Nordmark Lore Primer

The Northern Marches were once a collection of frontier settlements created as an collaboration between various city-states of Doradia, the realm of Sarvonia and the kingdoms of Ekraesia and Predan. The various colonies worked to protect the hinterlands from incursions coming from the Hobbian Steppes, Ogre Mountains and areas even further from civilization in exchange for relative autonomy from their sponsors. During the following decades, the Northern Marches unified into a singular militocratic territory, and out of the melting pot of cultures emerged a new name; 'The Nordmark'.
Much like the rest of Oidakaros, the Nordmark was unable to withstand the military might of Kadmezzan and his draconic legions once they came marching west. The Nordmarkian armies put up a significant fight, but were ultimately defeated. The Kadmezzan Empire however recognized the importance of the Nordmark as a shield to the more civilized lands behind it. The Nordmark was re-organized into the 'Zvatrich Satrapy' and forced to pay tribute, but it's cities once again remained relatively autonomous. The Nordmark being an sparsely populated and decentralized realm meant that the influence of the Kadmezzan Empire remained limited in comparison to other areas. Still, decades of subservience to a foreign power left behind it's traces. Many long-established royal families and military headpieces were unable to hold on to their seats of power, failed harvests and strict tribute payments crippled the economy and caused famines and the strict persecution of magic sent many individuals into hiding or fleeing to other parts of the world. Finally, the recruitment of large foreign legions of Nordmarkians into the Kadmezzian army left the realm unable to protect it's borders and people, causing most of them to abandon the countryside and move into the safety of city walls or leave for brighter horizons somewhere else.
Now the Kadmezzian Empire has fallen and the Nordmark is once again independent. However, the independence comes at a cost as the Nordmark like much of the rest of Oidakaros has descended into chaos and anarchy. The rough frontier is now even more sparsely settled and much more dangerous than it was before. Warlords, foreign powers and old royalty vie for control of various parts of the realm as monsters run free within. The landscape is dotted with ruined and abandoned settlements, castles and other construction belonging to a safer and more prosperous time. The last great bastion-city of the area - Mezwalfort - is under siege by Hobbian steppe-warriors banding together in even greater numbers than ever seen before.
Still, even through all this chaos, people travel to the Nordmark in search of what they hope to find. For some this means a new start; a new, unconquered, fertile land to make a name and home for themselves. For others, it means the procurement of great wealth and treasures, hidden away in long-forgotten crypts and dungeons. Other still come following the simple call for adventure - something which they are sure to find.