Arthandor

Arthandor is a sprawling Kingdom on the northwestern end of the Aureon continent. It is home to one of the largest populations of humans on the planet, most of whom are members of the Andari ethnic group but includes other human ethnicities and a variety of demi-human peoples.

Demographics
Proper Name: The Great Kingdom of the Andari

Ruler: His Imperial Majesty, Uthair Davonian III, High-King of all the Andari (LG Male Human Paladin 8)

Government: Feudal Monarchy with hereditary rulership, limited by a Noble Council

Capital: Arlessen

Major Settlements: Dreux, Hardstone, Beldurbridge

Unique Resources: Andarian Wine, Darkwood

Population: 9,856,300 – Human 70% (Andari mostly), Elf 15% (Sylvan mostly), Halfling 9%, Dwarf 4%, Other 3%

Languages: Common (Aurean), Old Brician, Elven, Goblin

Religion: Brigga, Celi, Riatam, Satrus, Sol*, Taggeus

* Sol is the most commonly worshiped deity among the common-people.

Etymology
Arthandor's name is derived from the name of the first king of the Andari, Arthans the Unifier. Combined with the ending Dor (meaning land) it means the Land of Arthans. This is the "official" derivation for the name of the kingdom, though it is more a convenience applied to popular history books.

The real origin of the name is much more simple. Arth means "Great", literally "Bigger than a bear". Andor was traditionally the name for the kingdom of the Andari peoples. The name was applied after all the lands of the Andari peoples and their closest neighbors were unified into "Greater Land of the Andari".

Pre-Aurean History (Before 15 AR)
Andor's earliest history is tied with the decline and collapse of the Elven Empire, though this time period is legendary and not much is known about it. Elves lived in the region, for sure, but what happened to them is still a matter of mystery to most. They simply vanished, and the elves that remain are loathe to talk about it.

The Andari would arrive in the region via boats from the north thousands of years ago, and based on archaeological discoveries it can be determined that they were closely related to the Brician peoples. They spoke a language closely related to Old Brician, and likely came from the island of Old Bricia. This would have been well before the island sank beneath the waves, and why they left is now lost. Upon their arrival they mingled with what few local humans lived in the area and they established many tribal kingdoms across the width of the land.

Province of the Aurean Empire (15 AR - 1025 AR)
Old Andor came to the attention of the Aurean Empire because of the inter-tribal warfare endemic to the region. They saw that they could impose order and stability in the region and advance their own agenda of destroying evil by conquering the region. They started by unifying the south, then marching north and defeating each of the Andari tribes in a sequence of bloody battles.

The Andari would prove invaluable to to the Aureans, as their natural martial spirit meshed well with the Aureans' preferred mode of dealing with threats. They would be enrolled into the crusading legions en masse, joining in on campaigns to conquer Escadira, Lyonesse, and parts of the north like the Crucible. Andari soldiers would make up the bulk of the forces that invaded their neighboring province, and for a time it was held by the Empire until it was realized that their borders were already too difficult to protect.

The Aureans brought their laws, language, and customs to the Andari. These were adopted fairly quickly, though their older language was still spoken for another century or two afterwards. Andor, as a province, was too large and unruly to actually command effectively, and so it was split into three districts. The northern district was as large as the southern two districts combined, but it was also the most militarily staffed.

This was because of incursions by all manner of threats, including large formations of Hobgoblins in the Border Mountains and Geirish warbands coming out of the north by sea. These would often come in successive waves, causing the provincial defense armies to constantly be on the move to combat these threats.

Meanwhile, trade flourished in the south. The province became a hub for the production of wine and fruit, which was widely distributed within the Empire. Bees would be tamed here, and start to produce fine honeys traded with Bricia and nations further east.

Foundation (1025 AR - 1070 AR)
The Abandoning saw nearly every single celestial-blooded individual on Aureon disappear within the span of a week. This left a major power vacuum, which would see the Empire dismantled and left in the hands of those who had been ruled over for over 900 years. It also saw the defenses of the Empire in the north crumble, as the leaderless legions were routed in a successive wave of fights with migrating Geir tribes.

These tribes would go on to establish themselves all around central and northern Aureon, with many tribes settling in the southern part of the Crucible and the central valleys. One of these tribes, the Sarians, would attempt to push further into Andor.

The Sarian advanced until they'd passed the Border Mountains, establishing themselves in region of the Border Forest. They successfully managed to route the forces of a local magnate, taking his town and people for themselves. They began to make successful raids against targets further into the interior, prompting a military coalition to form out of the fractured states that had formed.

Riothamus, a centurion who'd served with distinction before the Abandoning, was chosen to lead the coalition forces. He would be largely successful in repelling the Sarians, defeating them in many skirmishes before decisively defeating their army at the Battle of Shadow Moor. He pursued them aggressively, capturing their leaders when possible and eventually he surrounded their settlement and laid seige.

It wasn't by force that the city was taken, however. Instead, it was through diplomacy. The Sarians would be allowed to head back into the central vale. Here, they would eventually create their own short-lived kingdom.

Riothamus returned a hero, and the people wanted to proclaim him as their king. He refused to claim the title, however, preferring to keep his title as Centurion and leading the army. He was the ruler in all but title, though, even leading the coalition forces south to force the southern provinces to capitulate and join forces with the northern province.

He is remembered as Riothamus the Great to the Andari, and is sometimes heralded as the first king by some. It would be his second son, Arthans, who would go on to take the title of king after his father had died. Arthans ruled over a newly united kingdom for an additional thirty-five years, proving an adept steward for the realm.

Fledgling Power (1070 AR - 1252 AR)
Arthandor's following centuries mostly revolved around internal struggles to keep the allied districts from breaking apart. Feudalism was adopted, along with a constitutional form of monarchy that gave power to the King's council as well eight Dukes who ruled over an assortment of counts and barons. The church of Sol grew in significance during this time, becoming another major power in the kingdom. This balance of power was often a strain on the subsequent kings who followed Arthans, bringing the kingdom to crisis on a number of occasions.

Luckily, the kingdom maintained cohesion. This was often in spite of the monarch. External trade would diminish greatly during this era, and specialization began to disappear in the working castes. Formerly free people would become serfs. Kruskaal and Hobgoblin raiders would once again become a serious threat for the region.

This would change with the rise of the Davonian Dynasty.

First Davonian Dynasty (1252 AR - 1361 AR)
The Davonians were a cadet branch of the house of Arthans, descended from his second son, Davon. They were given counties in the northwest to rule over, and would remain in that region until King Seratin the Usurper took the throne. Seratin saw the Davonians as a threat since they were of royal blood. He captured many of them and had several of their family executed on trumped up charges.

Cassiel, a boy at this time, managed to escape from Seratin and return to his ancestral fief. He managed to find safe haven in the court of his uncle, Andrassius, who resisted all attempts by Seratin to deal with the situation. Cassiel would eventually manage to raise banners and march against Seratin. He would win a string of early victories that would've cemented his fame.

Spurred on by Cassiel's successes, a number of counts rebelled against Seratin and proclaimed Cassiel the rightful king. The Succession War would end on the battlefield at Goldenfields. There, a thrown spear by a commoner foot soldier penetrated Seratin's helmet and knocked him from his horse. He was found dead moments after by Cassiel's bodyguards, who took the body back to their camp.

With Seratin dead, his forces surrendered and swore fealty to Cassiel. The Davonians who survived the conflict were few, but they were restored to power in the northwest. Cassiel returned to Arlessen where he accepted the crown as King Cassiel I Davonian.

Cassiel and his successors would spend the next forty years bringing the frontiers under control with Arthandor's now battle hardened armies. As a result of his successes, he would ascend his royal title to High King.

It would be notable, High King Davon I would be the last member of this dynastic period. He presided over the kingdom during the rise of Razzan during this era. His death prevented a successful military response from preventing the Sarian kingdom of Lowress from being conquered by the demi-humans. This failure saw the Lowressian Sarians fleeing from their homeland in droves, which crippled further Andari responses.

Cassian Dynasty (1361 AR - 1401 AR)
They are sometimes called the Escadiran Dynasty because their family originated there. The Cassian High Kings were related to the Davonians by marriage. The first Cassian King, Aretino II, was married to the eldest daughter of Davon I, High Queen Corvina. Since Davon had no sons of his own, Corvina claimed the throne with her husband. The two were successful in maintaining Arthandor during the refugee crisis that had emerged, though they were hard pressed to figure out what to do with the Lowressians now entering their lands.

Banditry was becoming commonplace with men out of work (affecting both Andari and Sarians). General lawlessness confronted many centers of power, which struggled to feed people and put them to work. It would take a number of years, but Corvina and Aretino managed to resettle many of the Lowressians in a new province. "New Lowress" was divided between three counties and a new Duke was created to administer to them.

Another prominent Cassian King was Arthans III. This Arthans would fight and lose a series of wars against the Tyrsennians in an attempt to annex their kingdom. His reign was marred by financial mismanagement that would severely cripple the kingdom for decades after, stacking bill after bill for his decadent lifestyle and constant warfare.

Arthans III would eventually receive a wound in battle from a poisoned Razzani arrow that forced him to leave the Border Mountain frontier and return to Arlessen. His wound never fully healed, and he refused to let clerics treat him as his mind began to falter. He would eventually take his own life, but not before causing such a raucous that the people of Arlessen tried to remove him from his own palace.

His younger brother, Riatamus, would manage things much better with the aid of the generals who had been ignored by Arthans IV. Riatamus is sometimes called the II, but his name differed enough from the first Riothamus that his reign is officially marked as Riatamus I Cassian.

The Cassian Dynasty would come to an abrupt end with the assassination of Adrian I Cassian during his regency period. Civil war would erupt thereafter in an attempt to place a claimant on the throne.

The Decade of Twelve Kings (1401 AR - 1412 AR)
This period saw a dozen different claimants and pretenders vie for the crown. It would see a series of battles and bloodshed on a scale not seen since the reign of Seratin the Usurper. Several major battles happened during this period, as well as a foiled invasion by Escadira to place a candidate related to the Cassians on the throne. It would culminate in the arrival of the second Davonian dynasty with the ascent of Uthair I Davonian.

Second Davonian Dynasty (1412 AR - Current)
Uthair I managed to defeat all of his rivals and establish the Davonians as the Kings of Arthandor once again. His greatest rival, Duke Abelard VI of Dreux, was related to the Cassians by blood and had nearly managed to take the throne for himself. Both men were eager to prove themselves, and rather than have their armies fight and spoil the city of Arlessen, they chose to duel one another in a melee on a bridge south of the city. The fight took several minutes before Uthair managed to wound Abelard with a sword thrust through a gap in his armor. Abelard subsequently recoiled and fell from the bridge into the river and drowned in his armor.

Uthair was distraught by what had happened with Abelard, thinking it an unfitting end for the man. He brought Abelard's widow to come live near his family in Arlessen and arranged for his own son to marry Abelard's daughter and merged their dynasties. He also made sure that Abelard's son, Abelard VII, was invested in his family's fief and that no one could roust him from it. His quick embrace of his rival's family earned him the moniker "the Peacemaker".

His successor, Uthair II the Navigator, was a keen minded, experienced adult when he took the throne. He had already made a name for himself by sailing around the southern tip of Hatarine and bringing back spices and treasures from the east. He also helped design new naval catapults and ballistas that didn't rock as bad during battles at sea. When he took the throne, Uthair set about making Arthandor as great as it could possibly be.

His reign saw the institution of a more equitable tax schedule, patronage of art and scholarship, an increase in trade, as well as the notorious invasion of Crucible.

Crucible and Invasion
The city of Ashport in Crucible had been a pirate haven for a long time, but now it was the seat of the indomitable Drokk. This half-orc was not just a pirate captain, but a leader who had managed to put many different pirate bands under his own flag. This made him a terror on the northern seas.

During a raid on a Brician port that just so happened to be where Uthair II's ship was berthed in, Drokk attacked the town and earned the ire of the Andari prince. Defeating the pirates in the Brician Sea became a maintained goal for the Prince, who encouraged his father to begin the process of revolutionizing the navy in response.

When Uthair II took the throne, he'd had enough and launched both a naval and land attack against Ashport. Andari armies crossed the Border Mountains through New Lowress near Hardstone. That city, which was already very friendly to Arthandor, was annexed immediately. Uthairs forces then dropped a seige on Ashport, not relenting until Drokk was defeated.

A pro-Andari group of Bricians in the city managed to capture Drokk. Accounts vary as to what happened next. Some say that Drokk was disemboweled and hung from the city gates as proof to the Andari that Bricians meant no harm, while others say that Drokk was handed over to Uthair and subsequently beheaded. Either way, the days of the pirates had come to an end in Crucible at least.

Now in possession of Ashport, Uthair the Navigator was unsure of what to do. If he gave the city back to the Bricians, it might just become a pirate haven again and this entire endeavor would've been useless. Annexation came with the problem of becoming bogged down in administrating an entirely new province. Uthair chose to do the ladder, and formally annexed Ashport into the Kingdom of Arthandor.Though it is still nominally independent, Ashport has developed a far more Andari feeling. The locals all speak Aurean in addition to Brician. They have accepted builders and craftsmen into their city, who have built an entirely new district known as "The King's Ward". This new ward has seen colonization by many Andari merchants and nobles seeking to make a name for themselves. Many Brician nobles have joined forces with the Andari.

Not all has been welcome, however. There is still a lot of resistance to the Andari occupation.

Uthair III
The current king of Arthandor is Uthair III Davonian. Like his father and grandfather, Uthair seems like a competent and righteous man. He served in the army as a knight, proving himself in a number of battles during the Ashport campaign. After his father became sick and passed, Uthair III took the mantle of King.

Uthair III is married to Princess Sybella of Eraconna, and they have two very young sons (Cassiel, 5, and Uriel, 3) as well as a daughter (Corvina, 2). Uthair also has a brother named Davons, who is the Duke of Davonia in northwest Arthandor. Their mother, Queen-Mother Eleanora, still lives at the palace with Arlessen with them.

Government
Arthandor's government is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state's title is High King, roughly equivalent to the title of Emperor. There is a tiered body of nobles who effectively legislate the state, though, known as the Peerage. The lowest level of this body is the Count, who are voting members, and then there are Dukes who can present legislation to the body as well as casting their own votes. There are currently 10 Dukes and 31 voting Counts. Barons can be present during votes, but cannot cast votes.

There is no representation for the common folks, but there is still a place for them in the process. The commoners are allowed to peacefully assemble and to write petitions. Serfdom is expressly forbidden under Uthair II's legal code, and commoners are allowed to settle where they please. Taxation is based on equitability, so that no commoner "..suffers unduly beneath the yoke of oppression, for we are all Andari."

There are a number of demi-humans who live in Arthandor that are considered part of the common-class, and they are protected by the same legal code as humans, so long as they work the land. This code does not always extend to goblinoids or orc-blooded individuals, who are often seen as undesirable in many municipalities.

Metallic Dragons are also protected under this code, though they are not required to pay taxes so long as they provide a service to the kingdom (usually in the form of acting as scouts or councilors).

Chromatic Dragons are encouraged to not settle in Arthandor.

Economy
Arthandor has a bustling economy compared to other nations on Aureon. The vast majority of Arthandor's economy comes from its agricultural wealth, locally producing foods while internationally forming one of the core components of the wine trade.

In terms of specialty goods, Arthandor is one of the few places in the world that produces Darkwood. Darkwood construction is still rare, as it takes centuries to produce a quality Darkwood tree, but it is useful in the production of strong ship keels as well as the favorite Darkwood shields of many adventurers.