An Introduction to Astelia

Recently on the Line of Sight youtube channel, we posted our very first group one shot, taking place in the Astelian Republic.

As our story moves forward, the Republic will be the focal point of world-spanning events and great hardships, but today we’re going to explain more of the world which we will be exploring.

The Astelian Republic is a grand nation, known for its enormous prosperity and honorable, hardy people. Her borders span from the west coast along the Solician Ocean all the way to east of the Sunstrike Mountains, arguably ending past Star Lake in the Blisterstone Desert, though they have little actual presence out that far.

The capitol city and namesake of the nation is the city of Astelia itself. The capitol is the seat of power of the Order of the Golden Lotus, a venerable order of Paladins devoted to the uplifting and safe guarding of life. Leaders of the nine cities of the Republic meet in Astelia to make the decisions that effect the lives of its people, always in the pursuit of bettering and protecting the mortal lives of their people. Leading the armies of Astelia is a powerful figure known only as The Lion of Astelia; a legendary leonin warrior who stands as the golden, shining example of all that his nation stands for.

The Republic has enjoyed years of calm prosperity, but not all is well on its borders. Far to the northeast, beyond the explored lands around Astelia, lies the insidious Drakkenspire. Wreathed in biting cold, the Spire houses the great frost drake known to the people as Hoarfrost who has enslaved the minds of mortals it can ensnare to form an army, called the Cult of the Bitter Frost. The Cult is small, but fervent and brutal, striking out at Astelians who explore too far to the north and east, harassing the fortress city of Drake Watch and enslaving any found outside its walls. Though the Cult was of little real threat to the Republic as a whole… the Council could not let such threats go unpunished.

The Council convened, and the Golden Crusade was called. An army of Astelian soldiers, lead by the legendary Lion of Astelia himself, would march across the Republic to mete justice to the cultists threatening the borders. The force was far beyond what was necessary to defeat such a small force, but the Astelian Council would tell the drake Hoarfrost with a message loud and clear: Astelia is not to be trifled with.

Scouts reported the forces of the Bitter Frost approaching the eastern edge of the Valley of the Sun. No one could say why they chose to cross the Blisterstone Desert, leaving their cold home in the north to meet the Crusade head on in the blistering heat, with no chance of success. The Crusade would stain the rocky desert with the blood of the cultists of the Drakkenspire, and would then march north to the great Drakkenspire itself and take the great frost drake’s heart.

Little did the heroes of the Crusade, or the Lion himself, know, they would march towards events that would change the very face of the world forever.

If you haven’t checked out the Dawn of the Black Sun one shot yet, please click here to experience the first episode of the Astelian Anthology, where our great heroes meet their fate across the Valley of the Sun, and witness the dawn of a new age. Keep an eye out here next week, as we’ll be going over how Astelia has changed since the events of the first episode unfolded!