Kingdom of Lador

The Kingdom of Lador was a large and prosperous kingdom that was located on the Lador peninsula, now known as the Forbidden Badlands. The kingdom was famous for its golden age and its strong alliances between other kingdoms, especially the elven kingdom of Theilon and the dwarven kingdom of Thindolir. The kingdom was invaded during the First Great War and fell to the dark armies after the battle at Yielden Keep.

Structure

The kingdom of Lador followed a basic feudal hierarchy which maintained order within the kingdom and easy passing of laws and information.

King

The king was the head of state and leader of the people for the Kingdom of Lador. The king and his court of nobles would pass laws, approve changes in tax and oversee the legal proceedings and court cases. The king would live in the capital of Lador. Towards the latter decades, the capital was moved to the newly constructed Yielden Keep, no known as Kas Dhozgul. The Kingship was a hereditary title that would be passed down to the heir after the king's passing or should the king resign from his position.

Lords

Lords were nobel men who often owned large amounts of land or oversaw groups of people. Lords were typically the leaders of the towns, villages and cities within the kingdom of Lador. They would run their settlements with a certain degree of autonomy but still adhere to the kingdoms laws. Each lord would have their own army of soldiers and knights made up of the people from the settlements they govern. The individual militias police their land and are called upon by the king in the event of war. Lords would also take part in combat alongside their knights.

Knights

Knights were people who served their king and lords. It was a title given after training to become a knight. Young boys would begin training at the age of 12 as squires and would be trained by veteran knights. At 14-15 each squire would be in the service of a specific knight and would clean and maintain the knight's armour and gear while they continued their training. Typically a squire would complete their training and be knighted at the age of 18-20 but it has been known for some squires to be knighted earlier if they proved themselves during a battle. Knights who serve under the Royal Family directly were known as the Royal Guard and were tasked with following the king into battle and to protect the capital during sieges.

Merchants and Craftsmen

Merchants were people who worked in the business of trade, often working in the kingdom while making links to various merchants in other kingdoms for the sake of fast imports and exports while working out tariffs. The kingdom of Lador had various merchant guilds which would oversee trade and mark any products linked to the guild with specific seals to prove the authenticity of the products.
Craftsmen were people who learnt the art of crafting. Examples of craftsmen were blacksmiths, weavers, dyers, armourers, bookbinders, painters, masons, leatherworkers, embroiderers, cobblers (shoemakers), and candlemakers. Most craftsmen were part of the various merchant guilds however metal work such as blacksmiths and armourers would typically have their own crafts guilds.

Peasantry

The peasants were the lowest group in the hierarchy, they were the farmers, bakers, servents, carpenters and miners who would do the heavy lifting and labour in the kingdom. The peasantry would live relatively simple lives. The peasants are the poorest group of people in the hierarchy, however they were typically looked after in the kingdom.

Culture

The kingdom of Lador was well known for their peaceful culture. The people of the kingdom would often welcome outsides are share their traditions while learning about theirs. The citizens of Lador also had a fondness for nature, partly due to their friendship with the Elves of Theilon who would frequently visit the kingdom. The people of Lador were often very careful with how they expanded, making sure to only use as much resources as they needed and to not disturb any natural beauty.
The kingdom of Lador was believed to be a cultural melting pot during its golden age. While humans were still the main demographic within the kingdom, elves and people from other kingdoms on Aluin would often visit and work in Lador. Even the dwarves, who seldom live outside their vast mountain kingdoms, would visit and stay in Lador from time to time. Especially the dwarves of Thindolir.

Assets

A large part of the kingdom's economy was represented in coins. These coins were made of gold, silver and copper with the kingdom's crest engraved on each coin. At the time of Lador's reign, platinum was not widely known, making gold pieces the highest value of coin.
The kingdom of Lador was also represented by many other assets, typically in its infrastructure use to gather and process its resources. Another aspect of the kingdom's economy was its produce. Grain, Wheat, alcohol, and other foodstuff was commonly imported and exported. Its luxuries such as clothing, armour and equipment were also popular commodities of value to be exported.

History

Origins

The Kingdom of Lador first began when Humans from further inland settled on the Lador Peninsula. The people made a small hamlet which, over time, would become a large city and the original capital of the kingdom. The kingdom quickly grew over the next couple of centuries, with several small settlements being built over the peninsula which would also grow into large towns and cities. The kingdom built roads and infrastructure which would connect the settlements and a long road that would join the kingdom to the main paths often used in Aluin.

War with Westfront

400 years before the golden age of Lador, the rapidly expanding kingdom of Westfront, declared war on the kingdom of Lador. Westfrom accused Lador of settling on disputed land. It is unknown these days whether or not the accusations were true or just an excuse to annex the Lador peninsula in order to gain easier access to the ocean. The two kingdoms went to war which would last five years. At first, Westfront had the advantage and had conquered areas of Lador. But eventually the resolve of the attackers weakened. During the War the Bowmen of Lador improved their skills with the warbow, which at the time was unique to Lador. The bowmen were able to strike at the soldiers of Westfront long before they could get close to their enemy, reducing their numbers greatly in every battle and evening the odds.

Eventually the weakened Kingdom of Westfront yielded and agreed to end the war against Lador. Westfront returned the land they annexed from the peninsula and pulled back closer to their capital, the stretch on their economy made it impossible for their continued expansion. The kingdom of Westfront never truly recovered from their failed war, and over a century later the kingdom was absorbed by Morhoth which grew stronger over the past few decades, growing the Kingdom of Morhoth in size.

The golden years of Lador

Over the next few centuries, the kingdom of Lador focused on mining exploits. The people built vast mines under the peninsula which even impressed the dwarves. The steady trade of metals and precious gems quickly made the kingdom very wealthy. Their main buyers were the people of Morhoth whose land was often lacking in certain metals. The trade of mined materials from Lador provided considerable competition with the Dwarves of Thindolir and after some time, the dwarves began a series of trade deals with Lador which benefited both kingdoms. The kings of Lador would regularly visit the Kingdom of Thindolir whenever they made new trade deals.

Over the years, the Old King would visit Thindolir when he was still a prince, and became good friends with Prince Foril. The two princes often shared experiences over the years with each visit, even when both became kings of their lands. The dwarven king, Foril, would continue to give advice to the Old King and vice versa and even visited the kingdom of Lador after hearing news that Prince Avon was born.

One day an elven galleon from Theilon was caught in a large tempest which tore the ship apart. The elves were shipwrecked on the shore of Lador. Some passing merchants noticed the remains of the galleon as they walked past the coast on their way to the next town. The merchants sent one of their own to the next town to inform the lord of what happened while the overs went to the beach to aid the survivors. The lord of the town sent message to the Old King who welcomed the survivors to stay at his castle in the capital until they regained their strength.
The king sent a message to Theilon, addressed to the elven king, to inform the elves of what had happened and of the safety of the survivors. In response, the elven king sent a small flotilla of elven sloops to retrieve their kin. The elven king came to Lador personally with the flotilla to thank the king and offer a reward. The Old king graciously accepted the king's gift and extended his hope for friendship, growing quite fond of his elven guests from the galleon. In the past the elves typically did not involve themselves in human politics. But after Lador's actions towards his people, the elven king humbly accepted the offer and was willing to try an alliance between elves and humans.
Over the years, the elves would regularly visit Lador. The two peoples would enthusiastically exchanged cultures and traditions. The elven king would often visit the old king as their alliance grew. Meanwhile the heir of Lador, Prince Avon, fell in love with the elven king's daughter, Princess Lierin. The two spent time together and quickly fell in love and eventually told their parents. The elven king was apprehensive at first, but after seeing how happy his daughter was, he agreed to give them his blessing. Eventually the Prince and Princess would marry. A large ceremony was hosted by the old king of Lador. Friends and family from the kingdom and from Theilon, came far and wide to see the wedding. Even King Foril, friend to both the old king and Prince Avon, attended to ceremony and celebrated their marriage. A few years later, the old king died and Avon, along with his wife, Lierin, Became the next King and Queen of Lador.

During their reign, the King Avon and Queen Lierin began working on a new keep, originally called the Lador Keep. The keep was built to be a symbol of the prosperity and strength of the kingdom. Not long before the keep was finished, the Queen fell pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. They called him Yielden and the King was overcome with joy. They decided to rename the keep, Yielden Keep and declared the keep and its city the new capital of Lador. The dwarven king of Thindolir received news of the Prince's birth and visited the newly built keep with a large workforce of dwarves. His gift to them was a large foundry they planned to build for the keep. A gift the Royal couple happily accepted. King Avon named King Foril the godfather of the prince, a title the dwarven king treasured more than the title of king itself. As Yielden grew up, King Foril would often visit the Lador and the king, often giving advice to the young prince during his stays.

The First Great War

At the latter end of the First Age, a great evil declared war on the world of Araes. The grim order of Kala and its dark armies invaded the prosperous kingdom of Lador first, flooding into the kingdom from its mines, swiftly destroying all of the mining towns and killing its inhabitants. The orcish legions quickly burned their way through the peninsula until only the Keep remained. The armies of Lador were exhausted of most of its troops and Yielden Keep fell under a long and brutal siege. King Avon had hoped for reinforcements from Thindolir, but it was clear they would make it in time.

The king and his royal guard held out against the orcs and goblin hordes, but their success would not last. Lord Nal'loth, leader of the dark armies, sent out the wyvern. The terrible fire breathing beast laid waste to the keeps defences and, while the creature was slain, the walls were mostly destroyed and the armies entered the keep. The king and his guard held their ground as the Queen and her 15 year old son fled into the tower. During their attempted escape the Queen would be killed and Prince Yielden captured by orcs. Unknown to him of his family's fate, the king and his men retreated into the tower and fought their way up to the top of the tower, the guard slowly dissolved until only the king remained. To his horror, the tower had already been taken. The orc general stood at the top of the tower, clutching the king's son. It was there the orc killed the young prince, stabbing him in the neck. Yielden bled out in front of his father, a clear message to Avon that the line of kings would be broken that day. The king was executed moments after his son's death. The keep had fallen, ending the Kingdom of Lador.

Disbandment

The fall of Yielden Keep sealed the fate of the Kingdom of Lador. The Keep was the last free settlement in the peninsula and the overwhelming majority of the Ladorians were murdered as their settlements were razed to ashes. The death of the king, queen, and the young prince left the barren kingdom leaderless and the Keep was taken over by the Grim Order of Kala and renamed to Kas Dhozgul, known in the common tongue as The Black Fortress. The kingdom fell, never to return.
The few remaining survivors of the invasion fled further into the continent. The Lador Peninsula, scorched and scarred, became known as the Forbidden Badlands. After the First Great War, a large defensive wall known as Bronzefort Wall was erected from coast to coast, separating the peninsula from the rest of Aluin.
It is believed that the people who settled behind the wall and created the citadel city were the few survivors from the kingdom of Lador.

Demography and Population

The majority of the population consists of humans from the continent of Aluin. Most of the human population were born on the peninsula of Lador itself however humans form other parts of Aluin, as far as the north, moved to the kingdom for work and a new life. It was common for citizens from the kingdom of Morhoth to travel back and forth between the two kingdoms for work.

One of the largest groups of people, outside of humans, was the elves of Theilon. The kingdoms of Lador and Theilon both share a strong bond that has lasted centuries, a bond which got stronger during the golden age of Lador when the prince of Lador and Princess of Theilon married. The elven population within Lador remained steady until its fall. The Humans of Lador and Elves of Theilon got along well, sharing cultures and festivals.

It was also common for dwarves to visit and even live in Lador from time to time. It was uncommon for dwarves to be seen living anywhere other than their great mountain cities, however the kingdom's friendship with the dwarven kingdom of Thindolir was well respected and many dwarves would move to Lador temporarily for work. A few would even stay to live the rest of their lives there.

Territories

The kingdom of Lador once ruled over the Lador Peninsula located southeast of Aluin. The peninsula is a badlands which made farming harder in the region though there were areas of fertile land. Before the fall of Lador, the badlands were mostly green with rolling plains of grass with some small woodland areas. The Kingdom of Lador, despite its wealth and prosperity, was relatively small and only covered the Lador peninsula. There were 5 cities and 10 towns. Most of the cities were by the coast with the towns inland, mainly mining settlements. There were several smaller villages that began to grow during the golden age.

Military

The kingdom of Lador had a simple military structure. Each settlement had its own army which served the lord of the settlement who served the king. Each section of the Ladorian army was comprised of Basic foot soldiers, Bowmen and Knights along with their squires.
The foot soldiers made up most of the numbers. These soldiers had basic training in swordsmanship and weapons of war such as pikes. These soldiers had limited training and were lightly armoured, typically with gambeson or chainmail. Foot soldiers were made of the normal peasantry and were often conscripted during times of war. Some foot soldiers served longer periods, policing the towns and cities as guards.
Bowmen were ranged units within the army, typically using longbows and warbows. While almost everyone in Lador had some training in archery, Bowmen mostly signed up for the role and were specially trained to use bows in battle, learning separate tactics. The bowmen of Lador were particularly deadly, known for their restraint and impressive aim.
Knights were noble soldiers of the kingdom. Knights were elite troops who served the lord of each settlement. During times of war, the lord would fight with his army in the name of the king of Lador. Knights were heavily armoured and were trained in a variety of combat including cavalry combat with horses. Knights start their career as squires, young boys, typically at the age of 11 would train along their peers in swordsmanship, horse riding, and equipment maintenance. When a Squire reaches the age of 14, they are put under the command of a single knight. The squire would serve the knight and maintain his equipment and weapon for them. If a squire proves themself in battle they may be knighted as reward, but typically a squire would be knighted at around 17 years old. Knights who serve under the king were referred to as the Kings knights and, alternatively, the Royal Guard.

Foreign Relations

Theilon

As previously mentioned, the kingdom of Lador had a healthy and strong alliance with the elven kingdom of Theilon. The bond first began towards the beginning of the golden age of Lador. An elven Galleon, named randir, was caught in a terrible tempest and was shipwrecked off the coast of Lador. Survivors of the ship were discovered merchants who were travelling from town to town. The Merchants sent for the local lord who took them to the old king.
The old king welcomed the survivors to his castle and sheltered them, providing food and drink. The old king immediately sent a messenger hawk to the Kingdom of Theilon to inform the elven king of the situation. The elven king sent a small flotilla of sloops to retrieve the survivors and bring them home, along with return the dead who washed up on the shore who were found and preserved by the old king's guard. The elven king made a personal appearance to Lador and personally thanked the old king of Lador, the two kings became friends during the elven king's stay.
Relations would continue to strengthen between the two kingdoms, especially after it was revealed that the Prince of Lador, Prince Avon, and the Princess of Theilon, Princess Lierin, had fallen in love. The two lovers soon married, joining the two nations in a loving bond. When the old king passed away, Prince Avon became the new king and Princess Lierin became the queen of Lador. The two kingdoms would remain allies until the fall of Lador and the death of the royal family.

Thindolir

The kingdoms of Lador and Thindolir had an extensive trade agreement. The old king of Lador frequently visited the mountain halls of Thindolir when he was still a prince, often accompanying his father. The old king got along well with the dwarven prince, Foril, and the two would often play together while their fathers hammered out new trade deals. Foril became king before the old king of Lador, and would often travel to Lador. King Foril thought after years of traveling to Thindolir to deal with his father, it would only be fair to travel to Lador to continue their agreements. King Foril would often share his council with the old king, both before and after his was crowned. The two were good friends throughout their reign. The dwarven king would later lend his advice and experience to the old king's son, Prince Avon.
The two kingdoms became more than a series of trade deals, growing into a very strong alliance. In fact, when Prince Avon and Princess Lierin got married, the dwarven king attended the wedding in person and would, later, attend the old king's funeral. King Foril stayed in Lador to console the grieving prince until his coronation. When the King and Queen had a child of their own, Prince Yielden, King foril sent a large workforce of dwarves to build a foundry for the new keep. The dwarven king would later provide council for Prince Yielden too. The fall of Lador and death of the royal family deeply hurt King Foril and the dwarves of Thindolir.

Education

Education would typically vary based on one's status. Children within the peasantry often had limited options and would usually learn in the trade of their parents, such as farming and baking.
Children of craftsmen would of typically have access to basic education taught by others if they lived in larger towns or cities with a school. It was common for the child of craftsmen to train in their parents trade, the craft passing down each generation.
The children of lords, nobles, and knights had a much higher variety of topics they could learn. Their parents would pay for private tutors who would spend their time teaching a wide range of subjects from maths, literacy, alchemy, astrology/astronomy and many other subjects. These children, especially the boys, were often encouraged and some even pressured by their parents to train as Squires and eventually become knights. It was believed all nobility should serve their kingdom in combat, even the princes would train to become a knight, in fact it was necessary in order for a prince to later become a king.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

As one, we raise ourselves higher

1402 (1A) - 2578 (1A)

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

The ruins of Kaz Dhozgul

Alternative Names

Lador

Training Level

Professional

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Currency

Ladorian coins (gold, silver, copper coin pieces)

Major Exports

Metals, Equipment, Jewelry

Major Imports

Silk, Magical items, Foodstuff

Legislative Body

King's court

Judicial Body

King's court

Location

The Forbidden Badlands