Monarchs

The founder of Ásaterra, and it's first ruler, Ása I (c. 22 B.U - 46 B.A)  was a famously devout and fearsome warrior, who rose up against the desecration of the gods. She married Haldin, the Crown Prince, and later King of the Elven lands of Ulaidh. They had three children together. Ása united and expanded her new kingdom with great success and was said to be a shrewd politician. Her success lent to many claims that she was blessed by the gods, and the new Ásaterran calendar was formed around her accession to the throne. Ása died at about the age of 68, and was succeeded by her oldest child, Queen Anara I.

### Queen Anara I (46 BA - 158 BA)

The half elven daughter of Queen Ása and King Haldin, Queen Anara (8 BA - 158 BA) inherited the monarchy of Ásaterra as well as the land of Ulaidh. She was incredibly popular in the latter territory, having spent much of her youth there. She was said to be an elemental mage and follower of the goddess Fifaldia, and she spent much of her life in the great forest cities of Ulaidh. There are still many surviving statues dedicated to her there, and many fond accounts of her reign from the elves.

### King Melchor I (158 BA - 202 BA)

King Melchor, known as Melchor the conqueror, began the war of expansion in 75 BA when he was still Crown Prince. He was a devotee of Brutus, and considered it his duty to expand Ásaterra's boarders, invading much of the land surrounding the Koloven Mountains. His ruthless ways brought him into conflict with his mother, which held back much of his expansion until after he took the throne.

### Queen Yassmin I (235 BA - 272 BA)

Queen Yassmin I (198 BA – 272 BA) was indirectly responsible for the creation of Ishall. She created an exceptionally efficient legal system, which resulted in the jails of Ásaterra becoming too full; in response she exiled convicts to the barren wastelands in the south of the lands formerly known as Monmouth, to the area around the Laisanen Delta. A thriving community began to grow, aided in part by the local goblin population.

### Theod Anara II (272 BA - 393 BA)

Theod Anara is best known for the war of subjugation or the war for Karak Anor. After a ten-year siege of the Karak itself, Theod Anara signed a treaty with King Torkin Iron-hand making the dwarves of Karak Anor a permanent part of the nation of Ásaterra.

## The Ásaterran Empire

### Queen Adlanniel (445 BA - 550 BA)

Queen Adlanniel (312 BA – 1124 BA) completed the expansion of Ásaterra in 473 BA, when she managed to annex the South after the Battle of Taghan, on the proviso that their culture would be protected. Halted by the River Dileann, she was unable to expand further and spent the rest of her reign helping her new Empire adjust. She abdicated in 550 BA, passing the throne on to her eldest child, Amoniel. She spent the rest of her long life travelling the world, and helping support her the rest of the royal family.

### Queen Lyra (636 BA - 650 BA)

Queen Lyra (516 BA - 650 BA) was an elven queen of Ásaterra who was murdered in 650 BA by her brother, Hassan. Said to have been a quiet and studious young woman, she was one of the patrons of Lyverva and helped to expand the collections of the ancient Ulaidhan library. The young elf's death caused the first Ásaterran Civil War.

### King Hassan III (650 BA - 654 BA)

King Hassan III (529 BA - 654 BA) had the shortest reign in Ásaterran history of only four years. He seized the throne after leading a coup against his elder sister, Lyra, taking advantage of their great-grandmother Adlanniel's absence from the country. It is said that he himself killed his sister, stabbing her through the heart with a knife she had once given him as a nameday gift. He had intended his actions to be blamed on assassins, but was caught in the act by his younger sister Safae. An intense battle raged between the two of them, but Safae managed to escape, riding South and spreading news of her brother's treachery. Hassan had himself crowned King, but his short reign was spent fighting his sister, who had won the support of the Southern Thanes. He was killed when his sister stormed his castle and killed him with the very same knife he'd used to kill Lyra.

### Queen Safae (654 BA - 840 BA)

Queen Safae (544 BA - 840 BA) took the throne from her brother Hassan in 654 BA after winning the first Ásaterran Civil War. Her reign was one of peace and growth; her time in the South helped her to understand their customs and begin to heal the wounds of her great-grandmother's annexation. She ruled until 840 BA, when she died giving birth to her first and only child, Elodie.

### Queen Elodie (840 BA - 980 BA)

Queen Elodie (840 BA - 980 BA) became the monarch of Ásaterra when she was only a day old. Until the age of eighteen, the Royal Council ruled as her regents, expanding their role from that of advisers to that of governing body. It is speculated that they may have continued to rule and tried to keep Elodie as a puppet, if it hadn't have been for the intervention of the former queen Adlanniel, who returned from her travels and firmly started to plan Elodie's ascension to power. Helped by Adlanniel, who continued to battle with the Council, Elodie began to take on more power, although she continued to have issues with the council throughout the rest of her reign due to the legislation that they had passed during her infancy.

### Theod Melchor II (990 BA - 1030 BA)

Theod Melchor II (971 BA – 1030 BA) took the throne at the age of nineteen. The new ruler was young, and suffered from a chronic condition affecting their movement, but if the Council were hoping for a pliant and agreeable ruler, they were disappointed. Melchor was known for their direct and decisive action, and they showed an incredible grasp of politics, even managing to charm the dwarves of Karak Anor. In thanks, the dwarves crafted Melchor a wheelchair fit for a Theod, beautifully decorated and apparently extremely comfortable. The light frame was much more easily manoeuvrable than current Ásaterran models, and helped improve life for many people across Ásaterra. The designer of the chair, Gurda Stoneshaper, was also able to incorporate talismans which could hold elemental magic, enabling the user to move the chair independently as they wished. Melchor went on to marry Igni Stoneshaper, the sister of Gurda, introducing Dwarvern heritage to the bloodline of the monarchy.

In 1023 BA, Melchor managed to bring the Council to heel, and on the advice of Adlanniel, they expelled two of it's members, Al'iah and Findal, both elves who had served since the reign of Queen Safae.

## The Age of Decline

### Queen Laïla (1076 BA – 1106 BA)

The second youngest Ásaterran monarch, becoming queen at only twelve, Laïla (1064 BA – 1106 BA) had to deal with many of the same problems as Queen Elodie due to the council legislation. Although initially she cooperated with many of their policies and ideas, as she grew older she began to come into more conflict with some of their advice, especially the growing pressure to reinstate Al'iah and Findal to the council. Although she had the support of Adlanniel, like Elodie and Melchor before her, the former elven queen was growing weaker and could not provide the same level of support. Laïla died at the age of forty-two when she was thrown from her horse whilst hunting.

### Queen Raina (1148 BA - 1160 BA)

Queen Raina (1103 BA - 1160 BA) became queen at the age of forty-five, and ruled with confidence and wisdom for nearly five years. Unfortunately, in 1153 BA, she began to show signs of a strange sickness. Healers and mages came from all over the land to try and cure her, but none could find what was ailing her. It is speculated by many that she was being given small doses of poison by members of the Royal Council. In 1160 BA, she was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. It is unknown if her death was caused by assassination or accident; a common theory is that the weakness caused by the supposed poison may have caused her to fall. During her mysterious illness, the Royal Council gained unprecedented power, and Al'iah and Findal were both invited to resume their old positions on the Council.

### King Carlos II (1160 BA - 1185 BA)

The last ruler of Ásaterra, Carlos II (1125 BA - 1186 BA) took the throne after his mother's death. He dictated her body to be examined by the palace healers to search for traces of poison, but his orders were blocked by the Council. By the time he was able to negotiate, her body had already been interred. Carlos had many battles with his Royal Council. Now, with the council's unprecedented executive strength, Carlos found it difficult to carry out his edicts. His decrees had to be approved by a majority of the council, which many argue to this day was a wise system of checks and balances put in place to curtail any impulsive decisions. Carlos had a hot temper, and over time, tensions between him and the council became fraught, especially between him and Al'iah, the head of the Royal Council. In late 1184 BA, the Council discovered Carlos was making moves to dissolve them, and in early 1185 BA, they led a coup. Carlos and his family were captured; he, his wife, their two children and five grandchildren were all executed, although only Carlos's death was publicised. The Royal Council took control of the government of Ásaterra, which would later lead to the second civil war.