The Kingdom of Alba

The last light in the darkness

The kingdom stands like the last lighthouse in an encroaching storm, the last light in the darkness. When the Crimson Wight conquered his first tribe and proclaimed himself ruler of the world, the Kingdom of Alba warned its neighbours that trouble lay ahead. When the undead kingdom became the Eternal Empire, the Kingdom of Alba urged its fellow nations to band together and destroy the menace before it was too late. When the Empire had finished ravaging the east and turned its gaze onto the western lands, Alba spearheaded the assault to destroy the Empire and kill the Crimson White. Now that the Empire is at its doorstep, Alba has done all it can to help the last dregs of humanity fleeing before the Empire's legions. The kingdom is the last hope for many refugees, and its subjects are salt of the earth folks who have extended their hands in kindness to all who come to Alba. The kingdom is not only refuge for the weak, but also a military stronghold doing all it can to fight back the Imperial menace. Its people have grown used to the sight of local militias, reserve forces and grand armies, and everyone has either spent time in the military or knows someone who has. This renewed emphasis on militarisation is due to the nation's new young king, Gerard IV. King Gerard is a reformer through and through, and will stop at nothing to make his country a better place for his people. Gerard centralised the military to become a powerful an effective fighting force under his direct command. Freed from their noble levy duties, the army can respond as one to any threat the kingdom and Dominion may face. While Gerard took away their soldiers, the king gave his nobility something else to keep them occupied: a parliament. While he is busy saving the kingdom, the nobles run the country. Thus far it seems to be working, although whether the loss of power and authority will be the king's downfall is still to be determined. The king's reforms didn't stop at politics and war. Throughout his life on the forefront of every war his kingdom fought in, Gerard saw the effect that even a single mage could have on the outcome of any battle they were in. The mages, however, were always a secretive sort, hoarding their Words of Power so that no one else could ever be as powerful as them. Gerard changed all of this by convincing, bribing, blackmailing and threatening enough mages to come together and create an institute that would teach how to use the Words of Power and create new mages to aid in the war effort against the Empire. So the Arcane College came to be and now teaches anyone who has the will and the wealth how to shape the very essence of reality. Some of the more traditionalist mages of the kingdom (and neighbouring states) have attempted to disrupt the College's operations, and even tried to destroy it once, but thus far the College has withstood all attacks made against it. In the few years that it has taught the kingdom's subject it has turned out more mages than there had ever existed before in the kingdom. The military has also benefited from the College and many of the nobles and officers in the king's army has learned a few incantations to keep themselves and their comrades alive.

Structure

The kingdom is an absolute monarchy, the king alone has a say in what happens to his country. In ages past, when the Eternal Empire was still a distant threat, some kings have often used this absolute power to turn the kingdom into a tyrannical state. However, with the Empire now knocking at their door, the kings have done what was needed to keep their countrymen safe and their kingdom protected from the Emperor's legions. The latest king has even given some nominal control of the kingdom over to his nobility, creating a type of parliament for the barons, earls and dukes to discuss the political matters of the day and run the country while the king focusses on the undead threat. This parliament, named the House of Lords, are governed by the king's own steward and it decides almost all matters in the kingdom and how they should be handled. The only part of the kingdom that isn't under their alleged control is the military, which the king leads personally

Public Agenda

The king has sworn that he will not rest until his people are safe from the Eternal Empire and that he will fight until the day comes when his subjects no longer live in fear.

Foreign Relations

With Alba being the shining light of the Dominion, it should come as no surprise that its relations with its sibling nations are splendid, and many look to Alba as the natural leader of the Dominion. King Gerard has done everything he possibly could to keep these friendly relations going, as he knows that the Dominion nations can either hang together or hang separately. Alba's relations with the independent nations are also better than most, and the Kingdom often sends several diplomatic envoys to the various independent nations in hope of them joining the Dominion. None have, thus far, but Gerard is patient and ever-hopeful. He knows that they will, eventually, come to see the light. He just hopes that when that time comes, it is not too late. The only nation that Alba has less-than-stellar relations with is the Empire of Moskiev. The two nations have been at loggerheards since Moskiev joined the Dominion, and it has taken everything Alba has to avoid open warfare with the Moskievans. Relations are strained, and Gerard has accepted that Moskiev may be the sole nation that Alba will never be true allies with, and has taken steps to protect its border from the Moskievan threat.