Amysthine
A storied land of chivalrous knights and their ladies, ever hounded by the posturing of bloated and scheming lords for power, dignity, authority and renown. Amysthine has not always been Amysthine, but has always been, dating back to the first era where it was a legendary battlefield, hosting disastrous dragons and calamitous giants during the Titan Wars. Then the painted crowns of the Colored Kings occupied the territory until the Lordstone chose their first High King, who would keep the rule of the expansive territory for generations until the line would be broken in bloody revolt, only to be rekindled again in recent discovery. Amysthine is the land of pageantry and polished steel, of papered steeds and reverent deeds. It is the land of the Lordstone and it does not know scarcity.
Structure
The united kingdom of Amysthine has structured itself surrounding the idea of nobility and noble lords overseeing the cultivation of resources and materials by serf commoners in service to a High King, that rules over all of the realm from their seat upon the Lordstone in Seaseau. The right to be counted as nobility is seen as divine in many ways as to be a recognized noble of Amysthine is to carry with you an ancient crest bestowed upon you and your lineage from the Lordstone itself.
The Crest of a noble holds a great deal of influence, power, and prestige in Amysthine, as it is an almost divine ordinance from the physical manifestation of the prevailing religious philosophy in Amythine, that being the Lordstone. At the seating of the first High King, Ekarte Myreane, the High King presented from himself the Paradigm Crest, that would be the symbol of his kingdom and of his rule. Upon the worthy and loyal, he would bestow upon them a fragment of the Paradigm Crest, which would impart upon them power, privilege, and prestige under the High King's banner. Each crest would be placed into an heirloom that the noble family would carry on, and as time would pass and borders and alliances would shift, vassal lords and their liege's crests would change to reflect that movement. But whenever the High King summoned their banners, all would lend their crest in service to the paradigm. Any liege or vassal may impart a crest unto a crestless person, thus branding a new crest, but always it would hold loyalty to the Paradigm.
It has been this way for generations. Even into the Age of Absence and the Three Pillar Period, where no one sat the Lordstone, on account of the Quiet Revolt. This practice has only shifted slightly at the ascension of High King Anders, who revoked many crests, only to dull them back out according to his own will and stipulations.
The nobility of Amysthine is seen in many ways as an entity known as an Estate; further an estate with two wings. The Nobility of the Robe is the most prevalent, set more deeply in courtroom maneuverings and political scheming, while the Nobility of the Sword are a class of warrior lords who have won prestige and renown in battle and other martial encounters. Strong alliances are formed between nobility of either wing of the estate, but stronger alliances are born between the wings. It should be noted that the royal family, or line of the crown is an Estate all their own that acts as both conductor and herder of the noble estate in their great game of grasping for power.
The third estate is that of the common folk of Amysthine. Much like the nobility, they are split into two estate wings, between urban and rural commoners and serfs. It is not uncommon for a commoner to rise into the ranks of nobility by the act of knighting or being bestowed upon by a crest, but this has created a strange grey area within Amysthinean politics where the established nobility do not fully recognize the risen commoner nobility, the bourgeoisie, who definitely covet their new stations and tend to be more ravenous in their defense of it.
The three factions also observed this estatehood and division of the classes, thoughit is documented that neither of the three kept honestly to this practice when the need arose or suited them. There was very little overarching order within the factions, much less between them to maintain strict adherence to the practice. The Grey Garnet Confederacy and the Crimson Tower Dominion remaining the closest.
Culture
Amysthine, at its core falls back on faith and reverence for the legacy of the Paradigm Crest. The Paradigm crest insights power to those willing to claim and hold it. It represents the values of unity and duty to the state that bind the Amysthinean people together, nobility and commoners alike. To carry a crest, even as a wandering or galivanting knight means a great deal to the common farm hand and even more so to be recognized as something of an equal when presenting your crest to a noble.
They believe very strongly in the word of oaths, especially oaths sworn on crests. Further, they value honesty in the reaches, where pride is valued in the courts. Honsety behoves travelers to show their hands, so as to be shown courtesy in kind for their journeys or goals. It is expected that one does not hide their crest or duty if one has one, for to hide one shows shame and selfishness, or even a lack of devotion to the state. Pride manifests itself in the presentation of one's crest. Pride in the showing of it, for this is their ancestral link to the Lordstone, to the crown, and to their own seat of power as it is in that moment. Nobility are taught from a very early age that whenever given the chance to show their crest so as to be given the respect and aid deserved or required. Commoner and noble alike are abliged to act upon the observation of a crest, whether for good or ill.
Public Agenda
At current, High King Anders has finally ascended to his kin's ancestral throne through the combined efforts of forces that would wish good upon the Lordstone's Lands and those that would wish devastation and subjugation. Having spent his entire seventeen years of life up until this point in the trade city of Leorasta, Anders lacks the insights on courtly pageantry, but makes up for it in his knowledge and wisdom in crude negotiation skills and inspiring pinache. He and his loyalists means to root out the usurper powers in his kingdom and reunify the country under a single, strong banner. He means to secure his lineage for generations to come, by coming onto the world stage in a powerful and indomitable way. Never again will Amysthine be tossed into division and chaos on account of squabbling powers, grasping at sovereignty.
Assets
Among the wealth of assets at Amythsine's disposal, the most sacred and safe guarded is the Lordstone itself, an eldritch gem stone, the size of a mountain that protrudes out from the Violet Mountains and is said to hold unknown and untapped power. Even the High Kings are said to not fully comprehend the power at their disposal via the Lordstone. The only thing known for sure is that the High King, chosen by the Lordstone is said to be granted the gift of foresight and forethought, alongside mental fortitude, the likes of which are unmatched anywhere else in the world.
History
First Era
The territory of Amysthine was once only a collection of petty kingdoms and clans that fought over resources in their desperate attempt to stay out of or involve themselves in the Titan Wars. In such a time, it was difficult for strong, storied kingdoms to rise and remain under the crushing blow of catestrophic battle between dragons and giants. The first settlers being Dwarves, Humans, and goliaths, before the coming of the Dragon Kin and later the Elves.
Second Era
At the final conclusion of the Titan Wars, the Amysthinean peoples were finally able to establish themselves more structured and long lasting dynasties, but remain mostly divided by various means or reasons. This era saw rise to the Colored Kings and the recognition of a name for the territory in reference to the color and hue of what would later be called the Lordstone. The kingdoms of the Colored Kings would reach as far south as the southern shores of the Cape and around the Bay of Nocturna.
It was in this age that the first War with the Nightlands broke out against Clan Dracul. The Violet King in the south often had conflicts with the denizens of the Cold Iron Keep, but could do little to ward them or their contemporaries off. This led to a very brief open conflict, followed by several decades of cold war between the two. It wouldn't be until the noble house Belmar honed their skill into fighting the night creatures that the Violet Knig and their lands would know relative peace.
The Crimson Tower would be erected in this era in the mountains to the north to house the Ordo Obsidian, a group of deva claiming to be in search of a place to conduct research and explore deep mysteries. Atop the Crimson Tower, they would place the floating orb like machine they came with called the Oculus Magnus. During this time, they would treat with the Colorless King, the lowest of the Colored Kings, whom had taken up residence in Stonewell and found strange crystaline beings amidst the roots of the crystal mountain. After the Colorless King was shown great power and wisdom within the crystal Mountain, the Ordo turned the Oculus Magnus upon the beings and eradicated them in the name of their Seraph, but could not seem to bring down the mountain as it absorbed an residual from the blast. The Oculus has not fired since.
The Colossal King would make an incursion into the lands of the Red King, but be repelled by the Red King's forces. Though outnumbered, their tenacity was enough to bring down giants and three of their mobile fortresses. By the time the Dragon League responded, the Red king and his forces had felled many giants and sent the Colossal King's vassals in full flight.
Towards the end of the era, it is noted that Ekarte Myreane named himself High King of a new Kingdom that would encompass ass of the territory that would soon be known as Amysthine. From the proceeding war, the Lordston'e Paradigm Crest would evolve into the status quo of the nation. It should also be noted that because of these conflicts, when the Vampire Lords, Scelene and Marcus launched their invasion of the coast, the armies of the south were so exhausted they could do little to defend themselves. As a final ditch effort to halt their advance, the last Violet king, who had become a sworn vassal of Ekarte built the wall that would cut the coast off from the Lordstone's lands. He personally defended the fortifications till it's completion, the act of which costing him his life.
Third Era
As much of the world's records were lost in the breaking of the Lay Lines, so too was much of Amysthine's history in this era. But based on speculation, it can be easily surmised that the reign of the Lordstone's High King persisted the age with little to no contention. Making it one of the longest lived dynasties, next to the Feinreals of Aldacairn.
Fourth Era
Fifth Era
The most notable developments in the Fifth Era would be the Quiet Revolt, which deposed the ruling royal family and ended the line of High Kings. Far reaching nobles influenced and pushed the High king Caelin to invade the Blood Isles in the aftermath of the Cataclysm of the COuncil and invade the Nightlands almost congruently. This led to an exhaustion of the royal treasury and stregth of the kingdom as a whole. The King passed under mysterious circumstances, the rest of the royal family petering out over the course of a few short weeks, thanks to assassinations and martial screw ups until the throne was bare.
Thereafter, the kingdom fractured into the Three Pillars, the Blue Rose Union, The Crimson Tower Dominion, and the Grey Garnet Confederacy.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Alternative Names
The Land of the Lordstone
Demonym
Amysthinean
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Plutocracy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Palace economy
Notable Members
