Arvanor

Settled by refugees and political dissidents of Khepnefera, Arvanor was an up-and-coming power when Khepnefera disappeared beneath the sands of the Dustbowl. From its original capital of Theopolis, Arvanor spread out, assimilating the local tribes into their culture as they expanded. When the last Emperor of Arvanor passed away, the Lord-Mayors of each major city-state began vying for the throne. When men finally tired of fighting, they brought in monstrous humanoids from the Wildlands and giant lands. Eventually they lost control of the humanoids. The city-states put up a fight against their former mercenaries, but the loss of large portions of their kingdoms and the destruction of smaller towns and villages diminished each of them. The destruction of Darcos by the orcs finally convinced the remaining city-states to cease hostilities against one another and focus on the true enemies. Each city-state controlled the immediate area around its walls, but the miles between the states were hostile terrain ruled by the humanoids.   That all changed about forty years ago. When the Crown Prince of Hawkmoon and the Crown Princess of Brineven married, they conspired to reconstruct the Empire as a kingdom under their rule. They had great success, uniting the lands of Hawkmoon, Brineven, Tarnauld, and retaking Darcos from the orcs. This Northern Kingdom caused concern with the southern city states, the Gendeau of Sarten and Elteare joined together, forming the Gendeau Kingdom, and Valens, Murena, and far-off Theopolis entered into a mutual protection pact known as the Swordsea Compact. Only the Theocracy of Calastan still stands alone.