The Kingdom of Ecclestius, its landscape, history and Kings
Landscape
The Kingdom of Ecclestius is the largest Kingdom on the continent and the one which possess the most fertile lands and the highest population. The lands of Ecclestius has often been referred to as a breadbasket, providing plenty of food to the surrounding regions, support the Emperors’ armies with grain for their campaigns and for the support of the population within the old capital, the Golden City. The general landscape of Ecclestius is flat, there are however several hills across the land but no mountains outside the region of Wallachia. Ecclestius also have several rivers, allowing plenty of fertile fields, the largest of these are what the Ecclestians themselves calls the Luran.
There are several cities in the Kingdom of Ecclestius, the largest being the capital, Azeratii, which is located in the south. North of is the province of Wolfen, known for the wolf pelts which has been produced for centuries. Further north are the cities of Saxon and Three Rivers. The further east you go towards the Kingdom of Hroniden, the more warm it becomes. It is also notable for being covered in more sand than the rest of Ecclestius. A very central thing that Ecclestius lacks is however the lack of mountains, and therefore a lack of minerals, as such the region of Wallachia carries great importance within Ecclestius.
The Great Families of Ecclestius:
The great families of Ecclestius consist of four different families, the Krestarii, Wolfen, Saxon and Celestians.
The Krestarii is the Royal family that rules Ecclestius, they have ruled for 23 years since being granted the Ecclestian Crown by the Assembly of Light. They rule from the Capital city of Azeratii, furthermore they rule several lands around the Kingdom, including Varanu and Wallachia. They are the most powerful family in the Kingdom and control a vast amount of land. The dynasty has over the last few decades grown, and has gathered influence in several Kingdoms, King Ares marriage to Eylinn Mindrilla has formed a strong bond between the two families, further extending connections between the Royal House of Krestarii and the Elven royal house of Coamenel. The Royal house of Ecclestius has so far produced three monarchs, the first being King Asharian, followed by King Aras, whereupon his death was succeeded by King Varian.
The house of Saxon is often referred to as the second most powerful house in Ecclestius, this is largely owing back to a friendship with house Krestarii going back three generations. It is a relationship which is still strong, with the friendship between King Varian and Lord Friedrich, with Lord Friedrich being nicknamed the Second Prince due to his influence and friendship with the King, Friedrich himself being the heir apparent of the duchy of Saxony. The Saxon family is also an older family, having ruled their lands for generations, going as far back as the other old families. They have always been a strong support of house Krestarii, and has managed to produce some of the Kingdom’s best and seasoned warriors it possessed, they have also provided several veteran generals from the Dark wars, most notably Wilhelm, the Duke of Saxony.
The house of Wolfe is best known for their wolves and their pelts, after the ascension of King Ares and the new way of the court, their pelts export increased dramatically. The current reigning Duke is Matthew Wolfe who has proved a competent diplomat, able to unite many different factors during the Dark wars, and since then proved to be a good ruler.
The Celestians are the ones with perhaps the most mixed reputation, their rulers known as fanatic, lust filled, lunatic, evil, righteous. It all depends on whom you ask, in their own province it is unlikely that you will hear criticism, outside however it is not unheard of. They are known for burning the allies of the Dark upon fires erected for the purpose. They themselves claim that they have never burned any innocent man or woman, the neighboring lands however might not agree. Due to this their reputation has become known, some called it a fitting end when the Duke, Justinus Celestian, was burned alive by the fiery breath of the Dark Lord Zephfer during the first battle for Galadriel.
Ecclestius during the Age of Empire
Ecclestius was a large province named in the honour of Ecclesiasties and his descendants. It became the primary lands controlled by the Emperors of the Golden Empire which was subsequently formed by the children of Ecclesiasties. It was a land of plenty, and as such it was a province which had no dire needs. The Emperors generally had a large amount of loyalty among the people of Ecclestius, and a unity formed between the people with many Ecclestians seeing themselves as superior to the other Kingdoms.
This also led to the large slave trade which could be seen across most of Ecclestius, with Azeratii being the main port and city for slaves. Slaves would be brought in from across the Empire, Nords for hard work, Hronidens for working on the fields, other Imperials for both. Female Elves would often prove to be the most expensive slaves, as they fueled the extensive slave sex trade, the only race not affect by slavery, both working in and taken was Orcs, out of fear for their natural strength and size.
It however began to change in year 700 when Emperor Argrus III usurped the crowns of the Empire, causing great unrest among the vast lands in the Empire. The remainder of his reign being spent crushing revolts, when he finally died and his son Kytos I took over, it left many with a hope of peace. It would however be shortly lived as Kytos called for even greater control, resulting in more unrest. This lasted until the year 1000 when Emperor Essos II abdicated and took his own life, officially ending the Imperial line.
Following the death of Essos II, ArchMage Qylan and High Steward Mathlion declared the Empire at an end and removed all oaths of fealty and ordered the gathering of the Assembly of Light. This left the lands of Ecclestius in the hands of many families, and resulted in many different powerplays including the War of the Triumvirate, which included several dynasties which are now royalty, including the Krestarii and the Ayyubid of Hroniden.
Eventually the Crown of Ecclestius was given to Asharian Krestarii who was declared the first King of the Kingdom of Ecclestius in the year 1001.
The Dark Wars:
Following the betrayal at the assembly of Light, the Dark Wars had officially begun. Ecclestius was often seen as the head base for the Light, it was in Azeratii Palace that the first meeting of the light was called which elected Eylinn Mindrilla as the Commander of the Light.
Ecclestius was not the primary scene for the Dark Wars, and as such there was little of event. Unlike Hroniden which faced several invasions, Galadriel which was invaded twice over by the Dark Lord Zephfer and eventually the Dark One himself, and the Norseland which devolved into civil war which saw Ulfrik crowned as King.
That however doesn’t mean that there weren’t events of attack, such as a false report of attack during the trials of Qylan and Jacob, which saw the former assassinated by the Celestians, with several rumours that King Asharian had been involved, or at least given his blessing, this also resulted in the armies of Ecclestius often being away. However it woudnt last forever before the first attack came when the Dark General Birch sailed to Azeratii and sacked the province, destroying parts of the city that since has been rebuilt. The most known casualty during the sacking of Azeratii was the death of Crown Prince Jutarian.
Ecclestius eventually became a safe haven when the other Kingdoms fell, which resulted in Azeratii Palace becoming the home of many Royals during the final days of the Dark Wars.
The Age of Crowns:
Following the defeat of the Dark One, and the sacrifice of Jacob, the Age of Crowns began. At this time King Asharian had passed away and been succeeded by his adoptive son Ares. King Ares was a war veteran from the Dark Wars, and was known to the Kingdom, including his biggest secret which was known among the most important families within Ecclestius.
The lands of Ecclestius has had peace since the Age of Crowns began, but there has been two events which has occurred which is of note. The first is the riot in Azeratii City during year four when a brawl resulted in an outright riot as it spread from street to street until the royal guards was able to put it down after several days of fighting.
The second event was the rebellion of nobles in year nine. Following many reforms implemented by Lord Rodney, severe opposition began, Rodney however was able to keep it under control and maintain many of the nobles, managing to arrest them in the start of the revolt. The main revolt was in the South West of Ecclestius and it was ended when his Grace, Duke Wilhelm and Lord Arckard was sent with the royal army and finally crushed it.
The Kings of Ecclestius:
King Asharian Krestarii (Reign: 1001-1004 of the Age of Empire)
King Asharian was the first of the Krestarii monarchs, at the time of his ascension he was a man of 36 years. He had two children, Crown Prince Jutarian and Princess Anastanii, in his bid to unite the Kingdom behind him after being given the Crown, he married his son, Crown Prince Jutarian, to the daughter of the Count of Saxon, Johanna. His daughter proved to be more troublesome as at that point she had already become pregnant outside a marriage and eventually gave birth to Varian who would later become King. She was eventually married to the Celestians, securing their loyalty, for the moment at least.
King Asharian himself was not a general, but that didn’t prevent him from giving his full support to the armies of the Light which he sent supplies and arms to fight the Dark. He often used diplomacy to unite the Light in the early days and hosted the assembly which elected Eylinn Mindrilla as commander of the Light. Following Ra’Gru’s turn to the Dark, King Asharian wanted originally to bed rid of his grandson Varian, but eventually was convinced not to, instead showing mercy and kindness to his grandson.
Following the sack of Azeratii, the King was left in grief as his son was killed during the fighting. Many claim that this shortened his years of life, and that the grief never left him. Standing at a crossroad he received help from the now Duke, Wilhelm Saxon, and eventually adopted and forgave his one time hated enemy, Ra´Gru and adopted him as his son under the name Ares, allowing Asharian to continue his line and his own blood through his grandson Varian. King Asharian at an early age sadly died, not long after these events, having left a large mark on the politics of Ecclestius, including the abolishment of slavery.
King Ares Krestarii (Reign: 1004 A.o.E – 19 A.o.C)
Ares Krestarii was adopted as son and heir to King Asharian Krestarii during the laters final months of life, King Ares was young when he took the crown and much like his predecessor he died earlier than he should have. When Ares became Crown Prince, he filled several roles which King Asharian could not, such as commanding the armies of Ecclestius, further strengthening the views of the royal family. King Ares inherited the crown from his adoptive father at a point which the climax of the Dark Wars drew close. He himself lead several mission and armies against the Dark, risking his life several times. As such he also received several injuries, most importantly one to his leg which he since had issues with, and one to the shoulder which was received in a fight against General Birch, which has since left him a poor swordsman.
He was married to Eylinn Mindrilla who bore him two children, Anwën and Lindarel. Most of King Ares reign was dominated by reforms, and more important strengthening the monarchy. As much as much of this is credited to the King, he in fact merely gave it his blessing and it was carried out by a minor noble who became important in the Kings court, he was Lord Rodney. It was also during the early parts of his position as Crown Prince that he secured the fealty of the tribes of Ordivantes led by the Tudonii house.
During the revolt in year nine, he responded with harsh punishments which has not since been forgotten, it eventually left many nobles condemned for their crimes against him and as such depending on what parts of Ecclestius you visit, his reputation is equally different.
His personal life was one mixed with happiness and sadness. His marriage to Eylinn Mindrilla often changed, at times they were happy and at other times they hated each other. King Ares greatly loved his wife yet had problems showing it and being a devoted husband as he dedicated much time to ruling the realm. He is also said to have spoiled his daughters, and dedicated much time to Prince Varian, whom he often brought with him to council to prepare him for Kingship.
King Ares also began trade with several petty Norse Kingdoms during the Norse Civil war that followed King Ulfriks death. He also encouraged the relationship between Ecclestius and Galadriel, becoming closer with Queen Nienna of the Elves over the course of the years. This however was not universally appreciated as many nobles desired to return to slavery as they had lost large amount of revenue with its abolishment.
During the 20th year of his reign, the wound in his leg once again became infected which it had done often before and resulted in his death.
King Varian Krestarii (Reign: 19 - of the Age of Crowns)
King Varian was born in the year 1001 of the Age of Empire, his mother was the Princess Anastanii and his father was the General Ra’Gru. At first his fate seemed uncertain as many members of his own family desired to kill him, it was until King Asharian was convinced otherwise and handed over the guardianship of the young child to Eylinn Mindrilla. He spent his next year in the care of Eylinn and eventually his father after he had returned to the Light.
When Varian reached the age of 3, the political landscape was vastly different than from his birth. This resulted in his father becoming the Crown Prince of Ecclestius and as such securing Varian’s own eventual inheritance. As such he moved to Azeratii palace shortly after the death of his grandfather and would afterwards become his home.
He grew up in a family which was often fractured and troublesome, this eventually boiled over during a visit to Saxony which saw his adoptive mother and sisters leave Ecclestius and travel to Galadriel for the next year. During that year he spent much time alone and eventually started more carnal activities which since has followed him. His parents eventually made up and his sisters returned to Ecclestius with their mother, this never managed to fix hole left in Varian and he has since held a disdain for both his parents.
Varian has been educated by several of the brilliant and powerful men in Ecclestius, including Lord Rodney, Arckard, Saxon, Whitewall and his own parents.
