Royalists (War of The Bears)

### Status

Disbanded: King Dannis is killed to end of the war and the Royalist Houses swear allegiance to the new King Kaegan III.

### Leader

King Dannis I "The Cruel"

**The Royalists** were a military faction that opposed and fought The Rebels under Prince Kaegan in his war against the Tyranny of King Dannis "The Cruel". They were formed by King Dannis after the 3 main Rebel Leaders held the Assembly at Ravenglass and declared war on the Royalists. They had major support from across the realm, including all of the North and the Borderlands at the outbreak of war.

## History

### Background

The Royalists were de-facto formed as soon as the Rebels declared war against King Dannis. Any noble house that had not aligned with the Rebels were considered to be apart of the Royalists (with the exception of House Daradon who remained neutral). The faction was officially formed when King Dannis gathered the Royalists Heads of the Great Houses in the War Council, besides Lord Hugar Pyke who was fighting in the Lakelands.

### Defeat

The beginning of the end for the Royalists was the Massacre of Newcastle. Paranoid, King Dannis ordered the Royal Army to "sweep the streets" of Newcastle to disperse the protesting commonfolk who were refusing to be conscripted. Lord Ethon Carlisle and Lord Olivar Lanser refused to commit their men to massacre civilians and Dannis had them executed as traitors, including every Carlisle and Lanser soldier who did not swear loyalty and join the massacre. This action reached Sir, now Lord, Daltas Carlisle who declared support for the Rebels and switched side. All Northern Houses except for House Blacksword would join him and the Slait-led Borderland Army was split up, half retreating into the Borderlands and the other heading to Newcastle.

This change of allegiance of an entire region of the Kingdom turned the tide and House Pyke was defeated at the Battle of the Fields and Lord Hugar was killed. This gave way for the critical Battle of The Tyne where the smaller Rebel Forces crushed the best of the Royalist Boyce Forces and half of the Slait Army. Lord Commander Cayle Boyce was wounded and captured and the Royalists were routed, paving an open path to Newcastle. King Dannis ordered all of the remaining Royalist Armies to convene on and defend Newcastle.

The Rebels would then launch the Siege of Newcastle against the Royalists, they took several portions of the city wall but it was not enough to defeat the remaining Royalists. In the last hour of the Siege, before the Royalists were about to crush the incursion, the Carlisle Army, having left the Lanser Army with the newly aligned forces of House Cherman to garrison the borderlands, arrived and swept through the lightly defended North and broke the defenders out at Seawatch, alongside Byrron's force, and crossed the River Tyne. The Boyce, Carlisle and Knigh's then marched south onto the Winter Keep and stormed it. King Dannis was killed during the fighting alongside the Bronze Cloaks and House Guards who had not defected. King Dannis was killed in single-combat with Sir Asten Knigh. Soon after the Royalist Army surrendered.

With Dannis dead and the surrender of Newcastle, Prince Kaegan made his way to the Winter Keep and assembled the surrendered Lords. He sat on the Bear Throne and granted them a pardon. The Lords named him as King Kaegan III Boyce, ending The War of The Bears and the Royalist Faction.

## Royalist War Council

In 335 AF, King Dannis and his Adviser to The King, Rodrick Ross, decided to disband the High Council which had been operating since the reign of King Barden I Boyce as they both feared that it was filled with Kaegan Loyalists who were undermining the legitimacy of the King's authority. Lord Bart Durham was serving as Master of Laws and Lord Karsan Rayne (a fanatical royalist) was serving as Lord Chancellor with Lord Patros Perle as Lord Admiral, Ando as High Curator and Prince Cayle Boyce as Lord Commander.

However with the outbreak of war and the official formation of the Royalist Faction, King Dannis realised that he needed a selection of military commanders and advisers he could rely on to help win the war. He did not particularly trust any of them, and he had already begun to distrust Rodrick but he founded the Royalist War Council in an effort to unify and coordinate the Royalist Forces of the war.

The members were:

* King Dannis I Boyce (killed in the Battle of Newcastle)
* Lord Rodrick Ross (killed in the Battle of Newcastle)
* Prince Cayle Boyce (until his surrender at the Tyne)
* Lord Tobin Slait
* Lord Ethon Carlisle (until his execution for treason during the Massacre of Newcastle)
* Lord Margan Tarbor
* Lord Hugar Pyke (until his death at the Battle of the Fields)
* Lord Jon Brask (defected to the Rebels before the Battle of The Tyne)
* Lord Karsan Rayne
* High Curator Ando

All members of the war council who had not already defected, been killed or surrendered, submitted to Prince Kaegan and pledged fealty to him as their King in return for a pardon.

## Royalists Houses sworn to King Dannis I Boyce

### Lakelands

* House Pyke of Eskdale (Surrendered at the Battle of the Fields)

### Northern Houses

* House Carlisle of Carlisle (Until Massacre at Newcastle, defected to the Rebels)
* House Lanser of Oakenhill (Until Massacre at Newcastle, defected to the Rebels)
* House Marver of Heartsgrasp (Until Massacre at Newcastle, defected to the Rebels)
* House Brask of Burnt Hill (Until the Battle of The Tyne, defected to the Rebels)
* House Blacksword of Oldpost

### Domainlands

* House Boyce of Winter's Rock
* House Kell of Gateshead
* House Collinner of Hillhold (defected to the Rebels prior to Siege of Newcastle)
* House Draker of Hollowrock

### Southlands

* House Ross of Sunderly
* House Tarbor of Hartlepool
* House Hayard of Lanchester
* House Rowen of Highshield
* House Masterton of Shadowreach

### Borderlands

* House Slait of Greycrest
* House Cherman of Duns (defected to the Rebels)
* House Barrin of Barrinkeep
* House Donnering of Thornhill
* House Fortaare of The Arcop
* House Deeroft of Windspell (defected to the Rebels)
* House Fangdor of Fangdor Keep