Azure

## Maps

Kingdom of **Azure** was one of the Younger Realms in The Tiers, the breadbasket of the realm, all rolling seas of ridgewheat and sugarcane, housing over a half of the population of the Tiers.

## Background

The nation of Azure was once the richest and largest of the Younger Realms. Founded in -39 TR on a verdant, fertile plain, it enjoyed endlessly pleasant weather and modest rains, resulting in a land of abundance and pastoral beauty. The most populous of the realms in the Tiers, both in terms of humans and beastmen, Azure had few cities, but endless stretches of wheat-ridden villages. Where there were once numerous wild tribes of Beastmen, the barons have tamed these mighty hunters into harvest hands, and Azure is now home to the numerous settlement of mixed denizens. These same barons gradually weakened royal power to the point where the Queen's rule was merely nominal and landed barons ruled the day to day lives of most people.

While nominally ruled by a Queen, the nation was in fact ruled by the many barons who owned the farmlands - as well as the people and Beasts who worked the fields. The Disfavored clashed with Azure's defenders in 430 TR, the Scarlet Chorus contended against the region's tribal Beastmen, who protected their ancestral lands with incredible fury. Kyros dispatched the Archon Cairn to break the stalemate and force Azure into submission. The colossal man of stone and flesh arrived as instructed, but earning his cooperation was a tall order. Azure fell to Kyros' armies in the year 431 TR, after the Archon Cairn rebelled against the Overlord. Kyros issued an Edict that shattered the land, destroying the rich farmlands with devastating earthquakes. Its leading houses were scattered to the four winds after the Edict destroyed their holdings and pulverized the Grand Palace of Azure, where the royal family was assembled. The leading house of Azure, House Variah, and the Queen Variah Saris were killed together with the most important barons, decapitating the realm and destroying organized resistance.

With the lands blighted and unrecognizable, the realm of Azure was left utterly ruined by the events of the war. In times to come, the Tiers would call this blasted region the 'Stone Sea' - for the treacherous rock formations and persistent quakes became the defining features of this once this once-verdant land. The Scarlet Chorus established a sprawling camp in the shattered, rocky terrain - and quickly absorbed those displaced by the upheaval of the land. These hapless refugees were put to work as slaves and soldiers, and the Chorus slowly built themselves a makeshift fortress in the blighted, quake-ridden realm.

## During Conquest

Azure is one of three postings the Young Fatebinder can opt for in Year 3. The other options are Stalwart and the Vellum Citadel.

Choosing Azure will allow you to determine the fate of Plainsgate: whether it remains whole, suffers some damage or becomes Halfgate.

## References

1. ↑ Lantry
2. ↑ Azure profile archived from the official world map.
3. ↑ Conquest
4. ↑ Lore: "*The mark this individual bears is the seal of House Variah, one of the leading houses of Azure prior to the Edict of Stone. The members of the royal family were all thought present in the Grand Palace of Azure on the same day the Edict was cast; the entire building was pulverized by grinding stone in moments. However, judging by this man's age and the seal he wears, he is likely one of the last surviving children of the Queen Regent.*"
5. ↑ Conquest