The Middle Realms is an enclave of human kingdoms that struggles to survive against the chaos of the vast continent that surrounds it. The Middle Realms was once part of the Ilian Empire, which controlled vast territories and pushed the evil races of humanoids to the far edges of memory. It is said that in the empire's heyday, the countryside was abundant with grain and meat, and the cities and towns were abundant with art, commerce, and learning. As the centuries passed, however, the empire grew weak and corrupt within, and a slow decline began. The evil races, which had always tested the empire's borders, began to press inward, sacking towns and cities, reconquering large tracts of territory. The empire shrank inexorably, until only the area of the Middle Realms remained in human hands. It is there that humans, along with sizeable populations of elves and dwarves, hold fast against the savage races that never give up hope of overrunning this last bastion of civilization.
The Middle Realms, which is bordered on the west by a vast ocean and protected from the east, north, and south edge by rugged mountains and deep rivers, consists of three feudal kingdoms: Armorica, the most populous and protected of the three kingdoms, lies on the edge of the Western Ocean; Thuringia, thickly forested and thinly settled, lies to the east of Armorica; and Neustria,with its lush coastal plain and thickly-forested uplands, occupies the southern portion of the Realms. The kingdoms are feudal, with the majority of the population living on fiefs along the narrow coastal plain of Armorica and Neustria. The few population centers that can rightfully be called cities, such Florentia and St. Albertus, both royal seats, and Trier, which is home to the Church of Abbas Dei and the destination of thousands of pilgrims each summer, are still modest by most standards. Travel is slow and difficult, though the roads along the coastal plain are far better than the roads further inland, which are obscure and sporadic at best, and impassable at worst. No matter how good the road, travel is still dangerous. Even in the more heavily populated areas of Armorica and Neustria, there are dark and lonely stretches of road that are haunted by all manner of rogues and highwaymen. A few of the major rivers, such as the Anno and the Merdret, are navigable for stretches, so those who can afford it travel by riverboat whenever possible.
The climate in the Middle Realms is temperate oceanic: summers tend to be dry and mild, and winters are cold and extremely rainy. Further inland, in the mountains along the Eastern Marches of Thuringia and Neustria, the winters are cold enough for snow, and travel in these areas becomes nearly impossible. Because of this, few humans live in these areas, but those who do are hardy individuals indeed.
Although humans have managed to survive in the Middle Realms, they have by no means prospered. In fact, conditions have been so bad for so long that the most people can hope is that the current period is the nadir of the long decline that began centuries ago, and that life will someday begin to improve. The vast majority of people are peasants whose lives are meager at best, or, more commonly, perpetually desperate and squalid. While the nobility enjoy a much higher standard of material comfort, their dank keeps are far from comfortable, and provide little protection from the epidemics that rage across the countryside every few years. Scholarship, art, and the study of magic languish in a few isolated monasteries and keeps. Raids by tribes of savage humanoids, particularly bugbears and hobgoblins, and common along the frontiers, and periodically, when a strong chief is able to unite enough tribes, the raids coalesce into outright invasion. Though the three kingdoms almost always unite against such threats, cooperation is usually short-lived; once the invaders are safely banished, the kingdoms return to their old enmities and intrigues. A strong and benevolent king would do much to improve the lot of peasants and nobles alike, but none of the kingdoms has crowned such a leader in generations.
This is the mean and dangerous world into which the player characters have been born, and against which they will pit their minds and their blades as they struggle to make their fortunes. May the gods, and luck, be with them.
