Roman Duvard

“Fit via vi.” Strength is the way.

The Duvards are best known for being the first house to join Lalaifia's cause. Its founder, Odvin Duvard, is known for being her closest retainer. The house owes its loyalty to a timely counteroffensive led by Lalaifia, which broke an incursion on Ignesian soil by a foreign army. Ever since, the Duvards have followed the Valariens' command and have been fast friends. Odvin Duvard became a prominent general of Lalaifia's host, serving her faithfully over the duration of her campaign.
While loyal to a fault, the Duvards are also vain and can be regarded as excessively opulent by distant provinces. Its open displays of subservience to the Heartlands may be cause for some dislike among humbler houses.

After some time under Lalaifia's command, Odvin was rewarded with the privilege of carrying her personal banner. The colors of Valarien flew high, safe in the gauntlet of the Duvards' progenitor as Lalaifia's host conquered and united the tribes of Ethica. Though the banner was returned to the Valariens at the conclusion of the conquest, Lalaifia permitted the newly-erected House Duvard to keep the standard as a token of her favor. It hangs behind glass in the Duvards' great hall, proudly displayed for visitors to see. Magical enchantments have prevented the relic from degrading, and it is just as vibrant as it was in antiquity.

Immediate Royal Family
Roman Duvard, 46 – _{Head of House.}
Dragica Duvard, 44 – _{Wife of Roman.}
Edgar Duvard, 24 – _{Oldest son. Married to Sophsi Valarien.}
Anastázie Duvard, 23 – _{Oldest daughter. Married to Jakinius Valarien.}
Olívia Duvard, 19 – _{Second-youngest daughter. Married to Lucius Valian.}
Guillame Duvard, 17 – _{Youngest son. Married to Helen Seval.}
Alais Duvard, 16 – _{Youngest daughter. Betrothed to Morion Tallurian.}

Red (Nexus's former claim)

Ignesians

Ignesians are traditionally thought to have olive skin tones and dark eyes and hair. This preconception resembles the popular image of Spaniards or Mediterranean peoples, while in reality, both groups have a diverse range of features, due to immigration and varying regional identities. Genetic variations can be seen across the province and can be attributed to the mixing of Ignesians and their neighbors. The current Duvard family, for example, tends toward lighter-colored hair. Most native Ignesians are medium in stature and their builds lean towards the slender side. It is common for them to have long, oval faces with well-defined features and narrow, aquiline noses.

Brionne

Approx. 81,615

Iorica, 57,130
Giseux, 48,969
Avitaine, 28,565
Brabant, 19,587
Lignys, 16,323

Approx. 1,541,000

Hereditary Monarchy

Ignis has historically built its military around heavy infantry, pioneering an analogue formation of the real-world Spanish tercio. Blocks of heavily-armored pikemen, supported by halbardiers, swordsmen and crossbowmen form the core of its fighting force. It also fields cavalry, but to a lesser extent than in the past. Ignesian cavaliers have begun employing bows and hand crossbows, rapidly maneuvering and harassing enemies, only to fall back and strike elsewhere.
Though adept on the field, Ignesians have considerable siege experience, learned from the many Darthii and Northlander raids it has endured over its lifetime. Ignesian castles and fortresses are renowned for their impregnability, and their garrisons have many tactics up their sleeves to dissuade and combat attackers.

Ignis's army is drawn into three battalions; one for the north, the south, and the west. Each battalion is led by a Colonel, and divided into sixteen companies each. Ten of these companies are pikemen; the rest are crossbowmen. Each pikeman company has 250 men, for a total of 2,500 pikemen per battalion. The remaining six crossbow companies per battalion are made up of 200 men each, with a total of 1,200 per battalion. During engagements, these crossbow companies are typically divided and evenly dispersed among the formations of pikemen.
Ignesian cavalry is not permanently attached to any one battalion; instead, the 1,600 men-at-arms of the army are recruited and dispatched by locale. Many of these riders are members of the waning knightly class, or experienced riders under contract to serve.

The average pikeman in service to Ignis dons blackened, munitions-grade plates on his breast and back, with a gorget to protect the throat and tassets over his thighs. He wears a morion on his crown; the best companies top theirs with a plume of burgundy. He carries a pike with a tapered head about 4.5 meters long, paired with an arming sword.
Although Ignesian infantry is organized into “pikeman companies,” not every man is a pikeman. There are some formations made up of halberdiers, who use their polearms to chop overhead the rows of pikes. There are sword and buckler men, who maneuver through the pike shafts to incite chaos by slashing and stabbing up close. Also present are swordsmen who carry long Zweihänders, practiced in the Tellarian school of swordplay.
Crossbowmen are armored much the same way, though may wear less protection than their frontline counterparts. They carry pavise shields on their backs, with which they can hide behind and fire from safety.
Cavalry still fights largely in the traditional manner: gendarmes donning full suits of plate armor drop lances and charge into the enemy, formed into thin lines to maximize the points of contact. They also carry swords, picks or hammers for close-in fighting. The lead gendarmes are usually just a bit more armored than their comrades behind them, who may wear less leg protection. Some lighter cavalry carry crossbows, with which to deliver mobile surgical strikes and harass foes.

Approx. 12,700:
7,500 [59.06%] - Pikemen & heavy infantry
3,600 [28.35%] - Crossbowmen & archers
1,600 [12.6%] - Cavalry

Ignis is a large peninsula, situated in the west of Ethica. Its coast features scores of rocky cliffs and small capes. The land is known for its hills and grassy valleys, which give way to forests in the west. Much of its former woodland has been stripped to keep up with the population's agricultural demands. To its east, the country touches Ethica's central mountain ranges, the North and Southpeaks; they give way to plains in the middle of Ignis's east border. This region is ripe with iron ore.

Ignis lies within a temperate zone, and has a maritime climate. Rainfall is possible at any time, but the region also sees its share of sunny, warm days. The coast experiences milder weather than further inland, save for rainfall. Compared to regions further north and southward, Ignis has a comfortable climate, with discrepancy between winter and summer temperatures reaching an average of just fifteen degrees.

The country's coastline is home to many types of maritime fauna not seen elsewhere in Ethica. These include many types of gulls, puffins, swallows, pheasants, swifts, partridges and other birds. Sealife includes sharks, porpoises, seals, turtles, dolphins, jellyfish and shellfish. Its rivers are home to salmon, trout and pikes, as well as otters and beavers. It's inland fauna is more typical of other regions of the Empire. It is populated by deer, foxes, rabbits and direboar. Direboar was chosen as the province's national animal due to their abundance and ferocity.

Ignesians focus their worship on Kammeth, who holds center stage for fathering mankind and creating the world. It was also by Kammeth's will that Lalaifia united the provinces when they were still petty kingdoms; a feat that will forever resonate with the people of Ignis.
Other gods are also recognized, but are usually sidelined to be worshiped on specific holidays or when aid in their respective domains are needed. Lyriel is the second-most revered god in Ignis, and in many places within the province, other deities are simply not touched.

Prior to the Imperial Conquest, Ignis was an independent petty kingdom. King Charles II passed without leaving a clear heir; he had no children of his own, but had supported his niece, Arienne of Giseux. However, prior to his death, his will claimed Robert of Dauphin as his apparent heir. Robert was the son of Charles' half-brother, with whom he reconciled their former estrangement. Arienne, daughter of Richeleu of Duvard, held the stronger claim; Robert was only Charles' half-nephew, and succession down the female line was permitted. Upon Charles' death, the houses of Duvard and Dauphin ignited hostilities, triggering a twenty-year-long struggle for Ignis. This war became known as the War of the Ignesian Succession. After a hard-fought campaign that resulted in the death of Robert of Dauphin, Arienne and her husband John of Duvard claimed the throne.

Ignis was the first province to join Lalaifia during her conquest, and the Duvards the first house. Warned of an attack from Northerners by a vision from Kammeth, Lalaifia sent her husband and general, Paragon Valarien, to Ignis. As it were, a large invasion had landed on the shores of Ignis and already clashed with the Duvards. Lalaifia and Paragon led a force to the Duvards' main keep, arriving just in time to fight off the Northerners' siege. When the fighting cleared and the Northerners had been broken, Odvin, King of Ignis, pledged his loyalty to the Valariens. The Valariens' timely support laid the foundation for a strong alliance between the two houses. Odvin joined Lalaifia in her conquest of the provinces, earning the privilege of carrying her personal banner. The two of them became fast friends, and Odvin was at the forefront of many battles in her name. Since then, the Duvards have been loyal retainers of the Imperial throne.

Ignis's west coast, then an independent archduchy under the rule of Chalarensis, was Lalaifia's next destination. Under her command, Odvin mustered his army and marched on Chalarensis. They would join the Empire, willingly or not. As it were, Chalarensis did not respond to the threat immediately; he misunderstood the intentions of the loyalists or received their demands too late. In any case, he failed to either mount an effective defense or come to a dialogue with Lalafia. The combined force of Ignesians and Imperial soldiers launched their offensive, smashing through the hastily-raised militias in their path. Odvin laid siege to Chalarensis's stronghold, whereupon he surrendered after a few days. Some historians believe Odvin launched the Imperial offensive prematurely, with the interest of gaining control of the archduchy.

Following Chalarensis's subjugation, a large percentage of his lands were annexed by the Duvards and made part of Ignis. Somewhere in the later stages of Lalaifia's conquest, plans were made between the Duvards and Chalarensis to integrate his lineage into their house. Before this could take fruition, however, Chalarensis and his retainers were to be banished to the islands of Kawachia. This punishment came following his slaughter of the entire Practen line, during the Siege of Prachtvoll. The remainder of Chalarensis's hereditary holdings on the mainland were swept up by the Duvards.

King Aethlar VI 'The Green' (aged 23) - Nicknamed the 'The Green King' by an affectionate people for his interest in riding out in the pastures that surround his Royal Palace, Aethlar is everything one could hope for in a young king. He is handsome, charismatic, tall, athletic, and fundamentally uninterested in the necessities of his role. The people adore him, but there are concerned whispers amongst the nobility of the kingdom as to who really holds the reigns of power while the King cavorts around and organises sumptuous jousts and games for him and his other young friends. He has dazzling green eyes and sandy hair.

Queen Eadrith of Red Roost (aged 16) - Quite why the King personally chose the exceptionally plain daughter of the Lord of Red Roost, the most northerly city of the kingdom, is a mystery to most of those 'in the know' in the kingdom. Placid, pious, timid and generally assumed to be uninteresting, Eadrith is pregnant with the first child of her husband. Is she quite as much of a wallflower as she seems?

Queen Hiltruda, the Queen-Mother (aged 48) - Hiltruda is assumed by many to be the real power behind the throne. Her husband Aethlar V was famously profligate and uninterested in the affairs of trade and diplomacy, but unlike his eldest son he was fundamentally less easy to control. It is rumoured that his mysterious death in a riding accident was organised at least in part by Hiltruda, whose son is more than happy to let his doting mother take on some of the most mundane aspects of government. Hiltruda is much more physically imposing than her meek daughter-in-law, and though age has begun to round and sag her figure, her icy gaze and raven black hair continue to inspire intimidation in all but the most foolhardy noble. She holds an enormously influential position at court.

Prince Lethlin di Caernavir (aged 20) - The second son Aethlar V and Hiltruda, Prince Lethlin is decidedly more governmental than his brother, and is somehow even further under her influence. Joked about as her 'chief henchman', Lethlin is highly educated and dangerously diplomatic, often acting as the chief trade envoy of his family when his brother is otherwise indisposed or when foreign dignitaries have trouble treating with a woman. He is swarthier and shorter than his elder brother, with a willowy figure and a slow, loping manner of speech.

Princess Alissera di Caernavir (aged 55) - The eldest sister of the deceased Aethlar V, Alissera was set for a profitable marriage with her father's most influential vassal the Count of Ygris, but she was struck down at age seventeen with the Red Pox. The epidemic also killed her father, King Lethlin II, and several other notables in Harksmoor. This left her with a curved spine and a pock-marked face, to the point where she was considered unmarriageable and left to reside at her brother's court. Never seen in public without a heavy black veil and attended by her sombre ladies-in-waiting, Alissera has gained something of a reputation amongst the poorest citizens of the nation as a mysterious and fearsome figure. Privately, she is perhaps the most educated member of the family, reading extensively on an enormous variety of subjects and writing a large amount of philosophical and religious works.

Princess Haldetrude di Caernavir (aged 18) - The third and youngest legitimate child of Aethlar V, Haldetrude is known to be closest to her sister-in-law Queen Eadrith. She is tall, with an elegant disposition, and is an accomplished musician and dancer. Considered the most eligible virgin in the kingdom, suggestions for her marriage are mooted constantly. Like Eadrith, she is not considered exceptionally political by the wider nobility.

Lord Gaewin di Faz-Caernavir 'the Blackheart' (aged 23) - Technically the eldest son of King Aethlar V, Gaewin is a bastard born between the King and Alysandra di Recksmanworth, an attendant to Queen Hiltruda. He is nicknamed 'the Blackheart' somewhat incongruously by his enemies, mainly because of his unsociable disposition. He is employed as the captain of the Royal Guard, and was ennobled in a rare act of amiability by his half-brother after his father's demise. He is known to be close to his aunt Alissera but estranged from the Queen-Mother and his other half-brother Prince Lethlin. He is also notable for the disproportionate amount of time he spends with his male valets and attendants, and his apparently unwillingness to seek a wife.

Lady Eadgifu di Faz-Caernavir (aged 20) - Sister to Lord Gaewin, second bastard child of King Aethlar V. Eadgifu is devastatingly beautiful, with a long mane of silvery-blonde hair and the characteristic green eyes of the Caernavir. She is largely kept in the company of her brother, though it is rumoured that she spends an unacceptable amount of time in the company of various prominent noblemen in Harksmoor.

Princess Gerberga, Countess of Ygris (aged 49) - Second sister of King Aethlar V, married the Count of Ygris in the place of her sister. Gerberga is not as closely involved in the political intrigues of her female family members due to her residence Autrisia, but there are rumours in grassy Ygris that she exercises a suspicious amount of control over the merchant families who have the right to export grains and cereals to other parts of Ethica. She is a plump woman with a kindly face, and famously opulent in her manner and dress.

Princess Ariette Gracieux née di Caernavir (aged 40) - Aethlar V's youngest sister and Lethlin II's youngest surviving child, Ariette is the wife of Reynold Gracieux and the mother of Xavier and Tsirine Gracieux. Known in Violette simply as 'Lady Ariette', the aging Princess is tall, with somewhat broad shoulders and long brown hair, much more reminiscent of her deceased brother than her sisters. Strong-willed and hardy, she has taken to Veletian culture even more than her ascetic husband. She is not particularly fond of her nation of birth, both because of its relative backwardness in contrast to her current station and also because she had always been fonder of her brother than either of her sisters, and the rumours surrounding his death caused her to limit contact with Hiltruda and Alissera especially. She is good-humoured and straightforward in a sensible way, with a formidable constitution that spared her from catching the Red Pox that claimed her father's life and her sister's beauty.

The Heartlands - Tilrinics and Gwethyn are very similar culturally, both cultures are known for producing good orators and love the arts. The Imperial Family has traditionally kept good ties with a breadbasket of the Empire. There has even been a marriage alliance or two over the years. The Caernavir capitulated without a fight in the beginning of the Empire, only the second peoples to do so. To this day they make up a good number of the Imperial regiments since the common folk of both provinces get along so well.

Kawachia - The Kawachians are frequent students at the Eldva University, and grain is exchanged with the Kawachians in exchange for pearls, but the Gwethyns are suspicious of the disloyal nature of their far southern contemporaries. Furthermore, an incident at a tourney around fifteen years ago where Mottay 'Hammerhand' Vagot killed King Aethlar V's cousin Garold di Caernavir at a tournament, leading to the Brigadier-General losing his hand and the confiscation of House Cragmore's ancestral mace (which Mottay had just won in a bet) have caused a small amount of tension between the two otherwise tolerant nations.

Since time immemorial, the patrician families of the Sonveld have been famous for their patronage of the arts and sciences. Theirs is a tradition that has withstood some of the most devastating wars and miseries imaginable, and made their palaces and citadels into grand galleries, populated by the most exquisite masterpieces. As one of the three greatest dynasties of the region, the sentimental Soleanders have for centuries been at the fore of this custom, and their seat in the Sunstone reflects that. Some of the most significant works of art in all of Ethica reside within the palace's sunlit halls, and the Soleanders' libraries contain many unique and invaluable tomes. This vast accumulation of culture and wisdom, and their indirect control over the collections held by the other patrician families, have granted the Soleanders an undisputedly dominant position in the Imperial art trade, as well as a fair share of leverage in the Imperial political scene.

When he was named Protector of the Sonveld, culminating almost a century of hard work and careful scheming, Thomas III received a plethora of symbolic treasures from his peers, so as to grant his office a modicum of prestige. Among these treasures was the Condor's Shroud, a feathered cloak once worn by the legendary founder of the Celeste patrician dynasty, Valora Celeste. Made from the wings of a great condor, and blessed by Lalaifia as a reward for Valora's devotion to their cause, the artifact was said to grant the power of flight to those who wore it. Outside of Valora's legend, few tales were ever told about this cloak, and in the Soleanders' hands it became little more than a sign of status, kept in the Sunstone's Hall of Mirrors, along with other ancient pieces collected over the centuries.

Felix II Soleander
Aged 19. The tale of the boy that now leads the peoples of the Sonveld has oft been told as a tragedy, with a crippled lion cub at its centre. The only son of the revered Matthias Soleander, who led his dynasty's long-awaited resurgence and wrenched the title of Protector from the hands of the powerful Vaelanders, Felix was born with a frail body, and lost his mother mere moments after she brought him into this world. Raised in almost complete seclusion within the walls of the Sunstone, under the constant care of his draconian, yet loving father, and a small army of physicians from all over the continent, he grew into a shy, sensitive creature, with a strength of spirit and intellect that far surpassed his weak physique. As his ailment slowy deprived him of the ability to walk, he dedicated his days to the study of the arts and sciences, and forwent the rigorous martial education that had been a part of every Soleander's upbringing for generations, in favour of ancient texts of military strategy. Loved and cherished by his father and his great aunt, and disregarded by his uncles and cousins, Felix' whole life was thrown into disarray by the Bloody Solstice, and the aftermath of those devastating days left his spirit scarred. Nevertheless, in the midst of the worst crisis since his father's ascent, he proved himself to be a sensible, diplomatic leader, capable of turning the raging tides of the Sonveld's politics in his favour without forsaking the principles of virtuous rule. With the undying support of his great aunt and his father's lifelong friends, Felix II has spent the past four years of his life maintaining his father's legacy, ruling over the Sonveld through soft power and a series of small, yet meticulous reforms. So far, the Sonveld has prospered under his reign, and the realm's politics have regained some semblance of harmony. However, a threat to his position has began to grow within his own family, as his uncle Adrian accuses his great aunt and him of foul play during he aftermath of the Bloody Solstice, and seeks to build a coalition of patricians who would have Felix II step down from the position of Protector, and give up the Sunstone. Felix II is a tall, but very slender young man, with delicate, feline features, long golden hair, and green eyes. His inability to walk keeps him confined to a wheeled chair.

Willemina Soleander
Aged 76. The Soleander Dynast and Patrician of the Lion's Grave, the elderly Willemina has been a leading political figure in the Sonveld for many decades, and is widely considered one of the people who did the most to secure Matthias Soleander's appointment as Protector. Passionate, dominating and fiercely loyal to her family, she was raised by her father to be a cunning, strong-willed leader like her older brother, Sebastian. Married to Lucas Toltremer soon after she came of age, she was still very young when she became a widow, and dedicated the following years of her life to her daughter, Ursula, and Matthias, who was her nephew and godson. Having inherited the Lion's Grave from her father, as a patrician she held a sizeable portion of the Soleander family's military might. When Matthias was murdered during the Bloody Solstice, she wielded that same might as a tool in her campaign to install Felix II as Protector of the Sonveld, and restore the peace. Four years later, she continues to reside in the Lion's Grave, although she occasionally travels to the Sunstone to serve as her grandnephew's advisor, and participates in every yearly patrician council, so as to keep her nephew Adrian's coalition at bat. Always seen carrying an amaranth cane wherever she goes, Willemina is a tall, plump old dame, with green eyes, a grey mane, and feline features, softened by the years.

Adrian Soleander
Aged 56. The eldest uncle of the Protector of the Sonveld and Patrician of the Sunstone, Adrian is a peculiar, melancholic figure. Despite never holding the title of patrician, and growing up in his older brother's shadow, throughout his life he managed to amass an unusual amount of power and influence, much of it coming from foreign figures. He is prominent in the region for his lifelong advocacy for an embrace of feudal monarchy, with the Soleanders as Kings of the Sonveld, as well as for his successful campaigns against bandits near the northern borders. Despite not being allowed to participate in the yearly councils, he leads a coalition of patricians loyal to the Soleanders, and maintains friendships with some minor noble families in Lalrial. For the past four years, Adrian has been at the fore of an increasingly intense campaign to have his nephew ousted, an endeavour that has bewildered no small amount of people. Nobody, not even his own children, understands his disdain towards the boy, but the tensions between the two Soleanders has made many worry that a second Bloody solstice may be looming on the horizon. Tall, green-eyed and feline-featured, like most Soleanders, Adrian keeps his graying blond hair short, and his moustache trimmed.

Gerard Soleander
Aged 51. The youngest of the late Matthias Soleander's brothers, Gerard was nobody's favourite in his youth, but became his eldest brother's closest friend and brother at arms as both matured. Committed, like most Soleanders, to the principles of virtuous rule, he is a man of honour, with a remarkably keen eye for deceit in all its forms, and a profound sense of respect for his heritage. As justiciar of the Sunstone, he keeps close ties with the citizens of the surrounding cities, and oversees the protection of his nephew's community. It was he himself who captured and trialled several of the patricians behind the Bloody Solstice. Tall, with green eyes, feline features, greying golden hair and an increasingly long beard, Gerard is more handsome than his siblings, due in part to his kinder, less stern nature.

Ursula Soleander
Aged 45. As Patrician of Gildmarten, Willemina's only daughter has proven herself to be just as intelligent and strong-willed as her mother, but also far more selfish. Married off to her cousin just so her mother could keep a foothold in the Sunstone, Ursula had no intention of playing the good wife for her husband's sake, and instead fully dedicated herself to ruling Gildmarten with a stern hand. Her support for the Soleanders has been perfunctory for the most part, and though she loves her daughter Claudia dearly, she was quick to send her off to the Sunstone, to be educated by her fellow Soleanders. Brown haired, with strong features and green eyes, there is a harder, less elegant look to Ursula.

Paula Soleander
Aged 42. Born outside of the Sonveld, Paula is not only Adrian Soleander's wife, but also his intermediary with the minor nobility of Lalrial. She is a woman who keeps her thoughts and feelings concealed by a mask of courtesy, and has few responsibilities other than those pertaining to her role as her husband's envoy. Their relationship oft appears to be less of a happy marriage, and more of a political friendship, and her opinion on the tensions within the Soleander family remains a closely held secret. Comely, with dirty blond hair and blue eyes, she looks the part of the Sonveld dame.

Maximilian Soleander
Aged 16. High in the line of succession for the Soleander dynasty, Maximilian is a youth with a complex character, and an equally complex relationship with his family. Melancholic like his father, but also rather cynical, he is a master fencer, a poet and a hedonist, who spends several days at a time away from his father's estate in the countryside, and visits the Sunstone quite often. Forced into an arranged marriage with a Celeste, he grew resentful of his father and mother, and developed a fondness for his second cousin, Claudia. With Felix II, things are somewhat more intricate. As a probable heir to the young Protector and patrician, he is seen by Felix II's advisors as a threat, yet the two spend much time together in the Sunstone's gardens and solars, and exchange much correspondence while they are apart. Maximilian is tall, fit and handsome, and possesses all the features of a proper Soleander.

Mathilde Soleander
Aged 11. Adrian and Paula's youngest child has so lived a sheltered life, seldom leaving her father's estate. As sweet as a girl of her age can be, she understands little of the conflicts tearing her family apart, and has only heard of her cousins and uncles what her always restrained mother has been willing to tell. Thus far, she is not betrothed to anybody. Unlike her brother, she looks far more similar to her mother, with the same eyes and features.

Claudia Soleander
Aged 23. As the daughter of Gerard and Ursula Soleander, and granddaughter of Willemina Soleander, the beautiful Claudia may well be one of the most coveted heiresses in the Sonveld. She holds direct claims on the Lion's Grave and Gildmarten, and under the Sonveld's laws she could also lay claim to the Sunstone and nominate herself as Protector, should Felix II pass away. In light of this, it could be considered a blessing that, despite her mischievous nature and shrewd intellect, she has never shown much interest in the politics of the realm. In truth, there is only one thing she is passionate about, and wholeheartedly devoted to, and that is the study of the natural world. An amateurish botanist and avid reader of the ancient astronomers, she has forged a close bond of friendship with Felix II over the years, fueled by their shared interests on matters of the intellect and the feeling of being two lonely and misunderstood people in a mad world. Claudia's looks are perfectly Soleander in every way, with long blond hair, green eyes, and a feline face.

Justine Soleander
Aged 17. A girl who found herself thrust into a situation she was not the least bit prepared to at too young an age, Justine may carry the blood of Valora Celeste in her veins, but she is no aspiring ruler. Married against her will to Maximilian Soleander, she was dragged out of her family's ancestral home in the Skygarden and thrust into an estate in the countryside, far from the social life she had grown accustomed to, and expected to spend the rest of her life with a younger boy who had no interest in her or her bloodline. Justine has been undeniably miserable since her wedding, and even the birth of her first child, a plump little thing that Adrian Soleander insisted on naming Thomas, has done little to lift her spirits. Nowadays, she lives in the remote Soleander estate as a ghost, ignored by most, wasting away in the solar with her baby boy in her arms. Like most Celestes, Justine has light brown curls, hazel eyes, and strong aquiline features dotted by freckles.

Thomas Soleander
Aged 1. Still a babe on the path to learning the art of walking, Thomas looks nothing like his fellow Soleander men, and everything like his Celeste ancestors. Though his father is fond of him, it is his grandfather who has taken the greatest interest in the youngest Soleander.

Vermilion for region south of the pink.

Guvelder
One of the two major ethnic groups in the Sonveld, the fair-skinned Guvelders arrived at the warm fields and hills of this region many centuries before the Empire was founded, having fled from their homeland in the tundras now held by the northern tribes. Usually possessing willowy physiques and strong, triangular features, the Guvelders introduced the worship of Kammeth to the Sonveld, along with agriculture and iron weaponry. As their numbers grew, and those of the native Dovelders fell, they transformed the once modest mining of precious gems and metals into a massive, prosperous trade, the profits of which helped transform the rustic settlements throughout the Sonveld into the envy of every noble in Ethica. Fiercely patriotic and mistrustful of everything monarchic, their efforts to establish effective governance without the risk of falling victims to the whims of a feudal nobility resulted in the creation of the patricians, tyrants whose rule was legitimized by the will of the people.

Dovelder
The original inhabitants of the Sonveld, these dark-skinned people, now known to the rest of Ethica as Dovelders, once vastly outnumbered their Guvelder brethren, and ruled the arid plains and hills as a loose community of prosperous tribal states. Collectively referring to themselves as the Ilanbatu, they perfected the arts of war and astronomy, and established a system of government that would serve as the basis for the communities and patricians that the Guvelders would later embrace. Despite initially living together in relative harmony, some initial clashes notwithstanding, a succession of ethnic and religious conflicts led to an increasing marginalization of the Dovelders. Coupled with the atrocities committed by several Guvelder patricians over the centuries, including the Celestes' holy wars and Thomas I Soleander's infamous massacres, the situation eventually led to a diminishing of the Dovelder population. By the time Matthias Soleander was appointed Protector, Dovelders had long ceased to comprise the vast majority of the Sonveld's population, and instead were only slightly more numerous than the Guvelders. Of about the same average height as the Guvelders, with somewhat rounder features and generally stronger physiques, the Dovelders share the Guvelders' patriotism and mistrust of feudal monarchies. Unlike the Guvelders, however, they are generally not infatuated with the fine arts. Instead, they show a distinct preference for the sciences, and engineering and astronomy in particular, and the study of military history and tactics. Their light infantry is admired by the Guvelder patricians, and feared by the occasional bandits, as are their machines of war.

The Sunstone
A grand palace which sits atop a stony red plateau before a great green field, the Sunstone is the crown jewel of the Soleander dynasty and, since Matthias Soleander's appointment as Protector, the capital of the Sonveld. Surrounded by the handful of small cities that the palace was built to represent, it is a tall, imposing, yet elegant work of art. It was originally made from the smooth red rock of the plateau, but with every patrician it grew larger and more beautiful, with whole wings built in many different kinds of marble. Each expansion came with its own new, bold architectural style, until it became almost a city on its own. The Sunstone, as it stands today, can hundreds upon hundreds of people, and boasts some of the most awe-inspiring gardens and great halls in the Sonveld. The surrounding cities themselves, though not nearly as opulent as the palace, share some of its artistic beauty, and they are all held together by a series of walls and fortifications, rebuilt during Thomas IV's rule.

11,000 inhabitants.

The Lion's Grave
12,000 inhabitants. The original seat of the Soleander family, the citadel from which Thomas I led his first campaigns against the Vaelanders, and one of the most formidable constructions in the Sonveld, the Lion's Grave is both an ancient relic, and a symbol of the Soleanders' power. Although it lacks the refined beauty of its successor, its large walls and barracks are home to a large part of its ancestral owners' military might, and over the centuries it has withstood its fair share of sieges. Nowadays, this pale red mountain in the middle of the sun scorched field is held in a fierce grip by the political beast that is Willemina Soleander, and most of its inhabitants are, in one way or another, dedicated to protecting its dusty rocks against all foes.

The Skygarden
8,000 inhabitants. The last remnant of the Celestes' glorious days as rulers of the Sonveld, this white citadel lies in the cool valley between the Azures, the mountains which contain some of the Sonveld's most prolific diamond mines. Built by Valora Celeste herself, to be the seat of the kingdom she had envisioned upon her return from victory against Lalaifia's enemies, the Skygarden was the only citadel that the Celestes did not lose against the Dovelder rebellions and the Vaelanders' violent usurpations, long after their days of glory had ended. A place that can only be reached by passing through a series of narrow tunnels built within the mountains, it is as much of a sanctuary as it is a trap, albeit a beautiful one. As befits the home of any patrician family with a heritage as prestigious as the Celestes', the Skygarden is a sight to behold, each of its buildings crafted by the best architects Celeste diamonds could buy, and decorated by the best artists as well. It is not the most impressive in terms of the size of its population, but it is well-defended and, despite the Celestes' long decadence, its inhabitants are no more miserable than their peers elsewhere in the Sonveld.

Fulsevrant
21,000 inhabitants. By the time Thomas I Soleander began his first campaign to overthrow the Vaelanders, this powerful family had already succeeded in transforming their old seat of Fulsevrant into a grand fortified city, worthy of a family that aspired to rule the Sonveld until the end of time. From the bulky black citadel that had been their home for centuries, they built a massive, geometrically designed beast of granite and dark marble, with enough room to hold as many inhabitants the city of Violette did at the time, and fortifications that no sane man would try to storm. When Thomas I ultimately succeeded in breaching Fulsevrant's defenses, it ended the Vaelanders' dreams for the city's future. The city's population never quite grew to the size its patricians had envisioned, and entire neighbourhoods remained empty and forgotten, doomed to crumble as history passed the Vaelanders by. Although it remains the Sonveld's most populous city, and one of the greatest feats of architecture in the region's history, Fulsevrant is not nearly as revered by the artistically minded as the Sunstone or the Skygarden. It does, however, continue to be a major centre of trade, and a formidable fortress.

Gildmarten
4,000 inhabitants. The Toltremers are a youthful dynasty by Sonveld standards, and the Gildmarten is proof of that. Built two centuries ago after Anton Toltremer was named patrician of the surrounding towns, it is barely more than a palace, although it is a beautiful one. Built with the dark golden stone of a nearby quarry, it sits by a pond, surrounded by a multitude of wild creatures, from gazelles to oliphants. It is not a particularly defensible seat, something that could be blamed on the fact that the region itself has not faced a single attack since the Celestes' holy wars.

Insimu Lezinkanyezi (The Field of Stars)
13,000 inhabitants. Built on the ruins of an Ilanbatu city destroyed by Valora Celeste, Insimu Lezinkanyezi is the largest Dovelder city, and for three centuries it has been ruled by the Imbasalas, the most powerful Dovelder patrician family. Resting on the margins of the Ebusku river, its palaces are only matched by the Sunstone in size and beauty, and its gardens have long been renowned for the vast collection of tamed beasts kept within. Nearby vineyards make the city a favourite destination for many merchants, and its iron mines help keep its soldiers well-equipped.

Nensephe Nesibindi (The Brave Gazelle)
7,000 inhabitants. The Onothando family was one of the few ancient Dovelder dynasties that survived both the Celestes' holy wars and Thomas I Soleander's massacres. Indeed, the Onothandos have been some of the longest reigning patrician families in the Sonveld, and Nensephe Nesibindi is the symbol of this heritage. Built and decorated in the traditional Ilanbatu style, the Onothandos' seat is a broad, sparsely populated city that stretches along the field, surrounded by all manner of wild beasts. Thanks to the presence of a series of streams that cut through the city, the land of Nensephe Nesibindi is one of the most fertile in the Sonveld. For countless generations, its inhabitants have provided the region with much needed fruit and grain.

The one fundamental value that rules over life in the Sonveld, which has permeated every aspect of its society and culture since the arrival of the Guvelders, is patriotism. Despite the persisting differences between the Guvelders and Dovelders, and between the different communities, a prevailing sense of unity under the ideal of the Sonveld binds them together, and guides their actions. To the inhabitants of this realm, nothing is more important than the Sonveld. To help in its survival and prosperity is the highest honour imaginable, and all else is secondary to it. This conception of the world has had many different effects on life in the Sonveld.

On the one hand, it has subordinated religious institutions and doctrine to the traditional governance and customs that preceeded them. The clergy and its holy duties are below the tyranny and its responsibilities to the homeland. The ancient laws cannot be forced to abide by the principles of the faith, but rather the principles of the faith must mold themselves after the ancient laws. Most people in the Sonveld think in terms of offenses against their own communities, and the Sonveld itself, rather than in terms of sins against the gods.

On the other hand, the obligation to pursue the common good above all else has made the peoples of the Sonveld more accepting than others of tyrannical rulers, but also more willing to tolerate radical changes for the greater good. It was because of the latter that, when some patricians passed away and left only left female descendants, their communities forsook their ancestral patriarchalism and allowed women to become patricians.

The nature of the ideal of the Sonveld has also had a most peculiar effect on the relationship between the patricians and their communities. Although they may lead lives of opulence, and hold great power over the people around them, the patricians are not aristocrats in the traditional sense. Their privileged position is not so much something they are entitled to by virtue of their birth, but rather a charitative gesture from the communities that have made them responsible for the management of their realm. The distances between the social strata are smaller, at least in principle, than they are in many other realms.

The people of the Sonveld are notorious for their fondness of the arts and sciences, and their belief in an ideal of virtue, one that has less to do with Kammethian morality than it does with the ancient customs. It is an ideal based on seeking trascendence in the contemplation of the wilderness, and respecting the integrity of your individual peers while pursuing the welfare of the whole. To the common inhabitant of the Sonveld, a gross intrusion into somebody else's private life is always far more scandalous than any act of debauchery it might uncover.

Popular tyranny
In all its history, the Sonveld has never had a true, legitimate monarch, nor a feudal nobility like those in many neighbouring regions. Guvelders and Dovelders alike have traditionally been deeply skeptical about any form of government that relied on bloodlines or alleged divine mandates to maintain its legitimacy. So it was that, when the moment came to decide upon a way to rule over this vast and sparsely populated nation, the peoples of the Sonveld chose what would later be referred to by scholars as popular tyranny.

The patricians of the Sonveld hold in their hands near absolute power, granted to them by the inhabitants of their communities. They rule for life, creating laws and enforcing them, waging war and judging crimes, controlling the local clergy, and overseeing all guilds, merchant and artisan alike. When a patrician perishes, their community has its most revered members choose a new one on their behalf, and should their patrician turn out to be incompetent or corrupt, these revered members may depose the patrician. Through history, some ruling patricians have also been challenged to a duel for their title by their rivals. A remnant of the old traditions of the Guvelders, these duels, though rare, are also regarded as a legitimate path to deposing and electing patricians.

The institution that is the Protector of the Sonveld is, compared to the patricians, a fairly recent one, invented by Thomas III Soleander. Chosen by the patricians from among their ranks, the Protector is the tyrannical ruler and representative of all the Sonveld. Among the Protector's responsibilities are serving as arbiter between the patricians, overseeing relations with the other realms and the Empire, and managing the regulation and taxation of all foreign trade. Though a far cry from the Celestes' monarchist ambitions of old, the Protector could be said to be, in practice, a monarch in all but name. Much like with the patricians, the position of Protector has often been passed down from the patrician to a close relative of their choice. Scholars have taken to blaming this flaw on the persisting disparities between most patrician families and the prestigious triumvirate that are the Soleanders, Vaelanders and Celestes. Only the Imbasalas have ever succeeded in breaking that cycle, albeit briefly, when Themba Imbasala briefly served as Protector of the Sonveld after Maarten Celeste passed away.

The Sonveld's troubled history has made it difficult for its Protectors to establish close bonds with their neighbours.

Relations with the Empire itself, on the other hand, have been rather uneasy since the Celestes fell from grace, and specially since the rise of the Soleanders and Vaelanders. With the tinges of independentism in the Vaelanders' ambitions, and the Soleanders' overt unwillingness award the Valariens, and the Church of the Sacred Flame, more than perfunctory authority over the Sonveld, tensions have sparked sporadically over the past three centuries. Recently, with the latest resurgence of the Soleanders, relations have improved substantially between the Sonveld and the Heartlands, thanks to Matthias and Felix II's willingness to make some long-demanded concessions, including a higher share of the Sonveld's gold mines' output for the Empire's coffers. Still, the Soleanders have not been particularly active in the Imperial court, or Imperial politics as a whole.

One foreign family with which the Soleanders do have closer relations are the Gracieux, mostly due to their shared history as dynasties that produced several female rulers and introduced new ideas to the western realms of Ethica, as well as their competition over the trade of precious gems and metals.

With the Caernavirs of Gwethydd, on the other hand, things have always been rather complicated. Before the Sonveld was annexed by the Empire and placed in Valora Celeste's hands, its patricians were only kept in check by each other. This meant that, if a coalition of patrician families was large enough, there truly was nothing to stop them from waging war against neighbouring nations. During this period, many such coalitions were raised against Gwethydd, a nation which patricians widely perceived as a bloated, dispersed collection of weak feudal states pretending to be a kingdom, ripe for the taking. By the time the Celestes reined these patrician families in, the damage had already been done, and the Soleanders' prominent participation in these wars would linger in the memory of the families involved for centuries.

By the time of Thomas I Soleander's rise to power, the animosity between Gwethydd and the Sonveld had had centuries to fester, and had been made even worse by the Vaelanders' first rebellion against the Empire. Thomas I's apparent lust for conquest did little to improve this situation, specially after a series of skirmishes between his forces and those of bordering Gwethyn counts. Despite Thomas II and Thomas III's best efforts to relieve the tensions between both families, many problems persisted well into Matthias Soleander's rule as Protector, ranging from border disputes to scandalous romances between Sonveld patricians and Gwethyn nobles.

For the most part, the Sonveld is comprised of great fields, plateaus and escarpments, with a few mountains and hills. It is a warm, often arid region, with vast stretches of land with little vegetation, which has faced its fair share of devastating droughts over the centuries. The more temperate areas fare better, with a healthy amount of trees and streams that contrast with the near deserts to be found close by.

The Sonveld is a land of lions, oliphants, zebras and gazelles, with crocodiles and vultures aplenty, and hippopotamuses and leopards always lurking nearby. The kinds of wild beasts that roam this region are unique, countless, and often quite deadly. The peoples of the Sonveld have long since learned to share their country with them, leaving large areas entirely under the rule of the beasts, and hunting them only when they attack.

The Sonveld is a land of many treasures, and its inhabitants have known to claim these treasures for themselves, and use them to ensure a content existence in a part of the world that can often be very harsh to the souls that dwell in it. The country is prosperous, despite the troubles it has faced over its long history, and the fruits of that prosperity have been shared in a remarkably equitable fashion. The patricians may lead lives of luxury, but their communities get the lion's share of the profits brought by their hard work.

The worship of Kammeth rules supreme in the Sonveld, though it has not remained in its purest form. The Church of the Sacred Flame, with the undying support of the Celestes, spent centuries trying to erase the last remnants of the Ilanbatu gods of old, yet in the end their success was only partial. No Dovelder worships the Ilabantu pantheon, but most of the Sonveld's inhabitants have integrated many ancient Ilabantu customs into their worship of the god of the Sun. Thus, syncretism has triumphed over puritanism in the long war for the souls of the Sonveld.

Most Guvelders and Dovelders focus their prayers and offerings on Kammeth, as the Sun has long been regarded as a symbol of their nation's heritage, and the whims of the sky play a large part in their daily lives. Gerna, of course, also gets her share of prayers and offerings from the workers in the Sonveld's mines.

The Celeste Viceroyalty
Valora Celeste returned from Lalaifia's wars as a hero, and with the Empire's wholehearted support in her endeavour to become the sole, undisputed ruler of the Sonveld.

Her aspirations immediately clashed with the patriotic spirit of the patricians, sparking a war of unification that took Valora decades and thousands of Imperial soldiers to win. Victorious but severely weakened, she was recognized by her peers as ruler of the Sonveld, but was not given she crown and throne she had dreamed of. Instead, she was made Vicereine, a title that granted her far less power and prestige, but at least would be passed down to her descendants.

The Celestes reigned supreme for many centuries, and from their seat in the Skygarden brought about a series of reforms that would forever change Sonveld society. However, their efforts to turn the realm into a more cohesive whole floundered as the issue of faith came to the fore. As staunch worshippers of Kammeth, with close ties to the Church of the Sacred Flame, the Celestes would not tolerate the persisting reverence for the Ilanbatu pantheon among the Dovelders. Thus, they led a series of increasingly forceful attempts to impose Kammethian doctrine, which alienated not just the Dovelder patricians, but also many Guvelder patricians who believed that the Kammethian clergy should be subordinated to them. The conflict eventually grew violent, and when the Celestes summoned holy warriors to suppress their opponents, it became the first holy war in Sonveld history. Lasting many years and bringing an end to several patrician families, the war ended in a costly victory for the Celeste, and set the tone of Sonveld politics for the remainder of the Celestes' era.

In the following decades, many holy wars devastated the region, and despite their many successes in the field, the Celestes' hold on the patricians began to slip away. Having squandered their prestige and the goodwill of their allies in a disastrous conflict riddled with atrocities, their position as Viceroys started to feel more and more symbolic. Some patricians went as far as going to the Imperial court itself to demand that a new family be put in charge of the Sonveld. Meanwhile, another patrician family, still dwelling in relative obscurity, plotted to end the Celestes' supremacy from within.

The First Vaelander Usurpation
The Vaelanders had served as patricians of Fulsevrant for many generations when their ambitions began to grow. Relying on a large army of their own, and the support of many patricians who saw the very institution of the Viceroyalty as an insult to their heritage, they led a campaign to oust the Celestes, just as the Celestes themselves were fighting yet another Dovelder rebellion. Blindsided by this turn of events, the Celestes were unable to muster the military and political power to oppose them.

In a matter of months, aided in no small part by the complacency of the Imperial court, the Vaelanders succeeded in driving the Celestes out of most of their strongholds, and received the blessing of a majority of the remaining patricians to proclaim themselves rulers of the Sonveld. Thus, the rule of much of the realm was, in practice, placed in the hands of the Vaelanders, beginning an era of grave turmoil.

As rulers of the Sonveld, the Vaelanders distinguished themselves as exceptional military leaders and strict enforcers of the law, but also poor administrators of the realm's coffers, with a penchant for ill-conceived attempts at installing themselves as kings. On the other hand, their rule did heal some of the wounds left by the Celestes' war against the Dovelders, as the Vaelanders helped restore the Dovelders to a position of equity in the realm's politics.

For almost two centuries, the Vaelanders faced no serious opposition from their fellow patricians, particularly after the Empire officially abandoned the Celestes and acknowledged the Vaelanders as viceroys. However, their constant repression of all dissenting voices did, in time, make those patricians who were further from the Vaelanders' core territory begin to consider another change of regime.

The first to rebel were a small coalition, led by Celeste loyalists, although denounced by the Celestes themselves. Despite their small numbers, they put up a fierce resistance, which prolongued the conflict long enough to exhaust some of the Vaelanders' allies, and provoke other patricians to stage their own rebellions. Although most of them were defeated by the Vaelanders' overwhelming force, their efforts succeeded in dividing the realm between the warring factions, leaving the Vaelanders with only a plurality of territories under their control. This state of affairs would set the stage for one of the most critical moments in Sonveld history.

The First Soleander Protectorate
Thomas I Soleander, patrician of the Lion's Grave, was twenty years of age when the news of the Grey Mass reached his community. An atrocity that was widely believed to have been plotted by the Vaelanders, they Grey Mass had involved the slaughter of hundreds of people, including several dissident patricians, during a religious celebration in Fulsevrant. Although scholars would later put into question the Vaelanders' alleged involvement, many communities at the time saw it as an intolerable crime, and clamoured to their patricians for justice.

Being a renowned warrior and tactician among his peers, many turned to Thomas I for leadership in their punitive campaign, unaware of the fact that Thomas I had already been planning a rebellion of his own for over a year, as was revealed decades later, in his final confession to his son. Thomas I strongly believed, not only that the Vaelanders did not deserve to rule the Sonveld, but also that he himself was meant to end their tyranny and become the realm's leader.

From the Lion's Grave, Thomas I launched his first ambitious campaign against the Vaelanders, leading an army of several thousands against the viceroyalty's more numerous and more experienced forces. After a series of costly victories, he finally succeeded in breaking the heart of the Vaelanders' military power, with a bold assault on the viceroyalty's main army, which was laying siege to the rebel city of Moringalm. The Moringalm Miracle, as a poet later called named it, left the Vaelanders with only a handful of small batallions and footholds scattered through the rebels' territories, and gave Thomas I a clear path to Fulsevrant.

In his journey to Fulsevrant, Thomas I continued to demonstrate his military genius, but also certain qualities that would later make him rather infamous in certain circles. Proud, self-righteous, and a strong believer in projecting strength through brutality, rather than mercy, when he was not allowing his soldiers to commit atrocities against the peaceful people of the communities he conquered, he was openly encouraging them. Countless innocents were abused and even murdered, and whispers began to circulate of Thomas I's disdain towards Dovelders, and the people of the Fulsevrant community and their brethren.

In the end, however, the worst atrocities of this first campaign were those Thomas I inflicted upon Fulsevrant and the Vaelander family. Not content with using infected corpses to spread diseases within the city's walls, killing hundreds, once he breached Fulsevrant's defenses he had his men capture every child and take them to the Lion's Grave, to be raised as part of his community. As for the Vaelanders themselves, their patrician was publicly executed, and his successor was forced to declare the family eternally unfit for the office of Viceroy of the Sonveld.

Thomas I's victory over the Vaelanders complete, he sought to 'free' the rest of the Sonveld, sending ultimatums to those among his peers who had not joined his alliance already. A large group of these patricians, led by the Celestes and the Onothandos, refused to meet his demands, and called instead for a meeting of all the patricians of the Sonveld to designate a true viceroy. Be it because he knew that he would not be able to sway enough patricians to support his bid, or simply because he did not care for diplomacy, Thomas I boycotted the meeting, and rallied his forces to prepare for a new campaign, this time against the Celestes and the Onothandos.

The meeting, which was almost entirely attended by patricians opposed to Thomas I, overwhelmingly voted in favour of Xolani Onothando as viceroy. Xolani, who was a famous general in his own right, raised an army of his own to meet Thomas I's at the foot of the Azures, in what would turn out to be Thomas I's first major military defeat. With his army in shambles, the young patrician regrouped at the Lion's Grave and prepared for another campaign.

Three years later, with a new army in tow, Thomas I began his second campaign against the new viceroy, defeating him in the battle of Augreid, and forcing him to retreat to his seat in Nensephe Nesibindi. In the months that followed, Thomas I cut his way through the Dovelder communities, all of which had rallied behind the Onothandos. Much like his campaign against the Vaelanders, the march towards Nensephe Nesibindi was marked by atrocities committed against countless innocents, including the capture of hundreds of children, to be raised in the Lion's Grave.

Fearing that this war would soon reach them as well, the Celestes urged the Thomas I and the viceroy to make peace. The treaty that the Celeste, Onothando and Soleander patricians finally signed, after weeks of heated negotiations, recognized Thomas I's newfound power, making him, for all purposes, the most powerful man in the Sonveld, but did not give him the position of viceroy. With this arrangement, a system of government based on hypocrisy was born, as Xolani Onothando continued to rule as viceroy until the day he died, while Thomas I continued his wars against all patricians who resisted him.

Thomas I dominated the Sonveld for over forty years, and he spent the majority of his reign warring against his neighbours, repeatedly putting down the still defiant Vaelanders, and trying over and over to become the de jure ruler of the realm. Despite the thousands of lives lost during his many wars, and the sheer cost of so many years of burnt fields and sieged cities, the Lion's Rock did prosper under some reforms he enacted. When he died, at the age of seventy-one, the warring patrician had come to be known by his community as Thomas the Great, the ruler who, with his sword, had liberated and unified the Sonveld.

After his death, Thomas the Great was succeeded by his only son, Thomas II, who at the time was already a grown man, with children of his own. A far cry from his militant predecessor, Thomas II was a born diplomat, and deeply resented his father's arrogance and love for war. Knowing that the only path to legitimizing his house's role as leaders of the Sonveld would be through reconciliation, he spent the majority of his own reign trying to heal the scars left in Sonveld politics by his father's uncompromising brutality, and a solid legacy his own successors would be able to use to assert themselves before their peers.

The three decades of Thomas II's rule were a time of relative peace, only interrupted by a minor campaign against bandits on the western borders, and mild prosperity. The arts flourished again, in the Lion's Grave and elsewhere, and trade boomed taxes were lowered and long neglected roads were rebuilt. Through a series of pacts, an uneasy but stable alliance was born between the Soleanders and Celestes, which culminated in an arrangement to eventually end the designation of viceroys, and have a new position created after Thomas II passed away.

In the last years of his reign, Thomas II faced his most fundamental crisis yet, as a scandal left his plans on his own succession in disarray. His own son and designated heir, Andreas, became embroiled in a regional controversy after it was discovered that he had murdered a young girl of the Imbasala family. Unwilling to jeopardize his entire life's work, even if it was for his own son, Thomas II chose to disown Andreas, and cast the former Soleander heir's sons out of the Lion's Grave. Already old and with a waning health, he turned his attention to his daughter's son, a lively little boy whose mother had named after him. A few years later, when his heart finally failed him and he passed away, Thomas II was succeeded by this same grandson of his, now an adolescent, leaving behind a recuperated Sonveld, ready for the beginning of a new era.

Thomas III should have had a regent designated by his community, given his age, or he should not have been designated patrician at all. That his community did not hesitate to give him that position with full powers was probably the first sign that a change had come to the way things were done in the Sonveld. As soon as the boy sat on his father's seat, many of his peers wondered, with good reason, if monarchy had finally, officially, come to their realm, wearing the carcass of their hallowed institutions. No patrician had ever been chosen at such young an age, and with nothing but the word of his predecessor to support his bid.

The young new ruler of the Lion's Grave, however, soon proved to be a lot more competent than his fellow patricians had initially expected. Educated in the ways of the diplomat by his grandfather, Thomas III immediately continued his predecessor's work to bring legitimacy to the Soleanders' rule over the Sonveld. Over the course of ten years, he patiently formed a network of alliances and owed favours, which incremented his leverage in the councils that all patricians attended on occasion. With the title of viceroy permanently invalidated, as per Thomas II's arrangement with the Celestes, it fell onto the patricians to decide how they would organize the Sonveld's politics, and who would represent them in the eyes of the Empire.

While he made significant gains through diplomacy alone, it was a single, solitary war that pushed the odds in Thomas III's favour, as a nomadic army of unknown origins landed on the shores of the Sonveld and began to raid its way into the mainland. The invaders advanced swiftly through their territories, so the patricians could not afford to wait for reinforcements from the Heartlands. Instead, Thomas III helped his peers organize the defense of their communities, and created an army with the intent of driving the invaders back to the see. Leading from the front alongsode the Celeste, Vaelander and Imbasala patricians. Relying on subtle strategy, rather than the hard tactics that had made Thomas I famous, Thomas III won a series of major victories, and forced the remnants of the foreign army to return to the seas.

Thomas III's leadership during the war was widely praised by his fellow patricians, and guaranteed the success of his final series of moves to accomplish his grandfather's dream. At the age of twenty-eight, with the near unanimous support of his peers, save for the Vaelander patrician's abstention, Thomas III became the very first Protector of the Sonveld, with the tacit approval of the Imperial court.

The reign of the first Protector was tragically short, but nevertheless significant. Arts and trade continued to flourish under his patronage, and his reforms transformed Sonveld politics. A wave of cultural changes swept the more populous cities and citadels, and the Soleanders themselves witnessed their crowning achievement with the construction of the Sunstone. On matters of war, Thomas III opted to forsake the raising of armies from among the communities, and relied instead on purchasing the services of mercenary armies from abroad, which he regularly used against the bandits that crossed into the Sonveld. The Vaelanders, appeased by a series of consessions, for the first time ceased to be a threat to the authority of their fellow patricians, and the Celestes were glad to distance themselves from the heavy burdens of rule for the time being.

Thomas III perished at the age of thirty-four, consumed by disease, leaving no clear candidate for his succession. In a society that had only on rare occasions handed over the responsibilities of a patrician to a woman, few considered his one and only child, a girl, to be a worthy candidate. It therefor came as a shock when, during the patrician council convened to discuss the designation of a new Protector, the aging Vaelander patrician spoke passionately in her favour.

After several weeks of deliberation, and with several patricians walking out in protest before the last vote took place, Gisela I was chosen to serve as Protector. A few days later, the community of the Sunstone and the Lion's Grave followed suit, and made her patrician of both as well.

Quite similar to her father in many ways, Gisela I was a wise and cautious leader, with a heart full of idealism, and she continued many of her predecessors policies, with one notable exception. In the first months of her rule, she expelled each and every last mercenary army in the Sonveld, and advocated for the creation of a chivalric order to stand in their place. The Knights Solar, comprised of knights both local and foreign, became the enforcers of the patricians' will in peacetime, and the vanguard of the Protectors' armies in wartime.

With a rule as prosperous as her father's, if not even more so, when Gisela I passed away, old and unmarried, she was considered one of the finest rulers in the Sonveld's history. Her legacy of order and growth would withstand the test of time, even when her successors proved to be incompetent.

The Second Vaelander Usurpation
Gisela I left no children when she passed away, and though Andreas Soleander was long dead, the patricians had not forgotten his crime. Thus, when the time came to designate the patricians for the Sunstone and the Lion's Grave, and the new Protector, the communities and patricians in question found themselves at a loss. While the Soleanders' seats were eventually handed over to Andreas' descendants, with some grumbling from the Imbasala, the patricians remained in a deadlock, with a dozen candidates all pressing bids for the highest office in the Sonveld.

The Vaelander patrician, Joachim, had the most supporters, but was still far from having the majority he needed. As the void in the realm's politics began to be felt in every community, and even outside of it, impatience grew, and word of a possible usurpation began to spread.

Finally, as violence began to break out between members of different factions, Joachim Vaelander proposed a series of duels between the candidates to resolve the issue, citing the traditions of their ancestors from the north. After much debate, the council came to an agreement, and the duels were held. Joachim, who had been a Knight Solar before his designation as patrician, defeated all of his opponents, and o the day of his final victory, he was proclaimed Protector.

As the first Vaelander to legitimately become ruler of the Sonveld, Joachim exceeded most expectations. He delegated on the matters he understood the least, and mostly carried on with his predecessors' policies. Though circumstances began to stagnate near the end of his life, his rule was nevertheless a period of stability.

Joachim was succeeded by a series of Vaelander Protectors, inaugurating a period of increased stagnation and corruption in the administration of the Sonveld's affairs. Relations with the Church of the Sacred Flame deteriorated, and by the time the fifth Vaelander Protector, a mere child, was murdered by his own mother, the patricians had grown tired of their dynasty.

An elderly Celeste Protector named Maarten followed the Vaelander child, and his rule would later be remembered as 'the Celestial Mistake', for the series of grossly incompetent policies enacted by him. Seven years after his designation, an increasingly alienated council of patricians chose a Vaelander again.

The Second Soleander Protectorate
The reign of the sixth and last Vaelander Protector of that era was not nearly as disastrous as Maarten Celeste's. But the time of his death found exhausted patricians, and even more exhausted communities, yearning for an end to decades of decadence.

It was with that yearning in their hearts that the patricians in council found themselves tempted by a young Soleander girl, descended from Andreas Soleander, who had come to them with hopeful poems written by her, and vague proposals for a regional rebirth. Despite the skepticism of a large number of patricians, and the Vaelanders' outrage, Gisela II became the new Protector.

The third woman to become Protector, Gisela II was unable to make all her poetic promises become a reality, yet she did attract much enthusiasm with the construction of hospitals, schools and churches throughout the Sonveld. She came to be loved by the clergy and the poor, and respected by the more pious patricians. Dying a mere five years after her designation, she was the first Sonveld ruler to be buried in the Church of the Sacred Flame's main temple in Lalrial.

Her successor, Thomas IV, neglected much of her charity work, and instead focused on improving the realm's roads and defenses. By the end of his twenty-eight years in power, the Sonveld had several new citadels, with their own communities and patricians, and the great road leading to the Heartlands was teeming with merchant caravans from all over Ethica.

The Third Vaelander Usurpation
Thomas IV was the first Protector to resign, rather than rule until the end of his days. Due to his poor health, and concerns about his mental state after a particularly serious episode, he stepped down and presented his brother, Pascal, as his candidate for succession. A council was convened in the Sunstone, and deliberations began on whether to accept Pascal as the next Protector, or choose another candidate. Opposing Pascal was Stephan Vaelander, supported by many Dovelder patricians, who favoured his writings on the crimes of the Soleanders' crimes against the Dovelders.

In a series of incidents collectively referred to by historians as 'the Night of Madness', a fire burned down a whole floor of the Soleander palace, killing half a dozen patricians, Thomas the IV suffocated in his sleep, Pascal fled, and Stephan took control of the Sunstone. The latter was seen by many of his peers as a bloodless coup but, despite their protestations, they were forced to participate in a new round of deliberations and votes. With no stronger candidates left, since the remaining Soleanders were either too young or too old, Stephan won.

Stephan Vaelander's first move as Protector was to marry one of Thomas IV's daughters, and bring much of his household to the Sunstone, which became his de facto capital. From there, he led the Sonveld through three decades of political unease and economic growth, as he attempted, with little success, to join the Soleanders and Vaelanders into a single, all-powerful dynasty.

Stephan's successors gave up on his dream of Soleander-Vaelander unity. His son, Joachim III, moved the capital back to Fulsevrant and formally severed all ties with the Soleanders, starting an era of Vaelander hegemony that would last for two centuries.

The Third Soleander Protectorate
Joachim VI, a man of great ambitions and constant prevarications, had ruled unopposed for a decade. Though most of his honest endeavours as Protector had ended in disappointment, and his successes had all come from intrigues, his predecessors' legacy of orderly rule had kept most dissenting voices at bay. Because of this, it caused quite the stir in his household when he found that his family's rule was suddenly being challenged by the Soleanders once more.

Having spent two centuries in obscurity, almost forgotten by old friends and rivals alike, the Soleanders had finally come out from hiding, claws bared. Led by Willemina, the widowed patrician of the Lion's Grave, and Matthias, the stern and imposing young patrician of the Sunstone, this new generation of the once great dynasty presented itself to the Sonveld as a spirited and virtuous alternative to the Vaelanders' constant floundering and dishonourable policies.

In an attempt to end the Soleanders' threat against his family's position before it could gain any allies, Joachim VI raised an army and marched on the Sunstone. His attack, which was poorly coordinated, was swiftly transformed into one of the most embarrassing retreats in the Sonveld's military history, as his armies were chased down by Matthias and his men.

As word of Joachim VI's attack and defeat reached the other patricians, the political crisis, which had only been looming in the horizon up until that moment, exploded into a regional scandal. Patricians rallied behind each side, and skirmishes on the borders between communities began to take place all over the Sonveld. The Celestes called for a council, hoping that diplomacy would solve the conflict, but it was only attended by a small handful of patricians.

The clashes between Matthias and Joachim VI continued in the fields over the course of the year, while Willemina met with the Celestes, and some Vaelanders who opposed Joachim VI's schemes, and worked on containing the violence and planning the political transition. Repeatedly defeated by Matthias' military superiority, and rapidly losing his allies among the patricians, Joachim VI returned to Fulsevrant, and pressured those patricians still loyal to him to boycott all political proceedings.

With the battle for the fields won, Matthias turned his eyes to the diplomatic battle. Showing unexpected mercy to Joachim VI's supporters, he circulated a written promise that they would not only avoid punishment, but also be rewarded and protected by his family, if they agreed to participate in a council to freely discuss the deposition of Joachim VI, and the designation of a new Protector. Persuaded by the Celestes' endorsement of that promise, and news of Matthias' humane treatment of the patricians he had captured in battle, enough patricians came forward to force Joachim VI and his few remaining friends to recognize the legitimacy of the council, and submit themselves to its decisions.

The council itself lasted two weeks, during which Joachim VI's envoys did their best to obstruct Matthias' bid. A scandalous game of bribes and blackmails ensued, and the council was almost dissolved.

The tarnished proceedings were saved by the Willemina, the Celestes and their friends in the Imperial court, who arranged for a series of reforms in the relationship between the Sonveld and the Empire, which would be undertaken if, and only if, Joachim VI resigned. Having lost all leverage among his peers, and with threats of usurpation within his own family, Joachim VI finally agreed to step down before a vote on his deposition was held, and returned to Fulsevrant without presenting any opposing candidates for Matthias' bid.

Matthias was chosen to be the next Protector of the Sonveld with the unanimous support of all the remaining patricians, and almost immediately he enacted a full pardon for all his rivals, including Joachim VI. Once he was safely back in the Sunstone, he began his work to radically change, and hopefully improve, the way things were done in the realm. He reorganized the realm's various guilds into great companies, subsidized by his family's vast wealth, and forced the local clergy to accept several reforms to their doctrine and practices, so as to bring them closer to the customs of the Sonveld's communities. He regularly consulted with the representatives of the Sunstone's community when considering new policies, and transformed the city's guard into a powerful standing army, and strongly recommended all his fellow patricians to follow his example. The long neglected ports along the Sonveld's shores received some much needed funding, along with their very own patricians, and efforts were made to build a respectable navy to protect them.

A hard, formidable man, with a strong sense of patriotic pride, and a deep-seated distaste for decadence and intrigues, Matthias Soleander came to be revered by patricians and communities alike. Few dared to cross him, and most were happy to hand the reins of the Sonveld's administration to a man who seemed to bring order and prosperity with him wherever he went. Though many were taken aback by his apparent humourlessness, and his tendency to severely punish those he thought incompetent, those who were closest to the man knew him to be capable of remarkable displays of love and solidarity, albeit always masked by his persistent severity. He married well into his adulthood, and his bride of choice was a young woman from the Sunstone's community called Alexandra, whom he was said to love dearly. The same was said about his only son, named after his grandfather, who Matthias spent most of his precious moments of leisure with.

Almost three decades after becoming Protector, being at the height of his power and prestige, nobody expected Matthias Soleander to face any grave threats to his position, let alone his life. What none of his allies had counted on, however, was that the reforms he pushed on the Sonveld's clergy would lead to the birth of a militant movement that would conspire to plunge the whole realm into fiery chaos.

The Sunborn, as they called themselves, hid in plain sight among the patricians and representatives of the communities, secretly aided by resentful members of the clergy. As their visible faces spent their days grumbling about Matthias Soleander's reforms in public, their secret leaders spent the nights planning a glorious revolution to restore the realm's holiness in the eyes of Kammeth. They spread slowly but surely throughout the region, attracting all manner of disgruntled fanatics into their ranks, and as the twenty-eighth summer solstice of Matthias Soleander's rule approached, they readied to strike.

The Bloody Solstice, the culmination of Sunborn's years of plotting, began while summer solstice celebrations were being held in five different cities, with several patricians attending each. In each of these celebrations, the Sunborn patricians and their soldiers there present staged great massacres, during which most of the patricians attending were killed, along with members of their families. In some of those massacres, entire palaces were burned, and whole families were exterminated, quickly creating gaping voids in the Sonveld's politics.

Because of the great distances between Insimu Lezinkanyezi, where Matthias and his newphew, Jonathan, were attending a feast, and the patrician seats attacked the night before, news of the events taking place could not reach the Protector in time. Thus, Matthias and Jonathan Soleander were murdered in the second night of the Bloody Solstice, along with most of the Imbasala family.

The killing of the Sonveld's leader immediately sent shockwaves throughout the realm, as the massacres continued in other cities and citadels. The surviving patricians scrambled to put up an organized defense against these attacks from within their own ranks, and the Celestes desperately tried to take the reins of the realm's governance as they pleaded for Imperial assistance. As the eight days that comprised the Bloody Solstice came to an end, the realm found itself on the verge of chaos.

In a surprising move, which could be said to have been the key to the Sonveld's salvation from yet another civil war, the Vaelander patrician, Stephan II, joined forces with Willemina Soleander, and mustered an army to seek out and bring all the Sunborn to justice. Joined by a deeply grief-stricken, but nevertheless capable Felix II, who the Sunstone's community had quickly designated as his father's successor, the Soleander-Vaelander alliance pursued and captured, or killed, all the Sunborn who could not flee to the Heartlands.

Four months later, with some pockets of Sunborn resistance still remaining, Felix II was named Protector of the Sonveld, despite his uncle Adrian's aggressive campaign in opposition, and he set out to bring a definitive end to the crisis, and help provide the communities of the region with a semblance of normality. With many of the ancient patrician families extinguished during the Bloody Solstice, their communities had to choose patricians from among themselves for the first time in centuries, a process that the Soleander-Vaelander alliance kept a close eye on.

Four years have passed since then, and the Sonveld remains not only intact, but prosperous. Despite the scars left by its history, both recent and ancient, its communities and patricians press forward, ever committed to their patriotic ideals. Felix II, heir to his father's great legacy, has done his best to fill the void left by his predecessor's passing, with more than enough success to give those who voted for him renewed confidence.

The troubles faced by the Sonveld, however, are far from fading. Adrian Soleander's campaign to depose his nephew carries on, a looming shadow on the sunlit fields and plateaus of the region. And though the days of the Vaelanders' royal ambitions are far from over, the patriotism that has been at the core of the Sonveld's spirit since time immemorial may ultimately prove too large for a measly Imperial vassal state.

The Opulent -The roads of the Sonveld are not, as some singers would claim, paved in gold and gems. However, the gold and gems within the caravans that travel on those roads are, indeed, quite plentiful. The Sonveld may lack the fertility of the neighbouring Gwethydd, but it remains one of the wealthiest regions in Ethica, thanks to the great deposits that the gods saw fit to bless it with. Joachim IV Vaelander once remarked, albeit with tinges of bitterness, that the patricians of the Sonveld could easily purchase victory in war, or bankrupt their foes into submission, if only they would stop glorifying bloodshed.
The Untamed - Since the arrival of the Guvelders, no foreign army has ever succeeded at conquering the Sonveld. Indeed, any who would try would have to face off against a harsh, wild land, filled with dangerous beasts. The patricians of the realm have had centuries to learn how to wage war in their unforgiving home, how to survive through a severe drought, how to avoid the wrath of their great animals, and how to lay siege to an unreachable citadel that sits atop a great plateau. The people of the Sonveld, be they Guvelders or Dovelders, have been blessed with one of the worst regions to invade, and know how to use it.

The Few - An unforgiving land will seldom lend itself to becoming a populous realm. The Sonveld is, unfortunately, no exception to this rule. Its inhabitants' numbers have barely grown over the past century, and its armies have never been a match for those of the Heartlands or Gwethydd. Without resorting to the services of mercenary companies, it is doubtful that the Sonveld could ever hope to muster a force capable of invading a neighbouring territory.
The Troubled - Nothing in the Sonveld is ever set in stone. Thomas III admitted as much in his proclamation, when he was chosen Protector of this realm. No patrician is ever truly, completely safe in his position, nor is there any guarantee that the most powerful family will always receive the highest honours from its peers. In half a millennium, the Soleanders have been both rulers of the Sonveld and a marginal player in the greater scheme of things. The Vaelanders, for all their lofty ambitions, have often been on the verge of fading from history altogether. The Sonveld is not a land of enduring stability, and its friends and foes alike know it well.

Precious stones and metals - For centuries, the Sonveld has competed with Violette over the trade of gold and diamonds. Great mines can be found all over the region, providing the patricians with a wide variety of gemstones and valuable metals that is difficult to find elsewhere.
Art - Throughout the Sonveld's history, only during short periods of great strife did the arts cease to flourish, and thus the centuries have left the region's palaces and citadels with massive collections of masterpieces, for which many foreign nobles and merchants have plunged themselves into misery or heavy debt. Almost all the great households in Ethica possess at least one piece that was imported from the Sonveld, or paid a hefty fee for the privilege of employing a famous artist under a patrician family's patronage. It is often said that there must not be a single work of art in the continent that has not been touched by a Sonveld finger.
Metals - In their ravenous hunger for precious ores, many patricians have stumbled upon iron and copper deposits, large enough to be worth the effort of mining and refining them. While they may not be the greatest in the continent, nor yield profits as substantial as those from earned from the gold and diamond trade, these mines produce more than enough to provide for some of the Sonveld's neighbours.
Grapes and wine - The Sonveld was not blessed with a particularly fertile land, but during the rule of Gisela I Soleander great efforts were made to turn some of the least arid areas into vineyards. Under Gisela I's patronage, these vineyards thrived, and by the time of her death, the Sonveld boasted some of the continent's most prestigious winemakers. Today, and despite the damage done to them by the Bloody Solstice, these same wineries continue to supply Ethica with many fine vintages.

Grains - It was Thomas III Soleander who famously said that farming in the Sonveld was an endeavour of virtuous foolishness, commendable in its intent, but ultimately doomed. The fact of the matter is that the region's relatively small population is a blessing, for if it were as large as many of its neighbours', hunger would be a lot more common. The Sonveld is not fertile enough to provide grain for all its inhabitants, and thus the patricians have for centuries relied on imports.
Cattle - There is no shortage of great beasts in the Sonveld, but few patricians have attempted to domesticate them, and often with poor results. Most have instead made their best effort by importing breeds from abroad and leaving their care in the hands of their communities. Either way, the people of the region have never been known as great ranchers.
Fabrics - A handful of brave souls have tried, over the centuries, to raise sheep and grow cotton in the Sonveld. The sheep have always ended up falling prey to the feline beasts native to the region, and the cotton plantations have seldom survived the occasional droughts. Most fabrics used for clothing in the Sonveld have had to come from abroad.
Furniture and lumber products - Trees large enough to be worth cutting are a rarity in the Sonveld's fields, and the hills and plateaus are not much better. More often than not, the wood used to furnish the homes of the people, be they patricians or their communities, has to be imported. In some less patriotic households, entire pieces of furniture are purchased from foreign merchants.