The Principality of Sudlande

## Introduction

Karius became king of the south and ruler of the Sudlande and the related provinces. The main city Orillion, became known as the pearl of the south. Most of the kingdom was covered by tropical jungle and towns and cities are clustered along navigable main roads. Blessed by tropical climate the vegetation was dense and strong. Over time all connection with the south was lost and the once green vegetation became dark, foul and corrupted. Now a dark place filled with monsters and creatures of nightmares no one dares to enter the impregnable swamps that are covered by a magical mist.

***Historica Imperialis, Chapter 56, Principality of Sudlande***

In the far south is the second kingdom of the humans known as Sudlande. Ruled by Karius the Forgotten, formerly known as Karius the Benevolent, was able to create a wonderful Kingdom known as the pearl of the south. Rich in lands and blessed with tempered temperatures it was seen as a womb of natural resources and exotic animals. Karius was respected by many and known to share his wealth, with everyone in need.

The elves respected his rule and saw in him the human they could trust and work with. He seemed wise, just and knew how to keep his kingdom wealthy. One day his counselor, Frederic de Marille, died of unknown circumstances and a new and promising replacement came from the outside. Not much is known as many texts are withered or lost during the changes of time. What is known is that this new counselor had proven himself to the king and gained his trust in many ways, ranging from financial supervision to local laws. One source uncovers a coup, planed against the king. It is believed that it was his new counselor, unknown to us today, who uncovered this treason and made the appropriated counter measures.

On order of the king, the counselor wrote down a plan to prevent further attempts of assassinations and new laws were introduced. Many old scrolls speak of torture; heavy military presence and regular home visits by royal guards. Many people have been arrested and tortured in the name of the same king they once respected and loved. It has been proven that the king might not have known of everything what his counselor did and freely gave more and more power to the counselor who saved his life.

People close to the king wrote in their dairies that this counselor brought fear to the king and distanced him from the rest of them. Apparently the king was suddenly so scared by his own mortality that he send half of his army out on quests to find magical items known to be part of legends and adwoman’s stories. He slaved half of the kingdoms workforce to build a new castle. Believed to be safer. Build on a place believed by some magicians to be housing a green mystical stone, granting magical powers to its owner his new castle became the dark center for his new reign.

*The black fortress, rose out of the ground like thorn, a sole claw of some creature*
hidden beneath our feet. Day in and day out have we been forced to carry ------- stone to this tower. In the night we heared the screams of horror and terror. Each day hundreds of fellow man and women died. When there were no more males to be found, children were send to climb up the dark stone walls of the tower to carve fine ----------------- runes along the tower. ------------------------------------. When the time came and the construction was nearly finished we were given wine and for once since long we believed or king has gained back his senses. Freed from his -------. Tonight he invited us in the main ------ of his new tower.

The County of Ardorn and the Duchy of Darkland, parts of Karius Kingdom, took more and more distant and were soon attacked by Karius troops and plagued by strange sicknesses. It is believed that Ardorn was unable to handle the new sickness and was destroyed.

No further sources can be found and it seemed the whole country went dark and dead: Nature withered and the once green and blessed lands became cursed. Those who escaped, speak of unimaginable horrors lurking in the now dead lands.

One last text can be cited, if believed to be true, as it is seen by many to be words of this mad man. It was a letter given to the king from a survivor that escaped the Sudlande.

*“My dear king,*

*I am the sole living survivor of the* southern kingdom, led by the one known as Karius the “Benevolent”. But he is no more… or at least he is no more the person what he used to be. His mortal shell is now ruled by dark magic. He has raised the dead and made them into his eternal slaves. He killed and tortured the lands and its inhabitants, tore out the essence of life out of every living being to feed on them and become the monster he is now.

*My king, the south is lost in many ways and you should know that the dead walk again, driven by his will for eternal life. Soon as our lives will expire and he will need new souls to feed on. If that time comes he will come for your kingdom. Be prepared and beware! The Lich King is there, in the south…. Karius the Benevolent is no more. He is now the undead king, the lich king”*

Whenever one can trust this letter to be true or false it was the beginning of many legends, stories and songs concerning the south and what might have happened to these lands. Still today no one dares to cross the borders….

As not a lot is known, only rumors circle about the cities once build by a now forgotten and dead kingdom. The main city, Orillion the pearl of the south was known for it’s thousands ivory and golden towers, houses filled with expensive goods and a populace once equal to Uranmar. Many sources state of treasures and huge amounts of riches that used to pass between the south and the elfish kingdoms that are still left in the desolated cities and towns, calling for many adventurous treasure hunters. But rare are the ones that survive and rare are the ones that wish to return in the dark, misty swamps of the Sudlande.