"And as I stare into the flames of the rift itself, the answer still eludes me. What is the secret to this canker festering at the very heart of our world? How can we heal it?"
Located in the northern center of the Sinnar Ocean, the kingdom of Mendev flourishes and festers in equal measure, for it exists for one reason; to host holy crusades against the demonic Worldwound, a massive gash in Lloegyr's surface from which cascades hordes of demons from the abyss.
Mendev is the sole state on a small continent that shares its name, though it does not occupy the majority of its landmass. This distinction belongs to the demonic wasteland that surrounds the Worldwound, where abyssal disasters strike with frightening ferocity and frequency, and holy protection is necessary for even basic subsistence for more than a brief venture.
For decades, the crusaders of Mendev have been at war with the demons that serve the Demon Lord Deskari, Lord of Locusts, and his occasional allies among the ranks of other Demon Lords. Paladins, soldiers of fortune, unfortunate conscripts, and daring adventurers alike have thrown themselves into the crusades, winning fame and glory
Mendev has developed a unique culture since its inception, influenced by several groups: its nobility which serves to sponsor and fund the crusades, the ranks of the crusaders themselves, and the lost traditions of old Sarkoris which once stood where the Worldwound now lingers. The crusades accept all comers from all across the world, welcoming holy pilgrims, mercenaries, vengeful justice-seekers, and even deathbound convicts into its ranks. This creates an eclectic melting pot of a populace, all endangered by the demonic threat just outside of their front doors.
The Crusader Kingdom of Mendev
Founded at the end of the First Crusade, the kingdom of Mendev is a fragile state founded on the metaphorical edge of the abyss. Led by the virtuous Paladin-Queen Galfrey, Mendev is the heart and source of the Mendevian crusades; dedicated military offensives launched against the demons of the Worldwound.
For more detailed information, see
The Crusader Kingdom of Mendev.
The Worldwound
The Worldwound is the name given to the demon-haunted wasteland that covers the eastern half of the land of Mendev. It was created in an unknown year roughly a century before the First Mendevian Crusade, when a planar tear to the Abyss opened in the barbarian land of Sarkoris. Although it has been contained by the ceaseless efforts of the crusaders of Mendev and by the fortunate geographical location in the middle of the Sinnar Ocean, it remains one of the greatest threats to life on the face of Lloegyr.
For more detailed information, see
The Worldwound.
History
The Lost Land of Sarkoris
Before there was Mendev, before there was the Worldwound, there was Sarkoris. The small continent now split between Mendev and the demonic gash in the world's surface was once a land awash with lush greenery and bountiful resources, populated by a myriad of barbarian and druidic clans that all called themselves Sarkorians.
Though there was feuding and warring between clans, the Sarkorians shared their lands beholden to common beliefs in clan-specific deities and a connection to the land itself. The Sarkorians feared arcane magic most of all, for they believed it ran contrary to the druidic forces of the earth that gave them life and succor. Arcane spellcasters of all shapes and sizes were branded witches in Sarkoris, and were rounded up to be imprisoned, burned at the stake, or subjected to all sorts of brutal, punitive tortures.
Some say that the Sarkorian superstition was proven right when Areelu Vorlesh, the greatest and most powerful of the Sarkorian witches, committed the ultimate act of arcane blasphemy. By her hand and through means still unknown to even the most prolific magic scholars, Areelu broke through the boundaries of the Prime Material plane and opened a rift into the Abyss, from which the hordes of the Demon Lord Deskari poured forth. The Sarkorians, as they fled their homes and died in droves at the hands of the Lord of Locusts, dubbed this great gash in the world's surface 'The Worldwound'.
In a few short months, Sarkoris had been all but wiped from the face of Lloegyr, and Areelu earned the two titles she is now known by; The Architect of the Worldwound, and the Betrayer of Humanity. None know why she brokered an alliance with Deskari, nor do any know what became of her after the Worldwound was created; yet her creation, her great sin, still survives to the present day, threatening all life should it go uncontained.
The First Mendevian Crusade (3417 - 3425 I.R.)
The kingdom known today as Mendev came from humble origins, beginning as a small holy mission led by a single man. Sir Grigori Mendev was a Knight in the service of the goddess Muir from the Lyre Valley region, who suffered a crisis of faith when the High Altar of Muir was lost in the year
3414 I.R. as the church and clergymen withdrew from increasing danger in the area.
To mend his faith in the cause of justice and peace through the waging of war, Sir Mendev vowed to gather a troupe of fearless knights with whom he would travel across the sea to what was then known as the lost isle of Sarkoris. There, he intended to slay what demons he could, proving his oath to Muir and assuring his fellow faithful that their beliefs were not in vain.
Faced with a self-imposed mission that would almost certainly mean his death, Sir Mendev departed from his homeland and embarked on a pilgrimage, seeking temples and cities dedicated to the Muse throughout the land. Upon this pilgrimage did the knight seek spiritual guidance, magic equipment, and fellows to join him on his dangerous mission. Surprising even himself, many of the faithful identified with Mendev's cause and holy ambition and swore themselves to his cause. As the size of his entourage grew, so did its notoriety, and soon even the followers of the other good gods began to follow the paladin on what had become known to the people of the land as "Mendev's Crusade".
In addition to the faithful, many governments saw the growing 'Crusade' as an opportunity to rid themselves of several problems; dispossessed nobles, wandering mercenary companies, and undesirable criminals were sent off to walk in the wake of Sir Mendev, joining his holy retinue.
By the time Mendev and his forces gathered at the shores of Freegate three years later in
3417 I.R., they numbered in the thousands; Mendev's crusade was not comprised soley of holy knights and righteous priests, but also included mercenaries, craftsmen, and hopeful settlers who wished to rediscover the supposedly verdant lands of Sarkoris for themselves. An armada of ships set sail due east across the Gulf of Akados towards the lost island of Sarkoris, their passengers intent on being the first mortals to set foot on Sarkoris in over a hundred years. The church of Muir eventually officially sanctioned this passage of warriors, consecrating it as the Mendevian Crusade - though to modern scholars it is now known more accurately as the
First Mendevian Crusade.
Among Sir Mendev's followers was a squire named
Galfrey, a young noblewoman who had abandoned her failing noble house to follow in the steps of Mendev's pilgrimage. The young Galfrey became Mendev's favored pupil, and despite her youth and inexperience, she proved a capable leader and tactician beyond her years. She quickly rose to the unofficial rank of Mendev's second-in-command, and many grizzled veterans and old knights entrusted their fates to her strategies on the battlefield.
Mendev's crusaders found themselves on the western shore of Sarkoris, in a land torn apart by the passage of demons. However, though the Abyss had undeniably left its mark, the land yet persevered, with fields and forests far from the Worldwound remaining livable, if not scarred and corrupted. This sight filled the crusaders with hope as they marched on towards the Worldwound, confident that the land could be restored.
The first Mendevian Crusade lasted for eight years, during which the entirety of the western Sarkorian lowlands were liberated from demonic control. Although no strategic gains were made as far as the Worldwound itself, the demons were clearly unprepared for such a large force to meet them in battle, and many scattered back to the old Sarkorian heartlands where they were finally able to stall the Crusader offensive.
The First Crusade culminated in the
Battle of the Sellen, where the mighty Sir Mendev met his end at the hands of Lord Deskari himself. Popular legend depicts Sir Mendev as plunging his blade directly into the heart of the Lord of Locusts, sending the demon-lord to reconstitute himself in the Abyss even as the old paladin's lifeblood drained into the River Sellen. Although Deskari would return in time, his pride would be forever wounded by this grave injury. For his role in the crusade and in felling Deskari, Mendev was canonized as a saint in the Muiran holy texts.
The Founding of Mendev (3425 I.R.)
Although the Battle of the Sellen was seen as a victory, the crusaders' losses were staggering, and the death of Sir Mendev was a major blow to morale. The church of Muir officially called an end to the Mendevian Crusade in
3425 I.R., and the crusaders now had to manage the land that they had taken back from the demons. As clerics worked to heal the land of abyssal corruption, the crusaders and the settlers who had followed in their wake gathered in three major war camps. These war camps, quickly flooded by settlers and opportunists seeking to reap the rewards won by the crusaders, soon grew into the cities of
Nerosyan, Kenabres, and Drezen.
Faced with the unprecedented and unexpected success of the Mendevian Crusade, the kingdoms that had sent their undesirables into the maws of the demons began to debate with each other over how the newly won land would be divided amongst them. Recognizing that this was an affront to the faithful that had shed blood to drive Deskari's hordes back in the name of the good of mortalkind, not in the name of any country, Sir Mendev's successor stepped forward and entreated the Church of Muir for another path forward.
The young
Galfrey, now a battle-hardened Knight Commander that had succeeded her mentor as the leader of the Crusaders following the Battle of the Sellen, appealed to the church and asked that a new kingdom be formed outside of the influence of the other states that circled the newly liberated lands like hungry buzzards. The church agreed, and the high priests of the Muse crowned Galfrey as
Queen Galfrey of the newly founded kingdom of
Mendev, so named after the most holy hero that made its creation possible.
Naming Nerosyan her capital, Galfrey settled into the freshly claimed lands and dedicated herself to the revitalization of the old Sarkorian lands and the defending of the newly settled cities. The name 'Sarkoris' soon fell out of use, and the continent containing the Worldwound would come to be known solely as Mendev to all but the most exacting of historians.
Although she refused them land following the first crusade, Galfrey established contacts with many of the kingdoms on both sides of the Sinnar Ocean. These diplomatic ties were critical in growing the newfound kingdom, for her farmlands were ailing and her exports near non-existent. Outside kingdoms would aid the economically challenged Mendev, seeing the success of the crusade as an opportunity to not only influence the newest kingdom in the land, but also as an opportunity to contribute to the stemming of the demon tides to earn themselves pious reputations in the eyes of the holy and righteous.
Particularly clever settlers, commoners and disenfranchised foreign nobles both, would establish business ventures in the new cities and seek merchants the world over who saw potential in investing in the fledgling Mendev. Many of these enterprising individuals garnered great amounts of wealth in a short amount of time, becoming the first of Mendev's nobility in short order.
The Second Mendevian Crusade (3433 - 3440 I.R.)
By the year
3433 I.R., the crusaders of Mendev had become complacent. The explosive growth of their new kingdom, the raising of grand temples and stone walls, and the aid of outside kingdoms had all but convinced them that the demons would never dare to challenge them in force again. Although occasional battles with the demons of the Worldwound did occasionally break out, no conflict ever rose to the intensity of the First Crusade; not until the tragic fall of
Drezen.
Staunton Vhane, a decorated dwarven crusader who served with distinction in the First Crusade and had risen to become commander of the Fortress-City of Drezen, was left in charge of a holy relic known as the
Sword of Valor. This mighty relic, a crimson banner that was said to have been carried by Muir herself, was capable of repelling demons and thwarting any attempts at teleportation in its vicinity.
Staunton, though a mighty crusader and an exemplar of faith to Barator, was also a glory-hound who wished to prove his righteousness by winning critical victories over the demons. It was through this lust for glory that he was tricked by a lilitu demoness into carrying the Sword of Valor onto the battlefield, rather than leaving it behind to cast its aura over Drezen. As Staunton took to the field against a host of demonic invaders, another force swept into the undefended fortress and slaughtered every last mortal within Drezen's walls. Drezen became the stronghold of the powerful marilith Zuhra Aponavicius, a bloodthirsty monster even among demonkind.
The tragic loss of Drezen was a wake-up call for the Mendevian crusaders, who quickly called the
Second Mendevian Crusade with the blessing of the Church of Muir.
The crusaders took to the field, eager to replicate the success of the First Crusade. However, they soon realized that they were no longer dealing with uncoordinated groups of fiends run amok; the demons were now led by powerful abyssal generals, who employed tactics in battle that were uncommon among demonkind. Unable to win any ground nor reclaim Drezen, the crusaders soon realized that driving the demons back was impossible. Instead they relinquished any hope of recovering Drezen, and instead opted for containment.
After years of grueling losses and pyrrhic victories, The High Priests of Muir were called upon to create the
Wardstones; massive monoliths placed in standing cities and fortresses, that were capable of creating a nigh-impenetrable wall against demonkind. These relics, created from heavenly power from on high, saved thousands of lives; however, the lands beyond their great wall were considered lost for good.
Even though it culminated in the creation of the Wardstones, the seven-year-long Second Crusade was considered a miserable failure that highlighted the hubris of those who had served in the First Crusade. Staunton Vhane, who had survived the fall of Drezen and turned himself in, was shown mercy by Queen Galfrey and was sentenced to join the ranks of the Condemned; a force of criminals and sinners who sought redemption and clemency by serving the crusades. Staunton, hated and treated as less than garbage by other crusaders for his pivotal role in the fall of Drezen, remains with the Condemned to the present day.
The Third Mendevian Crusade (3460 - 3463 I.R.)
After the Second Crusade ended with a total loss of Drezen and the creation of the Wardstones, there was a momentary lull in demon attacks. The fiends spent time consolidating their power, and started turning their gaze towards subtler methods of infiltration. This demonic initiative was greatly influenced by the cultists of the demon lord Baphomet, who allied himself with Deskari and infiltrated numerous crusader organizations and churches.
At the same time, the Mendevian Crusaders had been running out of the strong warriors that had participated in the first two crusades, and loosened the standards for new recruits. Faced with increasing corruption within the crusader ranks, the Third Crusade was called without the authority of the Church of Muir.
The crusade quickly devolved into ferreting out demonic corruption through witch hunts; these pogroms grew increasingly paranoid and violent, and also began targeting those who followed arcane and druidic disciplines. The Mendevian government officially stepped in and shut down the crusade in 3463 I.R., putting an end to the witch hunts; however, resentment for the blood shed remained, as did paranoia against possible demonic infiltration.
A notable figure that emerged during the Third Crusade was Hulrun Shappok, a zealous inquisitor of Muir who was said to have possibly sparked the crusade himself. Despite his role in the hunts, Hulrun would later rise to the rank of Prelate and become ruler of the city of Kenabres, second in power in Mendev only to Galfrey herself.
The Fourth Mendevian Crusade (3487 - 3502 I.R.)
In 3487, over two-decades after the conclusion of the disastrous Third Crusade, a new leader emerged among the demons; Khorramzadeh the Storm King, a powerful balor of unmatched tactical genius among his kind. The Storm King was able to damage the Kenabres Wardstone and cross the holy barrier, but were eventually driven back after the balor was almost salin by the silver dragon
Terendelev.
This worrying development led to the calling of the Fourth Crusade in order to defeat the Storm King before he had the chance to unite more demons under his banner. Lasting 15 years, this was the longest and most exhausting of the four crusades, and ended in 3502 with a demonic retreat and the crusaders left too exhausted to press their advantage.
The Fourth Crusade also marked the appearance of the Eagle Watch, a knightly order tasked with reigning in the excessive purges and inquisitions started in the Third Crusade. Their efforts were largely successful, although the cleansing fire of purity still glows the strongest in Kenabres to the present day.
Modern Mendev (3503 I.R. - Present)
As of 3518 I.R., a fifth crusade has yet to be called, though tensions and worries over the condition of the Wardstones run higher than ever. Demonic infiltration becomes more sophisticated, and the generals of the Worldwound only grow smarter. Many Mendevians consider the failure of the Wardstones to be inevitable; the only questions are when will they fail, and what will the crusaders do when such evil comes to pass?
Queen Galfrey, reigning for nearly 100 years, remains as youthful as she did during the First Crusade despite her being a human. Popular legend attributes her unfading youth to a blessing from Muir herself, but some know the truth of Galfrey's use of potions that prolong her life and elongate her youthful beauty. The queen remains beloved by her people, but critics of her reign wonder if the people love her as a ruler and a wise stateswoman, or as a crusader and a symbol of the Muiran faith. She has yet to sire any direct heirs, though she has a fair number of cousins that stand ready to inherit the throne should the unlikely come to pass and Galfrey chooses to lay down her sword.
Having existed for over a century, Mendev is young for a kingdom, but the cause of the Mendevian crusades is older than many wars ever last to be. The original crusaders have largely been dead for at least three generations, and few are those who remember the inception of Mendev as a sovereign state. The people of Mendev rely upon the crusades for purpose and identity, for it is all they have ever known since settling the lands of old Sarkoris. Crusading is seen as a matter of course, a necessary duty to contain the demons, and few harbor any hopes of sealing the Worldwound or even reclaiming Drezen.
However, a pall hangs over all those who take up arms in Mendev, an unspoken certainty that all eventually come to a reckoning with; the crusades can only end in the eradication of the Worldwound, or in the fall of Mendev. Only time will tell which comes to pass.
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