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Sitaurchus
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| Coat of Arms of Sitaurchus |
Kingdom of the Bull
Locations Overview
Riverport has a population of about 50, one inn/stable, a dozen small warehouses and a lumber mill/shipwright. There is a dirt packed road that goes west by southwest, just skirting the edge of the Golden Woods. The Ilfaras River flows south from the Icevale Mountains. The Ilfaras is fed by a mountain lake, known as Durimeran and several smaller streams. The eastern shores are home to the Hobbits of the Eight Counties and the Elven Kingdom of Alurien. Farther east is the Sea of a Hundred Tears. To the south of Riverport is the Bay of Stags and the City of Sitaurchus. Sitaurchus is ruled by Oscar III, known as "The Brute" by his subjects.The other major towns under the control of Sitaurchus are Homenell and Luhté. Both are waterfront fortresses that have had a town grow around them. The population of Homenell is roughly 2,000 and is surrounded by irrigated farmlands. Homenell is the granary of the kingdom.
Luhté has a population of roughly 3,000. It is bordered by hills and has two active mines, one of iron ore and the other of silver ore.
There are numerous smaller villages all over the kingdom. The roads connecting them all are little more than well worn cart paths. Most of the population of the kingdom are on these lands under the rule of the local Nobles. There are few travelers between these villages and keeps as the roads are not safe and most people are serfs.
Historical Backrgound
His son, Henry I, The Architect, expanded the Castle grounds and built the Harbour. Henry II, The Fat, fancied himself a mariner and built the Royal Navy, consisting of four large vessels, with a dozen smaller craft as support.
His son George I, The Vagrant, ruled for five years before being poisoned by his wife Margaret. She ruled as Regent until her son George II, The Wise, came of age. He wisely maintained a facade of servility until he had consolidated his power. He then banished his mother from the kingdom.
Six years later she returned with a mercenary force of 10,000 soldiers. The militia forces would have been no match, but as fate would have it, the Third Goblin Invasion began. George II came to terms with Margaret and enlisted the help of the Alurien Elves, the Duran Dwarves, and the Shire Hobbits.
After two years of battle the Goblins were defeated. Margaret died later that year of a suspiciously fast disease. George II followed his mother the next winter after 28 years as ruler.
He was followed by his grandson Oscar II, The Child. Oscar II died at the age of eight of smallpox. His mother was Regent and after her only child's death she claimed the throne. She ruled as Victoria I, The Lost (as she is known to those historians who do not know her as Victor I). To most historians she is known as Victor I, The Quiet. Following Victor I was "his" son Henry III, The Ugly. Henry III "The Ugly" ruled for an amazing 65 years!
After his death at the age of 90, his grandson George III and son Victor II fought a bloody civil war. After three years Victor II died, his supporters worried about George III taking revenge had him assassinated. Oscar III then followed as King. It has been a decade since his coronation.
Timeline
Calendars
Elven; Human
10,283; -5 • Second Goblin Invasion begins.
10,288; 0 • Sitaurchus founded, Oscar I "The Trollbane" is crowned
King.
10,302; 14 • The Castle of the Bull is started.
10,335; 33 • The Castle of the Bull is completed.
10,340; 38 • Oscar I dies. Henry I "The Architect" is crowned.
10,343; 41 • The Harbour is started, Henry I loses popularity with the
Nobility due to increased taxation of their lands.
10,347; 45 • Noble houses revolt, work on the Harbour is suspended.
Henry I uses serf dissatisfaction to weaken the Nobility
by granting land rights to those who join his forces.
10,348; 46 • Henry I wins a decisive battle against the Nobility. He
kills their leader, Francis Löwenherz and captures the
remaining Nobles days later. Their families pay hefty
ransoms and swear new oaths of fealty (magical in
nature). The Harbour work continues and Henry I uses
the extra funds from the Noble Insurrection to expand
the Castle of the Bull.
10,350; 48 • Work on the Harbour is completed.
10,352; 50 • Expansion of the Castle of the Bull is completed. Fifty
year celebration lasts for a month. Henry I starts paving
projects in Sitaurchus, Homenell and Luhté.
10,372; 70 • Henry I dies peacefully at 60. Henry II "The Fat" is
crowned. He orders construction of the Royal Naval
Fleet.
10,373; 71 • Henry II christens his first completed vessel, The
Trollbane, named after his grandfather.
10,374; 72 • Henry II christens the second vessel, The Architect,
named for his father.
10,375; 73 • Henry II christens the third and fourth vessels, The
Halberd and The Trebuchet. The Trollbane is holed
in a storm off of the coast of Wandol.
10,376; 74 • The repairs on the Trollbane are completed. Funds for
more vessels are unavailable due to a harsh winter that
lasts for six months.
10,379; 77 • After a short spring, a long summer and drought
ensues.
10,386; 84 • The Great Drought is at its zenith. Lake Durimeran is at
its lowest point in the last thousand years. The Dwarves
of Duran build a dam that cuts off the majority of the
source of the Ilfaras. The significantly lowered river
causes the few productive farms to fail, leading to
famine.
10,390; 88 • After years of paying tribute to the Dwarves for water
Henry II pays a powerful sorcerer to destroy the dam.
Later the same autumn the rains finally come. Major
flooding occurs, followed by a devastating plague.
10,391; 89 • Henry II dies of plague aboard the Trollbane. George I
"The Vagrant" is crowned. The same day as Henry II
dies the Dwarf King Duran IIV drowns to death. Also,
the Elf Queen Nuatil'ar'wen succumbs to the plague.
Historians dub this the Day of Regalbane.
10,396; 94 • George I is poisoned by his wife Margaret for his
numerous infidelities. George II "The Wise" is
crowned at the age of 10. Margaret rules as
Queen-Regent.
10,402; 100 • George II and Margaret have a month long holiday
festival thrown for the country's centennial.
10,407; 105 • George II reaches the age of majority. He makes
Margaret the chancellor and primary ambassador
of Sitaurchus. These titles and responsibilities help
keep her occupied while George II consolidates his
power quietly.
10,415; 113 • George II carefully uses his power and creates popular,
with the nobility, policies allowing him to banish his
mother from the kingdom while she is on a diplomatic
mission to Wandol. Feudalism is at its strongest point,
the Nobility is granted greater privileges.
10,421; 119 • Margaret returns from exile in Wandol, leading a
mercenary force of 10,000 soldiers from Salas.
George II leads a force of 2,000 militia to face
Margaret at the Elizare'e Hills. Before the battle begins
the armies are attacked by the Goblin Tribe Redeye.
After the battle of Elizare'e Redeye, terms are set to
combine forces against the Goblins.
10,422; 120 • George II hosts the leaders of the Duran Dwarves, the
Alurien Elves and the Shire Hobbits. After weeks of
debate and haggling, an accord is reached. With the
Ilfaras Accords ratified their combined forces begin
mounting a unified defence against the Goblin Hordes.
10,423; 121 • The High Commander Belosar'ie'n of the Ilfaran
Defence League decimates the Goblins and scatters
their remaining smaller bands. Margaret comes down
with a mysterious illness that takes her in late fall.
10,424; 122 • Grief stricken and overworked with keeping the Ilfaras
Accords intact, George II dies in winter. Oscar II "The
Child" is crowned at the age of two. Victoria, wife of the
late Prince Louis "The Tall", is Queen-Regent.
10,427; 125 • Queen-Regent Victoria holds a summit with the Ilfaras
Council to formalize a permanent council and accords.
10,430; 128 • Oscar II dies of smallpox, which has been decimating
the country. Victor(ia) I "The Quiet" is crowned. Most
of the history was rewritten by Henry III, from this
point on. Henry III is born of an unknown father.
10,432; 130 • Victor I completes the five year long negotiations of the
Second Ilfaras Accords. The Accords formalize trade,
standardize coinage values, establish permanent
borders, determine water rights and many other items.
10,437; 135 • After 13 years of peace and prosperity, the Nobility
clamours for Victor I to step down as King. Each house
supports a different claimant related to George II or
George I. Victor I refuses to abdicate the throne.
10,442; 140 • The Council of Ilfaras meets on Sielwode Island. Each
nation agrees to declare the island neutral ground.
Ceremonies to consecrate the Sielwode to all nation's
Gods are held. Sitaurchus has lost esteem in the
Council because of the raging civil war.
10,451; 149 • Henry III is appointed Commander of the Army. He uses
the Navy and Army together in novel ways. The Nobility
are slowly and meticulously defeated and annexed to
his forces.
10,452; 150 • Victor I names Henry III as heir-apparent bringing the
War of Broken Spears to an end. The sesquicentennial
celebrations last for a month and a half. The Third
Council meeting is held in Sielwode. Each nation brings
a tithing and a permanent monastery is established to
protect the site and all of the records.
10,455; 153 • Victor I dies, Henry III "The Ugly" is crowned. Henry III
has spent the last few years centralising the
government. The Nobility is completely within his thrall
and Henry III works on taking control of the Guilds and
the Churches.
10,462; 160 • The Fourth Council meeting is held. The Duran Dwarves
bring the most magnificent tithing, angering Henry III.
The Crystal Gavel of Rangar is the first relic to be held
by the Order of Ilfaras.
10,472; 170 • The Fifth Council meeting is held. The Alurien Elves
bring the Singing Tree of Elorah as a tithing, it is
considered the best of the tithings. Henry III is
recognized as the absolute monarch of Sitaurchus.
He vows to make the greatest tithing at the next
Council meeting.
10,482; 180 • The Sixth Council is held. Henry III tithes the Table of
Wonder, but is outshone by the Dwarves gift of four
crystal thrones dedicated to each race. Henry III vows
to best the others at any cost.
10,492; 190 • The Seventh Council is held. The ever resourceful
Dwarves tithe the Window of Ilfaras. A seeing stone of
great power.
10,502; 200 • The Eighth Council is held. The short-lived humans see
the Council as an established institution, while to the
Elves it has barely begun. The Dwarves tithe a giant
ruby of great beauty. Henry III throws a magnificent
bicentennial celebration lasting two months. With his
continued spending on a tithing for the Council, the
country is nearly bankrupt.
10,512; 210 • The Ninth Council is held. The Hobbits of the Eight
Counties begin to view the Council as the Humans do.
The Elves gift of the Cornicopia of Kelebar is the
greatest tithe.
10,522; 220 • The Tenth Council is held. Henry III tithes five rings.
Each one is made for the various nations, with a final
ring for the head of the Order of the Sielwode.
10,530; 228 • Henry III dies without naming his heir. A civil war
breaks out with Victor II, his son, and George III,
his grandson fighting for the crown.
10,532; 230 • The Eleventh Council is held. With the civil war raging
the chair for Sitarchus would have been empty, if not
for the intervention of Oscar III. After the Council
concludes he returns home to sue for peace.
10,533; 231 • Victor II "The Tiny" is killed in an ambush. The
supporters of Victor II have George III "The Stupid"
assassinated. Oscar III "The Brute" takes the crown.
10,542; 240 • The Twelfth Council is held. Dwarves begin to see the
Council as the Humans do. Oscar III tithes the Sword of
Trollbane and Shield of the Wise.
10,543; 241 • Current Year.
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