Ddera West Marches Introduction Story Piece

The introductory fluff piece is a reference for the tenor and some of the basic assumptions of the West Marches Campaign and it is useful to have it available for reference for new players.

West Marches Story Introduction
Many moons ago when the world was just a little younger than it is today, Ddera was strewn with empires of high civilization. Most corners of the continent had been crisscrossed with trade routes, and though the world was far from peace, the great powers kept one another in check, one never letting the other get too out of hand. In the north, the dwarves of Thane-Haig delved too deep beneath their mountain home while the southern empires of Rhest, Xanaar, Marranth, and Iescalon warred incessantly, always looking for an edge over the other. The world was rocked by earthquakes wrought by the hubris of the Dwarves, while Iescalon deployed plague warfare to finally conquer. The empires were wracked with internal struggles: calamity from the north, and the rise of plague from the south. Monstrous races dug themselves out of holes in the earth, the mountains, the faerealms, and parts unknown. In a few short decades, the empires had all fallen, leaving the ruins of civilization everywhere in their demise. The civilized races retreated to the nearest bastions of their peoples…battered by demons, monsters and plague.

This however, is all ancient history. Several centuries have passed since these events unfolded and civilization is slowly returning to the land. In the northeast of Ddera, the Island nations of Gulluvia and Luccini escaped much of what transpired on the continent. The continent too recovers, though slowly. Several nations, the technological metropolis of Foghaven, the imperial Velanyans, and the Grand Duchy of Dennovaria have all staked claims to large tracts of land.

You find yourself in the southern reaches of civilization, in a region yet unclaimed. This was once the battle ground and the crossroads for the mighty empires of Xanaar, Marranth, and Iescalon. The nations of Dennovaria and Velanya have interests in the region, and the area is prime for all manner of relic-hunter, glory-seeker, fortune-finder, and adventurer. You find yourself now in the village of Mistwood, the only surviving stopover between Port Elizabeth and the nations of Velanya and Dennovaria. Mistwood is nestled between the harsh wilds of Falak’s Fields, the treacherous Ahngoeln Mountain range, the Northwood, and the Marrwood. All regions ripe for adventure, but you… you have your own reasons for being out here in the wilds.