Kings of the North

It has been a time of relative peace and prosperity in the Northlands; the various kingdoms mostly settled their differences at the end of the last war twenty years ago, and though tensions remain, the kings have proven content to remain at home and care for their own lands.

Elsewhere, however, things are different. In the wild lands to the north, orcs, goblins and human tribes lurk, harrying the northernmost border of the Kingdoms of the North, warring amongst each other, carrying off livestock and burning farms. To the south, the great Therundan Empire lies sundered. Therund itself is now nothing but a wasteland, and its successor states squabble over what remains. To the east, the Sea People cast covetous eyes on the wealth of the coastal regions of the Kingdoms and the South alike, and in the mountains between the North and South, the ancient war between the dwarfs and goblins is starting to spill onto the surface, and elves have been seen leaving their forest fastnesses more often than they have in generations.

The peace in the north is coming to its end, and uncertain times lay ahead. A strong ruler might profit from events to come, but the weak or unlucky could well be swept away.

Overview

In KoN, players take the role of a feudal noble, owing allegiance to one of eight kingdoms collectively known as the Kingdoms of the North. Although the past twenty years have been relatively peaceful, that peace is now obviously starting to fray about the edges, and it is the task of the players to develop and expand their lands by seizing the opportunities presented by the various problems upsetting the orderly nature of things, and to do so without provoking an overwhelming hostile response by their liege and his other vassals. Or, at least, not doing so until they are in a position to defeat him and claim his throne for themselves.

How this is accomplished is left up to each player; whether it is carving new civilised land out of barbarian infested wilderness, or developing their fief into a bustling metropolis using money earned as a mercenary fighting in the wars in the South, there are many routes to success. There are, however, just as many routes to failure; perhaps you lose your campaign against the orcs in the north, and they sack your stronghold, or perhaps you are captured by a Southron army and tortured on the altar of an evil god, leaving you crippled.