Lothen's Daughter

In 1986 AC, King Vheod Whiteshield V answered the call of Goualekir, the eastern realm under divine threat, and prepared Lothen for the long-foretold return of Nedel the Hunter. Bladefall, believed to be one of the Four Chosen Cities in ancient prophecy, was bound by fate to take part in the coming war. Thus began the formation of the Army of the Daughter, a united force drawn from across the Forkland vassal states. King Vheod summoned the full might of the Lion Army, but Sarta refused the call. The Sartans claimed their blood had been spilled too often for Lothen’s wars, and they would not bleed again for a prophecy born in the East. This refusal sparked a rebellion. However, with the threat of Nedel’s return looming large, King Vheod could not divide his forces. Pressed by the greater danger beyond the horizon, he chose to march eastward and delay dealing with the uprising. Sarta seized the opportunity, declared autonomy, and severed its formal ties to the Forklands. Despite Lothen’s later attempts to reassert control, Sarta remained free, thanks to a covert alliance with the South Freelanders. Smugglers and riders carried arms and supplies through Dragoria’s passes into Sartian hands, in exchange for the promise of a shared frontier free from Forkland influence. Over time, Sarta’s autonomy hardened into a reality that even Lothen’s court begrudgingly acknowledged, though tensions simmered beneath the surface. By the time the War of the Daughters began in 1990 AC, the cracks in the Forklands had already begun to show. And when Lothen turned its eyes west again, it would be toward a defiant Sarta, no longer just a rebellious vassal, but a kingdom in its own right.