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Almost three centuries ago, King Fermas Vorokhoi, the ruler of a Sevastin kingdom in what would later be called Pine March, defeated both the Pershamon and the armies of Old Anadastros in a series of brutal campaigns fought in the forests and mountain passes of the Greater Farspar Trail. The Pershamon Empire found itself cut off from its recently acquired territories in the Kehler Lands, and Old Anadastros was forced to establish new defenses along the edge of the Middlemounts. This short war demonstrated that King Fermas possessed considerable arcane might, in addition to a fierce army. Following this sudden and unexpected victory, King Fermas attacked into Mismallon and Old Anadastros itself with brand new armies composed of the newly reanimated dead, Orcs and Goblinoid allies, and his own forces, which were composed of both his own troops and new human allies. Over the next two centuries, he slowly conquered much of the Western Kehler Lands. Vorokhoi moved with the patience of an immortal, working through spies and assassins where possible, direct attack where necessary. Always he advanced.A generation ago, Vorokhoi's forces conquered the last holdouts of Old Anadastros at Sarrad Keep, and he crossed into Terathmin. Vorokhoi's empire, built on tyranny and the darkest of magics, stretched from near the Dwarven citadel of Dur-Ahm in the far north, to Terathmin in the south, as far as the Siraden Sea coast in the east, and the Pershamon city of Susa in the west. The Pershamon were only able to hold Vorokhoi forces away from the heart of their empire at great cost and sacrifice. His domain now bears the epithet of the "Dark Empire".
It is now Year 235 of Vorokhoi, and in the east, Vorokhoi's Dark Empire is held at bay only by the forces of Nyremi, Leinth Gemir, and the Cespedes Commonwealth. The great kingdoms of Alastin and Alakai, thinking themselves safe in their distance, have made a tentative peace with the Dark Emperor. Nobody believes this will last. The PC's are members of one of the dispossessed noble houses of Old Anadastros, now living as refugees and guests of the Kingdom of Nyremi. They have retained their noble title, but must now serve at the behest of HRM Hesketos II, King of Nyremi. His father (HRM Hesketos I The Wise) extended generosity to the many cousins across the mountains in Old Anadastros when their lands were lost to the armies of Vorokhoi, but Hesketos II is growing impatient with the "guests". Rumor has spread that he wishes for the displaced nobility to start taking a more active role in retaking their lands, rather than simply living off the largesse of Nyremi.
Setting Notes: This campaign is set a thousand years before any of the other campaigns we have run... actually if you played in the "Rabbit Hole" campaign of several years ago, welcome back! Anyhow. I am a history guy, and my fantasy settings are not static. Please note the following differences:1) Languages: You can speak a number of additional languages equal to your Intelligence bonus, in addition to any others granted by the character/class rules. There is no actual "Kehler Common" yet. There are several different languages in common use, however. Anyone who is classy speaks Pershamon, even if not well. It is the language of the educated elite, as the Pershamon are pretty much the gold standard for "Classy". In the Dark Empire, humans speak Sevastin, while Orcish and Goblinoid are both widely known. The nobility also often speaks a derivative of Abyssal, which is used by Vorokhoi's more atrocious minions and allies. In the Kehler Lands, the following languages are used by humans - Alastin, Anadish, Gemiri, Rannik Kehler, Northern Kehler, Noladen, Montoc. In a millennium, several of these will all mingle into Kehler Common under the Kehler Empire. But not yet. Most humans speak their own language, and enough of the neighboring language to stumble through trading.
2) Technology: Aestan technology would be about equivalent to Earth in the 5th or 6th Centuries AD. No guns, no gunpowder. Any weapons are available, but it will be uncommon for commoners to be armed with things beyond simple weapons. If you have a martial weapon, you either are wealthy or have a wealthy patron, as good steel is pricy. Longswords mark one as a professional warrior or a person of status. Crossbows are not nearly as common as bows, especially shortbows, but they can be found in any city arsenal. Armor is also limited in the Kehler Lands - splint, plate and half-plate do not exist outside of the Dwarves, and even breastplates are only worn by nobility and kings on the field. Chainmail and chain shirts are the most common metal armor, but even those are worn only by professionals or the wealthy. Scale mail is common only among the Pershamon.
3) Civilization: This is not the Kehler Lands you may be used to. First, imagine Strahd's hangout, Barovia. Now imagine if it was the size of the Roman Empire. Then imagine if it wasn't Strahd at all, but Vecna. Or Lo Pan. Huh. I guess that's like Mordor. Well, that's next door in the Dark Empire. The rest of the Kehler Lands is mostly unsettled, uncivilized, or unexplored. The various kingdoms claim to rule much of it, but "civilization" is limited to the plains around the great river valleys. Away from that, there are no Imperial Roads, there aren't inns along the way. Orcs everywhere. Dragons and Giants have faded somewhat, but they have not been hunted to near-extinction by great continent-spanning empires. Humanity does not yet own Aestas.
4) Religion: The Kehler deities are venerated by most people, but the primacy of Aurintuli isn't a thing. People pray to whichever God seems most appropriate. Several foreign deities are also worshiped regionally. Outside of the cities, Druids are the most common and influential religious figures out in the countryside.Â
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