The dominant warlord clans of Rouktu, ruling through force, alliances, and age-old customs while controlling land, resources, and the loyalty of their warbands.
Local governance through strength, warband control, and territorial power struggles.
Feudal Command – Directing warbands and managing territory through a blend of governance and military dominance.
Strategic Alliance-Making – Forging pacts and breaking them when politically advantageous.
Resource Control – Maintaining dominance over vital routes, mines, and agricultural centers.
The Council of Blades – A rare assembly where the most powerful warlords decide territorial disputes and military campaigns.
Banner Keeps – Fortified strongholds serving as both military bases and political centers of power.
Blood Oath Trials – Ceremonial duels or ordeals by which loyalty is sworn or leadership challenged.
High Warlord – The most influential leader within a region, often dominating the Council of Blades.
Bannerlords – Commanders of specific territories and their associated warbands.
Outriders – Mobile scouts, messengers, and skirmishers who patrol borders and disrupt enemies.
Warband Captains – Officers who lead strike forces, raids, and defensive campaigns.
Respected for their strength, resilience, and ability to protect their people in times of crisis.
Feared by rivals for their ruthless pursuit of territory and readiness to resort to war.
Distrusted by outsiders for their volatile alliances and personal ambitions.
Soahtti – View them as corporate interlopers undermining traditional power structures.
Niibi – Clash over control of trade routes and illicit resource channels.
Independent Warlords – Lesser rulers not recognized by the Council often resist Vuodji authority.
The Vuodji are the entrenched rulers of Rouktu’s contested lands, each a warlord commanding fortified strongholds, resource-rich territories, and loyal fighting forces. Their power is deeply rooted in a mixture of martial prowess, political cunning, and the unyielding traditions that have defined their rule for generations.
Leadership among the Vuodji is not inherited by right alone — it must be earned and maintained through shows of strength, successful campaigns, and the ability to protect and expand one’s holdings. Alliances between clans are forged through marriage, tribute, and shared military ventures, but are as easily broken by ambition or insult.
The greatest gathering of Vuodji power takes place in The Council of Blades, where the most influential warlords meet to settle disputes, sanction wars, and decide the fates of lesser rulers. Though unity among them is rare, the Council provides a fragile stability that keeps Rouktu from descending into endless civil war.
While outsiders may view them as remnants of a bygone era, the Vuodji’s ability to hold territory, control resources, and inspire fierce loyalty makes them an enduring force in Rouktu’s political and military landscape.