The Lower Realms

The Kingdom of Aldamere ruled over the middle region of the continent for nearly 1000 years before its fall at the end of the Fourth Age. Where it once stood is now divided into four major City-States, collectively referred to as the Lower Realms, with the areas in between them being deemed ‘Borderlands’. The Borderlands have been divided up by citizens of the Realms into four distinct regions, each surrounding a City State.

History

The Lower Realms are the birth place of the Holy Church who catalogs and archives the history of the world.  As such, the history of the Lower Realms is intrinsic to the history of the entire world from the Holy Church's point of view.

The Age of the Star

While there are no records dating before the rise of the Elven Empires across the known world, it is documented that much of the races and peoples that came to eventually make up the Lower Realms were slaves to the Elves during the Second Age.  Ruins still exist to this day of the strange magical structures once constructed by the Elves during this age.  It is also known that at one time The Athasian Expanse was a part of the Lower Realms and comprised a lush tropical forest instead of an expansive wasteland.
This all changed when the Elves did something that has become lost to time that caused the Gods to take action with their Second Punishment on the world and unleashed the Tyranny of Dragons.  The collapse came quick and ruthless with much of the magical structures falling over night, leaving the former slaves freed from the Elves but under the terrible claw of the newly arrived Dragon Lords.

The Age of Fire

The Third Age saw hundreds of years of oppression and death to the people of the Lower Realms.  It was in these dark hours that faith become a guiding principal, as the hope to repent to the angered Gods seemed like the best way for the people of the Lower Realms to free themselves.  It was with this goal in mind that the foundations were laid for the Holy Church and the texts that would comprise its core principals and teachings.  The Church flourished in secret while the people were forced into excruciating labor for no obvious goal.  The Dragons did not build castles, monuments, or arcane devices.  Instead they simply forced the people of the Realms into back-breaking work to let the results linger or be destroyed.  All the while, the dragons enforced that all people of the various races had to live in squalor.
The people of the Realms felt their faith was rewarded when in 3A458, they witnessed the arrival of the Dwarves from the Deep.  These mighty warriors, strong as stone and devoted to preserving the balance of order and chaos at the decree of the very gods, helped turn the tide by aiding the meager resistance against the mighty dragons. As the Dwarves lent their aid and expertise, the people of the Realms began to defeat and hunt down the dragons and their lords, until only a handful remained.  In 3A500, the long battle ended when Aldamerus of the Golden Braids led the final assault at the Battle of the Gate, where they fatally injured Arkhos the last Dragon Lord and drove her into the Athasian Expanse.  The final blow was driven by Aldamerus himself and the resounding crack that echoed through the valley was dubbed 'The Dragonbreak' and marked the end of the Third Age and the dawn of a free Lower Realms for the first time in millennia.

The Age of Heroes

The Fourth Age began with the crowning of Aldamerus Goldenbraid as the new king of the realm and the formation of the Kingdom of Aldamere.  This united and free kingdom marked the first of its kind and began 900 years of prosperity for the people.  Cities were built, the Church went from a whispered faith that met after dark in back rooms to a thriving institution that worked in the Gods' names to see everyone was taken care of, Aldamerus' own Twelve Legendary Heroes worked to secure the lands and borders of the Realms including the construction of the Guardian Wall to block the northern passage into the Athasian Expanse, and Heroes' Rest - a fortress that would eventually be used as the base of operations for the Rangers and later the Adventurer's Guild.
However, while prosperity and growth were the norm inside the borders of Aldamere, outside there was growing resentment.  Lesser populous races like tieflings and goliath were driven from society, monstrous races like the goblinoid family and the beastkin were hunted as threats, and the unwillingness to share their hard won wealth with the rest of Andu'ra fueled the fires of anger.  Worse yet, the Veston Imperium had finally emerged from the shadows of the Dark North and begun an active campaign of conquest in parts of Andu'ra as well as oversees, making them a growing threat that the Kingdom would have to contend with.
This all ignited in the year 900 of the Fourth Age, when a massive army of gnolls marched across the southern border of Aldamere.  They were fueled by a blessing of hatred and consumption given to them by their patron primordial god, Yeenoghu the Burning Hunger.  Such a force was never witnessed by the royal army or the Adventurer's Guild and it swept North and into the capital city with terrible speed.  That night, the capital and castle of the Kingdom of Aldamere was burned to the ground, with the citizens either cauterized or devoured by the gnolls.  By the time the gnolls were finally pushed back into the Southern Wilds, a total of 30% of the kingdom had been scorched and the entire royal family destroyed.

The Fifth Age

The destruction of Aldamere was devastating for the Lower Realms.  People felt lost and hopeless, clinging to what little light there was in the vast darkness that had engulfed the land.  The three largest cities of the former kingdom declared themselves to be independent city-states and began to form laws and governments on their own.  But each demanded a different skill to excel in to admit new citizens: Yhuson wanted the wealthy and the business savvy, Brighthurst only wanted those who displayed magical talent, and Ashfall demanded military conscription to qualify for citizenship.  Seeing the vast majority of people in the newly dubbed Borderlands lacked what was asked to gain citizenship and thus protection, the Holy Church began a massive construction effort and poured their coffers into the building of Triswell, the fourth city-state that was surrounded by rings of massive walls and attempted to accommodate as many people as possible into the city. 
The Borderlands however were still left to fend for themselves, and backed only by the Rangers and the Adventurer's Guild when it came to soliciting aid.  The Fifth Age is a dangerous time for the people of the Lower Realms, as the lack of defenses or unity have given monsters and external threats a free pass to set up within the Realm.  For adventurers however, it's a prime opportunity to lend a helping hand, become famous, or simply make some serious coin.

Regions

The Central Rings

Main Article: The Central Rings 
Sprawling across the central and southern regions of the Realms is a region of the Borderlands known as ‘The Ring’. It is named such for the wall erected around the edges of the area. The wall is not guarded beyond any local militia that decides to station their forces along the wall. The protection of The Ring has given rise to a robust farming community in the Borderlands, thus providing a large amount of trade with the city state of Triswell that lies at the heart of The Ring and was responsible for the wall’s construction.
Triswell is the home of and ruled over by the Holy Church with the city being built around the Grand Temple of the Holy Church at its center. As the religious hub of the lower realms, Triswell grew into one of the largest city states with large markets and residential districts. Triswell is also considered by the other city-states to be the designated neutral meeting ground for political meetings, overseen by the Holy Church. The church and thus Triswell is ruled by the High Cleric Elza Daelus.

The Estwind Falls

Main Article: The Estwind Falls 
To the far eastern edge of the Lower Realms is dominated with the high cliffs and lush lands. The land is often considered hard to settle in, creating few settlements in the region of the Estwind falls, but those who do settle there are consider some of the rigorous and hearty of any settlements in the Borderlands, that or the most dangerous or crazy of any to try to make a stake in the foreboding landscape.
Rising high above the cliffs and teetering on the edge of civilization is the isolationist city-state of Brighthurst, home of the Magister’s Guild and Academy. Brighthurst has become a bastion for the magically gifted of the Lower Realms who would often face danger or persecution around the other City-States or Borderlands. Brighthurst’s focus on the arcane arts has long set it aside from the rest of the city-states and drawn both curiosity and ire from the other powers that be. Mages and wizards are regarded as dangerous enough, especially by followers of the Holy Church who believe the Gods ordained that magic is something to be controlled and not run loose. Because of this, The Brighthurst Magister’s Guild has become something of a ‘registration’ for mages. Those who do not belong to the guild can often find themselves on the outs with locals or even in shackles in some city-states - Triswell and Ashfall respectively have little love for unlicensed magic users.

The Northern Crest

Main Article: The Northern Crest 
To the distant north of the Realms lies the Kal’ta and Kal’nor mountain ranges, between the respective East and West ranges lies the Guardian Wall, a massive 100 foot tall behemoth of a structure built by the dwarves during the Age of Heroes to bar against any threat from the north when the few remaining dragons were said to be driven off that way. The massive wall is manned at all times by no less than three legions of soldiers. In the shadow of the mountains and the Guardian Wall lies the expansive Wyvernwold, a forest said to be home to any number of wild beasts and ancient creatures. Still many attempt to try and make a life in the Wyvernwold, often remarking on the vast amount of resources available beneath the trees.
Built into the southern side of the Guardian Wall stands the fortress city-state of Ashfall. Constructed by the dwarves as a bastion during the war with the dragons, it served as the foundation of the Wall. To this day, Ashfall is the heart of dwarven civilization on the surface world. Ruled over by the dwarven matriarch Lady Liha Onyxheart and her clan, the city prides itself on maintaining its martial prowess above all. The clans of Ashfall unite in the common cause of maintaining the defense of the Lower Realms to the point that non-dwarven citizens often find themselves on the outside of the fairly united mindset amongst the dwarves, most dwarves of differing opinions than their clans will usually choose to live elsewhere.

The Golden Marches

Main Article: The Golden Marches 
The Western Borderlands consist mostly of plains and rocky marshes known as the Golden Marches. The Marches are often considered a dangerous region with many troublesome wildlife and creatures inhabiting the region. The exception of this being the Gold Road, a massive highway stretching from the city-state of Yhuson on the coast to the edges of the Marches where it reaches The Ring. The Gold Road is used primarily for trade routes from the coastal city to the rest of the Lower Realms.
Yhuson itself is a massive hub of both trade and industry. Being the only city-state with access to a port that can open trade with other regions of the world and deal with exotic traders and races that the citizens of the other city-states can only tell fairy stories about. Because of this outsider interaction, Yhuson has become a booming center of technological advancement that stands above much of the rest of the Lower Realms, nearly matching the magically aided wonders of Brighthurst. The city-state of Yhuson is overseen by the City Council made up of the most influential businesses in the city-state headed at the moment by Councilman Tracewyn Ulsterhauk of the Grand Sea Expedition Company.

The Borderlands

The Borderlands is the general name for any space outside the walls of the city-states, including regions of the Golden Marches, Northern Crest, Rings, and Estwind Falls that are not technically inside the city limits of their respective city-states.  The Borderlands has no central government or military.  Politics remains at a local level of every town or village.  The closest thing to an organized military are the Rangers, a group trained in hunting down threats in the wilderness, and the Adventurer's Guild, a for-hire organization that serves as the middle-man to the numerable adventurer groups out there.
There is no official capitol to the Borderlands as there is no central government but the closest thing to a center of authority would be the keep of Heroes' Vigil, once known as Heroes' Rest.  It serves as the central base of the Adventurer's Guild and attracts a number of adventurers and would be heroes looking for work, making contacts, selling loot or sleeping with a roof over their heads for a few nights.

Maps

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  Lower Realms

Alternative Name(s)

Aldamere, The Old Kingdom

Type

Region

Location under

Andu'ra

Included Locations

• Ashfall
• The Borderlands
• The Central Rings
• Yhuson