Soleil Dynasty I

The first five kings of Aodh are neigh mythological figures in Aodhian history and storytelling. As their true past has been meticulously erased, most Aodhians know these Kings by different names than their contemporaries would have - and, indeed believe in a well-crafted story of their lives.
Unlike the Kings who came after, the personal lives and personalities of these Soleil rulers are not particularly well-documented - the legend of their feats is more important than who they truly were; and the destruction of all original documentation certainly forced a level of simplifaction upon their stories.
Note that the truth of their stories has been completely lost to history - the only records that existed have been destroyed. Characters may only know the Aodhian History version.
== Iniga Soleil (700-731) ==
First ruler of modern Aodh. Founder of New Valore. Punished war criminals. Established hereditary nobility. Built the original Hearthstone Palace.
=== Aodhian History ===
Iniga was the only non-kirin child of the last great kirin ruler, Soleil. According to ancient tradition, her mother was a pegasus untouched by Alya’s influence, having lived among the kirins as an envoy since youth. Iniga was the pairs only child, and as a sign of her parentage her wings were deep golden color, as if gilded.
Iniga, so the story tells, was educated by the greatest kirin minds, and during the war, she and other uncorrupted equines fought alongside the kirins, even though they were facing overwhelming odds. She was saved the destruction of the war by her wings - and by the protection of her esteemed royal mother, Soleil, who commanded her to flee the carnage. Iniga’s participation in the final battle and the heroic sacrifice of her mother are extremely popular themes in Aodhian dramas.
After the war ended, she gathered those who were horrified by the injustice done to the kirins, and rose to be their ruler. Those who had slaughtered the kirins in cold blood were chased off or captured, and made into the first slaves. Iniga decreed that they, and their descendants, would pay for their horrid crimes for all eternity.
With her followers, she founded the settlement of New Valore, and granted the very first noble titles to wise and skillful individuals whose efforts were irreplaceable in founding this new settlement. She began construction on the original Hearthstone Palace, and worked to preserve knowledge of the kirin’s art and science within her newfound herd. During the 30 years of her reign, New Valore grew from a pitiful tent village to a proper settlement, and its population boomed with immigrants and post-war babies alike.
Iniga’s reign was one of great sadness over all that had been lost, but also hope - as the true heartblood of Aodh still coursed within her veins. She is remembered as one of the greatest rulers of Aodh.
=== True History ===
In truth, Iniga was known as Foehn, and she was a Seroran Fury. Having grown up under Alya’s open skies and adoring her goddess, she was eager to prove her mettle when her goddess called them to war. Only in her mid twenties when joining the fray as captain, Foehn led a strike team against the kirins and their wyverns, facing them in battle countless times over the following years. During one of the skirmishes, she lost her leg in a confrontation with Soleil herself, but was saved by Alya, who gifted her with a new leg for her service.
She participated in the final fight before the Smothering, and was among the survivors of the bloody battle. After the war, she chose to remain in Eithne to protect some of the wounded survivors alongside her partner. As the small band moved across Eithne, their number grew, and Foehn became their leader - unwittingly, rather than by design. On their journey, they came across several equines who had fought alongside the kirins to save their own lives, and who now surrendered to the refugees, hoping they would have more mercy than the executions that surely awaited them back home.
Arriving at the Strands on the southern tip of the continent, the refugees chose it as their new home, and began building a settlement they could call home. Still Seroran citizens, they named it New Osulas, and after its founding, Foehn was named the Governor of the new polis by the first Sultan of Serora - her sibling. New Osulas was to be a Seroran colony - largely independent, but still under the rulership of Serora’s leaders. It was with Serora’s blessing that it was decreed that the war criminals would be condemned to slavery, but that by their third generation, when the memory and poison of the war had passed, their descendants would be free and equal under the eyes of Alya.
Settling into her leadership position, Foehn oversaw the construction of the watchtower Eyrie, that would form the foundation of the original Hearthstone Palace. Under her leadership, the settlement slowly grew and flourished. To assure their future, she granted the first noble titles to several decorated war veterans and those who contributed significantly to the young settlement’s development, encouraging them to stay in New Osulas. These titles were made hereditary as an additional motivator - something that had not been done in Sedo.
She had two children with her lifelong partner - Zephyr (Ea) and Aelle (Aelius). 
== Ea Soleil (731-769) ==
Stabilized New Valore. Expanded influence across southern Eithne; won countless military victories.
=== Aodhian History ===
Ea was born in the first few years into her mother’s glorious reign, in an Aodh that was still turbulent, a nation just being born. During her youth and childhood, she could witness the growth of her home, as New Valore turned from a ramshackle village to a proper, large scale settlement. By the time Ea was in her mid twenties, and considered ready to rule over the polis of New Valore, the settlement already resembled a real city, and reigned over several small farming villages around it.
Still, New Valore was not alone in Eithne. Many with anti-kirin sentiments had chosen to establish their own settlements in the fertile Eithne, and alongside them countless Vagabonds roamed the lands. These posed a threat to the young nation, one that Ea was determined to stamp out. Ea, as much a warrior as her mother, would mount countless raids and assaults on the surrounding minor city states to subjugate them and claim their territories as her own. Using divide-and-conquer strategies she would ally some to go to war with others, and then subjugate her allies as well, turning New Valore into the capital of her burgeoning empire.
On the homefront, her main interest was in creating and maintaining a lasting infrastructure. Ea understood the value of good roads, proper sewers and sanitation, and found the brightest among her people to work on these issues. She was passionate about growth in all ways, not merely by means of war, and sought to leave New Valore a more stable and prosperous place than she had found it.
Towards the end of her reign, New Valore controlled all of southern Eithne up to the Drakefire Woods, and had grown massively in both wealth and population. Having grown weary of war, the legends claim she advised her child to be craftier than she had been, and retired from power.
=== True History ===
Zephyr was the firsborn of her mother, Foehn. She was given the typical education of a Seroran child at the time - reading, singing, flying and fighting. As Eithne was still turbulent, it was soon decided that the governorship of the young colony would be hereditary, and so Zephyr was given the education befitting a leader. Foehn taught her daughter to be kind, to sacrifice for the benefit of others, and to always remember she was a servant of her people. She watched and learned as her mother ruled over the polis that grew around them day by day.
Zephyr officially took her mother’s place as governor in her mid-twenties - a change of power that did not go unnoticed by the many other settlements in Eithne, nor the roving Vagabonds who still called the area home. They had feared and respected Foehn, but did not feel that a whelp born after the War would be able to hold together such a swiftly growing settlement. By 733, despite attempts to negotiate, the first neighbor tried their luck at claiming New Osulas as their own.
Zephyr’s reign was indeed one of war and conquest, but not by choice. As a kind and empathetic ruler, she sought to placate her warring neighbors and the thieving Vagabonds alike where-ever possible, forming unlikely alliances and deals. Where peace was not an option, she would lead her troops personally to defend their homes and families - and each time, she would emerge victorious. Despite not being warlike by nature, she had a knack for military strategy and fighting alike, and was soon hailed as a military hero, a protector of her people, just like her mother had always been.
It was through these means that she came to rule over all of southern Eithne, up to the Drakefire Wood, by 740.
With her people safe and her borders secure - and all neighbors convinced she was not a child they could trifle with - Zephyr turned her attention fully to her people, and the city that she loved. Zephyr invested heavily in infrastructure, and took a personal interest in all the goings-on in her territory. The oldest parts of the city walls are from her reign, although they have been heightened and expanded much since.
She was beloved as a wise and kind, but also firm leader. Zephyr also had a sense of humor - it was her who adopted the House name Soleil as a jab towards her mothers old enemy. 
In her final years as Governor, her focus was on tutoring her child to take up the heavy mantel of leadership. She finally retired in 769, but continued to serve the community as an adviser and storyteller until the end of her days.
== Paru Soleil (769-795) ==
United Bloom and New Valore. Founded the rank of Royal Consort. Reign saw a resurgence of interest in art. Allowed Ignacio to be adapted into the pantheon.
=== Aodhian History ===
Born well after the war, Paru was a member of the first generation for whom it was truly a memory. Little is told of their childhood, but it is said that they enjoyed the personal tutelage of Iniga, preparing them to one day take the throne as a magnanimous, wise leader.
Compared to their predecessors, Paru was already an older equine when they came to power - 41 to their mothers 27 or grandmothers 32. Perhaps it was these additional years of learning before taking the throne that were exactly what New Valore needed, as Paru was able to be a far more stable and politically apt ruler than their mother.
Their first act as King was to marry the Prince of Bloom, uniting the two larger polis in the region into a single, unified nation under a single ruler. It was at this time that the young nation began to be known as Aodh, rather than simply New Valore.
Paru’s political marriage soon bore children, but it also allowed the rediscovery of something truly magnificent: the remnants of an ancient kirin city in and around the city of Bloom, including a completely intact kirin fortification. For although citizens of New Valore had always admired the kirinkind’s beautiful works, they had unfortunately been lost - nothing of Old Valore survived, not even keepsakes. But through the ruins and the castle in Bloom, it was possible for them to rediscover their heritage - the artwork and magnificence of their predecessors. 
In Bloom they also rediscovered depictions of the Lost God - the Fire Deity whom they praised, but who had been driven from the world by the actions of the other gods. Soon countless effigies and statues were made, beckoning Ignacio to return to the world, despite the loss of his original children.
Paru’s reign was peaceful and prosperous; Eithne had become a lot less wild, with most small settlements unified under larger entities. They were a beloved ruler whose wise decisions and love of art enriched future generations.
=== True History ===
Plume was a quiet child of a kind but forceful mother. Having suffered the consequences of her own youth upon taking the throne, Zephyr was determined to not make the same mistake, and held onto the governorship well into Plume’s adulthood. She made sure to educate her only child well when it came to the art of running a quickly growing colony, teaching Plume all she had learned in her own time in power. Plume’s grandmother, Foehn, taught in turn about her homeland of Sedo - a land Plume would never see - and the people and customs there. As Zephyr grew older, she made one final political maneuver to secure the rule of her child - a political match.
The day Plume took on the title of Governor was also the day they married The Prince of Bloom. This match, perhaps the first arranged marriage in the young colony’s history, unified the two polis into one large territory, one without an equal in the southern half of Eithne. They came to be known as Aodh once more - a name that Plume themselves loathed, but that still stuck.
Plume was personally less than taken by the discovery of the kirin ruins and artwork that had survived within Drakefire Wood, but this did not stop their people from being taken by the beauty of this art. By this time, almost all of the generation who had fought in the War were dead; most had been born after it, and the scars were slowly healing. As such, when confronted by such skill and beauty, it was perhaps only natural that people sought to emulate it - first by adapting techniques to use with their own tried and true themes of moonlit skies and glorious wings, but as years passed, suns and flames began to creep into the imagery.
Despite their personal opinions on the matter, Plume also did not seek to quell the increased interest in the kirins and their art, nor the admiration for what little could be found of their culture. Eventually, Ignacio was tentatively accepted into the young herd’s pantheon as the god of metalwork, art and the sun.
New Osulas was still growing rapidly, and towards the end of Plume’s reign, it came to rival Osulas and Alhaj if not in population, then certainly in wealth. 
The deadline of the enslaved equines punishment came to pass within Plume’s reign, but their request to Serora to have their pardons officialized was denied - their work was too important to let go, as Serora was currently suffering from a severe food shortage as they adapted to the barren landscape. The freedom would have to come later.
== Sholeh Soleil (795-847) ==
Golden age for sciences and philosophy. Founded the University of New Valore. Defended Aodh against Seroran imperialism.
=== Aodhian History ===
The first unicorn to rule Aodh, Sholeh was born the year after her parents union, and raised among the beauty and magnificence of the once-lost kirin art and architecture. She spent much of her childhood in Bloom, learning from her princely father, who still preferred to reside there. Growing up in the midst of such a resurgence of culture and art, it is no surprise she grew up to be a lover of knowledge, and a writer in her own right.
Sholeh was young when coming to power, but wise beyond her years, and inherited a stable and prosperous kingdom - hardly a challenge for her intellect. Many loved her for her wisdom, and during the first years of her reign, many remaining freeholds pledged their loyalty to her. 
She put her effort into educating and uplifting her people, creating many new noble Houses out of the greatest thinkers and inventors of her age. Her own bright and innovative mind helped the people of Aodh draft new, more progressive laws, and most importantly, the founding of New Valore University. The University was founded in what was then the very heart of the city, and Sholeh gathered the brightest minds to teach there - although at first, only very few subjects were available.
It was a rich and peaceful time for her people, and they prospered. This made the Serora herd to the south jealous. Aodhians sometimes traded with them during that time despite the actions of the Serorans during Gods War - the desert herd had access to many desirable goods, after all. Each time the Seroran ships sailed up the coast of Eithne, they could see that New Valore had grown even stronger and more prosperous since their last visit - and they coveted it.
During Sholeh’s long reign, this jealousy grew, until it became tension, and finally, war. Like they had done before, the Serorans attacked Aodh with little forewarning, hoping to claim it and its riches. Sholeh, already an older mare when the war began in 845, soon discovered that it was unlikely to come to a quick end, and already suffering from ailing health, abjucates the throne in favor of her son.
=== True History ===
Aella grew up among the trees, history and kirin culture of Bloom, rarely visiting New Osulas as her Governor parent was oft too busy to take part in rearing their child. Instead, she learned from her father in Bloom, and while Plume might have not warmed up to the kirin aesthetics, art and culture, Aella embraced it wholly. She dedicated her life in Bloom to study, both of art and science, and when it was eventually time for her to go to New Osulas to learn the art of politics as well, she was already learned beyond her years.
Upon taking the title of Governor, she also took the name of Sholeh, in the Aodhian style. While this name was only used in court, it was regardless a clear step towards a less Seroran attitude for Aodh. Her first child, a daughter, has been lost to history. What is known is that when her son was born, he was named Uriel, also in the Aodhian tradition. It soon became trendy for all nobles to do so.
Aella was a good King who took a special interest in education - the scientific and cultural elevation of her herd. She founded the University of New Valore, and often attended lectures there herself, both to learn and to simply soak up the atmosphere. She ennobled countless scientists, thinkers, teachers and innovators in recognition of their work, and was constantly on the lookout to find new talents. During her time, study at the University was free -limited only by whether or not you had the time to spare.
Aella was an active politician during her long reign. During her first few years on the throne, the rest of southern Eithne voluntarily merged into Aodh, and she engaged in trade with the remaining independent groups in the northern half of the continent. Meanwhile on the Seroran front, tensions were brewing - the colony and motherland had little in common anymore, and few Aodhians had ever been to Sedo personally. While Serorans hated Ignacio and worshipped the Sky Goddess, Aodhians were increasingly interested in the silent kirin god, turning to him for inspiration and guidance.
Tensions were not helped by Serora’s worsening situation, which necessitated heavy taxation of their colony to provide food for everyone in Sedo. Aodhians, noble and common alike, began to feel like they received very little in return for all the goods they sent south.
Boiling point was hit in the year 945. Aella and her nobles had been called for a meeting with Serora’s government. Aodhian representatives demanded reduced taxes, stronger self-governance and most importantly, true representation in affairs of Serora. They were rebuffed - and so Aella cast down her name, and became Sholeh in all aspects of her life. As they returned home and shared the news, she and her nobles roused New Osulas into revolution.
Aodh declared itself independent, and Serora responded with military action. Feeling betrayed by Serora and abandoned by Alya, the Sky Goddess is cast aside and replaced by Ignacio in a sign of defiance. Although battles between the two nations are sporadic at first, within the next two years they become constant skirmishes, and Sholeh chooses to abdjucate her throne in favor of her only son, Uriel.
== Uriel Soleil (847-851) ==
Decisive leadership and several military victories in the war against Serora.
=== Aodhian History ===
Nothing much is known of Uriel’s childhood. He was presumably tutored by his mother and grandparent to rule. Few depictions of him remain, but they often show him as a young stallion, performing physical feats, such as wrestling, bow-hunting or fencing. The surviving sources tell that he was the leader of New Valore’s military for many years, keeping the city safe from brigands and criminals alike. 
He rose to power at the unusually ripe age of 51 - the oldest King to ascend the throne in Aodh’s young history. Unlike the Kings before him, he left behind little writing, art, decrees or anything else for historians to ponder over - for he was a warrior King, tried and true. He spent most of his time fighting off the Seroran menace, guarding Eithne’s shores and fighting skirmish after skirmish to defend his homeland.
Uriel did not have long on the throne. He was killed in a skirmish near the coast, in the place where the town of Kingsfall now stands in his honor. Legend says Uriel was mortally wounded early in the fighting, but held on until the Seroran troops scattered - then turning his face towards the sun, whispering Ignacio’s name, and dying of his wounds. Uriel is seen as a saintly figure in Aodhian religious canon.
His early death left the throne empty, as his only living children were far too young to rule.
=== True History ===
Uriel was Aella’s second child, and was not raised to govern. While his older sister received the by then somewhat expected tutoring of an Aodhian governor, Uriel’s education was focused on the finer things in life - art, kirin culture, and of course, matters of the military. Aella’s plan was for power to be split between the two, with her daughter being the wise, learned governor, and son the poetic warrior who would keep them safe.
During their youths, this went as intended, and Uriel was rather settled into his role as a military commander. When he came into his thirties, he already had a great amount of responsibility in the day-to-day running of the city police and military, and spent most of his time traveling between settlements to keep the peace.
Then something happened. For reasons unknown, Uriel’s older sister vanished, never to be seen again. Although Uriel searched high and low for her, she could not be found - or did not want to be found. Uriel, now 35, was suddenly the sole heir, and hastily his training to ascend to become a governor began. As it turned out, he was far less natural at politics than wielding a blade, and if Aella had any plans of earlier retirement, she had to promptly discard them.
It can be argued that even the 16 years of tutoring he received wasn’t quite enough to make Uriel the leader he could’ve been, but eventually the war against Serora forced Aella’s hoof. Uriel was hastily married and produced two children between bouts of fighting, but was eventually pulled almost wholly away from the capital to combat the offensive.
Uriel died in a large scale skirmish near the modern town of Kingsfall. He and his vanguard had charged deep into the enemy lines, but were ambushed by a squadron of Furies. Uriel and his entire vanguard were killed, and his body was only recovered days later after the Aodhians forced the Serorans to retreat in a pyrrhic victory. He was carried back to Aodh and buried in the Royal Cemetery, side by side with the empty grave of his sister.
== To Soleil Dynasty II ==
Category:Aodh
Category:Lore