The Blood Kingdom

On Desina south of the Evermyst Coast is a peninsula of dead land now covered by undead and ruled by crazed ancient wizard.

History
The peninsula that would eventually become the Blood Kingdom was highly contested throughout most of history. It contained rich and fertile farmlands, a forest full of rare hardwoods, miles of coast prime for trading ports, and bordered on some of the richest mines in Amikus. All these resources made it one of the most desirable territories to control in Desina. It was conquered and reconquered throughout the ages and all attempts made by the people living there to form an independent nation were quashed.

These wars culminated in a confrontation between the Legion of Iuris and Custos. The war was not going in favor of Custos and in desperation to gain they advantage they activated a magical artifact leftover from the Age of Wizards that they believed would give their soldiers supernatural health. Unfortunately, that was actually a mistranslation of 'supernatural life' and the artifact released a wave of necromantic magic throughout the peninsula. The forest died, the soil turned black as ash, and undead began rising by the hundred. Both Custos and the Legion of Iuris were forced to flee against the advancing waves of undead.

One of the dead to come back to life was a man who had been powerful during the Age of Wizards, Artem Hess. He had spent a lifetime using magic to augment his mind and some of that magic lingered, allowing him to gain control of himself in undeath. Taking control of as much of the necromantic energy he could, he began to take control of the undead horde.

Several attempts were made by Custos and the Legion of Iuris to storm the peninsula and eradicate the undead but each was turned back, the numbers were far too great, having been bolstered by the long history of wars fought for the region. Artem Hess countered the attempts with invasions of the surrounding lands with his horde. As he marched them across The Breach and towards Lawhold he appealed to the commanders of the Legion for a truce. He would withdraw his horde back beyond the mountains and promise never to invade again if the Legion respected his rule in his new sovereign kingdom. Faced with an undead plague they agreed. The Blood Kingdom was born.

It is estimated that Hess has control over less than half of all the undead in the kingdom and while he keeps his undead in his kingdom it is not uncommon for uncontrolled undead to wander north up The Veins or east through The Breach. The Legion made it one of their solemn duties to guard the borders of The Blood Kingdom to prevent the undead from spreading. Legion-allied guilds have since taken over this duty since the rise of the guilds.

Culture
In a land filled with undead, there is not much to be said for culture. The undead whom Hess grants a consciousness to are still slaves to his desire, even those who develop a strong persona. Some of the humans settlements decided to bow down to Hess's rule for his protection. They serve him in whatever ways he needs, working on mysterious projects with promises of great rewards should they succeed. The few human settlements that have decided to remain independent are made of a fierce people who refuse to give up their homes even in the face of undead. There are fewer and fewer of those settlements remaining every year, all the major towns and cities have already been overrun or evacuated. Survival in these harsh lands is the only culture they know.

Politics
Everything is controlled by Artem Hess, the undead wizard-king. He chooses a Second from among his living followers to oversee his projects.

Guild Affiliations
The Blood Kingdom has no official guild standing, though most guild leaders would likely respond 'unfriendly.'