements with individual cities still in effect. Many of the older kingdoms across Abmarah are wary of the new nation, but maintain existing trade routes. The Swarna Authority has reached out and formed new trade connections into the Covenant’s territories, and established its guilds within its lands as one of the first major nations to accept and reach out to the union.

The Covenant does not trust the Lunar Collective, but maintains neutrality and a fortified border southeast of Jamre. They seek to eventually eliminate Lunar presence from the continent, but even the four states put together do not have enough resources to go against the lunar war machine for any considerable length of time. They might be able to take on just the Kazarin Protectorate, but not the whole Lunar Army across the sea in Aurial. As such, defence and preventing the lunars from gaining any more land is the primary goal for now.

The states prepare themselves for war against the Kasaaqi Dynasty. There is a lot of bad blood still, with Mahataraja Azani III’s father and grandfather being directly responsible for oppressing the Edeni Expanse and the Vyzum Wastes. Zaran Zehir’s own personal feud against House Zaaba also fuels this inevitable war, perhaps more for retribution than justice. Clashes have already taken place on the border, and true war seems inevitable.

Military

The military of the Calamity Covenant is the main focus of the cooperation, as the Covenant is primarily a defense treaty. Each of the cities provide manpower and provisions to a new common military. A haphazard military, it comprises everything from rifle corps not dissimilar to those of the Lunar Collective, to cavalry corps not dissimilar to the Kasaaqi Sena. It even calls on help from dragonborn mages and sunless driders, taking on whoever that can help.

History

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