Iron Kingdoms:Cygnar

Cygnar emerged from the Corvis Treaties as the strongest and wealthiest nation of western Immoren. It was able to unite the ancient lands of Caspia with the sprawling Midlunds as well as much of Thuria’s southern fertile coasts and the forested holds of the insular Morridanes, inheritors of the bloodlines of Morrdh. Together the diverse people of these regions have pooled their strengths and united as proud Cygnarans.

Cygnar has no lack of iron, gold, timber, food, gems, quarries, or any other resource coveted by a modern nation. It is a nation boasting many great minds who have pushed advances in alchemy and mechanika to new heights, giving the nation a technological edge over its rivals. Its warjacks boast inventive armaments and bow to the will of their warcasters, who are trained by the finest military academy in the Iron Kingdoms.

From the time of the Corvis Treaties, Cygnar has bordered each of the original Iron Kingdoms: Ord to the northwest, Khador to the north on the far side of the Thornwood, and Llael to the northeast. The Bloodstone Marches made up its eastern border until the Cygnaran Civil War. The end of that religious conflict resulted in the establishment of the Protectorate of Menoth, a region governed by a theocracy that would in time become increasingly independent and hostile. While Cygnaran forces marched bravely to defend its ally Llael during Khador’s recent invasion of that nation, in the end Cygnar could not hold back the Khadoran juggernaut that seized Llael and then advanced to capture the Thornwood. The loss of these lands, including the northern Black River, has separated Llael from its southern ally and diminished any hopes for that small kingdom to regain its freedom.

Cygnar endured political upheaval in recent times when Leto Raelthorne, “the Younger,” ousted his tyrannical brother King Vinter IV, “the Elder.” The deposed king managed to escape before being put on trial for his crimes. Nearly a decade later, he reappeared from the Bloodstone Marches with strange allies, a non-human race from eastern Immoren called the skorne. Since his return, that race has created constant peril on Cygnar’s eastern border, even attempting to seize Corvis in 603 AR. While it has never been easy to wear the Cygnaran crown, King Leto has borne more burdens than any sovereign deserves.

Even diminished by the loss of its ally Llael and its territories in the Thornwood, Cygnar remains among the mightiest powers of the region. The heart of the nation’s vast mining network, industrial capacity, and most formidable military garrisons remain intact, and its citizens stand more determined than ever to fight in defense of their families and lands. Yet there persists a growing divide within the nation between those who support King Leto and others who are discontented by the privations of interminable warfare and are beginning to conspire to arrange for a different sovereign to occupy the throne.