A Curse over Desçov - Primer

The Setting - Zemia

Zemia is… well… it’s a lot of things. Since I started working on it in 2019, the land of Zemia has been the context of many passion projects of mine. In what has seemingly become my signature style, I have started projects such as an Magic: The Gathering set, a conlang, a D&D book, and much more, yet I have finished none of them - although the ideas that I explored in these projects have given me plenty of inspiration for my worldbuilding and thus have worked towards a world which blends many themes into a very cursed worldbuilding smoothie (mind the chunks).
Zemia is a high fantasy setting, with some sword-and-sorcery mixed in. It is a land where one cataclysmic event follows another, constantly pushing nations to their limits - and often beyond. With civilization still on the mend from the most recent calamity, the Thirty Thousand Sorrows, and the next already underway, many nations struggle to establish themselves and stand the test of time.

The Kingdom of Desçov

The Deschovians, originating from the Kryałdeṉī Hills, have long been a proud people who embrace cultural syncretism with their neighbours, which has led to the Desçovian state being a generally peaceful one.
Soon after the kingdom was established in 838 (Current year is 1116 for reference), the king entered a close alliance with the growing Midborne Horde, which turned out to be quite fruitful - the Midborne Empire would go on to become the largest and one of the most powerful states in the history of Zemia, with Desçov as its primary trading partner.
In the present day, the Midborne Empire has collapsed and neither of its primary successors has been very eager to continue diplomatic relations with Desçov following Ristix’s invasions of nearby minor powers in an attempt at securing the nation’s place as a regional power.
In terms of species, Desçov is mostly human with a large dwarven minority, but it isn’t uncommon to see other races intermingled. Feel free to go with whatever you want! It’s a one-shot anyway, it’s not like it matters much if you break the lore here or there.

The Rest of Zemia

Remnants of the Midborne Empire

After a military coup spiralled into a widespread revolution, the Midborne Empire collapsed in on itself, with many minor warlords vying for power. In the north, a federation known as the United Republic was established to create a new Midborne nation that would better represent the interest of the people and limit the powers of the state. To the south, the military leaders that had survived the revolution were able to use their military prowess and popular support to forge a new legacy in the form of the Union of Plaxen.

United Republic (West of Desçov)

Desperate to bring stability to an area rife with war, the United Republic is a confederation that unites the various peoples of the old Midborne Empire. Although the nation is stable, overcomplicated bureaucracy has kept it in an internal deadlock in recent years.

Plaxen (Southwest of Desçov)

Since its inception during a time of revolution, Plaxen has always held revolutionary ideas, including that of ‘total’ liberty. They heavily promote individualism, for example by banning uniforms in many parts of society and reforming their education system to revolve more around what students are interested in, rather than teaching a fixed curriculum.
To the cynical outside observer, Plaxen seems to be in the process of efficiently tearing itself apart - with no national identity to speak of and an unwillingness to promote uniformity even within their military, but many residents will tell you that the nation’s progressive outlook creates a place where all are treated equally, and everybody is free to be themselves.

Krengo (North of Desçov)

The mountains north of Desçov belong to the Krengo Kingdom, a waning power that some would say only hold their lands because nobody can be bothered enough to march over there and take them. Krengo used to be a major power, holding swathes of arable land to the north of the mountain range, but increasing desertification, along with the monsters that lurk in that desert, has pushed their population further and further south until the present day, where they hold little more than inhospitable mountains.
As mountain dwellers, the people are hardy and simple in their lifestyles.

Zabeşi and the Truja Tribes (East of Desçov)

Zabeşi has very little worldbuilding at the moment, so I’ll leave them out for now.
The nearby Tuja jungle is home to a federation of tribes, somewhat inventively named the Truja Tribes. This federation was formed after the invasions relating to the Tomb of Khamukas, in an event that I have dubbed the Explorer’s Demise. Previously unrecognised by most powers, the tribes united so that they may better organise responses to crises and to allow them to engage diplomatically with other nations.

The One-Shot: A Curse over Desçov

Description

50 years ago, Ristix, tyrannical dictator, rose to power in the nation of Desçov. His reign was cut short when savvy adventurers lured him into a mine with the promise of gold and then sealed him in, but some claim that he lives on, plotting his revenge from deep underground.
Recently strange occurrences have been happening in the nearby town of Ctolsa. The townsfolk blame these happenings on the mine, and have hired you adventurers to investigate.

Objective

Dispel the curse emanating from the Mines of Ristix.

The System: D&D 5e

I figured that, since this is a new, setting for all of you, I'd at least use a system that everyone is familiar with.
I'm okay with 3rd party stuff as long as you run it by me first. Also, I started making my own 5e expansion a while ago, It'd be great if you tried stuff from there since it needs playtesting anyway.

Character Creation

You will all be 6th level.
Although my setting has some major departures from the Forgotten Realms, it's still close enough that a typical Forgotten Realms sort of character would fit in fine. With that said, go wild! It's not like it really matters if you do something that wouldn't technically make sense in the lore, it is just a one-shot after all. And anyway, player-driven lore is all the rage nowadays.