Dreotha (Continent)

Dreotha is a continent in the southern hemisphere of Ataraxus, and is the southernmost continent on the planet. It is divided into 8 human kingdoms, 2 elvish kingdoms, 1 dwarfish realm, and 1 decentralized commonwealth. The political power of the continent rests with primarily humans and elves, but the population is very diverse, especially in the human kingdoms. There are individuals from nearly every race in the world, including Tabaxi, Orcs, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Goliaths, Aasimar, and many others. The climate ranges from temperate in the north, to very cold in the south. All but one of the kingdoms have a coastal border, and engage in maritime trade. Aside from that, the economies of the different kingdoms are varied, as are their government structures.

## History

### The Founding

Humans from the Federation of Nations, and Elves from the Great Ancestral Kingdom made an agreement to settle the continent of Dreotha together. They divided the available land, with the elves founding a new empire, and the humans founding the Realm of Dreotha. The peoples of Eöstrend, Hyldsorn, and Aivuria were already present, and the new settlers left their land to them. A small settlement of dwarves also exists on the island of Vyrskaldr, but they are highly reclusive. As the Realm of Dreotha grew, there was still open land to the north. And before they could develop it, a new wave of settlers arrived and founded the Kingdom of Jormoth.

The elves from the Great Ancestral Kingdom forged their new empire to escape their authoritarian government. As a result, they designed a cumbersome bureaucracy to limit the  power of the Emperor. This made the Empire appealing for other elves of the Kingdom, and many more immigrated. This contributed to the decline of the Great Ancestral Kingdom, which no longer exists (and is instead a collection of loosely affiliated settlements, similar to the Commonwealth of Towns).

### The Shattering

In the year 564 A.F. (i.e. 1847 Y.A., which is 564 years after the founding of Dreotha and The Empire), two events occurred that led to major schisms across the continent. The Emperor died, and each of his two twin sons claimed the throne. The cumbersome bureaucracy that had helped maintain individual freedom resulted in a stalemate, which eventually erupted into a short civil war. Though the war was resolved quickly, with few casualties (and was more akin to a cold war), the end result was a split of the Empire into two new ones, now each even more bogged down in bureaucracy and political in-fighting.

The second event was the undead invasion of Dreotha. Out of the south came suddenly legions of undead and the necromancers who controlled them. Their origins and goals were never discerned. Although the brutal war to fight them back was successful, it resulted in the shattering of Dreotha. Help from the Empire was unavailable, as they were caught in their civil war and political turmoil. Dreotha split into the kingdoms of Galifeld, Menvegir, and Trimoris, with the southernmost region of the realm left a scattered collection of towns now referred to as the Commonwealth.

During the chaos, Jormoth took the opportunity to grab land to the south of its former border that had once been part of Dreotha, as well as land on the eastern side of the channel. With their momentum and opportunity, Jormoth also invaded the western elvish empire (Nythe) and annexed more land so that they would fully control both sides of the channel.

### Present Day

In the contemporary setting, 987 A.F. (2270 Y.A.), Jormoth is arguably the most powerful of the human kingdoms. Their control of the channel as well as the northern sea gives them the most trading flexibility with the rest of Ataraxus. In order to trade with other continents, the other human kingdoms must pass through Jormoth’s maritime territory (and pay high tariffs), or take a much longer route around the northern landmass occupied by East and West Aivuria. In addition to their highly prosperous trade with the other continents, Jormoth controls the largest area of fertile farmland on the Dreothan continent. Their unmatched navy and formidable land forces also make them a dangerous potential enemy.

The second largest and second most powerful human kingdom is Trimoris. With strong ties to its parent kingdom of Dreotha, the capital of Starwatch is the oldest city in the post-Dreothan kingdoms. The monarch of Trimoris (currently Queen Aethylin the Vigilant) is believed to have distant ties to the bloodline of the monarchs of Dreotha. Trimoris has a bustling economy, focusing on agriculture, logging, mining, and overland and maritime trade, as well as some of the best craftspeople in the human kingdoms. They also have one of the best schools of arcane arts in the human kingdoms; a close third only after only the Jormoth Royal Mage's Academy, and the legendary Scriptorium in the Commonwealth.

The other post-Dreothan kingdoms - Galifeld and Menvegir, do not live up to the glory of their predecessor realm. But they are prosperous in their own right. They are both known for their plentiful mines and woodland. Hyldsorn and Eostrend, the two pre-Dreothan kingdoms on the mainland, are much more reclusive and tend to keep to themselves, though not nearly as much as Vyrskaldr and the Aivurias.