Kingdom of Vesryn and the Astran Isles

The Kingdom of Vesryn and the Astran Isles, or simply Vesryn, was a nation in Western Astria. It was made up of a collection of formerly independent counties Olenor, Merhall, Mulland and Fenmoor, all of which were ruled over by the sovereign state of Vesryn itself. Ostia once swore allegiance to the kingdom as a vassal, but waged a brief and bloody war of independence to secure their current position.
After the formal establishment of the Empire of Ivryl in 1383 C.E, the Elven Territories that previously made up large parts of the land were dissolved after a long period of tension. The land was distributed among the many nations on the Isles, and the elven populace given passage to the west. Most chose to go back to their homeland of Arcadia willingly, but many did not and were allowed by the crown to stay in the Elyns they had worked hard to build and preserve.
The kingdom was formally replaced by the far larger Empire of Greater Vesryn after its formation in 1457 B.E.
== Information ==
The kingdom followed a system of feudalism in which vassal nobles owed their allegiance to a centralised power in the form of the king.
It had an active standing military in the form of the Royal Army and its many branches, who were often rotated on tours of duty to the colonies of Khairys and Westyre. Those who served in the military for more than twenty years were given land and released as freemen and landholders under their respective nobles.
Peasant women in Vesryn often took the role of the homeowner, allowing their husbands to finance the family. Men were commonly farmers, tailors, labourers and other manual professions. Nobles were expected to administrate their lands, keeping their peasants happy.
Directly under the king were the dukes, who administrated large swathes of countryside. Beneath them, counts and the earls were in charge of multiple villages, and often kept contact with the relevant village reeves under them.
== History ==
=== Early History ===
==== The Unification of the Astran Isles ====
Long before the foundation of the Grand Basilica of Emberstrand, friars of the Church of the Heavens found the sagas and accounts of the man attributed with the foundation of Vesryn. Indeed, the accounts of Vulwyn Venhorn were published in large quantities upon their retrieval and later during the Common Era the original writings were moved to the Grand Basilica. They were available for public viewing from behind a heavily defended and magically warded exhibition.
The writings detailed the foundation of Vesryn through the eyes of the various bards and the generals who commissioned the tales to be documented in a series of pages. The writings detailed two campaigns in particular, though one account carried more reliability than the others.
The writings of the famous warrior Olyver Weston directly related the campaigns to the foundation of Vesryn in 312 A.E, proving that the first King of Vesryn was Vulwyn Venhorn.
==== The Acquisition of Ostia ====
The exact events relating to the Vesryne conquest of Ostia were never truly recorded or understood by historians, and it took many state-sanctioned trips to the northern coasts of Ostia to visit the Northern Tribes before academical consensus was reached using the sagas and tales passed on across the campfires from those Ostian clansmen who had kept the tales alive. 
At the height of its record-keeping and custodial operations, the Church of the Heavens during the Common Era translated the Ostian sagas and rewrote them in full for the coronation of King Edric I. These works detailed the invasion of the land in 1068 H.E by a large force led by the youngest sons of the royal Farwynd dynasty and their eventual withdrawal from the land. 
=== Later History ===
==== The Colonisation of Khairys and Arcadia ====
In the year of 1329, Mediran conquistadors made the first successful voyage to Arcadia, and in the years following, independent trading companies loyal to El Deya founded the first Astrian colonies on Eliya. It was not until a year later that Vesryne explorers followed in the footsteps of their pioneering cousins, when the Astanién house of Lafayette under King Henri I inherited the Vesryne throne. Establishing colonies on eastern islands of the Arcadian continent, and on the north-west coast of Eliya, which would soon develop into the territory of Khairys, which became known for its rich deposits of marble. The land became even more valuable with the discovery of the silk worms of Hareen, which traded freely with the people of the land.
==== Cultural Dominance of Astria ====
In the years following the establishment of Khairys as colonies of Vesryn, King Henri I Lafayette ordered the commission of the first Astrian charters, and began mapping the territories of Vesryn. In doing so, he provided sufficient casus belli for the invasion and claiming of many native lands unclaimed by the other regional powers. Using his vast influence to project dominance over the other nations of Astria, he brought together the greatest minds of the land, influencing Vesryne society in a major way. A new, extravagant court with its own strict rules and etiquettes was drafted, aiming to control the previously autonomous nobles of Fenmoor and the southern regions. Suddenly, the Crown knew exactly where everyone was, and what they were doing. The power of the nobles began to be curtailed by extensive reforms. Across the seas, Vesryn soon became the envy of the world. Its castles and citadels gleamed with gold and silks, and its people enjoyed relative comfort for a time. These years were remembered fondly as the Years of the Lily by most Vesryne peasants, even for centuries after.
After a series of disagreements with the local nomadic warrior-tribes, and the decree of anti-hadism by the Church of the Heavens, the territory of Khairys came under attack from foreign powers aiming to seize the rich lands for themselves. After a long conflict, Vesryn managed to maintain its hold on the lands, but at a dear cost to its treasuries. From this point onwards, the lavish life enjoyed by the aristocratic men and women of the court as a mockery of the Astaniéns came to an abrupt end, marking the end of Vesryne cultural domination over Astria, and the establishment of other ideas and cultures. It was during this time that King Henri I suffered riots and anti-monarchist sentiments rallied against him by the population. He was deposed, and his entire house was believed to be slaughtered, until the re-emergence of a last scion known as Lucièn Lafayette, who would be revealed almost a century later, during the Blessed Era.
==== The Ostian War of Independence ====
With the Vesryne stranglehold on intercontinental politics and culture lifted, a period of cultural renaissance bloomed far away from the Astrian Isles. Influenced with new ideas from the various kingdoms of Eastern Astria, the nations of Leoben and Saint-Astan cultivated prosperous societies away from the blind and wounded Vesryn. They eventually turned their influence to the land of Ostia, provoking ideas of liberty and freedom in the druidic Northern Tribes there. Finally, after desperate attempts at suppression and containment, in the year 1358, regiments and landowners loyal to the Duke Arron I Willard seceded from the bosom of Vesryne rule and began their war of independence. With the support of foreign powers, the Ostians were able to take control of their lands once more, uniting the lands under the banner of Ostia. 
==== The Heartstone Crisis ====
During the Common Era, forces loyal to the Archangel Netheriel instigated the events of the Heartstone Crisis. Although Vesryn as a nation avoided the turmoil of the era for the earlier half of the conflict, it later came under massive attack by druidic forces. The most notable event was the Battle of Hawkrun, during which the forces of evil opened summoning portals to draw countless armies using carmine energies. The city was barely held, thanks to the heroic actions of the Royal Air Force, who came to the aid of the city on the third day, tipping the balance of the battle from absolute annihilation.
Later in the conflict, Vesryn would send troops and supplies to the beleaguered nations of Saint-Astan and Leoben, forgetting any previous animosities. These troops would go on to win multiple victories against the forces of the Archangel Netheriel before his destruction in 1381 C.E.
==== The Twilight of the De Laurelays ====
As the years of the Common Era passed, so did the reign of the popular Queen Esther. In her place, her young son ascended to the throne of Vesryn, taking the royal name Reynard IV. During his rule, he decreed the mass-expulsion and exodus of the Elven Territories, and took virtually all of their land for the state. Although his people regarded his mother well, they unsteadily supported his rule. The lands of the Elves soon fell into disrepair, with wild beasts and other forces of the land reclaiming what had once flourished.
With a lack of general support for the King, Reynard began courting the favour of the nobles closest to him. With their help, he was able to secure his power and keep the peasants relatively subdued. Such heavy handed measures became the staple of his rule, and it was not until the arrival of Lucièn Lafayette at the end of the Blessed Era that things changed. Having gained favour for his cause both abroad and domestically in Vesryn, he assaulted Griffon's Rest above Hawkrun in the dead of the night, slaughtering many guards. Upon reaching the throne room, he faced off against what little resistance the Kingsguard could muster and broke through to kill Reynard and the remaining members of the de Laurelay dynasty that he could find.
In the next few hours, he was crowned King of Vesryn by the Archbishop of the Church, thus effectively ending the old reign. In time, he would expand Vesryn's borders past what they were at their previous height, ushering in a new Empire.
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