The Succession Empires

The age of the Succession Empires fell between 1623 AF and 1930 AF. It started with the notable technological achievement of the reconstruction of the space elevator at Modyran, a feat which allowed humanity to look outwards again for the first time since the Vow of Earth. This marks a convenient date to draw a somewhat arbitrary boundry between the politics of the late Foundation era and the growing dynamics of the rivals to the New Sophisticates who styled themselves as the Succession Empires.
Within a year of the opening of the space elevator, the foundation city of Allport had withdrawn from the parliament of the New Sophisticates.

Finn Sorrel by DMFW with Art Breeder

Freja Droigheann by DMFW

In 1642 AF, Finn Sorrel, the King of Keldramys was married to Freja Droijheann, a Queen Cousin of the House of Thorns at Kingcardine. This united the thrones of the two cities at a time when the royal succession at Kingcardine looked as if it might falter and civil war break out. Instead, Kingcardine was strengthened by the new alliance. This marks the true beginning of the Empire of the House of Thorns which soon began to look for new ways to increase its power and influence.
In 1650 AF, Modyran technicians succeeded in reactivating the Orbital Guardians, ancient automated systems for the detection and elimination of dangerous objects projected to impact the planet from space. The world had operated without these defences for unknown millenia and they were very seldom needed, but in 1859 the Orbital Guardian system proved its worth when it destroyed comet Scythe, a deadly ball of ice and rock from the Oort cloud that had been on a direct collision course.
On Earth, two great Empires were engaging in a power struggle with each other and the New Sophisticates. The city of Blyperrin, birth place of the Low Armies, having already allied with Monrith marched their combined forces into Freewater more or less unopposed in 1705 AF. This was only the latest in a trilogy of unfortunate events which exposed the weakness of the New Sophisticates as their authority crumbled rapidly. First had been the shocking defection of Aberstone in 1667 AF when it became the fourth foundation city to secede from the parliament at Paratomb. Aberstone was the New Sophisticates original capital and spiritual home. They drew much of their mystique and authority by claiming to represent a direct line of descent from the peoples that broke the Season Of Innocence there. In a second blow to their pride, Kingcardine declared that it had the authority to grant a city charter to Ulkvass in 1701 AF. This was the first time city status had been designated by anyone other than the New Sophisticates. Ulkvass occupied an important position at the mouth of the newly opened polar channel, made navigable for the first time in 1673 AF. Now the House of Thorns at Kingcardine had a much shorter route between the great oceans to the developing continent of Fereth, without needing to use equatorial waters and cede profit to Allport and the cities of Equatoria. Together with their allies at Keldramys and Entessaminia they looked to strengthen their territories against the perceived threat of the Low Armies. By the beginning of the 18th century, it was apparent that the real struggle to come would be between the House of Thorns and the Low Armies with the New Sophisticates already finished as an effective force.

Akihiko Ibara by DMFW with Art Breeder

Akihiro Ibara by DMFW with Art Breeder

In the summer of 1717 AF, the Thin Princes inherited the crown of the House of Thorns under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Kingcardine had a patriarchal model of lineal descent which determined the identity of their new King on the death of the old one. The Thin Princes came from a relatively obscure branch of the family and only rose to leadership after a series of unfortunate "accidents" eliminated three members of the royal family with a stronger claim. The Thin Princes were identical twins and Kingcardine found itself in the unusual position of having two co-equal rulers, Akihiko Ibara and Akihiro Ibara.

Nikolai Yarris by DMFW with Art Breeder

The Thin Princes were ruthless and clever. They determined at once that the Low Armies must be opposed by an agressive expansionist policy for the House of Thorns and their first target was the last remaining stronghold of the New Sophisticates and their Parliament at Paratomb. Their Principle Speaker, Nikolai Yarris, had only limited military forces under his command and nothing that could equal the army sent against him. After a short siege , the city was conquered in 1720 AF by a cunning strategy which involved the flooding of the underground vaults. Most of the defenders perished, including Yarris himself, but some few made their way to Anoomenon which accepted the refugees and became known by a new alias; the City of Exiles.



In 1725 AF, Aberstone declared for the Low Armies, accepting the loss of its independence as the price it had to pay for relative security. The continent of Trass was now divided between the western and eastern powers of the Low Armies and the House of Thorns, with only a few remaining independent settlements, of which Anoomenon was by far the most important.
In 1734 AF the Thin Princes finally turned their attention to the Shining City of Anoomenon. Exagerated accounts from the time tell us that more than a million men marched under the angry banners of the Thin Princes seeking to humble the famous foundation city, which at that time was ruled by Prime Lawmaker Veronika Mescalla and defended by Commander Caractill Delm. The forces of the House of Thorns were led by their charismatic Field Marshall Vredin Tymoore. A vast fleet coming down the coast met with a land based host at the mouth of the river Perque and attempted to invade Anoomenon from the sea and over the estuary where the defences were thought to be weakest.

Vredin Tymoore (Age 51) by DMFW with Art Breeder

Veronika Mescalla by DMFW with Art Breeder

Caractill Delm by DMFW with Art Breeder

The numbers are absurd, since it is doubtful if the House of Thorns could have raised as many as two hundred thousand men, let alone a million but they appear to have augmented their forces with automata and golums of some weird kind. Whatever the true strength of the host it was undoubtedly enormous. It was decisively defeated by a combination of good fortune and fierce defending. At the time of the assault, a high tide (which had been expected) was boosted by a terrible storm (which had not). Alchemical fire launched from the towers of the city, burned the attackers even in water, at the same time as their ships were capsizing or being breached on the sand banks at the mouth of the river. Soldiers struggling to cross the complex estuary channels were caught out in the unexpectedly hostile weather and drowned in their thousands. Even today, superstitious souls attribute the red water of the Perque to the blood which was shed on that day, although of course it has a much more natural explanation.
The defence of Anoomenon was the greatest of the pitched battles in the age of the Succession Empires and it was a fateful turning point for the House of Thorns which, having overreached itself, pulled back to its core territory.
The Thin Princes died in an apparent suicide pact not long after and the Low Armies consolidated their gains, winning a number of minor victories until the heat of the Succession Empire wars cooled and all sides accepted the existing borders, more or less without challenge.
By the time the period came to an end in 1930 AF, both the House of Thorns and the Low Armies were in decline. The taste for big centralised power structures had abated and the fashion had changed once again to more autonomy for individual city states.