Renvere

The kingdom of Renvere is a more classical medieval government structure. The land is split into three regions; (north to south) the Barony of Malaster, the County of Hoss, and the Dutchy of Renshire. Each of the heads of these regions also employ lords of noble families to govern towns and villages individually, all paying taxes and homage all the way up to the crown. The three regions were all attempts at starting independent kingdoms in the days after the Ashes War. King Han Toren I, worked with Archmage Visya to unite the independent kingdoms under one crown.

History

King Han Toren I (11-32 AS)

At the end of the War of Ashes the Celestine Empire was founded, but much of modern day Renvere was still embroiled in conflict, both with roving bands of demons, but also warlords vying for power. A former member of the Arcane Triumvirate, Visya traveled to the region looking to track down the royal bloodline that she had believed to be somewhere in hiding. After years of searching she finally found a family deep in The Mire which she determined to be the descendants of the kings and queens of old. She told them of the great kingdom of Renvere, that stretched from the Wildwood to the south to the shores of the northern seas and Mirromere. She told them of the great knights and mages who defended the small folk and protected them from evils that would harm them. She convinced the family of their heritage, and that their lives among the common folk for who for years had been hunted by demons and terrorized by warlords would make them royalty just as great as those past. She stayed there in The Mire for close to another decade, before announcing his claim to the lands. At this time, the Empire was still but a single city, and working to bring the other city states in line with their goals, and did not have eyes on Renvere.

With Visya's announcement came with a promise that this new king, King Han Toren I, would bring peace to the lands, and would start by liberating the people of Renshire from an oppressive warlord. A few hundred small folk flocked to The Mire, bearing only household tools and spears fashioned from wood as arms, but they marched alongside Visya and King Toren, in his family's ancient armor and sword that Visya had kept safe during the war. When they arrived the warlord laughed at them from the walls of Renshire, sending forth a few hundred outriders from the gates of the city. Just as their charge was about to meet the lines of King Toren and his militia, Visya teleported them into the city with a powerful spell. In an instant the archers on the walls found themselves embattled with common folk wielding pitchforks, hammers, and pointed sticks. The warlord found himself in a duel with King Toren. The streets were filled with commoners in Renshire who had gathered to watch, and Visya was able to rally them and together they quickly took the gates to the city, shutting out the warlords' riders. The battle lasted only momentariy though, as after a drawn-out duel of ten minutes, King Toren slew the warlord, causing his forces outside the wall to flee, and those inside the walls to surrender.

In the aftermath of the battle the king, in his wisdom, saw fit to knight several of the common folk who took up arms with him and distinguished themselves in the battle. These became the first of the Knights of the Realm. They were given what little armor and weaponry that could be found and were sent out to help ascertain what needed to be done to liberate the remaining settlements in the region, and if possible, do what needed to be done to grant them security, or return with information so the king could act. The king and Visya spent a few months in Renshire organizing, and it was there where King Toren married the daughter of a pair of the elders of Renshire. But soon he departed with Visya, in the guise as merchants, and traveled an old mountain road, forgotten to the humans, but known to Visya. Their destination was Ferethrane, where the king revealed his identity, and sought an alliance with the dwarven kingdom. Visya was able to help negotiate a trade agreement, producing an ancient dwarven artifact she had recovered from demons, Khol'thros, the God Forger. In addition to a trade alliance, the Ferethrane dwarves also agreed to a light military alliance, but only if King Toren could prove his worth and unite his kingdom.

Visya went afield, leaving Toren returned to Renshire to find his knights returned, as well as emissaries from the kingdoms of Hoss to the south, and Malaster to the north. The emissaries bore warnings, claiming him the king of the swamp and threatening war if he were to order soldiers across the Ren River or onto the Amber Stretch. His knights came with news of several warlords meeting, discussing an alliance to put an end to King Toren. He revealed his wagonloads of weapons and armor to them and asked any of those common folk of Renshire willing to draw blades against his enemies to do so, and help him free others just like he had freed them. Many of those capable of fighting joined, but their numbers were few. He sent his wife to his home village in The Mire, telling them of his plans, and sending along weaponry and armor, asking for help retaking the town of Daromere. When he arrived, the town had been fortified, but the warlord there had yet to receive aid from her allies. King Toren was not equipped for a siege but knew that he had but days to take the city before the other warlords forces fell upon his small army. They set about constructing makeshift battering rams and by the second day they were prepared for an assault. It was said that the king did not sleep that night, knowing that victory was uncertain, and without the support of the people of The Mire, it would be a costly battle.

Nonetheless at sunrise the next morning he began his assault. He quickly realized that the resistance he met was minimal and once his forces got the gates open, they found the warlords forces in battle with the common folk inside. A group of Mirefolk had snuck into the town and freed several prisoners the warlord had caged due to the problems they were causing. Among them were three sisters, maligned as witches, who used powerful magics to manipulate plants. Together the three of them were able to bring low the warlords guard, and eventually defeat the warlord herself. With the death of the warlord, her remaining captains surrendered and king Toren offered them a chance to fight for him, and redeem themselves of their crimes. Some chose imprisonment, but most accepted his offer. He then turned to the three sisters, and elevated them to lordship of Daromere, seeing the benefit of their wisdom and power, even if some of the common folk feared them as witches. With the intelligence of the defeated captains offered, he split his forces amongst several of his most trusted knights and continued his campaign, freeing many smaller nameless villages and hamlets, and rallying the common folk to his cause until all the land south of the Ren River and north of The Mire swore fealty to his cause.

After the campaign in the Renshire region ended, he returned to the city, to find that he had a two-year-old son. He gave him his name, Toren II, and declared him the heir of this new kingdom. New of this spread south to the kingdom of Hoss, who began raising an army. The Hoss kings had won their kingdom not through battle, but through immense wealth. They did have much in the way of a standing army, and many commoners in their lands were growing weary of the overlords the Hoss' had installed. They sought to solve the concern over this new king and their issue with the small folk by conscripting them. The news did not reach the Malasters, as in the north there was trouble. Their control over the region was greatly overstated, and in the central part of the region, a group of people lead by a man from a lineage of rulers, self-titled the Fisher Kings, had taken issue with the Malaster claim that anything north of the Ren River was under their jurisdiction. They saw themselves as independent, and moved against the Malaster, driving them out of their eponymous city and pursuing them south, in an attempt to end their line. The Ren River was known for being rough to navigate and difficult to cross with bridges regularly being washed out or burned over conflicts. When the Malaster forces reached what they thought might be an escape into the lands held by King Toren, they found the bridges destroyed.

The Malaster army dug in as defensible a position as they could, with their backs to the river, but the Fisher Kings army was fierce, and annihilation seemed inevitable. But unbeknownst to both the Malaster and Fisher kings, King Toren had begun work on a great stone bridge over the Ren River to the east, and it was suitable enough to transport his calvary across the river. As the Fisher Kings forced clashed against the Malaster defensive lines, King Torens knights attacked their rear position. Once again King Toren found himself in single combat and slew the last Fisher king. Once the Fishers were routed, he turned his attention to the Malasters. The Malaster king who once maligned King Toren as "King of the Swamp" now bent the knee and in exchange for being granted similar station in the region, he swore fealty to the line of King Toren. Their forces traveled together back towards Malaster, but stopped at the lakeside town of Akenai, where the Fisher Kings ruled from. The forces that remained there were unwilling to bend to the newly named Baron of Malaster, and in order to prevent further bloodshed, as well as an intended slight to the Malasters, he named the daughter of the Fisher King Countess, under the condition that she marry one of his most loyal knights and did not raise a blade to either the Malasters or against his will. The young woman cautiously agreed, and with that Malaster was now also under the control of King Toren.

When Toren returned to Renshire, he found that he now had a second son, whom his wife named Visyn, in honor of Visya, who had in the month prior to the campaign in Malaster had returned and begun educating Toren. He also found a small host of Hoss soldiers outside his city walls. They allowed him and his army to pass into the city. The next day he rode out to find an emissary from the King of Hoss, stating that he would be willing to bend the knee to Toren as long as they were able to keep their wealth and control over the region. After some debate an agreement was reached where King Torens youngest son was to marry one of Hoss' daughters, and in exchange, as a dowery, the Hoss' would include a sizeable amount of gold. While the Hoss' to this day claim that it was nearly all their wealth, most believe it was but a taste of the depths of their treasury. Another condition is that Renshire cannot be the capital of the new nation, and must be its own seat of power, equal to the province Hoss would control. Part of the dowry was set aside for the construction of a new city. King Toren chose to found Torenvar on the coast, directly east of Renshire, on the tip of a peninsula, its cliffs overlooking the sea. The region was uninhabited, and the ruins of an ancient city there were in good enough condition to act as a foundation for the new city.

The remainder of King Toren's reign would be generally peaceful. Visya helped found the Antiquis Arcanum, a place of learning around the arcane arts. She spent a great deal of time traveling over the next fifteen years of Toren's reign, both on a personal mission which she did not disclose, as well as identifying magical bloodlines latent in Renvere's people. King Toren's treaty with the dwarves finally came to fruition when he ended the war. The discovery of saltpeter in some mines near a hamlet called Sweetwater helped strengthen that bond. Storied masons and smiths of Ferethrane traveled in droves to Torenvar to help with the city’s construction in return for exclusive trade of this precious material. King Toren I died shortly after, at the age of 39 of a sudden disease that had broken out in Torenvar.

King Han Toren II (32-46 AS)

After a short mourning period, King Han Toren II was crowned as the new king of Renvere. It was noted that Visya had not been present for the coronation, nor his father’s illness due to undisclosed travel. Months later Visya would return to Torenvar after learning about the news of the death of Toren I. When he arrived, she was turned away, and told that King Toren II had decreed she was no longer welcome in the city. Visya would return to Renshire for some time but would disappear on her travels again for another few decades. King Toren II inherited a time of relative peace from his father but was worried by the ever-growing Celestine Empire. The people of Renvere did not share the same faith with the Empire, and King Toren II worried that it may be a problem for the future. He decreed that that Renvere would triple its fleet, commanding both Malaster and Hoss to produce one hundred ships. His plan was to use naval superiority to stop the Empire from potentially being able to sail troops out of the Celestine Sea, leaving only a few mountain passes as ways to invade.

This decree caused him some problems both in Hoss and Malaster. First, both provinces had little respect or faith in this new untested king, and his request was very expensive. The Malasters complained that Hoss has much more funds to secure these ships, where the Hoss' complained that the Malaster lands had much more suitable supplies for building warships. King Toren threatened them with force and told them if constructing new ships was such an issue, then hand over their current fleets to the crown instead. Hoss was unwilling to do this, and instead commissioned the ships be build and swiftly and cost effectively as possible, while the Malasters were happy to hand over their aging fleet of twenty-two ships and begin work on newer ones. This move was poorly thought out as no sooner were the barely seaworthy ships delivered to the capital, then the ogres of southern Hraun began raiding the shores of Malaster. King Toren II immediately deployed what ships he was able but had not had the trained crews or captains ready and was only able to send north fewer than ten of the ships delivered. What captains and crews of Malaster that were willing to recrew the ships, then had to travel overland.

What followed was a disaster. The initial fleet of ships from the capital were quickly overwhelmed by the ogres, and their crew taken as slaves. The crews and captains were not only unfamiliar with the vessels, but the vessels were in poor condition. When the captains and crews from Malaster returned to Torenvar they insisted on keeping their crews together, meaning the remaining ships were crewed by less experienced men from Torenvar and Renshire. Upon deployment of the fleet, most of the Malaster captains steered their ships south, and fled to the Cutwater Isles to take up a life of piracy. The few ships that did make it to Malaster were able to form a protective line around the city harbor but was unable to do anything to stop the greater pillaging that was taking place. After several years of this stalemate, the Hoss ships were delivered to Torenvar in the dead of winter. They were left to be moored in the harbor until spring where they could safely sail north, but a late winter hurricane devastated the fleet of shoddily constructed ships, leaving only six sloops left.

King Toren was distraught at this news and frustrated. His wedding one of his most trusted knights’ daughters was set to happen that summer, and the north was in its fourth year of conflict with the ogre raiders. In Malaster, the winter had been hard on the defensive fleet, fending off several attacks, but always at a cost. Only four ships remained in working order, the rest either sunk or beached in the hope they could be repaired. However, reports started coming in that the ogre raids had stopped, and that several small swift fleets of ship had been seen in the Whitecap Sea bearing the mark of the city of Triton in Dol Gorak. Soon an envoy from the Tenari elves arrived in the capital, as it was confirmed that five small groups of eight or so Tenari ships had arrived in the Whitecap Sea and begun sinking ogre ships, as well as moving on the southern isles in Hraun, burning and unattended slaving ships they could fine. The emissary of the Tenari came with an offer of alliance. They too were concerned with the Celestine Empire's spread and decided to aid Renvere, and in return Renvere would sign an alliance stating that they would defend Dol Gorak if they were to be invade, and that Dol Gorak would send arms and supplies to Renvere if they were the subject of an attack at the hands of a foreign power. Toren II knew the deal favored the elves but saw little choice. He did negotiate an additional benefit to Renvere however with the granting of a portion of land within Renvere to the Tenari. It would be considered Dol Gorak soil, but the elves would colonize it and use it as a place to help produce ships of war and trade for Renvere, as well as a small garrison of elves to help train new generations of crew and captains.

The treaty was signed within a week of the envoy’s arrival, and soon the ogre raids stopped entirely. The Tenari wasted no time in sending a group of elves to begin construction on this new settlement they had called Elemaya. This move was largely unpopular with many of the common folk who saw the elves as outsiders, and many believed they took advantage of the turmoil in Renvere. This sentiment was stoked by both the Hoss and Malasters, which lead to Elemaya being taken from Renshire lands. The king’s brother Visyn was more than happy to oblige however, having had Renshire mostly be untouched by the issues surrounding the construction of the new fleet. Visyn had been keeping busy reconstructing the region his father had initially liberated that was brought low by warlords. Visya had helped him ferret out new magical bloodlines in his area, which he had planned to grant lands or titles to in exchange for loyalty to him and his brother.

Toren II was lucky enough to see another long period of peace, as well as a large expansion of his family. His first three children were daughters, and his final child was a son. Princess Sharice Toren was declared heir to the throne, and her sisters were sent to Edeau and Velicia for marriages, in Toren's hope to keep the cities from raising forces against Renvere if conflict were to ever come from the Empire. Around this same time his brother also sought him out to make peace with Visya. Toren II had blamed her for her absence during their fathers sickness, and had held a grudge against her. Over the course of a few years, both Visyn and Sharice were able to convince Toren to at least allow her access to the city and allow her to educate his children. He agreed to this, but not to having her on his council, and he also founded a new knighthood, the Knight's Sapphire, a group of warriors specialized in taking out targets with arcane power.

Toren II ruled over general peace for the next decade, before passing away in his sleep. The healers claimed that his early death was due to overconsumption of alcohol and excessive eating. There was a short period of mourning before Princess Sharice was crowned as queen.

Queen Sharice Toren I (46-52 AS)

Queen Sharice was seen my many at court to be a breath of fresh air by many of the nobles. She quickly called the leaders of the provinces to Torevnar, including her uncle, Duke Visyn, Count Desmond Hoss, and Eirika Malaster. She chided Hoss and Malaster for their families past interactions with her father, but also announced that in return for true loyalty, she would be willing to relax some of the decrees made by her grandfather around how the common folk are to be governed. Both Malaster and Hoss were quick to act on this, reaffirming their loyalty, and ordering lavash gifts to be sent to the capital. Duke Visyn however was displeased by this. He believed his grandfather edicts were important in keeping peace and prosperity in the kingdom. He spoke out against his nieces plans publicly at court and was met with swift retribution by the queen. She sent him back to Renshire and allowed Malaster and Hoss to stay and counsel her further. Sharice was convinced to found the Royal Knights, as guardians of the royal family, and took a member from the Knights or Malaster, two from the Hoss Knights, as well as four from the Knights of the Realm. She took the most skilled combatants as well as those who she knew to be most loyal to her family. The Knights of Renshire were purposefully left out of this honor as a way to snub him for his disobedience.

Queen Sharice had only one sibling remaining in Torenvar, her youngest sibling, Jonas Toren. Jonas was twelve years younger than his sister, and had always been a rather bookish child. He was incredibly fond of Visya and his uncle Visyn, and while he loved his father, grew to understand his faults. Seeing much of concern for his sisters actions as queen he sought to advise her against her path, worrying that Malaster and Hoss were far more concerned with their own wealth and status compared to that of the kingdom, Jonas traveled to Renshire to meet with his uncle and cousins.

At the same time, an uprising erupted over working conditions and wages in northern Hoss. The Hoss nobility had been especially harsh while dealing with some malcontents in hope that the fear of reprisal would quell them, but only stoked the flames of conflict. The lord of Mayberry was killed and unrest spread through the region like wildfire. Hoss called their knights to gather militia for the towns but were having trouble conscripting willing soldiers to fight against those viewed as brothers. A falcon was sent from the queen to her uncle, demanding that he raise a force and aid Hoss. Duke Torenson, frustrated with the queen, replied with a notice that he would comply, but it would take a great deal of time to find people willing to fight against other common folk.

This was poor timing for Jonas however, who was captured by rebels on the road to Renshire. Reports spread quickly and Duke Torenson quickly rode from Renshire proper with his knights, two of his sons, and his eldest grandson. The swiftly dealt with any rebels who stood in their way but upon finding out the location Jonas was being held, rode into an ambush. Every last rebel was slain in that battle, however so were several knights, along with both of Visyn's sons and eldest grandson. Jonas was recovered with injuries, but nothing serious.

Duke Visyn, furious, rode directly to the capital, up to the palace gates, the bodies of his children and grandchild in tow, and demanded an audience with the queen. What happened next was a bit of a mystery, but the Duke, the Prince, and the Queen all met in private, and when they emerged an agreement was reached. Although the queen was already betrothed to the son of the Count of Hoss, she agreed to marry her first born daughter to Visyn's only remaining grandson. The large number of Hoss and Malaster courtiers were expelled from the city, sent back to Malaster and Hoss City, with only a few token representatives remaining. The Hoss' were furious with the marriage agreement, but could not do much to argue the point, as Duke Visyn agreed to help quell the remaining insurrectionists in Hoss.

After some time passed in general peace, and Duke Visyn had come to grow quite ill. Queen Sharice had given birth to three children in this time, one girl and two boys. The first would be named Queen Sharelle Toren I and was to marry the grandson of Visyn, Mathus Torenson. The second, Han Hoss, would become the next Count of Hoss. The third, was a child called Mouton Hoss, who was only a few months old. Queen Sharice, at her consorts bidding, decided to take her family to Hoss for the winter, to enjoy warmer weather and hot springs. Their ship departed Torenvar three days before the winter solstice, and that night encountered a devastating squall that wrecked the ship somewhere in the Skulkers. Several of the crew were found, frozen to death, or the rocks of the Skulkers. The same night was also the one that Duke Visyn succumbed to his illness, and past on as well.

This started a tense period in the kingdom, the lines of succession in both the Toren families seats of power was suddenly in question. Both Hoss and Malaster gathered their forces and moved on Renshire and Torenvar, sensing the instability.

King Jonas Toren I (52-83 AS)

Both Mathus Torenson and the newly crowned King Jonas Toren I had been prepared for anything. Visyn was a shrewd man who, in his old age, saw it wise to create contingencies, as he distrusted both his niece and the Hoss' in particular. The Malaster force was stopped at Ren's Crossing, when Lady Elise Fairbanks, a distant relative of Mathus Torenson from his mother’s side, shut the gates on them. The Malaster's were not prepared for resistance on this level, but threatened siege anyway. Lady Fairbanks welcomed them to make efforts but warned them that she had already sent word to Elemaya, and in the king’s name requested a Tenari blockade on Malaster. Fearing the superior elven fleet, the Malasters sent their army back to Malaster, claiming instead that they had only ever intended on traveling to Torenvar to pay respects to the new king.

The Hoss host had not such obstacle as the rushing Ren River though, and they moved swiftly over the Amber Stretch to Torenvar. When they arrived there, they found King Jonas I waiting on the parapets of the city, with a gallows constructed overhanging the walls. He announced to the gathered host that he had gathered all the knights and courtiers from the Hoss family, or the other noble families of the County, and was prepared to execute them as traitors if they did no surrender immediately. The Hoss' knowing that their force could more than easily take the city, was prepared to deny the king’s request. They browbeat the lords in their service and went to sleep, prepared to give their response at dawn.

What they awoke to were the sails of the Tenari fleet landing soldiers from Renshire on the shores by the city. It was enough to make victory uncertain, and the lesser lords of the County broke into the counts tent, and captured him, delivering him to the city gates, requesting only mercy from the king. Only one man hung from the city walls that day, and the rest were freed. All the lords gathered, including the counts younger brother, retook their oaths to the line of Toren. The counts family was allowed to live, but were barred from holding power again, as well as a fee of gold known only to the Hoss' and the king.

With his legitimacy secured, King Jonas I continued to rule over general peace for until current day.

Maps

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  Renvere

  A map of the nation of Renvere

Type

Geopolitical, Country