The Duchy of Cuthia is a significant portion of Kelevantia. Its history begins with the founding of Ossavia. The Cuthians were originally a nomadic tribe with a fierce reputation. Ossav recruited the chief of the Cuth tribe to his banner with several fine gifts and a large grant of land. Malik, the chief at the time, agreed.
Ossav did not regret having the Cuthians within his Empire. As the years rolled on, the Cuthians continually proved their ferocity, seizing land for the empire and great riches for themselves. Leadership of the Duchy of Cuthia was also very wily and able, and uncovered (or fabricated) several plots against Ossav. Their lands became part of Cuthia.
When Ossav fell, the duke recognized that the Empire would be weakened. He chose that time to assert independence, and maintained much of his borders. The sanctity of the lands was eventually recognized by Ossavia, one of the first to attain that status. Even afterward, the humanoids of Ossavia continued in its raids, but Cuthia began to maintain its own army.
When Antíem was forming Kelevantia, Cuthia had become the center of a quintet of nation-states. Cuthia had the territories of Loshan, Zia, Rodlath, and Turnam in an economic and military alliance. The combined might of the territories was still not sufficient to hold off the Ossavian Empire under the expansionistic Jaldon family, and the City-States of Turnam and Rodlath fell to Ossavia.
The Kelevantian unification caught Cuthia by surprise. Although too late to free Turnam and Rodlath, Kelevantia aided Cuthia in defense of their lands. Cuthia became the last major territory to unify with Kelevantia, and continues to be a major power in northern Kelevantian politics. The unification treaties included a clause which allowed orcs of the Dripping Eye and Broken Bone tribes, both long-time residents of the region, to dwell within Cuthia, and recognized the chiefs as local nobles. This was a clause which Cuthia insisted upon in the unification treaty. The orc tribes each possess a village and lands equivalent to a barony, and the Duke of Cuthia treats the chieftains as barons.
Orcish tribes were welcome in Cuthia when it was founded, and still are today. The Dripping Eye and Broken Bone tribes are the major tribes with holdings in Cuthia. It is said that the blood of Cuthians is tainted, and Cuthians themselves alternately deny and affirm such speculation. Significant numbers of half-orcs have forged the two orcish tribes in Cuthia with an amount of organization which causes Kelevantia's king to keep a portion of the army permanently stationed in Cuthia.