The Five Kingdoms

The Kingdom of Morena reigned over central Ashan for several millennia during what is now known as the Warring States period. Crown Hill, even at that time, served as Morena’s capitol. From the ancient keep turned fortress overlooking the city, Queen Dorothea governed her kingdom, usually directing several wars at once, without ever setting foot outside her well-fortified citadel. Her rule, often cited as more just than merciful, prided itself on maintaining the martial discipline necessary to preserve the kingdom’s territories in the face of near constant onslaught.

If you were to look at an old map of Morena, Crown Hill, would lie almost exactly at the center. The Adrielle River flowed through the capital, feeding the fertile plains that surrounded it. This area was under direct control of the Monarchy, although local governance was maintained by the minor nobles that administered the various counties and wards. The rest of Morena was divided into six Thanes, all of which owed direct allegiance to the Queen. They were Gaishun and Kolaida, known together as the Twin Thanes, the Euphemian Plains, Whisperwood, Thisbe, and Hesiod’s Pan.

To the North lay the Twin Thanes, Gaishun and Kolaida. These two cities stood at the foot of the Agni Mountains, facing each other from across the beginnings of the Adrielle River. The leather-skinned mountain tribes were kept at bay behind the Long Wall, which stretched many miles in either direction and marked the Kingdom’s northern boundary.

To the northeast, several days ride from Crown Hill, began the Nahalan forest. Even further northeast emerged the foothills of Ios. This mountain group, which gradually increased in height until forming the tallest peaks in all of Ahsan, were the meeting point of two separate ranges, the Agni and the Grey. The region, known as the Staircase to Heaven, was home to the giant races.

The Grey Mountains, at an almost 90 degree angle to the Agni Mountains, stretched towards the south. The Mountains were separated from Morena by the vast and deep Stone Canyon, which was impassable save by flight or magic.

To the south, in the vast Euphemian Plains, lived the diminutive humanoids known as the Hanner Dyn, or shortstriders. The plains ran all the way to the Great Ocean. No one in even the furthest memory has ever ventured beyond the continent in that direction, because the way was blocked by the Orospu Islands, home to the chromatic dragons.

To the west of the plains, the multiple branches of the Adrielle formed the Herpelon Delta. The swamp was inhabited by all manner of reptilian races, including some dragons. Not far to the north, near the widest point of the Adrielle, lay the city of Whisperwood.

Even further west began the Eilleithisan, or the Great Forest, home to the Faerie. It was a mystical and mysterious forest, and its inhabitants remained aloof from most of the constant battling of the neighboring kingdoms, only allowing themselves to become involved when their own way of life was threatened.

To the far west of Crown Hill stood the holy city of Thisbe. This Thane was charged with protecting Morena and its borderlands from the great evil of Skeldya, whose domain began just beyond the border in the Dead Hills.

Finally, occupying approximately the midpoint between Crown Hill, Thisbe, and Whisperwood, rested the economic bastion of Hesiod’s Pan, which acted as a trade center and market place for all the outlying rural areas.

With enemies at every corner, Morena faced a constant struggle for survival, a survival that, through a knotting of fateful events, would suddenly come to depend upon a group of young teenagers from a small, nondescript village known as Moon’s Thresh.

The Five Kingdoms period, now the stuff of legend and romance, hearkens back to a time when the continent of Ashan was embroiled in near constant warfare. Each kingdom fought relentlessly, if not for complete domination, then to at least hold dominion over their corner of the map. To understand the long and glorious period of peace brought to us by the Emperor, we must examine closely this period of chaos and death which nearly broke the very earth itself.

The Kingdom of Morena: A land of mostly humans, ruled by Queen Dorothea. The Queen was dedicated to wiping out evil across the entire continent and bringing peace to Ahsan.

The Tribes of Agni: Relegated to the Agni Mountains, the tribal nations were a confederacy of fierce, leather-skinned humanoids bent on destruction and domination. Although primal in their nature, the nations were led by the violent and cunning tribe of Kulakshaya. Individual groups included the Skads, Trolls and Tepas.

The Dark Priest of Skeldya: The possessor of dark magic unparalleled in all of Ahsan, the Dark Priest ruled for more than a millennium over a domain of dark, undying races, along with many unfortunate humans he had enslaved to his will. Some stories claim he was an evil deity come to life, others that he bound his essence to the Stone of Kamqk and achieved an immortality as lifeless and frightful as one of his captured souls.

The Giants of Ios: Dwelling in the the Ios Mountains, the giants were a nomadic people intent on ridding Ahsan of all their enemies. Although not ruled by one predominant monarch, they often banded together to join battle, and their chaotic nature made them unpredictable and powerful foes.

The Dragons: Isolated on the Orospu Islands and the Delta Swamp, the chromatic dragons and their followers, the serpentine races, sought to reclaim the hold over Ahsan they once maintained. Although small in number, even a handful of these fearsome yet intelligent monsters were capable of devastating an entire army when caught unprepared.

Lyssa Lyrameister, almost universally acknowledged as the greatest poet of the Five Kingdoms period, recorded the epic known today as The Lost Tomb of Jhohun Thallash’Mer some 400 years after the events. The time period in which the story took place was at the high point of warring among the Five Kingdoms, a time of volatility and blood. Alliances shifted quickly, generals and armies rose to fame and just as quickly were resigned to oblivion. Every living soul on the continent of Ashan knew nothing but warfare their entire lives.

Lyrameister’s fame as a poet rests upon two equally stout pillars. First, she is known lyrically to be the most accomplished wordsmith of the millennium. Second, her stories are famed for their historical accuracy and great profundity of detail. She is the progenitor of a form of epic known as nousreka, or reality of the mind. She traveled extensively throughout the continent, interviewing locals, surveying locations, and pouring over artwork and provincial records, compiling as much information as possible to form the skeleton for her historical sketches of figures that in most cases had been dead for generations. Historians have long mined her works for the informative details found within.

Even today, in the era of imperial unity that has blessed Ashan for the last 800 years, The Lost Tomb of Jhohun Thallash’Mer and its sequels have much to teach us. Ye who embark on this journey of discovery, heed carefully the lessons to be found within. Even as the translation loses much of her original artistry, the impact of her message should resonate. Lyrameister edifies us on the meaning of loyalty, the virtues of bravery, the follies to be found in treachery, and, most importantly perhaps, the mutual ruination to be found in warfare.