the Attorian empire
The great city Attoria, birthplace of the Attorian Empire, lies deep in the Pedyrian steppe in the fork where the two rivers, Kynt and Deyat, meet to become the large river Pedyr. The Pedyr then continue to the north-east and end in the great bay of Serkossi. West of the Serkossi bay, and far to the north of Attoria, lies the mountain range now known as Ra-Kesh.
In the other directions; west, east and south the endless Pedyrian steppe continues. No scout has ever travelled far enough in these directions to find its end.
This was all the Attorians knew of the land around the city when Emperor Mafizoot claimed power in Attoria and founded the Attorian Empire.
He had not ruled many years when the Attorian Empire started to call itself the Empire of the river. The Attorian expansion was directed along the river Pedyr and especially where it reached the Serkossi bay. The village Kydon was founded and soon became a rich trading town. Crude galleys were used to ship goods between Attoria and Kydon at the mouth of the river. Another village, Milia, was founded south-east of Kydon along the coast of the bay.
From Kydon small galleys started to investigate the coast north and south of the bay. Several islands were found in the bay and were named the Serkossi islands.
By this time, approximately ten year into the reign of Emperor Mafizoot, the attention of the Attorian Empire was shifted to the mountains in the north. There was not much ore to be found in the Pedyrian steppe or along the coast of the Serkossi bay. The growing Empire needed better mines and scouts were sent to the north.
This is when the first documented contact between humans and dwarves occurred. It went wrong from the beginning. The first contact became a heated skirmish with the Attorian scouts being routed. Stronger, better equipped, scout units were sent north and more clashes between Attoria and the dwarves of Ra-Kesh occurred. With each new skirmish tensions between the two races became worse.
A period of peace then followed. The quiet before the storm. Heavy colonisation efforts made Milia a flourishing town while Kydon grew even more and received its city charter.
Military development was quick and barracks were built in Kydon and Attoria to train swordsmen. City walls were also erected, even in Milia far away from the mountains. Kydon changed from a rich trading city to a heavily garrisoned military city. Something was about to happen.
Two years after first contact, twelve years into the reign of Emperor Mafizoot, the first Attorian armies marched away into the history books. Generals like One-Eye, heroes like Sergeant Derryl would soon make the Attorian Empire known throughout the continent. It was the start of the Ra-Kesh campaign.