Arden

Arden lies in the east of the Seven Realms, and has been locked in various wars and turmoils ever since the Breaking. At the time of The Demon King, Arden is being torn apart by a brutal civil war between three brothers who all believe they have claim to the throne.

Arden is the ideological enemy of the Fells in many ways: they notably don't believe women can be soldiers or rulers, and believe wizards are kin to demons, due to the influence of Saint Malthus.

In Arden after the Breaking there arose an influential speaker who aggressively pruned and shaped the ancient Faith in a new direction. Saint Malthus, as he was known, attributed the Breaking to the Maker’s displeasure with the charmcasters that had caused it. Magic, he taught, was not a gift, but the tool of the Breaker, and wizards were demons in his employ. The queens of the Fells had foolishly embraced this wickedness. Seduced by wizards, they were equally to blame for the Breaking. Queen Hanalea in particular was seen as a kind of beautiful witch—a seductress totally without scruples. Wizardry was forbidden under the teachings of the Church of Malthus, often punishable by death in the southern realms.