The Holy King, and the Bloody Rose - Kruala Historical Figures
And then when he stood in his throne room, infront of the would be terrorist, who judged him so harshly, he said upon them; 'If you think you're a hero, die like one.' - Historical TextsThe Holy King of Versai was named King Theseus. His death is the trigger which allowed Kruala to fall to the Dwarves during the Underpass Wars resurgence. The aggressor, The Bloody Rose of Versai, was the one who took his life, is demonized, and must merely speaking of the cursed title could get you killed by the more actively zealous.
[Early Life] Kruala was in a frantic state. It was the largest city ever concieved in Ammeriam, but the previous nobility was just overthrown causing a major economic crash. Of this time, in the nunnery on the outskirts of Kruala near the bay, a albino Dark Elf was born to a nun who was thought to not be able to have children, devloping signs of pregnancy over a three day period, with the third day being born. Though general fear surrounded the birth, soon he began to be worshipped as a prophet from their god, Oro. Little is known about Theseus's childhood, which fostered many of the fables later biographers manufactured to fill in the gap. Among these are the stories that Theseus blessed the fresh water of Kruala with a holy light to ensure that Kruala always had fresh water. It is known that from age elven equivilent 7 to 15, Theseus was home-schooled and studied with his mother's local church and later a schoolmaster in practical math, geography, old Sylvan and the Elvish classics. But much of the knowledge he would use the rest of his life was through his acquaintance with woodsmen and the plantation foreman. By his early elven teens, he had mastered growing tobacco, stock raising and surveying. Theseus's mother died when he was 72 and he became the ward of his church leader, Astonion, who gave him a good upbringing. When he was 76, Theseus traveled with a surveying party plotting land in Kruala’s northern territory expansion. The following year, aided by the lord of their provinance, Lord Zeffort, Theseus received a high honor for his efforts. For two years afterward he was very busy surveying the land in Culpeper, Massil and Beltonia counties. The experience made him resourceful and toughened his body and mind. It also piqued his interest in land holdings, an interest that endured throughout his life with speculative land purchases and a belief that the future of the nation lay in colonizing the West. Not soon after, Astonion died of tuberculosis, making him the heir apparent of the Church's lands. Astonion’s only child, Kiiria, died two months later and Theseus became the head of one of Kruala's most prominent estates, Mount Olyin. He was 90 years old. Throughout his life, he would hold farming as one of the most honorable professions and he was most proud of Mount Olyin. Theseus would gradually increase his landholdings there to about 8,000 acres.
[Mid Life] In the early days, Ittrita and Kruala were at peace. However, the Ittrita military had begun occupying the underpass, the only pathway Kruala had to the surface, protecting the King's land interests, particularly fur trappers and Dwarvish settlers. But the borderlands of this area were unclear and prone to dispute between the two countries. Theseus showed early signs of natural leadership and shortly after his adoptive father's death, Mount Olyin's Lieutenant Governor, appointed Theseus adjutant with a rank of major in the local militia. Military History
The govener sent Theseus to Fort Le'tir, at what is now the region of 'Killford's Rest' in Kruala, to warn the Dwarves to remove themselves from land claimed by Kruala. Ittirita politely refused and Theseus made a hasty ride back to inform the news, only soon after- the govener sent Theseus back with troops and they set up a post at Great Meadows. Theseus's small force attacked a Ittrita post at the Fort, killing the commander, and nine others and taking the rest prisoners.
Ittirita counterattacked and drove Theseus and his men back to his post at Great Meadows. After a full day siege, Theseus surrendered and was soon released and returned, promising not to build another fort near Ittrita.
Though a little embarrassed at being captured, he was grateful to receive the thanks from the House of the Baroness (the at-then ruling party of Kruala) and see his name mentioned in the paper.
Theseus was given the honorary rank of colonel and joined General Ehtiral's army. The Baroness' rule had devised a plan for a three-prong assault on Ittrita forces attacking Fort Le'Tir, Great Meadows, and Crown Point.
During the encounter, Ittrita ambushed the general, who was mortally wounded. Washington escaped injury with four bullet holes in his cloak and two horses shot out from under him. Though he fought bravely, he could do little to turn back the rout and led the defeated army back to safety, saving hundreds of lives that would've been otherwise lost during the attack.
Not long after, Theseus was made commander of all Mount Olyin troops at age 103. He was sent to the frontier to patrol and protect nearly 400 miles of border with some 700 ill-disciplined troops and a legislature unwilling to support him because of the crashing economic state.
It was a frustrating assignment. His health failed in the closing months of the year and he was sent home to recover. Theseus returned to duty on another expedition to capture the fort that had evaded him, and this time, under his leadership Kruala was able to score a major victory, capturing control of the local Underpass.
Theseus retired from his regiment in at the start of the year. His experience during the war was generally frustrating, with key decisions made slowly, poor support from the colonial legislature and poorly trained recruits.
Theseus applied for a commission with the Baroness' army but was turned down. Finally soon after, he resigned his commission and returned to Mount Olyin disillusioned. The same year, he entered politics and was elected to Mount Olyin's House of the Baroness, which was the Governor position he had previously worked under.
Though the Krualain Proclamation — prohibiting settlement beyond the Great Meadows — irritated Theseus and he opposed this, thinking this was the Baroness' way of bending to the pressure of Ittrita's greed. He did not take a leading role in the growing resistance against the Baroness until the widespread protest of the Great Meadow anex, when that hard earned fort was given back to Ittrita as a peace settlement.
His letters of this period indicate he was totally opposed to the Baroness, and began declaring independence for the segregated areas of Kruala, However, within a year, he wasn't opposed to publically resisting fundamental violations by the Baroness of the rights of the northern and western colonies after the Crown Tax was introduced which began to descimate the frontier.
Theseus introduced a resolution to the House of Baroness calling for Mount Olyin to boycott the rising taxes until they were repealed.
Theseus chaired a meeting with the Baroness herself, calling for representation, but when the Baroness canceled the meeting with no reschedule, this was the trigger which caused an extremist act of forcing an evacuation of the building and detonating 200 barrels of gunpowder. With this monumental act, Theseus took up the helm of the Journeymen, calling for revolution. Due to his proximity, the noble class stood no chance, and soon, the Baroness was beheaded. He was 112.
The problem of the Underpass Wars still raged, but he had a plan, and the nation patiently listened.
Ittrita still had 26,000 troops occupying the Underpass, the forts that were given up were a massive loss which gave them a forward presence, plus a large fleet of warmachines. By the middle of the year, all allies had pulled back from the war, believing Kruala to be lost, the continental treasury was depleted, and most of his soldiers hadn’t been paid for several years. But they were not fighting for pay. They were fighting for survival.
A near-mutiny was avoided when Theseus convinced they Journeymen he left in charge to grant a five-year bonus for soldiers, alongside supplying Theseus with two hundred more barrels of Gunpowder. It is thought by this point the Grinners, a revolutionary faction, had been sponsering this explosive effort. When Theseus detonated the central Underpass overhead, Ittrita evacuated 600 miles of Underpass, worrying that another structural hit like that would collapse the entire underpass.
Kruala had won a more competent independence, and now the nation could begin to heal with the loot retrieved from the abandoned miles. Theseus formally bade his troops farewell, he resigned his position as general and returned to Mount Olyin.
For four years, Theseus attempted to fulfill his dream of resuming life as a gentleman farmer and holy man, and to give his much-neglected Mount Olyin plantation the care and attention it deserved.
The war had been costly to the Theseus estate with lands neglected, no exports of goods, and the depreciation of coinage. But Theseus was able to repair his fortunes with a generous land grant from Journeymen's Congress for his military service and become profitable once again. But it wasn't long until the people came calling once again...
Kingship and Death During the Journeymen's Leadership discussions, he was unaware as he was located on his plantation at the time, received a vote from every indivdual within the meeting. When presented with this he was unsure, but after a massive outpouring of Dark Elven civilizians who came to view his estate after the announcement of the Journeyman's decisions came out, he relented and took the kingship oath at the capital provinance of Kruala, Goldmarch. As the first of his name, Theseus was astutely aware that his kingship would set a precedent for all that would follow. He carefully attended to the responsibilities and duties of his office, remaining vigilant to not emulate any Baroness traditional royal court. To that end, he preferred the title "Sir Elected," instead of more imposing names that were suggested. Theseus proved to be an able administrator. He surrounded himself with some of the most capable people in the country. He delegated authority wisely and consulted regularly with his cabinet listening to their advice before making a decision. Theseus established broad-ranging authority, but always with the highest integrity, exercising power with restraint and honesty. In doing so, he set a standard rarely met by his successors, but one that established an ideal by which all are judged. It is said when he was publically seen in his Kingly Garb, Theseus gave a smile many described as 'unsure.' He never saw himself as a king, his close allies claimed, he was simply a man born of war, for war. That's all he knew, sure his kindness knew no bounds, but he didn't have any personal convictions with being a king. Nor did he want to repeat the past, as he had a feeling should he have offspring he knew how the story would end. A genetic gamble who held no certainty of being half the man he was. Until he was 403, he ruled, made many decisions favorable. Kruala grew and expanded Westward and Northward. With no heir still, political pressure leaned on him to consider at least taking in a Ward should something happen to him. Refusal of this request met with further frustration as Ittrita after 300 years, had decided to repeat the past, and began returning to the underpass in secret. However, before this news reached the king, other more concerning news did. A terrorist running amuck in Goldmarch was apparently leveling buildings, and killing civilians. He boldly set an open invitation for this terrorist. He wanted to run amuck and cause problems in his kingdom, he may as well say to his face like a man the problems he had. After two and a half weeks, eventually the man who would be come to known as the Bloody Rose of Versai stept in. He called the king a tyrannical idiot who had no care for the people. That he had personally been through the crux of every idiotic action he chose to take over his long career, and he would not stop until the city would fall, or he killed the king. The King sighed, and confidentally drew his rapier. So it was to be a duel then. With years of expertise in the military front lines, you would think that the king would best the upstart no problem. But it almost, some witnesses say, seemed like the king wanted to die. He left his flank open, and with one quick dash, parry, and thrust, the king was speared through the heart with the Bloody Rose's rapier. He stole the kings crown not one moment later, and disintegrated his body infront of the court. Every mage in the capital was after this man, but he was like a ghost, vanishing into the nothing after the incident. Not too long after, perhaps months, Ittrita pushed into Kruala, pushing out the Elves who's governing body had abandoned them.
Legacy The descendants of Kruala have mixed feelings on the fate of the king, but one thing is for certain. The Bloody Rose of Versai has gotten many stories and legends revolving around him being a devil from the Infernal Engine who wished to spread suffering, or a patron who wished to see the civlized folk fall. They blame the king at the same time, for dismissing his guards and remaining alone with a Terrorist in his throne room. Either way, whatever mystery surrounding the situation, could never be looked into considering Kruala's fast take over. The only reminants of the King's Legacy are stories of his death, documentation of his military career, and a few unattended, abandoned statues that weren't tore down by the Dwarves on the outskirts of Kruala.
Young Theseus in Kruala's Military
The Bloody Rose of Versai
The Bloody Rose of Versai