Baekar I Blacksmoke

**Baekar I Blacksmoke**, also known as **Baekar, the Builder**, was the second King of Norton and king on the Silver Throne.

## Appearence and Character

Baekar was slander and tall, had white-gold hair, sparkly blue eyes, defined cheek bones, sharp jawline and thin lips. He was considered very handsome among his court. Baekar was a scholar man who preferred reading to ruling, he was kind, generous and wise. He often wore black or dark green. Baekar also liked jewelry. Baekar was generous, decisive and very wise, although not interested in the martial arts, preffering architecture and books, he was a decent warrior and strategist. Baekar was also very loved by nobles and people alike for his great projects that benefited both.

## History

### Early Life

Baekar was born at the year 3 After the Union on Crown's Port. He had a brother and a sister, however, he had a strained relationship with his envy brother, who prefered power and lust, unlike Baekar. The prince had a good relationship with his sister, but she was quick to anger, so they often had little discussions from time to time. She had the idea of heirs having their own castles, in her own words: "Princes shouldn't be sticking their noses in books all day and reading on how to rule, they should be out there, ruling and actually learning something". He carried that for the rest of his life. He recieved education in all subjects possible: History, lineages, military, he even served for a small time as a squire for his father and learned how to fight decently. He was married to Dana Halfmoon, at the age of 13, as a peace treaty between Grand Duke Crescento Halfmoon and King Percy I Blacksmoke. Before Baekar's coronation, Dana Halfmoon had three children: A girl named Amber at 27AU and two boys, Herryn at 29AU and Percy at 40AU.

### Succession Challenged

After Percy's death and burial, Baekar was coronated at the Great Hall of the Silver Throne as: King Baekar of House Blacksmoke, First of His Name, King of the Westmen and the Moonmen, King of Norton.

His reign was promising, but started with blodshed. Prince Brandon was planning on overthrowing Baekar with the Red Watch, but Baekar received the word early from a traitor, and tried to capture his brother. Brandon escaped and held the city as a hostage. King Baekar sent letters to the nearby lords: Lord Aelon Byriver and Lord Makaros Marenas, both recieved the call, and marched upon the capital, but only the Byriver army reached the city. The Byriver army scared the population into rebellion, killing Brandon and ending the war in only two days. It would be known as the The Two Days War.

### Reign

Baekar's reign would actually start after the pretender was defeated. His first orders were the construction of a new castle in the small and sunny island of Sea Smoke. He spent a fortune hiring foreign architects, giving the castle a exotic design and architecture. The construction of Sea Smoke castle would last from 30AU to 40AU. King Baekar reinforced the castle fortifications, added a dry moat around the walls filled with iron spikes and enlarged the gates.

Baekar ordered the construction of wells and built refugees for the poor and homeless (a growing population in Crown's Port), where they could be fed and sleep during cold nights, however, they were overcrowded and sparse. He constructed Red Watch outposts around the city and doubled the numbers of soldiers serving the watch, as was suggested by Lord Aelon, the master of war. At this time, Baekar received the nickname "The Builder".

At 39AU a outbreak started dropping bodies over the entire city, called the Coldwater by the smallfolk. The plague caused shivers, fever and sweat and no cure was known, even by the most experient physicians. For five years, Coldwater ravaged through the city. In the same year, King Baekar betrothed his firstborn daughter, Amber, to Boreon Snow, heir to Nevia.

However, at court, pressure was continuing to grow for Dana to birth more children, but resulted only in failure as throughout his reign she had 3 miscarriages, as she became thinner and self-confined to her chambers. She announced her fifth pregnancy at the end of 40AU, where she would later give birth to another boy who was named Percy, in honor of Baekar's father. At 40AU, Baekar started planning city-wide reforms to better suit the growing population, such as a sewer system and large avenues that would cut through the city main centers.

## Death

At the end of the Coldwater outbreak that had spread through the southern coast of Norton, amongst it's last victims was King Baekar himself, at the age of 38, after only reigning for 11 years. Baekar's reign was a rule of glory and prosperity, and would be even greater if it weren't for the Coldwater outbreak that took his life.