(Note: This refers to the main story arc. There are secondary storylines as well.)

During the years following the strange and gruesome deaths of King Wyldrigrenkledrysllthen and the Crown Prince Uhtred, unrest gripped Nharati. With the only remaining Valenti males infants, many attempted to claim the throne in the name of one or the other until the heirs were all but forgotten in a churning fight to rule. Nharati's neighbor to the east, Srylabat , saw opportunity in the discord, reclaiming conquered lands and edging in to take more.

In all of Nharati, war became a way of life. Few places escaped bloodshed, while famine and poverty took more lives than swords as nobles focused their attention on the throne rather than their home counties. Thegns rebelled against Ealdormen; Ealdormen broke sworn oaths, and masses died.

After the fall of the Valentis, the House of Pith rallied around the infant son of Wyldrigrenkledrysllthen. Alric von Pith took charge of the boy, claiming a regency that he was never strong enough to press on Valys. Once Tyltin was old enough to learn his letters he was raised in the care of marshalls, and found his home on battlefields and bivouacs as much as beside warm hearths. He quickly learned the warrior's craft; due to his skill and his claimed title, Tyltin came to be called the Swordking.

Meanwhile, Ygriss abandoned its claims to the throne early in the struggle despite the strength of their claim. The late Prince's wife had fled there, depending on her reluctant marriage to the county's Ealdorman and Uhtred's sworn men, now bound to Drysllthen, to protect the surviving younger twin. Srylabat threatened to the east, and fruitless forays to take hold of the throne were too much of a drain, so Ygriss turned inward.

No one reigned so much as chaos in those days, one man rising after the next to take the throne in Valys, only to find himself ripped apart by his allies lusting for power themselves. The loyalties of the counties swayed and shifted unpredictably, each accompanied by a new surge of violence. Order and peace became a thing of dreams, and whatever the sins of the Valenti line, there were many that longed for the return of such firm rule.


Drysllthen first took hold in Ygriss, far to the southeast, after his mother's husband met his end in a hunting accident. Despite a few youthful errors, he proved himself to be a steady ruler with an easy manner that bound his Thegns to him more tightly than oaths ever could. Soon, he reached a natural alliance with Pfoergarth, both counties beset by Srylabat 's aggression. Without mercy, Drysllthen led the forces that eventually threw back Srylabat , the normally conservative leader pressing on to threaten slaughter upon one of their border cities. Seeing the end of their easy expansion, Srylabat desisted, a truce reached that left Drysllthen free to turn his attention to what was left of Nharati.

In the North, Alric's mysterious death had left the eldest living Valenti in control of Tsgerl, though Tyltin's rule was not undisputed. For several years the county became a microcosm of Nharati, with Thegns clamoring for control of Pith, citing ancient bloodlines or treaties as the law. Force of arms and Tyltin's reputation secured his position after a long conflict forged new treaties from blood-soaked fields.

Drysllthen fought more battles with words than swords, and a hardwon alliance with Samargh netted him the agricultural heart of Nharati. The combined forces of the east began stealing away portions of Dulfwyn, creeping ever closer to the capital Valys. Perhaps Drysllthen and his allies could have taken it from the so-called King Raegnold on their own, but he held back for to the North and West, Tyltin, son of Wyldrigrenkledrysllthen was strengthening.

Tyltin had taken advantage of the pretender Raegnold's weakness, forcing the man to choose between Dulfwyn and his ancestral lands at Zsongrill. Within a year of marching, Ysdrin and Haldesdale both bent knee to Tyltin and Pith. Soon after, Hnestor accepted a proposal of alliance to dissuade the neutral Karmenys from casting their eyes on Effylgait.

It is here we join the story, each side with an eye on the other and the throne.

(Still finessing, but I figured it should be up.)

With both sides at a stalemate, Drysllthen sent the first delegation to Tyltin, requesting they meet under a flag of truce. What had been expected to take months to organize resolved quickly, and both sides agreed to argue their case for ascendancy face to face. They marched to the convergence of the counties Dulfwyn, Zsongrill, and Sarmagh, leaving none in Nharati ignorant to the possibility that the remaining Valentis could join forces. If they did, little would stand in their way of taking Valys.

While the rest of Nharati waited, nobles postured and argued for their claimants, neither side wishing to relinquish their Prince's birthright. This time allowed new relationships and new alliances, and the looming battle drew many a stalwart warrior into the arms of a woman. One of the stranger instances of this happened to be the Swordking himself who developed a deep affection for his rival's half-sister, Maeryn.

With both Drysllthen and Tyltin determined to see Nharati united under Valenti once more, they reached an agreement: Drysllthen would have the throne while Tyltin would be the Crown Prince and Marshall of Nharati. Furthermore, Tyltin would be wed to Maeryn, and Lord Somneri of Hnestor would be Nharati's chancellor. Thus decided, the march on Valys began.

King Drysllthen's forces gathered outside Castle Valwyn, and Prince Tyltin's around the town of Valys proper, leaving Raegnold with the choice to defend one or the other while they held his eldest daughter, Sorynn, in their midst. With defeat inevitable, Raegnold surrendered and commanded his forces to do likewise or submit to exile. Per the terms of the surrender, Raegnold submitted to death at Drysllthen's hand, leaving the old king's wife and daughters wards of the new king. Despite (or perhaps because of) Raegnold'd death, many of his men refused to stand down, and Valenti was forced to fight for control of both the town and the castle.

While Prince Tyltin handily subdued the town, General Alexston led the assault on the castle gate which proved little resistance when met with an airborne battering ram. The gate forced open and the moat bridged, the King's men poured into the castle to quell the last of the resistance without mercy. Once the castle and town were liberated, Drysllthen took his throne, and Tyltin swore his allegiance publicly to the new King, officially ending the war that had gripped Nharati for so long.

Even as they waged the final battle, a new threat loomed, taking its first victim as the castle fell into Valenti hands. Once the the men returned to their tents, they found her: Raegnold's eldest torn asunder by vines, plants growing from her eyes and mouth, the woman left completely bloodless. The new King was called, and he ordered investigations, but so far, there has been no explanation.

Though many worried over the attack, it as been the only one of its kind, one of many concerns that have gripped the Valenti court as they attempt to address the concerns of a kingdom so long at war.