Jamandi Lady Aldori has called for heroes to explore, tame, and conquer the Stolen Lands, creating a new nation under the guidance of the swordlords of Restov. There are a few problems with this proposition, however:

• Lady Aldori and Restov don't actually have the authority to claim new lands, not for the King-Regent of Brevoy and definitely not in their own names. The King-Regent Noleski Surtova is suffering some political uncertainty at the moment, and may appreciate an excuse to squash some uppity Rostlanders who seem to be moving for independence, yet again. On the other hand, banditry in the Stolen Lands really is a serious problem, and anyone willing to try and keep it down to a dull roar would be a boon to Brevoy in the end, even if they end up as a totally independent nation after all.
• The Stolen Lands are not a safe place. It's 35,000 square miles of mostly uncivilized wilderness, with Restov (the southernmost extent of Brevoy) at one end, and Pitax (the northernmost successful River Kingdom) at the other. The assorted failed attempts to tame it over the millennia have left it variously cursed, haunted, overgrown, corrupted, and infected; there are at least three separate Sealed Evils in Cans hidden in various places around the area; and the long period without any kind of law has invited bandits and monsters of all descriptions. And that's not even getting into the actual main plot of the adventure!
• Lady Aldori is not the only one who's had this same bright idea in recent years; she's just the most successful. But there are others also moving out to plant flags, and they'll have their own plans for what to do with the place.

This message was last edited by the GM at 00:13, Sun 11 Dec 2022.

The High Kingdom of Brevoy, to the north and northeast, is your notional sponsor as you venture into the Stolen Lands. This isn't to say that they know they've sponsored you: they don't. Jamandi Lady Aldori and the Lord Mayor of Restov are running this scam on their own initiative, and the King-Regent may be pretty upset when he finds out. That said, he'll be upset with Restov, not you.

Brevoy has seen some political upheavals in recent years. The previous royal house, Rogarvia, vanished mysteriously about 10 years ago. The current King-Regent of House Surtova is not extremely secure on the throne, and he's trying to arrange a marriage alliance for his young son with one of the other great houses to gain their support. The current favorites are the shipping magnates of House Lebeda, but no contracts have been signed.

Restov, on the other hand, has never been better. The relative weakness of the High Kingdom has seen the Aldori swordlords reaching for any scrap of independence they can gain, and movements for Rostlandic self-determination are gaining force once more.

(For those familiar with the published lore of this area, remember that this campaign takes place in 4710 AR; Skywatch is still sealed and Lord Lander Lebeda has not yet been accused of treason.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:11, Sun 11 Dec 2022.

The technological land of Numeria, to the northwest and west, derives its power from advanced technology extracted from the Silver Mount, a starship crashed to Golarion in a time before time. The Technic League, led by Kevoth-Kul, the Black Sovereign, wields absolute power in this benighted kingdom.

Kevoth-Kul was once a great Kellid warrior, the finest of his people. But as he gained greater influence, he sought to move his capital to Starfall, beside the Silver Mount. There he found a darker power in the arcanists' whispers. Losing interest in ruling his realm, he has devoted himself to the mere pleasures of kingship, while the corrupt and brutal Technic League rules in his name, enforcing their regime through slavery and alien technology.

(Again, this is still years before the collapse of the Technic League and the rise of Casandalee, the Iron Goddess. The decade between 4710 AR and more recent Paizo publications set in 4722 AR have been a busy time for this region of Avistan!)

Arguably, the Stolen Lands are just the northernmost and least hospitable extent of the River Kingdoms: a huge swath of semi-civilized wilderness occupied by city-states, petty nations, and bandit clans that come and go as easily as the tides and the phases of the moon. But over the centuries, a handful have emerged as serious, or at least persistent, powers.

Daggermark, on the Dagger River, is the largest and richest of the petty kingdoms. Renowned for its school of assassins and poisoners, Daggermark also hosts the annual Outlaw Council: a conclave of all the River Kingdoms where they (usually) agree to stand (mostly) together against the actual world powers of Brevoy, Numeria, Razmiran, Kyonin, and Galt surrounding the area.

Gralton, on the Yhalt River at the center of the region, was recently founded mostly by the aristocracy of Galt, fleeing the beginning of the Red Revolution more than a generation ago. Most still have not accepted their reduced status, and their scheming to retake their homeland (or at least recover the treasures they were forced to leave behind!) attracts all manner of lowlifes, opportunists, and outright swindlers. The prevalence of the church of Calistria (in her aspect as the goddess of vengeance) hasn't helped matters.

Mivon was founded two centuries ago, mostly as a refuge for Aldori swordlords fleeing Restov during Choral the Conquerer's rise to power in Brevoy and the subsequent rule of House Rogarvia. Sitting just south of the Stolen Lands at the confluence of the East Sellen and Shrike Rivers, its wealth rests on its booming eel industry and the legendary skill of swordlord Rastin Selline's network of spies and informers. The Mivonese still remember their Rostlandic roots, and see opportunity in the recent total disappearance of House Rogarvia.

Pitax, on the Pitax river to the west of the Stolen Lands, was recently conquered by the poet-king Castruccio Irovetti. As he has transformed the city-state into a monument to his (somewhat questionable) sense of aesthetics, more independent-minded artists and performers have been brutally suppressed or forced to flee into the wilderness. However, even being known as a center of bad culture brings in wealth and trade, and the Bandit Houses of Pitax have quietly flourished under the enforced bad taste of the poet-king.

Tymon, on the West Sellen River by the border of Razmiran, is the shield of the River Kingdoms: a land of gladiators, warriors, and competition. There is no question that the Tymonese veterans and gladiators are some of the toughest soldiers for hundreds of miles around, but Tymon itself is a poor land, and its leader Uilorth Ungin constantly lobbies the Outlaw Council for the aid of "true champions of all the Riverfolk" to hold back the plots and legions of the insane "living god" Razmir. So far, he's always been able to find enough help, and the River Kingdoms remain independent.

(Obviously, if you're reading more recent publications, at least one of these kingdoms is changed unto unrecognizability. Good news: they deserved it. Bad news: it's your job to make sure history takes its course.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:51, Fri 16 Dec 2022.