Steodia

Sangre por Espina. (Blood by the Thorn.)

Stedoia is located on the west of Alleyon just under Grimmwing and above Xiapai Dynasty.

**Capital**: Tethoris

**Language**: Steodian

**Cities**:

**Symbol**: Black Rose

**Colours**: Black and Red

**King**: Cadoc the Cruel

**Queen**: None.

**Prince**:

* Kian
* Ezra (deceased)

**Lords and their Families**:

* Lady Isabelle
* Lord Draco

### **Beliefs**

* Worships: Aesira, Ancient of War.
* When preparing for war, the families will honour their soldiers by painting their armour in the colours of their country.

### **Festivals and Events**

* ***Honrar a los muertos***. This is celebrated at the end of winter, just before spring. To remember the old life before celebrating the new.

### **Climate**

* Steodia has four seasons. Each season lasts three months.
* The terrains are mild. They are more wet and damp in the spring while it dries in the summer.

### **Main Trade**

Steodia is the source of most grain that is distributed throughout Aellolyn, though almost none of it goes to its actual citizens. Steodia’s bakers are the most skilled and artful, creating unbelievable creations from grain. On the other side, Steodia is also the major country for the trade of mead throughout the continent, it’s strongest partners in trade are Vrucia and Candonia, a long history of hatred between Grimmwing and Steodia has soured an potential alliance between the two countries, though safe passage is allowed through Steodia to reach Ilium.

### **Relations**

* Grimmwing and Steodia are currently enemies.
* Candonia: They are on good terms since one of their former princesses married King Antais.
* Xiapai is rumoured to have an alliance with the country.
* Vrendour is also rumoured to have an alliance with the country.
* Kolia and Steodia participate in trade with one another.
* Vruica and Steodia also participate in trade with one another. Both are on good terms.
* Ciral doesn’t interact with Steodia much.

### **History**

Steodian, believed to be son of Aesira during the Great Fervor claimed Steodia, named for himself, as a tactical advantage, it was his belief that Steodia, not Candonia would be the great power of Aellolyn. Steodian despaired into his later years finding that he had made a mistake, and should have taken the area settled by King Aillard. However, Steodian’s first son, Andrastus the Inescapable, taught his ailing father that there was more to power than the simple location of a kingdom and size of an army. Andrastus taught his father that might can be built through stealth.

When Steodian died and Andrastus became King, he established the role of royal assassin, known only as the Black Rose, a title that would be passed down from a single assassin to the next for the next thousand years. The Black Rose’s identity has never been disclosed even after a thousand years of serving the King of Steodia. Though most believe the title is passed from assassin to assassin, others believe that it has been the same assassin for the last thousand years that the Black Thorn made a deal with Visha, the Ancient of Death, that for every life they take, another ten years is added to their own.

Throughout the last millennia, Steodia has remained neutral, only going to war unless provoked with the sole exception of Grimmwing, who they have a long standing feud with. This began with the third king of Steodia, King Haakon, who was betrothed from birth to the second daughter of Grimmwing, Princess Alix since birth. Though initially despising each other, they grew to love each other, marrying when they reached the age of majority. However, Haakon and Alix disagreed on one thing which would forever alter the course of the relationship between Steodia and Grimmwing. Monogamy. Alix bore two children to her husband, Haakon, before his eye began to wander to other women. While pregnant with their third child, Alix caught Haakon in the act with three maids and a manservant. In a fit of rage, it is rumored that she cut off Haakon’s manhood and ran from the palace, taking her two young children to her sister’s home, Ravaryn.

To the shock of many, Haakon survived this injury and declared his wife an enemy of the state of Steodia, demanding that Alix’s older sister, Queen Kirsi turn her over to be formally executed. Kirsi refused, and Haakon declared war. Facing a harsh winter, Kirsi had no choice but to broker terms with Haakon or she would lose the lives of her people. Alix was forced to turn over her two young children with the oath that when she finally gave birth to the third, they would be delivered to Tethoris. Alix was stripped of her role as Queen, but allowed to live out her days in Ravaryn, so long as she never crossed the border into Steodia.

Heartbroken, Alix turned over her two children, but when she went into labor with her third, Kirsi aided her, claiming the baby was born dead. Kirsi raised Alix’s daughter as her own, feigning pregnancy to prevent any becoming wiser. Kirsi’s own child, her heir, passed away making Alix and Haakon’s daughter the next Queen of Grimmwing. However, her parentage was kept secret even from her, and with the death of Kirsi and Alix, the truth was lost to time.

The only thing that survived of this was an everlasting distaste of each other between Steodia and Grimmwing. Queen Willa of Grimmwing, daughter of Alix and Haakon, was raised on the horrible stories of the King of Steodia. While in Steodia, her brothers Einri and Kyler, were raised with a hate of Grimmwing. Even with their parents dead, the hate was kept alive by the next generation, and the next, all the way until the present.

Steodia was the next step for Evan the Black, and rather than laying siege to the country as he did to Grimmwing, Evan the Black sent in an emissary. One of his five treasured Generals, Azriel, was the nephew of the King of Steodia, and spoke on Evan’s behalf. Azriel was able to influence his uncle, the King, to pass a law outlawing slavery, preventing further bloodshed.