Old Cheliax
At its height, the empire of Cheliax had holdings that reached from Varisia to Garund and east all the way to
Galt. Aroden was prophesized to return to the world of mortals to usher in a new Age of Glory, and those prophecies predicted the Chelish city of Westcrown would be the point of his arrival. Instead, his death ignited a civil war that lasted for decades. When the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune emerged as victor, Cheliax had forever changed. Under House Thrune’s rule, Cheliax transformed into a nation that viewed Hell as a blueprint for government. The church of Asmodeus became Cheliax’s official state religion, and diabolism its most powerful philosophy. The devil had come home to rule, and while the nation’s politicians and leaders claimed that they maintained control of their fate — and House Thrune had merely formed an alliance with Hell to maintain its power and keep order—the nation’s internal and external enemies know better.
Many of Cheliax’s outlying provinces — such as Andoran, Galt, and Vidrian — revolted and became their own nations. The nation of Isger remains, at least on paper, a thrall. Cheliax values Isger for its important position as a trade route to the Lake Encarthan region, but when Isger was wracked by the violence of the Goblinblood Wars several decades ago, House Thrune did little to provide aid. As the repercussions of the Whispering Tyrant’s return to power send ripples of nervous dread through the land, Isger’s people grow fearful that they lack not only their own political strength but also that of their supposed protector, and as a result, Isger is one of the lands in the Inner Sea region most in need of heroes.
Recently, several uprisings within Cheliax have further tested the nation’s resolve. After a devastating nautical loss in the Shackles resulted in Vidrian’s independence, a new Iomedaean rebellion called the Glorious Reclamation threatened Cheliax from within. House Thrune and the Asmodean church defeated the Glorious Reclamation, but at a price — a simultaneous rebellion was successful, with a group of rebels called the Silver Ravens negotiating the successful secession of the new nation of Ravounel.
North of Cheliax, the shadowy nation of Nidal remains the diabolic nation’s only real ally. A theocracy ruled by the church of Zon-Kuthon, Nidal is the oldest nation on Avistan, for its people turned to the Midnight Lord for protection during the Age of Darkness after Earthfall. Today, pain and dread are comforts to the citizens of Nidal, and millennia of rule under a church that revels in pain have left them inured to agony and welcoming of loss.
Many of Cheliax’s outlying provinces — such as Andoran, Galt, and Vidrian — revolted and became their own nations. The nation of Isger remains, at least on paper, a thrall. Cheliax values Isger for its important position as a trade route to the Lake Encarthan region, but when Isger was wracked by the violence of the Goblinblood Wars several decades ago, House Thrune did little to provide aid. As the repercussions of the Whispering Tyrant’s return to power send ripples of nervous dread through the land, Isger’s people grow fearful that they lack not only their own political strength but also that of their supposed protector, and as a result, Isger is one of the lands in the Inner Sea region most in need of heroes.
Recently, several uprisings within Cheliax have further tested the nation’s resolve. After a devastating nautical loss in the Shackles resulted in Vidrian’s independence, a new Iomedaean rebellion called the Glorious Reclamation threatened Cheliax from within. House Thrune and the Asmodean church defeated the Glorious Reclamation, but at a price — a simultaneous rebellion was successful, with a group of rebels called the Silver Ravens negotiating the successful secession of the new nation of Ravounel.
North of Cheliax, the shadowy nation of Nidal remains the diabolic nation’s only real ally. A theocracy ruled by the church of Zon-Kuthon, Nidal is the oldest nation on Avistan, for its people turned to the Midnight Lord for protection during the Age of Darkness after Earthfall. Today, pain and dread are comforts to the citizens of Nidal, and millennia of rule under a church that revels in pain have left them inured to agony and welcoming of loss.
