On a previous post I mentioned running a D&D campaign based in Auradon because when it's really gotten down to, the world of Descendants is incredibly messed up. This is my intro for the first game I ran and few, if any, of the players knew what the world was about:

About 35 years ago, Prince Adam Beast and Belle were married. Instead of a honeymoon, Beast and Belle proclaimed themselves King and Queen, starting a campaign to "unite" the surrounding smaller kingdoms and principalities into the powerhouse Auradon is today. Some of the kingdoms went along with no issue, welcoming the burden of rule lifted and replaced with a more simple governorship. Others took more diplomatic effort but agreed with certain concessions granted. Then there were those that had to be forcefully subjugated. The wounds have healed and recovered, but the scars remain if one knows where to look.

The ultimate treaty and appeasement piece was to gather all the villains, rivals, and known associates of such and imprison them on an isolated island within the Sea of Goodness, known as the Isle of the Lost. (History about the establishment of the Isle follows for a bit and a very brief synopsis of the movies.)

Together, King Ben and Queen Mal made the decision to drop the Barrier and allow those on the Isle to integrate into general society. And it worked!... for a handful of years. But bias and prejudice are difficult to quash overnight. And for the main villains, old grudges and ambitions remained, strengthened by the years of internment, as well as being resurrected, for some, to only be imprisoned without access to their magic. What followed has become known as the War of Vengeance.

Now slightly older and wiser, King Ben and Queen Mal realized that integration wasn't possible; that those of a villainous bent could not be reasoned with. The main villains were subdued once again and relocated to the Isle once more, with the Barrier erected again. Once the leadership was handled, the associates, underlings, and minions were systematically rounded up for re-internment, even those that had successfully integrated. No chances were being taken. That was 10 years ago...

**Currently on hiatus but running a second campaign from the Auradonian standpoint, with the opening history altered and "washed" by the victors to better convey their side. And the world as a whole gets darker, but I'll expound on that if y'all are interested.**

Thanks for reading!