Ustalav

The Immortal Principality of Ustalav1 (pronounced OO-stah-lahv) is a fog-shrouded nation of countless horrors, and a once-proud realm that suffered under the clawed hands of the Whispering Tyrant for centuries.

Ustalav is a strongly divided country, struggling to reclaim a semblance of its former greatness and burdened with a history of darkness few nations can equal.4 In recent history, the country has had to deal with some massively disruptive events:

• 4670 AR: The country was fractured as three north-western counties overthrew their hereditary governments becoming the Palatinates
• 4674 AR: Prince Valislav Ordranti moved the Ustalavic capital from Ardis to Caliphas and then died shortly thereafter
• 4674 AR: The current Prince of Ustalav, Prince Aduard Ordranti III, ascended to the throne under the shadow of a rival claim from Reneis Ordranti who was born the same year
• 4687 AR–4693 AR: The civil war known as the War Without Rivals raged in the east of Ustalav, leading to the formation of the wasteland called the Furrows

Under the political upheaval and machinations of its rulers lie deeper threats to modern Ustalav. The legacy of the Whispering Tyrant is a poisoned, cursed, and haunted land. Many of his followers remained in hiding until his recent return. Older threats also stir, including spirits of the Kellids that the Ustalavs destroyed over a thousand years ago, along with legendary beasts long forgotten. The threats from beyond Ustalav's borders have not gone away either. Ustalav today remains a fearful and suspicious place where some of its citizens seek meaning in the dark spirit of the nation while others turn to the arts, or to faith and learning.