Kingdom of Brounthia
The Kingdom of Brounthia lies along the coast of the Great Ocean between the Northlands and the Principality of Pelshtaria to the south and the Sea of Grass to the west. Brounthia has enjoyed relative internal peace but has fought off numerous invasions from the north, east, and west. Northlanders raid the coast, though these attacks have been decreasing thanks to a combined political strategy of appeasement and playing the Northlanders against one another, and a system of coastal watchtowers. The rule of Prince Kemal of Pelshtaria, the father of the current prince and princess, put an end to the border skirmishes that once plagued relations between the two lands. However, the K’Haln tribes of the Sea of Grass still raid the western marches and have in the past swept as far as Cymilard.
A series of queens have ruled Brounthia since its founding. The nobility is mostly male though, and most of the culture is male dominated. The queen is not just a monarch, but is seen as a divine figure, a living goddess. The cult of the queen is the dominant religion and worship of her as divine protector, and of past queens as a pantheon ready to intercede on the behalf of supplicants, is entrenched in Brounthian society.
The queen is always a relative of her predecessor, but as divine queens they do not lay with mortals, and thus do not produce daughters to ascend to the throne. Shortly after coronation, the queen selects a number of sisters, nieces, or cousins to form her court. Their ages do not matter, and sometimes an aunt is selected as well. Brought into the court, these aspirants to the throne are educated in politics, natural philosophy, religion, art, music, and magic. Those who pass a brutal series of exams and remain celibate can compete for the throne when it becomes vacant. None knows what happens during these competitions, for all qualified applicants are locked in the Tower of Testing until one exits as either the sole survivor or the one that the other survivors acclaim as the only one worthy to be queen. Those who fail and are not slain in the Tower often bear marked injures that are both mental and physical.
The current queen, Ivérna IV, was old when she ascended to the throne five years ago. Now nearly 70 years of age, she has seen three Tests of the Tower, always surviving but never coming out on top. Five years ago her niece, Autona III, broke her vows and laid aside her divinity by becoming involved in a sexual relationship with one of her knights. The scandal rocked the kingdom and led to a hasty round of final examinations of aspirants. The testing went on for 12 days, and at the end only Ivérna and three others survived, none of them unscarred.
Despite her age, the queen has taken an active hand in ruling her nation. Where younger queens often foster a courtly romance and many knights and nobles behave as lovestruck fools in their presence, Ivérna rules more as a wise and kindly figure. Less-pious knights push the bounds of blasphemy by referring to her as the grandmother queen, but the allusion is not without merit. Brash young knights who would scoff at listening to an old woman find themselves dreading attracting her disappointment.
The old courtly romance seems to survive only in the hearts of older knights, most of whom had retired but chose to ride out once more in service to Ivérna. These elderly knights make up a new order of chivalry, the Grey Guard, and commit their last acts of heroism in her name — though only if they have a chance to rest up from the long ride and maybe take a hot bath. A little mulled wine would not be refused. Maybe some liniment, for the joints are as creaky as the armor on these cold mornings.
Region
Kingdom of Brounthia
Controlled Territories
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