The Dreadlands

## Basic Overview

The Dreadlands are a frigid and barren region in Northern Valdemar which are inhabited by Orcs, Chaos hordes, and a collection of other foul beasts which plague the entire region. To the south of the region sits a massive castle known as: "The Last Bastion" which is the only stronghold which stands between the seemingly numberless beasts of that region, and the Kingdoms of Aveqar and Eastmarch. The castle has stood for thousands of years as one of the most well-fortified structures ever created. It is manned by a steadfast order of Knights, Wizards, Warriors, and Templars from across the Kingdoms of Aveqar and Eastmarch, known as: "The Dread Guard".

The castle is ruled by an elected Lord known as "The Bastion Lord", and a handful of lower-ranking garrison commanders, who can be appointed, and/or removed by the elected Lord. To the North of the region lies Arreat Crater, a massive Hellish pit which is inhabited by a numberless host of despicable and evil creatures whose sole desire it is to destroy and ravage the Realms of Men. The area in between The Last Bastion and Arreat Crater, which encompasses the majority of the region, is known as: "The Battlefields of Eternity".

## Location & Geography

Geographically, The Dreadlands is the third Northernmost region in Valdemar, behind Frostrim and Norwestria. The region is almost completely barren, and has a mostly cold climate. The terrain is very mountainous, rocky, and dry, and riddled with ash and toxic fumes. Virtually all of the food and supplies at "The Last Bastion" have to be imported from the Southern Kingdoms.

The Dreadlands is bordered by Frostrim to the East, Norwestria, to the West, the Kingdom of Aveqar to the SouthWest, and the Kingdom of Eastmarch to the South, and SouthEast. To the North lies the Frozen Sea.

## History

Incursions from The Dreadlands date as far back as the 3rd century of the First Age, when various Orc tribes and Giant clans raided the Province of Frostrim. However, the first recorded Chaos incursion didn't occur until thousands of years later in 547 of the Second age, when a massive horde under Drisonos The Black abruptly swept South from The Dreadlands, decimating the entirety of the Kingdom of Aveqar, and sacking the city of Brinehammer.

Following Drisonos' defeat roughly a year later, the Nolenorians and Aveqari established "The Last Bastion" in 549. In 554, King Aevenon Estevot appointed King Alphonsus Gocelinus' son, Reinhold as the ruler of the castle, and allowed the castle to exist as the seat of House Gocelinus. However, control of the castle eventually shifted to what would become known as "The Dread Guard" just a few decades later following the recapture of Brinehammer by King Geofridus Gocelinus. Following the establishment of the new "Dread Guard" order, authority at The Last Bastion was determined via elections within the order, and members of the order consisted of both volunteers, and conscripts from across The Kingdoms of Eastmarch, and Aveqar.

#### Reign of the Skeleton King | 1,403 - 1424 (Second Age of (World Name)

In 1,403 of the Second Age, Lord Helias Melcher was elected as the 57th Bastion Lord of The Dread Guard. At first, the reputable, and honorable man's appointment was celebrated throughout The Realm, and seen as a great, and promising turning point for The Guard. However, this optimism was quickly extinguished just a couple of years later when the newly appointed Lord descended into a haze of madness, and demon worshiping. The young Lord had taken a mistress, of half-demon, and half-human origin who became known as: "The Queen of Chaos", and for years she used her relationship with Lord Helias to twist and taint his mind. The sacrificial offering of children became a common practice, as did the burning of anyone who spoke out against this horror.

Before long, the Chaos Queen's demonic mind-controlling influence consumed the entirety of The Dread Guard, and the order began to closely collaborate with the Chaos warlords themselves, towards the ultimate ambition of attempting to subjugate the entirety of the Kingdoms of Eastmarch, and Aveqar.

In 1422, King Berengier Estevot, King Rainard Gocelinus, and High King Agnar Bertelsen led a combined host of some 24,000 men from the Kingdoms of Eastmarch and Aveqar, as well as the Province of Frostrim to depose the corrupted Bastion Lord, and cleanse the castle of the Chaotic taint invoked by the Chaos Queen.

The castle was besieged for nearly a year, but the outer walls were eventually breached in the Winter of 1423. By this point, it's estimated that the garrisoned forces under Lord Helias had been reduced to roughly 1,500, from an original force of 6,500 while the besieging coalition army had dwindled down to approximately 12,000, from an original force of 24,000. Surrounded and crammed up inside the Inner portion of the castle, Lord Helias and his men began to despair, but his Queen insisted that the battle could still be won, and urged Helias to begin sacrificing the children of his own men, many of whom were also within the interior of the castle. (At this time, vows of celibacy were not yet ordained, and it was common for men of The Guard to house their families at the castle as well.)

These sacrifices were naturally met with fierce opposition in many cases, which led to several mutinies, suicides, and executions, all of which contributed to grinding down the already greatly outnumbered defenders even further. By the Spring of 1424, the inner walls were finally breached, and the remaining members of The Guard, most of whom were now either starving, or dying from their wounds were all quickly overwhelmed.

An eye witness account from an Aveqari soldier who partook in the siege recorded the following:

*"By the time we finally located Lord Helias deep within the bowels of the castle, he visibly hardly even resembled a man anymore. His flesh was rotting away, and many of his bones were directly visible to our eyes, and around him was a pool of blood, which was secreting from a rotten corpse of a woman with a crown which was laying in his lap. He looked up at us and shouted: "We will return!" before slitting his own throat."*

 Lord Helius, the 57th Bastion Lord of The Dread Guard would thereafter be known as: "The Skeleton King".