Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius

The History of Karameikoswas Bogdan Ivanovich 34 , Ban of Marilenev,who succeeded to the Marilenev throne inAC 301 and began a campaign of unificationof other settlements and clans, both bydiplomacy and war, which concluded in AC324 when he was crowned King ofTraladara in Marilenev; his son Anton evenmanaged to conquer the Cruth Lowlandsand the city of Achelos in AC 327, and tofound a vassal banate there. Unfortunately,internal strife erupted at Bodgan’s death inAC 356, breaking the recently-formedkingdom apart. In the Cruth Lowlands, thelegacy of Anton was preserved after hisdeath in AC 364, and the Ivanovich familykept control of the banate, allying itself withthe Hojah family of Halag.FROM THELYCANTHROPIC PLAGUETO THE TRALADARANLEAGUEThis event prompted the organization andthe consolidation of the churches devoted tothe Traladaran patrons, bringing about theformation of the Church of Traladara inMarilenev, as well as of other branches of thefaith, called churches of Halav, in the rest ofthe country.The Traladaran communities continued tostay divided and independent of oneanother. Depending upon the era, theywaged war or traded amongst each other,allying together only to repel a foreigninvader. Some nobles even managed tobecome quite powerful local lords duringthose centuries; in reality, their domains andauthority only reached as far as their swords.The most important of these petty noblesThe 5 th century AC saw some very importantevents for Traladara. Around AC 410,merchants coming from the southern islesbrought to Traladara the plagues oflycanthropy and vampirism with which theyhad been infected in the east. This sparselypopulatedregion of dense woods and smallvillages was the ideal hideout for a werewolfor a vampire. In the following decades,many communities were terrified by thesecreatures and Traladara became known asthe favourite haven of such horriblemonsters. Those years also saw a newemergence of old Taymoran-descended34This is another of the short-lived kings of Traladara mentionedin Karameikos:Kingdom of Adventure, where he is featured onlyas “Ivanovich”. Further details on Bogdan’s story can be found inG. Agosta’s A Karameikos Companion and Lords of the CruthLowlands.54THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1