Cheshire is arguably the most powerful of the Great Kingdoms, a collection of kingdoms in the south east portion of Tanaraq. The other kingdoms are Vorlaria, Hammon and Cerak.
Cheshire is ruled by the noble and just King Cedric Armer XI. King Armer XI is married to the beautiful Selene Armbrose, niece of the Duke of Perth. They are blessed with a son, Prince Malcolm. They also have three daughters: the princesses Talynn, Coral and Bethany. The queen dotes on her son, while the girls have been raised by the druid Moranna Brightleaf, who was a former adventuring partner of the King in his younger days. The castle is also served by Talos the Mad, a powerful sorcerer.
The Kingdom of Cheshire is split into four duchies. Going clockwise there is Perth, Castin, Shire, and Vaxin. Perth, Castin and Vaxinn are named for the Dukes that rule it. Shire is the seat of the capital, Cheshire and the Royal Palace.
Perth to the Northwest is known as a harsh place to live as it is frequently attacked by ogres and gnolls from the Jagged Hills to the north and beyond. A fire dragon has recently claimed the Jagged Hills as its home, and already the terrain has begun to change.
Castin is famous for Castle Stormblade, once home to a legendary Paladin that fell in battle with a great evil. It is also the only duchy with a single rogues guild, the Purple Lotus. No others are tolerated, and are swiftly eliminated.
Vaxin is infamous for the Spider Woods, a deep and completely infested forest with spiders growing in numbers and size. The Spider Woods is also home to Arlen, a city of elves. The elves whose settlement predates the human kingdom by centuries, were given leave to stay by King Armer the First after he aided them, and their sister city Kor’Korai against an invasion by the savage dark elves. Only a few humans know where the city resides, and the spire elves that live there ruthless guard that secret.
Cheshire is the capital of the Kingdom that bears the same name. It is home to the Royal Palace, as well as the hidden lair of a moon dragon. What it is most famous for is the Forest of Souls. Nestled nearly in the center of all four regions, the forest is a place of corruption and devastation. An event several decades ago sealed the forest off from the outside world. Everyone inside was presumed dead, including a ranger guild, a druid circle, and the city of Kor’Korai, all of which had gone to stave off the event, which came to be known as the Corruption. The seal was recently broken, and all manner of undead and fiendish monsters have come out of it. This further reinforces the theory that nothing lives there any longer.
The Kingdom itself is tolerant of all intelligent races, though it is a primarily human kingdom. There is a city of spire elves, and it is not uncommon to find one or two milling about the cities of Cheshire. One of the last bastions of dwarves, Shatterstone, home to the iron dwarves, is due west of Cheshire, and they often come to trade goods with the Shirans. As long as one obeys the rules of the land, any humanoid may find work, or even a life here. In the more savage regions, Perth for example, it may be more difficult for some races than others due to personal prejudices.
A Darkness Rising 