Reign of Beric I Dayne

”Fallen and Reborn; we are the founders of a legacy.”
-King Beric I Dayne to his Small Council shortly before his abdication.
The eleventh Crown Administration of Westeros of the genre was House Dayne under the rule of King Beric I Dayne, or Sanguinum. He had served for the same length as the previous Monarch — 10 years, and was the first Dornish Lord to become King of the Seven Kingdoms. He succeeded King Jon Arryn, and in his reign as King, he would have one Hand of the King, Lord Hand Dagon Drumm, and was the first King since King Daemon II Targaryen to break the streak of having Hand of the King’s as the successor — instead, naming his secret Hand of the King, Lord Hollis Teague as the rightful successor. He would later stylize himself as King Hollis II Teague, paying homage to King Hollis I Teague.
== Early Reign ==
With the genre still reeling from the Activity Drought under King Orys Baratheon’s reign, and the drought only slightly reduced under King Jon Arryn’s reign — progress which would be reduced later in his rule — a big theme for King Beric I Dayne‘s reign was improving the overall genre activity. While major Houses were still inactive, House Dayne managed to preserve its activity through a close-knit group, and through rank reforms leading up to the ascension of House Dayne as the Crown.
This strong activity from the Crown House, as well as frequent rallies encouraged other Houses to peacefully compete, which started a surge in activity. House Teague had rebounded from inactivity under the leadership of Lord Hollis Teague. House Targaryen, House Lannister and House Drumm had established themselves as the three largest Houses, after House Dayne. House Arryn, the previous Crown House, had begun having immense struggles with keeping itself active, and because of this, House Dayne began having dual-trainings and rallies with them, in order to stop the House from collapsing. The Free Folk was also growing at an alarming rate, and would become a looming threat for King Hollis II Teague and King Dagon Drumm. House Stark, under the leadership of PureKieran, would be the first and only rebellion that House Dayne would face.
Thanks to the strong encouragement of activity, genre activity began to quickly return back to normal rates. As a result of this, there was a massive influx of new Houses and Lords which had begun flooding into the genre. This, while great for activity, was a main reason for the massive amount of House-hopping (leaving a current House for a new one, especially as a new member) and Poaching (a recruiter intentionally stealing a member of another House in order to join theirs). House Goodbrother and House Lorch were the two most successful Houses, and went on to accomplish a great deal.
== Second Relaunch of the Kingsguard ==
Due to the inactivity and disinterest of King Jon Arryn later in his reign, the relaunched Kingsguard began to fall apart. Because of this, King Beric I Dayne was forced, once again, to restart the Kingsguard. He had managed to contact a few of the Kingsguard and have them rejoin under him, but the vast majority of Knights and Squires positions had to be and were filled.
== The Southern March ==
With alarming reports of a growing House Stark army, the Seven Kingdoms began bracing for the imminent invasion. House Dayne, under threat of its first and only Rebellion, rallied the support of various Great Houses, specifically House Teague, House Targaryen, House Drumm and House Lannister. After diplomatic negotiations with House Stark had fallen flat on its face, it was clear that war would be the only possible outcome. House Stark had begun its march South, to King’s Landing. On the day of the war, after a hard fought battle, the Crown had closely won and retained its throne by a score of 3-2, defeating and halting the rebellious House Stark. This would eventually lead to no major armies in the North, which would allow the Free Folk to grow and become a major threat for the next two Kings, with the Free Folk successfully dethroning the latter. This military conflict between House Dayne and House Stark would go on to be known as the Southern March.
== Teague-Drumm Conflict ==
Tensions between House Teague and House Drumm, two of the most active Houses in the genre at the time, and who had been extremely close allies during the Ancient Age and the Golden Age, had found themselves at odds. House Drumm’s Lord and Hand of the King, Lord Hand Dagon Drumm, was under the impression that due to the established tradition that the holder of the position of Hand of the King would go on to become the next King, that he was the rightful heir and next in line.
Within the House Dayne inner circle, however, King Beric I Dayne viewed Lord Hand Dagon Drumm as incompetent and a terrible choice for King, but had to appease and compensate him with the Hand of the King position — although it is possible he was intending to keep House Drumm at peace, only to force his successor to deal with it.
Where House Teague came into this, is that King Beric I Dayne secretly named Lord Hollis Teague as the true Hand of the King, believing he was the much smarter and better advisor position. This lead to numerous arguments between Lord Hand Dagon Drumm and Lord Hollis Teague, as they both had their own leadership style and direction, which suffered greatly from the other — Lord Hand Dagon Drumm was stern and forthright, while Lord Hollis Teague preferred a diplomatic style.
== Late Reign ==
In the late reign of King Beric I Dayne, activity was still a work in progress but was the best it had been since King Lann Lannister. Under King Beric I Dayne, the genre had made great strides in healing to a better state. Like Yusufyeni (King Orys Baratheon), Sanguinum began having issues with the stagnant development and worsening management by the leader, Innovativemind. While activity was in recovery, the ownership was not making any efforts to encourage activity. Unlike Yusufyeni, however, Sanguinum did not have public disputes with Innovativemind but rather private arguments between the two of them. Sanguinum, through the advice of House Dayne Highranks, would resign his Crown due to the stress of working with Innovativemind was causing him.
Nearing his abdication, the time had come to name a successor. This sparked a major conversation in the genre, as very few people truly knew who the successor would be. In previous Crown administrations, there was always a clearly chosen successor — whether it be a Heir or Hand of the King. In this regard, the choice was a tossup. There was the established tradition of Hand of the Kings acting as the next in lines — Lord Hand Dagon Drumm, and there was the experienced and accomplished diplomat who had been serving in secret as the real Hand of the King — Lord Hollis Teague. To the common soldier, the choice was fifty-fifty.
In the ended, King Beric I Dayne formally declared that his successor would be King Hollis Teague, who would stylize himself as King Hollis II Teague. Lord Hand Dagon Drumm was beyond livid, stating he had served House Dayne loyally and dutifully, only to be lead on and snubbed at the last minute.
This incredible moment would later be the root cause for not one but two major military conflicts; the Return of the Drumms and the Free Folk Invasion.
== Legacy ==
King Beric I Dayne is remembered as an efficient King. The overall main theme was increasing overall genre activity, and under the constraints of the Ownership, he most likely did better than expected. His strong yet negotiable leadership style was a breathe of fresh air, and unlike the past two Kings, he simply did not give up because of frustrations with the Owner or Inactivity of the genre, but instead worked to better it.
King Beric I Dayne was a necessary leader in a time when the genre was in desperate need of a hand, and he has been severely underrated for his efforts and aide he provided to the genre. In retrospect, the decision to hold off on publicizing his official successor until the very last minute could be considered poor decision making, as it ultimately lead to three separate massive rebellions, but even this could be seen as a positive, as in the end, each of these rebellions actually boosted genre activity.
Category:Monarch
Category:Political
Category:House