Ghem
From Snowblossom
Ghem is a nation along the southern coast of the Northern Shard. Ghem is sometimes called The Land of Dragons and is the land of His Immortal Highness, the Dragon King.
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History
Ghem is an ancient land, with cities as old as those of Nezrahim. However, since Ghem has been lorded over by dragons for thousands of years, it has not always been considered a "nation" in many senses. The chromatic and metallic dragons of the region fought an ages-long war which left the humanoid populace fearful and powerless.
This changed in about 400 AK, when the metallic dragons moved for power and aligned themselves with the various humanoids of the area, a plurality of whom were dragonborn. They appointed a mortal as the Dragon King (an honorific title, since the king was not a dragon) and an era of civilization came to Ghem. The metallic dragons retired to various parts of the countryside.
In response, certain chromatic dragons began to infiltrate and corrupt the government of Ghem, including cross-breeding with the humanoid leadership. Within the following century (~490 AK), this corruption lead to the rise of a new type of king - the Wyrmlord. The Wyrmlord drew upon draconic powers (gifted to him by chromatic dragons) and used those powers to oppress the populace. The nobility of Ghem became the Wyrmbloods, manipulated through their draconic blood by the chromatics.
The only portion of the populace who could not be so corrupted were the dragonborn. The metallics were too slow to note the corruption, but when they acted, the dragonborn were still loyal. The chromatics were too powerful, and the metallics were killed or driven out while the dragonborn were enslaved.
This continued for centuries, until the War of the Betrayer, when the nation of Ghem invaded its northern neighbors. Seeing a moment of vulnerability, the dragonborn finally fought back, taking back the nation of Ghem for their people. The Wyrmlord was dethroned and in his place, the dragonborn installed the Dragon King of old. The Wyrmbloods were mostly removed from their positions and stripped of their nobility, depending on how agreeable each family was with the new Dragon King.
People
30 years after the War of the Betrayer, Ghem remains an unstable land. The Dragon King holds power and the dragonborn owe fealty to him. An egg boom has also bolstered the dragonborn populace. Still, Wyrmbloods remain in the shadows, very unhappy with their new place in the government. Whether the new generation of Wyrmbloods will integrate into the new culture or attempt to overthrow it remains to be seen.
Dragonborn
Once slaves, the dragonborn are slowly becoming the plurality in Ghem once again. They hold many positions in Ghem, especially in the army of the new Dragon King.
Dragons
Many dragons still make their homes in Ghem. Those who cooperate with the government of the Dragon King are given leeway, sometimes even given lordship over an area of land. Those who do not are generally considered enemies of the state, although they are not necessarily hunted down.
Government and Economy
Ghem is a hierarchy and has been for quite a while. The new king is attempting to give more power to the citizens of Ghem, but he has much work to do.
Dragon King
The Dragon King is the "Immortal Highness" of the land of Ghem. While he is not truly immortal, he gives up his identity and personal history to fully embrace the identity of the Dragon King. This was traditional before the Wyrmlord and has been taken up by the new leadership.
