History

Four hundred years ago, two brothers - Rhaedan Eikros and Taniford Eikros - awaited the edict of their Lord father, Berenos, King of Eikeren. He would determine who was most fit to rule over the Kingdom that he had spent a lifetime building into the prosperous and vast nation that it had become. However, before he could make his final judgment on his two sons, he died under mysterious circumstances. Both brothers denied any involvement and believed himself the rightful ruler of Eikeren. The younger brother, Taniford, fled to the south, claiming refuge in the summer palace. Here, he rallied his allies together and created an army to forcibly take his crown if he must. To the north, safe within the ancestral walls of his forefathers, Rhaedan called a war council of his father's most loyal vassals, convincing them of his right to sit on the throne.

The war went on. And on. Even after both Rhaedan and Taniford died in the battlefield for their ambition to be King, their men and families carried on, refusing to give up the right for the children and all future generations. War became seeped into their cultures. But the constant fighting came at a price. The lands were devastated by destruction, hunger and disease rampant amongst the poor. The populations lay at the point of no return, all for the right to a blood-soaked crown. It nearly crippled the entire region, making them vulnerable to the attacking Corsairs - a foreign race of barbaric people intent on making this land their own.

In 1297, the attacks along the shores of the Kingdoms forced their armies to turn their attention from warring with each other and band together as a united force against their common foe. For the first time in centuries, dignitaries from Rhaedan and Taniford met in peace. Amongst their negotiations, they dispatched Ambassadors of peace in the form of a direct blood relation to the monarch to each other's Kingdoms, knowing that it would force the other to refrain from an outright attack, so long as the life of a loved one was held captive. It was enough that the truce could be negotiated and held on to. Even with the combined strength of both kingdoms, it took thirty years to completely drive the Corsairs from their shores and keep them gone. It finally seemed as though Eikeren could be left in peace. But there are whispers that it was only a delaying tactic. The foreign barbarians continue to mass their numbers with their eyes greedily set on the rich lands they had so long sought.

For the first time in four hundred years, peace reigned in Eikeren. Neither Kingdom was willing to subject their people to further pain and suffering with an all out conflict. Morale was low, too many still going hungry in the small villages and towns dotting their lands. Perhaps it was now a time for diplomacy and intrigue. The heirs of each Kingdom were coming in to their power and both populaces believed that they would be the best monarchs the people had ever seen. Bring prosperity back to Eikeren. Prince Jerric has come in to his own - beloved by the people. They say that he will be the one to settle the disputes once and for all and take his rightful place as King of Eikeren. To the South, the sharp-minded and equally sharp-tongued Princess Aylanora has been granted the authority to speak in her Queen Mother's voice. Her people both adore her, knowing that she is the answer to their long awaited prayers. If any Queen would ever have the drive and spirit to take back what is theirs without shedding a drop of blood, it would be her. But does betrayal stand at her back when she has her eyes set squarely to the north?

There is intrigue a plenty afoot, but not just across the borders of kingdoms, but within the royals' own homes. Can the vassal Houses long in service to their Kings and Queens still be trusted, or will there be another Civil War brewing as they seek to overthrow Taniford and Rhaedan? It is no longer just a fight amongst long dead brothers, but to any with the ambition and greed to rise above the rest.

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