Scattered among the forests and marshes of the Sellen River basin are the River Kingdoms: a loose confederation of tiny, independent states, the largest of them holding only a few thousand souls. Here it is said that anyone might become the ruler of a nation—if they have the tenacity to seize the reins of rule. Hundreds of such kingdoms have risen and fallen over the centuries, for treachery and chaos are rife in this region, and few River Kingdoms outlive their founders.
The lawless reputation of the River Kingdoms draws outcasts, refugees, and anyone else so desperate to escape their pasts that carving out a new life in a rough frontier town seems like an attractive proposition.