Aesteria A Realm of Swords
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The world is a peaceful mess. 35 years of peace between the 4 kingdoms has only meant they are not killing one another. It hasn't stopped rampant internal conflict, monstrous beasts, and now a rise in celebrity mercenaries from taking over the corners of the kingdoms.
Magic & Mercs
With a global drop in military come a global rise in monster problems. The abandoned forts of an age past are now the homes to creatures and people who prefer to live outside society and cause problems for those within it. This, combined with an increase in magical advancement, has led to a rise of the mercenary class: guilds of signed on adventurers risking their lives to complete contracts that promise fame and fortune. Mercenaries are pseudo celebrities, with adoring fans, famous songs about them, and large profit behind their very names.Realm of Swords
4 distinct kingdoms rule most of Aesteria. In the north, the cold mountains of the Hastlands see most taking shelter in the rock itself. Run by banking and crafting clans, the Hastlands sit on a razor edge between power for the people and power for the groups.
In the west is the kingdom of Ilmora. Ruled by a council of elders on the surface, true power lies in the realm beyond the portal - the feylands. There, the courts of Fey pull the strings of Ilmora. With little to none private ownership, Ilmoras people see both prosperity but division as Elves control the lives of many.
In the south is the kingdom of Requiem. Ruled by its monarchy, Requiem has been propelled into a superpower after its success in the previous war and its huge leap in magical advancement. But Requiems edges suffer as its centre prospers, monsters harass the further settlements and many of the advancements made have difficulty reaching the edges of the kingdom.
In the east is Vanreth, a kingdom of lords and houses. In Vanreth, it is each persons right to try and own the throne. Civil war always looms and each person is only as strong as their last name. Powerful houses connive and plot to bring a coup or rebellion and take control of the kingdom, as has been tradition for hundreds of years.
In addition to the kingdoms is the Lordless Lands, an open expanse in the southwest in which there is only 1 law: protect the Lordless Lands from the kingdoms greed. It's a collection of individuals and groups ruled only by themselves, with few standing or recorded settlements bar its Drow run city of Darkroad.
