Corvus Ravencrest

Corvus Ravencrest, remembered as the Last Duke of Düren, ruled during one of the most turbulent periods in the realm’s history. Known for his measured demeanor and cautious nature, Corvus was a man devoted to preservation over pride, a ruler who valued the lives of his people above the fleeting glory of defiance. Yet, in the eyes of many, that same prudence became his undoing. To his subjects, his reign marked the end of Düren’s independence; to his brother Corridan , it marked the moment Düren’s heart stopped beating free.   Born in 1268 CE, Corvus was the elder son of King Aldren Ravencrest , under whom Düren was still a proud and sovereign kingdom. He inherited not only the throne but also a realm weakened by decades of border conflicts and economic strain. When he ascended in 1291 CE, few doubted his intellect or sense of duty, yet fewer still believed him capable of bold action.     The War He Would Not Fight   Corvus’s rule was defined by the Imperial–Southern War (1297–1303 CE), a devastating conflict that saw the Cythrian Empire push relentlessly southward. As neighboring kingdoms fell one by one, Corvus faced the impossible choice between resistance and survival. His younger brother, Corridan Ravencrest, urged him to rally Düren’s armies in open defiance and stand beside the southern coalition. Corvus refused.   When Imperial emissaries arrived at Ravencourt Keep demanding submission, Corvus saw not conquest but inevitability. His council was divided, but the Duke’s will prevailed. On the eve of what could have been war, he signed the Treaty of Ravenspire, swearing fealty to the Cythrian Emperor in exchange for peace and protection.   To the common folk, the act became legend, and not a flattering one. They whispered of the Kneeling of the Raven, a tale of surrender passed from tavern to tavern. To some, he was a coward. To others, a man who spared his people the horrors of fire and famine that consumed the south. Corvus himself is said to have remarked, “A kingdom in chains still breathes; a kingdom in ash does not.”     The Quiet Years of Submission   Under Imperial rule, Corvus proved an able administrator. He stabilized trade and ensured that Düren’s taxes, though heavy, never bled its people dry. Yet his governance was haunted by quiet resentment, from nobles humiliated by their loss of sovereignty, and from his own brother, whose loyalty grew brittle with time.   By 1320 CE, Düren’s court had split into two camps: those loyal to Corvus’s cautious peace, and those who whispered of Corridan’s vision for freedom. The Duke, though aware of the growing unrest, did little to quell it. His patience, once his greatest virtue, became his fatal flaw.     The Fall of the Raven   When chaos erupted across the Empire in 1325 CE, Corvus hesitated. His hesitation cost him everything. Before he could rally his guard or call his banners, Corridan struck. On a storm-wracked night in Ravenspire Keep, the Duke was slain, whether by his brother’s hand or another’s remains uncertain. At dawn, the Ravencrest banners were raised not in mourning but in coronation.     Legacy of the Last Duke   History remains divided on Corvus Ravencrest’s legacy. To his detractors, he was the Kneeling Duke, the man who traded Düren’s crown for safety. To his defenders, he was a ruler who placed his people before his pride. In his lifetime, he preserved Düren. In his death, he gave rise to the king who would reclaim it.   In the annals of Düren’s history, one truth lingers: Corvus Ravencrest’s peace paved the road to his brother’s war.