Spotlight: Badathur

Article by Keith Robinson
Posted March 1 2013 in Zinedoms Vol 2

For a long time, Badathur prospered under the banner of Karnish, well away from the war with Hith in Vidor and largely protected from the constant attacks that came out of The Great Barrier Mountains. For the people of Badathur, life was good as part of the Karnish empire, better than anyone could remember. The rise of Zykerathox as the new Lord of Herophet changed that completely. Vidor, Ghent, Yeod and Eastdale all fell and were consumed into a new, evil empire, and the lands that were once part of Karnish were renamed The Fallen Lands. These lands were filled with horror and war and the Black Undeath of Zykerathox which swept through them. Badathur now found itself as the new front line in the war against Zykerathox and the last buffer between his armies and Karnish itself.

Since the coming of the war to Badathur’s borders, it has become a highly militarized zone, with tens of thousands of troops stationed there as they pass to and from the front line. Key strategic cities are heavily defended and frontier towns and cities are often lively, but dangerous places, not only filled with the armies of Karnish, but also spies, criminals and those wishing to cash in on the opportunities war affords. The struggle with the Black Undeath of Zykerathox is also a major threat and constant battle and though the authorities have worked hard to stem its flow, the plague nonetheless irrevocably makes its way east, with many villages entirely wiped out, their residents rising as undead zombies to haunt and menace the lands in which they once lived. The better defended towns and cities have fared better, but the plague still takes its toll.

Kaylas Mondeby, the present Royal Overlord of Badathur who operates out of the capital, Portmore, and who ensures the King’s will is done, has seen his stock rise in recent years. With the majority of Zykerathox’s forces concentrated against Hith, Kaylas has used the reprieve to reinforce the frontier defenses and secure the borders. Such has been his success that the Karnish soldiers now make attacks into The Fallen Lands themselves with regular successes. The devil Kamlak, in charge of operations against Karnish, has suffered several key defeats and rumor has it that Zykerathox will soon have him replaced. Many argue that this is a mixed blessing, with a notion of better the devil you know being a common sentiment amongst the population.

The importance of Badathur to Karnish cannot be overstated. It now acts as the last barrier between Karnish itself and the raging forces of Zykerathox, as well helping to slow the spread of the Black Undeath. King Aramus II, the current monarch of Karnish, has poured his full resources into Badathur, aware of its strategic importance and the dire consequences of defeat there. The cities, especially those along the border with The Fallen Lands, have been heavily fortified and defended and the land is awash with troops from across the empire. The emergence of Hith as a challenge to Zykerathox was an unlikely blessing that the King has made sure to benefit from. The time afforded them has allowed them to muster their full strength. Cities along the border – Southport, and Blackfen in particular, plus what remains to them of Olthorn, where they still fight for control of the city on the eastern shore of the river – have found themselves vital in the defense of Badathur and Karnish.

For those who live and work there, life is tough. As well as the threat of the plague and the war itself, a threat heightened with every mile nearer to the border with The Fallen Lands, criminal gangs and pirates (along the coastal regions) operate with impunity as the weakened local guards and militia find themselves without the necessary resources they once had. The constant migration of people east away from the war also bring with them sickness, hardship and ill-tidings. Nonetheless, the people continue with their livelihoods, toiling daily to make ends meet, but with at least one eye always looking west, fearing the worst.