In 1415, the easternmost province of the Erlyid Empire was a hotbed of radical opinion. More and more voices were raised in discontent with the derelict Imperial structure, and with the complacency with which the Imperial nobility viewed what they referred to as "the Northern War". Finally, seeing some sort of uprising was inevitable, Count Belarn of Blueglen moved to capitalize on the situation, adopted the cause as his own, and fed the fires of revolt. Finally, enough momentum had been gained, and the Province of Beragyn formally seceded from the Empire and renamed itself the Kingdom of Stryre, with Belarn as first King.The new kingdom then braced itself for a full-scale Imperial invasion, but as the months rolled by it became increasingly clear that there wasn't going to be one. In fact, the Empire was so uncertain of the loyalties and degree of safety in the central provinces that it didn't dare move its' reduced military through them to get at Stryre.
Buoyed by this, the Stryrans consolidated and fortified their new land, and cemented their independence from the Empire. They also embarked on a determined program of military preparation for the inevitable assault by the forces of the Dragon.
Stryran society is still a rather free-and-easy thing, as compare to the austere Imperial style; even after two hundred years, they act as if they have just been freed to do what they like. The nobility are especially extrovert and rather "showy", although the country's general air of progressiveness and energy affects them too.
The military buildup intended to resist the Dragonarmies stood Stryre in good stead after the Dragonslaying; with the remnants of Varkar's southern force, thrown back from Gloiran, trapped on its' northern border, and the Red Dust nomads pillaging cities on the south, the kingdom has been at almost constant war since the Dark Beast fell. Though there has been considerable suffering at the southern edge, by and large Stryre has risen to this challenge well.
The new religion of the Triad began to spread across Stryre in the late 1600s, feeding a dissatisfaction at being beholden to 'the imperial Gods' that had ranked for a long time. This culminated in the civil wars of the Holy Wars era,
Since the days of Vardar Peacock, Stryre's feudal system became ever more stratified and rigid, with wealth and power increasingly concentrated in the hands of the nobility and the commonalty kept firmly in their place. The merchant class virtually disappeared, replaced by vassals in service to whichever local noble owns the region. With such resources and power at their command, the nobility turned to internal wars as a means of competition, and there was usually at least one minor war going on at any given time. Mercenary bands from the north commanded a premium for service in these wars, though negotiating the local politics could be difficult and as dangerous as the fighting itself.
The new Gods of the Triad, first worshipped in Stryre, completely replaced the Imperial deities, although not without a struggle; three bitter civil wars were fought in the mid-1700s between followers of the two religions, and persecution of 'heretic' followers of the old gods remained brutal in the 1800s. The throne fell twice during this time and Peacock's line died out (discounting the inevitable rumours of a hidden descendant heir lurking somewhere), to be replaced by the Tandalin house. The magnificent Basilica of Aderra in Narthal and its irreplacable library were early casualties of the fighting.
In 1940, the mysterious Mahdi, preacher and leader from the Red Dust, led a horde of his nomads to assault southern Stryre. The nomads had raided the south of Stryre for centuries but always on a small scale; this was a full-scale invasion. The desert horde laid waste to all of southern Stryre as far north as Lake Irrizar. Melirkos was sacked and burned. The region became a war zone as the Stryrans struggled to eject the elusive and mobile invaders.
With the Stormpeak Accords in 2030, the land to the south of Stryre became a kind of colony of the Red Dust, and was named Djasrem, populated by a mixture of the two peoples but ruled by the "Dusters". An uneasy peace came into being between Djasrem and Stryre, but trade and proper relations remain a distant likelihood.