Pegias

Pegias is a continent found in the world of Meostras. A majority of the continent is united under the Levidor Kingdom, save for the great jungle of the north.

History
Popular belief in Pegias is that the Second Cleansing started a new era for a sinful world, at least this is how the Church of Cleansing teaches it to the people of Pegias. Little is known about how Pegias came to be other than legends passed down through time. What is known is how the Levidor Lineage was formed.

Small kingdoms speckled the continent where communities had banded together and nobility had taken charge. Some of these kingdoms managed a militia or even knights that would defend their domains from attacks from goblins and orc nomads. There were some conflicts between kingdoms (notably between Vegas and Yley), but overall they managed peace.

The Horde and Civil War
In 468, everything changed for the people of Pegias. The orc nomads, under the leadership of Ugadar Skullsmasher, entered an alliance with the Goblin King Eark. King Eark and Ugadar ravaged the lands and destroyed many villages and even some kingdoms in their march from the south and north.

Their reign of terror lasted for 12 years and few of the kingdoms still remained. One of the kingdoms that defended itself against siege the best was Wintershold by King Levidor. He proposed a union between the remaining kingdoms to fight the Hordes. King Yley, Queen Nitor of the Northwood, and King Gonnor of Gloommere all agreed to join. They began the fight against the Horde and after they started to show signs of success, King Kaplan of Vegas joined and brought his Vegas Knights.

In 483, King Levidor led an attack at the heart of Horde and overran their greatest stronghold. Unfortunately, in his greatest victory also followed his greatest defeat. The Horde overran Wintershold with their aid of a traitor. The traitor was revealed to be King Kaplan, and once it became public a civil war erupted on Pegias.

King Levidor took the throne in Erey City and led a brutal campaign from city to city in Pegias. Through sheer will he conquered the entire continent and ran the remaining Horde into the northern jungles or the desert. The ones that refused to flee, including Eark and Ugadar, were captured and executed by Levidor personally.

After the Horde had been dealt with, Levidor began his final campaign against King Kaplan. After reclaiming Wintershold and capturing Glimmerwater, in 497 he began the Siege of Vegas. It was a bloody campaign and the Vegas Knights were some of the greatest adversaries that Levidor's army had ever faced. It wasn't until the last Knight died that the city fell and Kaplan was captured trying to flee. He was tried and executed for treason. The country recognized Levidor as their king on Lharvion 4th, 498.

The Second Horde
Although the kingdom was united under a single king, the Lords and Ladies still bickered among themselves. Politics became a power struggle to see who had the most money and influence over the king. after King Levidor died in 512, King Levidor II took the throne and was a good man but lacked the finesse for handling people that his father had had.

Levidor II managed to maintain the kingdom but in 531 the Second Horde came out of the North Jungle. This horde was notably much more violent and even ate their victims. Where their brutality had risen, their organization lacked. They seemed to just roam and attack whoever they stumbled upon. In an attempt to prove his abilities in battle, King Levidor II faced them in battle. He fell in battle and left his young son as the new king.

King Levidor III, only thirteen when he took the throne, had a council formed around him under the direction of the King Mother. They directed him in military and government. The kingdom thrived and the Second Horde was efficiently handled.

King Ronan & The Dark Age
King Levidor never had sons. He only managed to have one daughter (Lilian) and she was groomed to be queen after he died. His time grew near but in 602 a great plague ravaged the land and killed his daughter. He died soon after of heartbreak. The kingdom feel into mourning and then fear. A civil war nearly broke out again until the Council named Levidor's cousin, Ronan, the rightful heir to the throne at the end of 602.

King Ronan I managed to keep the kingdom glued together but he indulged in his powers. He had many vices and passed those vices on to his son. In 659, Ronan I died and his son took the throne.

King Ronan II was publically brutal to the people. He abused his servants, disbanded the Council, and would kill on a whim. The people feared him and an underground resistance formed against him. He murdered his first two sons out of fear that they would one day overthrow him. So his third child, also a son, was kidnapped and he was told that the child was stillborn.

When child was trained and educated as a king should be by the Secret Council. When he came of age in 706, he made a public announcement of his existence. He was backed by the former Council and Queen Janiya. In a fit of rage, Ronan II killed Janiya and the people turned on him. He was stoned to death by the people and his son, Kosta, took the throne.

King Kosta
King Kosta I became a blessing to the people. He restored the Council and order to the kingdom. The economy began to thrive again and the military became respectable again. His sons went on to be decent kings as well, favored by the people.

King Kosta IV
The current King of Levidor. He took the throne in 992 after the death of his father. Since then he has not accomplished much but is facing his first real test as king with the class unrest in the kingdom.

Government
The Levidor Kingdom is a monarchy ruled by King Kosta IV. He is advised by a Council (Including the Counselor of War, Counselor of Coin, Counselor of Diplomacy, Counselor of Agriculture, and Adviser of the King). It is a relaxed feudalistic society. So long as the Lords of the cities pay their dues to and meet their responsibilities to the military, they can run their cities however they wish.

Geography
Pegias a mostly temperate continent with some tropics the far north. Northern Pegias is typically warmer than the south and heavily forested. The northernmost portion is completely covered in dense jungle with rivers running through it.

Northwestern Pegias is home to the Horn Desert. A small, dry area on Pegias’ “horn.” There are nomadic desert tribes of orcs that live there that rarely come out of the desert. Western Pegias is mostly flat and vast, making it ideal farming land. The waters along this coast cool vastly the further south you go and winters are typically very cold.

Pegias is divided down the center by a vast mountain range. They are known for their high peaks and their vast caverns. Some live in the far peaks but it isn’t common. Travel through the mountains is very difficult and rarely attempted, let alone accomplished.

Eastern Pegias is in complete contrast from the west coast. The Great Gulf is filled with warm water that attracts large schools of fish, encouraging fishing in the waters. However, the numerous small islands also provide ample hiding spaces for pirates.

Rivers make a huge impact on the continent. They are numerous and reach from the sea to almost the center of the continent. They have influenced how trade and travel are practiced on a day to day basis.

Economy
Overall, the people of Pegias do well. Poverty is an issue in some areas, but thanks to the river trade system and the roads maintained by the trade guilds, it is rare to find a town or city that wants for anything. Sea travel is often risky and dangerous, however. Trade routes by sea usually travel around the southern tip of Pegias and pass through the Great Gulf, making them a prime target for pirates.

Racism and Class Struggle
Since the Dark Age, racism has been a constant factor in the daily life of Pegians. Humans have always been the upper class. Dwarves, halflings, goliath, and gnomes are under them. Beneath them are the dragon born, half-elves, and the genasi. At the very bottom of the list are the elves and tieflings.

Also a rising problem is the class warfare that is building in the cities. While a few cities have managed to keep people happy (such as Yley City), many others are seeing a rise in a group known as The Workers. The Workers protest and fight against the nobility in their city and even the kingdom.