The Duchy of the Lands North of the Flametongue

Resentment amongst the peasants of Summerswind, stoked by former members of the disbanded Circle of Wolves Mercenary Company, resulted in violence.
The peasants stormed the castle, killing Jorah Tallman, his wife Beylee as well as his sister Madilyn Tallman and her husband ser Gerrard Tallman-Yronsmith.
They also took several members of the household hostage, including Jorah's children Erac and Alise as well as their cousins Alysia Tallman and Tanea Tallman.
As their nearest neighbour, the forces of House Cray of Baremaw, led by ser Matthis Cray and including ser Newall Foxworth and ser Elysande Haynes, as well as Tyon Cray serving as her squire, rode to Summerswind as soon as they could. They put down the revolt in short order and arrested or slew the agitants.
A disease commonly referred to as 'The Sickness' swept through The Kingdom of Somercrag.
It mostly affected women and those with the ability to bear children, and disproportionately affected Noble Households.
The Sickness killed as many as one in ten people in Somercrag over the course of the year and a half it ravaged the country, before mysteriously stopping.
Queen Malina Somercrag called upon her Duchal Vassal to raise their banners and begin massing troops at The Pass to cross The Witwell Mountains and begin working to oppose The Irogonie Aggression.
Each duchy formed its own army, allowing the Dukes, Duchesses or their Marshals to command the troops they knew best.
The Kingdom of Somercrag entered into a formal alliance with several Families of The Lamas Plains to oppose The Kingdom of Irogonie's Aggressive Expansion into their lands.
In her capacity as Marshal of the Royal Council, ser Sola Somercrag declares war on Irogonie.
Following their defeat at The Battle of Starfield and the death of Prince Lur Lighthelm, the The Kingdom of Irogonie surrendered to The Kingdom of Somercrag.
The forces of The Kingdom of Somercrag returned through The Pass, marking the beginning of a period of celebration across the country.
The official story, told by the only survivors of the event and proclaimed by Queen Malina Somercrag, is that ser Sola Somercrag and her companions were riding to The City of Bayglen with evidence of Duke Brennar Hayford's crimes when they were caught by an army led by the Duke and his Marshal ser Edam Bracks, themselves doggedly pursued by ser Kyra Crowler and her men-at-arms.
Ser Edam was torn between his loyalty to his Duke and to the crown. When Duke Brennar struck down ser Sola, Edam finally realised he could not stand by and allow this treason, so he had in turn struck down Duke Brennar.
Over the course of the months between his meeting with Queen Malina Somercrag in The City of Bayglen and The Tourney at Fairstrand 441KS, ser Tyon Cray hatched a conspiracy to use the upcoming Tourney to capture Prince Dalran and ser Mitchar Hespeak, the surviving children of House Somercrag of Bayglen and use them to leverage the Queen into accepting the evidence against ser Kyra Crowler and her part in The Ambush on the Kingsroad.
This conspiracy began with a conversation between ser Tyon and his neighbour Lord Erac Tallman, but spread to include three Duchal Leaders, and ignited The Revolution of 441KS which led to ser Tyon ascending to the throne of The Kingdom of Somercrag.
The forces in Fairstrand loyal to ser Tyon Cray's cause, comprised mostly of the honour guards of the present Dukes and Duchesses, departed by foot under the command of ser Astris Conklyn to march to The Pass and enter The Kingdom of Somercrag there before sailing down The Flametongue to The City of Bayglen.
Meanwhile Tyon himself would sail on The Black Bull to Castle Blackbar to meet a second army raised from the houses of The Blackbar Duchy, including his own men-at-arms from Baremaw to march on Bayglen from the North.
On his arrival at Castle Blackbar, ser Tyon Cray learned that Lord Sigbert Durbach, lord of Felweather Keep was refusing to join Duke Croll Blackbar in his support of Tyon's cause.
Unwilling to leave a potential enemy in his rear ser Tyon led his forces to storm Felweather Keep, imprisoning Lord Sigbert and installing ser Rodnar Blackbar, one of Duke Croll's sons, as Steward.
On his return to Castle Blackbar, ser Tyon learned that Royalist Soldiers were attacking both his own seat of Baremaw and Summerswind, the seat of his close friend Lord Erac Tallman. He chose to march to relieve Baremaw first, and forbade his friend from leaving the party to rush to the defence of his own home.
The forces under the command of ser Tyon Cray arrived at Baremaw in time to lift the siege laid on the castle by Royalist Soldiers of House Somercrag of Bayglen, attacking the siege camp in the rear at the same time as ser Elysande Haynes led a sortie from the castle itself.
Given the numbers present in Baremaw, the revolutionry forces were confident that the simultaneous attack on Summerswind must have been a feint.
The forces under ser Tyon Cray crossed the border into Summerswind to find the settlement devastated - fires raged in its forests, and its farms and villages were ruined, residents fled or put to the sword.
Lord Erac Tallman turned on Tyon in a rage and blamed him for the destruction.
As the victor of The Battle of Bayglen, King Tyon I Cray appointed six Dukes - Lady Jaenis Skanler, Lord Croll Blackbar and Lady Mariella Gaunt-Goulsblud to resume their previous positions, ser Edgarth Hayford to be restored to his father's seat once he had been recovered from his position as a hostage of the remaining Royalist Soldiers, Hallkatla Darklyn to take up her father's seat which she had won from him during the war, and ser Newall Foxworth to take up a new Duchal seat over the the lands North of The Witwells that had been ceded from The Kingdom of Irogonie at the end of The Irogonie Aggression.
On the first day of the new year King Tyon I Cray was crowned by a gathering of his Dukes and Duchesses.
A great number of guests attended the momentous event, not only Somercrag's Lords and Ladies, but also Princett Nym Cimber at the head of a large part from The Kingdom of Rotheval and Prince Emerson Arturson of The Irogonian Royal Family.
As an additional part of the celebrations, the newly crowned King officiated the wedding of Lady Terin Foxworth and Lady Hellna Gaunt, arranged during The Tourney at Fairstrand 441KS. With the sad passing of her brother during the The Battle of Bayglen, Hellna was now to inherit The Gaunt Duchy.
The King also used this moment to dispense justice over the captured Royalist Soldiers. Ser Kyra Crowler was personally executed by the King before the gathered crowd. Other captured soldiers were given an opportunity to bend the knee to the king or be executed in the Castle's grounds, away from the public eye. Non military prisoners were given the opportunity to bend the knee or be exiled from the capital.
In a private meeting with Tyon's Royal Council Ser Allon Southbay was told that while the king would uphold his resolution of The Siege of Haycastle, he did not support it. He also directed the new Lord to strip Edam of his ranks and titles.
Finally, ser Mattheo Foxworth was knighted in absentia for his service in the various battles of the Revolution. Ser Newall Foxworth left Bayglen that evening to attempt to find his missing son.
To pay for King Tyon I Cray's wedding, his vassals were expected to increase their tithes to him from one-quarter of their income to one-third. They would also be expected to contribute to the celebrations by arranging entertainment and food for the guests, as well as gifts to the newlyweds.
A year to the day from its mysterious appearance, the crystallised Blackfire around the top of the tower at Riverfoot shattered with an almighty crack heard as far afield as Bayglen or Haycastle. It rained a storm of Blackstone shards down upon the castle and surrounding buildings. Over the course of the following days the cliff below the castle crumbled, finally pitching the entire castle, as well as its immediate neighbours, into the waters of The Bay of Glass below, destroying much of the settlement's docks and casting violent waves across the bay. Whatever had stirred up the Bay of Glass and The Mirror Sea and broken their centuries long calm remained, however. Fortunately the castle was already not much used, and both the buildings nearest the castle and the docks below it had long been abandoned to their eternal gloom, so there were no casualties to this event. With the Blackstone shattered, normal daylight returned to Riverfoot for the first time in a year.
When the Royal Progress passes through Summerswind on its way North they celebrate the official reopening of Summerswind, rebuilt from its destruction at the hands of Royalist Soldiers in 441KS.
Lady Ophelia Foxworth-Hayford concieved a response to the eruption of The Boxsart Hills, inspired by her own relocation of the oppressed peoples of Barrowton many years ago. Throughout The Kingdom of Somercrag the Duchal Houses would each be responsible for raising fund. These funds would be used to create stores of food, clothing, and other supplies, as well as to to outfit the ships of Somercrag's Royal Fleet for the rescue opertion. The ships would make several trips around the coast of The Continent of Greland, ferrying smallfolk from the worst affected areas on the shores of The Hurst Channelto various ruined or abandoned settlements throughout Somercrag to be settled.
Following the death of Duke Edgarth Hayford and the release of the Readiness Reports for the coming Winter, King Tyon I Cray issued Terms of Surrender to the Secessionist Forces. After some negotiation they were accepted, and the war ended.
Throughout the days leading up to the beginning of March, a change came upon cities across The Kingdom of Somercrag. At first it was small and subtle, a closed business here, a home boarded up there. But by the time the various Councils sat for their March sessions, it was clear something was afoot.
From landmark businesses like Tales Retold on the The Royal Lawn in The City of Bayglen, to the populations of cities from Dewfalls to Southbay, the Hillhurst-folk in Somercrag had begun to leave. Almost all did so quietly, loading their possessions into handcarts or onto boats and disappearing into the night. They took care not to abscond on debts or leave anyone in a poor position by their leaving, but it's also clear they feel whatever debt they might have owed for the Somercrag Rescue Effort 448KS had been repaid, in their own minds if not the mids of those they left behind.
The only true betrayal came from Rila Wren-Stoneheart, who stole away one night with fully half of the Somercrag Royal Fleet.
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