Realms in Conflict

The destruction of Drakkenheim fifteen years ago has thrown the world into chaos, but the seeds of conflict have long been sown.

The people who inhabit the world of Drakkenheim are filled with foibles and flaws. The squabbling nobility of the Continent ceaselessly scheme to increase their power, wealth, and influence. Many aim to position themselves to take the throne of their nations, and their monarchs have imperial ambitions of their own. The tools of their political maneuvering include alliances sealed with marriages, threats of military power, economic superiority, defamation, slander, subtlety and assassination.

As a result, the political order of the continent rests upon a bed of unstable alliances, festering feuds, bitter rivalries, and old grudges. Peace endures for brief periods only because of clumsily negotiated treaties backed up by the threat of armed retaliation, or because the belligerents need time to lick their wounds, rebuild their armies, and refill their coffers.

People don’t always act in logical ways, and several historical disasters have been caused by bad choices. Those in power are rarely able to set aside their differences and work together, even in the face of a mutual threat. Many have fundamental differences in their moral outlooks and competing visions for the way the world ought to be. However, in most cases, they simply do not want to share power with others. In the desperate situations where these groups must work together to survive, they jockey to come out on top over their rivals after the threat has passed, or find a way to create a lasting advantage from the crisis.

Westemär

Westemär is at the forefront of the current conflicts, as Drakkenheim was its imperial capital. When the city was destroyed, King Ulrich IV and his immediate heirs were lost. They are presumed dead, but their ultimate fate is unknown. Festering divisions between the king’s two surviving siblings plunged the nation into a ten-year-long civil war. In a cruel twist of fate, the war led to the deaths of both the king’s siblings and their heirs. Today, the political order of Westemär lies in tatters. Lacking any clear claimant to the throne, nobles ruling its duchies and cities are quickly posturing to form their own petty kingdoms — or make a bid for the throne themselves.

Meanwhile, the city of Drakkenheim is a desolate urban ruin, haunted by all manner of eldritch abominations, undead monstrosities, and otherworldly demons.

Elyria

Nourished by the fertile valleys along the Vita River, the Elyrian peninsula was the cradle of human civilization on the continent. During antiquity, the tyrannical Sorcerer Kings ruled the blood-soaked Arcane Empire from these lands, and dominated the other people and nations of the continent with their magical supremacy. The fires of a new religion inspired the population to throw off the yoke of their oppressive rulers, making the beginning of the modern era, which saw the lands redemption and resurrection as the nation of Elyria.

Today, Elyria is the hearthland to the Faith of the Sacred Flame. After its monarchy dissolved a century ago, it is now under the de facto authority of Divine Matriarch Mercy V, the leader of the faith. As the religion itself holds influence throughout the continent, today Elyria projects power far beyond its borders, influencing other nations both through the military might of its knightly orders and through the counsel and urgings of many Flamekeepers.

Caspia

The proud nation of Caspia is made up of six rival houses all descending from the great founder Rex Caspian. They host the most impressive warriors and monster slayers in the continent and have constant contests and rivalries over which of the houses is the strongest. They are a nation built on wars, victories, and blood; Caspians care more about battles and trophies than they do magic or religion.

Despite being a bickering nation of bitter rivalries, and petty wars amongst themselves, they have a reputation for coming together when greater threats linger on their borders, and no other nation has ever successfully invaded or defeated the Caspians.

Caspia elects its High King based on a contest and vote every ten years. Known as the Kingsmoot, this contest sees each of the six great houses put forward their greatest triumphs, victories, and trophies in hopes of winning their seat as the ruler of Caspia for the next decade. Venus Joplin II has held this position for the last three decades and has positioned herself as the longest running High King the nation has ever seen.

Edicts of Lumen

The nations of the continent are party to the Edicts of Lumen, a landmark treaty signed after decades of bloody conflict. The agreement establishes the balance of power between noble rulers, the clergy of the Sacred Flame, and the arcane spellcasters of the Amethyst Academy. Under the Edicts of Lumen, arcane spellcasters are barred from holding noble titles. The Edicts of Lumen do not outlaw magic, but do restrict who can teach magic and provide magical services.

The Edicts of Lumen maintain peace and stability in the continent by reflecting the shared political will of all those party to it, but the voluminous document has many flaws, oversights, and loopholes. Many try to work around or flaunt its restrictions without triggering another catastrophic war. Recent disasters have tested the Edicts of Lumen, however, and they may not hold conflict at bay much longer.