Leader: Grand Duke Drago Koshevek
Capital: Nov Ostoya
Religion: Solyma Lady of Vengeance
Population: Human, Haflings
The province of Soma is the seat of the Ostoyan government, or so the Somans like to believe. Here lies the capital city, Nov Ostoya, and its central keep, Blackharbour.
History
When the first immigrants arrived in Ostoya, they immediately staked out certain areas for their own. The Volker family chose a place where the jagged seaside cliffs gave way to a beach and a natural harbour. It was a windblown area with strange red earth which they assumed to be clay. They founded the town of Nov Ostoya and raised a keep by the restless sea.
In time, Nov Ostoya became a hub for sea trading, fishing, and whaling. Lumberyards were erected at the nearby forests. As the roads lengthened and grew more developed, wealth began to flow into the town, which soon turned into a dense city filled with ornate towers and brooding sculptures. Nov Ostoya came to be known as the City of Gargoyles.
When the Bürach Empire invaded Ostoya, Soma was at the front lines of the war. While wealthy, their army was not as experienced as the Empire’s seasoned soldiers, and they lost more battles than they won. The Bürach’s encroachment into the province grew with each passing season, before retreating for the winter.
Matters worsened when the Darkfall led to widespread destruction. The inciting earthquake unearthed an ancient metropolis that the Somans had unwittingly built over. The City Below gave up its dead: hordes of zombies, wights, ghouls, and vampires emerged from the abyss to ravage the countryside.
Without drastic measures, it was clear that Ostoya would fall to this new threat. The nobility came up with a plan: they ordered a young Soman captain named Morgen Hund and his company to fight their way into the largest chasm and hold back the tide of undead.
Hund’s company dutifully descended the crevice, destroying scores of undead along the way. When they had carried the battle deep into the abyss, the Raevo wizards used their most powerful spells to collapse the sides of the crevice, sealing both the undead and the soldiers within. With the horde dealt with, the nobility took one day to honour their soldiers’ sacrifice before turning their attention back to the Bürach. But this was not the last they saw of Morgen Hund.
The Ostoyan captain had survived the collapse. He wandered deep in the underground city to escape the undead horde. During his travels, he found himself in a strange shrine dedicated to a forgotten god. The shrine spoke to him, offering him his fondest desire in exchange for his servitude. Hund replied, “I wish for the power to destroy my oppressors.” The shrine glowed in the dark like a votive candle, then struck Hund down with a blast of sinister magic. “Granted.”
When he awoke days later, Hund had been changed into a vampire lord. He spent the better part of the year gathering an army of undead before returning to the surface. Upon emerging Hund sought the Soman nobility, turning each one into vampires. He killed the Grand Duke and took his place, renaming himself Klaus Vorgen, Lord of Soma.
Once the gentry and nobility were all turned, they formed a united front against the Bürach. Bürach soldiers were shocked to see their dead comrades rising from the frozen battlefield and shambling towards them. After a single bitter season of war, the undead forced the Bürach to abandon their forts in Soma and return to their homeland. After this victory, Grand Duke Vorgen continued to consolidate his power. He established the Crimson Court, the highest ruling body of Ostoya, and placed his closest allies in the highest circle of power. They ruled the land unchallenged for years until the Raevan Secession.
To date, some small fissures to the City Below remain open, and none really know what passes through. Come nightfall, the citizens lock themselves in their homes and taverns and wait for dawn. All travellers are warned: above all, do not wander Soma at night.