People from the token European pseudo-medieval places in The Agartes Epilogues are called Kags, which means their respective countries are often generally referred to as the Kag. However, some people prefer to keep the term Kag for those who live in the mainland; people from the island country of Baidh are called Baidhans.
It depends on who you ask. It is, after all, an organic world.
If we are to believe the latter, then we can become technical: Kags, then, are people who descend from settlers originating mostly from Baidh, though there was an influx of blood from traders to the far west. Baidh is a small country, led by a king. It is rich in arable land and pastures, with wool being their main commodity for trade.
The Kag is divided into several countries. Hafod is the first settlement, which quickly grew from a trading post into a bastion of power for the east. It is ruled traditionally by a king, with lords and ladies overseeing the provinces. Kiel and Cael were originally Hafed outposts, created in an effort to extract resources from the deep, mysterious wilderness that comprised over three-fourths of Kag lands. Strange creatures and people inhabit this wilderness, and exploration parties often disappear, never to be seen again.
Hafod quickly abandoned their plans for settling further east, choosing to expand south along the coast instead. People sent into the wilderness were left to their fates. Due to the efforts of one Agartes Allaicras, many of these people survived and went on to establish the cities of Kiel and Cael. Other towns quickly formed southward, along the rivers and waterways, including Vildar, a town on the southern coast. Kiel and Cael have no official borders–they are defined by the swath of habitable land between the Kag wilderness, and towns are defined by their allegiance to either city’s mayor.
The area known as Kago was established further east, carrying Kiel and Cael’s haphazard government to the next level. Only the bravest and most foolhardy attempted this journey, for the strange Kag wilderness continues eastward. Each town or settlement became self-governing. The weak arrangement allowed for the rise of power of a mercenary group, the Boarshind. Kago became a dog-eat-dog world, where the rich could afford to buy protection and the poor are often exploited.
The Kag regions are generic only at first glance. These are people who have found a way to exist, and even thrive, in harsh environments. This is apparent in that a place like Cael–set in a rock quarry beside a river in the middle of the Kag wilderness–could have such a vibrant culture, with arts, music, and literature. Although their armies are weak–or in the case of Kiel and Cael, practically non-existent–they have been able to hold off invaders by the sheer reason that they live in such inhospitable surroundings.
“…wild animals can be killed. But the others? I don’t think fear even begins to describe how I look at it. When they kill you, you don’t just die. They claim your soul for their own—your soul won’t travel through the agan river. It just stays behind…”
-a Boarshind mercenary describing the creatures from the Kag wilderness
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