Initially, Brevoy was two separate and distinct lands, Issia and Rostland.  However, in 4499 AR, the Iobarian warlord Choral Rogarvia crossed the Lake of Mists and Veils with a considerable force at his command.  He was met on the shores of the lake by Lord Nikos Surtova under a flag of truce.  The two men soon reached an agreement whereby Issia would surrender its land and people but House Surtova would retain its wealth and power, serving the Conqueror as stewards and duly sworn vassal lords. 

The Aldori swordlords of Rostland, with their history of resisting bandit raiders, were not so willing to bend their knees to a foreign conqueror.  They immediately rallied for war and secured their strongholds south of Lake Reykal.  Though the swordlords all rallied for war, they remained fractious and soon found that they were no match for the disciplined tactics of Choral's forces.  Eventually the swordlords were able to unite in an effort to prepare a final assault, believing they had cornered Choral in a narrow mountain valley.  It was not until the swordlords entered the valley that Choral unleashed his greatest weapon, a pair of red dragons.  The devastation unleashed by the dragons proved to be the final blow and those Rostlanders who survived pledged themselves to Choral as a means to save their traditions from eradication.

For two centuries, House Rogarvia held the Ruby Fortress and ruled from New Stetven, pacifying minor uprisings and working to meld two disparate lands into one.  Under Rogarvian rule the nation came to be known as Brevoy and grew into a significant northern power.  Ten years ago though, every member of House Rogarvia vanished without a trace in a single night.  Since that time, House Surtova has seized control of the Ruby Fortress, but there are many who, at least in secret, refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Surtova claim to the throne.  Old traditions and rivalries amongst the noble houses have begun to rekindle and to many observers, the flames of war in Brevoy are merely awaiting a single spark to ignite them.