“Josephine Devlin and Nathaniel Wolfe request the honour of your attendance at their marriage on Friday, the twenty seventh of February at 8pm EST followed by a reception at Josie’s Restaurant.”
“The Emperor and Empress of Valgaris announce the birth of their son, Noah Kane, a healthy baby boy. The Empire rejoices in the news of the birth!”
Attention Citizens,
I, Grand Emperor Christopher Kane, in light of recent hostilities between Blackwatch and the Orcs, hereby announce that Valgaris shall be a nation of neutrality who will not favor one nation over another. Should the different races and cities of the world wish to tear each other apart, Valgaris shall have no part in it unless otherwise directly threatened or attacked.
Years and years ago, under a different regent, Thorald de Thari was born. His family was small, and he was an only child… Rare for the time. Not destined to inherit great titles or great fortunes, he set out to pave his own path. At an early age, he had witnessed combat, death and swordplay, and he had let it inspire him to attempt to master the art of war. He enlisted in the army and served for his years of youth and served bravely, even into young adulthood.
At the age of twenty-four, death met with him for the first time.. At least it’s shadows, and it’s dangerous reach. He had seen combat before, certainly, and he had even killed, but not like this. The two sides met, and while at first, nervous, he decided that it was finally time to do what he had set out so many years ago to do– to pave a path for himself. He charged a head and rallied his men, and the sight of that, inspired the rest of the army, and so the leader of the battlefield called for a full on attack.
They did.
As the shouts of war became replaced with screams of agony, and sight returned to him once again… A cry of victory sounded. They had done it. The battle was obviously not credited to a normal soldier, but it gave him a small hole in the wall to crawl into– an opening to the path of nobility. For his efforts, he was elevated to knighthood, and thus, a noble.
House Thari was founded, by Thorald de Thari, who changed his stars from that of a high standing family, to a noble. Thorald was old when he had his two children. Leofwin and Philip de Thari. His firstborn was, of course, set to inherit his titles, and his second born would enjoy the benefits and perks of nobility for his entire life. The House did good, but as Thorald grew old, his sons grew lazy. They lacked the same zeal that their father had, and were not interested in earning their stripes or paving their path.
Leofwin spent his time training, drinking and jousting, but the latter, while a way to gain glory, was always done with friends, and not in official tournaments. Fame and glory eluded him. Philip did the same. Glory was not in their sights, but rather, to enjoy life. They were both good men, but the House’s hand in politics was removed shortly after Thorald’s death.
They were nobles, but as Leofwin and Philip aged in the shadows, they were forgotten. They had both gotten their own sons by the time they reached thirty, and it seemed as if the house would die on the coming generation… at least it would, if everyone shared their fathers’ genes and personalities.
They didn’t.
The firstborn of Lord Leofwin was named Talon, and the firstborn of Philip, Mikael. With the addition of Leofwin’s second son, Hedric, the Three Musketeers had arrived. Because of their fathers’ inability to reach, the three of them did the reaching. They were practically inseparable, and from an early age, they were trained for combat, politics, and on how to be a noble. At the very least, Leofwin had the decency to make sure his heritage would be educated properly.
As Leofwin grew old, Talon did his best to convince his father to do something- to come out and into the sun with the noble house, and through persistence, he finally did. Leofwin, through old sources managed to find a suitable wife for his son to marry, in order to strengthen two (now) weak houses, in joining them. Amelia of House Lyane, a young lady of nobility.
With all things set in motion, Leofwin decided it was a good time to die. He died of old age, and days later, the marriage happened. The current Queen, Adele I was invited, but did not show. Instead, she sent letters wishing the newly wed couple her blessings. They had been noticed, and it was time for the house to rise once more.
Today, the now royal dynasty of de Thari stands stronger than ever before, with Talon de Thari and his recently wed wife, Helena de Thari ruling the newly independent Kingdom of Blackwatch as King and Queen respectively. The dynastic heir, Thorald de Thari is known to be a healthy boy, if a little timid, while the daughter of the main branch of the de Thari, Elya, is gregarious with an air of curiousity around her, even at such a young age. The Queen, Talon’s third wife, started as Chancellor of the Kingdom, but the two present rulers quickly fell in love and were married in the eyes of Gods and men not long after. Now, Blackwatch and the dynasty that rules it seem to have entered a golden age.
Meanwhile, in the south, a new power has arisen in Valgaris. Christopher Kane, a man who had fled from Mercadia after seemingly going on a killing spree of Edana’s guards, has declared himself Grand Emperor and taken the throne of Valgaris from the absent D’Neri family. Bolstered by converts from the Mercadian guard, the Emperor has established a firm grip on the southern lands.
Emperor Christopher had managed to calm tensions with a story about how the guards of Edana had attempted to murder him due to him speaking ill of the division of Blackwatch and Mercadia, but not all seem to believe his tale. Still, it begs the question, why would a man who stood accused of murdering guards in Edana have many of the very same cities guards join him in Valgaris?
The Emperor is swift in his reforms, cleansing the crime ridden city of criminals by enacting new laws and harsh punishments. Bodies of criminals are chained to posts along the path to Valgaris as a warning to citizens and visitors alike that Valgaris will not tolerate crime.
The city of Valgaris has seemingly embraced their new leader, who has managed to make needed repairs to the cities infastructure and economy, as well as bolster the guard ranks. Morale is high in Valgaris as the citizens stand firm and united. The Emperor has been seen often in the company of Dame Lia Dunharrow of Mercadia. Dame Lia has also been given the title of Advisor of Foreign affairs, but rumors circulate that there is more to the two’s relationship than meets the eye.
The races of Drow and Orc also stand behind Valgaris, as the Emperor has embraced the long standing Valgarian tradition of allowing all races entrance to Valgaris, much to the discouragement of many other races and cities. Blackwatch, especially, has been opposed, having been reported to the Emperor that they refer to Valgaris as a “bastion of darkness”.
Because of this, tensions have arisen between the nation of Valgaris and the nation of Blackwatch after a meeting between the Emperor and King Talon De Thari. Both sides prepare their troops for war, stating they will not start it but will indeed finish it. Will tensions escalate further and fling the continent into a war?
Photos by rusty001, Lindsay Archer and Chris Becker
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Current News
The North:
In the cold, harsh lands of the north, after the ascension of the House de Thari as rulers of Blackwatch, a period of growth and strength was ushered in for the parish. The Duke and Duchess formed the Green Cloaks and a Town Watch for Oakvale. The Green Cloaks are easily distinguished by the cloth they wear around their shoulders, and are all sworn men and women to the throne of Blackwatch.
The Duke and his bannermen collaborated with the government and crown of Mercadia in order to plan an expansion to the township of Oakvale. Said expansion was completed recently, and rumours say that the Duke plans to appoint a Baron and/or Baroness of Oakvale, though he has yet to pick whom shall hold this position. Unfortunately, tragedy has struck the lands. After the Duchy of Blackwatch announced the Duchess’ pregnancy, she recently gave birth to a healthy son, though, dreadfully, passed while giving birth. It is said that the Duke received the news and appropriately wept, donning black to signify his mourning, urging his citizens and compatriots to do the same. The Duchess is to be buried in the de Thari family crypts in Edana.
With the expansion in place, new housing is available in Oakvale to those that hope to settle in the hard lands of the northmen, and the Duke urges all those interested to appear before him in court. It is rumoured that he plans to make his fief of Oakvale thrive, and host regular jousts and other tournaments. He seeks for his gentry to grow in numbers, and there are ample opportunity to be found
(Contact Greydale on IRC, or make an appearance at Blackwatch Keep IG!)
Edana:
In recent times, has cleared many crypts filled with undead, due to the efforts of the Lord Commander of the guard, zealous Sir Grant Jackson, and the undead slayer, Duke Talon of Blackwatch. Their just Kingdom seeks periods of peace and prosperity, but also growth. In light of this, the city of Edana has expanded, and long stretches of land have been turned into fields of grain and other important resources for the Kingdom of Mercadia.
The heir to the crown of the Kingdom, Daryn Dunharrow, is said to be under the tutelage of the Duke of Blackwatch, a Kingmaker in his own right. Daryn, first of his name, is said to be both strong and tall, not to mention caring for his people and their best interests. The citizens of Mercadia are said to be both hopeful that he will live up to his namesake, and positive to his recent appearances.
The Mercadian Kingdom mourns the loss of the Duchess of Blackwatch. The Queen Adele the First has been seen wearing black to show her respect, and mourning.
The South
Word has quickly spread throughout the lands, heralding the arrival of Victor d’Neri and a small band of soldiers from the North. People say that Victor has arrived in Valgaris after receiving notice that his cousin, Nicholas, survived the gruesome attack on the d’Neri family and has now returned to Teiravon to take control of the Empire of Valgaris. Some who have seen Victor thus far say he is
a terrible, hulking beast of a man who dresses in black armor, with a large black axe strung across his back, its blades in the shape of the wings of a bird.
The d’Neri family has also made quite a splash in the south as of late, with Benjamin d’Neri being named the Grand Duke of Wolfsmouth, putting him in control of one of the most luxury locations on the continent. Offering a casino, wine house, and… house of pleasure… it is sure that Wolfsmouth will be able to please any who bring the right amount of coin along with them. With the d’Neri family
securing their place in the South, it is clear that they are seeking to firmly engrain their position.
Rumors
While all of this goes on, rumors begin to spread that a war may be on the brink between the Kingdom of Mercadia and the Empire of Valgaris. So, too, do the people talk about happenings of the Queen of Valgaris aiding the liche Keldueth Septre, the powerful necromancer who has come back to the lands with unknown motives. Is she truly trying to empower the Undead to return in masse to the lands?
This is hardly known, but the secrets of Teiravon remain. Word is that the plans to liberate and aid Ka’Mella have been cancelled due to the political conflict that rose with the Empire of Valgaris
Thank you Greydale and Don for this update!
