| Ostend |
| In the year 12,773 YC, about five hundred years ago, a small group of farmers that were being persecuted by the Dragon Lords decided that they would no longer pay the tribute. They hired a group of mercnaries to come to their region and fight against the thugs that would inevitably be sent. The mercenaries that answered the summons were a rag-tag band of fugitives from many races; the type of warrior that had to be cunning and ruthless to survive in a world ruled by darkness.
For it was indeed a world without the light of culture and learning and peace. It was a world where life was brutal, for the Draconian presence was felt everywhere. Every road, every town, every inn was touched by their influence. Everywhere people were afraid, and trusted no one and there were always wars; petty, pointless stupid wars that simply perpetuated the cycle of violence and hatred that had been slowly consuming Arden for five thousand years. But there remained some spark of dignity within the hearts of these mercenaries, some yearning to believe in something other than base survival, a desire to fight for something meaningful. These warriors organized the farmers and fortified their villages and when the thugs came, they were beaten, the Dragon Staff snapped and returned in defiance. And when the battle was over, they looked out across the fields to see lines of people; farmers and townfolk from the surrounding countryside, all come to join with them and fight against the tyranny that had oppressed them for generations. Never before had such a thing happened; never has the power of the Dragon Lords been openly defied in battle. Armies of Goblinoids from Dor-Gotha were sent to Ostend to destroy this resistance; the same armies that had brought the mighty Dwarf Taraks to ruin were now turned on the Free People of Ostend. The columns of evil soldiery stretched for miles, the air filled with the sound of their drums and marching feet, and their dreaded banners displaying the red dragon were carried at the head. It seemed to be hopeless, but again fate took a surprise turn. The Ostenders ambushed the War Host of Dor-Gotha, catching them completely flat-footed and wreaking havoc with their morale. Never in thousands of years had this army been on the defensive and they were totally unprepared. A force one-tenth their size managed to send them into a rout, chasing them all the way to the borders of the province of Ostend. For 500 years since, Ostend has stood defiant of the Draconian Legion, a beacon of hope to people all across Arden. Here people of all races are welcome to live free from tyranny; Humans, Dwarves, Ogres, Orcs, Halflings, Gnomes, Lizardmen and others all live together in the capital, where the people have built a university to gather the knowledge of all the people of Arden. Out in the towns and villages, things are not always smooth, at times there is great friction between these races. Some towns are settled primarily by a single race, and the people can be protective of their own customs but the need for common defence always seems to bring the Free People of Ostend to stand together. |
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