Casanii Allies and Enemies

While the Emperor considers the Casanii Territories to form part of his Empire, this is not a fact that is generally accepted by the Casanii themselves. Most tribes tolerate the presence of the small number of official settlements that the Empire maintains across their lands and are generally a bit bemused by the persistence of the Emperor’s diplomats and their talk of taxes. The tribes do, however, relish the opportunity to trade and many have grown in power through their relationships with the trading families that travel through their lands. Most of the Emperor’s diplomats rapidly learn to temper their expectations when dealing with the Casanii and over the years this has led to a comfortable relationship with many of the tribes.

There are, however, those tribes like the Deyath, who take exception to the Empire’s claims of ownership and to the careless northerners who hunt without care and who bring foul smelling machinery into their unspoiled lands. These tribes have always been a real danger to travellers from the Empire for they will attack without warning, proving more of a threat than the few devanu who scrape a living in these regions.

Throughout history the devanu have been a persistent threat to the Casanii. Powerful devanu kopa have risen and fallen, bringing terror in their wake, but they never ruled over the Casanii as they did those who lived in the Central Empire. During the times when the devanu ruled the North and forced the enslaved fubarnii to build their towers the Casanii tribes continued to maintain control of their vast territories.

When the Empire was formed many devanu fled into the territories as the knights hunted them down. However, the Casanii tribes made short work of those desperate devanu and sent the fledgling Empire’s forces on their way. Those devanu that do now survive in the Casanii lands are dangerously intelligent packs who have learned to hide from the Casanii tribes and to pick their targets carefully. The hunting packs will often track their prey for days, choosing when to pounce. They then strike quickly and efficiently, killing and butchering their victims in a matter of minutes so they can then disappear again before the Casanii have a chance to deliver any retribution.

The Delgon have been building their presence in the region since establishing a firm foundation in the city of Teral . For months there has been a steady convoy of ships bringing troops and materials along the coast from the occupied lands of the Enguan Coasts.

The warlike Enarii, Dehran, has tasked the newly promoted NuraSen Obal with leading the Delgon Expeditionaries and establishing further bases and allies in these lands. The Expeditionaries have met resistance from the local Casanii tribes, some of whom are loyal to the Empire and others who simply dislike them disturbing their territories. Obal has, however, been patiently building relationships with a number of Casanii chiefs, lending covert support in their internal power struggles to raise those who could prove friendly to the Enarii. Dehran is growing impatient with the slow progress, but he has also been distracted by rumours of a huge god-like warrior who has joined the hunts of the Casanii. He believes that this elusive giant must be Alaim, the Enarii who was cast out by Garabon, and has become obsessed with locating the outcast.