Kingdom of Escalon

The **Kingdom of Escalon** is the second largest human state on the continent that lies about the south-eastern quarter of the continent. Volcanic soil, mild weather and a large coastline has made the kingdom very prosperous, with a large population.

## Overview

The land of churches, Escalon is well-known for the strong presence of military orders, clergy and holy warriors. Similar to the empire, there is no one majority ethnic group, however, unlike Imperials, most contemporary Escalians have a common heritage and belong to a group of closely related ethnicities. One of its largest exports, besides agricultural produce, are soldiers. In all major crusades, past and present, Escalians have always made up at least the plurality of their ranks.

Due to its overwhelmingly rural population distribution, martial culture and entrenched nobility, the kingdom has historically been extremely decentralised - even moreso than the empire. With myriad counties, dukedoms, marches and earldoms all possessing significant autonomy in a standard feudal structure, the kings of Escalon possess comparatively little authority compared to other human monarchs on the continent. Escalians simply do not possess the same conceptualisation of nationhood as the Imperials. The nobility vie for power and prestige without consideration of their subjects and nation while the kings of Escalon, so heavily reliant on the support of their support, can do little but make slow, inconsequential changes at best.

However, great change is occuring within the kingdom following the ascension of king Siegbert, the reformist king. During the reign of his predecessor and elder brother Adelbert II, a great purge of the nobility occurred which eventually resulted in him being deposed. However, the power vacuum that formed in its wake has given the young king a once in a lifetime opportunity to push through sweeping reforms and finally accomplish the monumental task of consolidating royal power and centralising the realm.

## Geography

Coalescing around the fertile plains of Escalon, the eastern region and namesake of the kingdom, human civilisation has long prospered thanks to its forgiving climate and bounteous natural resources.

Situated on the east coast of the continent, Escalon is marked by fertile, volcanic soil and mild, warm seasons. These, in combination with a generous and easily traversible coastline, unlike that of the Tempestuous Ocean, has made Escalon the home of a densely populated, advanced human civilisation. The majority of Escalon is located on a peninsula, with only small land borders on the west side of the kingdom with the Empire, Liezegrad and some other minor southern monarchies.

Politically, Escalon is split into four major regions that are independent of noble domain. These are, Escalon Proper located on the east coast, Draconian Escalon located up north at the southern mouth of the Dragon's Maw gulf, Centre Rhodan Valley located in the centre of the kingdom and West Rhodan Valley, located in the west. This is only the official, top-level way the kingdom is organised - in practise, noble demesne sprawl all over with no consistency.

## Society

Though - or perhaps because - the kingdom is well protected geographically, Escalon has a long tradition of valuing martial prowess and chivalry. Most external wars that the kingdom faces are funelled on the marches of the west - far flung, sparsely populated provinces that serve as a buffer zone between enemies and the kingdom's precious, densely populated east coast. It is this feature that enables the Escalians to maintain a culture based on fair and honourable fighting in contrast to other civilisations who cannot afford such luxuries less they get overwhelmed by their foes.

The slow beating heart of the Kingdom of Escalon is its aristocracy which serve to embody the highest ideals of Escalian virtues - bravery, justice and virtuousness. Over many years, however, the nobility has grown overly powerful and complacent with few able to criticise them. They became hungry for prestige and recognition, constantly feuding over one another for land and glory. Consequently, the once prosperous kingdom stagnated over the course of the last century, becoming embroiled in internal conflicts. The pre-eminence of the nobility and their faithful adherence to tradition led to stagnation in technology and magic which has caused many other nations to view Escalians as backwards, boorish and violent.

While Escalians certainly are behind others in terms of technology and arcane magic, their martial culture has continued to breed talented warriors and their strong faith have led many of them to be chosen as the mightiest of the god's anointed agents. In international tournaments, Escalian nobility are overrepresented proportional to their population and tend to dominate.

## History

### Three Crowns Decade

The most recent chapter in Escalian history is the Three Crowns period, named after the rapid and consequent successions of king Charles' three young sons. It was also in this period that the catastrophic Grand Crusade occurred which resulted in the deaths of thousands of soldiers.

#### Reign of Adelbert I

Adelbert I was the eldest son of king Charles III and ascended to the throne upon his father's death at the age of 23. He was known as a conservative and cautious king who viewed the stability of the kingdom as the most important and defining objective of his reign. A charismatic, wise and clever king, he was incredibly popular among the nobility because of his support of the status quo. During his short seven year reign, he began the creation of a standing professional army, an instution which the feudal and decentralised kingdom lacked.

The most notable event of his reign was the Siege of Bastenach, where a large demon warhost besieged the capital after the sudden appearance of a massive hellrift.

#### Reign of Adelbert II

Adelbert II was the second son of king Charles. Despite this, he was one of the youngest among his siblings being 12 years younger than his elder brother and predecessor. At the young age of 18, following the sudden death of Adelbert I, he ascended the throne. His even shorter two year reign was marked by the disastrous Great Escalian Crusade.

Known to be a hot-tempered and zealous monarch, Adelbert II aggressively steered the kingdom towards war against the fiends. Making many promises and concessions to the nobility for their support, he rallied the largest army the continent has ever seen in an attempt to concurrently close all shadowrifts simultaneously, stamping out the Shadowfell's influence on the continent once and for all.

In the aftermath of the crusade, which ended up in a complete disaster, failing to achieve its primary objectives, tarnishing Escalon's reputation with its neighbouring empire and the loss of thousands of lives, Adelbert II is believed to have went mad and blamed the corrupt nobility for its failure. In a plotted purge, he invited the major nobility of the realms to discuss the concessions and rights he would grant to atone for his mistakes. Instead of negotiating with them, however, he slaughtered all of them.

Soon after this event, his younger brother, Siegbert, rallied together a group of dissident nobles to topple the tyrannical monarch. His short two year reign is looked down upon as one of the worst years in recent Escalian history though it was the nobility that bore the brunt of his failures. Because of this, his legacy amongst commoners is largely ambivalent.

#### Reign of Siegbert

Deciding to take upon a different regnal name due to the negative connotations of the name 'Adelbert', Siegbert was the last to ascend the Escalian throne at the age of 19 in the Three Crowns Decade. The current reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Escalon, Siegbert has ruled for the last 8 years. His reign has been largely orderly and peaceful, a welcomed outcome considering the tumultuous reigns of his elder brothers. Widely known as a forward thinking and reformist king who is backed by a loyal group of nobles, the massacre of the aristocracy which happened during Adelbert II's reign has left Siegbert free to expand royal power.

Looking to take a completely different path from his brothers, Siegbert has begun transforming the country from the military and religious centre of the continent into a nation governed by peace and reason. Though many applaud his efforts, particularly from the Tempest League who see this new change as likely to result in increased ties and trade between the two, he has also received much backlash from more traditionalist elements of society who argue that Escalon is a bulwark against the demonic incursions and that attempting to change that will result in fiends taking over the continent.

Though the clergy and military orders are strongly opposed towards Siegbert, all the nobility who would have opposed him are long gone leaving few forces to actually challenge his reforms. Currently, the kingdom is in a strenuous situation with the holy orders and clergy aligned strongly against the monarch while the aristocracy and burghers back him completely. The young Siegbert is an extremely polarizing figure among the higher-ups of the kingdom.