Divided Llael
A fallen and fragmented nation, Llael’s demise began in the winter of 604 AR when, in a lightning attack, Khador invaded and caught its people and their Cygnaran allies completely off guard. Seven months later, the Llaelese War ended with the surrender of Merywyn, the former capital. This has entirely changed the face of the nation, entering Llael into four long years of turmoil and constant adaptation to the changing face of their nation as it has been occupied, conquered, and repeatedly battled over by foreign powers. Most of the people had no desire to host the largest conflicts by the battle-ready armies of the Iron Kingdoms and desperately desire some return to normality, even if that means accepting foreign flags and masters. A minority of patriotic, stubborn, or embittered and enraged individuals refuse to give up the dream of Llael and fight on, forming the core of a Llaelese Resistance whose struggles become more desperate with each passing week. At present, what was once western Llael is increasingly accepting its lot and has begun rebuilding. A sizable number of citizens of Umbrean descent look on the new era with some optimism, as their once-divided people have been reunited with bloodlines from the west. Eastern Llael contains several Resistance havens but is increasingly dominated by the Northern Crusade of the Protectorate of Menoth and their religious zealotry.
In truth, Llael was a failed state well before the Khadorans marched on their shared border. The last strong Llaelese king died of old age almost ten years before the onset of this war, and his death plunged Llael’s nobles into a frenzy of selfconsuming plots and politics. This included the assassination of all the former king’s heirs as well as a number of duels and assassinations further thinning the ranks of the nobility. Prime Minister Deyar Glabryn took power and proved to be a corrupt and self-interested leader more intent on lining his pockets than governing his nation. The small and poorly funded Llaelese Army was further reduced in favor of mercenary contracts and an overreliance on Cygnaran aid. The Cygnaran Army spent considerable lives seeking to slow the inexorable Khadoran advance but was ultimately forced to withdraw to defend Cygnar’s own borders. It is widely believed Glabryn collaborated with the Khadorans by weakening the nation.
Prior to the invasion, Llael had a centuries-old reputation as a haven of court intrigue and shrewd financiers. Llael maintained sovereignty through intense political brokering. Its income came from the collection of tariffs made possible by its central location between several of the major powers of western Immoren. The region, in the midst of the trade route between Cygnar and Rhul, is of considerable strategic importance. This has been a blessing and a curse, filling Llaelese pockets in times of peace but constantly drawing the covetous eyes of Khador since the signing of the Corvis Treaties. Despite the recent turmoil, most of its surviving citizens simply try to carve out lives for themselves as best they can and see to the needs of their families. After almost four years under Khadoran rule, most have come to terms with being part of the Khadoran Empire. Their lives, similar to those in Cygnar and Ord before, have in some respects improved under the efficient management of the Khadorans.
Many opportunities have come into this region as a result of Khadoran investment, including work extending rail lines as well as considerable military industry, particularly in the capital of Merywyn and the large western city of Laedry. There is no doubt the Khadorans have improved the nation’s infrastructure. Despite these factors, resentment toward the Khadorans lingers, particularly in parts of Llael that saw the worst of the war. The tally of deaths from the invasion remains unknown. Tales of the burning of Riversmet and other wartime horrors reverberate throughout the kingdoms. It will take more than a few years for these incidents to be forgotten.
In both Merywyn and Laedry there has been something of a reversal of fortunes between the Ryn and the Umbrean people. While many Llaelese Umbreans were proud of their nation, they were also marginalized, with military service their only hope for advancement. Many of the most fervid were killed in the invasion, fighting to save their homes. Those who remain remember the lack of respect they suffered from the Ryn. A renewal of Umbrean spirit has swept the region, and increasingly Umbreans are gaining positions of authority and influence, while Ryn scramble to curry favor. For the Umbreans in particular, life has improved under the new government, even if the region remains in turmoil.
Llael also possesses natural resources that for centuries enabled it to stay competitive with its larger neighbors, notably a high content of coal and, in the northern mountains and particularly around Rynyr, great quantities of the minerals required for making blasting powder. With nobility owning the lands, Llael’s upper classes increased their wealth from coal and powder profits while the nation’s poor did all the work. Indeed, the disparity between the classes appeared more clearly in Llael than anywhere else in the kingdoms, yet thousands of workers from all over western Immoren arrived daily to work the mines. Little has changed except that now Khadoran laborers work alongside former Llaelese citizens and the fruits of their toil puts food on the tables of the kayazy industrialists rather than the Rynnish aristocracy.
Though battles between the Llaelese Resistance and the Khadoran occupiers still flare, the central conflict in this nation changed with the arrival of the Sul-Menite Northern Crusade. Technically allied to the Resistance, the Northern Crusade has seized vast swaths of Llaelese land for the Protectorate of Menoth. New battle lines have been drawn between the Khadorans who have conquered the region and the Sul-Menites, with the Black River as the main divider.
Eastern Llael past the Black River remains in greater chaos, with the southern portion still held by the most dedicated leaders of the Llaelese Resistance and the northern city of Leryn and its environs in the grip of the Northern Crusade. The relationship between these allies of convenience became strained after the Protectorate moved into Leryn and it became clear the Menites were more interested in gaining a foothold and converting the Llaelese citizenry than in driving out the Khadorans. Many here who are not of the Menite faith have begun to wonder if their lives might have been better under Khadoran rule. For others, the difficulties of the last several years have provoked renewed piety, and they pray for salvation, miracles, divine intervention, or mercy. The faith of both Morrowans and Menites in the region is stronger, and some Llaelese see the Northern Crusade not as invaders or occupiers but as deliverers.
Another significant power in the region is the looming presence of Rhul to the north. Even the Khadoran Empire respects Rhul’s military might and are aware of its interests here due to ongoing vital trade through the region. Many southern Rhulfolk disapprove of the Khadoran Empire and its conquests—a number of Rhulic citizens who lived and worked in Llaelese cities were casualties of the war—but ultimately the preservation of trade is their priority. Rhul trades with the Khadoran Empire as much as with other nations so has been unwilling to take sides.
Despite Khadoran control of the Black River through Llael, Rhulic shipments have found ways to reach Cygnar and Ord. Some degree of Khadoran complicity seems likely, even if only in the form of bribes. In truth, the costs to Rhulic interests are not substantially greater than they were before the war; the coin once paid to Llaelese nobles and merchants as exorbitant tariffs is simply now spent on bribes and smugglers.
The simmering strife makes the region a considerably less desirable place to live, but it also provides opportunities for the courageous and ambitious. This is particularly true for mercenaries, as there is no end to clients looking for armed and skilled individuals. Whether motivated by greed or by sympathy for the locals, warriors-for-hire have flocked to the region, and a variety of commerce and services have sprung up to accommodate them. Locals may disdain such trade as warprofiteering, but they also may find themselves needing to rely on the sell-swords for protection.
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