Lorithia

Lorithia, previously known as Lothric and in its inception known as Lordran, is a major kingdom on the continent of Gorlewynn and one of the first founded nations in history.
== History ==
=== History of Lordran ===
==== The Land of the Lords ====
When the world was shrouded in fog and filled with great crags, it was ruled by the race of the Everlasting Dragons and their own Dragon Gods: Tiamat and Bahamut. But during the time that the world was unformed, came the appearance of the First Flame, granting many aspects to the world: Life and Death, Heat and Cold and most importantly, Light and Dark and so the Age of Fire began. Within the First Flame was the Great Souls that represented these aspects of the Earth. When Gwyn happened upon the First Flame he claimed the Great Soul of Light, becoming a creature with unparalleled power (aside from the other Great Souls) and the ability to control and manipulate light. The Gravelord Nito claimed the Soul of Death, The Witch of Izalith the Soul of Life and the Furtive Pygmy claimed the Dark Soul, splitting it and giving it to the hollowed creatures, creating the first of humanity. In turn, the wielders of the Great Souls challenged the Dragons for rule of the earth and so the War of Souls began, with it officially concluding in the year 105AD with the near decimation of the Dragons save for a few who escaped.
Following this Great War, Gwyn decided to construct himself a Kingdom to be ran by himself and his deific children coming to name the land Lordran, as well as giving the continent that they were on, the name of Gorlewynn. Gwyn also constructed within these lands a city that would be fit for the Gods themselves, which would come to be named Anor Londo. As a result of this, Lordrans history very much intertwines with Gwyns. Gwyn then ruled as King from that day forward. Gwyn had several children too: His Unnamed Firstborn, Gwynevere, Gwyndolin and Fillianore.
The other wielders of the Great Souls were essentially left to their own accords. Gravelord Nito, became known as the 'First of the Dead' creating a catacombs deep below Lordran and was said to be the reason as to why people can die, but also had the ability to bring those back from the dead through necromancy. The Witch of Izalith created her own civilisation also deep below Anor Londo, where she began to study the flame and started to create pyromancy magic. As for the Furtive Pygmy, it unknown what happened to him after he disappeared in 102FA.
In 111FA, Gwyn also bestowed part of his soul to several other creatures including Seath, whose betrayal and knowledge was paramount to the winning of the war. He also gifted Seath his own land and archives for Seath to study and create his own sorceries. He also gave a portion of his soul to the four creatures that would become known as the Four Kings, allowing them their own Kingdom and land which would become New Londo.
Gwyn planned the branding of all humans because he feared the power of the dark soul, using the first flame as a magical tool to place a mark on their Dark Soul, coming to be known as the Darksign. Humans now took on a more fleeting form, with their natural Dark abilities effectively supressed, though some humans were exempt from the entire process due to Gwyns trust in them.
==== Behold The Flame of Chaos ====
In 178FA The Witch of Izalith during her studies of flames, using her Lord Soul she managed to create a new flame in the image of the First Flame. The flame however managed to be too powerful and in turn she and the whole of Izalith was consumed by it. The Witch transformed into the Bed of Chaos which in turn started to create new monsters called Demons. The Flame of Chaos eventually was incorporated into this new Demon society and Izalith and her children created new pyromancies with the Flame of Chaos.
Gwyn however visited Izalith to see the progress of their society and ways realised the abhorrent nature of what became of Izalith and demanded the Bed of Chaos be destroyed along with the Flame. Izalith in turn declared War on Gwyn. Gwyn marched with his Silver Knights into the depths of Izalith in an attempt to destroy the Demons and the Bed of Chaos but was actually beaten back due to the chaotic nature of the Demons and instead sealed Izalith and her 'children' deep underground, never to come above ground again. Gwyn also took and enslaved certain demons to become servants of the Gods and also in an attempt to show what happens to those who oppose the gods. The Silver Knights who took part in the battle also had their armours charred black from the flames, which in turn made them appear much more imposing.
==== The Abyssal City ====
Oolacile is also founded in the year 227FA to specialise in the research of the Abyss, eventually unearthing a Primordial Serpent a couple years later who ends up becoming their leader. Kaathe orders the unearthing of an old Burial Mound deep below Oolacile which in turn released Manus, soon to be known as the Father of the Abyss and unleashes the Abyss engulfing Oolacile and tainting the people.
News of Oolacile reaches both Anor Londo and Catarina. The Sieg Knight Siegwulf and his son Siegbald travel to Oolacile in an attempt to slay the monster awakened there but is slain. Siegbald manages to flee, realising the doomed nature of the city and how it would take an army to destroy the entities there. In the year 250FA, almost 20 years after the dooming of Oolacile, Knight Artorias, one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, heads to Oolacile with his faithful companion, the Great Grey Wolf Sif, to try and quell the Abyss himself. Siegbald journeyed to meet Knight Artorias too in an act to avenge his father.
==== The Fire Begins To Fade ====
Gwyns fear of the Fire fading comes to fruition as it becomes clear to him that First Flame starts to fade away after hundreds of years from its first appearance. As the flame weakened, the brand of Fire around the Dark Soul also began to fade, but there was an effect that Gwyn had not intended when the branding took place. As the Darksign faded, it began to consume the soul from within the person when they died and then reanimate the person, hollowing them slightly as it takes their humanity and memories, creating the first of the Undead. The more time the person dies, the more they become hollowed until they become a husk of what they once were, unless they are able to claim souls and humanity from others and satiate the Darksign and to reverse the hollowing process.
Gwyn begins to separate his Great Soul and gift it to his family and tasks them and the Primordial Serpent Frampt with gathering and shepherding all the Undead into newly constructed asylums dotted across the continent. He is informed by Frampt that he will need to use himself as kindling to reignite the First Flame and usher in another Age, in which the Linking of the Fire is a constant process to prevent the world from turning to darkness.
Gwyn with only the power of his regular soul, journeys to the Kiln of the First Flame with his now Black Knights where he then linked the First Flame, becoming the first Lord of Cinder but being consumed by it and becoming a hollowed husk. His Knights also perished in the inferno that was created upon the linking, with many of them becoming spirits wandering the plains around the Kiln.
==== Artorias of the Abyss ====
The Black Dragon Kalameet, unheard of since the War of Souls, flies to the lands of Oolacile, the lands of his homeland, bringing chaos and destruction to the already weakened lands. Knight Artorias battles Manus, the Father of the Abyss with the help of his loyal wolf Sif. The Abyss spilling from Manus however is overwhelming, with Artorias slowly becoming tainted by his Abyssal powers. In a final last act, Artorias summons a protective barrier for Sif from the Abyss before sacrificing his life to destroy Manus and stop the spread of the Abyss.
With the help of the legendary Hawkeye Gough, another of the Four Knights of Gwyn, the Black Dragon Kalameet is shot out of the sky, leading to Siegbald battling the dragon on the ground. With what was said to be a fight that lasted days, the Black Dragon was finally slain, but Siegbald in turn was mortally wounded and died shortly after and their remains never recovered, but their story lived on through Hawkeye Gough.
The lands of Oolacile however were still very badly destroyed and so it was effectively cordoned off and outlawed to try and enter the city and instead was just left to heal and the Abyss within it to die down. Over time the lands of Oolacile and the Royal Wood, due to its nature of being consumed by the Abyss in the past but saved by Artorias, slowly becomes shrouded in Darkness, to become known as the Darkroot Garden. Sif stays as the guardian over the grave of Artorias as the land becomes darkened but is unnaturally increased in size over time, earning the name of Great Grey Wolf and becoming a somewhat mythical creature.
==== A King That Was Nameless ====
Upon his fathers sacrifice at the Kiln of the First Flame, in 2FY Gwyns Firstborn son became the King of Lordran and Anor Londo, wearing a golden crown and becoming the King of the Gods. With this newfound power and title, he began to express his sympathies towards the Dragons, an act that would not go down well with his peers. He began to order the end of the eradication of the Dragons, naming them allies and friends, even managing to tame one Dragon called The King of the Storms.
In 7FY The Gods of Anor Londo then denounced the Firstborn, removing his deific title, exiling him from Anor Londo and destroying all knowledge that he ever existed, including the destruction of his covenant statues and his name removed from all records, before being banished from Lordran for all time. His ring he created in his fathers name however was left on his fathers mausoleum out of respect, before departing the lands, now a forgotten Nameless King. Not wanting to stand up against his former student and friend, Dragonslayer Ornstein leaves Lordran to pursue the Nameless King and join him on his journey.
Following the banishment of Gwyns Firstborn Son, the Gods of Anor Londo decided that this was no longer a place fit for the Gods, due to their being no true ruler fit for Gwyns succession (due to their animosity towards Gwyndolin) and so, led by the Princess of Sunlight Gwynevere, the Gods departed the Lands. Gwyndolin was however left behind and took it upon himself to rule in the image of Gwynevere, even creating an illusionary image of her implying that she never once left and she stayed to rule over her people. Gwyndolin also had two people guard this illusion of Gwynevere, one posing as the Dragonslayer Ornstein and the other being the Executioner Smough. He also created the Darkmoon Blades, a covenant that would act as a group of knights that would fight those who opposed the rule of Gwynevere and those who were deemed sinners by his mother Velka, leader of the Covenant of Sin.
==== The Trials For a Lord ====
Quelaag and Sen, one the Daughter of the Witch of Izalith and the other a Knight of Gwyn, both conspire with the Primordial Serpent, now going by the name of Kingseeker Frampt, to create a series of challenges for those to be Lords of Cinder and to succeed Lord Gwyn. 
Under orders from Frampt, they both construct bells, Sen places one above ground in Lordran and Quelaag places one deep underground. Sen then constructs a fortress which has several traps throughout but guarded by a gate that can only be opened by one who has rung both bells. Sen's Fortress also serves as the gateway into Anor Londo by undead travelling through the Lordran Burg and places an Iron Golem on the top to guard the entrance, effectively sealing Anor Londo off from the rest of the world.
Frampt then says that when the bells are both rung, he will wake from his slumber and guide the next Lord of Cinder to their destined path, knowing that their time will come soon. Frampt then goes into his slumber near the Kiln of the First Flame.
==== A Shrine to Link the Fire ====
In the year 253FY, the flame once again began to fade and it was then that a new prophecy was declared by the King of Catarina, King Aldricius II. The prophecy effectively declared that a single Undead would journey from one of Gwyns asylums and travel to Lordran to become the next Lord of Cinder. Rather miraculously, in the same year a woman known as Anastacia, hailing from Astora would be born.
Anastacia, after she became an Astorian firekeeper, would later on discover the long lost entrance to the Kiln of the First Flame after she foresaw it in a vision. She then creates a shrine around the entrance and blesses it with ancient magic, so that only those with true strength can enter and link the flame, much like how it was envisioned with Kingseeker Frampt. She also decides to cut out her own tongue and imprisons herself within the shrine, so that the secret can not be revealed, but also so she can watch over the bonfire that she constructed there.
Deep below Firelink Shrine however, the city of New Londo began to be enthralled by Darkstalker Kaathe, much like that of Oolacile and began to experiment with the Abyss. Soon after however, the Abyss consumed the city, changing all of the knights of New Londo into Darkwraiths and learn the art of Lifedrain, the ability to absorb humanity from dark soul wielders. Gwyndolin, whilst posing as Gwynevere orders New Londo to be completely flooded to save the land from the Abyss, trapping all the consumed people inside, including the four kings.
==== Along Came The Chosen ====
In the year 284FY, an Undead of the Northern Asylum slayed the Asylum Demon that protected it and ventured forth into Lordran. There he met several challenges in his attempt to become the destined Chosen Undead and the next Lord of Cinder. (For full story of the Chosen Undead visit his page).
His first task was to ring the two bells of awakening and slay the Demon Quelaag, leading to the opening of Sens Fortress and then his entrance into Anor Londo. Before that however, he freed a man called Knight Lautrec, who originally imprisoned within the Undead Burg, then slayed the Firekeeper Anastacia. The Chosen Undead then vowed to get revenge on him. 
After slaying the Iron Golem atop the Sens Fortress, he wandered through the city of the Gods, Anor Londo. On his entrance into the Great Cathedral he met Knight Lautrec, who he duels and slays, retrieving the soul of Firekeeper Anastacia. Venturing on he moved into the Great Hall, eventually slaying Ornstein and Smough before meeting Princess Gwynevere, who officially gave him the Lordvessel, a tool to collect the Great Souls in the world. Seeing through Gwyneveres illusion however, he slays the image, which in turn shows what Anor Londo truly has become, shrouded in eternal moonlight, due to the magical control Gwyndolin has placed on it for years.
He travels back to Firelink Shrine where he meets Kingseeker Frampt, telling him about the souls he needs to collect. The Bequeathed Soul of the Four Kings was his first quest, but is warned that he needs to the ability to traverse the Abyss, noting Artorias was the only one with this power. The Undead travelled to Artorias' Grave where Sif is woken and a battle takes place with the Undead coming out victorious and taking the Covenant of Artorias, a ring with the power to traverse the Abyss. Using this ring, he ventures deep into the New Londo ruins and slays the Four Kings, taking their Soul.
His next journey was to journey deep below the earth into Izalith and slay the Witch of Izalith, now known as the Bed of Chaos, which in turn was a treacherous journey, but succeeds nonetheless and taking the Soul of Life. Next he travelled into the Catacombs and the Tomb of the Giants (named after the giants skeletons and prisoners following the War of the Giants) to seek out the First of the Dead, The Gravelord Nito, who he fights and destroys, claiming the Soul of Death.
His last soul was to claim the final bequeathed soul from Gwyn, that was given to Seath the Scaleless, who resided in Anor Londo in his archives. Travelling back to the City of the Gods, the Undead explores the great library, finding no sign of Seath, before discovering a great crystal cave. Upon exploring the cave he finds a crystal and upon its discovery, Seath comes to fight the undead. The Undead however realises that Seath is completely invulnerable to damage and so he shatters the crystal, making Seath mortal once again. The Undead then slays Seath and takes his bequeathed lord soul.
Returning to Firelink Shrine with all souls in possession, Frampt takes the Chosen Undead to the entrance of the Shrine where he uses the souls to open the entrance to the Kiln. There he ventures down and discovers the withered husk of Gwyn, who still fights with his abilities that he did prior to hollowing. A duel ensues but the Undead comes out victorious and he then links the flame, becoming the Second Lord of Cinder.
=== History of Lothric ===
==== Indeed...It Was Called Lothric ====
Due to it now having no ruler and no royal bloodline, The Kingdom of Lordran eventually crumbled to ruin. Overtime the city of the Gods, due to its magical nature, Anor Londo began to move away from the rest of the land of Lordran, in what most attribute it to a wildly miraculous natural phenomenon and happened over the course of about 500 years.
Eventually a new royal household took up the mantle to try and rule the once great kingdom, simply known as the House of Lothric. With the rule of the House of Lothric came a great time of stability, but also came the a much more open version of the linking of the flame. Lord Gwyn put in great measures to ensure that the next Lord of Cinder was strong enough to Link the Flame, putting in place several measures to make it only viable to those strong enough. With the House of Lothric however, the Kiln was open to most that would think they were strong enough to try and link the flame, making it a common practice for over nearly 800 years.
With the coming of this new royal household, came the claiming of land outside of the nation for the first time and expanded its borders drastically, including locations in the Great Swamp, most of Astora and several other locations. Lothric became the biggest kingdom in history. Eventually the Great Swamp fell completely to the forces of the Lothric and the swamp became completely part of the lands. Eventually the villages formed in the Great Swamp became known as the Undead Settlement due to the amount of Undead that lived there and were given their own governance as well as being allowed to continue the practice of Pyromancy.
Lothric also established the Three Pillars of Lothrics Rule, known as the Priestess, The Scholars and the Knights. The King and patriarch of the family was that of Oceiros, who took a nameless wife and had Twin Children, known as Lothric and Lorian. Lorian was the elder child and as such was the Heir to the Throne, whereas Lothric was designated as the next Lord of Cinder.
==== Three Pillars Of Lothric ====
The Knights Pillar represented the army of Lothric and as such, the armed defence of the Royal Family and of the Land of Lothric. The knights would have taken their vows in the Lothric Cathedral, in a ceremony in which they would have shed their blood in a ritual basin in front of a beheading knight. In fact, throughout the kingdom there are various statues of knights in the act of cutting off their heads in a ritual way, symbolizing how the order took their duty towards the kingdom very seriously and the culture of sacrifice dictated by the cult of the linking of the First Flame was deeply rooted in them.
The Priestess's Pillar represents the clergy of the kingdom of Lothric and the religious wing of the royal family since its foundation, making their task the management of the faith of the kingdom, the ecclesiastical structures in the city and the support of the knights and citizens with healing and protective miracles. The main religion of Lothric had a mixture of the Way of Blue and the Darkmoon Blades, due to Lothric being allied with Gwyndolin, lord of the Anor Londo. But there was still a worship for the Suns Firstborn and as such, destroyed statues could still be found around the Kingdom.
The Scholar's Pillar represents the scholars of the kingdom of Lothric and the academic wing of the royal family since its foundation, making their task the management of the knowledge of the kingdom, the academic structures in the city and the support of the realm with researches and sorceries. Much of the scholars knowledge came from Aldia Scholar of the First Sin and brother of King Vendrick of Drangleic.
==== Those Who Would Be Lord ====
Due to the nature of the opened Kiln of the First Flame, many adventurers thinking they could become part of history ventured to the flame to try and link it. However, many fell to the power of the flame, instead becoming known as Unkindled Ash. Several measures would have to be taken such as the construction of the Cemetery of Ash, to pile of the bodies and ash that were unfit for becoming Lord, leading to a great mound of Ash inside the cemetery.
Some however were strong enough, such as Ludleth of Courland, The Abyss Watchers, Aldrich Saint of the Deep and Yhorm the Giant, all with their own stories, though only the Abyss Watchers were truly relevant to the history of Lothric, aside from the fact that they all became Lords of Cinder. The Abyss Watchers were knights whose purpose was to keep check on the Abyss through the use of their fief known as Farron Keep, settled on the borders of the Great Swamp and supposedly near the old lands of Oolacile. They took inspiration from the Knight Artorias, adapting his fighting style, as well as ingesting the blood of a wolf, which they come to name the Old Wolf of Farron, even professing this wolf as their leader. They eventually consumed enough blood of the wolf, their soul had become one, leaving them unparalleled in coordinated fighting. Eventually they garnered a lot of attention and the Old Wolf created a Covenant, called the Watchdogs of Farron, gaining many followers and due to the strength that they were gaining, became strong enough to become Lords of Cinder.
==== The Lords Abandon Their Thrones ====
In 1368FY, the Catarinian King, King Gunther II had a prophecy about the Lords of Cinder, stating that when Prince Lothric was old enough and strong enough to become Lord of Cinder he would actually refuse to become one and thereby refuse the throne, becoming known as the Old Words prophecy. In 1663FY, Oceiros' mental health deteriorated following the death of his youngest son Ocelotte, and he became more and more driven to seek true immortality in an attempt to try and bring his son back to life and starts to gather all of the research across the world, especially that of Seath and Big Hat Logan, but eventually went insane like his predecessors. Eventually, Two Crystal Sages from the school of Vinheim, specialising in the magic of Seath and his quest for immortality. The King in his research chose to try and follow the path of the dragon and eventually his devotion transformed him into a twisted humanoid dragon and began to seclude himself away from the castle in his own personal garden.
Oceiros' mental decline was seen as the moment in which Prince Lorian should ascend his fathers throne and Prince Lothric should then go on to become the Lord of Cinder as the flame began to fade once again. However, much like the Kings prophecy, Lothric did indeed refuse his fathers throne and in turn stated that he did not wish to become Lord of Cinder, causing the Firekeepers to panic and set of a chain of events. In their panic, they begin to resurrect those who were once Lords of Cinder before using the old bells of awakening, with the Lords being Yhorm, Aldrich, The Abyss Watchers and Ludleth, however, like in the prophecy, they all refuse their Cinder thrones and return to their own lands.
In the midst of the turmoil, the Realms of Londor, famously known as the land of hollows and one that had taken over many nations such as Mirrah, Jugo and Forossa, enacted their long standing plan and began to try and take the throne of Lothric and as such try to usurp the First Flame. As such a mass scale invasion by Londor took place against the Kingdom of Lothric. Due to the fading of the first flame however, this led to many of the knights of Lothric becoming hollows and turned against themselves. Pontiff Sulyvahn, under orders from Aldrich, ordered his outriders knights to also attack Lothric, sending both the Dancer of the Boreal Valley and Vordt to attempt to try and conquer it. The fighting was said to go on for years, leaving the kingdom in almost complete ruin and Prince Lothric and Lorian becoming prisoners in their own quarters after sealing it off from the rest of Lothric Castle.
During the fighting, an unfathomable and colossal natural event occurred. A seismic upheaval of land, said to be because of the long stagnation of the First Flame and its fading, caused Lothrics lands to extend to great heights, cutting off its main routes into the Kingdom and leading it to becoming known as the High Wall of Lothric. Many of those within were as such trapped inside, including the Dancer, Vordt, The Outrider Knights and one of the two Crystal Sages.
A knight known as Gundyr ventured to Firelink Shrine, after he saw in a dream he was destined to be there to assist the firekeepers in linking the fire. Whilst there he took the coiled sword from the bonfire at the shrine, promising his Firekeeper that he would return after he became strong enough to become the next Lord of Cinder. He set out to try and battle the Deep Sea, created by Aldrich devourer of the Gods. Gundyr however falls into the deep sea and started to become consumed by it, but managed to claw himself out and kill a great creature there. 
Gundyr then travelled back to Firelink Shrine, only to discover it completely shrouded in darkness. Whilst there he discovers his firekeeper long diseased, having clawed out her eyes at the site of a dark world. Gundyr lays the firekeeper to rest before travelling deep into the cemetery of ash. He is however defeated by an unknown entity and is embedded with his own coiled sword. Perception of Gundyr's body became convoluted and his body now rests embedded in the present at Firelink shrine. The Coiled Sword embedded in him was thus not usable to crown the next Lord of Cinder, leading to the belief that the one who can awaken Gundyr and take the coiled sword will become the next to Link the Fire.
==== An Ash That Was Unfit For Cinders ====
To remedy the fact that all the resurrected Lords refused their thrones, the Firekeeper Rhian began resurrecting from the ashes, those who had tried to become Lords of Cinder before, but were not strong enough and instead were turned to unkindled ash. This was in the hopes that one of them would become strong enough to defeat all of the lords and bring their ashes to the Kiln of the First Flame and link the first flame. Among these unkindled, in the year 1695FY a nameless soldier known simply as The Ashen One was woken by Rhian on her first try. Upon his awakening, he was able to pull the sword embedded inside of the knight known as Gundyr, awakening the prophecy as the one who would be next Lord of Cinder, before entering Firelink Shrine and Rhian giving the Ashen One his task.
One by one, as the Ashen One travelled around the Kingdom, the previous Lords of Cinder fell to blade of the Unkindled Champion, but the Ashen One did not stop there. On his journey he managed to take out the Pontiff Sulyvahn, The Dancer of the Boreal Valley and Vordt, destroying the last remnants of leadership in Irithyll. He also killed King Oceiros and both of the Twin Princes, Lorian and Lothric thereby ending the Royal Family of Lothric. He also helped the Sieg Knight Siegward on his quest to help end the life of his old friend Yhorm, who he had promised to return and kill him if becoming a Lord of Cinder had changed him and if he was resurrected. During this fight however, Siegward died to his old friend, but the Ashen One helped slay Yhorm. In his exploration of Lothric Castle, deep under the Ashen One had discovered an unlit version of Firelink Shrine, there he discovered an alive version of Gundyr at his full strength, who he defeated by embedding him with the coiled sword of Firelink. He also discovered the eyes of Gundyr's Firekeeper, who had envisioned this world of dark and how it could be inhabited. 
On his return to Firelink Shrine, he gave the eyes of the Firekeeper to Rhian, who saw the dark world, realising what was to come, but not being fearful of the dark, as she was made to believe. No one truly had an explanation for this and what the Ashen One saw. Rhian however attributed it to the endless linking of the fire and its fading which caused all the lands to converge, believing that the dark Firelink Shrine the Ashen One saw was a form of paradox of the world that was to come. But now with all the Cinders of the Lords now gathered, the time came for him to make his choice. He ventured into the Kiln of the First Flame where he was met with the Soul of Cinder, the amalgamation of all of the Lords of Cinder that came before him. In an epic duel, the Ashen One emerged victorious. It was then that the Ashen One summoned Rhian to his side, where he instructed her to let the flame fade as envisioned by Gundyr's Firekeeper. And it was so, in the year 1699FY that for the first time in nearly 2000 years, the Linking of the Fire was stopped and the First Flame faded, plunging the world into darkness and finally beginning the Age of Dark, otherwise known, as the Age of Humanity.
=== History Of Lorithia ===
==== And Then It Was Lorithia ====
With the First Flame finally fading, the Age of Dark was finally upon the world. The Ashen One took it upon himself as the one who would usher in this Age of Dark and try to usher in an Age of Peace for the world. He was first hailed as the First Lord of Humanity, an honorific title, by the people of Lothric and the rest of the world after word spread that he helped the flame fade. His first act as Lord of Humanity was to rename the Kingdom of Lothric, not wanting to be associated with the House that caused the mess in the first place and thereby renamed it to Lorithia. This was taken extremely well by the people, even to the point that they wished the Ashen One to be the leader of this new nation and the Ashen One took it upon himself to be named King of Lorithia. He even asked his Firekeeper Rhian to be his bride, which she graciously accepted and standing beside the Ashen One as Queen of Lorithia. With this marriage he officially founded the Royal House of Lorithia which many came to name it the House of Ash.
The Ashen One issued a proclamation, that for the world to heal, the Hollows across the world would have to be destroyed and laid to rest. As such as mass cleansing took place, destroying all the hollows that were causing so much chaos across the continent with many being burnt and some being placed in tombs and the catacombs that had already been built. This influenced a great many nations, but this proclamation had a drastic effect on the Eastern Continent of Dwyrain, with major events happening across the whole continent, but we'll save this for later.
==== An Era of Healing ====
With said events of Dwyrain becoming more and more apparent to the Ashen One, he still stuck with the priorities of his newly found kingdom. He began to tear down the ruins of Lothric Castle, determining that it was a stain on an otherwise new and beautiful kingdom. With the proclamation of the destruction of the hollows, the land was finally able to heal again, letting the population rise and usher in what many determine to be a very peaceful era, dubbed the Era of Healing. He also ordered the construction of a new capital, one that could last for hundreds if not thousands of years, but set out for a new location for this great capital that he began to envision. With the splitting of the continents following the fading of the first flame and the end of the stagnation, new pieces of land were formed and the Kingdom of Lorithia was not left out of this. A new large island had formed, big enough to be classed as a Kingdom on its own and the Ashen One intended for this location to be the location for this great Capital that he was to build. New rivers had flowed around the land, creating this large island, but the capital would only take up a small portion of it, leaving plenty for other people to build on and own the land across the island. The new capital was then to be named Ashrune and in the year 6AD, officially began construction.
The Ashen One also wished to honour a great friend of his, that had helped him on his journey to becoming the next Lord of Cinder. Anri was a knight who was a child of Aldrich, Saint of the Deep and Rosaria, but because of Aldrich's tendency to devour his own children, Anri with the help of her faithful protector Horace managed to escape Aldrich and flee, eventually reaching Astora where she learnt about the ways of the noble firekeepers. At some point, Anri became unkindled Ash, failing to Link the First Flame. But that wasn't the end of her journey as she was resurrected in the hopes that she could kill her father and claim his ashes. The Ashen One met Anri on her journey and Anri realised her true purpose was to aid the Ashen One and as such the two of them did battle against Aldrich, now going by the Devourer of Gods. Whilst victory was claimed by The Ashen One, Anri perished in the fight, but the Ashen One wanted her name to be remembered. The Rivers that ran around the Capital, only started running following the fading of the First Flame and as such were there only because of the help that Anri had given to the Ashen One. He then honoured her, by naming the river that carved its way into the Kingdom and as such created the great island as the River Anri.
There was also another that the Ashen One had intended on honouring too. Siegward of Catarina was the 26th Sieg Knight leader, who was great friends with the leader of the Profaned Capital, deep below the Irithyll, Yhorm The Giant. Siegward made a promise to Yhorm, stating that if he was ever brought back to life, following his Linking of the First Flame and becoming Lord of Cinder, he would return to the Capital and lay his friend to rest. Unfortunately, Siegward perished when Sulyvahn cast the Profaned Flame back into the Capital, killing most who were there and enslaving and imprisoning those that survived. As Sieg Knight Leader, he also wielded the Storm Ruler sword, but after he perished in the Profaned Capital, the sword was lost and as such the next Sieg Knight leader became the first to inherit the title, but not the sword. But because Siegward perished in flame, he was resurrected as an unkindled ash, much like Anri, to try to claim Yhorm's life and his ashes. He first journeyed back to Catarina to state his purpose, with the Sieg Knight leader Sieghalder, granting him permission to uphold his oath to Yhorm. He also met the Ashen One on his journey to becoming Lord of Cinder and journeyed to the Profaned Capital where Siegward claimed the Storm Ruler and in the fight managed to slay Yhorm the Giant. But Siegward also suffered a mortal injury, but the Ashen One promised to share Siegwards tale and to return the Storm Ruler to Catarina. Upon establishing this new Kingdom, the Storm Ruler and Siegwards body was returned in person by the Ashen One, sharing Siegwards story, with Roderick III Catarina honouring Siegward with a posthumous title of Siegward the Oathkeeper and having him buried in the White Palace cemetery alongside the most famous Sieg Knights of Catarina. One of the main roads throughout Central Lorithia was also named after Siegward, one of several roads named after famous people, such as the Chosen Road, named after the Chosen Undead.
==== War....War Never Changes ====
In the aftermath of the fading of the First Flame, the rule over the Nation of Londor began to crumble as their plot to usurp the First Flame had failed and as such started to incite rebellion, spurred on by the proclamation of the Ashen One regarding the destruction of all mindless hollows, most of which were in Londor. A woman named Muriel led the rebellion in Morion, which had been renamed from Mirmark and was the capital of Mirrah, successfully leading it to victory and becoming Empress of Mirrah. In Jugo a descendent of King Aurous had led a rebellion and proclaimed himself as King of Jugo, naming himself King Aurous II. The Eastern Lands regained their independency and their leadership, with a rebellion led by Drakeblood Knight Ren, destroying countless of hollowed undead that attempted to march on Lorithia. Ren also flew to Mirrah to try and save Emperor Isshin upon hearing that a rebellion was taking place, but Muriel managed to free Isshin, though Ren still came to the rebellions aid, greatly helping in the effort. Forossa was the only nation that didnt rise from the dead and as such their lands were divided up between Jugo and Mirrah. The remnants of Londors leadership were as such forced out of their lands, heading West in the hopes that they could kill the Ashen One as revenge for letting the Flame fade. In the time that it took to head west however, the continents had once again split and as such they were stranded on the Western part of Dwyrain near the ancient kingdom of Drangleic. This however instead worked to their advantage and they used the magical sealed off kingdom as a defensive barrier and settled a new city and nation, both named after their old capital of Londor: Morion.
The Ashen One eventually heard about the rebellions in the East and sent letters of commendation to the nations, directly to Muriel and Aurous, hoping to extend to them a form of alliance and friendship, both of which accepted as a courtesy, but not necessarily as a definitive pact. These letters of commendation however proved that a time for ally's was of major importance. Several hundred years of peace later and in the year 376AD, a long concocted plot by the Realms of Morion was enacted, focusing on two key events that were to take place. They were to attack the nearest town on the eastern border of Mirrah, this being the town and home of the Elves: Broadleif. The second key event was to assassinate the Empress Muriel and her children in the capital of Mirrah, now renamed back to Mirmark. The plot was effectively enacted, with the attack on Broadleif killing a majority of the residents with only several escaping through a secret tunnel, constructed by the leader of the Elves, Eldemar. The Assassination attempt by one of the Sable Church of Morion (the name given to the three main soldiers of Morion) being Master Shadowblade Lyra attacked the Empress in the Palace of Mirmark, slaying her eldest son Gothard and causing minor wounds to Muriel before she fled the city.
The response from the people of Lorithia was almost immediate once the Ashen One had declared war on Morion. He allied himself with Empress Muriel, offering her condolences for her loss and making it well known that Lorithia would stand with Mirrah. Many people enlisted in the army that the Ashen One wished to go to war to try and save the peace that they had long tried to uphold, with as many as 5000 of the entire population joining the fighting force. The Ashen One also helped establish the Aegis of the Embered, a global alliance that wished to see the destruction of Morion and its forces, with many nations around the world declaring for it, with Lorithia being one of them. Lorithia was in turn ruled by Queen Rhian whilst the Ashen One was over seas.
== Lorithian Geography ==
=== The Gods Walk Coast (Eastern Lorithia) ===
The Gods Walk Coast, located in the Central and Eastern geography of the Kingdom of Lorithia, stretching out as a peninsular into the worlds largest Ocean, the Gormynn Ocean.
Main locations include:
* Ashrune Island, The most Westerly area of The Gods Walk Coast.
** Ashrune, Capital of Lorithia and seat of the Lorithian Royals.
** The Rhosyn Castles, seat of the Rhosyn Lords, the twin castles sit on the Rhosyn Marshes and the main road.
** The Runic Bridge, the largest bridge in Lorithia and it links Ashrune Island with the Royal Woodland.
** The Undead Dungeon, constructed on the Western side of the island, originally as the main graveyard and subsequent dungeon, now houses large amounts of undead following the resurgence after the grand corralling.
* The Royal Woodland, the central and largest area of The Gods Walk Coast.
** Lake Rhian Fortress, constructed by the Ashen One and named after his wife and firekeeper, Rhian.
** Lordsworn Fortress
** The Crossroads, a medium sized town situated at where The Chosen Road and Siegwards path converge.
** The Rinkert Ruins, the ruined town of Rinkert, falling into a damaged state following the resurgence of the First Flame
** The Town of Firelink, latest incarnation of the Firelink Shrine, constructed soon after the fading of the First Flame and the seat of House Ashwood.
** Western Outlook
* East Of Lorr
** Fort Codiad Haul, Twin fortress of Fort Machlud Haul. Nicknamed the 'Fort of the Rising Sun'. Constructed by House Ennil during the Age of Dark.
** Fort Machlud Haul, Twin fortress of Fort Codiad Haul. Nicknamed the 'Fort of the Setting Sun'. Constructed by House Ennil during the Age of Dark to act as a counter point across the island of Fort Codiad Haul.
** Port Of Lorr, the largest Port city on the Gods Walk Coast.
** Port Ennil, a small coastal village supported and constructed by House Ennil.
** Shrine Of Artorias, constructed during the Age of Dark following the discovery of Artorias' remains and his wolf Sif and laid to rest in a grand colosseum.
** The Lands End, a coastal village on the eastern peninsular, acting as the main port for those seeking to travel to the continent of Dwyrain.
Natural Geographical Locations
* Ashrune Island
** Ashrune Crags, Large jagged crags on the northern part of the island, backed up with a large inhabited lonely mountain.
** Lake Ashrune, the largest lake in Lorithia formed from the River Anri and surrounded by Ashrune Island, Western Lorithia and The Royal Woodland.
** Rhosyn Marshes, a large set of marshlands located in the mid to western area of the island.
** River Anri, the widest river in Lorithia that encompasses all of Ashrune Island, travelling all the way to the Town of Firelink.
** The Chosen Road, the main road linking Ashrune Island all the way to the Town of Firelink in The Royal Woodland.
** The Karst Valley, In the center of the island is a large valley of karsts, split by the main road leading in and out of the island.
*The Royal Woodland
**Lake Rhian
**The Twin Mountains
**Woodland Mountains