In 1204 AC, King Meleborn Whiteshield of Lothen formally lifted the long-standing restrictions on magic and sought to make amends for the damage caused during the era of the Runik Movement, a dark chapter in history marked by the persecution and suppression of magic-users across the continent. Decades earlier, during the height of the prohibition, the Kingdom of Rose came under heavy assault by the Brutgors of Armoria, a barbaric people from the southern mountains. In desperation, the Rosian crown invoked the Treaty of Thorns, appealing to Lothen for military aid. However, the Lothenian court, still deeply entrenched in anti-magic policy, refused to intervene unless Rose agreed to adopt the same laws and purge its magical institutions. Rose stood its ground and rejected the demand. The result was years of brutal raids and destruction along Rose’s borders. With its magical defenses crippled and no help from its supposed ally, the kingdom suffered greatly. King Meleborn, inheriting the throne in a time of reflection and transition, acknowledged these failures. As an act of reconciliation and renewed diplomacy, he signed the Treaty of the Root, strengthening the fragile bond once established by the Treaty of Thorns. Unlike previous accords, this treaty was not about dominance or submission, it was about healing. Under its terms, Lothen sent seven thousand men and women, not as soldiers, but as builders, healers, scholars, and protectors, tasked with rebuilding damaged cities, restoring arcane institutions, and protecting vulnerable border regions. Many among them were families of former exiles or magic-users seeking new beginnings. To mark the turning of an age, Meleborn issued “The Apology of the Lion”, a royal decree that promised lands, titles, and protection to all magic-users willing to settle in Lothen and aid in its magical revival. His dedication to restoring the dignity of the arcane earned him the name Meleborn the Admirer. The Treaty of the Root became a cornerstone of peaceful relations between Rose and Lothen, binding the two kingdoms more closely, not through conquest or force, but through shared rebuilding, reparation, and respect for magic.
