Rose Kingdoms

As the Giants began their invasion of Respite, the first to rebel were the Tieflings. By uniting their forces, they stood against the first waves of Titans. Great was their strength, but even as they greatly outnumbered the Giants, they fell to their overwhelming elemental powers. Of the Tiefling Clans to fight, the only ones to survive the first century of fighting were those who went into hiding.   Clan Baphomet   Clan Faustus   Clan Firebrand   Clan Morningstar   Clan Nergal   Clan Talwar   Of these, only Clans Faustus, Morningstar, and Talwar would survive to the end of the war. In memory of those who died, they chose a Black Rose as their symbol.

Lacking an organizational structure, the Vampires of Respite operated largely independently for millennia after their creation. They fed on mortals & giants alike, and only cooperated with one another in desperate situations. It was not until the first of the Elder Blood gathered up her brood under the guise of a family to fight back against the Giants that the idea began to take root. Others would follow, although many ultimately died out with the loss of their leaders to the Fire Giants.   Clan Albescu   Clan Dalca   Clan Dusken   Clan Falkenrath   Clan Markov   Clan Sanguir   Clan Stromkirk   Clan Tepes   Clan Voldaren   The Clans that remained were Falkenrath, Tepes, and Voldaren. They adopted the symbol of the Red Rose following the death of the Elder Blood matron, having been her favorite.

Wolfgang Falkenrath was the first to claim the throne by victory in Sacred Combat. Despite the successes of of his predecessor, Wolfgang saw a reign filled with conflict. The first cracks between the various Clans began to appear, on top of Giant raids, Lycan attacks, and frequent mobs & rioting among the populace. Wolgang, having several hundred years of battle experience under his belt, used his tactical brilliance to turn outside enemies against each other, uniting the Kingdoms against monsters & invaders.   He died in battle at age 580.

First of Clan Voldaren to take the throne. Served for 61 years, then was kidnapped and exposed to sunlight, killing him. This prompted the establishment of the Rose Knights as protectors to the throne.

First two members of Clan Malikov to take the throne. Inarius served 74 years, spending much of it preparing his son Inarial to succeed him. Inarial took the throne in 4979, but was assassinated in office a mere 5 years later.

Folllowing a series of assassinations and executions of previous rulers, tensions between the Rose Kingdoms were higher than they'd ever been. Accusations were raised of involvement and even participation in regicides by rival kingdoms and rival clans.   Rose Monarch Chernabog Faustus tried his best to ease the growing tensions among the kingdoms. In the end, his death at the hands of one of his own clan members would kickstart the Civil War.   For the first time, Respite would see fighting between not only Rose Clans, but their allied organizations. The Order of Seraphs, Soulswatch, Cathars, and even the Blades in the Dark would end up uniting against their own Royal Clans. The fighting & bloodshed spread to every corner of the continent, with the death toll reaching into the millions. In place of the Rose Monarch, new rulers were chosen, unique to each kingdom.   For the Onyx Throne, the Black Baron.   For the Ashen Throne, the White Queen.   For the Scarlet Throne, the Red Regent.   Officially, the War of the Roses lasted approximately a century, but there would continue to be coups & assassinations for another 25 years thereafter. It was not until 5162 that Aziraphael Malikov would earn the title of Rose Monarch in Sacred Combat, having successfully won the right against nominees from all nine Rose Clans in one massive royal free-for-all.

Octavia Capashen 5041-5109   First to be elected White Queen of the Ashen Throne. Octavia made her ruthlessness known by crucifying royal prisoners captured in battle. For members of the Scarlet Clan, their crosses were put in churches, with sunlight filtered through stained glass windows to make them die more slowly.   Assassinated by members of the Onyx Throne.   Tissaia Malikov 5109-5126   Second to assume the role of White Queen of the Ashen Throne. Tissaia had been rejected for Luminary of the Order of Seraphs and used her position to stage a hostile takeover of the church. In the end, she would be killed by the Luminary who she lost the position to.   Percival Ivanova 5127-5137   The third to take the Ashen Throne and first White King during the War of Roses. Following the blood-soaked reigns of his predecessors, Percival sought to restore the trinity of Rose Kingdoms and end the civil war. Despite this, he would later be overlooked as representative for Clan Malikov in the Battle Royale among the nine Clans. Instead, his nephew Aziraphael would be nominated and claim the throne as Rose Monarch.

Following 3 years of peace negotiations between the Rose Clans, Sabrina Talwar was chosen to take the throne by a council of members from the Cathars, Blades, Soulswatch, and Seraphs. Tensions remained throughout the continent, and Sabrina was forcibly removed two decades later by her own children.

First member of Clan Morningstar to take the throne. Her reign was marked by widespread bloodshed and attempts to wipe out all witches of the Harvest Moon Coven. Driven into madness, Cassandra was killed by her own brother, who fled Respite in shame.

First of Clan Ivanova to claim the throne. Unfortunately, was killed in a dragon attack after less than 10 years in power.

Second of Clan Morningstar to take the throne. Sadly, his reign was even shorter than his predecessors, dying to the same dragon that terrorized the Mortal Lands less than five years later.

Oversaw a somewhat short but fairly prosperous period of time. Died defending a village during a Lycan attack.

Most feared of his Clan, known as "The Dragon" to his enemies, Drake Falkenrath attempted to invade the Immortal Lands, only to have his forces decimated by the Red & Gold Dragons protecting the Dwarven cities. Drake himself was eaten by Kvon Dothrakin, ending his ambitions of conquering the continent.

After removing Brigid Ivanova from office, Nimue struggled to rebuild trust among the citizens of the rose kingdoms after the darkness of the inquisition. Deciding she was not the one to accomplish the task, she became the first Rose Monarch to voluntarily step down.

Continuing the trend, Gwenyfar of Clan Faustus made opening up a dialogue with Volhammer her highest priority. Despite being inflicted with a curse from a young age, she served for nearly a century before her death.

First member of Clan Talwar to sit on the throne in centuries. Following in his predecessor's footprints, Damien sought to earn back faith in the Clans through public works. These attempts were interrupted by an invasion of monstrous creatures from across the seas. Damien saw the Mortal Lands through these invasions, tracing the source back to a M.O.S.A.I.C. lab within the Slumbering Isles. Seeing an opportunity, a rogue group of Fire Giants sought to attack from the North.   For all his desires to seek peace, Damien struggled through most of his reign with war.

Following in her predecessor's footsteps, Celeste Ivanova continued the dual-front conflict between the rampaging MOSAIC experiments from the West, and the Fire Giants from the North. Her greatest triumph was the creation of the Wolfir, a blessing bestowed upon werewolves that allowed them to retain their sentience and control their transformations. This boon turned the tide of battle, allowing for a decisive victory for the rose kingdoms.

Illithids, interplanetary conquerors, arrive in Nasza Ziemia aboard their flying Nautilus ships with the intent to make it theirs. Bringing with them Eldrazi, faceless abominations that reduce armies to ash and landscapes into corrupted wastelands, they attempted to turn the Immortal Lands into their base of operations.   With their mastery of psionics, they turned those who would not yield into dominated servants of their will. Among them, several high-ranking members of Dwarven Families, powerful wizards from multiple Colleges, the Elven High King, the Rose Monarch, and thousands of soldiers from every army.   It was only with the discovery & destruction of the Elder Brain that the war was won by the combined forces of Nasza Ziemia. With the Brain dead, the remaining Mind Flayers could no longer command their Eldrazi, who became directionless & unorganized. They fell to the forces of Elves, Dwarves, Rosaens, and Dragons. None of the Nautilus ships were spared to allow their escape, and what few Illithids survived have gone deep into hiding. Their numbers have dwindled into mere dozens. The Eldrazi, even without masters, proved too dangerous to exterminate completely, and were confined to the Wastes they created. Driven by pure instinct to consume & breed, they now hunt each other, as well as any who venture into the Wastes.

Following Olivia Voldaren's removal from the throne, Grendel Faustus became the next Rose Monarch. Working alongside the Order of Seraphs, he provided physical & mental healing to the many victims of the Psychic Wars still suffering the lingering aftereffects of the Mind Flayers. His reign was cut short by a violent sickness contracted from one of the battlefields, but his successor would pick up where he left off.

Harrow Morningstar's time on the throne saw a continuation of the diplomacy between the Immortal Lands and Respite, but was marred by the rise of the Ironsiders League. A massive surge of illicit goods in & out of the Slumbering Isles made their way to the shores of both the Mortal and Immortal Lands.   On a naval voyage to propose a cooperative effort between the two nations, Harrow's ship failed to reach its destination. The search lasted 2 years before the wreckage of Harrow's ship was discovered by members of the Coral Conclave, confirmed by the recovery of her crown. This delay would mark the first time a new Rose Monarch was not chosen within the same year as the exit of the previous ruler.

Balthazar's time on the throne was, unlike many of his predecessor kin, relatively uneventful. Despite his decisive victory in Sacred Combat, he lacked social and political skills, and took a considerably more passive approach to his rule.   The turning point in his reign came when he insulted the members of the Harvest Moon Coven. In retaliation, they launched what would be remembered as the Endless Night, a 4-day lunar eclipse that saw the first invasion of the Rose Kingdoms by members of the Harvest Moon Coven. Balthazar was killed in his sleep, along with over 250 members of the Onyx Throne.   The memory of this massacre still haunts the Rose Kingdoms, and they give the Coven a wide berth.

Following the massacre of Balthazar Talwar and dozens of members of the Onyx Throne, Respite saw dark times. Rosalyn Voldaren would meet a similarly tragic end less than 20 years into her reign. Riots led to civilians attacking and setting fire to the royal palace. Unable to handle the revolt alone, Rosalyn sent the Blades in the Dark to neutralize the situation. The resulting pacification became a slaughter, but Rosalyn was abducted by Lycan hidden among the villagers and fed burning coals, scorching her from the inside out.

Despite the sustained mistrust among the population for members of the Black & Red Rose Clans, Scratch secured a nomination as a result of his reputation with the Cathars Crusade. With over 14 successful hunts under his belt, his most impressive boast was never losing a Cathar under his command during a hunt. Scratch also reached out to members of the Wolfir, an attempt to end public paranoia & prejudice against its members. Scratch is remembered fondly by the Cathars, Wolfir, and the Seraph. His tragic death at age 47 was the result of a Witch's Curse placed upon him by a widow for offering the Lycan who murdered her family a second chance as a Wolfir.

After almost two thousand years and nearly 40 individuals who ascended to the throne of Rose Monarch, Gregorovich would become only the second member of Clan Tepes to do so.   He became an unintentional celebrity when, on a voyage to the Immortal Lands, his ship was attacked by a fleet of Ironsiders. Despite the bright sunlight, Gregorovich joined the fray, flying from ship to ship until he reached the captain's quarters. At which point, as the story goes; he politely knocked and asked to be let in to speak to the Captain. The Captain, one Brawn "Stormalong" Sartorian, not realizing whom he was speaking to, demanded the knocker enter so as to be properly punished for disturbing him. The infamous Captain Brawn "Stormalong" Sartorian would exit from his cabin minutes later, noticeably shaking, and declare the attack over.   Gregorovich would oversee an era with considerably fewer pirate attacks, with word of the nightwalker who hopped from ship to ship to personally deal with Captains crossing the oceans as fast as the wind itself.

Following in the almost mythical footsteps of his predecessor, Armand Falkenrath called out any & all challengers to the Rose Kingdoms to face him in combat. His first and, as it turns out, only challenger, would become his future wife, Dahlia, a member of the Cathars Crusade. The duel lasted for hours and would ultimately end in a draw, followed by a whirlwind romance that resulted in their marriage.   This complicated relations with the Cathars, who saw one of their own voluntarily becoming a Vampire as heretical, even blasphemous. Armand would spend the rest of his reign dealing with these consequences and conflicts of interest until 6740, when Dahlia found him in bed with another maiden and impaled them both through the heart. Or, as the legend goes, his heart and the maiden's buttocks.

Grimm Faustus focused his efforts on the elimination of Black Market Necromancy and the Stitchers that profited from desecration of the dead. His zero tolerance policy on this diabolical trade led to an arrangement with the Cult of Whisper, allowing them safe passage in & out of Respite for the purposes of eliminating undead and destroying the hidden labs that raised them.   His death is still under investigation. Having fallen ill during an excursion into the Ulvenwald, Grimm insisted on continuing, believe the symptoms to be simply the result of exhaustion on the road or a lack of proper bedrest. When his symptoms worsened and he could no longer ignore them, the on-hand medic apparently diagnosed him with a rare blood disorder. Grimm ordered the caravan turn around at once to seek out proper medical assistance. En route to the clerics, Grimm's convoy was attacked by bandits, who discovered upon prying open the royal carriage that Grimm, considered a fearsome warrior in his own right, had already passed out from his illness.   The exact nature of the illness was not discovered, as the unconscious Grimm was repeatedly stabbed to death by the bandits, who then fled into the woods.