Kingdom of Audemar
The First King
Near the end of the Great War, a young man in golden armor decided to take a stand, not only against the Anuar but against all the chaos, bloodshed, and corruption that was running rampant across The Reach. This young hero, Alart Vassier, gathered an army to himself and staked his claim on the Isle of Audemar. Although rumors and whispers spread and grew wild that the king’s strength and success were rooted in strange magics passed down from the elves of the far snowy mountains, and in the unknown power encased in a gleaming yellow diamond that the young hero wore on his brow, none could ever prove that the king was anything more than a powerful warrior and wise leader. Thanks to the advantage of strong, deep rivers on all sides and mountainous terrain and no small amount of valor, Alart and his army were victorious. While the sacrifice of the Silver Knights ended the war with the Anuar, Alart remained vigilant against the anarchy that continued to reign in The Reach. He took Audemar as his kingdom, established his court, and set about training the best knights in the realms to keep order within Audemar’s borders and chaos out. For over 60 years Alart ruled Audemar with a firm but just hand. A strict moral code and tightly woven legal system held the Audemari apart from the other people of the Reach, creating an insular society where Order for the sake of denying Chaos was held supreme. Always a warrior at heart, Alart continued to push the boundaries of his kingdom beyond the eastern river and into the mountains of the northeast, always pushing toward the northern lands and away from the decimated south. Even at the age of 74, Alart remained steadfast and driven by conquest - his apparent defiance of the passage of time serving to many as further proof at least some distant traces of Elven lineage. But mortal at the end, Alart was finally slain and returned to what would become his final resting place in the crypt cut deep into the base of the cliff that housed his palace. Although it is said that the yellow diamond which had become his symbol and therefore the symbol of The Might of Audemar was laid to rest with him, though there are rumors that say otherwise, that perhaps it was lost somewhere in the mountains, or stolen by Yorathans, or perhaps reclaimed by whatever unknown power it had originated from.The Second King
With Alart’s passing, his first born, Freideric took the throne. Not the warrior that his father had been, Freideric found himself content with the expanse of the kingdom he’d inherited and turned his focus instead toward diplomacy and matters of state. Although he maintained a strict control over the borders, he reopened lines of trade with the outside world. He sponsored learning and invention - among those rich and titled enough to earn it - and surrounded himself with a court of refinement and sophistication. Agriculture and craftsmanship prospered, both required and bolstered by Freideric’s strict limitations on trade and determination to keep Audemar a self-reliant kingdom. Piety to the gods became popular, particularly those who credited the protection and sanctity of Audemar to divine favor earned by devote Audemari morality and adherence to “the natural order”. In Freideric’s succeed, Alart’s second son, Girauld, was all but forgotten by most of the public. Without the burden of eventual succession to the throne, Girauld devoted himself to study and exploration, delving far and deep into the mountains across Audemar’s northern border and beyond. Although his visits to Charlet and the Court were rare, a regular supply of gifts in the form of gold, gems, and other treasures found on his adventures kept the Freideric’s coffers full and his feelings toward his brother fond. For nearly 40 years all was well. Peace and prosperity reigned in Audemar, with Freideric hailed as a hero of culture and wisdom. The only flaw to this golden age was the struggle to produce an heir to secure the continued sovereignty of the Diamond Kingdom. The, at the time future, Queen Avalona had been deemed by all a perfect match when Alart arranged her marriage to Freideric. Beautiful, elegant, and kind, with a lineage connected to several of the most prominent families of the realm, it was decided that there could be no better candidate. And although true romance never blossomed between Alart and Avalona - Ava, to her friends and family - a deep respect and close friendship kept their marriage a peaceful and, for the most part, happy one. But years passed, and while the Queen remained as beautiful and as kind, she was not immune to the slow withering of time. Concern among the court began to sprout, and then grow, as the years passed without the conception of an heir. After three miscarriages and the coming of her 40th birthday, both the Court and the Queen began to give up hope. Until, at last, the Prince was born. A beautiful child and near perfect image of his legendary grandfather, it was said, the young Prince Elyot became the Great Shining Hope of the country - an expectation which he would spend his life striving to meet. A mere eight years later, tragedy struck. Illness took Audemar’s beloved queen and she was laid to rest in the crypt, joining Alart and the first queen of Audemar, Ivetta, who had outlived her husband long enough to see her grandson born. The country was devastated and went into deep mourning. Temples and monuments were built to honor Avalona’s pious and regal legacy. More than ever the kingdom looked to young Elyot to embody his mother’s grace, his father’s wisdom, and his grandfather’s prowess when the time came for him to take the throne. And while the kingdom mourned their Queen, Freideric mourned the loss of his friend and partner. But life must go on, and the King found a new Queen. Maleta stepped into Avalona’s shadow and married the king a mere 18 months after the previous Queen’s internment.Too soon, grumbled many members of the court; and although none dared say anything openly about it, the birth of a daughter - Lilian - a mere six months after the wedding fed the flames of a quietly simmering scandal. Two years later, Lilian was joined by a sister - Elissa. The grumbling continued; for many Maleta was a pretender to the throne, a usurper who would never live up to Avalona’s honor no matter what she did. Internally, however, the royal family found a peace - Freideric loved Maleta in a way that he had never quite achieved with Avalona, Maleta did her best to ignore to gossip and sideways glances of the Court by focusing on her family and on charitable work, and Prince Elyot positively doted on his younger sisters. Maleta could not replace his mother, but she never tried to and offered her love to her stepson freely without expectation, which helped to soothe the boy’s wounded heart. On the surface, the golden age remained. Despite judgment and the occasional malicious rumor about the younger Queen, the royal family was happy and Freideric’s reign of prosperity remained strong. But under the surface trouble was brewing. Yorathan raiding parties were becoming increasingly bold along Audemar’s borders, and stories began to circulate of terrible creatures creeping their way out of the mountains. Then came The Attack.The Lost Prince & The Uncertain Future
Fresh from the successful completion of their training and earning their knighthoods, the Prince and a band of his 15 closest friends left the capital on what was meant to be a routine border patrol - little more than a training exercise, a chance for the new knights to stretch their wings and celebrate their new, fully adult status. The party was thoroughly unprepared when they were ambushed by a group of Yorathans near the western border, and although they fought valiantly they were wildly outnumbered and too caught off guard. It was said to be a massacre, so bloody and violent that only guesswork could identify which slain knight was which. But one thing was certain, the Prince was dead. The people’s shining hope, the jewel of the kingdom, was gone. Who remained? An eleven year old girl whose legitimacy was in doubt? The King’s errant brother who had barely stepped foot on true Audemari soil in nearly twenty-five years? And how had such a large band of Yorathans made it across the river undetected? Were they opportunistic raiders, or had they somehow known that they Prince would be leaving the sanctuary of the capital with only a small band of untested knights? What will become of Audemar? And with only the Prince and fourteen other bodies recovered from the battlefield, what became of the 15th knight?Geography
The "mainland" of Audemar is situated on the large isle formed by the triangle of the three rivers that divide the northern portion of the Reach. During the later years of Alart's reign, he expanded the borders of Audemar north and east into the mountains that separate The Reach from the northern half of the continent.
The terrain is largely mountainous, the portions of the isle slope down into foothills and grassy fields which serve as rich farmland to support Audemar's population.
Vassier Royal Family Crest
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