Malevich

	Malevich
	General data Part of Ninth World

Malevich is a landlocked country in the central portion of the Steadfast. It borders Thaemor to the North, Iscobal to the West, and the Pytharon Empire to the South. The Black Riage lies to the East.

Background

Known for bleak landscapes and people tested by hardship. Malevich's tale is one of war and would-be conquest. Yet after crushing defeats in decades past, its warlords are now quiet. Yorvic, the current king of Malevich, is no bloodthirsty despot, as was true in previous generations. He is, in fact, a three-year old boy. His cousin Ellabon serves as regent and likely will continue in that role until young Yorvic passes through the ritual of second birth at age thirteen.

Numerous villages dot the landscape of Malevich. These farm communities are usually small and poor, little more than a thatch-roofed huts gathered in defensive circles around a communal pen for the shaggy goats they tend. Mud-stained boots walk down rough roads infrequently - the folk of this dark land remain in their isolated villages if possible. They bar the doors at night and pray to vindictive yet seemingly indifferent gods.

Their fear isn't misplaced. Malevich is threatened at all times by bands of abhumans and even clans of bandits. The former roam in small, unorganized groups, while the latter, under the command of the bandit king, Polele, are frighteningly unified and organized. Many of Polele's warriors are veterans of Malevich's past wars, aged men with few skills that don't involve blades and blood. Rumor has it that the bandit clans have offered to do mercenary work for foreign kings in other lands. Whether this is good or bad for Malevich - if it's true at all - is yet to be determined.

Malevich nobles ride in tall, armored chariots pulled by abhuman and human slaves. They own what little wealth the kingdom has, while the peasantry lives on the edge of starvation.

A fantastically-huge rift known as the Voil Chasm serves as the nation's southern border. This rent in the earth is 25 miles wide in places, but it narrows as it descends. Throughout most of its western reaches, the chasm is about one mile deep. However, it has never been fully explored, and although the deepest point yet reached is more than 10 miles below the surface, the chasm is known to cut far deeper in places.

Some call the Voil Chasm by its older name, the Earthwound. Legends say that it was created when the inhabitants of the prior aeon waged war with invaders from another world. The invaders used a weapon of untold power, destroying multiple cities of significant size and influence in an instant. A few speculate that these foes tried to destroy the entire planet, by drilling deep into the Earth's core, like an assassin trying to stab its victim in the heart. If true the attempt no doubt failed, but it suggests that the Voil Chasm might be deeper than most thought possible. The Chasm divides Malevich and the Pytharon Empire, Even though both lands have dreamed of conquest, the gulf between them has prevented them from coming into direct conflict with each other.

Cities

• Stirthal

• Neverlost

• Thriest

• Boreg

• Yenth

Hearsay

Disgruntled Warrior:

An aging warlord named Gagarth seeks to investigate a new conflict that will restore his land to its former glory by spreading tales of Navarene invasion. He has gained a small but growing following of warmongers who are little more than a rowdy rabble that causes trouble.

Glowing Pyramid:

At night, atop a remote outcropping of rock, you can see a glowing pyramid that's five times the height of a man but only a third as wide. During the day, that pyramid can't be found. Rumor says it's a powerful energy source that will grant great strength and vitality to anyone who touches it.

Stolen Grain:

A village called Brusch had a good harvest this year, but all the grain disappeared from the granary. A young eyewitness said that a hole opened up in the air, drew all the grain into it, and then disappeared again. The people of Brusch probably won't survive the winter without that grain.

Weird

The Cloud Machine:

A cart pulled by a pair of shiul, driven by two very short, very old men, holds a cumbersome device. the machine chugs and spews forth steam and smoke that appears to affect the weather.

Frozen in Crystal:

Nestled in the mountains to the east is a massive shard of crystal, 30 ft. high and 12 ft. across. A woman wearing a strange dress is embedded in its center.

The Fungal Pool:

An isolated pond near the center of the land is home to a huge, fungal organism. It creates pseudopods that grab prey and draw them in to be devoured.