Krone

## Krone: The Throne of the Legion

### Geography

Krone is located on a flat, craggy shrubland surrounded by mountains and ocean. The area has little vegetation or habitable resources due to exhaustive logging and mining performed by the Red Legion. The city in its current state stands as a black silhouette against a red sky, the recent destruction obvious to wanderers passing by.

To the west, Krone looks over a steep cliff leading to the Sea of Krakens, notorious for its C'thulu worshiping denizens and tumultuous waters.

To the east, the Mithril Peaks jut from the earth, dividing the heart of the Davidian empire from the rest of the Atria. On the surface, troll and ogre camps dot the mountains, usually lurking just above the most traveled paths awaiting an ambush. Deep in the cave systems, however, exist the thriving mountain dwarves of Clan Ankor. Misty Mountain reaches far higher than its peers, the peak covered in an eternal shroud of mystic fog.

### History

The western Atria was formerly a lush jungle with abundant wildlife, flowing with natural energy and magic. Human colonization resulted in a slow deterioration of the flora and magical essence, the Davidian Empire eventually drying it to a husk.

Around the year 2000 BU, the first human inhabitants arrived in Krone from the West. Driven by unknown external forces, they made desperate landfall at the steep beaches of Atria and quickly established a settlement. The primary means of survival revolved around young fishers diving down the edges of the cliffs to face the violent shoreline for a day's pay. This expanded into a budding economy of logging, agriculture, blacksmithing, and iron mining. Not sure how to dispose of the iron slag left over from smelting, the settlers took to grinding the remains into a fine powder and scattering it across their fields in the hope of improving their crop yield. Over time, this practice led to the soil turning a rustic red color and the jungle slowly disappearing.

It did not take long for the native inhabitants of the lands to begin resisting the human encroachment. Unbeknownst to the colonists, the Apefolk to the east had caught wind of their expansion. Led by Haramabe of Quintessa, a city temple hidden deep in the jungle, this defensive kingdom began launching unrelenting raids against the settlers. It was not uncommon to find human corpses scattered across the land, half eaten with their entrails twirled around stakes or trees. The colonists lived in constant fear, creating a culture of shrewdness, hatred, and xenophobia.

In 2104, a lone human arrived from the eastern Atria at the gates of Krone. His name was David, a charismatic and fiery maned man who quickly gathered the people of Krone's attention. Atop a high mound, he proclaimed to them that he was himself a god sent by his second cousin once removed Tyr to free their people of Apefolk oppression. He promised that, as long as the peoples of Krone would forever carry a crimson banner and worship in his name, peace would be upon their land. With passion and newfound holy magic, the people of Krone, who took to calling themselves Davidians after their fearless leader, marched forth from their protective walls. They overcame the apes in a brutal battle, the King Harambe fleeing into the dark sewers of his now destroyed temple. Quintessa was left in shambles, and the Crimson Legions of King David set their eyes upon the rest of the Atria. Conquest was the commandment, and under the spiritual light of their grand leader, the newly formed Empire absorbed the cities and towns of mid-western Artria under its iron thumb. David demanded slaves for his glorious vision, and so it was that all non-human races of the land were to be taken from their homes and sent to Krone.

In 2152, a party of adventurers landed far to the east in the city of Liome. Questing through the lands, they witnessed firsthand the destruction and terrorism wrought by the Empire. Together, Celeste, Curunir, Drogar, Grye, Asuz, Hisser, Jax, Reyngar, and Ritt traveled to the center of the Davidian Empire in an attempt to stop the mass destruction. They formed an alliance with the Dwarf holds of Clan Ankor and King Alpus. However, when they finally arrived, they were shocked to find the great God King David a shriveled husk lying in silken sheets. Magnus, David's highest priest, had sapped him of his holy power in a grab at power, destroying his body in the process. The adventurers killed David as he slept, severing Magnus' connection to his holy magic and forcing him into combat. An epic trial by combat ensued, resulting in Magnus being unceremoniously decapitated by his own axe at Drogar's hand. The adventurers were however betrayed by the dwarves, who stormed the castle to prevent them from ever seizing power. In a cunning trap, Ritt, Drogar, and Reyngar satcheled the throne room with explosives, causing the throne room to collapse completely around King Alpus and his royal guard. Victory was ensured, but the city was left in a smoldering pile.

#### Today (2153)

The party of adventurers assumed control of Krone after its citizens and former slaves begged them to fill the role of leadership. They began work on controlling the local gangs and rebuilding. Ritt, self proclaimed holy gossiper of Lord C'thulu, established a dark cathedral in his dedication inside the former Church of the Thankful Lady. A council was made by four of the present group members; Curunir, Drogar, Ritt, and Reyngar. Curunir, the most fair and level headed of the group, was elected as head chancellor of the city. They formed yet another alliance with the dwarves of Clan Ankor after the death of King Alpus with his former counselor Genis. Genis agreed to create an open trade network with Kar Ankor and oversee the city's financial progress, while also creating a defensive military pact between the two.

Although a town guard had been reformed to protect its citizens, gangs still have free run of certain districts. In the former Tithing district, a group of mercenaries known as the Big Wigs still extort small business owners. Shiela, a goblin slum lord, continues to enforce defacto rule over the Easy Street Slave Pens with her group of unseen assassins. Gilbert, an exotic artifact shopkeep, former a Davidian loyalist group but was summarily crushed by Ritt summoning the power of C'thulu.

The city has slowly but surely continued to be rebuilt, but the party has currently sailed away to continue their adventure. For now, it exists in an unsteady state of peace.