Vad

The small country of Vad, east of Highcroft, is a place of perpetual conflict rooted in traditions stretching back thousands of years. Before 1700, Vad was a landscape ruled by warlords battling for resources but with a sense of honor and respect one would not normally find in bloodthirsty warriors. Vad had a structure and a culture in which wars with opposing clans were more akin to festivals than massacres, despite the bloodshed. 

That culture changed when Dragonfall occured in Highcroft, running the elder dragons from their homeland and sending them east, to the nation of Vad. There, the elder dragons and their kin found a people ready to be guided to greatness, and having learned from their past mistakes in Highcroft, vowed to rule over those people with civility and respect.

Vad changed nearly overnight but the change was frought with conflict. The elder dragons who came to Vad after Dragonfall fell to infighting, unable to agree on the new nature of their relationship with mortals. This splintering caused four distinct areas to develop within Vad, and caused some of the elder dragons to leave Vad altogether.

The Drakar Highlands, a place where dragons are worshipped as divinities. The people of Drakar have forsaken both gods of creation and the multiverse and believe the elder dragons inherited that divine power after the Constellation War.

The Carapace Badlands, where the people saw the coming of the dragons as not a cause to change but a cause to double down on their ancient traditions with draconic might. It is here the warmongering and culture of conflict still reigns supreme.

The Castoff, where those who defy the rule of dragons dwell, shielded from the powers that soar their skies and working to establish a world where they are ruled by no one but themselves. They live with difficulty but never in fear.

Frusning, the name of not only eastern Vad but the citadel of the elder dragon Esperwake; it is here those who bow down in servitude to the dragons, either through their own will or against it dwell. They live in the shadow of a great terror but believe their reward for service will be great.

While the Firetide War took a toll on Vad, many of its citizens do not view the end of the war as a loss. Indeed, many do not view the war to have ended, especially in Drakar. The people of Vad are resilient, tough as nails, and love each other without restraint. It is yet to be seen if that love will extend to their draconic overlords, or prove their downfall.