Kwasowa Grota 
Poligon Rabicana 5
Stygia is a name for the area of the Styx river system. Due to Styx's waters being infused with black mana, it is considered a harsh and barely habitable land. However, for the same reason it has always seemed attractive to various breeds of dark mages.
Stygia is composed of five regions: the Tarterian Mountains, which include Styx's source; the Upper Stygian Wetlands, where Styx slows down and begins meandering, making the soil exceptionally rich in mana; the Lower Stygian Wetlands or the Stygian Delta, less polluted with black mana due to the proximity of the sea; the Arcadian Desert, located relatively far from Styx and bordering the Republic of X; and the Emerald Forest, straddling the border between Stygia and the Kingdom of X, one of the few areas in Stygia capable of sustaining agriculture.
Earliest written records mention mages interested in the dark arts migrating to Stygia from the Republic of X and the Kingdom of X, establishing several settlements together with their servants and apprentices. The most prominent of these were, in the order of founding: the twin cities of Aralu and Assur, erected on two islands in the mouth of Styx by Rabican, an augur, diviner and oneiromancer; Red Prison, a fortress in the Tarterians, built into a mountain's side by a rebellious lich Trang Oul; and Dis, located in a meander of Styx and ruled by Caleb, High Pope of Discord.
Three aforementioned city states vied for power in the region, but for the most part avoided open war, finding the exchange of goods and knowledge to be more beneficial for all sides. However, in the year X BA the balance of power was destroyed: Caleb suddenly disappeared.
The High Pope designed the entire Dis government so that it would collapse without him – and when he vanished, that's exactly what started happening. Various factions grabbed whatever power they could, and hastily agreed to enthrone a puppet ruler. Unfortunately, Caleb's succesor lacked personal power, and was assassinated shortly after his coronation. It was the spark that ignited the fires of anarchy, causing the city to teeter on the brink of civil war.
Rabican and Trang heard about the events in Dis, and took the opportunity to annex most of the Upper Stygian Wetlands. After that, they waged war against each other, wanting to become the sole rulers of Stygia. During the conflict, which lasted over X hundred years, they both laid siege to the city of Dis multiple times, but never managed to conquer it. It remained mostly independent, although greatly weakened.
In the year X, Rabican and Trang were surprised by the news that the forces of the Republic of X were sighted on Stygian soil. Apparently the soldiers lead by field marshal Fridericus Ignatius de Drus crossed the Arcadian Desert, crushing the armies of petty warlords and conquering their cities. After a disastrous campaign against the Kingdom of X, de Drus wanted to try to to expand X territory in the other direction by conquering Stygia, vulnerable due to centuries of war.
De Drus wanted to capture Dis first, making it his base of operations for the entire region and preventing his opponents from combining their forces. Rabican and Trang recognized the greater threat and ceased their hostilities, but their forces were decimated by prolonged war and vastly outnumbered by the legions of X. Thus, despite their efforts, de Drus successfully marched to Dis and laid siege to the city.
Two years later, the situation was dire. Although built in an easily defendable location and populated mostly by undead, Dis was running out of materials required to defend the walls. Rabican and Trang failed to disrupt de Drus's supply lines and despite suffering heavy losses from harassment and disease, he mantained the siege. The fall of the city seemed inevitable, and both Rabican and Trang were hastily fortifying their own fortresses.
Capital: Fortitude (population: 15,000)
Templar: 1. Shamash, Son of the Sun 2. Utu of Resolve vel Shamash, the Black Lion
Utu grew up as a farmer's son in the village of Resolve in the hostile land of the Arcadian Desert. Despite coming from a poor family, he worked hard to get some education, dreaming of becoming a clerk at the palace of Shamash, the Templar of Arms at that time. However, it was not meant to happen: Resolve was attacked and sacked by an army of a minor Arcadian warlord, leaving Utu the sole survivor with an all-consuming need for vengeance.
He trained hard in order to join the military of Fortitude. He failed his first military examination, impressing the judges with his skill with a spear and a bow, but breaking a leg during the horsemanship test. After he re-entered and passed the examination, Utu's strategic skills and leadership made him quickly rise through the ranks. However, he also realized how undisciplined was the army and how corrupt were its commanders. Shamash made no effort to subjugate the petty warlords of the Arcadian Desert, nor did he try to protect the villages that were subordinate to him.
Utu's eagerness and ambition almost became his downfall when Shamash grew envious of his successes. The vizier made a narrow escape to the city of Dis. Its ruler, a Templar also named Dis, offered him asylum and after hearing about Shamash's incompetence, spoke against him at the next Eve of the Cycle. The Triad agreed with him, deposing and destroying Shamash, and selecting Utu as his succesor.
Upon ascending to Templarship, Utu adopted the name of his fallen predecessor. As Shamash, he came to be known as a harsh but fair and strong ruler. He personally wrote a new code of law, based on the "eye for an eye" rule, rooted out corruption in the government and the Police, and reformed taxation.
In year X of the X cycle, Shamash was visited by Dis. The Templar told him he believed the Triad members were becoming more and more insane, and in order to ensure the safety of Stygia, they had to be removed. He planned to make an expedition to the ruins of X, retrieve the Scroll of Harmony rumored to be buried there and use it to seal the Gates of Dis, trapping the Triad in the Realm of Chaos. If he were to march beyond the Stygian borders, he needed some military assistance, and he asked Shamash just for that.
The Templar of Arms was terrified. He greatly respected Dis, but at the same time he was loyal to his superiors and knew if the Shroud of Discord was to fall, the X troops would easily overrun much smaller and more sparsely populated Stygia. Desperate, he fled to the only other Templar he trusted - Ushumgallu of Aralu-Assur who like him was a replacement for an earlier Templar.
The rest is history. Shamash and Ushumgallu, working together, managed to trick, capture and imprison Dis. At the next Eve of the Cycle, the treacherous Templar was made a terrifying example, and the Silent King replaced him as the ruler of Dis.
Capital: Aralu-Assur (population: 18,000)
Templar: 1. Nabu the Wise 2. Ushumgallu, the Dragon of Stygia
The original Templar of Treasures was a wise, gentle and humble man named Nabu. His greatest desire was making Aralu-Assur the most enlighted city in the world. In X year of the X cycle, he discovered a huge cave beneath X; there, he found the dragon Ushumgallu atop a mountain of artifacts of great value. Wanting to claim the treasure for his masters, the Triad, he challenged the dragon to a duel, thus perishing.
Arcadian Desert
Capital: Fortitude (population: 15,000)
Templar: 1. Shamash, Son of the Sun 2. Utu of Resolve vel Shamash, the Black Lion
Lower Stygian Wetlands (Stygian Delta)
Capital: Aralu-Assur (population: 18,000)
Templar: 1. Nabu the Wise 2. Ushumgallu, the Dragon of Stygia
Upper Stygian Wetlands
Capital: City of Dis (population: 30,000)
Templar: 1. Dis 2. The Silent King
Tarterian Mountains (Tarterians)
Capital: Red Prison (population: 22,000)
Templar: Helene, High Popess of Discord
Emerald Forest (southern part)
Capital: Yellow Springs (population: 13,500)
Templar: Ukemochi, the Feeder of Worms
