Two thousand years ago, Alina the Liberator cried out to the gods - and they listened. The three heritages of humanity had labored under the pitiless rule of their Sileadh masters for many generations, taken from their homeland to the distant shores of Almorin. They suffered for two thousand years, until that day, when the gods answered the prayers of the Empress-Priestess and sent divine helpers to drive the Sileadh back East, to their desert kingdom of Aodhelian. Thus the First Dynasty of the Aetian Empire was founded. That dynasty eventually fell, and the Empire rose from the ashes not once, but twice. Now, Aodhelian breathes its final breaths and the Lord Protector has rallied his armies, looking to the West with avarice in his heart.
The Third Dynasty is set within the southern region of the Kingdom of Calennor, one of the Three Kingdoms of the Aetian Empire. It is a period of social and political unrest as a recent succession crisis to the south has put banditry on the rise, the gods have not seen fit to bless the Empire's harvests of late, and tensions between the Sileadhic Istilean Cult and the syncretistic Temple of the Eight are reaching a high point. Knowing that people are desperate for a new chance, Raised-by-Holiness, the Count of Galanthorn has decided to try and tame the foothills and mountains of his demesne and has called for able bodies and willing sword arms. Driven by the promise of a new beginning, entire caravans of people have shipped out to forts in the mountains. The newest of these forts is one Caer Eastweald in the eastern mountains, called the Lössea Urun. The heroes will be thrust into this uncertain time and have the opportunity to sway the course of events within the setting.
The basis of this campaign is Keep on the Borderlands, incorporating elements from both The Chaotic Caves and Morgansfort written for Basic Fantasy. The region, is chock full of other quests and modules, some of which I've written myself, and the idea is that the PCs will discover more and more rumors as they explore the Caves of Chaos and spend time in Caer Eastweald. I've set up a Discord with the intention that players can self-organize there. I wouldn't exactly call this a West Marches game, but it's similar. I've never tried anything like this before, but it seems like it'll work. It's up to the players to decide and let me know by Thursday.
I guess you'll just have to read the blog and find out how it all goes! Also, if you want to take a look at my homebrew and setting guide that I'll be giving out to players, shoot me a DM on Bluesky!