Lore: Drangleic Monarchy

"For Dragon's Dawn"

The Drangleic Monarchy. This monarchy seen many kings and queens come and gone, each one build the kingdom to heights unimaginable. For either better or worst, the kingdom today stands to the test of time for the ego of man was greater than divine righteousness

The First Dynasty

This dynasty was ruled by a King and Queen. The King's name was "King Hector" and his Queen was named "Queen Rowan". Together they founded the kingdom, through military campaigns, and diplomacy with the other feudal lords. Once they united the land, peace came. And for a time this was all well.

During their rule. They founded the Holy Church, and the Council of Lyons. Not only that but reduce taxes and ensured every man, woman, and child, including elders and the sick was well provided for. Soon the people in the country gave the title "Hector the Just" for his benevolence towards the people.

However there was a darker side to this tale, Queen Rowan couldn't foster a child, each child ended in birth complications and eventually Hector went from "Hector the Just" to "Hector the Mad" he soon became a cruel tyrant. Taking other men's wives and trying to foster children and soon he did. However, the church at the time saw this as illegitimacy and declared his children bastards. Seeing this as a betrayal he killed all head cardinal members of the church, soon after this he fell ill and died young at the age of 32. Queen Rowan stricken with grief tried to hid the events that transpired from the public eye but was soon founded out. People turned against their queen. And in the end the Queen hung herself, naked, with slash marks all over her body, some say it was suicide others say it was murder. No one really knows to this day.

Once their deaths were found out, the remaining sons and daughters of the king fought for control of the throne, and soon the nobles who pledge loyalty to the thrown decided to rebel against the crown and thus the first civil war began. For a time there was no end in sight, the kingdom became a lifeless shell, crops wouldn't grow, and the people were desperate for a savior. At the end of 5 years of bloodshed, the kingdom found a ruler once again.

The Second Dynasty "Golden Age"

The second king of Drangleic was "King William" before the death of the king and queen. The couple used their handmaiden to foster a child, and to keep their affair a secret they were secretly taken out of the castle to a far away land. Once word reached about the disaster that is plugging his homeland, he fostered one thousand warships and twenty-five thousand of the best troops he can find. And sailed towards the old capital Havenholm. Without a proper royal army to do battle against the invader, William entered the capital and declared himself king. At first no one will bow before their new king, but after through some "persuasion" all the remaining nobles swear fealty towards the king. He married a beautiful woman, and ended up fostering five children, he reorganize the government system to a much more fairer and easy way to get things done. And soon the kingdom found prosperity once again.

William ordered the construction of the arena. And every spring, summer, fall, and winter games would be held there from gladiator fights to chariot racing, to public executions, the economy was booming. However a persistent problem remain, it was the eunuch class. During his rule, a powerful eunuch faction came to power, after blackmail and villainous acts. Soon the eunuch class took power from the crown and they now rule the land. The king and queen tried desperately to take back power but on the eve of their third anniversary they were assassinated in their bed. Possibly on the orders of Head Eunuch, their children were killed or banished, or even sent to the church, where at this time was corrupted just like the government that now ruled this land.

Eventually without caring for the people. A large peasant faction rose up against the country. They called themselves "The Yellow Scarves" this was lead by a religious zealot and his brothers. In an attempt to stop this uprising, they ordered warlords across the land to take up arms and soon the Anti-Yellow Scarves alliance was born. This was led by the later future king, "Richard the Dragonheart" an ironic name for the man will become king.

For many months the rebellion saw no end. Till the death of their leader and his brothers, soon the rebellion ended as quickly as it came. However in the end the eunuch faction won as they retain control and not a single regional lord or commander was properly rewarded, suffice to say, no one really won the war.

The Third Dynasty- "Dragonheart Dynasty"

Third Dynasty started quietly overnight, no one saw it coming, not even the old minded eunuchs. Richard the Dragonheart didn't want the throne, but after countless victories both minor and small. The people saw a hero, this drove the eunuchs mad, but couldn't do nothing in turn as they would be the victims of a mass riot.

Instead they devise a plot. They will summon him to the capital and implicate him in a murder against the ruling figurehead. Who are just puppets to the political faction, however Richard saw through this and decide to go on with their scheme, but at the same time a vast legion of troops were marched ahead of him, and were already at the capital masquerading as common folk, till a signal was shown in the middle of the night.

When Richard arrived at the capital and was greeted by the nobles and what not, during the dinner session, the head eunuch without checking his ego told Richard about his plans to kill him, and in turn Richard knew that already to begin with. In a matter of moments the palace turned into a battlefield, eunuchs and palace attendants alike caught in a complete massacre, Not only did the palace guards refuse to help them, but they fled along with the ruling figurehead out of the palace with the royal guard.

Once the infighting was over, the figurehead was returned to the capital and commanded Richard to take the throne as rightful king. And sure enough he did. He ascended the throne and became the third ruling monarch of the kingdom in recorded history.

During Richard's rule he foster a daughter and only a daughter. As he saw the ambitions and power grabbing within men. He revised the educational system and granted women to be in the army. Not only that but he opened military academies all across the land to everyone who has the will and passion to serve their country. His rule was peaceful one, both inner and outer. He made peace with the neighboring kingdoms and brought the royal houses in line to avoid further power grabbing.

For about ten years the kingdom knew peace, until his death at the age of 56. His daughter ascended the throne and became Queen Regent till a proper ruler can be placed upon the throne.

The Fourth Dynasty "The Four Kings Era" "Dark Age"

Richard's daughter rule the land for quite sometime, she was able to keep the peace and the peace still existed till a vicious plague attacked and swept the land with a huge force. She was amongst the many victims, and soon the fourth civil war began. But this time it was the royal houses who wanted the throne, no more piety small nobles, bastard children, or usurpers, but the royal families themselves.

However the civil war dragged on longer than usual and the people were suffering and the church was powerless, and so the Council of Lyons during this period took action, they appointed four kings to rule the land. However each of these lords had very little interest in the state of the land but instead it was either their personal ambitions or intoxicating luxury. This in turn cause the people to rise up against them, they stormed the palace on New Years and sentence them to death on the spot.

Once these kings were dead however, there was no ruling nobility, sure there was the royal houses but since they were "blacklisted" by the council they weren't allow to be involve in political matters anymore, the Council of Lyons declared they will rule, until the time was right. Without a monarch for first time in centuries the kingdom fell into a dark age period.

 The Fifth Dynasty "Renaissance Era"

For many years the land was plagued with an uncertain future, the army became lazy, the borders were weak, barbarians were roaming and pillaging the countryside without any thought or hesitation. This all changed when, out of the blue the Council of Lyons declared the Royal Houses to be pardoned but on the conditions that no army will be raise against one another, that their own soldiers must in turn become the law enforcement of the land.

The Royal Houses agreed and once the land was brought under control once more a sudden boom of discovery and enlightenment swept through the land, a new way of thinking and technology was a sudden boom, the land hasn't been this pleasant in over many centuries since the first dynasty. Luckily during this period the church and the council agreed that the church themselves along with the acceptance by the council, they will appoint rulers from now on...together that sense of "church and state being separate" was now one, and to some degree not many people liked the idea. The people of the nation eventually accepted this.

Many months later they appointed "King Edward the wise" to the throne. He was an adviser to Richard the Dragonheart and an excellent people's person. Also a tactful general in battle. He saw the strength in not only his army but his generals as well, that if they are united under one mind on the field of battle they can go hell and back unscathed.

Therefore he anointed three grand generals from the royal house those families involved are: Oda, Takeda, and Uesugi. Not only to keep the other houses in line but to keep the country safe. And to this day if their king calls them, they will answer.