House of Burzada: A Legacy of Corruption
When Arabar II, a bastard child of King Erebir V, succeeded his father in 475, the Chybisan barons were outraged. They declared independence from Melderyn and selected the most powerful of their number, the Baron of Lerenil, Sharat Burzada, as Chybisa's new king. Arabarr II denied the legitimacy of the new king but otherwise ignored the matter entirely.
Sharat and his heirs were corrupt and greedy. They ignored the defense of the realm to fill their own coffers, setting a pattern that would persist for generations.
In 545, after more than a century of only very rare raids by the Pagaelin, warriors from two tribes crossed the Ulmerien and attacked Burzyn. Dozens of homes were looted and 32 citizens were killed before the castle garrison overcame its initial disbelief and sallied forth to drive off the raiders.
An epidemic of spotted fever called the Red Death swept over Harn in 559-560. In only a few years, it killed more than a third of Chybisa's population, including King Lonatar and most of the royal family. Many viewed the plague as a divine punishment. Lonatar was succeeded by his fourth child and second daughter, Sabalyne, who became Chybisa's first ruling queen.
The young, idealistic queen led her people in mourning and became a symbol of hope in those dark times. After the disease had run its course, mere survival raised the spirits of many, while inheritances and concessions due to labor shortages made the survivors relatively prosperous. Unlike previous rulers of her house, Sabalyne attempted to restore and improve the kingdom, especially its defenses, but bureaucratic inertia and the corruption of her leading lieutenants foiled her.
The founding of Thay in 573 touched off a wave of Laranian fervor in eastern Harn. In 575, Sabalyne granted land to the Laranian Church to support the newly founded Order of the Lady of Paladins. Hoping to unite the kingdom behind Laranian ideals, she encouraged the noble houses to participate in tournaments, tests of honor, and quests. The "Shining Age of Chivalry" that Sabalyne hoped to engender did not outlast her. When she died in 590, she had achieved little more than gaining the love of her simple subjects.
Sabalyne's heir was her third son, Gebral, who was thrust unprepared into the role when his eldest brother, Erdin, died in a hunting accident. The second son, Iratan, had become a priest and declined the crown. Gebral was a capable king but, like his mother, was unable to stem the graft rampant in his bureaucracy. Gebral suffered the loss of his heir, Lonatar, in 626, and upon his death the following year, his daughter Udine came to the throne.
Queen Udine I was said to be wise, compassionate, and beautiful. She was an excellent administrator and sufficiently strong-willed to force her policies upon her officials and to introduce accountability into the government. With tireless effort during a reign of 34 years, she reversed much of the damage done by her predecessors.
Udine's reign was also marked with sadness. In 628, she bore a child with terrible deformities. She was forced to banish her husband, Kerepel Harden, in 648 for infidelity. In 660, her brother's descendants, the lesser branch of Clan Burzada, were massacred in an apparent gargun swarm. When Udine died in 331, it is said of a broken heart, her subjects were united in their grief. Her unfaithful husband, a dishonored derelict, was knifed in a Tashal ally soon after.
Udine II, the only child of Udine I, was Chybisa's most tragic ruler. Club Footed and humpbacked, she desired only seclusion but was forced to accept the throne by willful and unscrupulous barons with the promise of a quick marriage. Three years after Udine II accepted the throne, her marriage was finally arranged to a Kaldoric knight, Sir Denil Uberma. When her betrothed came to Burzyn and saw the unfortunate Udine for the first time, however, he publicly rejected the match. Humiliated, Udine quietly withdrew to her chambers and took her own life.
Sharat I 475-506
Gometh 506-521
Sharat II 521-541
Lonatar 541-559
Sabalyne 559-590
Gebral 590-627
Udine I 627-661
Udine II 661-664
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