Avardine

Avardine is a small country north of Oros. The nation is known to be a ghoulish place by reputation but the reality is less dark. During the Upheaval a deity of undeath and magic was killed, his dying body hurtling to the ground and leaving a massive crater in the ground. From the crater outward in an almost perfect circle, the entire area of what would come to become Avardine became desecrated. Overnight undead started to rise from simple skeletons to more monstrous creatures. The nation was nearly wiped out until the necromancer Avard came to assist. He trained the survivors in the ways of necromancy and while the arcane magics were unstable, the nation became one of necromancers for close to two hundred years. Eventually the aura of desecration faded and a city was built in the crater left by the body of the dead god which would become their capital.

To this day, the people of Avardine, named after their ancient savior, turn their backs on religion, snubbing their noses at the gods. Clerics and priests are rare, and the city built on the corpse of a dead god is if nothing else, is a proud proclaimation that the survived when the gods didn't. The necromancy of necessity from ages ago has become something of a common hallmark. Undead servants (stripped of rotting flesh normally) walk the halls of great manors and public houses, cleaning and organizing. Liches, Vampires and Dhampirs live in the towns and are welcomed members of society. The nation is one of acceptance of anything but the extremes. Holy knights crusading against undead are rejected as quickly as Liches seeking to find a home where they can experiment on living subjects.

A hundred and seventy years ago the secrets to grafting undead flesh onto humans was discovered. The practice was painful, and highly dangerous. However when the techniques were used on those native to Avardine, their biological connection with undead seemed to allow them to accept the grafts as easily as another would take a peg leg and with full control over the body part. Since then it has become something of a fad, young peoples getting grafts the way others get tattoos while professionals get them to assist in their careers. The people who take these grafts are called "Graft Babies"

Aldborough

Briholt

Halfbrook

Whitwater