By anyone’s estimation, the Sikilian Confederation is a blight on the world. Handily the most vile collection of loathsome rulers ever gathered in one area, Sikilia is singlehandedly responsible for everyone else thinking that Slothjemia can’t be all that bad by comparison. Oh, there are times that you might fuss and fume over goblinoids running amok in your borderlands, freeing your slaves and ruining your local economy, but on the other hand, thank God they aren’t those cursed Sikilians.

Originally governed by the Diosian Lodge, a fetid and debased collective of liches that ruled most of the region with an iron grip, the confederation of small states is now falling into ruin and decay. One by one the liches have been destroyed, either by the efforts of adventurers, foreign armies, or back-stabbing rivalries within the lodge itself. Slothjemia boasts the largest number of the foul undead being vanquished, a total of five, mostly thanks to their own heroes, but one was taken down by the 6th Army, allowing Slothjemia to expand its terrain significantly. The next highest number of dethroned liches can be claimed by Geldenreich, which defeated two of them in a series of epic wars that spanned the last two hundred years. Fanolanian heroes have also taken down two of the liches, but were unfortunately unable to capitalize on grabbing any territory from their vanquished foes.

The unfortunate aspect of all of this turmoil is that the remaining liches are immensely powerful. Suspicions are high that at least two have moved on in their evolution to become demiliches, making them even more hazardous to confront. And while none of the remnants of the lodge appear to be keen on helping each other, nobody can guarantee that is the case. It can be stated with certainty, however, that the remaining undead warlords have paid close attention to how their kindred met their demise, and taken steps to avoid such things happening to them. The remaining states governed by liches of the Diosian Lodge are Dalmatia, Makesikilia, Bregsikilia, Sercsikilia, Dardania, Rascia, and Seversikilia. There are also three members of the Diosian Lodge that are unaccounted for and do not apparently control any lands whatsoever. They are the Viceroy, Mist of the Fen, and Wraith of Bamnichron. What they might be up to is a matter of rampant speculation.

Another result of the decline of the undead has been an increase in rulers that are still living. These are most always necromancers aspiring to become as infamous as their unholy compatriots, but a few are just ambitious warriors carving out a space for themselves amid the chaos. Every one of these would-be tyrants is an expose in evil. Where the dethroned liches left a power vacuum, these mortals have taken over towns, cities, and entire provinces. How they are welcomed by the liches that remain is unknown, but it is suspected that they are willing to sacrifice such petty pawns in a grander chess game to secure their own well-being. Having them as a buffer against threats, both foreign and domestic, seems to work well for them, and it can be expected to continue thusly until the last of the confederation is finally conquered by anyone not interested in expanding wickedness upon the world.