A Hollow Mountain: The Maenhu

(This is the first in my series of worldbuilding posts for A Hollow Mountain, the second book in The Brightest Shadow series.)

The second book in The Brightest Shadow takes the main characters out of the Chorhan Expanse, exploring the the northern part of the continent. They'll journey across the Sotunn Mountains, a brutal range filled with vicious raiders, and to the nations of the Maenhu.

The northern region of Breilin, bounded by oceans and the vast Sotunn Mountains, forms a distinct cultural region. Though considered the far north by many, it spans a significant latitude, ranging from hot desert in the south to frozen shores in the north. Though the three nations are similar ethnically, they have sharp cultural differences and a history of warfare between them.

In ancient times it was ruled by an empire and fiefdoms controlled by powerful warriors, but for the last several centuries it has been dominated by three nations that continually fight over their borders. Where the Chorhan Expanse is a meeting of countless strangers from across the world, the Maenhu is a firmly established and insular region.

The three nations of Espal, Portant, and Wahleen are each governed by a semi-democratic council. This system has proved remarkably durable over the years, allowing powerful sects to maintain seats while limiting their control. Likewise, the rise of a merchant class was easily absorbed into the council system with the creation of mercantile seats. Overall, the Maenhu has a weakened noble class, spreading authority across more social institutions.

Most warriors in the Maenhu are known as errants, following a wide variety of paths that nonetheless have certain elements in common. The Maenhu has pioneered the use of sein with metal, both when creating and wearing equipment. Sufficiently powerful warriors might be able to cut ordinary steel, but armor forged in the north and filled with an errant's sein takes on far more durable qualities.

Though a few errants operate independently, most operate within a national army, sect, or organization. They are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with a code of respect, though this is often more theory than practice. An errant's status is precisely ranked in accordance with the Maenhu's system.

Ranks 

In ancient times, the mystics of Portant pioneered a technology to precisely measure sein. This was eventually refined into an object called the Wooden Judge, which simultaneously welcomes and resists sein flow: when a person touches it, the wood reaches a certain equilibrium, which can be used as a way to approximate the depth of their sein.

Use of Wooden Judges during the imperial era was rampant, the centerpiece of a campaign to locate peasants who were training and crush their rebellion before it could begin. In the modern era, how much a Wooden Judge reacts to an individual determines their rank, and in turn their position in the Maenhu's warrior society.

Beginners are known as Ironsquires, often weaker than soldiers with sein training, but groomed to ascend higher. Once they have reached the rank known as Ironlord, they are considered errants in truth and gain both privileges and responsibilities.

Each of these ranks has subdivisions, skipped over for our present purposes. Once someone passes beyond the peak of Ironlord, they're considered Steeljudges. Though Steeljudges can no longer be evaluated by Wooden Judges, they have their own methods, eventually leading to the peak rank of Steelmaster.

Unlike the Chorhan Expanse, training in the Maenhu follows a strict order. Ironlords focus almost entirely on their sein, with bodily arts being reserved until Steeljudge. The average peak Ironlord has exceptional understanding of their sein, but physically is no more than an athletic person. By the time they reach the peak of Steeljudge, this has radically changed, and as Steelmasters they explore deeper matters of soul.

Beyond Steel 

Though multiple nations incorporate steel and heavy armor into their sein arts, the Maenhu is unique in how far it has pushed its forging techniques. Its most characteristic technology is bloodsteel, traditionally red but actually able to be forged in multiple colors.

Bloodsteel is forged not just with blood, but with the embodied sein of a warrior. Compared to ordinary steel, it retains a sharper edge for longer, but its true potential is seen when a warrior gives the blood for their own weapons. The steel becomes a part of their body in a spiritual sense, able to carry far more of their sein than it otherwise would. Though others might be able to use it well, or value swords forged by particularly powerful warriors, its true peak is only available to one.

Other techniques abound, from ordinary ways of making lighter steel to mystical arts such as soulsteel. Except for certain complex mechanisms, the forging techniques of the Maenhu are unmatched for their potency and variety.