Throne of Blood

Part I Chapter 1

The kingdoms of Petroas, Kilaron, Amfell, Seavern, and Meloas were divided. Chaos engrossed the land leaving a path of tyrant leaders who oppressed their people greatly. However, in the kingdom of Meloas, there lived a general named Fedrdor. He had long watched his people suffer under the iron grip of their king and decided that he would no longer stand idle while the poor suffered.

Fedrdor assembled his men and led the charge in the purge of evil throughout Meloas and continued this eradication into the other four kingdoms of Valtoria. Through Fedrdor's campaign of judgment, Valtoria established a relatively peaceful and unified coalition for the next five hundred years. Fedrdor's descendants ruled the kingdom as the High Kings of Valtoria, creating a long line of established succession.

As with the natural order of things, there is a time for war, and there is a time for peace. The peace that followed Fedrdor's campaign of the establishment was unlike anything any of the kingdoms had experienced. Roads were built, trade was established, and the stench of death quickly became trampled out by the sprouting of life and prosperity. The kingdom became entranced by the wealth that it had achieved. However, there were those that lurked in the depths waiting for their chance to be free from the High King's dominion.

The prosperity was evident, yes, but as the kingdoms of Petroas and Kilaron became increasingly jealous of the western kingdoms of Amfell, Seavern, and Meloas, a civil war broke out within Valtoria. Roughly 450 years after Fedrdor had established his empire, The War of Reunification, as it later came to be known, occurred during High King Talern's rule. Talern acted with the swiftness of his ancestor and quelled the uprising with the help of his son Valrun. During the deciding Battle of Gold Pass Valley, Valrun maintained the capture of Petroas and Kilaron's forces along with their kings. He had led the charge, and there are still rumors that the cries of those who fell by his sword can be heard throughout the valley.

After the war had concluded, peace was once against forged with a renewed alliance between the kingdoms of Petroas, Kilaron, and Meloas. Both of Talern's sons married princesses of the former two kingdoms who had become queens after their father's judgment. Valrun was married to Esmer of Kilaron, and the king's younger son, Melchel, who was only a boy of 10 at the time, was betrothed to Danys of Petroas.

As the people's jubilation again filled the land, time wore on, and Valtoria flourished again. Eventually, Melchel became a young man of 16 and married his betrothed, Danys, as he became king of Petroas. Soon Talern's health declined, and Valrun began to fulfill his preparation duties as the next High King of Valtoria. The day High King Talern passed from this world into the next life, the whole realm mourned the loss of their great leader. Shortly after, Valrun was crowned as High King and thus began his reign of prosperousness.

To the west of the once again flourishing nation of Valtoria, across the Val Sea, existed the nation of Kavanland. The island nation was controlled by oligarchs and mercenary armies. The land was known to be wild, corrupt, and vastly wealthy. The people of Kavanland were fine with the oligarchs and mercenaries controlling everything as long as it meant their own success. The merchants of the island often hired swords to protect their goods as they made their way to and from Valtoria.

The Valtorians looked upon Kavanland with contempt. They viewed the nation as pathetic, unpredictable, and rogue. Most thought the nation should be under Valtorian rule and the corrupt way of the oligarchs should be ended. Unfortunately, amassing an army to compete with the mercenary armies of Kavanland would result in a war not seen since the Great War of Valtoria when the kingdom was first united. So the people sat; they waited and fumed at the land across the sea.

Now was a time for peace. A sweet harmony of all the land coming together and renewing the joy of prosperity. There were a restless few who thought Valtoria could be more than it was currently obtaining to be. However, most enjoyed the peace, and there was no sign of anything changing soon. Not all, but most...