I've been thinking about something OldDawg suggested years ago, in that each region of Mystara should have its own theme similar to the Red Curse on the Savage Coast or how Norwold is geared towards Companion Level gaming such as Dominion Rules, War Machine, gates to the Elemental Planes etc.
What could be such a teme for NE Davania?
One thing this region (or parts of the region) could use as an underlying theme could be linked to the fact that the races now living there are living on the ruins of the Milenian Empire.
One idea:
Call of the Champions
by HåvardThe Milenian Empire was known for many things, but one was the existence of Champions. Great mortals who achieved incredible feats that would astound even the Immortals. Often these feats were performed at the encouragement of Oracles or even as parts of quests for Immortality. While not every champion was successful and indeed some became the basis of tales of great tragedy, echoes of their deeds and aspirations can still be heard among the ruins and lost temples of that ancient Empire.
New heroes who answer the callings of old can gain boons from those old prophesies, but will also be tested by the dark fates, risking a tragic end to their heroics.
What do you think about something like this as a possible parallell to the Red Curse? I would limit it to a small group of characters only, not the entire population, and there would be both a positive and negative aspect to this role in terms of game mechanics. Furthermore, I would connect it to exploration of Milenian ruins.
This was vaguely inspired by the Theros book for 5E, but Theros doesn't quite have what I want to do here.