Lords' Alliance

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The Justicar’s descent marked an end to endless war, and a beginning. The Alliance among Men was not just a covenant of words, but a flicker of hope—a small but important light—in a world long shadowed by the chaos of our ancient Enemy.
—Kelvena of House Jerathial, author of The jerathial Codices

The Lords’ Alliance was born in a moment of triumph after humanity’s ancestors banded together to drive the Colossi—the last of the children of Asag—into the Northern Wastes. With the Colossi vanquished in the fields of Moruin, the Lords of Men set aside their rivalries to forge a covenant that would safeguard their realms from internal strife.

This alliance was formalized in Castle Moongarm, where the Lords etched their seals into the Foundation Stone, a magical artifact imbued with the power to bind their oaths. It was said that this binding was only possible through the intervention of a Justicar of the High People, who descended from the heavens to sanctify the process. This act symbolized a profound partnership between humanity and the High People, whose stewardship of the earth provided stability for generations.

The Lords’ Alliance ushered in an era of peace and prosperity. Under its terms, the Lords of Men agreed to uphold the sovereignty of each realm, refrain from waging war against one another, and unite against common threats. The Foundation Stone became both a literal and figurative cornerstone of this unity, a testament to the power of cooperation in a world still reeling from the chaos of Asag’s dominion.

Yet this golden age was not to last. The Fall shattered the balance of the world, and with the High People in retreat, human ambition filled the void. Lord Gazreth’s rise to power marked the end of the Alliance. Declaring himself Emperor of Arcadia, he slew Lord Paimon and issued the Decree of the One God, fracturing the unity forged in Castle Moongarm. The Foundation Stone was broken, its fragments scattered, leaving only its shadow to haunt the fractured realms of Midworld.

Today, the remnants of the Alliance linger in memory. Some seek to restore it, believing that only unity can stand against the growing darkness. Others view it as a relic of an age too far gone, unsuited for the harsh realities of the present.

Adventure Hook

The Lord’s Alliance can be viewed either as a testament to what can be achieved through collective action, or an exercise in kowtowing to beneficent oppressors. How you frame the Lords’ Alliance determines how the players will view the campaign’s fictional past, and in turn affect how they choose to change its future.

In the ruins of an ancient battlefield, a strange phenomenon begins to manifest: spectral figures of the original Lords of Men re-enact the signing of the Alliance each night, only to fade at dawn. Spiritualists believe the spirits are tied to an unseen fragment of the Foundation Stone buried beneath the battlefield. The party must uncover the source of the haunting and decide whether to lay the spirits to rest or use their presence to inspire a new age of unity.

What caused the spirits of the Lords to appear, and what message might they hold for the present age?
How will rival factions respond to the discovery of a tangible connection to the Alliance’s origins?
Can the party harness the spirits’ influence to rebuild alliances, or will their efforts awaken darker forces?

Tags: Regimes

Lords of Arcadia

Lords of Men

The Rasa

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