Grand Duchy of Dornig
History of Dornig
The southern kingdoms squabble like children over which of them is the true heir of the ancient elven empires, but for centuries in the north there was no doubt. Until recently.
The Grand Duchy of Dornig, also known as the Domains of the Princes, stood for human generations as the true successor state to the power that once was Arbonesse and Thorn. This was evident in their shadow roads. It was evident in their hoarding of the lost knowledge and magic of the elves and other arcana. Most of all, it was evident in their ruler. Upon the Copper Sphinx Throne of Dornig sat one of the few elves who remembered the Age of Glory, before the Great Retreat and before the despoliations of the Great Mage Wars. The Beloved Imperatrix Regia Moonthorn Kalthania-Reln vann Dornig ruled the land, and
all Dornig’s lesser sovereigns are her descendants, by blood and by marriage.
Gifted with the presence of a singular respected ruler, Dornig presented the impression of being a land of peace and prosperity, unlike the human kingdoms that squat on the ruins of elven Valera. In reality, it has always been a cauldron of continual political intrigue, as the three most powerful branches of Kalthania’s descendants—and a host of minor cadet branches—plot and conspire against each other.
The Grand Duchy has also been a refuge for people fleeing other parts of the world. Humans escaping the Wastes and the undead-ruled lands of Morgau and Doresh, as well as petty nobles out of favor in their native lands, flocked to the
Imperatrix’s court. With the fall of Krakova to undead forces, the tide of refugees has increased.
When the Imperatrix was awake and aware, she ruled fairly and justly and kept the various factions under control and foreign complications outside her borders. But now the Beloved Imperatrix lies in a coma, unresponsive yet neither dead nor undead. And the nation is beginning to fragment as long-dormant fissures within her kingdom and threats from without endanger a kingdom without a clear line of succession.
And this creates unrest among the domains.
The realm of the elves has been held together by the Imperatrix, but a mysterious illness has thrown the realm into confusion.
Type
National Territory
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler