Possibly descended from genetically enhanced humans who served in a military Enforcer Cast for the Second Empire, over time the Shek people’s appearance changed, developing purple skin color while growing bone plates and spikes all over their bodies. Embracing these changes, they let horns grow long as a sign of martial prowess, while those defeated in battle had their horns cut off. At some point, possibly after
the fall of the Second Empire, the Shek migrated to the Stenn Desert,
Border Zone, and Spider’s Plains, where they lived as warring tribes until the mighty
hero Kral united them to form the Shek Kingdom, which eventually established the cities of Squin,
Last Stand, the Great Fortress, and capital Admag. Legends claim Kral was finally killed
in a battle outnumbered a hundred to one. But his legacy lived on for centuries,
providing the basis for the Shek government, warrior culture, strict honor
code and life philosophy. Continuing on according to Kral’s teachings,
the Shek Kingdom was ruled by their greatest warrior who could be challenged to
honourable combat, killed and replaced. This idea of all out devotion to warfare
echoed through every aspect of their society, believing the aim of every Shek should be
to die in glorious combat. Only victory or death were considered honourable, therefore those
defeated but left alive had their horns cut off, leaving them to chose between disgraceful exile
or life as a second rate citizen of their society, performing the non-military duties necessary
for the prosperity of their civilization. Following a strict caste system within their
own society, the Shek also discriminated against other races until individuals proved themselves
in combat. Hated enemies of the Holy Nation, they were often at war with the human, theocratic
bigots to the north who considered all Shek beasts which must be enslaved and purified
of their corruption. Yet the Shek also fought among themselves, breaking into factions over
disputes of leadership and other conflicts. Under the reign of King Shager, the Shek Kingdom
continued its legacy of relentless attack, waging war against the Holy Nation, United
Cities and any other enemy presenting itself. Yet this strategy was failing and their
people falling to ruin, after years of conflict led the fall of settlements like the
Great Fortress, the Old Frontlines and others. Nevertheless Shager refused to change
tactics, ordering a final suicidal death charge into enemy ranks, so the last of
their army might die as true warriors. But not all were willing to throw away their
lives so easily, causing the warrior Bayan to publicly object. To everyone’s surprise, Bayan
was then backed up by Esata the Stone Golem, a member of the Invincible Five, considered
one of the best fighters in the kingdom. Fighting an epic duel, Esata killed Shager to rule
as queen of the Shek, with Bayan as her adviser. Though she still valued their warrior’s
code, Esata sought to reform their society and ensure longterm survival by pulling their
forces back from the Holy Nation frontline, making peace with the United Cities,
and opening their borders to trade. Although this did much to stifle their decline,
conflict continued not only against foreign powers, but also smaller factions and rebel
groups, like the Bugmaster, a mysterious man, some say is centuries old, living in an
abandoned outpost, with a connection to spider insects within his territory of Arach.
Though no one knows his origins or purpose, some believe he is the last of the ancient humans
who once ruled the First Empire, while other think he is a genetically engineered creation
of the Second Empire. Due to his location, some believe he was raising an army to invade the
Shek Kingdom, but the evidence actually suggests he sought to invade the Ashlands, gathering much
information about the second empire exiles and their leader Cat-lon. There are also rumours
suggesting the Bugmaster keeps human teeth. A more traditional enemy to the Shek
Kingdom came from Kral’s Chosen, led by Ida the Flying Bull, a loyal friend
of Shager who refused submission to Esata, establishing New Kralia in the Stenn
Desert, west of the Great Fortress. Similar to Kral’s Chosen, the Berserkers
stood against Esata’s government, wishing a return to the old ways of aggressive warfare.
Establishing a village in the Spider Plains, they also had a strong presence further north
in Berserker country. Led by the exiled warrior Suchon the Ghost, it is believed he was a warrior
of high station among the Shek until defeated in combat, possibly by Gorrillo, leader of the
Gorillo Bandits, who then stole his sword. Surviving the encounter, Suchon was
disgraced and his horns cut off. Yet rather than accept his fate and lay down
his arms, he became Ghost and vanished into exile where his reputation allowed
him to form the widespread Berserkers. The final rebel group, troubling the Shek Kingdom, was the Band of Bones outlaw crew, led by Tora
the Fearless, also called Tora the Gutless, another Shek warrior who lost a battle and
had her horns cut off. Yet similar to Ghost, she would not lay down her sword and fled
into exile where she formed a bandit crew. Though her main camp was in the Stenn Desert
east of the Great Fortress, her people roamed. As humans, Shek and Skeletons spread throughout
the continent after the fall of the Second Empire, they encountered the Hiver species,
insect-like humanoids who functioned as an extension of a larger Hive
run by a single all powerful queen. Found in Vain, Dreg, the Fog Islands, Royal Valley
and Greyshelf, their origins remain a complete mystery, even to scholars, with possibilities
that included the second empire or rogue skeletons genetically altering humans to create a worker
caste, organic robots who obeyed without question, possibly even meant to replace humanity. Others
suggest perhaps they were native to Kenshi, growing larger and more sentient over time,
or migrated from another land, or even world. In anycase individual hivers were
fiercely loyal to their hives, but could lose that connection if
they remained out of contact too long, becoming exiled hiveless, forced to
wander the wasteland on their own. These Hiveless eventually grew more independent
and capable of living rich, active lives. Yet even so they often suffered from depression
as they felt purposeless without a Hive. Over time, Hivers separated into three distinct
cultures. The first were the beige and light brown Western Hivers, friendly, peaceful traders open
to foreign visitors in their villages throughout the territories of Vain and Dreg. The pink and
purple coloured Southern Hivers, meanwhile, were hostile, aggressive meat-eaters who attacked
trespassers in the Royal Valley and Greyshelf. Finally there were the blue fogmen of the Fog
Islands, mad roaving hivers without a queen who attacked anyone they found in their territory. Those able to escape the fogmen, might find refuge in the nearby city of Mongrel, but often remained trapped, unable to escape the region.
