Ferik VIII

**Ferik VIII** (Rahere James Ferik; 8 Ator 184 AA - 20 Yunor 220 AA) was King of Osland from 209 AA until his death in 220 AA. The third son of Ferik VII, he was not expected to ever take the Oslandic throne. However, after his brother Sighart's murder of heir apparent Ferik the Younger, as well as the subsequent deaths of Sighart and Ferik VII, Rahere suddenly found himself thrust into the role of king.

## Early Reign

After his father's suicide on 6 Yunor 209 AA, Rahere was set to succeed Ferik VII and become king. However, he is said to have become immediately stricken with melancholy and secluded himself from the rest of the world. There is debate as to whether this grief was due to mourning or a psychological breakdown. The king-to-be refused all visits and rarely left his chambers, although some servants reported seeing him wander the castle during the dead of night. After a month without a coronation ceremony, the King’s Council, who had remained in their positions after Ferik VII’s death, agreed to restore the status quo so that the kingdom would not fall into disarray. They hired an illusionist to disguise himself as the king and performed the traditional coronation ceremony on 26 Yunor. The council proceeded to rule over the kingdom and occasionally used the false king whenever issues demanded the king’s presence. Maintenance of the secret became a top priority for the council and a permanent lockdown was imposed on the castle, banning all servants from leaving the castle and increasing monitoring of all communication sent from the castle. It is unknown to what extent Ferik was aware of the actions taking place in his stead.

### The Three-Day War

On 31 Rot 216 AA, the King’s Council, having been de facto rulers of Osland for seven years, decided to assert total control over the kingdom. The King’s Council presented the Declaration of the Will of the People, which vowed to dismantle the monarchy and install the five members of the council as co-rulers of Osland. The declaration also revealed the existence of the false king and that the king had never ruled over the kingdom at all. The declaration was met with fury and violence quickly erupted between loyalists to the king and counciliers in support of the council.

The Kaeris Guard, who had sided with the council, re-established control over the city alongside other councilier forces. The remaining loyalist dissidents were arrested, including nobles. As news spread of the council’s declaration, the Order of the Red Dragon mobilized and quickly took control of the fractured loyalist forces. Now under the leadership of Grandmaster Leonardo Sinconis, the loyalist forces reorganized and marched on Kaeris.

On 33 Rot, loyalist forces arrived at Kaeris. The siege lasted for six hours, at which point the North Gate was destroyed and the loyalist army stormed the city. The fighting was gruesome and eventually, the counciliers were pushed back to within the castle walls. Tulus Braston, commander of the Kaeris Guard, proclaimed to the attackers that further assault would lead to the king’s beheading. However, the counciliers could not actually get to the king as the castle servants had locked and barricaded the way into the personal chambers.

Undeterred, Leonardo Sinconis led a small group that infiltrated the castle’s defenses undetected and engaged in battle with Tulus Braston and his forces. At some point during the fighting, Braston was decapitated and his head was thrown over the gates, which was met with cheers by the loyalists outside. With the death of Braston, the remaining councilier forces surrendered.

### Rule of the Red Dragon

After the battle, Leonardo Sinconis was allowed into the personal chambers and became the first confirmed person to meet with the king in seven years. By this point, Ferik had become a truly grotesque sight. It is said that his hair reached the floor and that his bedroom smelled of decay. Nevertheless, Sinconis displayed his fealty to the king, informed him of the situation, and asked what he would like to do. Famously, in a weak and gravelly voice, Ferik replied, “I don’t care,” after which the grandmaster promptly left the king be.

Following the Three-Day War, the Order of the Red Dragon took de facto control over the Kingdom of Osland, although the king remained nominally in charge. The Kaeris Guard was also disbanded and replaced with the order. Leonardo Sinconis, despite being the de facto head of government, assured both the nobility and the populace that the appointment would only maintain stability “until His Majesty the king is ready to return.” Sinconis did in fact delegate much of the responsibilities of the kingdom to various loyal nobles and is said to have frequently taken advice from members of the ruling class. The rebellious council members were tried, hanged for treason, and replaced with an interim council, appointed by a committee of Red Dragon officers and the dukes of Osland. It is said that during this time, Sinconis was able to meet with Ferik somewhat regularly, although he could not convince him to leave his seclusion. Ferik eventually began to allow servants to enter his quarters for brief amounts of time, improving both his personal hygiene and the hygiene of the room. It is unknown if the king spoke to anyone, as many servants described that he spent his time laying in bed, refusing to allow any light into the room.

## The Dark War

At some point in 219 AA, word had reached Kaeris about the Daelanmor Massacre and the forces attacking Osland from across the Divide. Sinconis met with Ferik and informed him of the impending war and promptly left Kaeris with the Order of the Red Dragon on 34 Wit, leaving a small detachment of knights to remain as city guards. One week later, on 6 Frost, Ferik emerged from the castle for the first time in eleven years.

King Ferik gave a public address and urged his fellow countrymen to join him in defending Osland. He then levied a small force and set off for Daelanmor, eventually merging with various other Oslandic forces along the way. Despite his lack of experience, Ferik VIII was described as displaying great leadership capabilities and a profound drive to act. On 15 Frost, Ferik’s army, now consisting of forces from a several dukes and counts, arrived at the Battle of Valenmir and turned the tide of the battle by reinforcing Sinconis’ pinned forces and defeating the Modlan attackers.

Now united, the Oslandic forces successfully drove the Modlan forces out of Daelanmor and back across the Divide. On 14 Yunor 220 AA, Ferik, leading a small force, crossed the Divide and left the remainder of the army behind. On 20 Yunor, Ferik’s force arrived at Reaver’s Point in the Traspin Mountains, where they discovered the mustering Modlan army as well as the Psions that were controlling them. Before they were able to retreat however, the Psion forces spotted their enemy and engaged in combat. Ferik was slain in the battle, and the victorious Modlan army would go on to engage the Oslandic army at the Second Battle of the Divide.