Kings Court & the Western Kingdom: Recent History

Where all the pigeons flock to leave their messages to the good people in the Western Kingdom.

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Maeve
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Kings Court & the Western Kingdom: Recent History

Post by Maeve »

WHAT CAME BEFORE

It all started about 10 yahren ago. King Dorian was slain in one of the raids against Orcs that had been coordinated with Taquar, just about the same time as the Great Battle in the Empire of Seven Isles against the Netherworld. It was the last uprising of the dark.

He left an 8 yahren old son, Balthasar, who was not old enough to ascend to the throne. His uncle Duke Eisenreich was therefore appointed as Regent, while the education of the young Prince, now the avatar of Dominicus and the leader of the One Church, was put in the hands of the Order of Paladins, who became his personal bodyguards.

As the boy grew up to be a young man, rumors held that he was a spoiled brat, a fop with half a brain. It was the Duke Eisenreich that still held the reigns of power, ruling the Western Kingdom and allowing it to prosper.

As the 18th birthday of the young prince approached ten yahren later it became time to prepare for his coronation. In this time he aquired the title of "Prince-King". A bride, traditionally a member of the royal family of Taquar, was send to Kings Court, for he would ascend the throne a married man.

Yet all was not well in the Western Kingdom. There were long periods of rainfall, and the rivers flooded the grasslands and more importantly the cropfields, destroying most of the harvest, save for the area around Brie which lay a bit higher and thus was saved from the flooding. Rumors were abound that the Orcish Wardrums were sounding again, and coming originally from the area of Pirate's Duchy a strange disease started spreading through the land: the Red Rash. Starting with a rash that itched, patients died from horrible pains. Few of those infected survived.

The young prince Balthasar was less of a fop than he pretended to be. He had created this mask to survive into adulthood, making sure his uncle Duke Eisenreich, nor anybody else, ever saw him as a threat. As disaster started spreading, and the call for strong leadership instead of the impending reign of the young Prince King became louder and louder, Balthasar realized that he would need an ancient artifact called the Crystal of Harmony to restore order and harmony to his precious kingdom. It was as if the whole world was out of balance. In this he was guided by Dominicus. A foreboding god to some, but a very personal mentor in Balthasar's case. He was after all his gods avatar.

Pretending to have an urge to travel Balthasar arranged for a large ball on which he announced he would travel through the kingdom to meet his citizens in person. He also decided to take with him many ordinary citizens that were not affected by the political intrigue of court. For only these people could be trusted. He also took with him almost the entire regiment of Paladins.

In just under a few days the company arrived in Brie, where by strange coincidence an entire army of Orcs had managed to gather without the intelligence service of the Kingdom having noticed. Brie was targeted because their grain harvest was now of strategical importance. Together with the paladins the local folk of Brie managed to turn the tide. The company moved on after the battle in the direction of the Howling Ice Mountains, but Balthasar, suspecting treason, send Demetrion, his personal confessor, together with the paladin Sir Reginald back to Kings Court to reveal the traitor.

Learning from his liege Demetrion surrounded himself with common people as he went to the palace, where he uncovered the fact that Duke Eisenreich had dealings with the merchant-mage Ragderdon to create havoc in the country. Ragderdon was behind all the Orc attacks, and who knows what else. In fact rumor says Ragderdon is a polymorphed fire dragon from Terra Incognita who sought to destroy the Western Kingdom.

After arresting Duke Eisenreich, Demetrion set himself up as Regent. Meanwhile however an Orcish attack turned into a siege of the fair capital Kings Court, while the KC guards turned their backs, corrupted by the influence of the Duke. The young men and women who protected the town first called themselves the militia but later formed the Vanguard under the leadership of Mazus Rainsong.
Last edited by Maeve on Sun Oct 02, 2005 11:27 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Maeve »

A NEW START

Demetrion took the throne as Regent and faced an impossible situation. Hunger was starting to hit the capital, as well as an outbreak of the Red Rash. Even though the Orcish Army had been scattered, orcs still prowl the Downs. Many people fled the capital, starting a stream of refugees in the direction of Roque d' Ancourt especially, the nearest town. Demetrion tried to rebuild the town with the help of local people, but time seemed to run against him. Desperation spread, and to make matters worse there was a very persistant rumor that the prince had died in Dragons Keep.

Meanwhile the palace turns out to be haunted. Demetrion and some of his close associates manage to enlist the help of a spectre of a dragon to stop most of the hauntings, by putting the statue of the first king back in its proper place. However, that doesn't stop some of the hauntings, and later Demetrion enlists the young devotee Miri to further investigate the problem.
Last edited by Maeve on Wed Jul 27, 2005 8:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Maeve »

THE ATTACKS ON THE PAGANS

Taquar was not pleased with the way things were going. The Western Kingdom was not honoring the age old treaty between the two countries, whereby they give one of their Royal Princess as a bride for the king, in return for support holding back the Orcs. Taquar faces one of the worst invasions of Orcs and no help from the wasted Western Kingdom is forthcoming. The Adhiel Princess Elevie, bride of the AWOL prince, was kidnapped from the palace, and three Emerald Guards left missing as well.

Then a group of armed men in Gray Cloaks attack the Temple of the Mother in Kings Court, the symbol of the cooperation between the two nations, their houses of royality interconnected. It is the first public act of the cult of zealots known as the Brotherhood or the Protective, under their leader Jaxis.

It had all started with a series of murders of pagan women. Twenty non-one following women in and outside Kings Court city walls, the last killing the exclamation point of his message. Jaxis had gone so mad that he recruited the help of orcs to help him storm the eastern gate of the Kings Court. As his followers, now near a hundred spilled into the city, and the orcs pushed forward, Jaxis made his last female kill. A small elfess no bigger than young human squarely in the middle of the Avenue of Trade.

Taquar tries to intervene and save its followers, and it comes to a small battle, with the official troops of Kings Court trying to keep the peace in vain. Dominicus himself intervenes, no longer tolerating the presence of the Mother in his capital. The Basilica is destroyed but miraculously rebuild, and an image of the Prince appears, riding his horse into battle. This gives the faithfull hope. He is not dead. He lives and will return.
Taquar is forced to withdraw under a weaponed truce. There is no doubt in anybody's mind that diplomatic relationships will further deteriorate.

After the successful attack on the south eastern side of the city, he flushed clean the citizens that lived in that area of the city. While Jaxis did not set up a stronghold of any type, he effectively owned part of the city. While no sentinals guarded the entrance to the area, all citizens of Kings Court know that area to be The Protective, or as the commoners call them, The Grey Cloaks. It is here where Jaxis headquarters his operations inside the city. Of course there were attempts to take back the area, at first the friction deciding wheather this was a Kingsguard or Vanguard caused a lack of coordination, and futile attempts. Now, there is no need to hide with support from the High Inquistor Ottavio, they hold a firm grasp in this area of the city, and with the siege of Worlds Mouth, both the Kingsguard and the Vanguard do not have enough resources to battle the two fronts.
Last edited by Maeve on Wed Jul 27, 2005 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Maeve »

THE PURIFICATIO, WORLD'S MOUTH AND DRAGONSKEEP

The Inquisition, also known as the Purificatio, sent their best man Ottavio to King's Court a while back, officially to assist Demetrion in the interrogation of Duke Eisenreich and some of the other prisoners, unofficially to establish a presence in the capital and work from within. Its goal: to clear out non-believers from the Western Kingdom.

Ottavio supported the asassination of Reginald by the Grey Cloaks, which was aimed at setting up the King Court Guards and the Vanguard. Ottavio however worried that Jaxis may have used a demon in his attack upon the Mother Temple.To figure out this whole demon problem, Ottavio enlisted the help of a malus purifacto priest, Father Bartholomew to investigate the demon and the destruction of the Temple of the Mother. The malus is simply an order devoted to exorcism and demon-hunting.

In turn Bartholomew enlisted the help of the devotee Miri to get closer to Jaxis. It was during the battle of the faithful against the pagans that Bartholomew and Miri had to concede that while Jaxis was a fanatic, he was following the will of Domincus and was not possessed by a demon. Ottavio maintained his contact with Jaxi's Protective, lending support, but keeping tabs on the man.

This was not the end of outside influence in Kings Court. Count Joris Drakedodder of Dragonskeep, believing the Prince had died from a treacherous plot in his very own castle (a painful fact to the loyal count), has sought the support of the merchants and the faithful of World's Mouth. With their airships he lays siege to Kings Court to claim the throne, believing himself to be the only reightful heir with an adhiel Regent usurping power. The second siege of Kings Court looks to be devastating, the still half destroyed capital unable to defend itself. This coincided with the battle between the faithful and the pagans in the Inner City. The appearance of the Prince, even if just in illusion, and the clear support of Dominicus for the defenders of the city is what turns the tide. The count Drakedodder retreats.
Last edited by Maeve on Wed Jul 27, 2005 8:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Maeve »

RESISTANCE MOVEMENTS

The Sign of the Stars is home to the underground movement against Jaxis, the Regent, the Church and everything else along those lines. They are a group of thieves that are giving sanctuary to pagans, Balthasar loyalists, and estranged Vanguard. They call themselves the Shaubarak.

Long before the attack on the Mother Temple, or the battle between pagans and faithful and the siege from World's Mouth... Duke Eisenreich, the regent turned traitor who was thrown into the deepest dungeons escapes, and hides out on the estate of a Baron still loyal to him: Kriesbon. The Duke methodically starts to plan his comeback.

He is a firm believer of the prophecy of the false avatar. Especially the priests in the palace, and those preaching in the streets had been heard telling stories that Balthasar was not of Royal Blood and that his mother had in fact bedded another noble. There had been a prophecy more than a hundred yahren ago that "the king who is not a king will bring destruction to the land, and sell the loyal citizens in slavery" and fingers had been pointed. The Holy Church itself it seemed had taken part in the betrayal of the avatar for the highest Cardinal, killed at the time of the arrest of the Duke, had believed this prophecy and tried to tell Demetrion on his dying breath.

The Duke was joined on the Kriesbon Estate by the commander of the Vanguard, also thrown into the dungeons as a traitor but escaping with the the help of ghosts and spirits: Mazus Rainsong. More and more people flee from the capital, helped by the Shaubarak, and start to support the Duke's cause as the real heir to the throne.
Last edited by Maeve on Wed Aug 10, 2005 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Maeve »

THE RETURN OF THE PRINCE

Gradually the rumors go stronger that the Prince has returned from his quest. He was already seen as an appirition in the most recent skirmishes, rallying the people of Kings Court. Now he appears in the flesh. He stays in hiding however, on a boat in the Mer, only showing himself to loyal supporters like Father Demetrion, carefully gathering information and making preperations.

Prince Balthasar is recovering from an assassination attempt with poison in Dragonskeep. Not only that.. his body chemistry is slowly changing under the influence of the Crystal of Harmony. He is growing into a semi-divine creature of some sort, the likes of which the kingdom has not seen in many centuries.

It is on Samheen the 22nd that the Prince feels rested enough to announce that his coronation, a simple affair in the Basilica, will be on the 23rd. Less publically Balthasar issues several promotions, putting his pawns in place for a new game of chess.
Last edited by Maeve on Wed Aug 10, 2005 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Maeve »

RULING A KINGDOM MEANS GOING TO WAR

King Balthasar I crowned himself on the morningtide of Samheen 23rd. After the ceremony he personally excutes a traitor to the crown, reestablishing his power doublefold. A hand is extended to the rebels that surround the capital. A deal is struck with Duke Eisenreich, who now once again supports the crown and the rebellious barons withdraw to the Border Estates, their last stand. Count Drakedoder too supports the crown, and as a reward gets a sizable portion of the Air Flotilla of World's Mouth to cleanse Dragonskeep of the unnatural creatures that occupy it, one of many taints of the Nether that plague the Western Kingdom.

In an effort to both reestablish peace and harmony in his kingdom, and ensure that the pagan faith can no longer damage the faithful by their naive and dangerous approach to the Nether (or indeed their treacherous duplicity as some in the West think, holding pagans in league with the Nether)... the King announces the founding of Pax Balthasar. Pagans were invited to go there, and hence forth the pagan religion became illegal in the rest of the kingdom. It is no coincidence that this heavily fortified border town in is in the middle of the rebellious Border Estates. It comes with its own legion.. the Pax Honestus.

Already the clouds of war were on the kingdom and the king did not hestitate to send away the Air Flotilla under th charge of captain Ramius Lo Russo back to World's Mouth with demands for more troops the following morningtide on Samheen 24th. Similar demands were made all throughout the kingdom, along with a levying of taxes to meet costs. The king felt himself validated when the new ambassador to T'aquar was killed upon arrival, leaving only a dying soldier to return and tell the tale of demons that had fed upon the delegation.

Without waiting for reply on taxes and troops an additional draft was held on Samheen 26th, using portals to send young men all over the kingdom directly to the scene of war starting... at the border of T'aquar. T'aquar where the demons now reigned. Riding at the front of his troops the Avatar King came to liberate his allies, cleanse them of the taint of the Nether.

Meanwhile back home Miri Madelyn, the shield of the One, struggled with the closure of the rift directly into the Nether, small but clear in the palace itself, while Demetrion struggled with his concious and the Church. Jaxis left no flicker unused to spread the word of the Grey Robes. He was the sword of the One, and he used it without mercy to cleanse out the traces of pagans he found all over town.

Darkness had long plagued the Western Kingdom and it now finally came under some kind of control, a peace under arms enforced by the Purificatio and all those that they employed. The war had moved on beyond the borders of the West.
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Post by Maeve »

Tome of Parlucci , Mouth's historian

The yahren 1224 AD was a moment of great decisiveness for the Western Kingdom amidst incredible chaos. Dark forces were gathering. Orcish troops lay siege to the kingdom, going on rampage through the country. Hunger and the deadly and itching disease of the Red Rash took many citizens even if they survived the war violence. Meanwhile the heir to the throne, prince-King Balthasar disappeared. Kings Court was nearly overrun by the Orcs, until stopped by brave citizens under the leadership of the Kings confessor, Father Demetrion, who was made the new regent under Balthasar's orders.

Accused of treason the regent of the throne Duke Eisenreich was thrown in the dungeon. He escaped and gathered support among the Barons who faced hunger and a destroyed countryside and so felt resentment towards the new government. The Count Drakedoder did not accept the new regent Demetrion either and so with the support of the Merchant's Council of World's Mouth lay siege to Kings Court claiming the throne as the only rightful heir. Miraculously Balthasar returned in the middle of this political chaos, ending the internal strife, crowning himself because he had reached his 18th birthday. The new king took charge of the country. Yet all was not well.

It was the Prodesse movement of World's Mouth, financing the legion Purificatio, who urged the King to strike out against the darkness of the Nether that threatened to engulf Tazlure. Amidst the chaos of war a rift between the Tether and the Nether had been discovered in the very core of the Kingdom, the palace itself, and the One Church had blamed this on the chaotic influence of the heathen religions. The rift was closed with great difficulty. The King declared that the Western Kingdom would no longer tolerate the exercising of heathen religions, except in the haven of Pax Balthasar, a newly founded frontier city were all heathens were send to, cleansing the kingdom of its evil taint.

Under the impression that T'aquar had been seduced by daemonic forces and allied itself with Nether, the newly crowned King had mustered a large army and marched on the adhiel Kingdom to clear the Netheric taint. Confronted by demoness Blayvanna on the edge of Taquar the war began when the Oneist forces set fire to the forest, burning nearly a quarter of it in the process. An unlikely ally showed up in the form of Emerald Guard Laendral who led the human army to the abandoned capitol city of Taloh. The adhiel had never allied with the daemons, but were instead slowly being pushed out of their forest. In an epic battle under the leaves of ironwood trees of the adhiel capitol the humans overcame the daemonic forces, aided by a heroic sacrifice of Sir Raymond of the Holy Order of Dominicus alongside with the Necromancer Borne who both gave their lives to close the rift and enable the soldiers to slain the daemoness herself. After the battle the King announced that his troops would remain in T'aquar to protect the adhiel people in their time of need and ensure that daemons were truly gone from the forest.

Meanwhile back home, great unjustice was done in the Kings name. Taxes were levied and troops demanded beyond the strength of the cities and estates, already drained by war, hunger and disease. Duke Eisenreich had been pardoned upon the coronation of the King, yet he did not stop his rebellion, leading the grumbling barons in their resistance, who felt that under the regents guidance the kingdom had known greater wealth and less violence.

The decisive moment came when the Merchant's Council of World's Mouth, working together with the Prodesse had gone forth against the heathens in the Empire of Seven Isles without the Kings knowledge . However, perceiving that the crusade against the heathens was reaching levels beyond sanity the Merchant Council reconsidered this, even as the King discovered that they had made a colony out of former Imperial Territory called Pan's Isle. The King sought to take control of the war with the Empire that ensued, a total war that would have easily wiped out both nations, and removed the profitable trade from the reach of World's Mouth, claiming it for himself. In their infinite wisdom and with incredible cunning diplomacy, offering assistance of the Purificatio with the daemon threat that would destroy the Citadel to reach out a hand in friendship before negotiations started truly, the Merchant's Council removed the threat of war and declared their independence, which the King was helpless to prevent. World's Mouth agreed to submit their colony on Pan's Isle to Imperial authority, and to Imperial taxes, and to provide the plans for some of their latest technological developments. In exchange, the Empire allowed the colonists to maintain their footing on the isle and recognized World's Mouth as a city-nation independent of the Western Kingdom.

King Balthasar was slain in battle on Pan's Isle under mysterious circumstances at the end of Samheen, under whispers that he was a false avatar of the One, for he had not truly been the Kings son, an impostor forced upon the throne by dark sinister forces. The kingdom now had no king. Back in his position as temporary regent Cardinal Demetrion faced two important contenders to the throne: Eisenreich and Drakedoder. Rumors also held that the young King kept a mistress in the summer palace of Roque d'Ancourt with the potential for a bastard heir.

In the months that followed this issue was not solved for none of the contestants was able to muster any force and so it was thrown into a lengthy debate of the Council of Nobility. World's Mouth was able to keep its independence for the kingdom no longer had any resources to take on the city nation with its superior technology. The One Church, now robbed both of a major part of his finances and the leader of their institution as well as having one of the founding principles (that of the royal house delivering the avatar of the One) questioned, was wilting, their power seriously reduced. While attitudes to pagans did not change, their repression was eased and many refugees returned home from their exile in Pax Balthasar.
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Post by Maeve »

Nether's Gate

As authorities were far too busy with making crusading against pagans and foreigners, it was the Pirates of the Mer that profited most of all. No real resources were devoted to rooting out the problem, with the exception of the hunt on Captain Raven Darkheart and the crew of the Lady Rose by the Kings special forces. They escaped the dungeons of Roque d'Ancourt by a very narrow margin indeed and were forced to lay low till the death of the King was announced.

As internal trade of the Western Kingdom grew, so did the robberies and piracy, with several pirate ships active along the tradelines over the Mer, as well as on the seas of Tazlure, for the pirate colony ventured further and further from the base.

In the first half of the year 1224 AD Nether's Gate had harbored many pagans of a more illegal bend. Now that the persecution of heathens lessened the pull of Nether's Gate lessened in favor of that criminal center of Terra West: World's Mouth. It was with some delight that the pirate captains targeted Mouth traffic, always hoping to one day steal an airship.
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Post by Maeve »

Dragonskeep

The first half of 1224 AD had been filled with darkness and chaos. While Count Drakedoder was away to lay claim to the throne of the Western Kingdom encouraged by his scheming wife Theresa, a rift of darkness was opened and the castle was swarmed with undead.

It took great courage of local citizens to solve this problem. It was however the Holy Sister Diana who claimed the victory and was lauded for it. She welcomed back the fled leading family and slowly life settled back to normal in the desert.

Developments with the Mouth becoming independent had caused Dragonskeep to raise huge taxes upon the trade through the Fire Canyon. The enclave also extended a hand of friendship to Khan and Kaza Rhun trying to encourage new trade routes with these allies that shortcut the Mouth. All of this was directed by the palace. The wife of Count Drakedoder was held on a short leash. She was the Countess and so was spared a trial however in private her husband had discussed at length with her how her treason had endangered his honor and how he would no longer tolerate that. In public the Countess appeared pale and withdrawn.
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Post by Maeve »

A Brief History of the Nation of Tel Aranae Quessir
-- Excerpted from, The Library of Runya: The Chronicles of the First People, Vol. XVII
*Translated from the Adhiel Tongue into Common Lexicon

"There is a wound in T’aquar that will never heal. It is a wound too deep and it shall perpetually linger upon our essence, bleeding, gushing and we have never been the same since then. It shows upon our faces that even when we smile, the sadness still remains upon our eyes that were once glimmering with mirthful, noble brilliance. T’is a wound deeply imbedded like thousands daggers eternally pierced in our hearts and we bleed endlessly, this hurt aches so much yet we never had the strength to cry in loud anguish. We are the proud Adhiel race of Tel’ Arannae Quessir, the First People of Tazlure, the Mother’s blood runs nobly and freely upon our veins and yes…

…We bleed."


-- The Dirge of Xe’Dane the Nymph.


Samheen 1224 A.D. gave T’aquar a wound that would never heal. A series of devastating catastrophe* caused the Nation of T’aquar to abandon its splendid isolation. It was disastrous for the Nation of the First People for in that time, they were not prepared for the sequence of misfortunes that bombarded them within that month. Like the other nations of Tazlure, T’aquar was tainted with Demons and the Nether brutally attacked and burned their famed city Taloh Tel’ Ahmrun, murdered almost half of its innocent citizens and killed its reigning Queen, leaving the Tari Government in the hands of the Divine Avatar of the Mother. Swarmed by minions of Undeads, Orcs and Nether creatures, the peaceful Adhiel citizens were forced to abandon the City of Taloh, seeking sanctuary and exiled themselves far into the northern weald of T’aquar in the provincial shoreline city of Kes’Levy. Although the loss of property were enormous, the bulk of the people of the First Nation were saved from total genocide, leaving a pitiful overcrowded population clinging to the remnants of what once a majestic nation in the small provincial town of Kes’Levy. The Southern Zealots, the fanatical army of the One, reasoning that the Nation of the First People had allied itself to the Nether Demons, mobilized and marched from King’s Court to the sacred weald of T’aquar and into the haunted Taloh, burning the southern forest that blocked their path. Fully half of the southern weald of T’aquar was lost to the great conflagration and the army of the Oneist then realized that the Adhiels of T’aquar had never allied with the Nether and were pushed back northward, abandoning Taloh in the process. A great battle commenced in the haunted city and the Army of the One, guided and aided by a few citizens of T’aquar, destroyed the Demon that took the haunted city. The Capital Taloh Tel’ Ahmrun had been a grandiose city in the southern forest of T’aquar. And following the exodus, the conflagration and the battle between the Oneist and the Demons, Taloh was a shattered, ruined city, destroyed by fire and tainted by the Nether darkness, it was a wound that could never be healed except by the Divine Mother herself. Without any formal ruling government, the Western Kingdom then subjugated T’aquar and colonized it, organizing the Tari again and operating through established lines of authority rather than setting up new ones, though its government was under the jurisdiction of the Western rule.

Following the death of King Balthasar, the T’aquar Nation thought that the Western Kingdom’s hold upon them would relax. But it was not so, their lost at Pan’s Isle and the autonomy of World’s Mouth tightened the grip of the Western Kingdom upon T’aquar. If before, the Western Kingdom utilized through the established Tari government, after the war in Pan’s Isle, they openly supplanted the ruling power and totally took control of the Nation. Ensuing the months of Samheen, T’aquar was then under the control government of the Western Kingdom, the alliance between the two nations was changed, T’aquar being the subject and colony of the Western Kingdom. The huge forest of Tel Aranae Quessir was then ordered to open itself to trade. All merchants could freely enter and the Western governor of T’aquar was especially interested with the virgin natural resources of the forest, knowing it could replenish the dwindling wealth of the Western Kingdom with the independence of World’s Mouth. Taloh Tel Ahmrun was still abandoned though, its land was still tainted with the Nether and no amount of shaping and cultivation could change it back to its glorious past. The Western Kingdom then sold some of the lands to interested parties and merchants willing to pay and the natural beauty of the T’aquar was beginning to fade. A huge flock of people from the Western Kingdom started to immigrate to the Great Weald looking for opportunity and they used the logs and the natural resources for trade. Huge expanse of T’aquar forests were cut down, the land tilled for farms, and western towns started to emerge across the weald of Tel Aranae Quessir, supplanting the villages of the natives of the land as miners for gold and metallic resources started to flourish. What once a virgin, lush forest of T’aquar was now slowly being cut down piece by piece for commerce.

The months that followed brought a great change for the repressed natives of T’aquar, their culture was slowly being replaced by the culture of the Western Kingdom. Pagan worship of the Mother was forbidden and was replaced by the True Religion of Dominicus. Western schools and philosophy were built across the land, from Kes’Levy and across the emerging towns of the forest to modify the views of the natives, bringing them to the light of the One. The Bhiradun Aidhiquir, the School of Shaping and the Runya Library were shut down; its Master Shapers, together with the Adhiel Natives were being pushed back deeper into the wilderness, a refugee inside their own land. The old royal family of the Tari suddenly disappeared, the Royal Princess Elevie, the bride of King Balthasar was nowhere to be found, and the Avatar of the Mother remained at Kes’Levy, a puppet of the Western Government. A great racism existed now inside T’aquar, the old caste system of Tel’ Aranae Quesir was no longer appropriate as the repressed natives were pushed down into the ladder as heathens and indigenous tribes of the pagan ways.

*See, The Songs of T’aquar
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