Hearth

### **Religion**

The Holy Light | Various other religions due to the widely multicultural population.

## History

#### **1162 - 1170**

The city of Hearth began its construction in the year 1162 under the Republic of Novania. The Republic of Novania was founded by Antonellan refugees from Alenthyl after the Broadwing attacks, and was lead by a man named Jean Valentin as Patron. The city was completed in 1164, as a large number of refugees from Volvar arrived after the Rifts expanded and permeated much of the land.

The Republic of Novania was corrupt and, after the Dread Templar incident, collapsed in on itself and King Ausra S. Capewell was placed as king of Novania, completely doing away with the Republic. Under King Ausra, the Imperial Watch was founded under former Dragonguard Grandmasters Alric Wrenne and Thane’Malek. The Imperial Watch protected the city of Hearth and the rest of Novania for decades under King Ausra.

In the year 1166, a rising number of clans began to be absorbed by the Clan Dimia under a man named Cedric McDimia, who was vocally anti-Novania. The clans showed that they were violent and hostile, and the Imperial Watch began to prepare defenses of Hearth.

In the same year, a sect of the Alenthylian Church of the Light established itself near Hearth under the control of a Cardinal. The Church began an inquisition within Novanian lands, hunting for traces of dark magic and werewolves. King Ausra declared that he was not in support of the Church, leading to more hostility.

In the year 1167 this conflict came to a head when Grandmaster Thane’Malek had the church burned and the Cardinal killed. This spurred the Church to begin to organize a Holy Crusade on Novania. At this same time, the Dimia clan also organized an assault on Hearth.

Due to the likelihood of battle, a man named Alder Fal’on, who served as Grand Maester Relmus’ right hand, organized the formation of the Royal Medical Corps. Things looked grim for Hearth and Novania, until a Broadwing attacked and destroyed most of the Church’s forces sailing within Hearth's bay, and the Imperial Watch managed a surprising victory against Clan Dimia, almost entirely wiping the clan off the map. It was then that the citizens of Novania realized that Cedric McDimia was actually Rein’Unger, the last Del King’s chief right-hand.

He had gone under the guise of Cedric to enslave the Dimia, and the Broadwing had been his. The Novanians hunted Rein’Unger down and slew him.

After the Alenthylians began to emerge from the caves beneath the Capital Lands, they enforced a switch to a new military organization, known as the Imperium. The Imperial Watch was divided into three distinct branches, the Vanguard, the Rangers, and the Priory. Alric Wrenne and Thane’Malek retired, leaving a woman known as Redloon to become Knight-Commander of the Vanguard.

A man named John Murdoch was First Ranger, and a man named Relmus Sarethi was appointed as Grand Maester. Shortly after the formation of the Imperium, First Ranger Murdoch was killed by a group of slavers that imprisoned Knight-Commander Redloon. Following this, the twins known as Argus and Rogen Royce were appointed Knight-Commander and First Ranger respectively.

Under the two, the Vanguard and Rangers grew to become influential and respected, while the Priory grew to be feared by all under Grand Maester Relmus. However, First Ranger Royce was assassinated, and a man named Saren G’haile was appointed First Ranger in his place.

A man by the name of Ghal’Knox, a possessor of a Dragoncharm, lost his mind to Arcane Corruption and began to attack Hearth and its citizens. At one point, his dragon destroyed a large chunk of the city, leaving a large crater. The Imperium chased Knox into Aeddom, where they found a replication of Hearth and Knox acting as King.

#### **1170 - 1180**

When they were about to kill him, he revealed that he had charmed King Ausra and held him hostage, where he forced King Ausra to slit his own throat. Knox was killed subsequently and due to quick thinking on Maven Alder Fal’on’s part, King Ausra was saved.

In 1173, an Elder werewolf attacked Hearth and bit King Ausra, leaving him mortally wounded. Alric Wrenne put a sword through him so that he was allowed to die mercifully, and Ausra’s cousin Ian Capewell made sure he was dead by putting his sword through the corpse.

Following King Ausra’s demise, his chief advisor and former Grand Maester was appointed king of Novania in his will, which was legitimized by Emperor Avan Capewell. Relmus K. Sarethi was coronated in the same year, and the former king of Alenthylian Volvar Oskar Valkenrath was appointed Grand Maester.

Under King Relmus, a man named Cassius Capewell, cousin to the former king, was exiled from Novania after he was found to have been conspiring to assassinate the king. He was disowned by Emperor Avan by word from the Alenthylian throne.

However, several of Cassius’ close friends and family smuggled him back into Novania, including Oskar Valkenrath’s successor, Percivale Recusson. Percivale was discharged from the Priory. Cassius’ former lover, a Lyverian woman named Lonnaea Windseeker, killed King Relmus’ fiance and future queen, a woman named Elise. Lonnaea was executed, and Cassius fled Novania.

Due to the Rangers’ expansive growth and overshadowing of the Vanguard, King Relmus merged the two branches into the military force known as the Wardens still under Knight-Commander Argus Royce. Eventually, Argus retired to his keep of Light’s Bastion and Ayman Hakim was appointed Marshal of the Wardens.

At some point under King Relmus’ reign, a group of beastfolk and werewolves began to form, and it was clear that they were hostile to Novania. The group rose in power for years, before they eventually kidnapped King Relmus, forcing his nephew and appointed heir Prince Geoffrey Sarethi to step up and act as king in his place.

The Wardens under King Geoffrey began to hunt the conclave down, before they sent one of their men to act as a suicide bomber and destroy the royal palace, forcing Geoffrey and the royal court to flee to Driftwood. The conclave eventually dispersed, and King Relmus was located. The Wardens and Argus Royce’s group went to the islands of Svelleth to try and locate King Relmus, beginning the Northern Campaign.

Eventually, King Relmus was recovered, though he abdicated his position to King Geoffrey M. Sarethi, who was coronated in the year 1179. In the year following, Relmus was poisoned by his wife, Edith Sarethi, who burned his body and passed it off as Relmus had been lost at sea. In the year 1181, during the War of Forsaken Faiths, King Geoffrey was taken hostage by the Alenthylian Templar, though the whole group was killed by unknown assailants. Following this, Alenthyl allowed King Geoffrey’s younger brother, Alwin Sarethi to serve as Regent until Geoffrey’s son, Linus Sarethi, came of age.

#### **1180 - 1190**

Under King Alwin, the Wither crisis occured, and he managed to quell that. He used King Geoffrey’s reforms and appointed Siegfried Vangrave as Royal Governor for a few years, before replacing him with Ozan Bakhiir. Under Ozan, the city of Hearth was levelled and remodels began, completely reconstructing the city to be more defensible and modern.

Also under King Alwin, the Wardens were reformed once more into the Novanian Royal Army, which once again divided into the Sentinels and the Rangers. Major Bianca Dellacroix served as leader of the Sentinels and Major Ayman Hakim served as leader of the Rangers, with General Bohemond Hauteville presiding over them both.

Ozan’s tenure as Royal Governor was cut short as a controversy involving his being a werewolf occured. He was banned from the city and put on trial, and in his place Tel’Grov was appointed Royal Governor. In the year 1186, King Alwin called the NRA to arms and razed the city of New Masselburg, claiming it to be plague-ridden. Because of the plague, Bianca Dellacroix perished.

General Bohemond Hautville, under information given to him by Ozan Bakhiir, believing Alwin Sarethi to be under the control of the Light’s Whisper, staged a military coup against Alwin. The Royal Guard were all killed or imprisoned, and Alwin was forced to flee Novania. Following this coup, the werewolf warlord known as Roughian took the Novanian government hostage and forced them to name him king.

With his large army of mercenaries, he took control of Hearth and Novania, forcing most of the government to flee.  Alwin Sarethi fled to Alenthyl and began to gather support from the nobility, forming a large group of soldiers. He lead an assault on the city of Hearth and reclaimed it from Roughian, executing him. After this, he was officially named King of Novania. Bohemond Hautville was also executed after an official trial.

#### **1190 - Present**

In the year 1193, King Alwin was assassinated as his wedding to Lady Margarette von Castell by the Light’s Whisper, leaving Hugo Reigner III, grandson to Hugo Reigner I, a founding member of the Republic of Novania, to act as Regent until Silas Capewell was appointed Viceroy by Emperor Gideon Capewell.

## Geography

The city is nestled against the southern coast of Deurlyth and is thus often a stop for traders who come to region. Its positioning along the coast also allows for more mild climates with the which sees quite a bit of increased rainfall.

## Government

Hearth is the capital city of the Kingdom of Novania and home to the ruling family. Additionally, day to day affairs are managed by its Royal Governor.

### Law

Hearth, and the Crownlands in general, operate by the laws mandated by the ruling family and former sovereigns of the Kingdom of Novania. It has no special laws passed regionally. The laws are strictly enforced here. None are able to commit crimes in the open without consequence, as the guard actively patrol Hearth and the immediate areas surrounding it.

## Economy

Hearth is the center of trade for Deurlyth. Its marketplace features a robust variety of shops and encourages peddling of wares and goods.