History of the Ashkrim Colony

Discovery

The island of Ashkrim lay untouched by Human hands for time immemorial, hidden far across the western seas. Its discovery came by accident, when a noble born son of a lord, Captain William Brindol, was blown off course during a violent storm. His ship, battered and in need of repair, landed on the southern shores of the island.
To his surprise, the island was already inhabited by a native people—the Rakash, a proud, primative, and savage race. Though the first encounters were tense and marred by conflict, Captain Brindol and his men managed to communicate, trade, and learn the name of these people.
Upon returning home, Brindol wasted no time in organizing a second voyage. After several profitable expeditions, he established a permanent settlement on the southern tip of the island. This outpost grew into the colony's first city: Brindol. Around this time, William Brindol secured the future of the colony by marrying his daughter, Elizabeth Brindol, to Lord Arthur Stratton of Aeritain. Upon William’s death, Arthur succeeded him, beginning the Stratton dynasty of Dukes.

Colonization

The colony quickly flourished. Trade with the parent kingdom of Aeritain became regular, and settlers arrived in growing numbers. As the colony expanded, tensions with the Rakash deepened.
The settlers’ thirst for land led to skirmishes and eventually outright conflict. After a series of battles, the Rakash were forced northward. A fragile peace was established, with humans promising to remain in the southern lands. In practice, however, the expansion never ceased. The Duke, Arthur Stratton, a greedy and ambitious man was all too happy to turn a blind eye to these violation. To defend Brindol from northern threats, he ordered the construction of a formidable fortress overlooking the main approaches to the south. This would go on to be named Falkirk Keep, also somtimes known as The Shield of Brindol.

The First War

The first major war erupted under Duke Arthur Stratton, whose ambition and greed led to widespread violations of the treaty with the Rakash. Though not a soldier, Arthur pursued policies that pushed the Rakash to the brink. War followed. After a period of bloody skirmishes, both sides agreed to an uneasy truce—a temporary measure that would only delay future conflict.

The Second War

The second war was devastating. What began as renewed tensions exploded into a full-scale conflict between the colonists and the Rakash. The fighting raged for years, culminating in a peace treatey signed by Duke Albert Stratton and the Rakash retreating into their last stronghold: the dark, myth-shrouded forest of Darkenwood in the far north.
Both peoples suffered terribly. But while the Rakash dwindled, the humans received new settlers from Aeritain. The war had ravaged the Ashkrim colony’s reputation, and it was no longer seen as a land of opportunity. To replenish its people, Duke Thomas Stratton, recently having taken over for his deceased father, made a fateful deal with King Richard: Ashkrim would become a penal colony.
Aeritain’s prisons were emptied, and exiles were sent to Ashkrim. Criminals, debtors, and dissidents alike were given a second chance—or at least a new place to toil. The colony received the manpower it needed, but at a steep cultural cost.

Post-War Peace and Present Day

Albert’s son, Duke Thomas Stratton, presided over the closest thing Askrim has known to a golden age. With peace restored, settlements spread across the island—everywhere except the cursed northern forest. Cities grew, trade increased, and the colony prospered.
Upon Thomas’s death, his son Vincent Stratton inherited the title. Vincent proved a cautious ruler, and his tenure began amid growing unease. Whispers of old evils returning began to circulate. The death of the beloved King Henry, a great friend to Ashkrim, marked a turning point. Under Henry, taxes were low, and exiles rare. His death shook the entire kingdom.
In his place, the regent Lord Athenry raised taxes and sent new waves of prisoners to Ashkrim, this time to deal with crises across the realm—famines, rebellions, and unrest. The influx of labor helped revitalize the plantations of Botany Bay, and coin once again flowed.
But trouble brewed in the north. Dark rumors took form: Dreadborn sighted near Falkirk Keep. A ghost ship blockading Saltmarsh. Plague spreading through Restenford. A cult festering in Orlane. Bandits and smugglers overrunning Hommlet.
All these threats were overcome—but the final blow came with the Battle of Hommlet. A Rakash warband broke the ancient treaty and attacked. They were repelled, not by nobles or soldiers, but by an unlikely champion: an exiled commoner named Elias Brackstone.
In recognition of his heroism, Brackstone was ennobled and granted lordship over the Western Reaches, a wild and dangerous frontier. There, he founded the new town of Brackstone, built along the west roast.
Now, eyes across Ashkrim turn to the Western Reaches. With old powers stirring and shadows gathering, the next chapter of Ashkrim’s story is yet to be written.