Astarios

The Kingdom of Astarios, frequently referred to as the Kingdom of Magritta after its capital city, was the foremost Kingdom on the Estalian Peninsula and later the center of the Estalian Empire.

Pre-Imperial
The Kingdom of Astarios was the largest of the major Estalian kingdoms, encompassing the massive city-state of Magritta and most of the southern Estalian coast. Bordered by Portigelle, the Irranas, and Aragona to the north and Tobaro, Cantonia, and the Abaskos to the east, the southern and western borders of Astarios were coast and thus built the foundation of an incredibly prosperous trade network. Though the Estalians constantly fought among one another, Magritta itself and much of Astarios largely saw peace and prosperity for long periods of time.

In 2416 IC, a brutal war broke out between Astarios and Aragona. The two major kingdoms of Estalia vied desperately for control of Bilbali and Magritta – and thus the northern and southern coasts – simultaneously, a feat which would transform Estalia into a trade power rivaled only by the elves. The Kingdom of Portigelle, situated between the major city-states of its warring neighbors, was inevitably drawn into the conflict, and the ensuing three-party conflict nearly devastated Estalia completely. Greenskins overran many of the northern kingdoms, and infested the Irrana Mountains, brutalizing the population. The war continued to devolve until an attempted invasion from Tobaro convinced the two great cities to lay down their arms and drive back the external threat. The Abasko War of 2435 to repel the Tileans was short, but costly, and Estalia settled into a state of tenuous peace as its Kingdoms recovered from the fighting.

The peace in Estalia did not last long. Aragona declared war on Portigelle in late 2458, and the ensuing conflict served to enrich Astarios as its major opponents struggled indecisively. However, by 2462, the Kingdom of Portigelle had all but collapsed and Astarios was forced to enter the war to prevent Aragonan dominance. The War of Diamanterra's Sorrow lasted only three more years, but by the end of 2465 IC, the former land of Portigelle was all but ravaged and of little use to either side. The Treaty of Verin divided the broken kingdom between Bilbali and Magritta, and a shaky peace was secured once again.

In the absence of war with Aragona, Astarios' attention turned to the chaotic threats in the East. Skaven swarms, overrunning Tilean defenders to break into the Abaskos mountain range, poured towards Astarios' eastern borders. At the Battle of Tramoto Pass in 2468, a young Lupio Sunscryer defeated the Skaven threat, sending the rats fleeing back into the swamps of Skavenblight, and became a national hero. King Felipe III's strategies in the Irrana foothills had for the most part failed in containing the Greenskins, and the tactically misguided ruler's failures culminated at the Battle of Montenas, where his mishandling of field maneuvers resulted in the destruction of High Inquisitor Agustin Sunscryer's Royal Army of Myrmidia.