The following five nations comprise the continent of Althas:

Armada is a federation of city-states founded by pirates-turned-merchants. Uninterested in paying back the fortunes stolen by their forebears, they seek strength and recognition through naval superiority. Armada is allied with Jesthaen and is disliked by Voldaen and Hilltop.

Hilltop is a rich theocracy that exerts a monopoly on access to the gods, giving them holdings in the other nations’ settlements from capitals down to villages. Hilltop is an old ally of Voldaen and is unfriendly toward Armada and Jesthaen.

Jesthaen is a young republic recently independent from Voldaen after a bloody but short war. They seek to prove their strength through displays of military might. Jesthaen is allied with Armada and allies of convenience with Polaris.

Polaris is a progress-focused magocracy at the beginning of a magical industrial revolution. They are ideological rivals with Voldaen and allies of convenience with Jesthaen.

Voldaen is a proud monarchy with traditional authority and riches, recently shaken by Jesthaen’s secession. They are an old ally of Hilltop and ideological rivals of Polaris.

These five nations once flew under one banner. In the age of gods, the divinities protected their mortal creations, clashing with primordial powers of chaos and striking them down. With victory secured, the peoples of Althas crowned their first queen—a dwarven seraph named Arvold—and founded the nation of Voldaen. Meanwhile, the gods established their seat in what is now known as Hilltop, but departed centuries later to fight otherworldly foes.

Over the next several centuries, factional differences within Voldaen grew untenable. With the gods absent, their priests asserted their authority as divine regents of Hilltop. Later, a group of scholars and mages who wished to push the boundaries of arcane knowledge broke off and founded the nation of Polaris. Alliances of pirate navies began settling down in trade cities, forming the federation of Armada. And just fifteen years ago, groups of workers and anti-monarchists declared independence from Voldaen to establish their own nation, known as Jesthaen. This bloody revolution consumed the continent, with Hilltop coming to Voldaen’s aid while Polaris and Armada supported the Jesthaen rebels. Active combat ended five years ago with an armistice, but the peace remains tenuous.

The emergence of Jesthaen as a nascent military force has redrawn the lines of power, challenging Voldaen and Hilltop’s traditional authority. But the alliance between Polaris and the upstart nations of Armada and Jesthaen is fragile, and there are many in both Voldaen and Jesthaen with unfinished business from the war. Minor border clashes and trade disputes threaten to boil over. Many believe that war is coming again—it’s only a matter of when and how.

Five Banners Burning is an emotionally intense campaign with a large cast and sweeping scope, where the characters will find themselves in the crucible that forges the fate of nations. The campaign leans toward a nuanced moral landscape, with morality and ethics in tension with duty and allegiance. Heroes may do terrible things that weigh upon them, and most villains are motivated by love and loyalty as often as ambition or vengeance.