Hollow Crown

**"Hollow Crown"**is a special Christmas episode that precedes *War*, the fourth season. It isthe 49th episode overall.

The episode was published on Christmas Day, December 25, 2020. This is the second Christmas special. It features characters from pre-war Cartonia and serves as a prequel to both *War*and "Silent Night." The episode covers the years 684 to 701, ending with the Harmonious Coronation of Queen Vixen VII.

In the episode, years before the War, the Vixen Queen is coronated under the Harmony Crown. Concerned that Vulpus may be exhibiting signs of aggression, several tenured monarchs of Cartonia secretly plot to derail the ceremony.

## Promotion

   A trailer for the episode was released on November 25, 2020, the day before Thanksgiving. The video is posted to the left. The music used is a cover of "Carol of the Bells," which is the same song utilized in the trailer for "Silent Night." The trailer foreshadows the illustration of the Vixen Queen's Harmonious Coronation and the plot of those who tried to stop it. Highland Castle of Canis and the Rook of Vulpus are depicted identically as they appeared in the "Silent Night" title sequence.

## Appendix

**A:** Map of Pre-War Cartonia**B:** Pre-War Timeline**D:** Vixen Royal Family, 684**E:** Vixen Royal Family, 692**F:** Vixen Royal Family, 701
A: The map is the world as Cartonians know it before the War. The area below Vulpus, known as the Expanse, is uninhabited and vastly unexplored.
C-F: The white star indicates the heir apparent/presumptive to the throne. The blue-and-white flag on the right of each family tree is the united flag of Cartonia.
D-F: The male members of the Vixen family appear in smaller leaves because they are barred from inheriting the crown.

### Harmony Crown

As the institution of the Harmony Crown is an integral part of the Cartonia storyline, producers created an explanatory video of the Crown's origins and process to better aid the audience in understanding the Crown. The video serves as both a prequel of sorts to this episode, as well as the fourth season as a whole. It is the first such video produced for Storytime. The music used in the background is "Greensleeves."

## The Episode

*Prologue from
Harmony’s History
by Maximilian Walters
Royal Historian of Canis
Published October 702*

*In the beginning, there was war. It coated the lands in ash and destruction, sorrow and suffering, confining the continent in an interminable bombardment of turmoil and misery. In those initial dark times, this was the only way. War was the single option for survival. If not victorious in war, a species would be wholly erased from existence. Entire civilizations were obliterated in brutal bouts of conquest.*

*The passage of time did not relent this cycle of perdition. Centuries of slaughter and anarchy dominated the pre-modern period. Without written records, no one knows how far back the wars began. Had there ever been a time of true peace? Or was the settlement of this continent always a vicious struggle for dominance? Where had we come from? What was the genesis of our ancestors’ flight?*

*Regardless, one thing is certain: war was commonplace. Peace was the exception, not the rule.*

*But with all things, something had to give, and the brick that toppled the tallest tower took form as the Great Cartonian War.*

*This was the culmination of a millennium of destruction. Species consolidated, resources were amassed, and the weapons intensified. As fewer species remained on the continent, the loose amalgamation of colonies and tribes consolidated to form the first Kingdoms. Borders, once fluid, became solid as interspecies relationships threatened stability. War erupted between the Kingdoms and raged for a decade.*

*Far from the fighting on a remote isle in the Gulf of Cartoon, the last koala of the Outback of Eucalypta watched as Cartonia combusted. He realized the only way forward was peace, in any form, so long as that peace was sustainable.*

*Harmonious.*

*On the now-renowned Isle of Harmony in the Gulf of Cartoon, after perpetual warfare stretching back to the beginning of recorded history, the nineteen remaining species gathered to cast a new nation. It was designated Cartonia, after the Gulf of Cartoon where the treatise was signed, and a new monarchical system known as the Harmony Crown was established.*

*This laid the groundwork for the foundation of Cartonia. This is how adversity was overcome, how peace was achieved, and how imperative it is to be preserved.*

—The Rook of Vulpus, Vista, Vulpus—

—Kingdom of the Foxes—

—December 24, 684—

—24 Years Before the War—

Twas the night before Christmas, and the teenaged Princesses of Vulpus were sneaking through the deserted halls of the Rook of Vulpus, their home. It was moments until midnight, and the sisters were waiting until the clocks chimed before slipping into the robing room to rifle through the new shipment of ballgowns sent from Felexa. A Christmas gift from King Siam and his wife, Queen Jacquetta. The sisters could not wait to examine the new frock and try them on, even though they were risking getting caught by sneaking out at night. The robing room was located on the other side of the Rook from their bedrooms.

“Now!” Crown Princess Valda Vixen, the eldest, hissed as the first of twelve gongs reverberated across the castle. Valencia Vixen, the youngest, pulled open the heavy door and they scurried inside. It slammed behind them on the third gong.

“Let’s be quick,” Vora Vixen muttered timidly. “I don’t want to be caught.”

“Be cunning,” Valencia winked, racing over to the crate from Felexa. “Are you not a fox?”

Vora silently joined her two sisters at the crate, which Valencia was opening with caution. All three gasped when they saw the colorful silk inside. Despite her hesitation, Vora was the first to reach inside and withdraw a violet gown. She held it up to the light, then against her body. Valda inspected her sister and imagined the dress on her.

“Not your color,” she decided. “Try the teal one.”

Valencia had already draped a white and pink one over her body.

“Oh, I’m stunning!” she cried, marching over to the mirror. She struck half a dozen poses before shrugging. “Eh.”

Valda was drawn to a remarkable red dress with black hems. The colors of Vulpus. This one evoked power and intrigue, unlike some of the others which would make her feel frilly. While Valencia and Valda tried on nearly everything in the box, Vora quietly resigned herself to the teal one Valda picked out for her. Such was typical of the middle sister. She was the kind of person who would rather read alone than do something with a friend. She was, of the princesses, least fit for the throne. Thankfully, that duty would fall to Valda herself. As the heir to the throne, she was already mother’s favorite. Sometimes, Valda thought Valencia might be jealous of her, but mother said that was common of daughters born after the first.

Despite her title, Valda was not the eldest child. She had an older brother, Vikton. Regrettably for him and all boys born into the Vixen dynasty, Vulpus practiced a system of distaffic inheritance by which only females could assume the throne. This began in the sixth century after a string of failed male monarchs.

“Vora!” Valencia cried from her place at the mirror, “come try on some of this jewelry!”

Valencia was now rummaging through the crown jewels. She had already pinned a diadem to her head.

“We shouldn’t touch those,” Vora mumbled. Valda rolled her eyes and went to Valencia, digging out a long string of pearls.

“Vintage!” Valencia commented, but held still as Valda draped them around her neck. Both admired their appearances in the mirror. Valda saw Vora lurking by the door. She had just taken off the dress and folded it back into the box.

Valda sighed. Vora had drifted apart from her sisters recently. Most likely due to that new boyfriend of hers, Brock West. He was a builder’s apprentice. Not exactly the high quality of husband expected of Vulpus princesses. Nonetheless, Vora had won the appeal with mother to let Vora decide her own marital fate. As Crown Princess, Valda was already matched to Reynard Mann, a noble fox with a scientifically proven virility. As long as Valda could produce an heiress, Vora could marry whomever she pleased.

Brock was bland, in Valda’s opinion. He was rough around the edges, and always dirty from his construction sites. He called Vora “sunshine,” which Valda found nauseating. Valda’s betrothed, Reynard, was nothing to sniff at either. He was somewhat handsome with perked brown ears and round eyes, but struck Valda as dull. His favorite hobby was sports racing and he had a fascination with *cars* of all things.

Though it bothered Valda to see Vora become so captivated by an outsider, she was disheartened by the rift that had grown between them. They were sisters, after all, and Valda knew exactly how she could steer Vora back into her graces tonight.

“The Archives Hall will be vacated for the holiday,” Valda said aloud, catching Vora’s attention. “We could test out these dresses with music…in the Archives Hall!”

Valencia’s mouth fell open with glee.

“YES!” she cried, hitching up the edge of her skirt. She hastened to the door, where Vora was smiling.

“So much space to twirl…” she whispered.

The Archives Hall was one of the largest spaces in the castle, even greater than the ballroom. It doubled as the nation’s main library, and was therefore always crawling with scholars and diplomats. Except at the holidays, when its reputable doors were sealed. Valda knew a secret way in—an escape route in reality—that they could exploit tonight. The library of course had speakers from which they could play Christmas music and waltz across the marble tiles in their new gowns. The Archives Hall was a separate building from the Rook, and soundproof so that no one studying would be distracted by outdoor noise.

The perfect place for a clandestine dance.

Vora ensconced herself in the violet dress she had selected earlier, and ignored the beauty advice of her two wiser sisters. Once the three were decked out in their gorgeous raiment, they snuck from the Rook to the Archives Hall. Valda found the escape route unblocked, affording them easy access.

The windows were closed and shuttered for the holidays, and on the day after Christmas the entire Hall would undergo extensive cleaning and recategorizing. The librarians would have a busy week ahead. For now, it was pitch black and empty. A few desk lamps had been left alit. Valencia found the master switch for the overhead lights, and Valda tinkered with the intercom. After a few minutes, the girls were twirling and spinning across the atrium as an instrumental cover of “Carol of the Bells” chimed softly across the space.

“I love this dress!” Valencia squealed.

“Having fun, Vora?” Valda posited, miming dancing with a man—Reynard, annoyingly.

“I am!” Vora replied with a large grin. “Maybe turn down the music, so we aren’t caught?”

Before Valda could acquiesce, the music switched off and a harsh voice replaced the sweet sound.

“What on *earth* are you girls doing?”

Valda deflated at once. It was Mother.

All three sisters watched as Queen Vixen VI descended from the intercom room to the ground floor of the Archives Hall, where the princesses were standing together with frightened expressions. The Vixen Queen regarded each of them in turn, and dropped her eyes to take in their gowns.

“Is that the frock from Felexa?”

“It is, mother,” Valda answered. The Vixen Queen inhaled sharply.

“Take it off.”

“Mother…” Valencia began to protest, but the Vixen Queen repeated her order, loudly. The princesses stripped to their undergarments. The Vixen Queen gathered the material and pressed it into Vora’s arms.

“Go back to the robing room and replace it.”

She shunted the jewelry at Valencia, though she managed to do it somewhat delicately for the precious stones.

“You will go with her. While you’re there, clean up any mess you made. I will see both of you in the morning for Christmas gifts and we will speak not of this incident again. And *never* break into a locked room or building under my jurisdiction. None of you are the Vixen Queen, and though you are royal you do not own this place. The Archives Hall, in its recess, is locked to *all* except those with a key.”

Valda noticed the aforementioned key was dangling from mother’s neck. Valencia and Vora mumbled their apologies and ran off, leaving the Crown Princess with the Queen.

“I expected better from you, Valda. You are eighteen, and yet you act like a child. Sneaking into the Archives Hall on Christmas Eve…it’s the type of shenanigans in which someone half your age would engage.”

She glanced around the Archives Hall. “Did you disturb anything?”

“No, Mother. We just wanted to play music and dance.”

“You could have done that in the robing room.”

Valda chewed her lip.

“I was trying to cheer up Vora. She’s been distant. This is a really great place to dance.”

The Vixen Queen clucked her tongue, unamused.

“There are better ways to raise your sister’s spirits than violating boundaries. However, as I said, we will speak not of this matter again. Perhaps this was meant to be. There is something I have been meaning to show you.”

The Queen pushed back Valda, still in nothing but underwear, and headed toward a locked door at the rear of the Archives Hall. Valda hurried after her, wondering why the Vixen Queen would come to the Hall in the middle of the night. Mother unlocked the door and pulled Valda inside. They were in a stairwell, leading down. It was lit by only a few bulbs. When they reached the bottom, Mother opened another door—locked by passcode—and led Valda into a room she recognized only from photographs: the Vault of Vulpus.

Here the nation kept its most treasured possessions, too priceless and precious for preservation in a museum. Mother walked past towers of gold, weathered crowns, weapons of the Great Cartonian War, and artifacts of her family. She instead brought Valda a small book. Its cover had completely fallen away, leaving only the shriveled pages. It was written in Vulpine Cartonian, an ancient dialect of the Cartonian language, spoken by the first foxes of Vulpus.

“What is this?” Valda asked.

The Vixen Queen raised her head dramatically.

“It is the Skulksich Doktrin. Have you heard of it?”

“No…what is it?”

Mother placed a hand gently on the top page, which was mostly blank except for a few lines of dedication. “It is enlightenment, and it is purpose. It has sat down here in dust and obsoletion for centuries, until I discovered it again. This book, written by foxes of the Skulk of Vulpus—the precursor to our Kingdom—puts forth the concept of divine right of superiority. I want you to read it.”

Valda eyed it with caution, then glanced at her mother. “Why?”

“Why?” she repeated. “If you are to succeed me as Queen one day, then you must know what this nation is moving toward. What we have always been reaching out to attain. The Skulkisch Doktrin was what propelled our ancestors into the Great Cartonian War. They were pursuing our maximum potential as a species.”

Valda was still kind of lost. Seeing her confused face, the Vixen Queen thrust the book into her paws and launched into a synopsis of the Doktrin.

“Long ago, thousands of years back in the annals of time, the human race dominated this planet. Not just this continent, but everywhere. Animals such as ourselves could not even speak much less craft a civilization. We know precious little of humans, only that they stamped themselves out, and the superior race disappeared. The Skulkisch Doktrin suggests that a superior race is meant to innately rise when one falls, a process called natural selection. The authors of this Doktrin believe the foxes would emerge as that superior race, if not naturally than by doing what is necessary to suppress the development of other species. *That* is why the original foxes were hell bent on waging war; they needed to maintain their own dominance on the continent, especially as more species continuously immigrated to the continent. This Doktrin spawned the Skulksich Movement, compelling all leaders of the Skulk of Vulpus—later the Kingdom of Vulpus—to beat down other species.”

Valda was stunned into silence by the Doktrin’s contents. She had always considered herself extra fortunate to be born into the greatest country in Cartonia, but were they really the dominant species? The one meant to rise above the rest?

“But…” she began, but mother had already beaten her to the contradiction.

“But then the Harmony Crown was forged, and the then King was sick and tired of war and infighting. He ardently supported the Crown’s promised peace, and disavowed the Skulkisch Doktrin. He believed there were too many species living in equivalent states of economic and technological prowess for any one to rise in superiority. The Doktrin was kept for the archives, but the Skulkisch Movement died and soon the Doktrin was lost to time.”

Mother gazed intently into Valda’s young eyes.

“Read the Doktrin,” she implored. “Learn what I have learned, and come to understand what I know is Vulpus’s destiny. Know I am already making strides toward what will be our glory, and that you will when the time is right continue my work. This may take generations, but we will see Vulpus rise victorious like that of the splendid summer sun.”

—Excerpt from *Harmony’s History* by Maximilian Walters—

*The wars in the northwest became attritional, and starvation was the most common reaper between the bear tribes. Running out of food and resources, the koalas of the Outback of Eucalypta elected to send one of their own on a diplomatic mission to the other bear tribes in an appeal to make peace. His name is now familiar to every Cartonian, for the koala they selected was none other than Ozzy. Though he is without a surname, he is perhaps one of Cartonia’s most famous historical figures. However, something is missing.*

*In the chapters ahead, Ozzy will venture around modern-day Ursus in desperate pleas to the leaders of the various bear tribes. None will even consider the option of peace, and his actions are met with violent opposition. The bears retaliate against the koalas, and the infamous purge begins. Ozzy does not continue his mission, knowing it is futile and flees. While escaping on a southern road, he will meet a bandit from the dying tribe of raccoons, a common thief by the name of Roanoke.*

*Together, these two unlikely allies will halt the onslaught of war and forge a future of peace and harmony.*

—Rook of Vulpus, Vista, Vulpus—

—October 16, 692—

—8 Years Later—

Valda Vixen maintained perfect posture as the funeral carriage passed the front gate of the Rook of Vulpus on its way to the Vixen Crypt. She could barely see out of the black veil covering her face, and was eager to rip it off. The cameras were rolling, and she could feel the lenses zoomed in on her features, so she kept still.

Mother was dead. Though there was enough murder, assassination, conspiracy, and plots in Vulpus’s history to warrant suspicion upon the passing of any Vulpine monarch, mother’s death was anticipated across the country. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her condition was made public when her fur began to fall out. Despite her inhibitions, Vixen VI remained active in her role as Queen until her dying breath three days ago. As soon as her body was void of its spirit, Valda Vixen became the Vixen Queen.

The new Queen Vixen VII was standing on the steps outside the Rook’s main entrance with the rest of the royal family, all except Vora. The glaring absence was well-noted by everyone watching on television, even across international lines. Princess Vora was gone.

Five years ago, Vora gave birth to a daughter, Victoria. It was at a very inconvenient time, during an international function, and so no one in the family was present. She was rushed to the hospital and some of her friends joined her. Mother and Valda went to check in on her after the birth, only to find she had already left.

And that was the last time anyone saw her. She completely vanished with her husband, Brock West, and baby Victoria Vixen. She sent a card to Valda upon the death of their mother wishing her luck in her new role and offering condolences for mother’s passing. So she was alive, but ultimately it was very clear that Vora wanted nothing to do with her family or her royal duties. As far as Valda was concerned, they were cut off entirely.

Standing behind Valda in matching black dresses and veils were her young daughters, Veronica and Vina. They were both older than their lost cousin, Victoria. Valda married Reynard Mann at age 19 and became pregnant immediately. They had three children total, including one son who was outside the line of succession on account of he was male.

Veronica was the eldest, and Valda had great aspirations for her. She planned to show her the Skulkisch Doktrin as soon as she was ready.

One of the cameras flashed as a photograph was taken. Valda glanced reflexively at the light but didn’t flinch. The long funeral procession was ending, which meant it was time for Valda and her family to bring up the rear. She descended the steps to the courtyard and led the Vixen dynasty out of the gate. The commoners of Vulpus were gathered in mourning for their Queen, and they muttered blessings to Valda as she passed.

Unfortunately, Valda could hardly focus on anything other than assembling her government as soon as possible. She wanted to maximize her time as Queen and bring everlasting glory to Vulpus, as the Skulkisch Doktrin predicted. Mother had suggested that it would take generations for Vulpus to achieve dominance over other nations, but Valda was determined to see it brought about in her own lifetime, during *her* reign.

Right now, the peace in Cartonia was airtight. Nations were not even disrupted by the most minor of skirmishes. A rising young historian in Canis by the name of Maximilian Walters likened the long-lasting tranquility to a grand orchestra, with each nation contributing to a splendid symphony. The Concert of Cartonia, he called it.

It was a weak metaphor, in Valda’s opinion, as concerts always ended. What would happen if Vulpus suddenly stopped playing?

Now was too early to make a move. There were great calculations to be made, all which must be conducted with absolute secrecy. She had her eyes set on a forthcoming event: the return of the Harmony Crown to Vulpus.

In eight years, Canis would conclude its Harmonious Reign and King Ewan would pass the Harmony Crown to Vulpus. Valda would therefore have all the pieces on her side of the chessboard.

—Excerpt from *Harmony’s History* by Maximilian Walters—

*The outbreak of the Great Cartonian War spelled disaster for exiles like Ozzy and Roanoke, who by now had become the last known members of their species. Both the koalas and the raccoons met their demise from tribes of bear warlords, quickly consolidating their ranks into the Federation of Ursus.*

*Without a nation to fight for and everything to lose, Ozzy and Roanoke fled with other refugees into the Gulf of Cartoon to an uninhabited archipelago isolated from the fighting. During the next decade, the remaining species on the continent would elevate into Kingdoms. Leaders of these nascent nations often became primogenitors of families that still rule today. The war was catastrophic, and soon Ozzy and Roanoke could not ignore the turmoil on the mainland any longer.*

—Races, Equus, Equine Isle—

—Kingdom of the Horses—

—December 21, 700—

—8 Years Later—

Behind closed doors in an antechamber of the Races estate on Equine Isle, four titans of royalty secretly met. King Horatio V of Equine Isle was presiding over the clandestine meeting. Also present were King Cottontail IX of Leprolia, King Poultrus III of Gallix, and Madonna Jacquetta Lazoy of Felexa. The issue at hand? Vulpus. Specifically, the Vixen Queen.

Horatio, Cottontail, and Poultrus were the three longest-serving monarchs in Cartonia. Horatio inherited the throne in 652 at the precocious age of seventeen and was soon to celebrate 50 years on the throne of Equine Isle. Poultrus became king in 668 and Cottontail in 669, giving Horatio a clear majority of tenure.

The fourth member among them, Jacquetta Lazoy, was a necessary guest. Her husband, King Siam of Felexa, had died only three months prior. The Lazoy family was already suffering a miserable year when in June, the eldest son and heir Lorenzo Lazoy died by suicide. The two deaths in the same year sent shockwaves across the continent, and Felexa was submerged in mourning. Jacquetta was now Queen Mother to her daughter, Queen Roxanne II. In Felexa, the title of “Queen Mother” was called Madonna.

Before Siam’s death, he had been the fourth participant in what Horatio was calling the Great Plot. Jacquetta was here as his replacement. She was no longer wearing all-black, but maintained a brooch of mourning upon her lapel for Siam and a black-diamond tiara for her late son.

“Well,” Horatio said once the four were seated around a square table in the empty room, deep underground and far out of earshot, “I think it is safe to say this will be the last of these meetings.”

“That doesn’t bode well,” Cottontail groaned with a large sigh.

“I suppose that means you’ve found nothing either?” Jacquetta posited to Horatio. He grimly nodded.

In February of this year, authorities in Felexa received a report from Felexan tourists vacationing in southern Vulpus. They described what they believed to be fox soldiers in the vicinity of the Vixen Cliffs stockpiling weapons. Their report was not detailed and lacked any photographic or videographic evidence. Nonetheless, the Felexan authorities passed on the report to King Siam, who worried that it could signal mobilization of troops in Vulpus.

Ever since the advent of the Harmony Crown, mobilization was considered an act of war. Readying troops even for defense could be seen as a *casus belli*, or a cause for war. For that reason, any mobilization must be cleared with the current wearer of the Harmony Crown. King Siam made a simple phone call to that monarch—Ewan of Canis. He replied that no mobilizations had been approved.

And so Felexa investigated. Undercover Felexan agents went to the Vixen Cliffs where the tourists had vacationed, but found no evidence of their claim.

In May, three months later, a hydroelectric engineer from Leprolia on an occupational trip to the Vulpus Dam made a report of her own to the Leprolian government. This time, she described in detail a marching regiment of fox soldiers in full uniform, armed with weapons, over by the Vixen Cliffs. She asked one of her compatriots at the Dam, and he told her she must have been mistaken by what she saw.

Cottontail did the same investigation, unaware that Siam had already carried one out months earlier. He too called Ewan of Canis, who angrily asked if this was some joke perpetrated by Cottontail and Siam. The two kings met up and compared notes.

“What the hell is going on down there?” Cottontail reportedly asked with incredulity.

“If it’s what we think it is,” Siam replied, “recklessness.”

The two kings turned to Horatio for help. He in turn enlisted Poultrus’s advice as a trusted friend. Horatio himself appealed to Ewan to involve the power of the Harmony Crown, but Ewan categorically refused to entertain “preposterous, groundless rumors” that could upset the “Concert of Cartonia,” or the peace as described by Ewan’s royal historian Maximilian Walters. The “Concert of Cartonia” was beginning to stick in the popular lexicon.

Though it might appear that Ewan was being cowardly and unhelpful, it was not unreasonable to take the approach he did. His primary responsibility as the wearer of the Harmony Crown was to ensure peace. By antagonizing the Vixen Queen with accusations that may not be true, they risked upsetting that peace with an international crisis. The only reason why Horatio, Cottontail, Poultrus, Siam, and now Jacquetta were concerned about these reports from the south was the nature of the Vixen Queen herself. She was a cold, unyielding, and potentially bellicose leader. None of the members of the Great Plot regarded her with any warmth and thought she inherited too much of the power and privilege of her mother, Vixen VI.

Horatio remembered when Valda Vixen was just the Crown Princess, and even attended her birth announcement in Vista. Her mother had warped her, no doubt. Evil was made, not born.

As the three most senior monarchs in Cartonia, Horatio, Poultrus, Siam, and Cottontail felt a duty to protect the Kingdoms from this possible threat. They were chiefly worried that the forthcoming transfer of the Harmony Crown to Vulpus—an event due to occur in only eleven days—may unbalance the peace. Their fear was that the Vixen Queen was mobilizing troops for some nefarious aim within her kingdom, perhaps to suppress royal opposition or descend the Vixen Cliffs into the Expanse and add territory to her realm. It would be extremely unlikely for her to attack another kingdom, especially since the Harmony Crown considered an attack on one to be an attack on all, and the other seventeen kingdoms would rush to suppress the invasion.

And so since May, when the four kings gathered to discuss the issue in the south, they had sent dozens of undercover agents into Vulpus to investigate the possibility of troop mobilization. If any confirmation could be found, then they would act to derail Valda Vixen’s Harmonious Coronation on January 1. This was the Great Plot.

The Plot was briefly put on hold in June after Lorenzo Lazoy’s suicide, and again in September upon King Siam’s death. With less than two weeks before the Vixen Queen’s acquisition of the Harmony Crown, there was really not much they could do now. They swore not to inform other nations for fear of word reaching the Vixen Queen.

“No one has uncovered anything in the south,” Horatio sighed. “All my spies came back empty-handed. They scoured the Cliffs for any sign of training grounds or signs of life in the Expanse. Nothing.”

“The mines are clean too,” Cottontail added. “We had a team go under the guise of an occupational visit similar to the one at the Dam that sparked our initial investigation.”

Poultrus clucked his tongue.

“There was nothing suspicious in Vista last week. I personally visited to help with preparations for the Harmonious Coronation. My brother went into a downtown bar and spoke with city locals about politics and no one mentioned anything suspicious. If the Queen is planning anything, it’s private.”

“They’re not conscripting,” Jacquetta muttered, “and that is a positive sign. The Vixen Queen cannot pluck foxes off the street to be soldiers. They have to volunteer, and any sort of process like that must be public.”

The four finished their individual reports. A dull silence hung in the air afterward. Horatio leaned forward and rubbed his hooves together.

“Then, we must conclude that there is nothing suspicious occurring in southern Vulpus. With no evidence to match these two claims, we must concede that the coronation will go on as planned.”

Jacquetta shrugged.

“I assumed as much.”

“Some ‘Great Plot,’” Cottontail quipped with a smirk. “I suppose you can look at this as a training exercise for us for if something amiss arises beyond our borders. I think we handled this well.”

“As do I,” Horatio agreed, “though I wish Ewan would have lent us the auspices of the Harmony Crown.”

Poultrus scoffed.

“Ewan is a single-minded king. He would much rather conserve what is than progress toward what could be. You’ll see a drastic turnaround when Bentley Connelly becomes king in his place. That boy is rambunctious, to say the least.”

Jacquetta smiled and giggled.

“I don’t know where the boy gets all his energy.”

Horatio turned to the Madonna. “How is your own child holding up as Queen? She has had a very trying year.”

“Yes…” Jacquetta mumbled, her paw instinctively grazing the tiara affixed to her head. “She is doing well. Finding her footing, modeling her rule after her father’s. Roxanne will be alright, and she has me to guide her.”

Poultrus patted her arm. Horatio then stood, effectively adjourning the meeting. The others stretched on their way toward the door. They would all be dining together with Horatio before departing tomorrow. All would see each other again in Canis on Christmas Eve for the last Harmony Holiday Gala of Ewan’s Harmonious Reign.

Before exiting, Poultrus stopped at the door. Addressing the others, he said,

“If we overreacted in concocting the Great Plot, then no harm is done. But if we failed to uncover a *casus belli*, then I surmise we will look back unfavorably upon this night.”

—Excerpt from *Harmony’s History* by Maximilian Walters—

*After a decade of war, Ozzy and Roanoke returned to the mainland armed with their plan. Ozzy and Roanoke came to believe that peace was desired by every nation, but none wanted to cede their power or make the first move out of fear of appearing weak. They orchestrated a meeting between the nineteen monarchs of the warring kingdoms, and invited all to the isle in the Gulf of Cartoon that for ten years had been their home.*

*It is here, on the now-famous Isle of Harmony that the concept of a shared crown was proposed. The idea was met with downright refusal, at first. As Ozzy and Roanoke presented their case, the monarchs warmed to the idea. By the end of the summit, the Harmony Crown was established and Ozzy was selected as its inaugural wearer. Roanoke would follow, and then the true rotation began.*

*The new conglomeration of nations was christened Cartonia, after the Gulf of Cartoon where the Isle of Harmony is located. Over the next seven centuries, the Harmony Crown peacefully passed from one nation to another.*

—Isle of Harmony, Gulf of Cartoon—

—January 1,  701—

The motorboat docked at the only slip on the Isle, which was uninhabited and off limits to all except reigning monarchs of Cartonia.

King Ewan of Canis exited the boat first, and extended his arm to Queen Vixen VII of Vulpus to allow her to clamber out. Swan XIX of Mallardia, their witness, followed suit. The three set off together on the winding path around the Isle to the site of the formation of the Harmony Crown. The place where all nineteen monarchs of the Great Cartonian War knelt in fealty to unity.

The Isle was only visited in an official capacity every ten years, on the morning of a Harmonious Coronation. Per tradition, the outgoing Harmony Crown wearer anointed the incoming monarch as a representation of their nation. The ceremony must be witnessed, and the nation next in line after the incoming nation usually filled that slot.

Canis had fulfilled their duty to the Harmony Crown after ten years of service. Ewan had worn it throughout that tenure, and now it was Vulpus’s turn, per the order set 701 years ago. After Vulpus would come Mallardia, which was why King Swan XIX was here as witness. He was the presumptive successor to the Harmony Crown. If he was still alive and King of Mallardia in ten years, he would inherit the Harmony Crown next.

The three monarchs instinctively paused outside the gates of the Harmony Shrine to admire its placidity. The Isle was covered in thick forests, and the only structure was the Shrine. Though others used to live on the island hundreds of years ago, those unofficial homes had fallen into ruin and were reclaimed by the earth. The Shrine was built like a temple and was quite tall, though did not exceed the tops of the trees. It was shaped like a U, its arms on either side welcoming visitors like an embrace.

“So beautiful,” Valda Vixen, the Vixen Queen, uttered in appreciation.

Ewan went first into the Shrine, fondly recalling the memory of his anointing ten years ago. Farress of Nilia had conducted the ceremony, and Valda’s mother was the witness.

Unlike the public Harmonious Coronation later this afternoon, no preparations were made on the Isle for their arrival. Ewan, Swan, and Valda set the room up themselves. The Shrine’s main space was the exact spot where the nineteen monarchs knelt and cast the Harmony Crown. Murals of Cartonian accomplishments were painted in later, enabling the walls to surround future Harmonious rulers with reminders of the past with optimism for the future.

Everything that was being done today was sacred, and must not be botched. Valda had positioned two cushions on the floor, one for her and one for Ewan. Swan opened all the windows and doors in a symbolic display of transparency, though no one from the mainland could see them. The Shrine opened onto the Western Ocean. Ewan cast a glance at the rolling waves serenely sloshing against the Isle beyond the Shrine’s courtyard.

“Are you ready?” Swan asked Valda, who was smiling.

“I am.”

Ewan nodded and fetched the anointing oil from an altar underneath the largest mural. It was dusty, untouched in a decade. He wiped it down and walked back to the center of the room.

Both Ewan and Valda knelt on the cushions. Swan stood by the altar and watched, his role only to bear witness.

The coronation of a new Harmonious Reign was two-parted. The first duty was to anoint the incoming monarch with the powers of the Harmony Crown in this private, sacred ceremony. This was done for every monarch who wore the Harmony Crown. The second half of the coronation was a public declaration of a new Reign in a new Kingdom. This was the portion that was photographed, put on TV, and depicted the transfer of the Harmony Crown itself. All three monarchs came to the Isle today without crowns on their heads, respecting the superiority of the Isle and its institution.

Ewan and Valda were facing each other. She was younger than Ewan and had children of her own. In fact, her children were about the same age as Ewan’s boys, Bentley and Thumper.

Valda undid the lace on her bodice to reveal her chest. Ewan dipped his forefinger into the oil and placed it on her chest. She winced at the cool touch.

Ewan recited the names of all eighteen Kingdoms, and with each name drew another circle on Valda’s chest. As he chanted the blessing and anthem of the Harmony Crown, he drew a cross in the center of the bolded circle to emphasize the Crown’s reach in all directions.

“With this anointing, I the representative of Canis pass the Harmony Crown and its duties to the representative of Vulpus.”

Valda did not miss her cue.

“With this anointing, I the representative of Vulpus accept the passing of the Harmony Crown and its duties to my realm, and recognize the fulfillment of service by the representative of Canis.”

“In harmony’s name,” they said together, “we rise.”

—Excerpt from *Harmony’s History* by Maximilian Walters—

—Edited March 709—

*The original Harmony Crown weathered over the years, and soon fell into disuse. A new crown was forged in fire in the year 358, but this one was reportedly uncomfortable and heavy. It is still preserved in the Cartonian History Museum in Cervidium.*

*In the year 500, during the Quincentennial celebration of unbroken peace, the current Harmony Crown was forged by representatives from all eighteen Kingdoms. The Crown was used for the coronation of Faro Seshmu in Eusuchia the following year. Once the decade of their term had expired, the Faro lifted the Crown off his brow and passed it to the Kingdom of Canis. From there it moved to the head of the first Vixen Queen. Then Mallardia, and Leprolia. Equine Isle and Bovo. Each nation wore the Crown over the next two centuries, seeing such glorious reigns from various kingdoms.*

*In 681, Farress Nilia brought the Crown back to Eusuchia at an elegant Harmonious coronation in the Pyramid of Sobek City. She crowned her successor, King Ewan of Canis, in 691. At the turn of the eighth century, the seventh Vixen Queen of Vulpus was coronated under the Harmony Crown, where it ~~rests as of this publication~~ [Edited March 709] remained until the abolition of the Harmony Crown in 709.*

*In its lifetime, this particular Harmony Crown graced the heads of 29 monarchs across 200 years. The Harmony Crown as an institution has been represented by 98 monarchs over 700 years. Predominantly through luck and circumstance, the system was upheld and maintained in tenuous peace. For 700 years, there have been no wars. There has been no bloodshed between nations. Alliances were built and alliances crumbled, but the Harmony Crown remained constant. It became a symbol of cooperation and understanding between nations. ~~It is the single most profound object in all of Cartonia.~~*

*[Passage Added March 709] On January 1, 701, at the Harmonious Coronation of Queen Vixen VII of the Kingdom of Vulpus, none would have imagined that before the end of her term the eighteen Kingdoms of Cartonia would find themselves in the throes of the worst military conflict the continent had ever seen.*

*The Vixen Queen, her head encircled by the hollow crown of portentous unity, would be the last to bear its weight.*

—Vale of Vulpus, Vista, Vulpus—

—Kingdom of the Foxes—

—January 1, 701—

The capital of Vulpus was located at the nexus of two major waterways: the Cartonian and First Vista Rivers. The Cartonian flowed from the northern tip of Cartonia to the bottom of Vulpus, where it pooled in the Vulpus Reservoir. The First Vista divided Vulpus from west to east. It was so named because the first settlers of Cartonia came along this river, offering the first vista of their new home. These were the initial foxes, who established a permanent civilization at the site of Vista. The site of their landing became known as the Vale of Vulpus.

Nowadays, it was both a prominent seaport and a convention center. Madonna Jacquetta Lazoy of Felexa was quite accustomed to attending diplomatic events at the Vale, and today it was playing host to the Harmonious Coronation of Queen Vixen VII.

Representatives from all eighteen Kingdoms were present, including every reigning monarch. Jacquetta’s daughter, Queen Roxanne II, was seated with all the other kings and queens. Jacquetta was relegated to the balcony of the massive cathedral. She singled out King Poultrus III, who was in attendance with his family, mingling with them before the event began.

“Where are you other children?” Poultrus asked, glancing around the balconies.

“With some friends, seated someplace.”

Jacquetta quickly changed the subject to what was burning in her mind. “How do you feel today? Given…the *Plot*…”

Poultrus winked at her.

“I feel fine, honestly. We did our part, and looked into it. There is no evidence, and therefore no threat. Perhaps we’re too hard on Valda. We all know her mother was something else. Maybe we are unable to see Valda without thinking of Vexa.”

Jacquetta nodded, then suddenly barked a laugh.

“Don’t they *ever* tire of all those ‘V’ names?”

Poultrus chuckled. He skimmed his program and chatted with his wife. Jacquetta leaned over the balcony railing to view the gathered masses below. The Vixen Queen had opened the event to the public, and commoners were clustered in sections below, eager for the day’s event. The Harmony Crown only came upon a nation every 180 years. The chance one would see it grace their nation in their lifetime was not a guarantee, and so everyone in Vulpus was watching today.

Felexa last held the Crown from 631-640, before Jacquetta was born. She would not live long enough to see it return to her own Kingdom.

A tap on Jacquetta’s shoulder startled her. She whirled around to see King Cottontail IX of Leprolia.

“Hello,” he uttered. “Just came to check on my family before the program begins. Thought I’d also…”

“Pop on over to see how your co-conspirators are feeling?” Jacquetta finished, casting him a wry smile. “I’m just peachy.”

Poultrus gave a thumbs-up. Cottontail scoffed.

“Then I suppose Poultrus and I ought to get back down there with all the other monarchs. Shall we?”

Poultrus and Cottontail disappeared into the crowd, heading for the stairs to the lower level. As the clocktower chimed twelve times to herald the arrival of noon, the event began. There was no set tradition for how a Harmonious Coronation should go, other than the outgoing nation must take the crown off its head and pass it to the next. The Vixen Queen had therefore packed the first hour of the day with singers, performers, testimonials, and speeches. Her two daughters, Veronica and Vina, gave a joint declaration of excitement of seeing Vulpus honored today. The Governor of Vista also spoke. Jacquetta almost nodded off twice. On one of those occasions, it took a sharp jab from Queen Henna of Gallix to knock her back into focus.

Finally, Ewan of Canis took the stage. The Harmony Crown was on his head. He gave a rambling monologue about the last ten years and how humbled he was to have the opportunity to wear the Crown. He invited King Swan XIX of Mallardia to confirm that the sacred anointing of Valda Vixen had occurred earlier that morning.

“I do confirm,” Swan stated into the microphone and walked right off the stage. Jacquetta was not the only one who smirked at Swan’s notorious brevity.

Then, at last, the Vixen Queen entered the hall from the main doors and strutted down the aisle. She wore a red and black cape that trailed behind her. Her head was bare, of course. A simple throne had been placed on the stage and the Vixen Queen sat upon it.

Ewan stood in front of her, and raised the Crown off his head. He moved slowly toward the Vixen Queen, and positioned the Crown above her.

“Harmony!” he bellowed. The Crown was lowered onto the Vixen Queen’s head, and Jacquetta took a sharp inhale of breath. The moment it graced her brow, the crowd went wild. Chants of “Vulpus!” and “Vixen!” interchangeably rose to the rafters. The Vixen Queen stood from her throne and basked in the applause. Feeling the cameras on her, Jacquetta clapped along.

“The people love her,” Queen Henna muttered in Jacquetta’s ear. She glanced at her.

“They idolize her.”

—Rook of Vulpus—

“Horatio, my good man!” Ewan of Canis exclaimed, shaking the horse’s hoof. “I wanted to ask you if your little folly paid off.”

King Poultrus III saw Horatio V cast Ewan a searching glare, urging him to not speak so loudly. They were in the center of a reception room in the Rook of Vulpus, the after-party of sorts to the Vixen Queen’s Harmonious Coronation. When Ewan began clamoring at full volume, Horatio steered him into an unoccupied corner to speak. Poultrus hurriedly followed.

“Must you make such a commotion?” Horatio hissed. “I told you that the matter of the Vixen Queen’s southern activities should be kept quiet.”

Ewan rolled his eyes.

“I half-expected you to rush the altar today. You seemed hell-bent on steamrolling the Vixen Queen’s day.”

Poultrus pursed his lips. Ewan thought the entire thing was a joke.

“We stand by our decision to investigate,” Poultrus said coolly.

“Which we did without your help, thank you very much,” Horatio added. “Any sign of troop mobilization in Vulpus would have been dangerous to the peace.”

Ewan held up a paw.

“Now there I disagree with you. There is no mobilization. Investigating the Vixen Queen without her knowledge was the dangerous move. You are fortunate she did not find out.”

“Yes,” Horatio murmured, “which is why it is imperative you *shut up*.”

Ewan scoffed while Poultrus smirked.

“I was with Valda on the Isle this morning,” Ewan said. “She was most committed to upholding peace, and is incredibly earnest to begin her Harmonious Reign to achieve that end. I trust she is not like her mother, who I know you both despised.”

“We all did,” Horatio blurted. “She was an asshole.”

“Eh…she was,” Ewan couldn’t help but agree. “Not a very friendly person, no. That doesn’t mean her daughter is one too.”

Poultrus noticed the Vixen Queen on the other side of the room speaking with Cottontail IX, another member of the Great Plot. They were laughing.

“Do either of you ever think about Roanoke and Ozzy?” Ewan asked suddenly. Horatio and Poultrus exchanged glances.

“How so?” Poultrus replied.

“I couldn’t stop looking at the mural of them on the Isle today. They were taking a gamble when they created the Harmony Crown. They had no idea if it was going to work out. Do you think they expected the system to last this long?”

Horatio shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I’m sure they hoped, but no one could ever be certain.”

Ewan bobbed his head up and down. He was gazing at Horatio, who was only seven years older than him.

“You know what, my friend, I don’t think the Harmony Crown will ever fail. Being there on the Isle today, sensing all those who came before us, and experiencing vicariously every anointing since the beginning…we are too unified. Ozzy and Roanoke managed to achieve eternal peace.”

Poultrus gazed at Ewan. His view of the world was rather blissful, something that Poultrus found admirable. He often found himself wishing that he was never born into royalty and was not saddled with such tremendous responsibility all the time. Beside Poultrus, Horatio’s face darkened.

“Careful what you call eternal.”

Ewan raised an eyebrow. Poultrus glanced with concern at his friend.

“What?” Ewan pressed. “You think the Harmony Crown will fail?”

“I don’t know,” Horatio mused. “We don’t know what lies ahead. All things come to an end, eventually. Which brick is going to topple the tower?”

—The Vixen Cliffs—

—2 Days Later—

“Mother said not to dress tackily.”

“This *isn’t* tacky!”

“You look like a roadshow.”

“You look like a *hooker*!”

“SILENCE!” the Vixen Queen shouted, smacking her bickering daughters into silence. “Veronica, button up. Vina, you look fine.”

Crown Princess Veronica Vixen angrily closed the top two buttons on her blouse. She was fourteen years old. She cast an ugly stare at her twelve-year-old younger sister. It was a shame that the two sisters did not get along. That was the glaring difference between their upbringings; Valda had a loving relationship with her sisters, at least until Vora ran off. Eight years had gone by since Vora’s sole card to Valda. She still had no idea where she was, and it was possible she was dead. It seemed unlike Vora to miss the Harmonious Coronation in person. She had been so excited about it as a girl.

“Did you just nudge me?” Vina hissed at Veronica.

“Oh, shut up.”

“GIRLS!” Valda screamed. “Can’t we ride there in *peace*?”

They were in an elevator shaft, plummeting into one of the mines. All three were wearing unofficial Vulpus army uniforms.

According to the decrees of the Harmony Crown, no nation could maintain a standing army. Each Kingdom was entitled to their own defense and border patrol, but was not legally allowed to train and mobilize troops, which would be interpreted as preemptive acts of war. When Valda took the throne in 692, Vulpus was compliant on this order.

Unfortunately, her aims would not be accomplished without an army.

The elevator reached the bottom of the shaft and the doors opened. The Martial of Vulpus’s defense, a grizzled fox named Redgar Klaus, snapped to attention and saluted.

“Majesty!” he exclaimed. Valda saluted back. She introduced her two daughters, who politely greeted the Martial. “Please, follow me.”

The Vixen Queen trailed behind the Martial with Veronica and Vina as they passed through a set of corridors made of sheer rock. This mine used to provide coal for the Kingdom until it was depleted. For a while, it sat vacant. The Vixen Queen saw an opportunity to utilize the space.

They reached the end of the last corridor, which opened onto an expansive area below. The Queen stopped at the railing and grinned. Thousands of troops were in line, armed with weapons and saluting their Queen.

“We are receiving more recruits everyday,” Martial Klaus reported. “All sworn to secrecy.”

“How many in total?”

“5,000.”

“More.”

The Vixen Queen followed the Martial to the lower level to inspect the troops herself. The Martial only knew that she planned to acquire more territory for Vulpus. Most volunteers believed that meant colonizing the desolate Expanse south of the Vixen Cliffs.

“You,” the Queen pointed at one of the recruits. She stood to attention.

“Your Majesty!”

“Are you prepared to lay down your life in sacrifice to the Kingdom of Vulpus?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Valda turned to her daughters, who were gazing around the phalanxes in awe.

“Watch closely, girls,” Valda said. “Soon you’ll see Vulpus achieve its full potential.”

—Excerpt from the notes of Maximilian Walters—

—Written during the War—

*The meticulous machinations of the Vixen Queen were rooted in stealth, power, confidentiality, and a strong dynasty. As the years of her Harmonious Reign progressed, the Vixen Queen continued to amass numbers in her army. She planted seeds of distrust around Cartonia with the hopes of sowing discontent among Kingdoms. Sensing her moment may not come in her lifetime as the Concert of Cartonia continued to prosper, the Vixen Queen laid plans for her daughters to inherit and fulfill their mother’s work.*

*Everything changed on the eleventh of July, 706. Two gunshots rang out on a green on the outskirts of Vista. The people of Vulpus, and indeed all of Cartonia, were dumbfounded to learn that Crown Princess Veronica Vixen and Princess Vina Vixen, rivals as much as they were sisters, had shot each other in a duel. Veronica was officially the winner, as Vina died on the spot. However, Vina managed to injure Veronica as well, who succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. Friends of the princesses, who had been in attendance as witnesses to the duel, said the catastrophic gunfight had been arranged to settle a long rivalry between the two of them.*

*This tragic night left the Vixen Queen without an heir. She had no other daughters. The line of succession dictated that the missing Vora Vixen was next to inherit the crown. Thus, a search began across Vulpus for the lost princess. After a few days, it was determined that Vora had perished in a house fire, leaving her orphan daughter Victoria Vixen to realize her destiny.*

*Victoria was an obscure figure when she arrived in Vista in the summer of 706, and was generally regarded with pity by others for being dragged from a peaceful countryside village into the jaws of the Vulpus Kingdom. Her obscurity vanished overnight the next year, when her interspecies romantic relationship with Crown Prince Bentley Connelly of Canis became public. Victoria did not know it, but her affair provided the Vixen Queen with the opportunity she fervently desired. A chance to divide nations and pit them against each other.*

*A casus belli.*

*A cause for war.*

## Production

### Title Sequence

The episode's special one-off sequence features the eight featured cast members' names superimposed over the jewels of the Harmony Crown. The music is "The White Queen," the main theme from *The White Queen*. At only 36 seconds, it is the shortest title sequence in Storytime.

### Continuity and Story Arcs

Whereas “Silent Night” illustrated the immediate lead-up to the War, including the catalyst (the assassination of Victoria Vixen), “Hollow Crown” digs further back in history to analyze the initiating events.

The Great Cartonian War, first mentioned in “Silent Night,” was referenced again in Maximilian Walters’ *Harmony’s History*, a written chronicle of the Harmony Crown. The Great Cartonian War preceded the events of the episode by 700 years and was the catalyst for the creation of the Harmony Crown.

The Harmony Crown’s origins are explored, having been devised by Ozzy and Roanoke, the last of the koalas and raccoons. War dominated the continent as tribes and conglomerations consolidated into Kingdoms. Ozzy and Roanoke saw the concept of the Harmony Crown as a solution to the conflict, a system that held for seven centuries. Ozzy became the Crown’s first holder, followed by Roanoke. From there onward, the nations rotated on a fixed list.

Queen Vixen VII’s name is first revealed in this episode to be Valda, a German name meaning “power.”

The Vulpine system of female-only inheritance, outlined in “Silent Night” was mentioned again. This eliminates all males from the line of succession to the throne.

Vixen VII’s mother, Vixen VI, introduced the future Vixen Queen to the Skulkisch Doktrin, which posited the foxes were destined to become the superior species on the continent, the successor of dominance to the human race. This Doktrin ultimately drove Vixen VII to initiate the War.

Vixen VI predicts Vulpus will rise like a summer sun, which later became the name of Vulpus’s political alliance in the War.

Vora Vixen, sister of the Vixen Queen and mother of the ill-fated Victoria Vixen, absconded from the capital with her infant daughter immediately after her birth. She would not resurface in Vulpine politics until 706 after the death of the two ahead of her in line for the throne. In “Silent Night,” it is said that Vora had died in a house fire.

Veronica and Vina, daughters of the Vixen Queen, make appearances. They were first mentioned in “Silent Night” after they had killed each other in a duel indirectly depicted in this episode.

Before the Vixen Queen’s Harmonious Coronation in 700, four tenured monarchs (Cottontail IX, Horatio V, Poultrus III, and Siam of Felexa--replaced by his wife Jacquetta Lazoy after his death) devised the Great Plot to stop the event, correctly fearful of Vulpine bellicosity. The Plot ultimately did not go forward, as they were without evidence that the Vixen Queen was mobilizing troops. Unbeknownst to them, the Vixen Queen had already amassed an army and was rapidly preparing the country for war.

Cartonia’s name is derived from the Gulf of Cartoon, where the Isle of Harmony is located, the birthplace of the Harmony Crown.

In Max’s history segments, he foreshadows the abolition of the Harmony Crown in the year 709, one year after the War’s beginning.

The Vale of Vulpus, last featured as the site of the 707 Harmony Holiday Gala in “Silent Night,” returned as the site of the Vixen Queen’s Harmonious Coronation in 700.

### References

The Christmas Eve scene at the Rook of Vulpus opens with “Twas the night before Christmas,” the first line of a popular Christmas poem.

The duel between Veronica and Vina Vixen occurred on July 11, 706. This is a reference to the notorious duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, which took place on July 11, 1804.

## Trivia

* The title of this episode is derived from a line from the Shakespeare play *Richard II*: "For within the **hollow crown** that rounds the mortal temples of a king keeps Death his court."
	+ The line appeared in Maximilian Walters' *Harmony's History*: "The Vixen Queen, her head encircled by the **hollow crown** of portentous unity, would be the last to bear its weight."
* This is the second Christmas special, following "Silent Night."
* This is the first episode to be published out of turn from the writing order; the entirety of *War*was written before this special.
* This is the first episode set entirely in Cartonia.
	+ Though "Silent Night" was predominantly located in Cartonia, it was interspersed with scenes from Toontown.
* This is the first episode since "They Came From the North" to be published from the east coast.
* This episode has the first trailer to feature individual title cards for each member of the featured cast.
* King Siam of Felexa is named after Siamese cats.
* Queen Jacquetta of Felexa is named after Jacquetta of Luxembourg, a prominent figure in the Wars of the Roses. Jacquetta was the mother of Elizabeth Woodville, who married King Edward IV of England. Jacquetta is often overlooked in history despite playing a significant role in the Wars of the Roses drama. The author was inspired to create a character in her likeness after watching *The White Queen*.
* Valda Vixen married Reynard Mann, a name that means “fox” in French.
* The Kingdom of Vulpus was preceded by the Skulk of Vulpus. A skulk is a group of foxes.
* The Skulkisch Doktrin and subsequent movement is based on the *Völkisch* Movement, a German ethnic nationalist set of beliefs that became a central tenet of Nazi Germany. It proposed wide German expansion and a cleansing of race.
* The Vixen Queen’s radicalization by the Skulkisch Doktrin is inspired by the fanaticism of Adolf Hitler.
* Ozzy and Roanoke are based on players from Toontown: Corporate Clash.
* The great peace known as the Concert of Cartonia is a reference to the Concert of Europe, which lasted much of the 19th century up until 1914 at the outbreak of World War I.
* Jacquetta Lazoy’s title of “Madonna” is based on the Italian “*ma donna*” which was used to refer to noble women. The translation is “My lady.”
* King Cottontail’s name comes from the rabbit Peter Cottontail.
* King Poultrus’s name is based on the word “poultry.”
* The militarization of Vulpus is inspired by Nazi Germany’s transformation of the economy and state into a war machine before World War II.
* Cartonia is in essence named after cartoons, the animation base for Toontown.
* The Shrine on the Isle of Harmony is based on the appearance of Shinto Shrines in Japan.