Olm, Wernbach, and Bressen

Olm, Wernbach, and Bressen were originally founded as duchies in the old  High Kingdom of Idar-Morbach . They existed in the wooded foothills of the  Bleeding Mountain , to its west, along the sheltered shoreline. The westernmost is Bressen, most exposed to the  Lands of Blood , located on a flat plain between the River Bresse and the Idar-Morbach heartlands. After that comes Wernbach, located in the hills and smaller mountains to the west of the Bleeding Mountain. Finally, the easternmost is Olm, located directly below the volcano, where ash regularly chokes the sky.

When the High Kingdom of Men was defeated by Altan the Terror, however, they and many other minor provinces seized their chances and declared independence. After the dragonrider’s death, they became sovereign, and one of the many, many factions that the Idar-Morbach heartlands were at war with. Each budding city-state declared itself a new kingdom, and each coronated their old dukes as kings. Despite their small size, they were unified from the beginning, and their lands were easily defensible against the lowlands to their southwest. However, the war between them and their old overlords lasted for more than half a century, and took a heavy toll on the smaller, less populous region. For this reason, they swore fealty to the  Empire of Alvyrnia  when they came knocking, in exchange for being able to keep their status as kings… however petty. With the help of the Imperial army, they finally won the war, and lived in peace at last; though of course, the war parties and raids from the  Yakmaki  would never cease.

Today, the men of this region are renowned as swordsmen and warriors. The constant attacks from their north as well as paranoia towards their southern neighbor has created a martial culture without peer among the southern lands. Despite being only a very small part of the overall imperial population, people from this region make up a large part of the Empire’s army. Their kings reign with absolute authority in their respective city-states, and do not generally have to submit to Imperial authority except to offer tax- the  Imperial Army  quotas are easily met every year in this region.