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My stories are usually based primarily around yaoi pairings, which means boy-boy, homosexual pairings. If you don't like it, don't read it- it's that simple. Please don't complain or flame, as you have been warned.

Hetalia Axis Powers/Hetalia World Powers is the property of Hidekaz Himaruya, Studio Deen, and Funimation. All stories are purely for entertainment purposes, and I am so not worth suing.

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Introductory Chapter from A History of Ancient Hoyle, written by Wang Shao, Jack of the Kingdom of Spades, in the year 2465 of the Kingdom Era and found in the Royal Library of the Kingdom of Spades.

The arrangement of the world of Hoyle into the modern Kingdoms had its roots in the Warring Tribes period of some three millennia ago. At this time, there were no formal nations or governments, and the people organized themselves into small clans or tribes. These units were usually related by blood or bond, and any alliances between neighboring tribes were often tenuous or temporary as a matter of design. It was a savage time; the average life expectancy of this era (known as the Ancient Era or "Before Kingdom") was less than forty years and culture was crude or nonexistent.

Though the exact year of their descent is unknown, it is certain that by the year 20 BKE the Gods had completely left the Realm of the Stars to walk amongst men. A scroll from this time period, written by the High Holy Priest Benedek Héderváry recounts the Council of Hoyle, held by the Gods with the heads of each major clan and tribe in attendance. Though each Kingdom today possesses many accounts of the Council and the Edicts that followed from it, the Priest's account is the most complete.

According to Héderváry, the Gods had come to terrestrial Hoyle because the constant wars created a cacophony that resonated throughout the Aether Realm and weakened the magic of the deities therein. The Four Elements, the most powerful and magical of the Pantheon of twenty-two, descended first to determine the origin of the disturbance; upon finding the world in utter chaos and the development of any sort of civilization ground to a halt, they called upon their brethren to join them and decide a course of action. The result was the Council of Hoyle, held in what is now known as the "Hierophant's City"; because this council was held before the Kingdoms were formed, Hierophant City is one of the few neutral areas in all of Hoyle. The Basilica of Thoth was built on the site of the original gathering, and her priests still, to this day, surrender their Suit upon entry so as to be purely devoted to the Gods.

The exact discussions of the Council are lost to time, but the Edicts handed down are quite clear. The people of Hoyle were to be gathered into four great Kingdoms, each patronized by one of the four Elements. These nations were formed entirely based upon the quality of the soul of each individual human, and thus many clans and family lines were scattered across all four. Those former allegiances were invalidated, and the nationality of each human came to be called his or her "Suit".

The first to choose her people was the Moon, avatar of Water and ruler of emotion, love, and spirituality. Hers were the people whose souls dwelt in the realm of the heart- the empathetic, the spiritual, and the compassionate. But with those came the self-involved, the antipathetic, and the spiteful. The Children of the Moon took the lands of the West, the shores of the Sea of Eros and its myriad islands. They were called "The Cups", though this suit was renamed Hearts in the Tower Wars. Each member of this Suit bears a red heart marking on his or her left upper breast.

Next to choose was the Sun, avatar of Fire and ruler of wisdom, industriousness, and enthusiasm. His were the people whose souls dwelt in the realm of the spirit- the creative, the passionate, and the men of action. But with those came the naïve, the ashamed, and the pessimistic. The Children of the Sun took the lands to the South, the fertile valleys and farmlands of Hoyle. They were called "The Wands", renamed to Clubs in the Tower Wars. Each member of this Suit bears a green clover marking in the well of his or her throat.

Third to choose was the Empress, avatar of Earth and ruler of health, wealth, and physicality. Hers were those whose souls dwelt in the realm of the home and hearth- the honest, the charitable, and the loyal. But with those came the confused, the anxious, and the fearful. The Children of the Empress took the lands to the East, sunny grasslands bordering the Sea of Demeter. They were known as "The Pentacles", later renamed Diamonds. Each member of this Suit bears a golden diamond marking on his or her right palm.

Last to choose was the most powerful of all- Death. Avatar of the Air, he ruled adversity, challenge, transformation, and time. His were those whose souls dwelt in the realm of the mind- the powerful, the free, the brilliant, and the victorious. But with those came the arrogant, the vulnerable, and the cruel. The Children of Death, also known as Children of the Spirit King, took the lands to the North, the high mountains and snow-covered forests. The greatest warriors in all of Hoyle were found among these, and thus they came to be known as "The Swords", changed later to Spades. Each member of this Suit bears an indigo spade marking underneath his or her right eye.

The central area of the continent was decreed to be a neutral zone, belonging to no Kingdom or Suit, and ruled over by the World for She was the balance of all elements. It was at this point that Héderváry was chosen to act as "Hierophant", or High Priest, to the Gods. He and his would be of no nation, but serve only to be keepers of the Faith and of prophecy, and to form the court that would oversee international discord. Each priest, upon entering any of the Twenty-Two Orders, would bear a bi-colored star marking in place of his or her Suit marking; all priests and adepts would become truly neutral and surrender allegiance to their previous Suit even if serving in their home country's temples. A citadel was to be built on the very spot of the Council, the World decreed, and all nations would help in its construction. Each Kingdom was also to have a temple in the city to their patron god, and to house their representatives to the Hierophant. These four would become known as the Hierophantic Ambassadors. The year the citadel was completed, twenty years after the Council of Hoyle, became designated as the start of a new era; the Kingdom Era.

Finally, it was decreed that a triad of royalty would rule each Kingdom- a Jack, a Queen, and a King. These positions would not be hereditary or dependent on gender or marriage; rather, a set of holy relics given by the gods to each Suit would select the best candidate in the Kingdom by resonating with his or her soul. The soul of the chosen royal would be bound to that relic, and his or her suit marking would change to reflect that merger. These artifacts would grant unnaturally long life to those who served their kingdom well…and take it from those who did not. It was of little surprise to the people that those chosen as the First Royalty were those of prominent clans, clans who had stayed concentrated mostly in a single suit, for these were the embodiment of the qualities of their gods.

The First Royalty of Hearts were from the Vargas Clan (as Jack), the Honda Clan (as Queen), and the Beillschmidt Clan (as King). For Clubs, it was the Edelstein Clan, the Héderváry Clan, and the Braginski Clan; for Diamonds the Zwingli Clan (for both Jack and Queen, a set of twins) and the Bonnefoy Clan. Spades, however, became instantly unstable for the selection of its Royalty. The first Jack of Spades was of the Clan Wang, powerful merchants and traders of the East. That tribe had been in a near constant state of war with the tribe that yielded the first Queen- Clan Kirkland, dark sorcerers and practitioners of the arcane. Most troublesome politically was the first King of Spades, a man from the Jones Clan. Known for their extreme strength and prowess as warriors, the Jones Clan was feared throughout Hoyle. Interestingly, the most chilling of their attributes was said to be their smiles; warriors of the Jones clan were said to wear maniacal grins in battle, laughing and joking amongst themselves as if they were frolicking children rather than hardened mercenaries. Clan Jones never fought for themselves, but rather leased themselves out for hire, waging war for any tribe wealthy (or desperate) enough to pay their price. They were particularly despised by both Clan Wang and Clan Kirkland, and the First Hierophant remarked in his annals that he had been terrified that the newly-formed Kingdom of Spades would fall apart before ever truly beginning, plunging the continent into war once more.

The Hierophant was wrong. Despite their differences and initial prejudices, the First Royalty of Spades turned out to be the most successful dynasty ever to rule in Hoyle. Their strengths and weaknesses complimented those of their counterparts, and eventually the triad learned not only to respect one another, but to love one another as family. Together, they built a nation of sophisticated technology and industry that also boasted the most powerful army in all four kingdoms. Their reign, known now as the Golden Age of Spades, lasted for four hundred and thirty five years.

In 415 KE, agents under the employ of the Royal Court of Clubs entered Spades Kingdom clandestinely and assassinated the whole of the Jones Clan including Rane the Great, using a combination of poisons so as to avoid their famed strength. No man, woman, or child was spared in this purge, though rumors persisted that three of the King's great (many times over) grandchildren escaped; their bodies were never found. In a grief-stricken rage, Queen Berne Kirkland and Jack Wang Wen did not bother to take their case to the Hierophantic Courts, but rather declared war outright on the Kingdom of Clubs. At a mystical and tactical disadvantage without a King (as Spadille, the King's pocket-watch, had not yet chosen a new monarch), Spades enlisted Diamonds as ally, due to close ties between the House of Kirkland and the House of Bonnefoy. Clubs drew Hearts into the struggle on their own side, playing on the isolated kingdom's fear of the seemingly limitless power of the Spades monarchy, and what became known as the Tower Wars had begun.

Lasting from 415 KE through 506 KE, the Tower Wars plunged the continent into a chaos that had not existed since the Warring States Era. Far more advanced industry and weaponry yielded a devastating death toll in this engagement, however- a full one quarter of the people of Hoyle died in the Wars themselves, with a further thirty percent of the survivors cut down by famine and poverty in the aftermath. Neither side was able to claim victory, and both the Queen and Jack of Spades lost their lives in the process; the Hierophantic Courts once more stepped in to restore order. Each of the Suits was renamed, an attempt to detach the Kingdoms from their past identities and grudges, though a chilly enmity has remained between Spades and Clubs to this day.

Never again has the Kingdom of Spades seen a Kirkland and a Wang on any of the royal thrones at the same time, and no sign was ever found of the continuance of the Jones bloodline. However, a most curious prophecy was delivered by the adepts of the goddess of the Aether, the Star, at the end of the Tower Wars, verified by the priests of the Temple of Thoth. When three kingdoms hold a Royal Flush, the Rose and the Peony will retake their former thrones, so they say; a fallen star will return to the sky and lightning will strike the Tower again. The Wheel of Fortune will spin, and the eagle will carry the new future on his wings, for good or for ill.

Only the first portion of this prophecy is clear. A Kingdom is said to have a "Royal Flush" when the House of each of its reigning royalty is aligned with that of the First Royals, chosen by the Gods themselves. As of today, there has only been one Royal Flush in the history of Hoyle- the reigning King, Queen, and Jack of the current Kingdom of Clubs are of the House of Braginski, Héderváry, and Edelstein respectively. As the Rose and the Peony are the symbols of the House of Kirkland and the House of Wang, the implication is that if Clubs, Diamonds, and Hearts simultaneously possess a Royal Flush, the Kingdom of Spades will follow suit in as far as it can. Though many interpretations for the latter portions exist (including the rather far-fetched notion that the Jones Clan will somehow resurrect itself and all four Kingdoms will mirror the First Royalty), the Basilica has ranked this prophecy as undetermined and unfulfilled.

NOTES:

This will be a Cardtalia story, based on Himaruya's Arte Stella drawings of the same. Considering that his original drawings and choices for the face card characters match the symbolism of color and personality depicted by the Rider-Waite Tarot, I will be using that as the basis for the mythology of the World of Hoyle. The twenty-two Gods are based on the cards of the Major Arcana, while the Suit cards will be based on the Minor Arcana.

Major Arcana cards mentioned in this chapter: The Moon, The Sun, The Stars, The Wheel of Fortune, The World, The Empress, Death, The Hierophant, and The Tower.

This story will be eventual USUK/UKUS, with a possible side pairing of PruCan and mentions of GerIta, AusHun, and a few others. I will be assigning Suits to those nations who did not appear in the Arte Stella drawings basically however I feel will move the plot. I will also be drawing a map of the Kingdoms of Hoyle to accompany this work.