Stefan Karameikos
King Stefan Stefan Karameikos
Ruler of the Kingdom of Karameikos.
The modern history of Karameikos began almost 40 years ago in the Empire of Thyatis. Stefan Karameikos III was born in A C. 948, the heir to the small, but unusually wealthy duchy of Machetos. His mother died when he was nine, his father when he was 20, and he became ruler of the duchy at that time. He'd already served as an officer in the imperial cavalry for three years and had been participating in adventures and heroic exploits even longer. He was a friend of the emperor of Thyatis. His future seemed predictable. Years of service in the military with adventuring on the side, then retirement to wisely rule his duchy and advise the emperor on matters of war and state.
Karameikos was not content with that fate. He wanted to rule territory shaped by his hands and formed in his own image - and that description fit neither the duchy of his ancestors nor the empire of his Thyatian friend. He approached the emperor with an offer. Stefan would grant most of his ancestral lands and properties to the emperor in exchange for ownership of the Traladaran region and a guarantee of autonomy.
The emperor was intrigued with the offer. Traladara had substantial potential to become a wealthy region, but it would take more time and effort than the emperor was willing to devote. Karameikos's lands were close at hand and already valuable.
The emperor and Karameikos came to terms and emerged from their conference more than satisfied, each convinced that he had come out ahead. Stefan Karameikos surrendered his ancestral lands to the emperor. The few properties he had remaining he sold for the ships and goods he would need to rule the region properly. The emperor, in return, recognized Traladara as the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, a sovereign region under the rule of Stefan Karameikos III. Both rulers signed decrees of eternal friendship and the promise of mutual defense in times of invasion, and the deal was set.
Immediately, after his agreement was signed into law, Duke Stefan sailed for his new duchy, making landfall in Specularum two weeks later. No fool, he presented his articles and orders to the city garrison before assembling the city leaders to announce his agreement with the emperor.
The powerful Traladaran families in Specularum saw the political change as an opportunity to reestablish Traladaran independence. If they could kill the duke when he was most vulnerable, perhaps they could then erect a spirited enough defense to make it economically unfeasible for the cost-conscious Thyatians to conquer them again. However, before any organized plans could be made, the Marilenev Clan Ied an armed revolt against the duke. Stefan and the garrison put the rebellion down decisively and most of the Marilenev men died in the attack. Naturally, from that point on the duke watched the other powerful families carefully, especially the Radu and Torenescu clans.
Hooded assassins made a second attempt to take Duke Stefan's life, this in his very bedchamber, but Stefan awakened in time to seize his weapons and slay his attackers. He never learned who sent the assassins, although the wealthy Traladaran families were obvious suspects.
The Traladaran clans, offended by the duke's stubborn resistance to assassination and overthrow, slowly and resentfully swore loyalty to him. They turned to other methods of combat and began to oppose him in the political, economic, and mercantile arenas.
The duke began luring talented and ambitious young nobles from Thyatis. He concentrated his attention on the second and third sons and daughters of Thyatian aristocracy: the young men and women who would have been properly trained to rule and hold land, but who would never inherit their own ancestral lands due to their siblings' continued good health. Many flocked to him, nobles, adventurers, merchants, and common folk alike, ranging from single men and women to entire clans. Notable among these new retainers were:
- Ludwig von Hendriks, Duke Stefan’s aggressive and theatrical cousin, who received a baronial title and lands in the western part of the duchy.
- Philip Vorloi, a successful merchant who provided substantial economic support to Duke Stefan and received a baronial title and lands to the east of the Manlenev estate.
- Sherlane Halaran, a nobleman and cleric of note who received baronial rank and lands in the lushly wooded northern region of the duchy.
- Olliver Jowett, a church leader in Thyatis who broke from his former teachings to help found the Church of Karameikos. While he accepted no land, Jowett became patriarch of Specularum and master of the church.
- Desmond Kelvin, an officer and gentleman who was of crucial importance to Karameikos during the Marilenev rebellion and received baronial rank and lands north of Specularum, where the Highreach (Volaga) River forks.
Recent History
In the four decades following Duke Stefan’s arrival in Specularum, trade continued to flourish. Logging enterprises based out of villages such as Threshold and Kelvin provided significant revenue to the duchy. Specularum began housing ambassadors from many of the civilized nations of the world, particularly those that wished to engage in ongoing trade with Karameikos. Stefan plan's on founding a magical college on the ruins of the old city of Krakatos. The duke, no economist or merchant himself, was generally a good judge of character and relied upon the advice of intelligent and impartial ministers and friends when deciding policy, arranging trade and state relations, and settling disputes. When the duke's own common sense was not enough to solve a problem, he used the brains and experience of those who could provide a solution. His personal charisma and reputation for fairness began to endear him to the populace, Thyatians and Traladarans alike. The past 10 years alone have proved particularly profitable for the nation of Karameikos. A war (heavily influenced by the meddlings of Immortals) between Thyatis and Alphatia, a major empire farther east, resulted in the disappearance of Alphatia and the ruin of Thyatis. A large, asteroid struck west of Karameikos, creating trouble for two of Karameikos's neighbors and rivals-mercantile Darokin and magical Glantri. As Thyatis dealt with its internal problems, Stefan declared his nation's independence in A.C. l006, creating the Kingdom of Karameikos. Thyatis has been in no position for reprisals since that time, and Karameikos has continued to boom as a nation. Currently there is talk of renaming Specularum - a sign of leaving behind the nation's Thyatian control. Today, the Thyatians and the Traladarans in the nation still view one another with some distrust; each group keeps their own language at home, but call themselves Karameikans to foreigners. In addition, there is a new generation growing up that has tended to reject the racial differences of its elders - Stefan calls these young people his "New Karameikans." The family of Karameikos also has profited. In A.C. 979, Duke Stefan married Lady Olivia Prothemian, a distant cousin of the Thyatian Imperial House. Stefan and Olivia had been betrothed when she was just 11, before Stefan took the Traladaran territory. Olivia stubbornly waited to see if Stefan could establish himself as master of his grand duchy, before finally traveling there at the age of 20 to wed him. The Karameikos's first child, a daughter named Adriana, was born in A.C. 980; their second, a son Justin, was born in 982; and their third, a son Valen, in 986. In early 1006, Adriana married Devon Hyraksos, son of the admiral Lucius Hyraksos. They have two children, Lucien (b. 1007) and Argent (b. 1009).Relationships
Religions
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Date of Birth
28th of Sviftmont
Year of Birth
948
62 Years old
Birthplace
Spouses
Olivia Karameikos
(Wife)
Siblings
Children
Eyes
Sea-blue
Hair
Fiery red hair, beard, and mustache, flecked with gray
Height
5' 10"
Ruled Locations
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