The Kingdom of Althea

**The Kingdom of Althea** is the primary seat of government in Venthalia in the current year, 1127 AV. Its capital and administrative center, Althea Prone, is a sprawling city located at Venthalia's northern border. The Kingdom's origins date back to 385 AV when Lord Vitani from House Sentus united the major houses to establish a unified monarchy, becoming King Vitani himself. Initially, the Kingdom encompassed all of Venthalia and its neighboring islands. However, over the centuries, it has lost nearly half of its territories, primarily due to the Free Trade Secession and the Years of Fracture. The present ruler, Queen Leonora II of House Sylis, is the 27th monarch of the Kingdom of Althea and the 5th monarch of House Sylis. Presently, the Kingdom of Althea is inhabited by over one million citizens. The largest city, Althea Prone, remains a bustling center on Venthalias northwest coast. Other notable cities include Burth Port, situated on an island within the eastern coast's Burth Sound, Rockbridge, an inland city located on the shores of Lake Vovriga, and Lurie, found in the New Roy Isles. Both Burth Port and Lurie serve as harboring waystations and entry points for immigrants arriving from all corners of Daunt.

## Founding, the Sentus Dynasty (385-525)

In 385 AV, the Kingdom of Althea was founded by King Vitani of House Sentus, encompassing Venthalia and its neighboring islands. Vitani, the House Sentus lord, masterfully united the three major houses through political maneuvering, secret agreements, and targeted assassinations, thus creating the Kingdom of Althea and inaugurating the Sentus Dynasty as its first king. He legitimized his reign by tracing his ancestry back to Ronlucis, and therefore Ventus. While his claim held legitimacy, his intent to maintain Venthalia's rule through Ventus' descendants persisted only until 525 AV, as Queen Livia III was unable to bear children. In 409 AV, Queen Livia of House Sentus ascended to the throne at age 12 after her father, King Vitani II, passed away. This event marked Venthalia's first-ever female ruler and ended the convention of exclusively male inheritance of noble titles. In 412 AV, Queen Livia commissioned the construction of two advanced fortress lighthouses, the Okcident Tower and the Oriente Tower, which were completed in 468 AV during King Vitani III's reign. The construction relied on the labor of numerous Orcish slaves. In 525 AV, with the death of Queen Livia III and no suitable heir, the wealthy and influential Lord Ardem Kirt of Ousurferia claimed the throne, facing little resistance from the disoriented kingdom and its people. This event signaled the end of the Sentus Dynasty and the beginning of the Kirt Dynasty, establishing the custom of a different Venthalian noble house taking over the royal dynasty when the current lineage expires.

## The Kirt Dynasty, and the Years of Fracture (526-953)

### King Ardem I, the Free Trade Secession

King Ardem was a prosperous and well-liked leader who founded a dynasty that lasted until 953 AV, with the assassination of King Timmothy II. Throughout the Kirt Dynasty, the Kingdom witnessed remarkable peaks and valleys, ultimately causing the empire to fragment over time. The Free Trade Secession in 626 AV led to numerous south coast settlements around the Aureum Sea breaking away from the empire. The Lords of Ousurferia argued that their existing economic self-sufficiency no longer warranted paying taxes to Althea Prone or the crown. Monkton and many other southern settlements joined in leaving, so long as they pledged allegiance to Ousurferia in times of conflict, as what would become known as the "Free Trade Cities" exited the Kingdom entirely.

### Rosul Creech, The Uprising, King Ardem III

For centuries, the Kingdom relied on the labor of Orcish slaves, a practice that originated even before the Kingdom's establishment during the Venthian Era. Areas including the northeast coast and the Far East Stretch islands were at the heart of the 1st Slave Trade, where slaves were bred, sold to kingdom citizens or exported internationally. In 772 AV, everything changed when a slave named Rosul Creech escaped his bonds and ignited a decades-long, continent-wide slave rebellion called the Uprising. This event prompted the largest deployment of Althean Royal Army and Naval forces in the Kingdom's history and remains its most brutal conflict. The rebelling Orcish slaves managed to defeat their masters at Highmark, renaming the city Ogg Dungan, and initiated the 2nd Slave Trade by enslaving their former captors. In response, 15-year-old King Ardem III outlawed slavery in all forms in 800 AV, offering former slaves full citizenship and status as royal subjects within the Kingdom. However, few Orcs accepted this proposal, viewing it as too little, too late. That same year, various Orcish rebellion naval leaders formed the Great Fleet of Klans, officially commencing a war that persists to this day. During this time, the Klans persistently fought the royal military for dominance over the coastlines. They successfully invaded and seized numerous cities and towns along the eastern coast and the Far East Stretch, subjugating a vast number of Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Baagians, and other races in the process. Concurrently, piracy became an increasingly pressing issue for the Kingdom on the western coast.

### Cpt Kipfer Santigo, The Confederation of Free Sailors

King Ardem IV took a harsh stance against piracy, vigorously prosecuting anyone suspected of involvement. In 894 AV, a Human pirate captain named Kipfer Santigo led a motley armada of pirate captains and vessels to assault the Hysemacon fleet. The Hysemacon was embarking on a journey from Ousurferia to Althea Prone, carrying a priceless cargo of gold and silver gifted by the Lords of Ousurferia to support the Kingdom in their battle against the Klans. Captain Santigo succeeded in destroying the fleet and seizing the treasure, marking the start of the Golden Age of Piracy. Captain Santigo and his fellow pirate captains gained immense prominence and popularity as de facto "leaders" along the western coast, ultimately leading to the official establishment and secession of the Confederation of Free Sailors in 896 AV. The official stance of the royal government has remained, that the CFS and any self identified "citizens" were nothing more than villainous pirates or traitorous rebels. The Royal Navy continues to engage with CFS naval forces heavily to this day, in the effort to crush the rebellion.

### The Final Rulers of the Kirt Dynasty

Throughout the remaining Years of Fracture, the Kingdom experienced significant losses of territory, cities, and towns to both the Klans and the Confederation of Free Sailors (CFS). This included the surrender of the Okcident Tower to the CFS in 902 AV and the Oriente Tower to the Klans in 914 AV. The turbulent period finally concluded in 929 AV with the ascension of King Timmothy I, as a balance of power emerged among the various governments and factions, with none able to gain a significant advantage over the others. During his rule, King Timmothy I appointed Lord Carmina of House Sylis as royal advisor, a position she maintained after Timmothy I's death in 949 AV and the subsequent coronation of King Timmothy II. Timmothy II appointed his childhood friend Georgos Sylis, son of Lord Carmina, as his Viceroy. However, just four years into his reign, King Timmothy II was killed at the age of 25, likely through assassination. Georgos Sylis then took the throne in 953 AV, proclaiming himself King Georgos I.

## The Sylis Dynasty (954-present)

While many individuals suspected that King Georgos I was responsible for Orchestrating the assassination of King Timmothy II, the prevailing sentiment among the citizens of the Kingdom had turned against the Kirt Dynasty. The people had grown increasingly disillusioned with the Kirt's rule, which had been marked by instability and internal strife. As such, when King Georgos I ascended to the throne, he was met with widespread support from the populace, who saw him as a fresh start and a chance for a better future. During his reign, King Georgos I proved himself to be a capable and dedicated leader, overseeing a period of stability and prosperity that endeared him to the people of Venthalia. He founded the Sylis Dynasty, which has been characterized by strong, fair, and just governance. His descendants, Queen Lysandra IV, King Georgos II, King Ardem V, and Queen Leonora II, have all upheld his legacy, with each contributing to the nation's development and growth in their own unique ways. Under the rule of Queen Lysandra IV, the Kingdom navigated through challenging times in spite of her health challenges, while King Georgos II brought forth a golden age of trade and commerce, bolstering the nation's naval defenses against piracy. King Ardem V, who unexpectedly ascended to the throne, maintained a strong and efficient navy and focused on the Kingdom's stability and prosperity. Today, the current reigning monarch, Queen Leonora II, continues to embody the values and principles of the Sylis Dynasty, serving as a testament to the enduring success and impact of her lineage. In 1127 AV, Queen Leonora II remains a steadfast and competent leader, who has steered her kingdom through numerous challenges and maintained its stability and prosperity.