Welcome to the Republic of Almeria!

A Post-War, Post-Imperial, Post-Diaspora World

The continent of Tessar had seen millennia of fighting between nations and races, but thankfully these conflicts finally started to quiet down due to the efforts of a few great heroes and diplomats. The Invincible Overlord took advantage of this relative peace, using his seemingly endless magical abilities and the strength of the Dragonborn Knights to quickly conquer the kingdoms. Thus his 100-year reign, known as The Great Silence, began. During this time, the Invincible Overlord crippled most religious infrastructure, scattered the monks to the wind, destroyed the cultural legacies of most races, and stole mass amounts of magical texts. His greatest asset, which allowed him to accomplish such epic deeds, was also his greatest crime: slavery. Thousands of citizens were captured and forced to erect his monuments and build his grand designs. Depending on the species, generations were born into this slavery, and it was only thanks to the previously underground networks of the Tieflings that hundreds were able to escape from their slavers.

Rebellions popped up every few years but were usually quickly quelled. The era of the Great Silence brought economic and prosperity and unprecedented technological advances to those who were in a position to appreciate them, leading to an uneasy complacency with the upper classes. It was only after increased taxation, slowed economic growth, and cultural shifts in thinking that the resistance began to start in earnest. This Final Rebellion was a long and bloody war, the first “modern war” and hopefully the last. The Rebels were ultimately only able to succeed in their upheaval after the recruitment of the Orcs and Goblins to their cause, an unprecedented and controversial move.

The damage had been done though. The previous structures of race and region that used to define identity had been destroyed by the constant migration of slaves and refugees. Having come out the other side of a truly horrifying war, and in the wake of this cultural diaspora, the Republic of Almeria was born. Realizing that they could not return to their old ways, and desperate to ensure that no ruler every got that powerful again, a coalition of the greatest thinkers and heroes created a purposefully balanced government. One that represented all peoples, regardless of their scales or horns, big feet or long beards.

The first Regent of Almeria was the great elven General Eryn Thornwood, whose strength and wisdom guided Almeria in those early days. After 30 years of rule, she stepped down and a new regent, this time a human, was elected. We’re now 5 years into the Age of Man, and many have taken advantage of Regent Domhnall’s seemingly weak leadership to try to reform or even destroy the government. The Republic’s existence is in danger, externally facing increased criticism and internally being tested by corrupt forces wishing to break the balance of its design.

In the last 45 years, magical industrialization has exploded thanks to the burgeoning field of alchemy, making magic far more available to those who can afford it. Auto-wands are perhaps the most revolutionary of these inventions, allowing anyone to cast basic Evocation spells. They’re an uncommon sight for now though, as the cost of their upkeep and ammo make most unable to upkeep them. New inventions, both magical and technological, seem to come along every day, but their actual adoption amongst common folk is slow.

In the North, the orcs and goblins who’ve been cheated out of the sovereignty and resources promised to them by the Rebellion are skirmishing with the Republic forces. There are those fighting the diplomatic battle for Orc-Goblin reparations in the capital, but they fear the advanced war tech of the Republic will slaughter their peoples before a compromise can be reached.

In the East, where the Invincible Overlord sought to expand his empire past the Dragon-Tooth Mountains and across the Yuszi desert, a new frontier has been born. Building upon the roads and mines abandoned after the Great Silence, towns and settlements have been cropping up as former slaves and soldiers try to build their new lives from scratch. This Fierce Frontier is fraught with danger, as it is home to roving Gnoll tribes, territorial Yuan-Ti, and all types of untamed forces of nature that Almerians are determined to conquer. It is their “Express Inspiration” after all, the philosophy that this land is what’s owed to Almerians after their century of suffering and that it is virtuous to spread the values of the Republic. How will you make your name on this frontier of freedom?

Heroes, who used to be wandering freedom fighters or Rebellion soldiers, now flock to the Frontier, trying to snatch up the last bits of glory that can be found in protecting those in need. For the areas lacking in such heroes, settlers have resorted to being under the domain of the exiled Vampire Lords, who’ve made the Frontier their home ever since the Invincible Overlord cast them out. They now are the only ones who have the definitive resources to protect whole regions of settlements and towns, and are charging high fees for these services. Unfortunately, these poor settlers have found themselves in the middle of a nasty contest for power amongst the Vampire Lords, which may turn into an all-out war itself. Can you avoid the wrath of these Lords as you protect the innocent?

It is a time where law and structure are under scrutiny, where chaos and nature are constantly threatening to destroy a precarious balance. There have been demonstrations and acts of terrorism all across Almeria, but the most recent event of some severity was the Assassination of Governor Lochlain, who presided over the canton of Jiyū. He was viewed by most Confederates as a corrupt politician, the peak example of the kind of “lazy leech” this new government will foster. Will you aid the Republic in building a new future, or join others in their attempts to restoring the Kingdoms of Tessar to their former glory?

For historical comparison, I drew inspiration primarily from the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. The current state of the world is also very similar to the Meiji era in Japan. The pre-Great Silence world, leading to the conquest of the Invincible Overlord, is very akin to the state of Europe before World War I and kinda follows a theoretical path of if Germany had won. So you can think of the timeline as traditional fantasyland->WWI->American Revolution->Meiji/Reconstruction Era. I mean every good Western has the background tension of the Civil War, so this world needs its political tensions too!