Zachariah 'the Black Sheep'
King Zachariah Blakfort (a.k.a. the Black Sheep)
Lived: 1018 - 1080
Ruled: 1059 - 1080
Ruled: 1059 - 1080
Overview
Zachariah was an Honest and Arbitrary ruler. He never let emotions influence his judgement. He let his emotions rule his diet however, as his Gluttony was known far and wide. During his rule, he was a Charismatic Negotiator and he managed to secure many useful alliances.Early Reign
During his coronation ceremony, the Duke of Avadell refused to swear fealty, like their predecessor. This would have angered him, but his son was afflicted by Jacob's Curse and died shortly after. In 1060, he was called to war against the Empire of Ostatoras. His allies were strong enough to win the war without him, so he ignored his duty to aid them in order to wage a war with the Krovians. Before the integration of Bracia, the Krovian Kingdom seized some of their territory. Zachariah used this as a casus belli and attacked the Krovian Kingdom. In 1061, one of his other sons showed symptoms of Jacob's Curse, but Stunitor Braidbeard managed to concoct a potion that would help him. During the same year, another example of the Krovian Crossing occured, which halted his progress in his war.The war for Palager
In 1062, the war with the Ostatoras Empire ended inconclusively, but the Atacodian king decided to press one of his vassal's claims on the Duchy of Palager and declared war on the Blakfort Kingdom. In the winter of 1062, an inventor from Cirflucas reverse engineered an Atacodian siege engine which allowed the Blakfort Kingdom to take cities at a faster rate than before without the aid of mages. Zachariah saw that he had no time to waste on the Krovian war, so he marched his army deep into Krovian territory and hunted the chaotic rebels down. Before long, the warriors of the Order fighting for the Krovian throne left as they had no reason to fight for them anymore. During the year 1063, the Atacodian army took the cities of Palager one by one uncontested as the Blakfort army was preoccupied in Krovian territory. He managed to win his war against Krovia, which freed his army to counter the Atacodian attack. He marched north to link up with his allies, who came to his aid. In 1065, he commanded his army to march for Norwich, which was besieged by Atacodian forces. He met the besieging army, but all Atacodian armies started to march for Norwich as well to reinforce their forces. The Battle of Norwich lasted for an entire month, with Zachariah's allies and Atacodian armies arrived one after the other, turning the tide of battle from one day to the other. The forest around Norwich was decimated by the arcane forces unleashed on the battlefield by hundreds of mages. Unfortunately, the armies of Atacodia slowly, but surely gained the upper hand and eventually came out victorious. The losses were horrendous on both sides, many of the fighters were irreversibly killed and not even magic could bring them back to life. The defeat drove the forces of the Blakfort Kingdom back into Lacager and they would start to regain their strength in Austium. By 1067, the majority of Zachariah's forces assembled and he sent them north once again. His forces managed to retake Rosrewich and began to retake Gladenna, when the armies of Atacodia came to intercept them. Still weakened from the previous defeat, his army wasn't prepared to face the Atacodian forces head on. His forces were slaughtered and reduced to a few hundred warriors. Zachariah accepted defeat and surrendered to the Atacodian King. Palager became a subject of Atacodia.Military Reforms
With many great kingdoms on his doorstep, Zachariah realized that the Blakfort dynasty needed to change their approach to warfare. He reformed the Kingsguard into the Blak Guard. The new personal guard of the Blakfort rulers were to be the 24 best warriors in the entire kingdom. He abolished the rule that only allowed members of the nobility into the Guard. He also reformed the army. Instead of the usual army of levies, he took the route of a professional standing army. He separated the Blakfort Royal Army from the militias that served as town guards and sent out messengers to bring elite warriors and mages from around the world. He wanted to establish a quality over quantity method.Years of War
In 1069, he allied himself with Merendell to secure his rule in the area. A year later, he was called to war against the Ostatoras Empire once again. This time, he sent his army to aid his allies in the war. In 1071, his son, who previously managed to survive Jacob's Curse started showing its effects once again. His health deteriorated so quickly that the potion that could help him earlier didn't arrive on time to save his life. To make matters worse, Lacrian peasants grew restless with the constant state of war and rebelled against their ruler. Due to the immense stress, Zachariah publicly admitted that he was actually a Kaolite follower. He called his allies to aid him against the rebellious population while the Blakfort army was busy in Ostatoran territory. The Ostatoran army marched towards his forces to relieve the besieged fort that was under attack by Blakfort's forces, but they were too late to help them. Just a few days before their arrival, the defenders of the fort surrendered and the army of Zachariah could use the fort to their advantage when the attackers arrived. With this huge advantage, the Ostatoran army was driven back and Zachariah could return home to deal with the peasant uprising. Mere hours before their arrival, a traitor in among the people of Austium opened the city's gates and let the rebel forces into the city. The Austium guard held the tide of the mostly untrained peasantry until Zachariah and his army arrived to thwart the rebellion in 1072. Seeing his strength as a ruler, the Duke of South Thurukya and some of the still independent Brican lords asked for his protection, essentially submitting themselves to him as new vassals in 1073.The Brican Uprising
The rest of his vassals didn't appreciate that these new subjects were handled with more leniancy compared to his loyal vassals. Brican dukes started a rebellion against their king, demanding lower control over them. They believed that their distance from the Blakfort throne warranted a less strict administration. Angered by their treachery, Zachariah called his allies to help him in against the rebels. His spymaster reported that the Atacodian king was planning to attack the kingdom to claim Lacager as his own. According to his council, he and his allies were outmatched, especially with a rebellion to deal with, so he decided to divorce and secured a new alliance by marrying the oldest daughter of the Scovonian King. His political maneuver worked as the Atacodian king didn't attack the kingdom. In 1074, the rebellious dukes were defeated and imprisoned. Zachariah reorganized their titles to make them more accepting of his rule in the future. A year later, when travelling through Brican territory, his son vanished without a trace and was pronounced dead a few weeks later. The Brican dukes denied their involvement, but Zachariah sent his spymaster to them in order to figure out the truth, but returned empty handed.End of His Reign
In 1079, he gained enough military power to attempt to retake the lost Palagrian territories and declared war on Atacodia. A year later, in 1080, he left his castle for a morning walk, when he suddenly fell to the ground and succumbed to Jacob's Curse. His death was thought to be the fastest death caused by Jacob's Curse ever recorded but when his body was examined, the scholars found that he was fighting the ailment for months, but managed to hide it by magical means.Relationships
Legacy
- Blak Guard
- Professional Army
Major Events
- 1065 - The Battle of Norwich
- 1067 - The Gladenna Slaughter
Territory Gained
South Thurukya
Brica
Territory Lost
Palager
Species
Ethnicity
Previously Held Ranks & Titles
Life
1018 AU
1080 AU
Family
Spouses
Ester Brod
(WIfe)
Frida Snajáris
(Wife)
Siblings
Comments