Hey everyone!
This is going to be the official post for everyone to read regarding rules and regulations regarding the Pathfinder game, Loyalty to One’s King. The game is due to kick off sometime in September, and will hopefully be lots of fun! So without further ado, I’ll start putting up information relevant to the game!
The Mists of Time
Over four thousand years ago, the lands of Amaldan had its first arrivals as Elf tribes began moving into the region from parts unknown. In the Eldamidri forests, the elves remained in relative peace, preferring to remain there amongst the trees and leaving the surrounding country alone. Therefore, it came as a surprise when approximately three thousand years ago, a group of Dwarf scouts looking for new places to dig for ores came across an Elf village. The Elves were suspicious of these arrivals, but because the Elves remained to their mines to the northwest, they remained neutral. However, it was the arrival of humans, and their tendency to inhabit near anywhere, that drove the Elves to commit the most heinous act they’re known for. The Elven Wars.
The Elven Wars
Over a thousand years ago, when the Elves became aware of humans and their annoying habit of living near anywhere, including within the forests the Elves called home, the Elves decided that their continued interests would best be suited by removing the human presence in the lands of Amaldan. The resulting wars were notorious, especially for the atrocities committed by the Elves against the humans. The various tribes of humans were unable to resist the Elves, and banded together in a desperate attempt to fend off the Elves.
United under King Edward I, the humans began to resist the Elves, but were unable to keep them from conquering town after town and killing any and all they found. To turn the tide, Edward beseeched the Dwarves to aid them in war, promising gold, riches, anything the Dwarves demanded in return for their aid. Aware of the Elves’ propensity for conquest of any and all they came into contact with, the Dwarves pledged their industry so long as the Humans repaid them for the efforts the Dwarves put forth. With Humans and Dwarves united, the Elves were pushed back, with estimates that three of every four elves were put to death by the time the Elves fully surrendered.
Under threat of total annihilation, the Elves were placed under direct military rule by a coalition of Dwarf and Human soldiers. The Dwarves, realizing that Humans were very versatile leaders in times of war, agreed to place their armies under human command in times of war, but only if the Dwarf Council of Masters agreed to a declaration of war.
Rise of the Desert Tribes
12 years ago, a man by the name of Warlord Vitruvius united the fractured tribes of the Silent Desert, promising them riches from the kingdom of Amaldan to the south in exchange for following his banner. With the loyalty of the tribes bought, he had them spend years preparing for the campaign, before finally launching it 4 years ago, striking across the Flaming Grounds at the heart of Amaldan, King Harold VI’s keep.
The war was long and bloody. The surprise attack caught King Harold unaware, but his noble paladins fought ferociously to defend the keep while Harold rallied his allies, the Dwarves. With an army rushing directly from the Dwarven Marble Tower, King Harold drove the desert warriors away, but not before they’d managed to cause extensive damage to the outer walls of Amaldan Keep. The desert warriors did not retreat over the Flaming Grounds, however, but merely held a series of towns along the sea and using the locals as slaves to transport goods to and from their tribes. They fortified their positions and prepared to resist King Harold’s men, who were still reeling from the surprise attack.
With battle hardened warriors launching lightning raids and King Harold attempting to swing his armies around to deal with constant threats, it was unclear for the first year if King Harold would be able to retake his fallen villages. However, it so happened that in spring of the second year, the local crab population surged, attacking the numerous barges constantly moving across the water. With supplies dwindling for the desert warriors, King Harold told his commanders to drive the advantage and hammer them until they yielded. With troops pushing in from all directions, the desert warriors fled across the water, many finding watery graves and more finding themselves food for the crabs. Victory seemed assured, until the same problem that had made the warriors weak now affected Harold’s own troops when they attempted to launch an attack on the far side of the sea.
Many of Harold’s commanders were convinced that with the desert tribes retreating, that the war was over. However, Harold told his generals that he wanted the desert tribes to be defeated to the point that they would be unable to threaten Amaldan for at least ten generations. Wary of Harold’s commandment, they none the less pushed forward, across the sea, hiring fishermen and warriors to drive away the crab population while the soldiers began landing in numbers. The warriors, realizing that Harold wasn’t going to let them escape, launched an attack to drive Harold’s army off. The battles were fierce, with warriors as young as 10 and as old as 30 fighting to the death against the professional army under Harold’s command.
By the end of the third year, the army had pushed back most of the warriors and many had even turned on Vitruvius, though they met a swift end themselves. Harold’s commandment that the tribes be unable to wage war for ten generations was carried out, with many tribes eliminated completely. The war ended when Vitruvius was found dead in the center of a tribal village, killed by a young warrior who believed him to be the cause of their suffering. The war was finally over.
A Kingdom Divided
With the war winding down, King Harold began tending to the domestic affairs he had neglected in his absence. His eldest son, Matthew, had served as his right hand during his campaign into the desert, but it was his second son, Phillip, who had tended to the affairs of state. It remains a mystery who killed Harold, but it was indeed a murder, committed after a fierce argument between Matthew and Phillip as to who should take the reins of power. Matthew’s argument, that the law was on his side, was countered by Phillip claiming that he had served as king while Harold was in absentia. Regardless as to who was to blame, Matthew was convinced Phillip was to blame, and tried to confront him over it. Phillip declared Matthew the murderer, and hired several mercenaries to defend himself. Fearing his life, Matthew fled, allowing Phillip to be coronated and made King.
