The Estian Islands

The island of Estia gives its name to the surrounding archipelago. A varied landscape, from the jungles of Iacaris to the plains of Vanadis, the Estian Islands is a melting pot of many races and cultures.

For over a thousand years, the Teccan Empire ruled the Northern Islands from its capital city of Tec on the mainland, southwest of the archipelago. About 250 years ago the empire imploded in on itself after centuries of decline and left the islands to rule themselves.

From the ensuing chaos, several polities sprung up and divides the islands to this day. Since the fall of the Empire there has been a strenuous peace, except for some skirmishes over minor outlying islands. Recently, tensions have risen significantly, and once-friendly relationships are becoming strained, possibly beyond their breaking point.

Estian League

Arcane, republican (LN)

The islands of Estia, Cottenhorn, and the United Archipelago makes up the Estian League, a federation of city-states ruled by an oligarchic council from the city of Covenant. The League is a sprawling nation of many cultures and races, with humans making up around two thirds of its inhabitants. Dwarves, halflings, and a handful of elves make up most of the remainder, but there are many individuals of other heritage as well.

The ruling body of the League, the Estian Council includes members from each city-state, as well as representatives of the major noble families and the central government institutions. The current Speaker of the Council is Duchess Portia of House Tuveren. On the council, the old noble families clinging to power and the elected representatives of the people make up the two most prominent factions.

The Council of Estia also controls the Archivists, a guild of mages that serves the League's interests. The Archivists have outposts in all major cities of the League, but the Greystone Archive is their largest facility.

Kingdom of Iacaris

Primal, monarchist (NG)

The beloved Queen Caerynna rules the elven kingdom from her ancient seat in Tel Edhil. She rules over the islands of Iacaris and Maeral. The majority of the Kingdom's population are elven, with only around a quarter being of different ancestry.

The elven kingdom is smaller than the League to its north, but with much greater internal cohesion, with Queen Caerynna having ruled since the founding of her kingdom, while the politicians of the League have struggled for power since before the Empire fell apart.

The long-lived elves field the Wardens, a small but elite armed force that include some of the finest archers in the world. The Wardens are sworn to serve the current monarch.

Pilgrim Knights

Divine, theocratic (LG)

The Pilgrim Knights serve the people on behalf of their patron goddess, Freya. They control the island of Vanadis in the eastern part of the archipelago. They were granted rule of Vanadis by the last Teccan Emperor, as payment for their part in the final wars of the Imperial age.

The Knights are divided into three branches. The largest branch are the Charitors, who feed the hungry and cure the sick. Secondly, the Spears are Freya's iron fist in the battle against the forces of darkness. Last, the Seekers, who covertly gathers information for the order and seek the lost artifacts of their goddess.

Led by Grandmaster George Grenwen, the Pilgrims run a large network of shrines, temples, hospitals, and orphanages across the islands. Their headquarters is the Grand Refuge in Solstice.

Frontier Trade Company

Industrial, capitalist (LE)

The FTC is a company-state that arose from the ashes of the Empire. Their detractors say that their thirst for riches is what caused the Empire to collapse, which might have an acorn of truth in it, but it is not the entire story.

The powerful navy of the FTC controls most of the blue-water trade to the mainland, and their traders have recently ramped up their efforts to control the valueable resources in the archipelago and extract their value back to their home city of Tec.

In Estia, they mainly operate from their headquarters in Greystone, where the shrewd dragonborn Governess Iphilia Fastus oversees operations.

The Couriers

Stealth, anarchist (CN)

Hiding behind a facade of running an actual, well-respected postal service, the Couriers are the biggest criminal syndicate in the Estian Islands. Like much of their organization, their true numbers and leadership is unknown.

Almost every settlement has a local Courier that can facilitate shipping goods and letters across the islands. If you know what to ask for, they can also facilitate clandestine and illegal services. While they are believed to be based in Estia, they have no allegiances to the League itself.