Two years before the campaign start the Generations War between Silidor and Eiris finally came to an end. As preparations were being made to resolve the disputed territory and come to terms that both kingdoms could agree upon men started to return to their homes and families. Soldiers in Eiris found things much as they had left them as the vast majority of the war had taken place across the Green Sea and their homes were largely undisturbed except in a few areas where successful raids had been launched. Things on the other side of the ocean were far less pleasant and the men who returned home to Silidor found their lives much different than when they had left.

No part of Silidor had been spared during the Generations War. In fact much of the war had spilled over into other areas including the Kingdom of Bann and the Empire or Arch. Even places in the Free Cities had reported battles between opposing forces. Those cities and towns that were spared actual conflict had seen changes in other ways. Soldiers from both kingdoms were stationed and moved through nearly every area of the kingdom over the course of the war and that often meant occupation and all that comes with it. Families were broken, cities and towns were razed and the economy of the kingdom was reduced to shambles. Most soldiers found that their families had moved on, or were killed. There were few jobs and those lucky enough to gain employment often found it difficult to be paid for their work.

Unable to find work many of the soldiers resigned their commissions in the army, especially as it was discovered that they wouldn’t be paid for the last year of their service until the kingdom had repaired the economy. Many of these men took to banditry or thievery in order to make ends meet. Some searched the kingdom for hints or word of their loved ones, while others fled their homeland entirely, hoping to make a new life somewhere else. Fearing outright rebellion from former soldiers the king of Silidor declared war on anyone defecting, putting a bounty on the heads of any bandits and cutthroats. Fearing for their lives many of the former soldiers banded together, forming mercenary groups. Some of these groups grew quite large and powerful. One such group of renown calling themselves the Company of the Serrated Sword took over one of the strongholds in northern Silidor and claimed land and sovereignty and according to locals they have actually declared themselves an independent nation. From all outward appearances the king of Silidor has no means to stop them.

For hundreds of years the dwarven realm of Farhold has been a realm unto itself, living below the world above and remaining isolated while paying little mind to the goings on that transpired above them. They weren’t naïve enough to turn their backs completely to the world yet they cared little for what happened in far off places among men and elves. Trade, a necessary evil to the dwarves, was one of the only ways they interacted with the outside world. All in all they were content with their lot in life, working the earth for its precious metals and crafting a home within the stone to live and grow in. Sadly it all had to come to an end.

While the dwarves preferred to remain a solitary kingdom they were concerned with the growing threat of humanoids in the lands around them. Farhold was located in an area of rugged mountains and hills and few men made their home here. As a result the area was teeming with all manner of creatures, but in particular it was heavily populated by orcs. Rarely a problem the orcs fought amongst themselves as much as they did with the dwarves. Little thought was given to them as a serious threat to the kingdom, yet they still destroyed trade caravans that came and went from the kingdom, thus posing enough of a threat to be recognized. Eventually the orcs managed to do something the dwarves had assumed they would never accomplish, they organized themselves under one banner. A mighty orc warlord by the name of Gutterjaw Shieldbreaker rose up from the ranks of the orc nation and rallied a massive host. His original intent was to conquer the lands of men, but in order to accomplish this the orcs would first have to deal with the dwarves.

In the spring of eight hundred and eighteen, forty-nine years before the start of the campaign, a massive invasion was launched into the dwarven realm of Farhold by an orc host that was simply dubbed “the legion”. For three years the dwarves held out fighting a nasty war in the dark tunnels under the mountains. Calls for help went unanswered, just like the calls the dwarves refused to answer over the years, and soon it began to dawn on the residents of Farhold that in time the vastly superior numbers of the orcs would destroy them. Hoping to save as many men and women as possible the dwarves did the unthinkable, they fled from their own kingdom. For seventy one days in the winter of eighteen twenty the dwarves executed a massive retreat through a stronghold named “the vault”, the most secure area of their kingdom and the place that all of their vast wealth was held. They fought a heroic retreat through the tunnels and even though thousands of dwarves died in the process they were eventually able to flee and make their way west to a small city on the outskirts of their kingdom.

The loss of so much pained the dwarves so deeply that many of them refused to migrate from the tunnels, choosing instead to die in battle. Those that did escape were haunted by the great tragedy that had befallen them. Their homeland was completely taken over by orcs, including two above ground defense outposts called the sisters that flanked the only accessibly trade routes through the valley. Yet all was not lost. After establishing a new capital in the small city of Hammerhold the dwarves began to evaluate the situation. They quickly realized that had they been less introspective they not only would have known about the massive orc army but they also would have had a strong enough relationship with their neighbors that help would have arrived. Not wanting to dwell on the past the dwarves quickly began to expand the capital of Hammerhold while inviting non-dwarves to trade freely within the city and even establish residences. While few men took them up on the offer the dwarves slowly began the process of establishing a diplomatic identity in the world. Meanwhile the west was lost to them. The only access to the western realms was secured, a long narrow canyon forcing the orcs to fight in smaller fronts, thus enabling the great army to remain closed off from the east. No one can say what has happened in the western realm of Farhold since the fall and the dwarves have been forced to find new ways to travel to the west most of which include traveling through the dangerous mountain passes.

Following the fall the dwarves also began to attempt to take back the sisters. For twelve years they launched attack after attack on the defense works, knowing if they could take them would at least be able to move through the valleys unmolested. Despite better training and equipment they have been unable to accomplish this task to date. Currently their attitude is to wait and rebuild, hoping the orc legion will eventually break apart. The current leader of the legion is unknown.

Two years ago in the Empire of Arch a foul warrior took refuge in the Pixiewood and declared himself lord ruler of the land. Humanoids of all types flocked to their new ruler pledging their swords to his cause. Quietly his army grew and soon travelers and residents of the area begin to hear rumors of missing people and attacks in the woods. One by one villages were destroyed and caravans didn’t reach their intended destinations. It wasn’t long before the Empire was forced to deal with this new threat.

Soldiers were sent into the woods to root out what the locals have dubbed “The Elm King”. Months went by and the army couldn’t be found, yet the attacks continued. Several small bands of soldiers were slaughtered and the men grew afraid of the forest. Locals lived in fear of attacks and trade goods ceased to reach their destination and still nothing has been done to stop the terror.

Rumors swirl of who or what the Elm King is and where he makes his home. Most think he is a former soldier now returned from the war. Others believe him to be a supernatural being using magic to charm the monsters of the woods to aid him. With little hope for finding and stopping the menace the Emperor has offered a substantial reward for the capture or defeat of the Elm King. The last few months have seen an influx of adventurers into the area but many of them enter the Pixiewood and never return. The locals live in fear and no one knows how they can end the reign of the Elm King.

The Jewel Valley is one of the few passages through the southern portion of the Empire of Arch over the mountains and into Silidor. Recently though people and caravans that have attempted to use the valley have just disappeared. No one is really certain what is responsible for the disappearances but most people assume it to be some sort of creature. No one has been able to confirm one way or another what is to blame for the missing people. Those caravans that have been attacked have been destroyed to a man with no survivors to tell the tale. The valley itself is still passable and the attacks appear to be random events although groups that are heavily guarded seem to pass without incident nearly every time. The increased attacks have forced many merchants to ship their goods by boat to Silidor which is more expensive but far safer. Whoever or whatever is attacking travelers appears to be highly intelligent and large. Wagons have been destroyed and in some cases have gone missing entirely. The Emperor has offered a substantial reward for securing the valley and destroying the creatures, whatever it may be.