Dorota 'the Blak Lady'
Queen Dorota Blakfort (a.k.a. the Blak Lady)
Lived: 934 - 993
Ruled: 964 - 993
Upon her return, she took the opportunity to create a new title for herself and created the Duchy of Palager to the North of Norwich. In 970, a distant relative of the Blakfort dynasty asked for her help in a war. She obliged and quickly ended the war in 3 years. She spent the war in Austium and became even more Reclusive during this period.
In the winter, she decided to launch her first attack on the rebels attacking the city of Magnulacus. The leader of the rebels foresaw this move and set a trap for the queen and her forces. Outside the gates of Magnulacus, a huge battle took place between thousands of peasants and Blakfort fighters.
With the arrival of whole rebel army, all hope seemed to be lost. Even though the Blakfort warriors were better trained and equipped than their foes, they couldn't fight against such numbers.
Her soldiers all but fled or died protecting their queen, with the exception of her bodyguards, who held the line, when the reinforcement arrived in the nick of time. Brican cavalry charged the disorganized rabble and drove them into the countryside. In a few minutes, the entire rebel force shattered and their leaders were caught and executed. This event later became known as the Magnulacus Massacre.
Ruled: 964 - 993
Overview
Dorota was the first and only female ruler of the Blakfort Kingdom. She followed the family tradition of Honesty, but she was famously Cynical with the Order and quite Generous with the royal treasury. She was a loving mother and wife, a Charismatic Negotiatior and a strong-willed ruler.Early Reign
After the Oathmen swore fealty, she began her rule by finishing the war her father started as a gift. While she was quite a capable warrior herself, she stayed in Austium even in war to avoid the fate of her family, who were all killed by Jacob's Curse. In 965, the war for Avadell ended with the battle of Lapidewich.The Pilgrimage
In 967, she decided to make her own pilgrimage, but instead of the Grand Cathedral of Lagburg, she travelled to the home of the Probare, Equilum. After she reached Equilum, she spent a few weeks in the city. While she found the architecture to be wondrous, she left without any significant events and returned to Austium without an issue.Upon her return, she took the opportunity to create a new title for herself and created the Duchy of Palager to the North of Norwich. In 970, a distant relative of the Blakfort dynasty asked for her help in a war. She obliged and quickly ended the war in 3 years. She spent the war in Austium and became even more Reclusive during this period.
The Sons of Kaos
In 974, the Sons of Kaos appeared in Wolvewich and started kidnapping people. After a short period of martial law in the city, their hideout was discovered and their leadership executed with the exception of one. Dorota decided to spare the life of their leader as she recognized his abilities. Following the dismantling of the cult, the Kaolite extremists decided to rebel once again. Their forces were easily crushed and the captives were exiled.The war with Krovia
Later that year, Dorota pressed the claim of her father and declared war on the Krovian Kingdom. Even though Krovia had some allied rulers, they were quite weak and didn't change the balance of power too much. On the other hand, Dorota called the Duchess of Brica to her aid, who was a formidable ruler at the time. The war was heavily in Blakfort's favour at first, but the Krovian king was a clever tactician. While his own army was inadequate to win the war, he used his circumstances to his advantage. He had another war at the same time, threatening his eastern border. To his luck, this eastern threat was of Kaolite nomads. He convinced the Third Tenet - which was one of the first Warrior Priest groups in the Order - to help him against the heretics. He manipulated them into believing that the forces of Blakfort were allied with the Kaolites. The Blakfort army, unaware of this marched into an ambush and their fighters were slaughtered in the Battle of the Silver Path in 977. From that battle up until the end of 980, the Blakfort army was defeated by the warriors of the Third Tenet twice, suffering heavy losses each time. In 980, the war against the eastern nomads ended and the forces of the Third Tenet left the service of the Krovian king, allowing the Blakfort army to go on the offensive once again. Shortly after, the Krovian king surrendered and his territory was taken. Dorota established a Generational Belligerence towards the Krovian Kingdom that would influence the family's future.Hardships
In 982, the Sons of Kaos appeared in Wolvewich once again, but the local guards were more prepared this time and quickly ended their activity. Once again, their leader was offered a position at the royal court, but they refused and chose exile instead.The Orilum Rebellion
Following 5 years of relative peace, the peasants of Orilum and Magnulacus rebelled and demanded lower taxes. At this point, the military strength of the kingdom was severely weakened by wars and the rebels outnumbered the royal army 3 to 1. Dorota once again called on her allies for aid and they answered her call. The help hadn't arrived quickly enough though and the peasant army besieged Austium forcing the queen to escape the city. She personally led her army and they managed to outmaneuver the rebels for quite some time.In the winter, she decided to launch her first attack on the rebels attacking the city of Magnulacus. The leader of the rebels foresaw this move and set a trap for the queen and her forces. Outside the gates of Magnulacus, a huge battle took place between thousands of peasants and Blakfort fighters.
With the arrival of whole rebel army, all hope seemed to be lost. Even though the Blakfort warriors were better trained and equipped than their foes, they couldn't fight against such numbers.
Her soldiers all but fled or died protecting their queen, with the exception of her bodyguards, who held the line, when the reinforcement arrived in the nick of time. Brican cavalry charged the disorganized rabble and drove them into the countryside. In a few minutes, the entire rebel force shattered and their leaders were caught and executed. This event later became known as the Magnulacus Massacre.
End of her reign
Following the battle, Dorota was struck by depression and became even more isolated and reclusive than before. She returned to Austium and never left the castle until her death in 993. Despite her court mages trying to resurrect her, her soul didn't want to return as she saw the peasant rebellion as an unforgivable failure.
Legacy
- Generational Belligerence
- Duchy of Palager
Major Events
- 977 - Battle of the Silver Path
- 987 - Magnulacus Massacre
Terriory Gained
Avadell
Thurukya
Species
Ethnicity
Previously Held Ranks & Titles
Life
934 AU
993 AU
Family
Children
Comments