Strovia

They call it the Wraith Kingdom. Whether that is because it is a land full of ghosts or because the nation itself has died, I never quite understood. Perhaps it was always destined to die. The first time I visited Strovia was in 1324 in the early years after the collapse of the kingdom in 1301. It is a vast nation of which I have only seen a small portion. To the natives of the country, the eastern nation is more properly referred to as Camnia, the sacred land where the Goddess Mirzha dwells. At least it was sacred before it became the most cursed place in all the world. It is in Camnia that the magnificent castles of the royal family can still be found, though many of them are either haunted or governed by the vampire lords who now infest the houses of kings. Tall imposing towers and stone walls loom above the poor souls that remain, a reminder that this was once the seat of the wealthiest dynasty in history. Fate took me away from the farms and mountains of my home and threw me feet-first into the deepest darkness of the once-proud empire. Hidden deep within its catacombs and libraries are innumerable secrets, waiting to be lost forever. But for me, it was a place where I learned to fight. It was a place I first found friends after Allen died. It was a crucible where the most heroic hearts were forged. I will never forget those days…though I sometimes wish I could.

Unique to Strovia is the Wraithwind, the curse of Mirzha, Goddess of Life and Death, and Heart of the Storm. Stories and fables describe the Wraithwind as a tempest that is felt but not seen, snaring the souls of men on their journey to heaven and leaving them to wander the world, lost between this life and the next. I believed the stories were nothing more than tales to frighten young children before bedtime, until I first stepped foot into Strovia and felt the weight of the Wind, dragging me to my grave. There is no doubt in my mind it is real. The Wind has the power to kill the living and to raise the dead without reason and without warning. The Church of Mirzha intercedes between men and the goddess, begging her mercy and praying for safe passage into the world beyond for the faithful. They warn that a life wasted will condemn the sinner to suffer the goddess’ wrath, dooming them to linger in the world as a lonely wayward soul. Cemeteries in Strovia are more carefully guarded than prisons, watched over by both warriors and priests to defend the people of the city from the restless departed. There are even graveyards the size of cities that are named “Ghost Towns” by the Strovians, mass burials far from civilization often where great battles were once fought and the ghosts of dead soldiers walk the world in agony. The dead there are often buried with great treasures to placate them, but anyone who dares to rob those tombs inevitably joins the dead to haunt its streets and mausoleums.

Outside of Camnia, far to the west where the Wraithwind is calm, the people of Strovia have managed to create a civilization that has risen above the grim foundations of its history. More than once, I have had the pleasure of visiting the awe-inspiring city of Stranov, with avenues and skylines grander than any in the League. It is a place that seeks to replace the majesty and mystique of the old kingdom with innovation and prosperity. Here, many relics unearthed from the ancient world have been restored and implemented for the betterment of society. The worship of the goddess here is treated more like a quaint tradition at best or a backward cult at worst. I have wondered whether the wind spares these people because they are beyond its reach, or because their unbelief shields them from its power. There are some places where they can create light and warmth without fire or magic. While the Wind still claims the souls of the living and raises the dead from time to time, it comes with a gift. Strovia has benefitted from the peace of living in a cursed nation, for no army has ever dared to invade the country. I worry, though, that if they become too wealthy, even the threat of the Wraithwind will not save them from the greed of evil men, waiting to seize power for themselves.

Dara Griffonheart