Kingdom of Orastus

The **Kingdom of Orastus** was the governing state of Orastus prior to the formation of the Empire in 312 2A.

## History

### Origin

The Kingdom of Orastus is named for the city of Orastus, which conquered all of the cities that would eventually comprise the kingdom. Orastus was ruled for countless generations by House Verant, often referred to as the Verantian Kings.

### The Fall of the Verantian Kings; Arrival of the Kasdians

After the war against the Rovaski warlord Ivar Rovason and a famine which swept the Orastan countryside, the kingdom was left on the verge of collapse. King Danon Verant raised the taxes of all of the nobles, who despite the poor condition of the state, had hoards of personal wealth. He believed that doing so would help revive the economy of the kingdom and claimed it to be their duty as nobles. Many of the Orastan nobles opposed this action, notably House Randor. To help secure good relations, King Danon wed his daughter, Anya, to Sir Drake Randor, the son of Lord Kanden.

Sir Drake cast aside Anya and committed adultery against her, causing Anya to become overwhelmed with sadness and commit suicide. Outraged, King Danon sent soldiers to seize all of House Randor's riches, though his men were killed and House Randor announced its secession from the kingdom. Soon after, a handful of nobles who were in league with the Randors murdered King Danon and his family. They sought to kill the distant relatives of the Verants to ensure that no others would hold claim to the throne, now sat upon by Kanden Randor, and succeeded in destroying nearly the entire bloodline.

Branis Terathan, the newly appointed Lord of Alcres and a member of a Verantian cadet family, fled southward to the protection of his friend, Jeric Kardoroth, and his father, Lord Oren Kardoroth, at their castle of Karnanth. Together, the three men opposed Randor rule and rallied the southern countryside to their cause, though their army was still heavily outmatched against the north. In the early stage of the war, a foreigner known as Artanis came to Lord Branis, bringing word of of the Halryian god and his divine prophet, Kasdeyor. Artanis and his survivors joined forces with Lord Branis in return for a new land to call home. Battle after battle was won, in which Artanis claimed victory was given to them by Halros. The lands recovered from famine and were plentiful, and as the war continued to be successful, faith in Kasdeyor's word spread across Orastus. The war was eventually won and the Randors destroyed, and King Branis Terathan gave lands and lordships to the Kasdians of Arcadia.

### Rise of the Kasdians and the Birth of the Empire

Slowly but surely, the Kasdian faith spread across Orastus and made its way into the Kingdom of Tarys. The Kasdians came into positions of power and brought forth an age of prosperity under the Terathan reign. In the year 312 2A, King Euric Terathan and King Niccolo Lanrec of Tarys agreed to unite their kingdoms, largely due to the hostile political climate of Tarys that threatened Lanrec's rule. Euric Terathan was given the Imperial Crown and title of Emperor, along with the responsibility of protecting the realms, while the Tarysian nobles were given immense tax breaks to allow the continuation of Tarys' booming economy.