Wolebornian Lord-Protectorate

Map of what is known of the Islands of Woleborn

The Wolebornian Lord-Protectorate is an island realm east of Fjördstir and north-east of The Kingdom. It is inhabited by the Wolebornian Undead.

Etymology

Nobody really knows what the name Woleborn originally meant. Some relate it to a long-forgotten ancient king, others to the whales found near the Ancient Wolebornian shore. Others believe it's a transition of the term "whole born", meaning the living.  

Race

Ancient Woleborn was a thriving kingdom west of the Thornlands. It was inhabited by living humans, until, some three thousand years ago, an unspecified evil God released a great sickness across the realm, in which most of the population died. A few, extremely strong magic-wielders attempted to save the rest, but instead they caused them to also fall to the plague, then rise again as undead. Then, with the remaining power of their magic, they in a way blessed their kin, with long existence, retaining some memories from their previous life, and a degree of immunity to magic - some scholars theorize that the original burst that created them so over-filled their existence with magic power, that it leaves little place to other kinds.

The Wolebornian undead used some sort of a teleporation gate, the ruins of which may be found both at Gondar's Tomb and the center of Ancient Woleborn, while fleeing from another great, unnamed evil. Their old home now lays abandoned, and only the boldest (or the most foolish) adventurers dare walk within its limits. 

The current generation of Woleborn Undead look pale and gaunt, but certainly well-preserved compared to mindless undead like the Grey Cloud. They take great efforts in conserving their original body, as it cannot heal and most regenerative magic does not work on it. They are not much stronger than their living counterparts, but incredibly tough in a fight, due to not feeling any pain, being unable to be weakened by blood loss, or hindered by debilitating strikes.

Most Woleborn Undead, when attended swiftly after perishing, can be raised once or twice, but the shock of the experience prevents them to do so again more than three times. Dead Rot settles in about two to five hours after the creature is "unkilled": for this reason, wealthy Wolebornians always keep a resurrectionist near themselves. 

Wolebornians can enjoy foodstuffs for a degree, but they have limited feeling of taste, and eating or drinking can be outright dangerous if their digestive system was damaged before being raised. Their bodies require no sleep or rest, only the occasional restorative magic. They have a keen sight, usually little to no sense of smell, and an average hearing ability.

Wolebornians universally loathe all other forms of living dead and night creatures such as batworms, and pursue them with great vigor until they can be finished off.

State and Society

Wolebornian society is structured around a caste-like order. The lowest ranking are the living thralls, of whom the most talented are "adopted" by their masters, gruesomely killed then raised by the few remaining learned Undead magicians. This is the source of the waning Woleborn population, as ancient families are rather picky about who keeps their legacy - being undead, they cannot reproduce amongst themselves.

A thrall that has risen becomes a Free Man or Yeoman: thus he or she enjoys more liberties, like a right to personal property and freedom of movement. Due to their recent transformation and the unpleasant memories that are tied with it, Free Men are considered unable to keep thralls themselves. 

Once they inherit a larger property, or otherwise become entitled to a Seat or Hall themselves, the Free Men become Nobility; first sons (adopted or raised with their parents) of venerable houses do automatically belong to this class. 

Within the class of Nobles, there are established ranks, from Squire to Archduke; various holdings across Woleborn and the known world belong to each title-holder and their kin. Within each class and rank, there is no distinction between male and female members. 

The class of Nobles gives the state its representatives and public servants. It varies by location of the representation is hereditary or there is an election. 

The Lord-Protectorate, by design, is a hereditary monarchy, in a state of interregnum for hundreds of years. The Parliament's House of Nobles elects a Lord Protector every eighty years, until the King Nine Times Dead is resurrected by the Gods. (The Undead do not doubt the existence of the gods, they just elect not to be aligned with any of them, offering sacrifices to the Kings of Old instead.) The House of Commons must also agree on their choice, otherwise the procedure shall be restarted. If the Lord Protector perishes, his second in command takes rank, there is no election.

All Free Men and Nobles are eligible to be part of the standing army. Great houses usually keep their own hosts, and there is the occasional dispute or civil war. Most personal disputes are solved by ritual duels, for which the Wolebornians favour the sword or the duelling shield. 

There is limited farming or keeping of livestock within the islands, as the undead do not require such sustencane. However, living Thrall communities grow their own crops and keep animals. These communities are mostly situated around the island's shores, to keep the true rulers' identities secret.