Kingdom of the Isles

The **Kingdom of the Isles**, or *Rìoghachd nan Eilean*, also known as the *Old Kingdom* or *Seann Rìoghachd*, was a decentralised religious monarchy in the East Severian Sea, ruled during its existence by High King Thaegotath ('He of the North'), from his base on the sacred island of Gàrad Naome. The Kingdom's original inhabitants were native to Severia and lived there long before the Iotanian colonization of Centralia and South Severia, but the kingdom saw an influx of mainly ethnic Panzerian immigrants in the first half of the 1st century CE.

The Kingdom was originally more of a concept than a reality. Thaegotath was a half-Panzerian, one of many migrants from Centralia, who arrived sometime before 20 CE and gradually ascended to power, bringing much foreign technology to the islands - though the economy never industrialised to any great degree, and remained something of a backwater compared to other parts of Severia. One reason for this may be the political dependence of Thaeogath on support from the Druids, the religious priesthood of the islands, who preached worship and protection of the natural world.

Following a history of in-fighting, raiding and piracy in eastern Severia - often targeting Centralia in particular - the islanders were slowly brought under more lawful and peaceful rule. Thaegotath's reign was exceptionally long, allowing time for the High King to strengthen his position and consolidate his power. The appearance of some islands was completely transformed during his rule, with new fields being sown, and sacred trees being carefully planted and nurtured by the Druids.

 From the first tentative claim to the High Kingship in 35 CE, a semi-centralised state was largely achieved by 75 CE, and several outlying islands were fully colonised and cleared of pirates by 90 CE, though some of the more powerful clans were able to retain a high degree of autonomy. A mining settlement on the northern mainland had been growing since 50 CE, and was now producing signifiant amounts of bonemeal and iron ore, while the fertile island of Còmhnard had one of the highest agricultural outputs of any part in Severia. Against the wishes of the Druids, a Nether portal was tentatively opened beneath Gàrad Naome around 85 CE.

**Zenith**

The High King now looked to building the Kingdom's reputation across the wider region of Severia. However, attempts at diplomatic recognition were largely rebuffed, with only some limited recognition from Hekkia in the far west, with whom a trade deal was signed, regarded as highly uneven and disadvantageous by later chroniclers. During the last years of the 1st century and into the early years of the 2nd, the islands suffered unanimous hostility from their western neighbours, as a history of raiding and piracy caught up with them; a virtual blockade was put in place, and the islanders entered into conflict with foreign adventurers based out of Newport and the Kingdom of Suid (later to become the Suid Republic), allied with internal rebels who resented the High King's power. A string of naval defeats led to the Kingdom itself being raided, its outlying territories being looted; economic and political crisis followed.

**Decline**

    Now rumoured to be well over 100 years old, Thaegotath apparently succumbed to madness, claiming to have achieved magical powers and being able to 'astrally project' and explore the world as a spirit, without the need for his physical body. Pressures on the Kingdom grew, and rival chiefs rose up to fill the power vacuum, as the High King spent more and more time secluded within his castle.

Following a brief recovery at the start of 101 CE, Thaegotath died in suspicious circumstances - apparently, accidentally drowned within the sacred lagoon of Gàrad Naome; while many claim he was killed, just as many would claim he voluntarily sacrificed his body to the water-spirits and ascended permanently to the spiritual realm, where his spirit still offers guidance to any of his mortal brethren that have the wisdom to hear him.

**Collapse**

Civil war followed, gradually wearing itself out into low-level factional conflict. Much of the Kingdom's former treasury, along with many of its nobles, have fled to various locations elsewhere in Severia (especially the Danzer Republic), taking many sacred relics with them. To this day, the islands are divided between the shifting boundaries of rival sea-lords, who no longer pose a serious threat to neighbouring states. Legends abound of the portents that will signal the arrival of a new High King, and a return to unity and peace among the islands.

The islanders still speak a Daelic language, and the footprint of the former kingdom forms the easternmost part of the greater Daelic cultural region, being distantly related to the cultures of Red Pepperland and the southern icelands. Aside from mutual piracy and raiding, the islander economy is focused around agriculture and fishing, while the northern mainland settlement exports timber and mineral resources.