Endgame Approaching

The Siege of Fort Plage

The Templar armies of Narbonne and Aragorn have attacked Corillia. The combined force of 45,000 men, nominally led by Don Artugio Marabazar, consists of three separate armies.

• 15,000 men under the command of Don Amero Ballatana has crossed the River Mauve, and are now laying siege to Fort Plage. The town is defended by a combined force of 5,000 men, made up of Lady Thorne's Enlightened Presbytarians and Wezellians.
• Another army, this one numbering 20,000, is besieging the three fortresses of the Macharian Line, further West along the Mauve. This effort is commanded by Duke Fillip de Artois, and is mostly made up of Narbonnians. The Alliance forces arrayed against it are made up of Corillian Macharites and Pendrellian expeditionary regiments.
• The last force, counting 10,000, and consisting of at least four regiments of Aragonian cuirassiers, has so far not been committed.

Reports say that the Templars have brought the body of Sta. Larena, as well as the reliquaries from three hundred temples to the front. Whether or not this is true has yet to be established, but the Alliance forces who have faced them in battle tell of scores of angels leading the assaults on thir walls. Rumours also tell of other, darker entities prowling the frontlines after dark.

Recently, news of another army being mustered in Narbonne, counting between 15,000 and 30,000, has reached the Norther Alliance. This force, if it does indeed exist, will most likely have to be composed of ill-equipped raw conscripts.
 

A Flood shrine brought before the walls of Bad Gwornak

The Flood has now reached the foothills of the Elfswall Mountains, and are now besieging Bad Gwornak, the last major Templar stronghold between them and the Laernian Pass. The city has been reinforced by a Corinthian army of 8,000, as well as 50 modern artillery-pieces sent as a gift from the Arch Primarch.

Observers can tell of horrible scenes where thousands upon thousands of the savages throw themselves at the walls of the defenders, drenching the ground in blood so that the terrible gods they bring with them can cross into the world. One such observer, Professor Ludwig Abel of Marburg, has written, "I weep for the world that will rise out of the ashes of this war, for the demons now released upon the world will surely demand tribute if we ever see tomorrow. The doors we now open in our hour of need may proove difficult to close."

Master Octavian Arbalestus has promised to secure the the Flood's break-through, but so far the Ordo Hermetica has not taken to the field in this theatre. 

The death of the Emperor

Emperor Constantinus Ada of the Enlightened Skythian Empire died on 30 Decanum, YE 1022 after having suffered mortal wounds during the Battle of Gryffental. There are still at least two Imperial armies in the field, but these are under-strength and poorly led. The Lord Marshal has proclaimed that "the Host of Man will clean out the remaining snakes," and the Livonian army is now turning towards the Corillian front.

The last days of Borgen

On St. Revan's Day, YE 1022, Borgen, the cpital of Cora, fell to the inhuman hordes of the Court of Stars. Nothing now seems to stand between this terrible darkness and the divided lands of man.

[Picture source: 1 Der Viator; 2 Medieval II; 3 Clash of Empires; 4 unknown]

Fragments of Truth and Fiction III

When he had descended the stairs from the Wise Man's pagoda on the mountain's top, he came to the River of Time. Here he sat for a while, and Golden Arrow came to his side. Perhaps she already knew that her fate was set, and perhaps he too saw his own destiny in the murky waters of the river.

"Autumn is supposed to be a time of peace and reflection! Can you blame me for being a mite irritable, Master Raven? You birds do not seem to acknowledge the fact that there are other interests involved here as well. No, with you it's always, "you need to see this at once, Sir M." or "I need your signature on this piece of paper right away, Sir M.""

As the Empire collapses under the weight of war, the lands turn to martial law, where law retains any foothold at all. Bands of deserters, brigands, mercenaries, and local militia is the only power in large areas. As those living there are becoming only to aware of, might is the only thing that makes right once civilization crumbles.

Many fell creatures are drawn into light as the war between North and South rages on. Some follow the armies like carrion-birds, preying on the weak and the wayward. Others have a stake in the game itself.

The rivers of the Underworld are dark and empty places now that the King of the Dead has fallen. Many are those who lose their way; some are drawn down into the Deep, others are doomed to wander the lands of the living. Some also say that creatures who were held at bay by the Ferrymen are now creeping back into the realm of the dead.




[Picture source: 1 Håvard Legreid; 2 BibliOdyssey; 3 Onlinekunst.de;4 Keith Thompson; 5 Eleni Tsami]

State of Affairs

Right, I've been slacking, so let's get started. First off, the header-project tanked. A colleague of mine has been working on something for a while, and I'll give him a little more time before I try a different tack. For now, the blog stays as it is.

Secondly, the Pius Chronicle has entered a new (and probably its last) season, so an update on the current affairs is in order.

Reports from the fronts

• Farms close to the Elfswood in North Pendrell have been taken by the forest.
• The Enlightened Skythian Emperor Constantinius Ada was severely wounded in the Battle of Warberg Bridge. The battle was fought between Imperial and University forces.
• The Host of Man and the Northern Army has combined forces, and are currently besieging the city of Kiln, the last major Imperial stronghold.
• A Corinthian army has been sent to stop The Flood from crossing the Laernian Pass.
• A combined Aragonian and Narbonnian army of about 50,000 is marching on Corillia.
• Since 1 Decanum, the OUT has abducted at least 1,300 people  from villages on Pendrell's western coast.
• The Siege of Cora is in its sixth week. No reinforcements, supplies or correspondence has been able to reach the beleaguered island since 2 Decanum.

[Picture source: Borja Fresco Costal]

Historical Reference: Sports I

Those who know me know that I do not give a rodent's tail about sports in general. However, I recognise the fact that sports are a vital part of any culture. A made up culture should not be different, and therefore I have been giving this some thought. I could pinch Blood Bowl from Warhammer, or pyramid from BSG, but I'd rather not. There are countless other fictional sports out there as well, some more plausible than others.

Then it struck me. There has to be some real-world sports that would fit into the world of Argos. Some digging around the internets proved me right. I love it when that happens.

Calcio Storico is a Florentine sport from the late 16th century. The first rules were published in 1580 CE, and it is still played today. Each side has 27 players, you can use both hands and feet, and apart from kicking someone from behind, everything goes. The goal is to get a ball into a net on your opponent's side of the field, and a game lasts for 50 minutes, no breaks. That's more or less it. At least that's how I'm interpreting it.

The following links are to pages providing background and information on Calcio Storico:
Wikipedia
Holiday Apartment Tuscany

Unfortunately, the English language YouTube video I found has embedding disabled, so you'll have to be satisfied with a good old [LINK]. Watch it. Seriously. If you are at all interested in the topic, it is well worth the five and a half minutes.

For the Wikipedia-entry on fictional sports, you can follow this link.

How does this fit into the world of Argos? 
The history of the Calcio goes back to the days of the Old Empire, and is still played in most Erian realms. At times it has been tried banned, but never successfully. Most cities and many towns have a league, with games played during the summer. Neighbouring cities also often meet for bi- or triannual matches. Regardless of whether it is a local or a neighbourly game, honour and glory will always be at stake.


[Picture source: 1 Turismo2.it; 2 Brainz; 3 The Telegraph]

Erian Almanac: Harbringer

According to Skythian calendar the holiday known as Harbringer falls between the months of Octavum and Novium. From old this day marks the end of the harvest season, and signals the beginning of autumn. It is also a day of omens. Old men predict the winter based on the behaviour of mice and the shape of clouds, children born on this day are said to have the gift of prophecy, and auguries are never more accurate. It is also a day of the dead, and those wishing to commune with deceased relatives light bone-candles as night falls.


Some omens:
A horse that looses its shoe signals death in the family.
Rain at noon means an early spring next year.
The birth of a litter of kittens means good luck for the household.
If you break glass you will die before Nightfall this year.
If the wind turns while the cock crows this heralds betrayal.
Snowfall means that a hard winter will follow.
The maid who spills milk will never be married.




[Picture source: Wilson's Almanac]

Livonia

Government: Monarchy

Ruler: Queen Caroline Augusta

Capital: Valagard

The Livonian Peninsula separates the Inner Ocean and the White Sea, and like Pendrell and the Order State, it lies on the Terra Borealis, not on the Erian continent. In the north, shielding the peninsula from the Wild, lies the Goblinshield Mountains, stretching from the Aelevian Peninsula in the West, to the Hermetic lands to the East. South of the Goblinshield the land drops and forms rugged hills that runs southward, climbing again to form the Galderspears mountain range that runs like a spine down the peninsula.

On the western side of the Galderspears the the soil is deep and rich, and easily yields rich crops of barley and rye. In earlier days, these tracts were covered by deep forests, but over the centuries, industrial logging has pushed the woods steadily backwards. On the eastern side of the mountains, the land is less hospitable, but sheep and goats thrive in the hills that roll into the the White Ocean. The southern part of Livonia is dominated by a low plain, and the soil here is unrivalled in all of Eria. This area is often called the Breadbasket, and much of the kingdom's wealth comes from this region.

Typical Livonian farm

Livonia is also famous for it's timber, and shipwrights from all of Humanity wish for keels of witchwood, banner, or iron-oak for their ships. Another important contributor to the realm's wealth is mining; both the Goblinshield and the Galderspears are rich with precious ore. The Tass-mines in Hammer's Hold is only one such example.

Recorded Livonian history dates back to the last century before the Covenant, when the Livonii tribe allied itself with the Penderii in the Elfslayer Wars. Before this time, Skythian sources speak of the Livonii as a fierce people, sometimes raiding Skythian settlements along the Erian western coast. During the Elfslayer Wars however, they accepted the philosophy of Macharius, and when the Lord Solar founded Pendrell and thus left the Skythian Empire, the Livonii soon after followed suit.

During the Age of Reason, the Livonian culture developed from one dominated by warriors to one of farmers and tradesmen. Still, Livonian mercenaries remained a natural part of most armies in most of the wars fought in Eria. Yet, even in this Enlightened age, honour has a strong place in the identity, and blood-feuds are still recognised as a legal recourse.

During the Reign of Reason, when the Ministerium's persecution of freethinkers and the Enlightened spiralled towards tyranny and madness, the Livonian Ministers did not agitate the Presbyterian cause, and many of the atrocities witnessed in the Erian realms never reached Livonia. This may have something to do with the precarious nature of Livonian Pure Though. While worship of deities were forbidden here as everywhere else, elements of the old faiths were still maintained in most layers of society.

Livonian officer and noble

With the Arcane Congress, and the onset of the War of Enlightenment, Livonia has become a major player in Erian politics. Led by Magnus Emil, Duke of Westerfold, and the Knights of Angermar, the kingdom has gone through a radical change. With the death of the old king, by mysterious circumstances, and the collapse of the Cabal of Pure Thought, a vacuum was left in the realm's power structure. This was rapidly filled by the Duke of Westerfold and his party, and Livonia has now become a part of the Enlightened Alliance, a.k.a. the Northern League.

The Knights of Angermar's goal has long been to bring back the Old Gods, especially the deity worshipped as Bolgen. To this end, Magnus Emil and a cabal of Knights attempted to excavate the tomb of Bolgen during the winter of 1021-1022. When this was thwarted by a rivalling Arcane cabal, the Knights turned to a different approach. Using the collapse of the Cabal of Pure Thought, and the myriad of ill tidings from the outside world, they started a campaign of violent agitation that spread like wildfire across Livonia. The target of this campaign was the Men of Reason. The claim was that these people were actively seeking to end the world, and that only by bringing the Old Gods back could this be avoided. Almost over night, temples sprang up all over the kingdom.

It is still too early to say where this will lead, but at present, Livonian resources are vital to upholding the Alliance's war-efforts. Further, a Livonian army, more than 30,000 strong, led by the Duke of Westerfold, is campaigning deep in the Enlightened Skythian Empire. It is also said that somehow the Knights of Angermar have managed to bring Bolgen into Argos, and that they now plan to set him loose on the Erian battlefields.

The most recent event in Livonia is the destruction of the capital Valagard by a great explosion. It is believed that this is the same kind of catastrophe that hit Rederhafen only days before.

[Picture source: 1 own (see: Atlas, vol. I); 2 texturedJohn on Flikr; 3 Wikigallery]

The Order State

The Obsidian Tower

The Order State is in effect an extension of the Ordo Hermetica. Every part of the society is directly connected to the Tower, from tax collectors to town councils, from harbour masters to night watchmen, even prices on goods are governed by the Masters. To visiting foreigners this may seem overly dictatorial, but to the subjects of the Order, this is how it has always been, and most could not imagine it being different. In fact, most seem to embrace the security the Tower provides.

There are countless tiers and circles in the Hermetic society, but the major layers, or Pillars, are the Citizens, the Proxima, and the Hermetics. The Citizens make out the majority of the inhabitants of the Order State, and fill all conceivable roles in a mundane society, from baker to soldier. The highest rank any citizen can aspire to is that of Consular to the Tower. These seven Consulars oversee all mundane affairs, and report directly to the Master of the Realm, a Hermetic Master charged with overseeing the day to day governing of the state.

A Knight Proximus

The Proxima are chosen for their ability, and most have some affinity to the arcane, thus making them suited for serving the magicians of the Order. In many ways, they may be compared to the nobility of the Erian kingdoms. The one thing that sets them apart from the nobles is the fact that any citizen who is found to possess the required abilities will be elevated to Proxima, with all the status, authority and privileges connected to the class. Most foreigners picture the Proxima only as the Hermetic army and secret police, and while this is true to some extent, the picture is far more nuanced. In the ranks of the Proxima there are also both personal and civil servants, scholars and professionals. The highest rank any Proximus can achieve is that of Proxima General, an office that encompasses military governorship of the Order State.

The Hermetics are the unquestioned rulers of the realm, and even an Apprentice is to be obeyed by the lesser classes. Still, the internal bureaucracy and politics of the Order is by far the most complex in all of Eria – in fact, Hermetic bureaucracy has become a byword for complexity in the Erian speech. The wizards go through a rigorous education, often spending decades in study and service to their Master and the Order. As they advance, both their authority and responsibility increases, but their service to the Order never ends. Each Hermetic must spend a set portion of time in service to the Order, while the remainder is his to use as he sees fit. Still, as with the lesser classes, the Hermetics must answer any call to serve the Tower, whenever, and whatsoever the nature of this call.

Master and familiar

The ranks of the Hermetics are that of Initiate, Apprentice, Disciple, Adeptus and Master, but each of these are divided into several tiers. As a rule, a Hermetic will only be assigned tasks where they operate independently once Adeptus rank has been reached. Examples of such are command of a ship, warden of a border tower, emissary, or civil service. If a magus reaches Masterhood, he becomes much more independent, and may start following his own goals to a wide extent. Still, there are committees, boards, conclaves, councils, wardenships, and a myriad of other duties, both within and outside the Tower that has to be filled, and so a wizard's service to the realm never ends. The highest rank in the Ordo Hermetica, and in the Order State, is that of Archmaster.

The current Archmaster is  Mithrandes Flavianus Reminax bani Bonisagus. He is the thirty-seventh Archmaster in the history of the Order, and his office has now lasted 72 years. Among the mundanes, he is of antediluvian age, but a Hermetic can easily live to see his fourth century if he lives healthily and frugally. Mithrandes himself is said to take his oblations very seriously, and in the Order none believe they will have to attend an Electory Convocation for several decades yet.

A farm in the Order State

Life in the Order State is one of structure and hard work, and everyone, from the lowliest farmhand to the Archmaster has a a number of duties that must be tended before they can pursue their own goals. It is also a life of peace and security; plague, famine and war has never touched the realm, and while terrible and wondrous creatures roam the borderlands, life in the Order State is protected and safe. 

While very few foreigners are allowed outside the walls of Göteshafen, the Order State is by no means cut off from the rest of Eria. Trade flows rich through the warehouses in Göteshafen, and the Order makes a healthy profit from grain, furs, and gems. Trade flows the other way as well, with wine, luxury goods, and exotic items fetching the highest prices.

See also:

Göteshafen

Hermetic

Storyteller's note: I know I sort of promised a map each week, and I know I've failed quite convincingly in that regard. This is one of those posts I said would include a map, but as you can see, it doesn't. That is not only because I am lazy. I have several much better excuses than that, but the one I'll flag here is that the Order State is closed off for foreigners, and the only maps that exist are guarded jealously by the Masters of the Tower. In stead I promise to publish a realm-post - with map - of Livonia. And this I will do before Thursday. I hope.

[Picture source: 1 John Howe; 2 Karen's Whimsy 3 J. Fredriksson; The Pilgrim Way]

The Red Death

"No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal --the redness and the horror of blood." ...

E. A. Poe, The Masque of the Red Death

In the beginning of YE 1022, the Red Death came to Eria. It is not known from whence it came, but the first outbreak was in Rederhafen. Despite the rapid containment of all infected, and the subsequent purge of the quarantined  area, the plague spread. Throughout the spring and summer more and more cases has been reported, and even if local authorities have reacted quickly and decisively, the Red Death has penetrated deeper and deeper - at the end of summer, there were dozens of quarantined towns and parishes in the western Empire.


When the War of Enlightenment broke out, the plague got a new wind in its sails, for such is the way of things; Plague thrives in the wake his sister Famine, and Famine stalks her brother War like a spectre. While the Host of Man and the Army of Enlightenment have wizards and warlocks to protect their soldiers from the Red Death, the countryside of Raden, Armüden, and Volgraw-Ersteigen are now ravaged by hunger and pestilence.

Emperor Constaninius Ada of the Enlightened Skythian Empire has ordered all those infected to be put to death and burned together with their possessions, and in some cases this has led to whole towns being sealed off and set afire. Additionally, trade with areas touched by the Red Death has stopped completely, and many places bridges have been torn down to keep anyone from crossing the rivers, city gates are closed, and barricades erected in the streets. Such is the paralysing grip of the fear of the plague that even in the eastern duchies people are refusing travellers entrance to towns and houses.


Still, despite these precautions, with the rapid spreading of the plague, and with the chaos and strain on manpower caused by the war, whole regions are now controlled by the infected.

The Red Death spreads from person to person, usually via bite. Its name stems from the first stage of the disease, because victims will display painful red lesions. These start in the area around the infected wound, and spreads within a day to cover all of the victim's body. The next stage is marked by profuse bleeding from all orifices. Normally this stage also brings with it a sense of elation and happiness. Within hours the disease enters its third, and, it is believed, terminal stage. What sets the Red Death apart from the Common Plague is that once the victims die, their bodies will not only keep moving, but actively seek to bite non-infected humans.


Doctors believe that the infection is caused by a thaumatological contamination of the phlegm that carries over to the blood. This will in turn cause the heart to decompose. Once the incubation period is over, the body will purge itself of the putrid blood, making the only fluid left corrupted phlegm. The victim's soul will by now be so weakened by the thaumatological infection that it cannot free itself from the dying corpus, and so it becomes trapped in the flesh as the body dies.

Once the victims have reached the state of undeath, all semblance of their former intellect or personality is forever lost. All that is left is a ravenous hunger for living flesh. While there doesn't seem to be any form of communication or organization amongst these hungry dead, they frequently form  roaming packs that will enter a frenzy if they should come across the living. This is also the most common way for the plague to spread from place to place.


Some scholars hold that these famished corpses seem to display a hatred towards those who are alive, whereas others deny that they have any emotional capacity whatsoever. There are also those who claim that while the walking dead themselves have no consciousness, they are guided by what has been called Plague-herds - mortal men serving some demonic entity. Evidence supporting this theory was indeed put before the Enlightened Congress following the early outbreaks. 

The best way of destroying these undead is by fire, but decapitation will also cause the trapped soul to escape, thus rendering the corpses inanimate. The danger here is that any fluids from such cadavers appears to have the power to carry the infection, so great care should be taken, lest it comes in contact with an open wound. Luckily they are not immune to all laws of nature, thus the flesh will putrefy and rot away at normal speed, and eventually their bodies will fall apart.




See also:
Historicl References: Plague
The last chapters  - where the plague first comes to Eria.


Storyteller's note: It is about time I do a write-up on the zombie-plague. After all, it's been marinating in the setting for a good long while now. If a herring is left untended for too long, it'll go off ;) I owe thanks to Matt over at Carpallymotivated for inspiring me to finally write this one, with his post The Plague. Not only did his artwork set my brain to work, but I can only agree 100% with his sentiments on the topic.


Speaking of art, as usual you can click on all the pictures to biggify them. I think you should. 


Also, you may have noticed that I've been hammering out a few more posts than usually lately. That has all to do with my bitch of a back. Since Friday I've more or less been tied to the bed, but thanks to a cocktail of marvellous drugs, I'm rapidly improving, and should be ready for play on Thursday. I probably wont make it to work until next week though. Oh, well. Such is life.




[Picture source: 1 & 5 Keith Thompson; 2 Carpallymotivated; 3 Lauren K. Cannon; 4 Playing Spoons]

Göteshafen

Göteshafen is the trading port of the Hermetic Order State, and lies on the northern shores of the White Sea. It is the only Hermetic city that is open for foreigners, and few have ever seen the hinterlands. For centuries merchants have traded with the Masters of the Tower, and Göteshafen has is a busy, rich, multi-tribal melting-pot where dialects from all over Eria are heard in the streets. All under the watchful eyes of the ever-present Proxima.

The first thing visitors to Göteshafen notices is the wealth and cleanliness of the local inhabitants. All streets are cobbled and free of sewer and garbage, and beggars are as rare as street-magicians in Aragorn. Merchants come in from the hinterlands with their goods, and it is said that the crops have never failed in the Order State. In many ways, Göteshafen appears to be an ideal city.


One thing that sets the inhabitants of the Order State apart is that they seem to live in a bygone era - their tools and attires are those of centuries past; tunics and breeches are worn instead of shirts and trousers, cloaks are worn instead of coats, swords are broader, armours heavier, and there are no mechanical machines to be found. Likewise, the traveller who expects to see arcane wonders, flying horses or giants doing manual labour will be disappointed, in fact, few foreigners ever see a wizard - unless they have connections or important business with the Tower.


The Burgmaster of Göteshafen is Master Vermis Ludenius bani Bonisagus, a shrewd diplomat and merchant. It is said that nothing happens on the White Sea that he doesn't know of within three days, and that he better at factoring costs than a Wezellian. Since he took over as Burgmaster, trade has more than doubled, and even if all Humanists have been expelled, there are now more ships visiting Rederhafen than ever.

The coastline is patrolled by the Orders fast and deadly galleys, and only the most desperate smuggler will attempt to sneak past their picket. So far, none have lived to tell the tale. It is this type of ship that makes up the bulk of Battlefleet Hermetica, now deployed to the Erian Gap and the Pendrellian Coast.




[Picture source: 1 The ORB; 2 Radojavor on DeviantART]

Reports from the War

The Pius Cabal has now been questing for a full month, from 25 Septium to 25 Octavum. Certain things have happened in this time. These are some of them.

• The two armies of General Magnus Emil, Duke of Westerfold, and Lord Marshal Roeder has won a series of victories against Imperial forces, and all lands west of the River Meren is now controlled by the Alliance.
• The Red Death has broken out in the Imperial Electorship of Orlon. Reports tell of whole towns fallen to the zombie plague.
• An army of 30,000 men under the command of Don Artugio Marabazar has left Aragorn and marches towards Corillia.
• A combined fleet of the Knights of St. Invictus and the Hannuman Caliphate has defeated the Black Ship Corpsesong in the Bay of Oden.
• Wezellian forecasters predict famine in large parts of central Eria this coming winter.

[Picture source: Ocean's Bridge]

Pendrell

This is the first post in a long overdue series on the kingdoms, empires and states of Argos. First out is...

The Kingdom of Pendrell

click map to see full size

Government: Awakened Monarchy

Ruler: King Rowar II Garwellyn

Capital: Crondor

This kingdom occupies the southern part of the Aelevian Peninsula, west of the Inner Sea. It now borders to the Elfswood to the north, and two oceans on all other sides. The Pendrellian landscape is dominated by rolling, green hills and lush valleys. As of recent, a thick forest has sprung up, all but dividing the north from the south. The climate is temperate, and the temperature may fall below freezing for a few month in the winter. The autumn and spring often see longer periods of rain, while the summers tend to be long and mild.

Before the Elfswar, the peninsula was largely covered in a thick, primordial forest called the Aelvinwoode. As the name infers, this was the homeland of an elven house, the Andradhril. This was the last of the elven houses in Eria, and the peninsula also saw some of the heaviest fighting of the centuries-long Elfswar. Over the span of several generations, the forest was burned and cleared, and battle for battle, the elves were driven off their ancient lands.

Most of this fighting were done by the legions of the Penderii tribe, led in the last century of the war by Lord Solar Aegenmar Macharius. The Pendrellian kingdom was founded in 5 YE, when Macharius led the his tribe to leave the Skythian Empire. When he was proclaimed king, he took as his seat the Oaken Throne, a large chair carved from the stem of the Heart tree of the defeated elves. Macharius, now King Aegenmar I of Pendrell, wrote the Macharian Laws that still dominates most Western Erian legal systems. In these first years of the Third Age, he also created the Cabal of Pure Thought, and sowed the seeds that would later develop into the Ministerium. 

In the system of government laid out by Macharius, the Ministerium was the third House of government, the other two being the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The king, while being the head of state, had to have the support of at least two of the Houses to levy taxes and pass laws. This system was to last for a thousand years.

Pendrellian landscape

Over the following centuries, Pendrell stayed out of the many wars that ripped the Skythian Empire apart. In this period the kingdom enjoyed a time of growth and prosperity, and slowly most of the peninsula was settled. A few lesser tribes who had lived on the outskirts of the Aelvinwoode before the Elfswar, as well as people fleeing the turbulent southern Eria, further swelled the population.

By the end of the 8th century of Enlightenment, the Ministerium had developed from being just a domestic power to being an authority in all of Western Eria. By now, the Cabal of Pure Thought consisted of more than half a dozen universities, cabals, collegiums and societies from several states and kingdoms. To prevent dogmatic wars between the various members of the Cabal, the Ministerium was made the ruling body of all these different groups. As such, the Ministerium had now become second only to the Temple of Man Supreme in Paradigmatic authority.

Another important development in the 8th century was the birth of the Presbyterian movement. This movement sprung out of the peasant-communities of northern Pendrell, and were opposed to the ownership of land by those who do not work it. Even if this led to conflicts with the nobility, the Presbyterian ideas quickly spread, and by the end of the century the Presbyterium had become a member of the Ministerium.

When the first century of Enlightenment drew to and end, the Presbyterium had come to dominate the domestic policies of the Ministerium, and had also gained a large following in the House of Commons. Following the failed Macharian plot on King Arthor XIII on St. Revan's Day in 997 YE, the Presbyterian-controlled Ministerium instigated a series of purges of prominent Macharites in the government. Later it has become clear that the plot was fabricated by central figures in the Presbyterium.

Over the generation that followed the St. Revan's Day Plot, shadow tribunals became commonplace, and in the end anyone who criticised the government stood in peril of just vanishing. By the 1010's, the House of Lords had been all but neutralized, and the Presbyterian majority in the House of Commons wrote off on any law passed by the Ministerium. The had by now become nothing more than an impotent figurehead. As magic returned to Argos, the agents of the Ministerium also carried out strict pogroms against anyone suspected of arcane connections. 

King Rowar II marches on Crondor

Things came to a boil when the Presbyterium led Pendrell to declare war on the Wezellian Syndicate in Primium 1022 YE. Shortly after the outbreak of this war a great dragon laid waste to Five Fort Vale in north-western Pendrell, and within days of this remnants of the elves of the Andradhril struck deep into Pendrell. This attack was of a nature never seen before, and the kingdom stood completely powerless to stop this old enemy's vengeance. As the elves penetrated deeper, the lands became covered by a terrible forest that sprang up over night, as if by sorcery and vile magics.

The old King Arthor XIII now did made is probably the bravest action in his life. He fell on his sword, and leaving no direct heir, he then left the kingdom without a ruler. This window of opportunity was seized by the young Rowar Garwellyn, Duke of Ayre. Quickly raising an army, he made a claim on the Oaken Throne and marched on the capital.

The civil war was to be a short one, lasting less than two months. A cabal of magicians retrieved the Crown of Pendrell from the vaults of the Royal Bastion, and after the new king had been crowned, aided him in crossing the River Ayre undetected. In the resulting battle, the Presbyterian army was defeated, and the king could now march all the way to Crondor. It is also said that the king Awakened on the morning before the battle. In these same  days, he also struck a peace with the elves, promising that the people of his kingdom should never venture into the Elfswood.

In the months that followed, the remaining Presbyterians were driven out of southern Pendrell, and the Awakened king has devoted all his energies to reorganizing his realm. Amongst other things, he has disbanded the Ministerium, and reorganized the two remaining Houses. Much land has also been lost to the Elfswood, and the northern parts of the peninsula, with the duchies of Windshire and the Highlands, is held by the remnants of the Presbyterium. The southern duchies of Ayre, Sothershire and the Midlands have all sworn allegiance to the king.

Despite the hardships in his kingdom, King Rowar II has joined the Enlightened Alliance, and is preparing for the Great War.

[Picture source: 1 Atlas, vol. I; 2 Michel Claveau; 3 Military Art Company]