Kingdom of Varden

This is a fantasy setting I've been working on. It's all about intrigue and knives in the back.

The Kingdom of Varden is in turmoil. A weak king is opposed by his seven barons, all of them struggling for power while trying not to tip the land into civil war. Raids from the dark forests, swamps, and mountains by monsters and subhumans threaten the commons. Many of the old races, the elves, gnomes, halflings, and others have been scapegoated for the problems, and have left or gone in hiding. The war against the Southron Principalities is never ending, and the Dwarf Empire to the West is making noise about coming in to rescue Varden from itself.

The commoners pray for the Gleaming Lady’s return, a folk hero of old who restored order during dark times yet died saving the land from the Lich King. Alas, the King and Barons consider this a foolish fantasy at best, and a dangerous cult at worst.

Most legal residents of Varden are humans. The king and barons are all human. Since the other races aided in the founding of the kingdom and helped fend off ancient threats, they were given generally high status. That has eroded over time, to the point that nonhumans are often scapegoated for things not their responsibility. Consider that before choosing a non-human species.

Threats to the Kingdom of Varden

Things that keep noble and commoner awake at night.

Dwarf Empire

Aka “The Khardun Imperium” in Dwarvish

“Stone does not hurry. Stone remains.”

Khardun rarely conducts raids. It takes territory permanently. Once an enemy territory falls, dwarven engineers arrive almost immediately. Roads are widened. Walls around cities are rebuilt. Mines are surveyed. Imperial weights and measures replace local ones. Taxes are assessed. A Khardun garrison occupies a newly constructed citadel, and the conquered ruler must either swear allegiance to the emperor or surrender authority to an appointed governor.

They divide nations into three categories: the Ordered, the Unproven, and the Broken:

• The Ordered are strong states worthy of treaties.
• The Unproven are watched carefully.
• The Broken are states plagued by civil war, corruption, raiding, famine, or weak rulers. These are considered legitimate targets for annexation. There is concern amongst the people of Varden that its greatness will be misperceived the wrong way

Southron Principalities

Varden’s southern border are towns on the southern bank of the River Ash. To their south are the Southron Principalities: rich cities ruled by rival princes, each eager to purchase glory with someone else’s blood. They feud over bridges, vineyards, and insults delivered at banquets, but unite against Varden. Their palaces glitter with marble and gold, paid for by goblin workshops that hammer out weapons day and night.

The princes wage war with cheap subhuman warriors. Orcs fill their ranks, hobgoblins drill them into disciplined formations, and bugbears prowl ahead to murder sentries and open gates. Fast-growing orc settlements supply fresh recruits, while goblin foundries arm them by the thousand. It is said Varden can destroy a Southron army and find another marching north before the graves have settled.

The princes want more than just the towns on the south bank of the River Ash. They want to carve out segments of the great Kingdom of Varden.