Kingdom of Elmara

## Backstory

The Kingdom of Elmara had been ruled primarily by Marus, the God of Trade, since Year 8; not long after the Gods awakened. Though it had seen countless wars and its share of traumatic eras, the kingdom was an economic powerhouse due to Marus' diligent rule. It had a flourishing population, strong production, loyal followers, and a frequent supply of trade caravans along the King's Route. Marus rarely initiated any of the direct conflicts with Gods, but he had provided significant funding to allies in exchange for their mutual cooperation. His resources were critical to many war efforts.

In the year 974, Marus and several of his top lieutenants were killed by a zealous sect of Dauron's inquisition while traveling to a political assembly in Hullpor - lead by Dauron (the God of Battle) himself. Shortly afterward, Dauron gathered his forces to purge the lands of Marus' strongest allies and crush the kingdom's prosperity.

Word of Marus' death had spread, along with the promise of bloodshed from a Warrior God. This angered and terrified the population, who had never experienced life without his leadership. Many of Marus' allies no longer had any incentives to protect the territory and withdrew. Thousands of Marus' followers fled, particularly those that served critical economic roles in the region. Thousands more were killed. Anywhere Dauron's soldiers went, critical businesses were pillaged and burned. Checkpoints were established along the major trade routes to capture or destroy all foreign economic ties. Dauron's invasion suffered losses, especially when the Dwarves became angered at the food shortages, but it was ultimately a great success.

Many of the villages that once thrived along the trade routes were suddenly stripped of many of their traditional means to survive. As much of the population fled, villagers that remained often fell to Dauron's wraith or watched their farms burn. Some villages fell to starvation. Some were unable to protect themselves from monsters due to the reduction in protection.

By the time Dauron's reign of terror finally ended and his primary forces had withdrawn, the kingdom had collapsed. A national government no longer existed. Most of the kingdom's essential resources had been plundered. Trade was low, and scarcity was high. Crime had grown dramatically. Dauron took control of the city of Aling to suppress trade with the east and to get updates within the region. He left men behind as a statement, and gave them impunity to act as they saw fit, under the threat of Dauron's return if anyone took action against them. However, with the Dwarven nation threatening to involve themselves in greater numbers, Dauron chose to withdraw his primary forces and dedicate his efforts elsewhere. He had no short-term interest in spending resources to maintain the kingdom in its current state.

### Reosyn, Goddess of the Sea

Reosyn, who controls the islands of Elmara, was gravely impacted by attack on the kingdom. She was prepared to use her navy against Dauron's forces, but Dauron ignored her. Even as she gave refuge to many of Marus' loyalists, Dauron never crossed the sea, knowing that Reosyn's economic fate would suffer after losing the trade and production that Elmara provided. Though Reosyn was able to fare much better than the rest of Elmara, it was nevertheless a heavy blow to her economy.

### The Current Year (Year 982)

Some of Marus' allies that had fled west or took sanctuary in the Elmara islands during the invasion are beginning to return to Elmara; many at the behest of Reosyn, who has plenty of her own economic struggles to deal with. However,the landscape has shifted drastically, no clear source of power, and many political conflicts. The large number of crises to deal with has strained the recovery efforts.