The Kingdom of Mercia
The Kingdom of Mercia was once the most powerful Kingdom in Britain and held Bretwalda ( King of Kings) over much of Britain. At its height, Merca stretched from Northumbria in the north of England to Kent, Sussex and Wessex to the south. But time destroys all things, and Mercia is but a pale shadow of its former glory. Years of civil wars and blood feuds weakened the Kingdom as it fought against the Wealh Kings, Wessex, and Northumbria. Internal threats from various creatures in the land whittled the numbers of heroes willing to server the Ealdorman and rendered the Kingdom weak.
In 877 AD, the Great Heathen Army seized the eastern part of the kingdom to form the Danelaw and placed a puppet king named Ceolwulf on the throne. Ceolfwulf, eventually betrayed them and sent troops to aid Wessex in its pitched battle with the Danish army, leading some of his kingdom to be salvaged during the following peace.
Now Ceolwulf rules from Tamworth and all the remains of the Kingdom is the area now known as the Midlands. Mercians dream of somehow regain their lost glory while instead only barely holding its enemies at bay. Banditry and Danish raids are common and the Ealdorman face great difficulty ensuring the safety of the villages of Mercia and their farmland.
Ceolwulf was freed from his Danish overlords by the efforts of King Alfred, but the new alliance between Mercia and Wessex is fraught with conflict. Trust is in short supply and Ceolwulf does not believe Alfred helped him out of charity. He believes that Wessex intends to annex what remains of Mercia upon his death or the Danes might overwhelm the remainder of his kingdom, putting him firmly between two threats.
