In the northern region of the world of Selenus lies the mystical land of Eostia. Home to many different races including High Elves and Dark Elves, Beast Men, Dwarves and Halflings, Orcs, Humans, hundreds of different monsters and beasts and so many more. But like many others, Eostia was built upon a history of blood, death and destruction.
Let's start with the arrival of the Great Tribes. The Norðmenn.
The Great Tribes of Fé, Úr, Gyfu, Reið and Thurs, and the lesser tribes under them, arrived from the northern region of Helios and made landfall on Eostia after they were forced from their home by the raging earth and sky. Eostia was a land that was previously unknown to them. There they found numerous fertile lands and several mountainous regions. A perfect place to settle their tribes and give their people a place to call home.
During that time, the homeland of the tribes, Norðland, was swallowed by the earth as fire rained down from the heavens and the sea had flooded their valley, forcing them to flee and search for a new land to call home. A month at sea, guided only by twin ravens, and they finally came upon the land of Eostia. But their arrival into the region was not a peaceful one.
The Norðmenn were once ruled by benevolent chieftains. But after the cataclysm that forced them from their land, the Great Tribes came under new management and were now ruled by violent and power hungry Warlords. The Warlords saw a land waiting to be conquered and conquer it they did. They fought a bloody and brutal war against the Beast Men. Eventually driving them out of their own lands and claiming it as their own. As soon as the tribes settled into their new home, the Warlord of the Fé tribe subjugated the lesser tribes as well as the native Eostians before declaring himself as King and his land as the Kingdom of Feoh.
Seeing this, the Warlord of the Úr tribe did the same and declared himself as King of Ur but instead of challenging the King of Feoh for territory, he secured an alliance with him as well as other various treaties. For the years to come, the two Kingdoms would maintain strong relations. The King of Ur named his realm the Royaume d'Ur.
But the King of Feoh wasn't satisfied with that. He wanted more but they were not the only ones who rose to Monarchy.
The rest of the Great Tribes mirrored his actions and declared themselves as their own Kingdoms. The Kingdom of Geofu, or the Königreich Geofu, was the closest to Feoh and the two fought a war that ended in a stalemate due to the intervention of the High Elves and Feoh moved on to attack the Kingdom of Reið instead.
The Kingdom of Reið didn't stand a chance against the Kingdon of Feoh and became a vassal state under Sigmundr known as the Principality of Rad.
Years after Sigmundr's passing saw the takeover of the principality by Yegor I who declared himself Grand Prince and granted the title of Prince and Princess to his most loyal retainers and allies. Giving them land to repay them for their service in his rise to power and renaming the realm to the Grand Principality of Rad as well as declaring independence from Feoh.
There were those who remained loyal to Feoh and were subsequently subjugated by Rad.
This angered the Kingdom of Feoh and King Ölaf marched to Rad with his army in an effort to 'put them in their place'. His campaign ended in failure and the Grand Principality took over the lands of those who were loyal to Feoh before declaring their completed nation as the Tzardom of Rad with Yegor I as Tzar.
The Kingdom of Geofu, meanwhile, remained neutral. The people of Geofu established good relations with the High Elves of Cen'aina and were the first humans to step foot in to the High Elven homeland as well as the first humans to convert and worship the Goddess of the Dawn, Eos. It wasn't long until the entire Kingdom converted and in the coming years, the most devoted would establish the Order of Knights of the Divine Temple of Dawn or the Dawn Templars.
The Kingdom of Thorn remained silent throughout the conflicts and kept to themselves. They were the second to convert and were the first to establish contact and trade with the Halflings of the Merchant Republic of Ansur and the Dwarven Kingdom of Anvil.
Soon all four Human Kingdoms converted to the Eostian religion and only a few still held on to their old beliefs.
Then the Orcs arrived.
The Orc Tribes were a near mirror of the Great Human Tribes. They too had lost their home and searched the world for a new one. They found Ur to be suitable and settled into their lands without the Kingdom's permission. Things took a turn for the worse as the people of Ur began harassing the Orcs and fueling their anger. It came to a breaking point when the petty King of Ur during that time killed an Orc in front of their tribe and had the corpse quartered.
The consequences of the King's actions set off what would be known across Eostia as the Carnage of Ur. The Orcs raged across the Kingdom and brought them to it's knees. Stating that they will stop only if the King of Ur is dead. Had it not been for Feoh's help, Ur would've been burned to the ground long ago.
The conflict ended when Filippo de' Fiorire killed his brother-in-law, King Henry de Rais, in a duel for the throne. As King, Filippo sent Henry's body to the Orcs and the Orcs stopped. They returned to their tribes but refused to leave Ur. Filippo didn't want any further hostilities and so let the Orcs be. Many still held resentment towards Orcs but fear of another Carnage kept that resentment at bay.
Filippo's ascension ended the rule of House de Rais and began the rule of House Fiorire which ushered the most prosperous era in the history of the Kingdom of Ur which was also renamed Regno di Ur under Filippo's reign.
The Southwestern and the Southeastern Kingdoms, however, had problems of their own.
Vladislaus, a Prince from the Tzardom of Rad, was afflicted with the Vampire curse. Rather than fight it, Vladislaus learned to control the powers that came with the curse. He gathered his growing kin from all across Eostia and formed a Vampire Coven. Calling themselves the Highborn. Numbering in the thousands, they laid waste to Rad and brought about the near annihilation of the Tzardom.
The Highborn then set their sights on Cen'aina or Ken'aina, shortened to Ken, in the Common Tongue. Unfortunately, the holy land of Cen'aina prevented them from entering so they turned to Geofu instead.
They attacked the towns and villages in the borders of the Königreich. Gathering more Vampires for their brood. Soon, Vladislaus attacked the capital city of Geofu, Stadt der Morgen. The Highborn struck at the dead of night. Feeding to satiate their lust for blood or afflicting their victims with the curse to further grow the numbers of their coven.
Fortunately, Geofu was saved by the most unlikely of people. Gabriel, the First Vampire Hunter, managed to fight the calling after being inflicted with the curse and drove the Highborn from the city with the help of other Vampire Hunters. People who had been afflicted with the curse but had overcome it's calling through sheer willpower or unrelenting rage.
Vladislaus and the Highborn were hunted down by the Order of the Vampire Hunters before being driven out of Eostia and taking over the region of Luna. Renaming it Dragulia. The Vampire Hunters, however, were not far behind and began a crusade against their nemeses. Swearing to hunt each and every single one of the Highborn down, to the ends of the earth if they have to, and protect the world from the Vampires.
But it wasn't over. After the Vampires came the Lycan Incursion.
Lycans, having gathered their own strength while the Vampires caused chaos, started popping up all over Eostia and indiscriminately killed and turned the people of the land into Lycans. But Eostia was saved by the Dwarves and Halflings of Anvil and Ansur. The Lycans came from their land and they saw it as their duty to rid the world of Lycans. Much like the Vampire Hunters with the Highborn, the Dwarves held a special hatred for the Lycans and began a crusade to end their kind.
When the Dwarves and Halflings killed off the leader of the Lycans, they scattered across Eostia but many of them joined the ranks of the Beast Men who had been gathering their strength since the Great Tribes stole their home.
What followed was a century of peace with the occasional Beast Men raids and minor skirmishes were the only things people had to worry about until the Exodus of the Dark Elves.
The Dark Elves, having had enough of being slaves and seen as lesser than their High Elven counterparts and other races in general, rebelled and Origa Discordia, an Arcane prodigy and Free-Elf or a former slave that has earned their freedom, led the rebellion and have taken her people north away fron the Kingdoms that enslaved them. Passing the Frontier where the remaining native humans of Eostia reside, the Dark Elves established the Discordian Kingdom and took over the Frontier. Renaming it Garan which the people of Geofu took to calling the Land der Königin der Schwarzelfen or the Land of the Queen of the Black Elves while the Nords of Feoh called it Svartálfheimr or Home of the Black Elves.
She then declared war against the Eostian Kingdoms before razing the Kingdom of Thorn to the ground and leaving nothing but ruins as a show of strength and how far she was willing to go for her people.
Origa also turned to Dark and Forbidden Magic. Unleashing abominations as well as raising the dead to wreak havoc across the the Eostian Kingdoms. She also convinced the Beast Men to join her, playing on their mutual hatred against humans.
The Dark Queen also secured the allegiance of half of the Orc Tribes in Ur and tainted them with foul magic. Turning them into Feral Orcs. Larger and more savage than normal Orcs.
The remaining untainted Orcs, however, were angered. Seeing the clans that joined the Dark Queen and used Dark Magic to gain strength was an affront to them and so they refused Origa's offer and declared the Feral Orcs as outcasts and enemy of the tribes.
Centuries passed, the Eostian Kingdoms and the Discordian Kingdom were still fighting their long and gruesome war with both sides not gaining an advantage over the other. Another civilization soon arrived in Eostia and settled on the ruins of the Kingdom of Thorn yet stayed neutral from the war. Declaring themselves a sovereign state and not a part of the Eostian Kingdoms.
These wandering people, after learning the name of the Kingdom that settled before them, called the realm 'Ibara no Kuni', the Country of Thorn, and the people were known as the Ibara Minzoku. They were ruled by the Tsukuyomi Shogunate since their founding and the lands inside Thorn were given to the Daimyōs who answer to the Shōgun in return.
They rebuilt what was lost and maintained good relations with the Eostian Kingdoms yet mostly kept to themselves. Only defending their borders from the Discordian Kingdom but not actively setting out to the Land of the Dark Elves. They were plagued with constant civil war as the Daimyōs fought one another to either defend or overthrow the Shōgun. The most loyal of the Clans was the Shimazu Clan and the most ambitious was the Ichimaru Clan.
Whenever some lower Daimyō decided to rebel and overthrow the Tsukuyomi Shogunate, the Shimazu Clan would always be there to defend the Shōgun while the Ichimaru Clan would always find a way to manipulate the court and support the rebels. Proof of their involvement was scarce. The Ichimaru Clan hid their tracks well and no one had sufficient enough evidence to have the Clan exiled or destroyed.
As the war progressed, the Eostian Kingdoms and the Discordian Kingdom had beaten one another bloody and the people suffered on all sides. Especially the ones in the Frontier Lands. Both belligerents soon fell into a stalemate and neither side gained a significant victory over the other.
It wasn't until the Battle of the River Thane did the stalemate between the Eostian Kingdoms and the Discordians ended when the Dark Queen's forces struck a massive blow to the Eostians with the help of Origa's latest abominations.
The Eostians retreated from the Frontier Lands with what was left of their armies but their escape was not an easy one. King Alister Arcturus VII of Feoh saw that the Discordians wouldn't stop until they reach the Eostian Kingdoms' borders so he ordered the remainder of Feoh's army to remain behind and hold back the Discordians to keep them from entering their lands.
(Line Break)
From atop his mount, King Alister Arcturus VII watched as the horde of Dark Elves, Feral Orcs, Beast Men and Undead were held back by the Hæren's infantry.
The first ranks of melee infantry, the elite Stormænd and the Sværdmænd, stood in formation shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so they overlap. Forming an impenetrable shield wall while the rear ranks, the Spyd Huskarler, were equipped with multiple javelins which they would hurl at the enemy.
The Spyd Huskarler wore a full set of steel scale armor with a set of steel spaulders, vambraces and greaves as well as leather gloves and boots. They wielded long Spears and Round Shields with a metal boss in the center. Their helmets were mostly conical helms with spectacle and cheek guards as well as a crest with a plume in the center. They also wear a mail coif underneath their helms.
The Stormænd wore chainmail underneath an iron cuirass with iron spaulders, iron vambraces and leather gloves along with a set of iron greaves and leather boots. They wore ridge helmets with a metallic crest and a nose guard in the image of a raven. The Stormænd were armed with Ulfberht Swords and Kite Shields.
The Sværdmænd wore hauberks over their tunics. Their helmets were either conical helms with cheek and spectacle guards or conical helms with spectacle guards and aventail. They wielded Ulfberht Swords and Round Shields instead of Kite Shields.
"Hold them back!" A Stormand yelled "Let them break on our shields. Sigur eða dauði!"
"Sigur eða dauði!" The Stormænd and the Sværdmænd yelled back.
In the rear of the Stormænd and Sværdmænd, were the Huskarle. They wore the same armor as the Spyd Huskarle with the only difference being that the Huskarle wielded Long Axes instead of spears and shields while their Kite Shields were slung on their backs.
Behind the melee infantry were the Bueskyttere. They wore mostly leather armor. Segmented leather cuirasses, leather pauldrons, leather vambraces and leather greaves. All of them were armed with shortswords as secondary weapons just in case.
The missile infantry launched volley after volley down on their enemy. Felling many with their arrows but they were quickly running out of ammunition.
After weeks of holding back the Discordians and being pushed back to the edge of Garan, this was their final stand. They have bloodied the Discordians and inflicted many casualties upon their enemies. When the Discordians take down one man of Feoh, he brings twenty of theirs down with him. Showing the Discordians the ferocity the Great Tribes were known for. The fury of the Norðmenn that runs through their veins.
But fury and will alone weren't enough.
Despite their best efforts, the soldiers of the Hæren were soon overrun and only a handful of them were left to continue the fight but a handful was enough to hold the enemy while their allies escaped.
King Alister, instead of leaving with the Jarls, climbed down his horse. Ignoring the calls of his retainers and subordinates as he made his way to join the handful of Stormænd, Sværdmænd and Huskarler.
The King wore a short sleeved, scale armor underneath a white, sleeveless coat along with a blue warrior's scapular with gold accents and the runic symbol of Feoh in the center. He had a set of steel spaulders with the one on the right having white fur attached to it as well as a set of steel vambraces and gauntlets. He wore a pair of black trousers and leather boots lined with with fur as well as a set of steel greaves and sabatons. His armor was also adorned by a red scarf. One his late wife had weaved for him.
On his head was a simple crowned helm and in the King's hand was a runic blade. The runes of the blade glowing brightly and bathing the area around him in red light.
"Alister, stop!"
The King did so and looked over his shoulder as Jarl Erik Björnsson of Ravnstad approached.
"Stop this madness, my King! Please. The Kingdom needs you. Alicia needs you. You cannot die here!"
"I've taught her all I can, Erik. She can rule the Kingdom as I had. Perhaps even better."
Alister turned to his friend before holding his weapon out to the Jarl who looked at the blade with wide eyes. The Runic Blade of Feoh's Kings and the First King of Feoh Sigmundr the Conqueror's weapon. Angurvadal.
"Erik." He began "Promise me that this weapon reaches Alicia and when she rules, watch over her. Guide her."
"My King. You can't- "
"Do this for me. If not as your King then as your friend. Please."
Erik grit his teeth and his fists clenched before letting out a retired sigh. He reached for the weapon and grasped it by the handle. As soon as the runic blade left the King's hands, the runes stopped glowing.
Erik looked into Alister's eyes and the two shared a nod before the former turned and made his way back to his mount. Three other Jarls joined him while the remaining three Jarls followed after their King. One of them handed Alister an Ulfberht sword and a round shield.
The bare few Thegn Horsemen left nodded to one another and climbed down their mounts before grabbing their weapons and following after their King.
Alister made his way to the front of the line. The soldiers parting to let their king pass. The enemy had been pushed back but was slowly converging on the Hæren.
Despite their enemies coming to surround them, Alister showed no fear. He looked each of the enemy in the eye before raising his sword over his head and cried out a single word. A word that was worth more than a thousand speeches. A word that would wash away all fear and doubt within the hearts of men. A word that would rally the remaining soldiers and reignite their flames of fury. Making it burn as bright as the Sun God Helios' flame.
"VALHALLA!"
Alister and his Jarls suddenly broke off from the rest of the army and charged into the ranks of the enemy alone. There was no fear, no hesitation, within their being. Just bravery and unbridled Nordic fury worthy of the Norðmenn ancestors.
"VALHALLA!!"
Not a moment later, the remaining Hæren charged into the ranks of the Discordian army with a war cry as their King and his Jarls lead them into battle. Every single one of them knew that they would die today but they welcomed it with the intent to make this battle the most glorious of all. A battle that would be remembered throughout the ages.
And when death finally claims them, the Valkyries will come and guide their souls to the Halls of Valhalla. Where the brave shall live forever.
(Line Break)
When Alicia heard that the riders carrying the King's Banner were seen at the Grand Doors of Erik, the Princess Knight of Iris rode from Castle Arcturus and out into Cenric's Square. She reached the Square and found Jarl Erik Björnsson, Jarl Ölvir Agnarsson and Jarl Ivar Alfsson along with their Thegns.
Jarl Erik climbed down his mount before turning his head to see Alicia running towards them. The Jarl's eyes fell on the young Princess Knight and he could see her eyes shifting from each of them. Erik sighed and removed his helmet before running a hand through his hair and approached the young blonde.
"Your Highness."
Erik dropped to one knee and reached into his belt before removing Angurvadal and presented it to the Princess Knight.
Alicia stared at the weapon with wide eyes. She knew what it meant but she didn't want to believe it. She refused to believe that her father was gone.
"I-Is he... "
Erik could only nod at the young blonde "He asked me, as a friend, to give this to you while he remained with the rest of the army to hold off the Discordians. It is yours now."
Alicia reached for the blade with trembling hands before grasping it's handle. As soon as her fingers wrapped around it, the runes on the blade glowed blindingly bright.
The people gathered around them shielded their eyes before dropping to one knee and bowing their heads just as Erik stood up to his full height.
"Konungurinn er dáinn, lengi lifi drottningin. The King is dead, long live Alicia Arcturus. Long live the Queen!"
Alicia stared at the weapon. She could feel tears threatening to drop but she kept it back and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. Once she opened them, she raised Angurvadal high above her head and the weapon glowed brightly once more.
"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"