Although at first glance it may appear that every single nation of Selejia is at war with each other, this couldn’t be further from reality. It is true that, since the ebbing of the Malediction started, reports of conflicts between the nations have increased considerably, but these happen on a much smaller scale than the true wars the continent experienced in the centuries that immediately followed the Fall. That is not to say those conflicts don’t have great ramifications for the people of Selejia but, for now, the death toll remains relatively small and things probably won’t escalate into the horrors these lands have witnessed in times past. At least not yet. With all the talk about “reclaiming Osterath” and “expanding borders”, the general populace can be forgiven for thinking otherwise, but the civilized nations of the continent have been living in a state of relative peace and begrudging cooperation, all thanks to one of the greatest Astarian Paradux legacies to survive the Fall: The Golden Road.

Before the Fall, the Astarian Paradux dominated the entirety of Selejia and many lands beyond. The distances between the edges of the empire, and the center of power in Osterath, were always such that the Astarians of old would perform great works of both engineering and magic to facilitate travel and communication. The most infamous method of transportation they developed is, of course, the Towers of Transposition, currently under the stewardship and care of the Conclave of the Spheres. They would allow the instantaneous transportation of people and goods through vast distances, at the cost of prodigious magical expenditure. Unfortunately, the magical chaos of the Fall damaged the network in such a way that most of these towers were lost, and those that remain are of difficult or dangerous operation. The Conclave has lost many apprentices to the exploration of the network. Fortunately, those sacrifices were not in vain, as they did learn which connections are safe and even how to apply that magic on the battlefield.

A much slower path, but also much less dangerous, is the Golden Road. The path was warded by magic that survived the Fall relatively unscathed. It wards off natural predators and the depredations of nature. Seldom does a caravan encounter these dangers while on the path. That is not to say that other dangers cannot pierce through these protections. Powerful monsters that break free from the Malediction and clans of Primal Blood raiders avail themselves of the safety of the road to prey upon those who choose to traverse it. It would be a toss-up between the Towers and the road, were it not for the protection afforded by the mercenaries of the Sovereign Cities.

Throughout the length of the Golden Road, many independent settlements exist, from small villages to great City-States. Some of these, like the Dwarven fortress city of Ironkeep, reportedly existed even before the Fall. They were the scattered outposts of the Astarian Paradux and owed fealty and allegiance to it. Other settlements were born to support the activities of those who used the road to ply their trade and ended up becoming centers of trade themselves. Either way, the oldest settlements became extremely important over the years as they claimed ownership of and protected most of the Golden Road from the attacks of bandits and barbarians. Few have standing armies of their own, but all of them house and employ some of the most well-trained soldiers outside the rigorous training grounds of the Order. Some even say that they have the average member of the Order beat in actual combat experience. More importantly, these mercenary companies are famed for having no hard allegiances. For practical reasons, they will generally not openly turn against their home cities, but this rule is not absolute and even the most loyal among them can be quite flexible for the right price.

Where the great nations’ influence runs thin, or where they need to fill a tactical gap in their forces, they will make use of these mercenaries. Usually, they will work to protect the merchants of a specific faction on the road, but sometimes they will take the guise of bandits and prey upon the competition. Not all of them are aligned with such underhanded tactics, but that depends almost entirely on the city they hail from. 

Being the closest independent City-State to Dynas, Waypoint falls squarely within the Order’s sphere of influence. Many of its citizens are members of the Valcarist Church, and the Order of the Shattered Throne has a vested interest in eventually converting Waypoint into a vassal state, dominating the passage between the east and west of the continent. The mercenary companies of Waypoint are accustomed to working alongside troops of the Order and, as such, tend to be well-equipped and well-disciplined. Some of these soldiers pride themselves on being able to fill the gaps in the armor of the Order, while others see the influence of this foreign power as a suffocating leash on their city.

Ironkeep is one of the most historied settlements in Selejia and, after the fall of Midrasil in the north, it became the true homeland of Dwarves. A large part of the dwarven population perished during the final siege of Osterath, and the ones that survived were spread across distant mining settlements or guarding the distant walls of the empire. This great loss has soured the city’s relationship with the Everlasting, and many dwarves abandoned their faith. They have since focused all of their efforts on their forges and workshops, becoming the most skilled crafters on the continent. Even the masters of the Conclave defer to dwarven craftsmanship for many objects that they will later enchant and sell at a premium. Although most of the work is performed inside the walls of the keep, it is not uncommon for certain artisans to hire themselves out to different armies, both as a way of filling their pockets and testing their skills. Most recently, they have jumped at the chance of exploring the ruins of old and recovering the lost knowledge of their craft from the Malediction.

Not all mercenaries of the Sovereign Cities are simple sellswords. Some of them are legendary figures who have seen their fair share of conflict, lived to tell about it, and would do it all again, not for the right price, but for the right reasons. Hrongar, the Bastard Blade of Veloma, is one such man. He has fought monstrous creatures from the Dawnshard Peaks, fended off attacks from Primal Blood clans, and even stood against the advances of the Order, the Legion, and the Conclave on the holds of his beloved city. Veloma stands between these three factions but always presents itself as a neutral center for trade. It allows the practice of any religion, the pursuit of any philosophy, and the sharing of any knowledge, as long as all of it is done peacefully. The greater nations have always tried to increase their influence over this great bastion of commerce, but Veloma stands firm in its beliefs. For the moments when a more forceful hand was used, men like Hrongar were called upon. Originally born to a minor noble family of the Order, Hrongar’s family was stripped of their name and titles as their heirloom Relic had been lost in an ill-fated expedition to the malediction. Hrongar has no love for the Order or any other faction but sees in service to them a chance to explore the Malediction, recover his family Relic, and return it to Veloma. He hopes to maintain the balance of power of Veloma and the great nations, securing its sovereign status as the age of the Seekers approaches.

This is the Golden Road, the heart of Selejia, where the history of the people weaves itself into an ever more complex tapestry. Through it, the many different people of the continent are connected in ways they can seldom imagine. Its very existence allows for the free flow of information and the growth of lesser powers, such as Waypoint, Ironkeep, and Veloma, into forces to be reckoned with, nations unbound by the dogmas of their larger, older sisters. One must wonder… With so many of these people joining the expedition to the Malediction, how long will it be before the Sovereign Cities have relics of their own?