West Fraspika
History
When West Fraspika was formed, its king, Louis, was just 19. Ten years younger than the middle brother, he had a lot of growing up to do still, though it was generally agreed upon by the court that he was an excellent tactician and strategist. Despite his military skills, he inherited the poorest portion of Fraspika due to his brothers' machinations, and so had the least ability to project power.
Although he was greatly skilled, During the early years of his reign, Louis struggled to protect the vast and indefensible territories from Blazennian raids, despite ingenious tactics. Until he changed his strategy. During a raid upon a part of Blazennia, Louis encountered a Blazennian chieftain's daughter in battle, who he fell in love with immediately. Spurred on by his infatuation, but also by an idea brewing in his mind, Louis returned to his capital to consult historical negotiations with the Blazennian tribes. Discovering that had indeed been brought onto the side of Fraspika using negotiations in the past, most notably Fluencia, he was inspired. Although diplomatic treaties and peaceful expansion had long since fallen to the wayside as raids from both sides took their toll and damaged relations- and as Fraspika expanded its borders further into the region, things could change. Louis decided that if he worked alongside the Blazennian people and appeased key clans by granting them lands, he could probably actually defend the frontier and perhaps even expand it. And all it would take was a symbolic gesture to get started. A gesture like a marriage.
He tracked down the raiders and proposed an idea that would change the world. One marriage, one alliance, and the clan would be tied to Fraspika. They would receive lands to graze and the protection of Fraspika, against other tribes but in exchange they would fight too, bolstering Fraspika's forces. The chieftain, seeing this as a perfect way to expand his personal influence, agreed to the match, but he was interrupted by his daughter. She claimed that all Fraspikan men were effeminate and weak, and he wasn't worthy of her unless he beat her in a duel (it should be noted that she had never lost, which is why she was on the raid in the first place). Of course, she didn't know that Louis was also a master swordsman, and it is said their battle was legendary. It is actually debatable whether Louis's victory over her did more to smoothen relations than the marriage, but it doen't really matter, because his plan worked. The two of them were said to be unstoppable in battle, and by the time Louis retired from campaigning they had doubled the size of West Fraspika.
His son, while not as skilled, would fare a did far better against the Khanate of Clesentia than anyone could have predicted, and it is likely that without him the centaurs would have overrun all of West Fraspika in 1217. Despite his defeat at the battle of Contar, it is said that his personal entourage not only managed to turn aside the feared troops of Braehyst himself, holding the bridge across the Sochval river to the last man. It is only because of the personal intervention of Øldar the Red that the forces of West Fraspika were defeated- but defeated they were. And so fell the Kingdom of West Fraspika, splintering into the successor states of Rhionion, Linoren, and Fatelion.
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