The May’Kar Dominion – Faedrun – OLD WORLD

The May’Kar Dominion is a small nation to the north of Vandregon and near the center of the continent of Faedrun. A smaller kingdom, the May’Kar Dominion is home to a large religious faction called the Mahsai. The Mahsai religion is unique in that it does not have a definite structure or doctrine in how its worshippers are expected to follow their faith. The core basis of the Mahsai is that it does not matter what you believe, only that you do. The Mahsai are open about their religion and with how it can be interpreted through various forms and mediums, and are more concerned about overall spirituality. To aid in their expression, the May’Kar culture has developed a very unique stance on art. Much like two artists can be handed a paintbrush and a set of paints and make two completely different paintings, religion can be expressed differently. The cities of the May’Kar are usually decorated with more art than the other human kingdoms and involve paintings, sculptures, gardens, and creations of expression. This view had both earned the respect of other groups and nations because of their welcoming and open stance on religion but has also put them at odds with the strictly organized religions that exist. The Dominion itself features a much larger percentage of Syndar as well as the beliefs of both races are not as much of a difference in an open-religion environment.

The May’Kar Dominion is led by a government that is a mixture of clerics and politicians that are the religious, militant, and governing power behind the entire nation. Their banner colors are light and dark blue, representing both water and mana, and their crest is a white sun.

The May’Kar Dominion is also home to a small group of insular nomads, the Kae’Rim. Seemingly separate from the larger society, they tend to wander from place to place, and have an absolute prohibition on violence against any living thing.

The May’Kar Dominion has maintained good relations with all the human kingdoms and also several of the Syndar nations. They were not involved in the Battle of Grayfield; at that time, the May’Kar Dominion was small and still growing. The Syndar were always welcomed into the Dominion and their teachings on magic and mana were accepted into their studies. Of all the human nations, the May’Kar were the most critical in bridging the gap between humans and Syndar.

The geography of May’Kar is fairly harsh as most of the territory is desert. The heart of the May’Kar Dominion and their capitol lies centered around the enormous Sareshian Oasis. This nation could never sustain the numbers that Vandregon could due to the climate and the size of its lands, but has done very well adapting to the different oasis locations and areas that can sustain cities and life. The capitol of Saresh is said to be one of the most beautiful and spiritual places in the world, a real world paradise in the middle of a harsh wasteland.
Only once has a military force tried to conquer May’Kar and they failed; the desert terrain and climate too difficult to traverse while also combating a nation centered around healing arts. The May’Kar army thrived in this attrition oriented fight; they knew how to fight in the desert and with strong healing and protection powers they could withstand overwhelming attacks. The May’Kar also have a very strict code of honor and regard all life as sacred. When attacking soldiers surrendered and the May’Kar treated them very well and gave them healing, shelter, food, and water the attacking army disbanded quickly.

The Undead Plague – Faedrun

When the undead arrived on Faedrun, May’Kar went untouched for quite some time. They pledged powerful warrior clerics and paladins to Vandregon’s cause and helped keep numerous soldiers alive and used divine power to destroy the undead, but they did not have the numbers to turn the tide of major battles. After years of fighting , the undead finally reached the borders of May’Kar and moved troops to conquer it. The desert climate was extremely harsh on the ill equipped Penitent but proved to be useless against the undead. If it were not for their powerful divine magic, the May’Kar Dominion would have fallen immediately. For a nation prepared to wait out any attackers, they were finally challenged by an enemy with infinite patience and no need for food, water, shelter or sleep. This stalemate continue for the next 35 years, with almost the entire border of May’Kar surrounded by the undead. If not for the support of Vandregon, the entire nation would have been encircled by the undead.

The Bishop-King that ruled when the war began had a son who lived and grew during a time of constant war. The prince was well liked and benevolent. When the Bishop-King passed away of old age, the Prince took the throne and continued his father’s legacy. He was well liked, fair, and genuine. The May’Kar Dominion had never before been ruled by such a great ruler and the people supported him at every turn. He ruled from the age of 16 until he was 40 years old, until he suddenly passed away. The nation was crushed at his untimely death and mourned him. He was the shining light to their entire nation and now he was gone. With no heir to assume the throne, the Bishops of the Dominion tried to keep the nation together, but some say the people’s faith in the Bishop-King was the only thing keeping the Dominion together.

Nobody knows exactly what happened next. The May’Kar Dominion was on the brink of collapse when suddenly the soldiers were renewed with amazing vigor and turned on the forces of Vandregon. May’Kar warrior clerics, embedded or supporting Vandregon infantry, suddenly turned on their allies in a series of brutal and bloody attacks. Rumors from the captured May’Kar soldiers said that the benevolent King had risen from the dead and enlightened his people about the true purpose of the undead. When the King welcomed penitent and undead forces alike into May’Kar borders and the people were spared, the populace was shocked. With the return of their beloved king, the people rallied around him. The penitent numbers grew as an entire nation swelled its ranks.

The Vandregonian Army was split and the northern army besieged the May’Kar Dominion. A route through the desert and along the oasis could lead the penitent and undead army straight into the heart of Vandregon. This would cut the entire Kingdom in half and divine its people and failing to deal with it could be the downfall of Vandregon. For years, the two armies clashed; Vandregon’s superior numbers unable to be utilized fully in the desert climate. Without the help of May’Karian defectors aiding Vandregon, the Dominion may have survived the assault. Even with the help of the penitent and undead, the May’Kar Dominion was eventually overrun by Vandregon. With the populace turned into zealots for the cause, Vandregon had no option but to kill almost everyone in the entire nation. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers and civilians alike were put to death and burned on funeral pyres. The phrase “There is nothing more chilling than a desert funeral pyre” became a grim saying of the time. The May’Kar Dominion was annihilated almost to a man. The “Risen King” had retreated into the heart of the undead army and was never destroyed.

The undead could have committed enough soldiers to defend May’Kar, but it was at this time that the majority of the undead and penitent army moved into Aldoria and crushed the nation. It was a combination of the splitting of the Vandregonian army, the betrayal of the May’Kar dominion, and the fall of Aldoria that was the turning point in the war.

True May’Kar – Mardrun Colony

After the destruction of their homeland, the May’Kar were all but wiped out. The few remaining soldiers that survived stayed and fought with the army of Vandregon. They were ashamed and mortified that their nation would betray the rest of the world, yet they retained their colors and fought on. They called themselves the Mahsai of the True May’Kar and continued to uphold the ideals of their once proud nation.

Continuous fighting and the distance from the coast meant that few very May’Kar ever made it onto the boats to Mardrun. The handful of soldiers that may be present in the colony were probably assigned to Vandregon units away from the nation years ago and escaped when those units were displaced. Any remaining May’Kar warriors are still very proud of their heritage and continue to wear their nation’s colors, even if they have a dual meaning. To some, the colors represent honorable holy warriors that carried on through the worst disaster of their people. To others, it represents mankind’s largest and most horrible betrayal that started The Fall.

The Kingdom of Vandregon- Old World

The Kingdom of Vandregon lies on the south western portion of the continent of Faedrun. Its massive territory curls around into a crescent shape. Aldoria lies to the east, Maykar to the north east inside the curve, and the Syndar nations to the far north. Their colors are Gray and Red, representing steel and life. The Vandregon army flies the Gray and Red colors but the Rangers of Vandregon, a large and organized scouting and recon force, are represented by Gray and Green, representing steel and nature.

The knights of Vandregon are the most skilled heavy cavalry in the world, and they ride sturdy and loyal warhorses with a reputation for being absolutely unflappable even in the most dire of situations. Even the peasant militias are better trained and better equipped than most other foot soldiers in the old world. The men of Vandregon are a courageous and proud people, with a long succession of wise and noble Kings.

Home to the largest human population, Vandregon maintains good relations with almost all the human and Syndar kingdoms. They aid other kingdoms when needed, are fair in their dealings, but firm in their ideals and negotiations. The men of Vandregon adhere to a strict code of chivalry, and the people highly value honor and brotherhood as their primary ideals. The territory of Vandregon is large and divided into sections that are ruled by a House; fourteen Houses total made up of a number of nobles, barons, sheriffs, and mayors from their respective territories. Each House has a territory they govern and provide Senators to the governing body of Vandregon. The Senators have a fair amount of power and represent the people of the territory they govern, but the military and kingdom treasury is run directly by the King and his council. The King oversees the Senate and the government is a mix of monarchy and democracy. The King has the most power but if enough Senators disagree with the King they can vote him down but it is a higher than majority ruling; 10 houses must oppose the King’s ruling for it to be overruled. This system is fair and favors change and rapid decision making and has been critical in Vandregon’s growth over time.

Vandregon has grown into the greatest human civilization the world has known. The Kings and Senators, all of whom have achieved knighthood at some point in their lives, have all worked together to build it into what it has become. The enormous military keeps its people safe and the Houses make sure to tend to the needs of the territory. Vandregon has been blessed with a continued line of great rulers and its people are genuinely happy and hard working which makes them productive and prosperous. Every peasant in every country dreams of a good government and kingdom; of a place where people are ruled with firm but benevolent leaders. Vandregon has become just that. People do not fear the military, the politicians, or the King but instead look to them for guidance and leadership. The other human kingdoms have never fully committed to war with Vandregon but border skirmishes and battles over the kingdom’s long history have happened. The closest that Vandregon ever got to full scale war were the initial battles and skirmishes with the Syndar kingdoms to the North and with the Kingdom of Aldoria during the Battle of Grayfield. If fully committing to war, there is not a single human kingdom that could defend against Vandregon’s military for long.

The Undead Plague on Faedrun, and the Fall of Vandregon

The King of Vandregon wasted no time fully committing the army to combating the undead. He knew the threat that this organized force would face, and realized that the longer they waited, the more powerful the Undead would become. Instead of simply mobilizing and reinforcing the borders, the army needed to comb through the land and flush out the undead. Not only that, but the source of the Undead plague needed to be discovered and destroyed. The bulk of his Infantry was dispatched to cleanse the countryside and purge the Undead from within the borders, while Cavalry, Rangers, Knights Errant, and brave volunteer Adventurers formed expeditionary forces to locate the heart of the Undead menace. This is when it was discovered just how widespread and embedded this threat had become. Villages all over Vandregon’s borders were taxed to their limit as town guards could barely keep people safe. When the peasants began to rebel and take up arms against the Vandregon army, the true magnitude of the threat was realized.

What was initially thought of as isolated outbreaks of undead and of crazed or fever-maddened townsfolk was actually the beginning of an organized effort that began to call themselves the Penitent. Almost overnight, this rebel army sprang up and began to overwhelm or destroy the smaller Vandregon army units that were combing the land and fighting the undead. The King mobilized a much larger army to counter attack the Penitent, but realized that the undead curse and the Penitent had spread to other kingdoms and the opposing army was much larger than anticipated. As the fighting continued, the dead on both sides did nothing but bolster the numbers of the massive undead horde beginning to form. The very soldiers sent to fight and stop the Penitent army were rising again to fight for the undead. All out war erupted both at the borders of Vandregon and inside the kingdom’s lands. Panic gripped the entire continent.

The army of Vandregon managed to hold it’s own against the undead and penitent for a number of years. It was a long and grueling war and the casualties suffered on both sides were staggering. People were born and grew up in a world where war was all they had ever known. The King and the Senate used all the resources and strategic planning they had at their disposal to keep Vandregon alive. Vandregon was supported by and became a haven for refugees when the smaller kingdoms fell and were displaced. Soldiers trained constantly and held the lines against an unimaginable foe. Mages and clerics from numerous orders searched the continent and tried to discover secrets or new weapons to use against the undead. Rangers and scouts moved in and out of dangerous territories looking for weaknesses to exploit. Through years of war, the Vandregon army forged some of the most skilled and veteran warriors, heroes of legend who forged a name in history and spurred on the soldiers around them. The cost of constant fear of the undead also became a huge problem, as a large numbers of soldiers broke down due to psychological trauma or defected to the ranks of the penitent. Every day was a battle and every new dawn a miracle.

While the expeditionary forces never confirmed the location or the source of the Undead, they did discover that the enemy was using the former May’Kar dominion as a headquarters, and that there was reportedly an Undead leader there called “The Risen King”. The Maykar Dominion had betrayed the other kingdoms, and joined the penitent cause. It was the only lead they had, and they were running out of time. The army of Vandregon was split to deal with this new threat so entrenched near the heart of Vandregon territory, and a grand crusade was launched. The King of Vandregon asked the other Kingdoms for aid, but only the Syndar of Tielorrien joined them in any real numbers. The Aldorians not only refused to send any troops, but actually asked for more aid from Vandregon. The situation was grim, and this was a desperate gamble. If the undead and penitent used the trade routes through the desert to get into Vandregon, they could cut the entire kingdom in half. The Northern half of the army continued to root out the undead inside the Vandregon borders and began an offensive campaign against the MayKar Dominion. It took years to fight and begin to defeat the traitor kingdom, and the diversion was costly. During the tail end of the battle with MayKar, Vandregon tried to divert some resources to Aldoria so they could search for and fund a colony. At first it was just to find another land, and then when it was found it was to pledge support and supplies to ship building. Several cities shifted gears and tried to build ships to assist in the effort in building the colony.

The Southern half of the army focused on the enormous line between the heart of the Vandregon and the enemy. They could barely stand against the undead, but were trying to hold out long enough for the Northern army to join them when they conquered MayKar. When the undead decimated Aldoria, their numbers exploded because of new penitent joining their cause or the dead coming back to fill in the ranks. The undead army renewed its attack on Vandregon with tens of thousands of fresh undead troops, and it overwhelmed the Southern army. This event, from the start of the split to the decimation of half of the Vandregonian army, was called “The Fall”.

The Northern half of the army retreated to the far western and northern reaches of Vandregon. The southern half was decimated. The army broke into smaller groups and tried to retreat. Some units were able to fall back, some were slaughtered to a man, some are rumored still lost deep inside undead territory. Few made it across the ocean in boats to Mardrun. Half of the largest and most disciplined army in human history was utterly destroyed. With the Southern army gone, the massive horde of Undead and penitent poured into the lands of Vandregon unchecked. The nation of Vandregon was ravaged as the people fled towards the Northern army or tried to squeeze into dangerously overloaded ships sailing East. The capitol city of Vandregon was razed to the ground.

Vandregon, the largest human society and the strongest military army on Faedrun, was destroyed.

Vandregon Refugees – Mardrun Colony

Much of the government was still on Faedrun and most of the Southern Vandregon army gave their lives defending against or slowing down the undead. Most of the soldiers that made it across were wounded or escorts. More than one story has been told of survivors being loaded onto boats so filled with people they are barely sea worthy and ranks of Vandregon soldiers defending to the last man, taken down one by one by penitent and undead just to give the civilians a chance to get away and out to sea. The ferocity and skill of these doomed soldiers fighting in their last moments has become a legend in itself.

To this day, nobody knows the true fate of the Northern army and the north western half of Vandregon.

Vandregon hasn’t recovered in any sort of organized way since The Fall. The soldiers and civilians who made it across on the boats were more refugees and survivors than organized groups starting a new life. A fair number of colonists are from Vandregon, but the lack of organization has them scattered all over the colony territories and carrying on with their new lives. Some of the nobility that formed the colony of Newhope originated from Vandregon, but they are more concerned with the colony than they are with breathing new life into the old colors. Being a nation founded upon chivalry and Knighthood, the sad fact of the matter is that most of the leadership of Vandregon rode out to protect the retreat of their people from Faedrun, and died doing their duty as Knights.

Recently, however, a young and ambitious Knight from Vandregon has been organizing and training an infantry unit that wears the colors of his native land. The new army of Vandregon grows in strength everyday under the charismatic leadership of Sir William, Grandson of Sir Alexander. The New Army of Vandregon has made its presence known in the colonies, and their patrols of outlying villages have made the region safer from Mordok attacks. To the local civilian populace, the colors of Vandregon are a welcome sight, and the Soldiers of the new army of Vandregon have developed a reputation as honorable and brave fighters, true to the ideals of chivalry and the proud traditions of their homeland. The New Army of Vandregon helps to protect the farmers and colonists who live too far away from the main colonies to be under anyone else’s protection. They train and equip small local militias, and are constantly recruiting from the local populace as they make their patrols. The New Army of Vandregon made up an important part of the Ulven/Human/Phoenix Syndar alliance that stood against the Lich on Mardrun, and they have even sent troops to help aid the Watchwolves and Nightrivers in the Ulven Civil War.

The standard currency from Faedrun, the Vandregon Silver, survived the trip to Mardrun. Enough coins are in circulation that it is still considered the standard form of currency for the colonists.

The Kingdom of Aldoria

The Kingdom of Aldoria – Faedrun – OLD WORLD
The Kingdom of Aldoria sits neighboring Vandregon on the continent of Faedrun. A smaller kingdom, Aldoria is home to a very wealthy merchant system and specializes in economy, trade, and politics. Aldoria also became the first nation to truly master the oceans and its trade routes along waterways exist because of Aldorian explorers and sea merchants. Their banner colors are green and blue, representing water and growth, and their crest is a compass with cardinal direction points.

In addition to their prowess as sailors, the Aldorians developed some of the finest breeds of horses that the world has ever seen, from the smooth-gaited walking horses prized by the nobility for their comfort and grace, to the strong and hardy draft horses that work the fields and haul cargo overland. Even the powerful warhorses so beloved by the knights of Vandregon are descended from Aldorian bloodlines. Other nations may be famous for their specialty exports, but the Aldorians are the ones who move those commodities. The Aldorians were the first to map Faedrun, and nearly all of the major trade routes were blazed by the explorers and merchants of this Kingdom. By creating a network of tollways and bridges within their Kingdom and extending out to every entry point along their borders, the Aldorians have been able to fund and support the smoothest and best maintained roads in Faedrun.

Because of the high volume of trade traffic and valuable goods passing through this Kingdom at any given time, there is a long running problem with piracy and highway robbery. The merchant guilds have taken matters into their own hands by creating Road Warden garrisons and Merchant Marine Corps, but sadly these mercenary organizations are often corrupt and can actually be just as dangerous as the pirates and bandits themselves. Behind the extortion and protection rackets are the competitive individuals of the merchant guilds themselves, of course, back-stabbing each other whenever possible.

Aldoria has had good relations with the other nations except for a misunderstanding with Vandregon that led to a bloody encounter called the Battle of Grayfield. Many years ago, when the Aldorians were just beginning to get their momentum as a major economic power, the country expressed interest in opening up more trade with the Syndar. At the time, the Syndar kingdoms were still quite isolationist in regards to the humans, and rarely traded with them. There was a definite demand for Syndar goods, however. Everything they produced from spices to artwork was highly prized by the wealthiest humans, and brought excellent prices. The Syndar, however, really had no interest in trading with the Humans, especially since as far as they were concerned, there was not a thing that the humans could produce that they couldn’t do better themselves. The only place where Humans and Syndar even had frequent contact was in the May’Kar dominion, center of learning and religion in the Old World. Time and again, the Aldorian merchants and ambassadors were politely turned away from the various Syndar kingdoms without gaining any ground on opening up trade. This created much contempt among the people of New Aldoria, and the merchants of other lands as well. Eventually, the attitude spiraled into outright resentment, and racism began to run rampant in the kingdom of New Aldoria.

The Battle of Grayfield
About a century before the Undead Plague, the tension that existed between the Syndar Kingdoms and Human nations of Aldoria and Vandregon was boiling into hostility. Border skirmishes and disagreements popped up throughout the continent of Faedrun and the land was on the verge of an all out genocidal race war. Although the Kingdom of Vandregon had the largest standing army at the time, the King of Vandregon pushed for reason and peace, sending diplomats and ambassadors to the City of Seven Gates in Tielorrien. The King of Aldoria, already frustrated and angry with the Syndar, saw an opportunity to seize more land and strike first. He made a bold move and marched an army into the lands of the Syndar. As the soldiers fought, killed, or displaced the smaller Syndar settlements, the King of Vandregon dispatched an army to follow the Aldorians. What the Aldorian generals thought were reinforcements were actually other Humans sent to stop the Aldorian advance. The Men of Vandregon confronted their neighboring kingdom in an attempt to solve the situation quickly before all out war broke out with the Syndar.

The Aldorians refused to retreat. They lobbied that to do so would show the Syndar that the human nations were disorganized and fractured. As the Vandregonians stalled the Aldorian advance, the Syndar army gathered and began to move to resist the Humans. Back in Aldoria, political council rooms exploded in heated arguments and oaths of revenge were sworn in the event that either side came to blows. The tension continued to grow as neither kingdom backed down.

To this day, nobody knows for sure what finally sparked what was to be known as the Battle of Grayfield. Generals from both sides were in a heated discussion, waiting for word from their politicians. Somehow, fighting broke out, centered around the Vandregonian general’s tent. The armies clashed, desperately trying to gain ground to see their leaders to safety. Soldiers fought violently, each side convinced that the other side had sprung a sneak attack on their respective generals. After a short but incredibly bloody battle, most of the leadership of each side and over half of both armies’ soldiers were dead. The incident was named the Battle of Grayfield; The color gray representative of the lack of unified colors of the respective nations.

As the Syndar army marched forth onto the encampment, they were stalled by the destruction the humans had unleashed on each other. The Syndar, now having the upper hand, could have easily advanced through the ruined camp, destroyed the remaining survivors of each army, and continued their march into the human kingdoms. The Syndar General instead stopped his army, showing respect to the remaining Vandregonian soldiers, and healed the wounded of both sides. There could not have existed any proof more profound than the soldiers of Vandregon willing to battle their neighbors in order to stop them from attacking the Syndar. The Syndar halted their forces, agreed to terms with Vandregon, and ended hostilities with the humans. This single battle would usher in the golden age of peace between the humans and the Syndar.

The Battle of Grayfield did, however, end the relations between Vandregon and Aldoria for years to come. The Aldorians felt betrayed and abandoned by their fellow humans. The armies were rebuilt and stationed at the borders of each kingdom, staring each other down in a waiting game to see if further conflict would erupt. Aldoria, far smaller than the kingdom of Vandregon, began to increase its political and religious influences with the nobles and houses of all the human kingdoms, to rally their favor if ever the nations again came to blows. Both nations settled in for a long and tense cold war.

Many years later, the Kingdoms of Vandregon and Aldoria have eased back into an apprehensive nature. No further battles have ever erupted. As the survivors of those times had children and those children had their own children, the bitterness between the nations cooled.

To this day, however, it is a common start to a large tavern brawl if someone claims that “the <other side> started it at Grayfield!”.

The Undead Plague – Faedrun
When the great undead scourge began to devour the land, Aldoria was ill prepared to handle this threat head on. The focus of Aldoria had shifted to supplies, trade routes, and managing merchant guilds. When the undead began to consume its borders, Aldorian soldiers could barely handle keeping them at bay. The neighboring kingdom of Vandregon did well mobilizing an army to meet the threat, but the shift of focus off of its military had made Aldoria weaker over the years, and many of their troops were unreliable mercenaries. Aldoria did not fully commit to the fight. Even as the King of Vandregon pledged to personally face the undead in battle and launched a grand crusade into the May’Kar dominion, the King of Aldoria held back. This move very well could have sown the seeds of destruction on Faedrun.

Meanwhile, Aldorian seafarers had discovered the new continent of Mardrun. As the Undead continued to attack the borders of his kingdom, the King of Aldoria immediately put his money into a secret project to build a colony in the New World.

While the colonists became established on Mardrun, the Aldorian people back in the Old World began to question their King. More and more farmland fell to the advance of the undead, yet the King would not send soldiers out to reclaim it. Instead, more effort was put into building more ships and working on the colony. Peasants and farmers began to flee, most of them into the neighboring lands of Vandregon, as the King and the army continued to fund and work towards the expansion of the colony. The King of Vandregon pleaded with the King of Aldoria to join forces in face of a common enemy, but the offer was refused. The King of Aldoria said that the people of his kingdom still remember the scars of how Vandregon “united” together as brothers in arms against the Syndar so long ago.

As the King and his political entourage of nobles, knights, and politicians prepared to leave the continent of Faedrun, the army collapsed entirely and the undead besieged their lands. Countless thousands were slaughtered as the King attempted to flee. Soldiers were ordered to stand and fight to keep the undead from destroying the ships. The entire port city was a bloody massacre as the ships set sail for Mardrun. Ironically, by holding back and isolating themselves, the Aldorian army could not withstand the tide of Undead and their deaths added thousands upon thousands of fresh troops raised again for the armies that just slaughtered them. This bolster in numbers was the major turning point when the Undead began to overwhelm the other human nations.

The Settlement of New Aldoria – Mardrun Colony
After the massacre, not very many ships reached Mardrun. Between the diseases of the wounded, the lack of ample food and water, and the haste in which they left the continent of Faedrun, the kingdom of Aldoria was doomed. The King never survived the trip to the colony he worked so hard to fund and his son would bury him at its shores. The houses and nobles were scattered, in poverty, or left with nothing upon their arrival to the new colony. What was once a proud nation of Faedrun was nothing more than a handful of bloody survivors, refugees, and battered soldiers.

Not all hope was lost, however, as the remaining nobles and military leaders tried to put the pieces back together and lead the colony. They proclaimed the King’s son the new leader and began a plan to rebuild. This course of action was not favored by many of the original colonists, who had grown hearty and cold with having to carve out a living on the new continent, and the colonists of New Hope declared their independence from Aldoria. The newly arrived refugees did not have the funding or men to rule what they had created, and the nobility could not resist the secession. Instead, the survivors of Aldoria banded together and carved out their own piece of the new continent and created the settlement of New Aldoria. This settlement grew strong by learning from the Ulven, yet keeping them at a distance, and battling the Mordok. The King’s son grew up in this environment, working his way around the people and vying for political power. Everyone knows him to be an ambitious leader, savvy in both politics and combat, if not bitter from the history of his kingdom. It is rumored that he is planning on gaining a following and campaigning for rule of New Hope on Mardrun, rumored to be finally fulfilling his father’s wishes of controlling the colony his shattered nation helped build. More settlers and refugees continue to band together under the banner and colors of the dead King’s son and his Aldorian Guard, and more nobles have pledged support as his power expands.

New Aldoria narrowly averted a full scale war with the Watchwolf Clan after an ill disciplined and rowdy group of their Soldiers, secretly in the employ of an ambitious noble, tried to murder a young lady of the royal family and frame an Ulven Ambassador and the Captain of the Crow’s Guard for the attempt. Their plot was discovered, however, and foiled by a party of brave adventurers at the Wayward Inn.

Raskolf Vakr, the Voice of the Watchwolves, responded with a diplomatic mission to New Aldoria, where he met with the Prince personally. The Watchwolf Ulven and the New Aldorians averted war and actually managed to improve relations between the two nations. When Mordok attacked children playing on royal hunting grounds, the Ulven Ambassador’s seven-year-old daughter saved the life of the Prince’s own young son, and the two became fast friends.

New Aldoria has stayed out of the Ulven Civil war thus far.

Aldorian Culture and Folklore

The Aldorians are a proud people from a very wealthy and prosperous country. Their current state as refugees has done little to humble them, and it certainly has not broken their spirit. They maintain good political relations with the nobility in New Hope, though their is a certain amount of tension between the New Aldorian colonists and the people of Crow’s Landing, whom the Aldorians consider deserters. The New Aldorians have been criticized by others as coming off as racist towards the Syndar and the Ulven, but in reality the perceived arrogance is just the way that most Aldorians talk to everyone that they aren’t trying to sell something to. In fact, the current ruler of New Aldoria is half Syndar, himself. The Prince is a good man, and for the most part, so are his people. There is just the matter of the old King’s skeletons in the closet, and the troubling little detail that many of the Aldorian survivors are sailors who have previously dabbled in piracy. The Prince has his work cut out for him.

The Aldorians are the finest ship-builders in the world, and the best sailors. They take great pride in that. Since the fall of the May’kar, the Aldorians also have the finest stock of horses, with bloodlines traceable directly to the first domesticated stallions of the May’kar nomads. They were some of the only people to successfully bring horses to the new world, though they only have a single small herd, almost all of whom dwell in the royal stables in the capitol of New Aldoria.

Aldorian Folklore

Aldorian folklore tends to focus on clever heroes and gods of fortune and wealth.

Sir Flaccus and the Magic Goat

Once upon a time, long ago, back in the old country of Aldoria, there lived a fat and greedy lord by the name of Sir Flaccus. Sir Flaccus was the heir to a great fortune left to him by his father, who had been a fine and savvy merchant in his day. Sir Flaccus was lazy and foolish, though, and lived in decadence while his peasants wallowed in poverty. Indeed, Sir Flaccus taxed nineteen out of twenty of their coppers, and took nine of ten bushels of their produce.

One particularly harsh winter, the poor starving peasants pleaded with their lord to spare them some food, for while the people starved, Sir Flaccus had so much food that his larder was overflowing and much of his overstock was mouldering. Much to their dismay, the greedy Lord refused even a pittance of grain.
Now, in the village lived a humble farmer with a trickster for a son, and a kind and virtuous daughter. The virtuous daughter had raised a beautiful goat with a coat like spun gold from the time it had been a tiny kid. The girl loved her pet, but as the winter wore on and the people were starving, the farmers neighbors tried to steal it to eat it! Eventually, even the farmer himself was considering slaughtering the animal, but the trickster son stopped him. The boy said that he knew a way to get the miserly lord to feed the people, but first he would need to collect all the coins that he could. The people were hesitant at first, but eventually they relented and gave their pitiable savings to the boy.
The trickster boy fed the coins to the goat, and left to see Sir Flaccus. He told the lord that his goat was a magical and fey creature from the land of dreams, blessed by the god of good fortune. He said that everyday, the goat would make coins for its owner. Sir Flaccus didn’t believe him, but then the goat lifted its little tail and coins fell out along with its stool. Sir Flaccus was amazed. He had lived a very sheltered and pampered life, and knew nothing of the dietary nor the digestive abilities of common goats. The greedy lord asked the trickster boy if he would sell the goat, and the boy said that he was very rich from owning the amazing goat, and that he no longer was interested in money, but only wanted to do good in the world so that he might someday get into heaven. The boy said that Sir Flaccus could have the goat if only he promised to feed his people better, and to cut their taxes. The Greedy lord agreed, and asked the boy how much the goat produced every day. The boy told him that it depended on how happy the goat was and how wise the owner was, for fortune was no friend of fools. Sir Flaccus purchased the goat and opened his larder to the starving people.

He put the goat in his stables under heavy guard. The next morning, the greedy Sir Flaccus searched all through the dirty stall with his bare hands looking for gold. When he didn’t find anything, he ordered a nicer stable be built to house the goat and make it happy, and he had his cooks feed the goat the finest and richest food they could make. The next morning, Sir Flaccus found that the rich food had given the goat some terrible diarrhea, but nonetheless, he searched it for any sign of coin. Still he found nothing. He ordered that the goat be moved into his own manor, and summoned the wisest and eldest farmer in his land to prepare the best food a goat could eat. The next morning, he awoke and searched his foyer for coins. The goat had ruined his carpeting, but there were no coins to be found. He decided to take the goat into his room and let it sleep in his bed. It still did not produce any coins, but it stunk up his room, and ate all the important documents out of his desk drawers, including his patent of nobility and the deed to his manor. Once Sir Flaccus started sleeping with the goat, his wife took her cats and started sleeping elsewhere in the manor, but the greedy lord didn’t care. When his servants and family asked about the goat, however, he was too ashamed to admit that the goat wouldn’t produce any coins. He didn’t want anyone to think that the god of luck and good fortune thought him a fool! Sir Flaccus lied to his family and his servants, and scattered coins around his house every night so that it looked like the goat was making him money.
Sir Flaccus never learned his lesson, but the peasants of his domain lived happily ever after, and so did his beloved goat, who became even more spoiled than Sir Flaccus himself had been as a kid.