The Turmoil Between Crowns

This name is given both to the decade of internal schisms under the rule of the last Rax overking, and to the civil war which followed Ivid's ascension.

Overking Nalif was the last of the Rax line descended directly from the overkings. A flock of misbegotten cousins, exiles and ne'er-do-wells of Rax could lay some claim to the title of overking when Ivid had Nalif assassi nated, but after a century of hopelessly ineffectual Rax rule all of the royal houses agreed that another Rax overking was simply unacceptable.

Ivid proclaimed himself overking immediately (in 446 CY) and plunged the Great Kingdom into civil war.

With few exceptions, no simple picture of the role of royal houses in the civil war can be given (the houses are detailed in the next chapter). Most of the House of Naelax allied with Prince Ivid. But a few of his cousins—who disliked and distrusted him—did not.

Among the competing houses, the House of Cranden opposed Naelax, as did many elements of the House of Garasteth and the remnants of Rax. But in all houses princes were busy using the civil war as a cover for settling old scores and attacking their in-house rivals. Ivid certainly had some such princes assassinated; the blame would be laid upon their own blood for this, increasing within-house divisions and making opposition to him less organized.

Alliances shifted during the war, but the decisive event was the decree of the House of Darmen in CY 449 to back Ivid's suit wholeheartedly. This wealthy and pragmatic house believed Ivid was coming out ahead, so the house sprang a surprise with the sack of Rel Deven in Harvester of that year and a series of brilliant lightning strikes aimed at securing provisioning for the coming winter.

Their armies allied with those of Naelax to secure the central lands of the Great Kingdom, and the war was won. In Planting, CY 450, all houses agreed to accept Ivid as overking, and their leading princes paid homage along the Great Way in the Parade of Crowns. The House of Naelax was triumphant.