Long over a century ago, many lost peoples fled the old kingdoms in seek of a new world, a new hope for their destitute lives. They traveled into the shifting sands of the desert, and for those who made the journey, they found hope in this new land new ripe for the taking. The youngest of the three kingdoms, Asteria was originally a kingdom split from the empire, a kingdom of outcasts who found new lives and embraced the forbidden powers of magic, becoming known as the first generation of adventurers. Heeding their success and seeking the thrill of exploration and the valor of conquest, a second generation followed them across the dunes, and then a third, and then more. To aid in this endeavor, the Adventurers Guild was founded in the hopes of drawing men and women of all stripes, from commoners to nobles, united in their desire to carve out their own slice of the pie. Although founded originally independent of the human empire, decades of negotiations and reconciliation eventually united humanity for a third time, with Asteria joining the empire along with the ban on magic being lifted.
In Asteria’s capital, the sprawling capital city of Tenebris is the City Guarded by Magic, a place where the spirit of exploration and expansion burns bright and free, and as a territory born from the merits of those who originally rejected the empire, a diverse upper class has bloomed in the third kingdom, one that stands in stark contrast to the more homogeneous nobility of the older kingdoms. This has led to a growing divide between Asteria and the rest of the empire, a political schism that threatens to undermine the harmony of the empire despite the hundred-year unity. Regardless, the third kingdom remains a powerful force in the empire, driven by the promise of untold riches and vast, uncharted territories waiting to be claimed. And even the most traditionalist of the older nobles recognize the economic benefits of continued expansion, putting aside their differences for the greater good of the empire as a whole.
