The continent of Ketralyn is divided into three parts. The first part is an expanding empire called The Rantell Empire. The second part is a conglomeration of the remains of different kingdoms fighting for survival. It is call Sentaza ("Hope" in Wild Elf). The third part is a vast untamed land that was once a great Kingdom that fell thousands of years ago, called Thorjac. The Rantell Empire is slowly eroding away the Sentazans and pushing them slowly in the wilds of Thorjac. The desperate struggle of the Sentazans is slowly and methodically being worn away.
About 2300 yrs ago, The Eastern portion of Ketralyn was ruled by a series of sorcerer kings. These kings for the most part were good leaders that lead their country wisely and fairly. Not a lot of knowledge remains from this time. It is know that the founding father was Ventrue Thorjac, an Archmage of tremendous skill. His family ruled for centuries. The fall of Thorjac is rumored to be due to jealous noble families. Supposedly, the last King and his entire family were put to the sword.
What followed was a civil war that shredded the kingdom. One power hungry mage found a short cut to more magical power (and thus more political power). The "only" drawback was that this new magic drained the life force from animals, and objects about him. He ruthlessly ruined the eastern portion of the kingdom fueling his potent war spells with this malicious power. In desperation, the remaining mages launched a concerted attack against him. Magic erupted into a mad frenzy, but the evil mage was able to hold them at a stand still. In the mean time he continue to draw power into himself and other vessels he had crafted to hold the power. It is not known what happened afterward. Some claim he drew to much power into himself and exploded, others say the gods feared him and slew him, and others say a secondary attack (that was covered by the first) killed him, releasing wave after wave of raw magical energy. This blasted the area, and having been drained of it's life force, the land and people died.
The western fringes of the country fragmented, and struggled to survive. Communication between remaining groups was scarce, and survival difficult. Over time Mother Kantori was able to start healing. The western portions recovered relatively quickly, while the Eastern portion still struggles to regain any semblance of life.
About 300 years ago, on a group of island off the western coast, a new King was crowned the ruler of Jenta. Kasta Rantell claimed to be a direct descendant of the Thorjac line. He ruthless killed all nobles, including his own family to ensure there was none to challenge him. At that time he renamed the country after himself. This led to an invasion of the western coast of Ketralyn. He quickly conquered the land western of the Adrinak mountains. Having taken this land, Rantell sent out assurances of peace to the other kingdoms, and he settled into the new land.
During the years of peace, Rantell secured his hold on the new land, and sowed seeds of contention between the smaller city states. This allowed him to continue to gain power and keep the smaller countries from allying against him. Once he felt he had consolidated his power enough, he began his slow march eastward.
27 years ago, the newly founded Sentaza's worse nightmare came true. Rantell turned his attention to the small city states. One by one the one that had held out from Sentaza, fell to the Rantellimites.
That leads us to now. Sentaza has continued to collapse upon itself, drawing back further and further into the wastes of Thorjac. They desperately seek any method, or item to help stem the tide. Rantell is patient in the attack. They bite off small pieces at a time, slowly chew them up, and swallow them into the empire. It's like a slow decay settling over the land. Rantell patiently probes for a weakness, jumps on it, then slowly assimilates it.
As this threat has worsened, Sentaza has become a very singularly ruled kingdom. This gives the armies a single point for orders and adds some cohesion. The country has used up ALL of its resources and is staggering like a punch drunk boxer, praying to stay on his feet until the final bell. The few remaining elves and exprey have joined in with Sentaza. They advocate giving up this ground and hiding in Thorjac and trying to rebuild. The Sentazans are reluctant to give up the remnants of their country.
Sentaza is desperate! They are on the verge of having their culture smashed, children enslaved, and homes taken away. They have been fighting (and losing) a long war of attrition. For the last 27 years, Rantell has slowly assimilated Sentaza into the Empire (often as slaves). Sentaza was once just a lot of small city states that basically minded their own business. About 75 years ago the Rantell threat was realized when Rantell attacked the elven kingdoms along with the exprey. At this point, some of these city states banded together to pu up a united front. Some of the other cities scoffed at the idea, and said Rantell would never last. The newly formed Sentaza tried to help the Elves, and Expreys but where to late. The Elves refused help until it was to late to do anything. The Exprey were quickly slaughtered. About 50 years ago a major setback was dealt to Rantell when they tried to taken the Dwarven and Shantairian kingdoms. The Dwarves and Shantair came together and stop Rantell at their gates. The result was that the dwarves and shantair have withdrawn from the surface, destroying almost all entrances into the underground.
The Rantell Empire: It is ruled by an ancient Sorcerer King called Rantell. It is an evil empire that is ruled with an iron hand by Rantell. Sacrifice is a daily occurrence, and slavery is the main means of labor. They have defeated all of the countries that once ruled the land. They are now concentrating on the remaining resistance (Sentaza), and looking to expand overseas.
Sentaza: This is the remains of the rulers from previous countries. Once greatly divided by petty bickering by leftover feuds, they have come together under a charismatic leader called Quenta. She is a Human (rumored to be a direct descendant from the ruling family of Thorjac). She has decreed that no mention of previous feuds be made until the current fight is over. The people have rallied behind her. The remaining elves and exprey have also pledged her their support. The shantair and dwarves have pushed deeper underground and have a tenuous contact with her. Sentaza is currently fighting a losing war with the Rantell Empire.
Thorjac: Once a mighty kingdom that was ruled by a beloved family. It reached great heights in magic and construction. Thousands of years ago it crumbled (reasons are lost, and heavily speculated on). The area it once ruled is now a vast wilderness separated from the rest of the contenent by the vast Eastern Mountains. The land of Thorjac is rife with pockets of wild magic, and horrible creatures. Small outpost struggle to survive throughout it, and now more and more Sentazans seek refuge in here. Many of the ruins are populated with thousands of undead and like creatures.