A History of the Kingdom

Transcription

1 A Being a brief history of the Kingdom of Acarthia as compiled by the Lorekeepers of the Royal Loremasters Guild in cooperation with the Bardic College of Three Spires Founding of the Kingdom Year 0 of the Age of Chivalry King Sebastian Coldstone united the human lands and began a new age of Acarthia. This marks the beginning of the Age of Chivalry, annotated informally as A.N. Prior to King Sebastian's rule, the lands were quite chaotic and many of the local rulers were tyrants. King Sebastian imposed the Code of Man, later turned into the Code of Chivalry, which established a new order of justice and righteousness so that humankind never falls into the tyranny it once was. Many existing nobles either decided to fight and fall to his power or join in this new cause. With a system of checks and balances, and the creation of the Paladins, the nobles were held to honor the code or risk losing their lands and titles. Some say that human expansion became more prevalent around the year 210 A.N., under the reign of King Nathan Coldstone. No one is certain why that date rings out in historians minds the most, or why the need to expand arose in the first place. Even the elves have no understanding of why it began. They ponder that it is the humans ever growing need and desire to explore and claim things for their own. Establishment of Rivervale The small kingdom of Acarthia first branched out into the lands now known as Rivervale. There, explorers came across nomadic tribes of goblins, who threatened the explorers and often raided their camps while they slept. When word got back to King Nathan Coldstone, he ordered several hundred troops, under the banner of knight, Sir Corbin Raef, to rid the area of these tribes. The goblin wars began. They lasted five years, but in time, the goblin tribes realized that the humans were entrenching themselves in the area, building fortifications, and arming themselves with better weapons than the goblins possessed. They simply left the area for parts west. Rivervale flourished for many years and the rule of it was given over to Sir Corbin Raef, as a reward for the quelling of the goblin tribes there. By 223, Rivervale grew in size and reached The Starfall Sea in the west and the Corsith river in the east. For his efforts, Sir Corbin Raef was named Baron of Rivervale. The Stone Elves of Querene Further expansion southward along the river continued until some farmers encountered a group of white elves with black hair. News of these white elves travelled back to the baron. He was knowledgeable of the high elves of Quilleralene and of the wood elves in the Aspen Woods, but never had he heard of white elves. He took a small group of fighters and a trusted advisor, named Chandrik Unger, and went into the woods to try to find and locate the home of the white elves. Not long did he travel south before they found him. A large group of scholars, meditating in the woods, heard the loud clanging of armor, and rose to their feet and channeled celestial energies in their hands, causing them to glow. When the baron emerged from the dense

2 foliage, he was taken aback by this and instinctively drew his sword. The white elves, or Stone elves as they have been known to be called, began hurling disarm spells and binding magics so fast that the baron and his men were all disarmed and stuck fast. Baron Corbin's advisor, Chandrik, emerged from the woods, hands help up, without any weapons, and calmly spoke with the Stone elves. He explained that his friends were here seeking information and simply wished to greet their new neighbors to the south. The Stone elves, impressed by this human's calmness, and ability to reason, released their captors and discharged their energies. The baron and his men were taken to Querene, the home of the Stone elves, and were allowed to meet with their leaders. The baron and his advisor made special note of how many celestial casters were among the Stone elves. He wondered if something could be set up as a cultural exchange and his advisor Chandrik was named ambassador to Querene, home of the Stone elves. In time, this cultural exchange helped the scholars of Acarthia understand higher magics than they possessed. Once Tiatar was formed, an estate called Three Spires would emerge as the capital of celestial magics within the kingdom. Establishment of Tiatar Just after the goblin wars ended but before Sir Corbin was named Baron, another knight, Sir Istan Tiatar lead a small expeditionary force southwest of Acarthia, around the Starfall Sea. Keeping the sea to their left, they eventually rounded the sea and made it to the Silverhawk River. Their several month long campaign took them into winter and they decided to hunker down until springtime to continue their trek home. When the snows cleared, Sir Istan lead his forces northwest, but was obstructed by a large ogre hunting party. Not sure what to make of this yellow race with protruding tusks, the knight attempted to speak with them. He was answered with a spear to his chest. A fight began and his squire, and cousin, Tremont Tiatar, took up the mantle and lead the charge. They managed to kill more than half of the ogres, but many escaped into the woods. Squire Tremont's liege was dead and he now shouldered the burden of carrying him home and getting the troops home safely as well. They headed due north for a few weeks, and again encountered a group of ogres. This time, one of the brutes was wielding arcane energies. Not taking any chances, the squire ordered his archers to aim and target the spell casting ogre. They fired their arrows and the ogre Mage fell before getting a single spell off. A battle ensued with the remaining ogres, but Squire Tremont's forces had a surprise advantage and only took a few losses that day. They returned home to Acarthia to a hero's feast, and a great ceremony was held for the fallen knight, Sir Istan Tiatar. Squire Tremont, for his bravery and success, was knighted at his cousin's funeral. King Nathan Coldstone summoned Sir Tremont to court in 225 and asked him to settle the first estate within the now Barony of Tiatar, thusly named for the fallen knight. It came to be known as Homestead, an area rich with fertile soil that needed to be carved out and claimed for Acarthia. Sir Tremont accepted and began the process of recruiting families, craftsmen, farmers, and laborers to begin the westward expansion. A few new estates were formed, but the ogre attacks never ceased. On the western borders, many forts were erected and defended. Eventually, Sir Tremont requested the aid of the king's royal guard. His small militia couldn't take the constant pummeling of the ogres. The War of Yards and the Establishment of Warchester Meanwhile, the kingdom was expanding in all directions so that the king named his wife's brother as the first Duke of Acarthia. Thus, Duke Zachary Cosgrave was given his first task of aiding Sir Tremont in the fight against the ogres. The ducal forces arrived in 227 and over the next thirty years, the War of Yards took the lives of many. 1/8

3 The ducal forces would advance and rebuild outposts within sight of their former outposts, thus gaining yards with each victory. This slow steady advance helped to gradually drive out the ogres and build supply lines in their wake. In thirty years, they had gone so far west that the Duke decided to simplify the borders of the Barony of Tiatar, and expand into new territory. This land was later named Warchester for Captain Edrik Warchester, who dedicated his life to the routing of the ogrish tribes. Warchester became a militarized zone, attracting many armorsmiths and weaponsmiths to the area. To this very day, you can still see some fortified ramparts in the middle of city streets and other random locations throughout several estates in Warchester. Many children play soldier here imagining themselves as heroes of the wars of old. Three Spires With the war out of the backyard of Tiatar, the barony turned to learning and the magical knowledge that was pouring in from Querene. In time, an estate called Three Spires was formed as a dedication to the pursuit of the arcane and celestial arts. Many buildings began popping up around the Spires and many schools were formed. Seeing the power that the celestial casters wielded, the king decided it was within the kingdom's best interest to fund the growth of the schools of Three Spires. Thus the Mages Guild of Acarthia was born. Within each spire, scholars were taught eldritch, mystic force, elemental magics, healing, astrology, philosophy, and more. Within the town arose not just scholarly pursuits, but bardic pursuits as well. Many an entertainer, be they singer, dancer, poet, or comedian, has come through Tiatar by way of Three Spires. This estate became a thriving city, and Sir Tremont was officially awarded the baronial title due to his perseverance fighting the ogres in his early years, and creating this haven of learning in his latter. Captain Ivan Warchester, Edrik's son, and worthy of his family name, was eventually knighted and then made the first baron of Warchester. Many estates within Warchester still remain vigilant for threats that originate to the southwest, and many ducal soldiers still hold garrisons there. Establishment of Bayenna By 272, in the eastern estates within Rivervale, thriving fishing villages began forming. River boats were helping to explore the coast, and some settlers decided to cross the river into The Foothills. The land was abundant with game and many settlers decided to make their homes here. Without any nobles or even local magistrates around, this seemed like a peasant's dream. They built a small community with no leader among them. In time, this new fishing village on the east side of the Deepwake Sound became Bayenna. They thrived for a year or two until word of its existence got back to the Duke. Here they were fishing and conducting business in their new village and none of the taxes were being collected from any of it. An ambassador from Duke Zachary Cosgrave arrived in their village and ordered them to raise a town guard, elect a sheriff and magistrate, and in one month, a tax collector would return. The people of Bayenna yelled and screamed at the ambassador and generally voiced their disdain. They had a month to decide what to do, and in that month, things within Bayenna began disappearing in the middle of the night. Neighbor started accusing neighbor and fights began breaking out in town. No one knew what was going on. With all the fights, the citizens started wondering about forming a town guard and sheriff, to quell the violence and catch the real thieves, but certainly not to enforce taxes. On the last day of the month, a particularly bloody feud erupted in the streets. Some farm animals went missing in the middle of the night and threats were made by many sides. A fight erupted as several long boats started appearing up the river. The ambassador had returned with troops to enforce the Duke's taxes. The fight in town had become so big that many people ignored the guards and kept on fighting one another. The guards had to restrain the citizens from killing each other. Then when the townsfolk realized the guards were here to collect taxes, they went from fighting each other to fighting the guards. 2/8

4 Laughter exploded from the edges of town. Over the din of the fighting, the fighters could hear the laughter. The fight came to a halt, as everyone stopped to see two dozen, small, furry people laughing hysterically at the antics they had caused. This race was known as hoblings. After the dust settled, they apologized profusely, even though they really weren't sorry, and still didn't return any property they took over the last month. The ambassador introduced himself on behalf of Duke Zachary Cosgrave, and immediately, peaceful relations with the hoblings of the Foothills began. Bayenna lead a minor revolt, but was eventually taken into the fold of the duchy, and in 278, officially grew to a barony. The hoblings didn't mind because they stayed out of that area anyway. The land closest to the shoreline was cursed and monsters frequently rose from the depths and carried the hoblings away. In their minds, they got free protection out of the deal. And besides, the humans were a never ending source of entertainment. The Barbarian Wars and the Establishment of Ungsteen In 286, Duke Zachary passed away and his wife, Heather Cosgrave assumed the title of Duchess Cosgrave. To continue her husband's work, she pressed further west and increased the estates within the ducal fiefs. In 301, she passed away and her son, Thomas Cosgrave became the Duke of Acarthia. He wanted to continue his father's work and continued to expand west and north. He knew not to go into elven lands within the Aspen Woods. There were many rangers who patrolled these lands and had done so far longer than Acarthia was even a kingdom. He tasked one of his knights, Sir Marco Ungsteen to go forward and explore the northwest territories. Sir Marco took a large group of soldiers with him and began carving out a path into new lands. In 304, while his men were out hunting, they came across the barbarians of Yalinth. One of Sir Marco's soldiers shot a deer at the same time an arrow from another direction also hit it. The deer bolted and both shooters began tracking their game. After a short while, they both came across the wounded animal and a fight ensued. Both claimed possession over the deer. Due to the shouting, more barbarians and Sir Marco's forces came running. Not fazed by each other's appearance, the barbarians started questioning the appearance of such a large force of heavily armed humans in the area and became immediately suspicious. After rolling some runed bones, the barbarians cut the deer in half and took off into the woods. Two days later, they came back with a large war party and fighting ensued with Sir Marco's forces. It was said that a shaman who paid close attention to portents and animal behavior predicted that the humans were there to kill them and take their lands. Thus began the Barbarian Wars. All the barbarian tribes of Yalinth eventually rallied together to fight against Acarthia. This went on for several years with Acarthia even taking over some of the land that originally belonged to Yalinth. However, in 309, the barbarians were beset upon by a large force of undead from the west under unknown leadership. The barbarian attacks slowed against Acarthia's forces. In that time, under the command of Marco Ungsteen, a new barony formed in his name. After the death of his son at the hands of undead, and failure of the other proud chieftains to listen to him, Chieftain Krugex of the Timber Wolf tribe broke with the rest of the tribes, and under a white banner, sought out aid from Acarthia against this dangerous new menace. In an effort to bring peace between two peoples, Duke Thomas Cosgrave agreed to pledge aid against the undead. If they succeeded in defeating the undead, Krugex promised peace between them. The place where the Wolf Tribe met with Duke Cosgrave later became the Ungsteen estate of Wolfstead. Much to the anger of the other chieftains, and led by Baron Marco Ungsteen, Duke Thomas' men showed up alongside the Wolf tribe during a large skirmish with the undead. With many earth casters among the baron's ranks, they were able to defeat the undead. The Ungsteen edge of this battleground later became the estate of Bainescroft. 3/8

5 When the war was over, many chieftains reluctantly thanked Krugex and Baron Marco. Even though their pride was on the line, most knew that without the help of Acarthia, the tribes faced annihilation. Chieftain Daluga of the Raven tribe threatened Krugex, Baron Marco, and even the duke himself, and promised that this did not bring peace between them all. The other chieftains sent ambassadors to Acarthia to find out what could come of this new peace, for they didn't want to be subjugated. The Duke granted them all a freehold within the duchy for all barbarians to live in peace and to be ruled by whatever laws and customs they already had in place. In addition, both parties would welcome open trade with one another. However, to this day, the Raven tribe, as well as others, holds a grudge about being taken over and being "granted" a freehold. To them, it's as good as saying they were allowed to live. Establishment of Tasis and Lomeeria In time, the citizens of Ungsteen grew to enjoy trading with their new neighbors and were eventually introduced to the barbarians neighbors, the dwarves, who lived under the White Fang Mountains, and often came into Yalinth to trade weapons and armor to the barbarians. A trade market in western Ungsteen was set up to accommodate this partnership between the three peoples, growing into the estate of Westhold and the baronial seat. Included in this partnership was promised protection. Often, troll raids would come down the White Fang Mountains and attack everything in their path. Sometimes they targeted the dwarves, others times it was the barbarians, and they would even assault Ungsteen. Whenever these attacks occurred, the three allies often rallied to help each other. It is rumored that a War Troll general is simply sending in his fodder to test the alliance's forces. From there, humans expanded north, in between Yalinth and the Aspen Woods. Under the banner of Sir Cedric Tasis, the Barony of Tasis was formed in 318. The king decreed a new duchy be formed, Lomeeria, and a new duke was crowned. His lands encompassed Ungsteen, Tasis, and the barbarian lands of Yalinth. The Biata of Phoenix Heading northward, the now Baron, Cedric of Tasis, along with a small army, came across a gleaming city. Immediately, griffons descended upon them. The humans didn't know what to make of the griffons, because they landed in front of them, transformed into biata, and bade them welcome to the walls of their city called Phoenix. Baron Cedric was very polite, but was denied entry, as biata are a very secretive race. One of the griffons flew away, and went to speak to the viziers, a local ruling council of biata and griffons. Shortly, two griffons returned to speak with Baron Cedric and told him that they had known of the existence of humans for some time, even though the humans were just discovering the biata race now. Baron Cedric was ordered to return to his lands, and in time, when the council thought they were ready, they would send an ambassador to meet with the human nobles. Although originally afraid of the humans celestial magic, one griffon, Cerik Vashta, broke with the tradition of the viziers and had to lean upon their human neighbors when something began happening to the clutches of griffon eggs throughout the city. Cerik flew to the capital, landed, transformed, and requested to speak with Duke Lomeeria. The griffon explained that the council could not figure out what was making their eggs weak and crumble long before hatching. Seeing an opportunity to gain their trust, the Duke wrote a letter to the Mages Guild of Acarthia, who sent in Guildmaster Tirinian to assess the situation. Cerik snuck Tirninian into the city each night to examine and collect a few of the smashed eggs. Cerik knew that his honor was on the line, but didn't care if it meant preventing the destruction of their young. After much research and study back at the Three Spires in Tiatar, the guildmaster assessed the griffons and their eggs 4/8

6 to be under the effects of a strange poison. Guildmaster Tirinian was able to help them, and restore the strength of the clutches. Cerik came clean to the viziers for seeking the help of an outsider. He was banished and to this day roams the lands, trying to find a way to get in good graces with the council in his homeland of Phoenix. Since then, curious biata have been slowly making their way into human lands in search of knowledge of their neighbors. Northward Expansion: Establishment of Epyxia and Norwist In 329, explorers traveled up the Corsith river beyond the lands of the elves, and set ashore in what is now the Barony of Epyxia. There, they encountered kobolds who were mostly curious, and would from time to time, search through the garbage of the humans looking for scraps while they slept. In time, things got violent. As the human civilization there began to flourish, the kobolds began taking more and more. Livestock began to vanish. Drunk people walking home late at night would wake up in the middle of the street with a lump on their head and their purses missing. Eventually, hunting parties were formed to eliminate the local threat. The kobolds retreated to points east where it is said the gnolls offered them protection from the human Barony of Epyxia. In 335, other explorers crossed the river from Epyxia, being careful to stay north of Phoenix, and found another desirable area, called Norwist. They did ok there for a few years, until suddenly, there was no correspondence. Messengers told stories of how whole villages were burned to the ground and everyone was gone. When word reached Duke Thomas Cosgrave, he sent word to the Wood elves of the Aspen Woods for advice. He was told that the lands to the north are filled with ogres and orcs and that humans would be wise not to settle the land there. The Duke took the response as a slight and became quite angry, replying back that with a his military, anything would be possible. In 336, he loaded up many ships and sailed northward to see for himself what was going on there. He reached the shores of Epyxia, and asked the baron what news he might have heard about Norwist. The baron knew nothing but pledged soldiers to aid him. Together, they traveled to Norwist and set up camp. In time, he got his answer. Orcs poured down from the hillsides carrying torches and riding Dire Wolves. It was a fierce battle, but the Duke's forces were victorious. The orcs retreated back up into the Yalinth Hills and Norwist was given some reprieve. In that time, more settlers and craftsmen came to the area, protected by a combination of ducal forces left behind and the aid of the baronial forces of Epyxia. The next spring, ogres attacked Norwist from the north. Some of them wielded magic and raised armies of undead to aid them. The Barony of Norwist took heavy losses but ultimately survived. A few months later, some soldiers on the walls reported hearing fighting going on in the distance. A few scouts were sent to investigate. When they came back, they recounted a tale of ogres fighting orcs. They captured one of the orcs, and after much interrogation, he said these were the hunting grounds of the orcs, although the ogres would claim it is theirs. Apparently, Norwist found themselves in the middle of a turf war, and they now became the third party. Many years later, the High Orcs of Yalinth Hills and the High Ogres of the north would become welcome citizens of the kingdom, but it took many years of negotiating with new chieftains each time, for they are both a short lived race with patience to match. 5/8

7 A New Era A few months later, Duke Thomas Cosgrave passed away and, having no heir, in 340, named his closest friend and paladin, Sir Finther Tiberion, as the new Duke. This angered some of the barons who thought it should have fallen to them. Civil war was whispered throughout the kingdom, but Finther was a well respected leader and followed the Code of Chivalry wholeheartedly. He was a man of the people and often engaged himself in their affairs and celebrations throughout the duchy. Within the ducal fiefs, it was said that he would show up to a wedding here, or a birth there, tell jokes, and give good will and gifts to the families. In 388, a new threat to the land arose from within the Aspen Woods. A large undead force, said to be commanded by an ancient liche, Dreadrot, made its way to Acarthia. The king met with ambassadors to the Aspen Woods to discover the nature of this threat and why it originated within their lands and headed southward into Acarthia. There was much talk and accusation by many of the nobles under the king, saying that the elves were using necromancy against the human kingdom. Eyewitnesses to the undead assaults even put an elf at the head of the enemy lines. With this high insult to the elves, they had a good mind to leave the humans to their own destruction, and even threatened to do so, but cooler heads prevailed. The king made an accord with the elves, to pledge his forces to do whatever was necessary to defeat this force. Since this threat originated from the Aspen Woods, the elves felt somehow responsible and agreed to collectively destroy these forces. In autumn of 388, an army of elves and humans confronted the liche's forces, and after several weeks, were able to destroy them. Unfortunately, Duke Finther Tiberion fell in battle, killed by Dreadrot himself. The Duke's son, Sir Jonathan Tiberion, was there to rally the forces and win the day and defeat the liche. Many troops reported that an elf was seen behind enemy lines but none of the elves recognized him. To this day, it is unknown what became of that elf or who he was. With the death of his father, and the blessing of the king, Sir Jonathan Tiberion took the throne and title of Duke of Acarthia. From 388 to 406, Acarthia was a land of peace and prosperity. Borders grew as did the population and wealth of knowledge. Duke Jonathan followed in his father's footsteps and often traveled the estates and visited births and weddings as his father did. In his time, he married the love of his life, a knight of Tasis, Dame Ilianna Tiberion, and they had two sons and two daughters. Recent History The civilized races, in an effort to push further into the unchartered lands, have awoken the collective wrath of the monster races living there. At first, it was a goblin tribe here, an ogre tribe there, but with further expansion came more and more enemies. Under the banner of the ogre Chieftain Dargok, many of the monster races were able to band together against civilization, thus calling themselves The Legion of Dargok. In total, they were comprised of gnolls, bugbears, orcs, ogres, trolls, and goblinoids. The gnolls brought their necromancy, the bugbears rode giant spiders into battle. The orcs had dire wolves and archers, ogres brought their mages and brute strength, and the trolls brought poison and disease. The goblinoids were mostly scouts, decoys, and fodder. The war lasted seven years and became known as the War of a Thousand Skirmishes. This was in part due to the many, differently styled attacks the Legion of Dargok launched at various villages and towns along the borders, and of all the retaliations as a result. During these seven years, both sides took great losses, 6/8

8 chieftains and shamans, nobles and commoners. Royal Guildmaster Tynun MacMillain theorized the battle would eventually wipe out so many of each side that their expansion would no longer be necessary. In a major battle in 410 the Legion of Dargok was threatening to overtake the estate of New Acarthia and Former Guildmaster "Blackhand" Tomarg broke the laws of Acarthia and invoked necromancy. Many good men and women were laying dead or dying on the battlefield and the remaining mixed monstrous forces were reveling in their soon to be victory. Blackhand rose up from unconsciousness, thanks to an apprentice healer who ran to his aid with the last spell in memory. He saw the scene before him and refused to be defeated. He called upon chaos to create undead all around him. His fallen allies and enemies alike began to rise up one by one and this new undead force, led by Blackhand, were able to defeat the remainder of the forces that day. Upon victory, Blackhand attempted to save the lives of those he could. Afterwards, he sought the nearest Paladin, knelt down, and confessed his crime of necromancy. Even though many wanted to honor Blackhand for stopping the enemy's advancement on the capital, it is well known that necromancy is a crime punishable by death. The good of heart also know what a blight necromancy is upon the lands and to the cycle of nature, and that most would rather die in battle than invoke it. Blackhand accepted his fate willingly and with dignity, and to this day, some locals in New Acarthia and the surrounding estates still honor the date of his victory. Chieftain Dargok won every battle where he was present. Eventually, the Legion began to call him Dargok the Unkillable. Tired of all the skirmishes, and knowing that his force's numbers were beginning to dwindle, he recalled all of them for one major push. In the spring of 413, Dargok lead his forces directly into New Acarthia. They broke through the first wall and were met this time by Duke Jonathan Tiberion and the ducal army. There on the field of battle, after many exchanged blows, Duke Jonathan Tiberion slew Dargok, and the enemy horde soon became routed. Many died that day on both sides, and the Duke himself was mortally wounded. It was said that the magic of Dargok's blade wounded him so deeply that no healing could prevent his eventual demise. He held on for a few days, just long enough to see the rewards of his victory and the return of hope. He even had the wherewithal to finish a will, and then meet with his closest friends and family members who bid him his final farewell. At this time, Her Grace Duchess Ilianna Tiberion took up the mantle of the duchy and despite her state of mourning, began to surmise how to begin rebuilding the beleaguered lands. It was determined that not all of the various tribes of the Legion of Dargok had been defeated and there were fears that Dargok's generals would find a means to eventually retaliate once new leaders were determined. For a few months after the war, only small scattered tribes of goblins, kobolds, and occasional orc raids were problematic. However, with recent events, it seems that something is stirring the Legion once more. 7/8