Viscountcy of Alcesus

"Our easiest conquest, this is a hunter's haven. They have no lack of men, but they're all militia. What few are loyal to Houses Caer and Maine are sparse but deadly, though too honorable and faithful to the Light to ambush us. Sunny, bright, and beautiful, it pains me that we have to burn so much of it." - The Warrior-Prince Ambrose Greymane of Gilneas, describing Alcesus to his men.

"Traitors to the faith, in an ideal world they'd all hang; Man, woman, and child. They'd burn away the world's impurity, and the forests would thank us for it. And today we loyal sons of the Land purify our country. When the smoke of Honorbrook and Vaugholde block out the sun, we'll see if the Light saves them then!"- Lord Kaerford Kresten rallying his troops to march on Alcesus.

## History

Whereas the Heron and Bull both saw fit to use extensive slave labor, men of Alcesus relied on their own. Although slavery was existent in the Construction Era, it was mainly reserved for outright murderers, and therefor their creations took longer. However, this also meant that they were sturdier and, once Vaugholdef was created, the region as a whole became known as "Kind to the common folk", due to the care for their vassals. While the Houses Caer and Payge certainly lived up to this standard, House Maine kept its self on the border of the Bull, something that would influence their family's philosophy greatly. There they created the Iron Bastion, away from Raeford's Fields and the rest of the common men, relying on a soldier's honor rather than traditional chivalry.
The generally religious people soon found themselves in three major parts of Ardeirian history; the Vulture's Revolution, wherein the House of Caer lent substantial forces to the Vaught rebels, allowing the esteemed Prince Haerith to eventually successfully siege Vaughriff and place his sister, now wife to the Lord of Caer, on the throne. Next came the Swan's War, where the greatly conservative Raeford Family felt that Ardeiria's culture was in peril due to its ruby, mineral, and fur markets, all of which were largely done in secret towards what is now the Ashen Coast. Because of this, the Raefords gradually used the common enemy of Alcesus, the Krestens, as a jumping point for support. His armies would not be sent towards Snowhaven, however, and instead marched into the Heron. The Houses Caer and the cousins to the Raefords, the Maines, struck against them and the war was ended by a brutal battle with Vaught Horse-Archers.

However; the single most important part of Alcesus' history was the Kresten's invasion, now simply called "The Stag and the Bull" in official Ardeirian chronicles, while Alcesus dubs it "The War of Holy Defense" and the Krestens "The War of Vengeance" (Due to the Bull feeling as if their faith had been betrayed by Alcesus's conversion). It began with one of the most violent Kresten Lords ever to be born mustering heavy troops and doing what his predecessors had been stopped in; attacking their longtime rivals. Haron the Pious' trust in his vassals meant that the House of Vaught could do little to nothing to end the war, and so the utter devastation of Alcesus' people and settlements began.

The Iron Bastion took the brunt of Lord Kaerford's assault, valiantly defending against overwhelming odds before falling into Kresten hands. Tortured and executed in front of his people, the townsfolk were rounded up and placed in caravans that would lead to Aurochstead with the simple demand: Convert or die a slave. Such was the fate of all who fell into the Kresten's grasp, and although their faith in the Light had been hardened by threat before, this physical one drove almost all residents into steadfast piety.

By the time the Krestens were repulsed in the Thornwood, everything but the Elk's Keep had taken horrible damage, enough so that the Krestens still believe it a military conquest. Nevertheless; from the ruins of huts came churches and the "Cathedral of Light och Frälsare" in Vaugholde, the most densly populated city both before and after the war. Afterwards, the Church and State were inseperable; priests took refuge in the Elk's Keep during harsh winters or other horrible conditions, and the nobility's children would all spend at least two years of religious study within the aforementioned Cathedral. The Inquisition came from this as well, with the hatred from the Kresten's invasion still burning in the hearts of many, seeking both to save their people and to commit retribution on their rivals.

In the last war they fought as a Furstedom, Alcesus was utterly decimated. Raeford's Fields were destroyed, Honorbrook sacked, while Vaugholde was partially razed and the Elk's Keep was only spared for Prince Ambrose's love for the female heir of Caer. They received the least harmful treatment afterwards, however, both due to the impending marriage and a sort of compassion for what was, in reality, an army which was half glorified militia and their homesteads. For this, the largest, otherwise unnamed village was dubbed "Rosestead" after Prince Ambrose Greymane.

## Culture

Of all the Ardeirian cultures, Alcesus is the most far removed, even with Haliaeta in mind. Created by years of religious intolerance both towards their pagan and heretical population, which was essentially culled, made converts, or deported in the early days of the region's own conversion. This was fueled by the Kresten's constant threats and "Accidental" skirmishes with Iron Bastion forces because of the "Betrayal" of Paganism by the House Caer and their people. Their churches, though sparse before the Kresten invasion, helped guide and reassure their citizens in the Light's protection, and that no harm would come to them.

It was the same clerical orders, those who survived the attacks, who sacrificed themselves to help civilians escape Vaughriff and Honorbrook and find refuge in the Thornwood. Both in honour of these people, and to show strength and defiance to the pagan warmongers, a huge amount of places of worship of varying size were erected from the ruins of civilization. Henceforth, the church and state were virtually twins, with both relying on each other for approval. In fact the head of the Church of the Holy Light in Ardeiria must be approved by the Viscount of Caer, or the regent thereof,  before being made official. In contrast, all children of nobility must spend at least two years of education under the Church's vision.

After the War of Subjugation, Alcesus found its self more and more loyal to their scriptures of honour, loyalty, and so forth as well as the Vaught dieties that had been adopted by the Ardeirian Orthodox priests. Because of this, most middle class and higher citizens feel the Light as the "Bridge" to their loyalty to Ardeiria; their lives are sworn to it, and they must remain loyal for the Light's sake, not for love of the government.
In recent years, the Viscounty has become ever increasingly a crusader-state, especially under Vaerina Caer's guidance -- something that its people only had to have a light push to jump into.

## Areas

**Thornwood:**The official name for the area of the Elk's Keep and its forests, it had originally housed most of Alcesus' clergy, while now only the most important figures reside in its outdoor chambers. The last remainder of their pagan past, the Lords of Caer employed druidic skill to grow their fields and forest around their bastion to be impassable, though this fact has been twisted greatly. Nowadays, it functions only as the Capital and seat to the head of the Church of the Holy Light in Ardeiria and the Viscount(ess) of Alcesus.

**The Iron Bastion:**Placed along the border to the Bull, the Iron Bastion is somewhat the shame of a fervantly pious region. Though the Maines hold religious conviction as well, the horrors of war they've braced and defended their people from for hundreds of years have eaten away at the Light's more romantic ways. Their honour is more a soldier's, forged from the blood of their brothers in battle and that of pagans and other invaders.

**Honorbrook**: The southmost settlement in Alcesus, Honorbrook functions as the tradepost between men of Alcesus and Ardeiria Minor. Officials from both regions regularly take leave there, although the recent riots have reduced its prestige. Its position into the Heron and as a means to create the Caer's wealth has made it the bed of most battles involving Alcesus, forcing its people to become less and less sentimental to the town its self.

**Vaugholde:** The most populated city in Alcesus, Vaugholde is a hunter and farmer's haven. Whereas Honourbrook stands for business with men from the Heron, Vaugholde has a much larger purpose of being a bustling trade center. All working class professions generally find their goods, or the tools to create them, within the city's borders. Further, the Thornwood's strict code of admission (Being almost no one let in) has meant that many traveling traders, hunters, or other peoples rent or buy property to reside in Vaugholde.

## Religion

There was never a kindness between Alcesus and Bovinia, but after the former's population took up the much more agreeable worship of the Light, all-out war was a constant possibility. They burned their religious trees, using their ashes to draw the Light's symbol on that day and every year since, and were targeted because of it by Old Ways worshippers at all times. Due to a want to keep themselves pure, and the direct threat of homegrown, religious terrorists, the Laws of Piety and Religion were put in place. This didn't stop Alces-Bovinia War, however, but it allowed them to resettle with lower tensions. Despite being a wholly different theology, they were the most receptive to the adding of the Vaught Dieties within its faith, making the Three Virtues easier to uphold.

After joining the Headlands, the laws banning paganism were (Officially) removed, but Inquisitors (Alcesus) and Dark Druids (Bovinia) root out heretics to their respective religions. Thereafter, at least in Alcesus, these men are immediately removed for being a "Threat to the honor and culture of Alcesus". In the Bull, they're often beaten before being dropped within a mile of the Iron Bastion.

### Ardeirian Orthodox

"Ardeirian Orthodox" is the merger of the Caer philosophy in regards to the Light, and Svartsol's overarching presence within. They believe that the Light came first, then created Aderyn and his predecessors to bring Humanity away from those which would do it harm -- citing Elves and Emperor Thoradin. The Dieties in Ardeirian Orthodox are sometimes called "Prophets", and Aderyn I's title is "Grand Prophet", in that he is held before the Light in nearly all prayers and is thanked for their discovery of it.