Tol-Lorak

Twenty-four years ago, peace on the subcontinent of Arstol was shattered when the Reymal Empire invaded the Elvish province of Southwood in a bid to reclaim lost territories. Twenty-three years ago, the restoration of a young, half-dragon prince to the throne of a small Imperial March lead to the slow rise of a new Marcher nationalism. Fourteen years ago, the head of the Church of Kol was brutally assassinated by Orcs, leading to the loss of thousands of lives in an ensuing crusade. The Church's Throne now sits empty, as friction grows within her. Her longtime ally Aerluen hungrily eyes its weaker neighbors, and nervously looks on as the Empire continues to probe at its long-lost territories to the North and South. Even as all this unfolds, emboldened barbarian and monstrous warbands raid deeper into lands once considered safe. And far away, across mountains, plains, and rivers, beyond the great dark woods of the south, something-or so the warbands say- is stirring. Something darker, and more terrible than any Prince might fear.   Arstol is a land that exemplifies the highs and lows and the pitfalls of many levels of magic, and many forms of government. From the highly stratified structure of Dwarven society, to the Elvish caste system, from the Emperor cult of Rejm to the wild and unorganized religions of the Enchanted Forest, from the highly magical near-paradise of the Kingdom of Nevaris, to the tyrannical backwater of Vorsik, Arstol exemplifies many forms of government, many cultures, and many different races, living together in harmony and in conflict.   On a more fundamental level, the world is driven by the revanchistic machinations of an Empire that lost most of its land long ago, and the struggles of free nations to keep it in check as they have for nearly five hundred years.   Background: Tol-Lorak is a world originally and fundamentally designed to bring as many fantasy elements together as I could in a cohesive world. The origins of the subcontinent of Arstol stem all the way back to the diceless RPG I ran on long hikes with my Boy Scout Troop, back when it was simply known as "The Fantasy Game" or "starthistle1's Fantasy Game". I later used it for 5E DnD during college, and I am currently editing it for use with 4th Edition GURPS.