A Brief History

   Four hundred years ago, the world changed. Before that, Dunedan had been a peaceful, trade-oriented kingdom, occupying the valley between the Wide River and the Western Mountains. Then came the cataclysm.

   Powerful wizards fought an epic battle, leaving destruction in their wake. The Western Mountains were sundered, now dropping suddenly to the sea. Only the High Castle remained through Divine intervention. What once was the center of the Royal Pass now sat upon a tall island, a narrow promontory barely connecting it to the rest of the kingdom. To the east, the Wide River (now the Raging River) became even wider, doubling in size and now moving faster than any boat could handle. Over the years it has carved itself into a deep canyon.

   The Dwarves and Elves, both powerful and influential races, reacted in similar ways. The Dwarves closed their Dwarfholds and retreated further underground. This also had the effect of denying passage through the Grand Mountains to the north. The Elves--themselves cut off from their kin by the Raging River, cast powerful magics on their forest, allowing only a chosen few to enter. In this way was Dunedan seperated from the other nations--impassable mountains to the north, rough seas to the west and south, and an uncrossable river to the east.

   The king did the best he could under these circumstances, but over the centuries he and his heirs watched the kingdom dwindle to a shadow of its former self. Recently, King Ulrich died without an heir. A long and bloody succession war took place as many of his generals and advisors tried to claim the throne. In the end Lord Dulsane of the Northern Marches took the crown. Over the last thirty years he has grown more and more insular and paranoid. He has begun taxing outlying villages more and hoarding wealth and weaponry in the High Castle--which he rarely leaves. Amid all this, rumors have begun to circulate of an heir, a bastard son of Ulrich living in hiding. No one knows the truth of the matter, but many people are starting to think, "better a bastard than a tyrant".