The Kingdom of Owenar

The Kingdom of Owenar is a realm of many divisions, structured by its citizenry, merchant families, religious orders, political bodies, military, and nobility. The vast majority of which reside in the outer areas of the kingdom. Each one works under a specific faction or tribe that governs and protects the native region. The Harengon, the only non-human residents of the continent of Westenra, live in the Harengon Hills, protecting their colonies from neighboring dangers. The Southern Valley Tribe resides in the lands of the same name as horse riders and nomads on the open plains. The Saltwood Grove resides in the Saltwood Forests to protect the wildlife from imminent threats and help the citizenry of Janetown develop a cure for the Scorchwood Curse. The Pale Stone Tribe rests on the Northern Mountains, where their home, Mountains End, houses both adventurers and the most skilled crafters of the kingdom. The Sapphire Rangers watch over the vast forest of the same name and are the most isolated part of the kingdom. The Horizon's Dawn Tribe sails the shores of the entire continent for fishing and sailing. The Spellhold Tribe detains magic abusers in their prison located on the continent of Forodren, under their laws that the kingdom respectfully recognizes as part of their own. These regions lawfully stand as sub-sovereignies existing under the rule of the Silver Fang Region, where the capital and Lake Dalios reside. The citizens of the capital live more privileged and innovative lives, surrounded by complex infrastructure, and comprise of a mixture of people representing the unified tribes of humanity. However, there are those factions who predominantly reside in this central region. The Silver Fang Tribe resides by the Dalios River, renowned for their brutal lifestyle of combat and nomadic travel on the frozen waters of Iceveil. The Silk Widow Tribe resides in the Silk Corner District of the capital, renowned for their exceptional tailoring and a system of courtesans. The Flintwood Fists live and protect the Flintwood Alley District against criminal activity, as they are a band of brawlers and common thieves. Although more comfortable than their other tribal counterparts, all citizens of the kingdom are guaranteed equal rights under the laws of the kingdom.   Above the citizenry, but not necessarily a higher social class, are the religious and merchant families. Under the rule of the kingdom, the state separates itself from religious power, but not for lack of trying. The most dominant religious institution, the Congregation of Breyta, has had a history of influencing even the royal bloodline of the kingdom to the point that a massive purge of the most corrupt individuals of the faith resulted in their loss of trust by the kingdom. In the Wisdom's Crossing district of the capital, many religions have built their shrines to worship the many gods that exist in the world Ixala. Apart from religious faith, the non-believing members of the Atheistic Coalition strive to counteract the influence of religion in politics and seek to balance the intersection of conflicting beliefs. The merchants of the kingdom focus their residency at the capital, where wealth and trade are most apparent. The system of trade created by the construction of the Crescent Port District and the Iron Paladin Vault made them wealthy enough to influence politics to some degree, but not as significantly as they had in the past, when war was the most profitable and before King Argon II implemented sweeping changes to combat bribery and blackmail within the government.   Above the citizens are Parliament and the military, which govern and protect the laws and people of the land. Members of Parliament serve as legislators, writing and voting on laws in the kingdom's constitutional monarchy, and abide by those laws laid out in the Silver Sun, the kingdom's constitution. Their members consist of the citizenry and the nobility, who are voted into office in an election cycle based on the same constitution. Their authority is designed to counterbalance the higher class of monarchy, thereby balancing the use of power in government. The military of the kingdom stands equally to Parliament, but its authority stands in service to the monarchy and written law. Separated by infantry, navy, and judicial powers, the Owenarian military acts as defenders of law and order. Their authority is divided by their titles and ranks, which any citizen can achieve and uphold those authorities through the code of honor and camaraderie. The highest ranks among the military are the Judges and the Maester Judge, as their leading figure. These judges take the responsibility of commanding the divisions of army and navy forces while lawfully refraining from taking up arms themselves, unless commanded by the monarchy in times of war. In times of peace, they sit mostly behind desks interpreting and enforcing the rule of law while passing judgment on those who violate or challenge it. For almost half of the kingdom's history, the Judges were selected by the monarchy from noble bloodlines. However, the rebellious district of Flintwood Alley forced Parliament to write a constitutional amendment that allowed the district to vote for a Judge, thereby granting commoners the illustrious privilege of holding such a lawful title.   At the pinnacle of the hierarchy are the high noble bloodlines of knighthood and the royal bloodline. Their ancestry comes from either the founders of the kingdom or family members whose accomplishments earned high commendations. House Whiteheart stands the highest nobility as host to government meetings and the kingdom's diplomacy, House Sage serves as the voice of nobility to the Congregation of Breyta and other religions, House Aranieros takes on the role as the connection of the dream market and the elven Kingdom of Thaznir, House Valceran studies the system of laws and trains the kingdom's infantry, House Felkton studies naval warfare and trains the kingdom's navy, House Morncloth protects Mountain's End as the managers of adventurers' guilds all over the kingdom, and House Hyperius looms over the kingdom's finances as the central messgaing and transportation guild. Above all these noble families lies the royal bloodline of House Owenar. Their authority as monarchs gives them the highest authority with Parliament, and only their constitutional authority can oppose the monarch's decisions. With the royal bloodline being one among them, they higher houses together in the Ashwood Council to lead the kingdom to its cause.

As a predominantly human civilization, the kingdom takes its cultures and traditions from a culmination of all the tribes and factions that have aligned with the government and the monarchy. Most of these tribes derive from the occupation of the Salted Steel Tribe, who once ruled over the continent of Westenra. For instance, one of the oldest traditions of tribal conquest is the Duel of Destiny, also known as the "Duel de Destin," a trial by combat where the leaders of opposing factions fight each other until submission or honorable death. The winner obtains the fealty of the losing tribe. It is a blood-sworn oath that is not taken lightly. Especially when the defeated instills the highest honor to the victor. In addition, the language of the tribes consists of Antiochan and commoner tongues, which have blended in both terminology and phrases. Humanity's past sins as part of the world-ending Fuxenarian Empire have led to these tribes taking comfort in isolationism. Seeking to avoid interfering with the affairs of neighboring mortal races. However, there have been occasions when man's malice or sense of superiority has reemerged. On one of these occasions, the ambitious King Baron the Cruel Fool was set on a campaign to conquer the dwarven lands of Ninthiad to revive the kingdom's founding and expansion. Luckily, thanks to the kingdom's prosperous history and governance, the people have come to favor equity, justice, and peace. The Silver Sun, the kingdom's constitution, ensures the rights of the citizenry, while its military protects those rights through the enforcement of the law. As such, the laws of the land are recognized as sacrosanct.   Apart from the sanctity of laws is the sanctity of believers and non-believers. The many faiths of the Wisdom's Crossing District focus on the 7 Celestial Gods and the minor gods that serve them. Celestial beings, such as Edhea, the Goddess of Twilight, who was rarely worshiped but central to funeral practices. Others include Malthael, the Neutral Being of Equilibrium; Behlios, the God of Chaos; Daphine, the Goddess of Order; and Gajeel, the new God of Valor. Remnants of the former valor god Fuxenar exist as relics of a sinful past. A little over half of the believers worship Breyta, the Goddess of Wisdom. Those among the most devout and radical formed a faith known as the Congregation of Breyta. Their beliefs in human superiority, Owenarian exceptionalism, and the hierarchy of knowledge have significantly influenced much of the kingdom's history. For instance, during the Age of Rust, the priesthood reached its peak of influence by naming the newborn heirs to the throne with the title "Altheos." A historical name to the radical faith, as the next Altheos the Wise, the king who ushered in the Golden Age of Owenar. His achievements convinced the faithful that he was a reincarnation of an angel of Breyta. Breyta's tenets shaped them into a bureaucracy of knowledge. From the faith in King Altheos Owenar, they spawned the radical belief that humans are "the wisest creation," thus destined to be the following wardens of the planet after the fall of the First-Brood. After the Wisemen Purge, many of their members were killed after the conflict with the non-believers came to its breaking point. While small in comparison, the majority of non-believers are members of the Atheistic Coalition. They follow the basic teachings of the first king, Utheos Owenar, who believed in uniting all of mortal kind to a better age where no prayer is needed to survive. In that principle, they become adventurers, politicians, knights, merchants, and royal guards to protect the kingdom from the toxic influence of faith.   The nobility of the kingdom is synergistic with the kingdom's citizens—a mixture of conflicting views being protected by those who seek to unite us. However, their sense of civility tends to be stricter as the nobility earns power through respect among families. Any shameful acts committed by an individual member must be met with punishment fitting the crime, or their family will lose respect and slowly fade into history. Those of the lower houses have been known to conflict with one another, as the majority of them are merchants who obtained nobility from wealth. Fighting over transactions, land disputes, and affairs, their numbers have changed more than a few times. The six greater houses consist of descendants of the kingdom's founders or families of monumental achievements and respect.

For most of its history, the kingdom has had two opposing views on the kingdom's future. One believes in rebuilding a utopia for humanity to rise back into greatness, while the other seeks to unite all the mortal races to protect the world from future dangers. The latter stemming from the principle laid by the first king, Utheos Owenar. He believed that humanity's will to persevere made them capable of being better than the humans before them. If humanity's evil can unite all life to save a dying world, then humanity's good could unite them all to protect it. In addition to promoting unity, the writing of the Silver Sun, the kingdom's constitution, established a universal understanding of justice for all, regardless of social status. Even King Gerrard the Kinslayer was tried for killing his son and wife.

"Understanding the past is the key to understanding the present, because the past is an ocean of choices on which all sail its waves." - King Altheos Owenar (002 ADA)

  Early History   During the six centuries of the Dark Ages (DA), the continent of Westenra had seen the comings and goings of many factions and historical moments. The disappearance of the First-Brood, the creators of mortal kind, led to the Fuxenarian Empire invading the continent and driving the dragons away from their homeland. They established an occupation of all neighboring continents outside of their homeland continent, Azenveld. As worshippers of the corrupted Fuxenar, God of Valor, they did this to quell any attempt to interrupt their god as he slowly absorbed all the life energies of Ixala. A world-ending crime that the Imperials were promised would grant them Ascensio, the ascension to Fuxenar's domain. As the vast majority of the human race, their suppression of individual rights and little regard for the other mortal races had stained the trust of their kind. Those humans who were refugees to the fallen Azenveld Empire formed communities that actively rebelled against the occupation. Even so, they were no match for the Fuxenarian forces. Their reign was enforced by relentless constructs and the terrifying power of Virtus, the essence of Fuxenar, crushing any dissent. In 406 DA, following the global rebellion that ended the empire and the corrupt god it worshipped, the lands descended into lawlessness—an era of post-war disorder, known as the Second Dark Age. Neighboring factions began expanding their territories, forming barriers, amassing armies, or protecting their lands from tribal invaders, rogues, dragons, and demons. In all of this, the other mortal races avoided contact with the remaining humans in Westenra. Isolating them to suffer the most from this era of disorder. A generational punishment for the sin of oppressing the mortal races and attempting to end life itself. However, one man, using a Dream Telescope—a mystical device that helps one envision one's inner desires—sought to break that cycle and unite humanity to lead the world to a better future. To be the first to truly heal the wound Ixala had endured from the human race.   Far to the elvish lands of Forodren, a former adventurer and hero of the War of Nightmares, Utheos Owenar, gathered his old band of adventurers for one final campaign to create a new home for humanity. To undertake this journey, Utheos used his considerable wealth as a war hero and adventurer to purchase weapons, building supplies, and a fleet of ships. As a human in an elven market, obtaining these items required the permission of the Stargazing Council and/or the Queen of the Kingdom of Thaznir. Luckily, Queen Aiya Kelzana and Utheos were close friends; Utheos had once saved her daughter's life from the demon known as the Prince of Self. The Stargazing Council protested the Queen’s decision to grant permission for the sale, fearing that Utheos might start a new empire akin to the Fuxenarians. Despite their concerns, Queen Aiya granted him permission on the condition that Utheos agreed to a permanent alliance with the Kingdom of Thaznir, ensuring that any actions taken would benefit both nations. With ships laden with cargo, Utheos recruited as many humans and elves as possible, promising settlement and striving for shared goals of unity and justice. Sailing westward, their first objective was to land in a location with a safe harbor and geopolitical advantage. The area that would later be known as the Owenarian foothold had once served as a naval base for the Fuxenarian Empire, established to supplant the empire's control over Westenra, the Draco Interfectorem. Noting that neighboring tribes had avoided this area due to potential dangers, Utheos recognized an opportunity. His commanders were worried about this choice, fearing that the campaign could end next to a ruined Fuxenarian base. Utheos assured them that they would be safe. Crossing the great river into Westenra in 573 DA, they landed on the western shore of a massive lake. Utheos and his band of former adventurers headed to Draco Interfectorem to clear the ruins of all dangers. Upon returning to his settlement, Utheos was the only one injured; he had faced many dangerous creatures to protect his uninjured party, but remained standing tall in his silver armor. From that point on, Utheos would be known as Utheos, the Silver Wall.   After recovering, he began to devise his next plan: to confront the largest and most skilled tribe in Westenra, the Silver Fang Tribe. This was a daring idea, given that the Silver Fangs outnumbered them a hundred to one. However, Utheos wasn't being overly ambitious; he understood that there were other ways to unite tribes beyond the sword. One could marry into a chieftain's lineage, or declare a Duel of Destiny. The latter involves a duel between the leaders of their respective tribes, where the winner, by either forcing their opponent into submission or killing them honorably, would earn the sworn allegiance of the losing faction. Utheos Owenar declared a Duel of Destiny against Chieftan Dalios, the Silver Minotaur, for the allegiance of the Silver Fang Tribe. Chieftan Dalios did not fear the challenge as he saw Utheos as simply an overly optimistic and old man past his prime, accepting the terms in the hope of gaining the sworn allegiance of former adventurers. On the 7th Sun of the Moon of Izdae (05/07), the duel occurred at the rise of dawn and ended as the sun fully shone. Dalios was younger and bigger, while Utheos was older and slower, but the latter had more experience in combat and possessed unbridled willpower. In the middle of the duel, Dalios had significantly injured Utheos, but he continued to attack him as if he were unfazed by the cuts and bruises. By the time both were near death, Dalios screamed in anger at possibly losing to the old man. He calms his nerves and sighs in respect to his opponent, politely asking Utheos, "You have never given up before, have you, old man?" Utheos chuckles and replies, "A whole war's worth of demons and nightmare elves could not make me give up." Resolved to the final hours of the fight, Dalios refused to submit and fought until he collapsed. His heart stopped as he smiled with joy and acceptance. With his final breath, he says to Utheos, "Don't you ever give up on us." Utheos, though heavily wounded himself, was the last man standing, barely able to remain upright, but victorious. Honoring the traditions, the Silver Fang swore allegiance to Utheos's campaign. With the largest army in Westenra, Utheos had his settlement ready to be turned into a new home for Humanity. Naming the capital after his father, Arcshire Owenar, and establishing his dynasty to follow in his footsteps, crowning himself as Chieftan of the United Tribe and Monarch of the Kingdom of Owenar, renaming the lake next to Archsire into Lake Dalios in honor of the duel.   In 575 DA, with a great army at his back, Utheos began his quest for unification. He provided his group of adventurers with a small contingent of soldiers, one for each, enabling them to expand the Kingdom through peaceful means. At the same time, Utheos focused on the tribes that reacted violently to alliances. Gainevere, the master druid, established a community for druids in the Saltwood Forests to the west, known as the Saltwood Grove. Oblitus Morncloth, the master swordsman, traveled north to Mountain's End to build and renovate the Pale Stone Tribe's homeland. Dez'gol, the bardic warlock, journeyed south to align the kingdom with the native Harengon and the neutral territories, such as Valentoise. Josephine Whiteheart, the half-elf Ice Paladin and Utheos's cousin, stayed in the capital to welcome the unified tribes and guide the city's infrastructure. Her uncle, Argon Owenar, the Cleric of Breyta, set out to Forodren to invite his priesthood to the capital.   Over time, the Kingdom formed peaceful alliances with the Harengon, the rabbit race who watch over the region where the infantry Camp Leos would soon be built; the Pale Stone Tribe, the master craftsmen of Silver Steel and subservient to the Silver Fangs; the Silk Widow Tribe, a continental network of tailors and confidants; the Spellhold Tribe, experts in Adjuration Magic and the jailers of criminal wizards; the Congregation of Breyta, a theocratic community that worshipped the Goddess of Wisdom of the same name; and the Horizon's Dawn Tribe, skilled fishers with a talent for exploring the sea. The last to yield to the kingdom's strength in conflict were the Southern Valley Tribe, the second-largest army in Westenra and famed horse riders. In the Battle of Parted Valleys, the tribesmen fought valiantly against the kingdom, but were somberly defeated by sheer numbers. Expecting a request from a guest to surrender, the Chieftain of the Southern Valley Tribe, Bastien Menard, was surprised to see King Utheos kneeling before him, begging to end the bloodshed and unite their tribes together. Such an honorable request after victory could not be ignored, and so the Sother Valley Tribe happily joined the kingdom in unity rather than submission. Afterward, only four major factions remained in Westenra: the Sapphire Leaf Rangers, skilled rangers and forest dwellers of the Sapphire Forest to the south; the Dwarven Clans, craftsmen and miners of the deep mountains in the southernmost part of Westenra; the Hollow Syndicate; an occult community residing in the Hollow Canyon Peninsula, and the Salted Steel Tribe, former rulers of Westenra who retreated to the Tempete Archipel of the western islands. King Utheos chose to engage with the Sapphire Forest first. Knowing that the rangers were isolationists, he ventured alone under a banner of parley. When he returned, he regretfully said he could not convince the rangers to join them. And so the campaign was set on laying siege to the Sapphire Forest. For three years, the Kingdom laid siege to the bordering mountains of the Sapphire Forest. Each attempt to breach their defenses resulted in casualties and no progress. Realizing that he would only cause more damage if he continued, King Utheos called for a truce, honoring their borders and establishing an annual token of peace to be delivered to the Sapphire Forest Rangers. A tradition that lasts even to this day as a reminder of the honorable peace between the two factions. Upon returning to the capital, King Utheos discovered that his campaign had exhausted him, having secured an expansive territory that matched the lands conquered by the Fuxenarian Empire, but with alliances mostly forged through diplomacy rather than conflict. To reassure his new subjects, he stood upon the foundations of his family's castle, Castle Ashcrown. He declared to all the tribal leaders under his reign that the kingdom would defend the honor, justice, and livelihood of its people. That same year, in 580 DA, King Utheos finally passed away, succumbing to the wounds of old wars, and his eldest son, Altheos Owenar, was crowned the new King, heralding the Golden Age of Owenar—a time of monumental accomplishments that are seen as the brightest moments in the nation's history.   The Golden Age   King Altheos Owenar, a young scholar, seeks to continue his late father's work by using his sharpened intellect to establish a new system of government that would enact the will of the people under the rule of a monarchy. For months, he and a collective of writers and scholars created a binding document to enforce the law of the land. This document includes the construction of a Parliament where representatives from all settlements would vote on policies for the kingdom to enforce. Its judicial system is integrated into the military in the form of lawfully disarmed veterans and nobles who are expected to have studied politics and law before being selected as Judges, one for each district in the capital. By the time the building was completed in 582 DA, King Altheos wasted no time forming a port system for the capital, allowing trade with other continents. To protect the river entrance to Westenra, he ordered the construction of a naval base dubbed Dalios Hold. The sea merchants who came with the Owenarian campaign used their wealth to construct a vault to store their riches. King Altheos seized this opportunity and convinced Parliament to expand the vault into an internal trading system where all of the capital's trade was stored, reviewed, and transacted. The funds gathered from the vault's security are then used as tax to fund the kingdom's government, ensuring the nation's wealth is tied to its trade through what they called the Iron Paladin Vault. This transitioned the system of bartering to a universal currency, represented by silver, copper, or brass shirelings. The use of gold was considered a Fuxenarian currency, and such gold was highly regulated even against the noble bloodlines. Combined with the organized transaction of the Iron Paladin Vault, the kingdom's market evolved to a higher system of trade that rivaled even the dream magic market of the Kingdom of Thaznir. The growth in the fishing market, driven by Horizon's Dawn, and the stalwart security of the developing navy marked the kingdom as it grew into a superior naval force for commerce.   With the kingdom's financial system established, the king, parliament, and a handful of scholars completed the written law of the land, which they referred to as the Silver Sun. They established the military as the law enforcement of the kingdom itself, while the City Guards protected the capital. A system of justice monitored by Judges who were selected by the monarchy for their talents in both combat and written law. Their kingdom's sovereignty was protected by a Maester Judge who served as the king's second-in-command a leading authority of the other Judges. By 583 DA, the kingdom had grown so rapidly and prosperously that King Altheos earned the name Altheos the Wise for his accomplishments. In 600 AD, King Altheos and the Thaznirian Queen Aiya formed a pact regarding the sovereignty of their kingdoms. Their combined strength and influence usher in a new age for Ixala as the last year of the Dark Ages changes to year 0 of the After Dark Ages (ADA). The tides of turmoil and healing from the Fuxenarain Empire had ended, and a new age for the mortals of Ixala had begun.   With the rising popularity of the Kingdom of Owenar came an increase in its population. As Castle Ashcrown, Parliament, and the Iron Paladin Vault gradually evolved into what they are now, the citizens of Arcshire began building their homes around the city walls. Divided into nine distinct districts, King Altheos sought the Pale Stone Tribe's assistance in their construction, as they were also instructed to build the city walls that separated the districts. During this time of peace, the kingdom continued to grow as relations with the Sapphire Leaf Rangers improved. In 70 ADA, King Altheos passed away from old age, and his only daughter, Lauren Owenar, was next in line. The Congregation of Breyta, which had established its influence in the religious district of Wisdom's Crossing, protested against her coronation. They believed she was too dim-witted to follow in the footsteps of Altheos the Wise. They had created an icon of the former king as a symbol of wisdom and valid monarchical rule. Despite the protests, Lauren was crowned at the center of Emblem Point, the military district. From then on, every coronation was held there.   Queen Lauren Owenar's first decree was to accelerate the development of the kingdom's navy, focusing its resources and funds on the complete construction of Dalios Hold and expanding its naval capabilities and numbers. Where she lacked the wisdom of her father, she compensated with her natural talent in seacraft and naval prowess. Additionally, she allied with the Sapphire Leaf Rangers through a marriage pact with Theodore Spidersbane, the renowned ranger, in 77 ADA, uniting the once-opposing factions into the Kingdom of Owenar. However, the kingdom's survival was tested for the first time when the Salted Steel tribe launched an invasion against the Kingdom of Owenar, attacking the continent's western region and Dalios Hold to the east, in an attempt to reach the capital. The Queen assembles her grown navy to take on the Salted Steel and its Seigneur, Lord Alderic Antioch, in 83 ADA. As the year 91 ADA turned, Queen Lauren returned to Archisre with a joyous celebration of her victory over the First Salted Steel War. The Salted Steel Tribe had retreated to the western islands, and Queen Lauren had only lost a single ship to the war. In her rush, her flagship, Breyta's Promise, caught a heavy wind that dragged her vessel directly into Averse Island, but it would later be renovated as a naval base to defend from future attacks. They would call it Averse's Landing. The combined strength of heroes in the Saltwood Forest and the maritime prowess of Queen Lauren Owenar overwhelmed the tribe's sea raiders. Her magnificent military achievements, unfortunately, led to her demise in 95 ADA when Lauren and her ship, "Constellation's Blade," were trapped in a powerful sea storm in the southern region of the Saline Sea. She and her ship were later found deceased and were carried back to Dalios Hold for her funeral. Her only son, Varius Owenar, was crowned the new king.   This new monarch came under the great favor of the Congregation of Breyta, who had influenced him at a young age to the faith. This raised numerous concerns among the nobles and parliament, but most especially among a small community of non-believers who saw the danger of a theocratic monarchy and therefore formed the Atheistic Coalition. Despite these concerns, King Varius's first task was to order the construction of a new temple for the congregation known as the Silver Eye. Increasing the influence of the religion among the religious representatives in parliament by enhancing their funding and resources. Through these efforts, the king was nicknamed "Varius the Pious." For the next 10 years, Varius enabled favoritism with the Congregation of Breyta. Influencing parliamentary members to vote on religious policies, enforcing the law on non-believers, and permitting the faith to establish its militia known as the Sage's Sentinels, serving under the leadership of the noble family of House Sage. A young house that swore a blood oath to the Congregation of Breyta. By 105 ADA, King Varius dies from malnutrition after attempting to "purify his mind" by consuming only food deemed healthy for the mind and leaving his son, Utheos Owenar II, to become king. From then on, the nation's history shifted to a mixture of outstanding achievements and turmoils in what would be known as the Silver Age. A time of growth and change that was second only to the golden age.   The Silver Age   After a night filled with terrible nightmares, Utheos II foresaw a dreadful invasion by the returning Salted Steel Tribe as revenge for their defeat against Queen Lauren, his grandmother. He increased military spending, reinforced strategic points, and sought support from neighboring allies. Consumed by his nightmares, he trained intensely, gaining an incredible amount of strength. To showcase his feats, he gathered the seated judges of the military and broke a steel bar in half with a single blow. From that day forward, Utheos earned the title "Steel Heart Utheos." Aware that brute strength alone could not protect him from the dangers lurking in the shadows, he established the Royal Blue Blades, a guard tasked with protecting the monarch, consisting of five individuals selected from his most skilled knights and paladins from the citadel of Ragnarvillir in the north. Besides Alice, the other four chosen were Matheos Lemont, a former Salted Steel tribesman and Water Paladin; Gaius Morncloth, the Undying Knight; Hijalti Magnusson, the Noble Berserker and the strongest human of his time; and Nicholas Owenar, King Utheos II's younger brother and a renowned Earth Paladin. The first and leading member of the guard, the Lord Blade, was the king's favored niece, Alice Owenar, the Wind Paladin. For a brief time, Utheos's tenacity and the Royal Blue Blades ensured peace in the kingdom and the capital, Arcshire, but such strength can always invite challenges. In 111 ADA, the impoverished state of the Flintwood Alley District experienced a rise in criminal activity. Many of its inhabitants had become so accustomed to violence and crime that they formed their communities to either organize or defend against the criminals, creating the most populated district filled with disorderly citizens and outlaws. The City Guards of the district, try as they might, were either exhausted or accepting bribes from the outlaws. Realizing that the fighting had to stop, the king declared martial law in the district, angering Parliament as it was seen as an overreach of power. This only intensified the situation as the criminalized district began to ignite in protest, attacking district borders, pushing away military soldiers, and even assassinating the Judge overseeing Flintwood Alley, Theron Vane. King Utheos II recognized that he had made a grievous error, as any further escalation would lead to rebellion. Seeking Parliament's assistance to prevent this, they drafted the 3rd amendment to the Silver Sun, granting special privileges for district residents to choose a sitting Judge from among themselves. In exchange, the Judge would swear an oath to uphold the law and minimize criminal activity. Those who protected the district’s inhabitants formed a community of bare-knuckle fighters known as "the Flintwood Fists," influencing the district's first vote on a Judge to be their famed brawler, Damian the Wildcard, in 112 ADA. For the first time in the nation's history, a commoner assumed the seat of nobility. Despite his outlaw nature, Damian proved to be an effective Judge. He and the Flintwood Fists expanded their influence to every corner of Flintwood Alley, viewing themselves as protectors of the common good against gangs that incite violence and disorder, even to this day. While the nobles disregarded the commoner status among the elites, they had to respect the Judges who protected the commoners in the same manner as they would, apart from the commoners' leniency towards trifles and aggression against their oppression. After the 4th World Exhibition returned from the Secret World, Domhan Rhunda, they discovered Arctech, a mysterious metal that channels magic for basic functions. In her curiosity and ambition, Alice Owenar requested her King Uncle's permission to initiate the 5th exhibition to explore further. In 123 ADA, while sailing toward the Iceveil that shields Domhan Rhunda in eternal winter, Alice relinquished her leadership of the royal guard to seek adventure and was never seen again. The Royal Blue Blades mourned the loss of their brave and curious commander and installed Nicholas Owenar as the new Lord Blade. Moments of strong-armed peace led to a decline in support for the government's military spending. The people grew tired of earning less than the military, similar to the citizens of Flintwood Alley, who felt oppressed by authority. On one occasion, King Utheos suspended excessive military spending at the order of Parliament. Still, they soon reversed that decision after experiencing the same nightmare that had driven his military support and intense training. However, no matter how often he witnessed Averse's Landing in flames or Arcshire in ruins, all that followed for his reign was peace. By 165 ADA, the old and heartbroken king realized, through the magic of the Dream Elves, that he had been succumbing to the Nightmare Curse. This powerful enchantment transforms mortals into demons through nightmares, inflicting specific aspects of fear. For someone as strong as Utheos, this meant he would become a Demon Prince, a high-ranking demon who rules over a particular form of fear. He had unknowingly carried the curse since his first experience at a young age. Some theorize that the curse lingered for so long because he concentrated his mind on combating the fear of calamity he witnessed by tirelessly strengthening the kingdom's defenses. Ultimately, he died from a stroke caused by his nightmares in 167 ADA. Melani Owenar, Utheos's eldest daughter, was crowned Queen in the same year.   In 180 ADA, scouts from the Silver Fang Tribe were exploring the Iceveil when they discovered the cave entrance of the Vukith Institution, the rumored laboratory of the infamous Nightmareweaver Vukith Nelbon. The kingdoms of Owenar and Thaznir sent a large number of adventurers to clear the abandoned dungeon. Only nine had survived the ordeal, and the kingdoms forged a treaty over the region of Iceveil. Together, they establish the Vukith Institution and the SKD that runs it. Not all of that year was beneficial, as the shared prosperity of the Pale Stone and Silver Fang tribes at Mountain's End was threatened by escalating tensions over the ownership of the coveted silver steel ore. The Pale Stones claimed the mantle of the first discoverer.   In contrast, the Silver Fangs claimed ownership through loyalty after the Pale Stone's former chief was defeated in a Duel of Destiny hundreds of years ago, leading to a bitter dispute. In 181 ADA, the wisdom of Maester Judge Crom Valceran ultimately resolved the conflict, establishing a delicate compromise. The Pale Stone Tribe retained rightful ownership of the mines, while the Silver Fang Tribe gained exclusive rights to manage the sale of forged weapons crafted from the ore. This decision, though a compromise, preserved the peace and allowed Mountain's End to continue peacefully. Years later, Queen Melani noticed the Iron Paladin Vault was losing income as the market was slowly dying from stifling trade.   In 209 ADA, after much negotiation, the Kingdom of Thaznir established a dream market under the regulation of the Purple Moon Trading Company, which was formed by parliament in 209 ADA. The human kingdom acquired the trade of exclusive dream magic, which was used as a commodity among Thaznirians. Unfortunately, in that same year, Queen Melain dies from childbirth, and the infant Tythos Owenar becomes king. The queen's sister, Princess Melody, becomes regent until the boy turns 16. She takes on her role studying and writing books about the nation's history. She uses her authority to create a special library under the protection of House Owenar. It would become known as the Kingdom of Owenar Royal Records or KORR. In 225 ADA, Princess Melody coronates Tythos Owenar as the king.   King Tythos's reign would be remembered as one of extensive peace, minor conflicts, and industrial growth. In 244 ADA, a warship from the Fuxenarian Empire approached, presenting an ominous threat to the naval base. This ship sought to annihilate Dalios Hold by targeting the Defiant, which at that time was the navy's most heavily armored vessel, critical to the defense of the waterway. Amidst the chaos, 3rd Class Sailor Victoria Alban undertook a daring and courageous maneuver. She skillfully piloted a patrol boat loaded with explosive powder directly toward the rogue warship. In a moment of sheer bravery, she crashed her vessel into the enemy ship, causing a massive explosion that effectively destroyed the threat. Victoria’s audacious act of heroism did not go unnoticed. Her fearless actions earned her a reputation among her peers, and tales of her bravery spread quickly. King Tythos honored her actions by funding her family's sea trading business. Victoria's family turned from commoners to nobles within a matter of decades. The Pale Stone Tribe ushered in a new era of technological advancement in 258 ADA with their revolutionary invention of blast furnaces. This groundbreaking innovation, developed through the combined ingenuity of the tribe's Dwarven and human members, significantly improved metalworking capabilities. The increased efficiency in smelting and refining metals laid the foundation for more complex engineering. This newfound mastery of metallurgy directly led to the development of steam-powered technologies, a monumental leap that profoundly reshaped the Kingdom of Owenar. Beyond the immediate industrial applications, these steam-powered machines brought transformative changes to daily life. They provided much-needed heating for the brutal winter environment of Mountain's End, significantly improving living conditions. Furthermore, the advent of steam power spurred the creation of innovative new mechanics for both civilian and military use, fundamentally altering everything from infrastructure to warfare and propelling Owenar's civilization into an age of unprecedented progress. Military bases such as Averse's Landing and Dalios Hold were renovated with steam-powered machinery. In 317 ADA, on the 400th anniversary of the founding of Averse Landing, the steam-mechanical cannon was fully developed. Fitted on the front of the base's ruined ship, its first test was taken during the peak hours of a heavy rainstorm. Targeting the storm itself as a test, the cannon unleashed a shockwave so great that it silenced the storm itself. The heavy winds became a stiff breeze, the raging shore abruptly calmed, and the lightning-bearing clouds scattered like flies. The cannon's monstrous power earned it the name "Storm Splitter." Its thundering roar was heard as far as the Saline Citadel. Declaring to the Salted Steel Tribe a warning of any act against the Kingdom of Owenar. One of those who witnessed the cannon's power was the 5-year-old Prince Baron, heir to the throne. That experience of great power left an impression on the young Baron. He drew inspiration from the history of the kingdom's founding and believed in expanding the kingdom through conquest to earn personal glory, just as his ancestors had done. His ambitions would only be set in motion when King Tythos died of old age in 318 ADA.   King Baron Owenar, with the authority he had always sought to fulfill his ambitions, promoted plans to expand Parliament's territory to the remaining regions of Westenra. Parliament denied both proposals to annex the states of the Tempete Archipel, home of the Salted Steel Tribe, and Ninthiad, home of the dwarven Sacred Mountain Clans. King Baron refused to take no for an answer. He did not care if the Salted Steel or the dwarves were currently neutral factions. His ambition, enflamed by the sheer power of Owenarian weapons, refused to be tempered. He assembled his army and navy to invade the Nol Molduhr, the dwarven bridge city at the entrance to Ninthiad. The Sapphire Rangers, who protect the Sapphire Forest on the way to Ninthiad, refused to let the kingdom's armies pass. They feared that the inevitable conflict would harm the forest they swore to protect. Parliament made efforts to block the king's orders, but King Baron refused to recognize them. His obsession with conquest became even more toxic when the Sapphire Ranger's disagreement convinced him to order his army to force their way through. His apathetic behavior and obsession with conquest earned him the name "Baron the Cruel Fool." 4 months later, by the time the Owenarian infantry were in the footsteps of the Sapphire Forest, Beyl Owenar, heir to the throne, accepted that his father, King Baron, was acting against the interest of the kingdom and violated constitutional law. He stages a coup in the throne room where he and a band of adventurers are alone with King Baron and his royal guards. Prince Beyl demands that his father abdicate for the sake of his people. King Baron retorts, "I was ordained this crown by your grandfather's blood and thus was obligated to know what is necessary for the sake of the people. I will not surrender this power when I am on the cusp of truly using it. You are a traitor to your blood for standing against it." The son defeats the father and ascends the throne, carrying a silver crown stained with blood, in 320 ADA. The teasing of invasion did not go well with the Dwarven Clans, as it raised tensions between the two races. Humans began acting in paranoia against visiting dwarves in places such as Fort Edgewick. They had elevated restrictions and discrimination against Dwarven travelers. Reports of mistreatment spread to the capital of the Kingdom, sparking outrage among its citizens and parliament. After years of diplomatic efforts, including the exchange of metals and food, King Beyl finally concluded a treaty with the Dwarven Clans to atone for his father's actions. With so many chaotic moments in the nation's history, the Silver Age ended and the Rust Age began in 320 ADA with the death of King Beyl from an unknown illness. A time of staleness and lack of progress that poorly aged the nations' status as a kingdom.   The Rust Age   As Melody Owenar II ascends to the throne at the start of the Rust Age, multiple tragedies occur that cause the capital, and thus the kingdom, to suffer an imbalance for the next 200 years. During this time, the Followers of Breyta gained significant influence over the reigning monarchs and Parliament. The tenets of the faith, which emphasized the acquisition and exclusion of knowledge, led to many records of these events never being publicly documented due to censorship enforced by religious radicals. What remains are fragments of historical moments. In 350 ADA, a resident botanist of Janetown named David Ferom was brought before Saltwood Grove for damaging one of the ward stones by pulling on one of the vines that held the structure together, threatening to destroy the veil. The intention was to put him on trial before the druids, but when Parliament learned of this, they issued orders to have the accused brought to Arcshire. The druids protested this as an overreach, arguing that druidic law had been violated. Parliament was concerned about the danger of having a citizen tried by an autonomous group like Saltwood Grove. Surprisingly, the town's residents successfully signed a petition to have David returned to be judged by the grove. After much deliberation, the grove decided it was accidental, but the reckless danger posed was too significant to ignore. David was exiled from the forest and was never heard from again. In 367 ADA, a band from the Hollow Syndicate attacked Camp Leos in the dead of night, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers. During that battle, a bold and reckless soldier known as "Edgar the Burning" defeated the band leader with a flaming sword that burned both him and his enemy. Through the influence of the Congregation of Breyta, Parliament changed the kingdom's government to a theocratic system with the passage of the 5th Amendment of the Silver Eye, integrating the faith into most of the noble houses and the monarchy itself in 372 ADA.   The monarchy transitioned from Queen Melody to King Norman in 375 ADA, and then to King Altheos the Faithful in 429 ADA, who built a small congregation in the family castle. During this time, fears that humanity would regress to its Fuxenarian history escalated. The Congregation's radical beliefs in man's superiority led to the oppression of other mortal races, especially those of the Harengon. Even the Kingdom of Thaznir expressed its concerns to the King, but fell on deaf ears as the monarchy had become subservient to the faith's words rather than those of its allies. In one incident, the native Harengon near Camp Leos became victims of a violent uproar caused by a zealot soldier who discriminated against a fellow Harengon. It later passed to King Atheos III, also known as Altheos the Heretic, who shattered the bond between the faith of Breyta and the royal line through a catastrophic event. The Atheistic Coalition, which had slowly regained influence in Parliament, fought against the Congregation of Breyta's control. With this influence, they managed to secure a special audience with King Altheos III. During that meeting, they presented the grievances of the people whom the faith had systematically oppressed. This did not entirely deter the king from his devotion, but he did show signs of doubt. The priests, fearing they would lose power over the monarchy, foolishly tightened their grip on the king, making him attend more ceremonies at the Silver Eye and review the tenets of faith. This only complicated matters for the king, as he found himself torn between the faith imposed upon him at birth and the need to respond to the overreach of power supported by the non-believers. In 466 ADA, the final line was drawn during a hearing at Castle Ashcrown when Elizabeth Sage, head of the Sage's Sentinels, ordered the public execution of the atheistic noble Marcus Valceran for organizing a protest at the Silver Eye and supporting the Atheistic Coalition. The noble's death transformed him into a martyr and ignited a revolution that would alter the kingdom's deeply rooted connection to the faith. By 467 ADA, what would be known as the Wisemen Purge resulted in severe civil outrage and political instability. The capital experienced riot after riot, leading to the deaths of many priests, sentinels protecting the church, city guards defending the city, and citizens from all walks of life. Ultimately, King Altheos III betrayed the faith by issuing an order to his judges to restore order amidst the chaos. He elevated House Valceran by granting its head, Benjen Valceran, the son of the executed noble, the title of Judge. Judge Benjen and the other judges united their efforts to prosecute multiple priests who had committed atrocities against the people, resulting in the execution of several dozen members of the faithful and parliamentary figures who incited violence. While this may have ended the bloodshed, the imbalance of authority on both sides and the loss of so many lives left the kingdom in a state of disrepair. During this time, stories spread that the Salted Steel Tribe had experienced a coup in 470 ADA. The brutal and ambitious rule of Caecilius Bain replaced the once-neutral and isolated leadership of Signeur Louiseze Antioch. Leading many to fear another invasion by an old enemy. Despite this, the Salted Steel Tribe remained silent in their archipelago to the west.   With King Altheos III's death from old age in 489 ADA, King Damian the Fate Shifter rose to power, earning his nickname for his determination to restore the kingdom to its former glory after the Wisemen's Purge, and influencing Parliament to recognize the dangers of religious interference, which led to the passage of the 7th Amendment—establishing a government to separate church and state and removing the centuries of ill influence of the Congregation of Breyta. For years, the king collaborated with the Horizon's Dawn Tribe to form a guild that would organize adventuring parties throughout Ixala. At the time, there were very few means to allocate adventurer parties apart from housing in Mountain's End, messaging across continents, and incidental travel. The development of this adventurers' guild was slow, as the disorganized kingdom required time to recover and gather resources. Funding this endeavor necessitated the support of Parliament. With his final breath in 578 ADA, the king asked Parliament to approve this bold new idea to revitalize the struggling kingdom. He argued that an organized system of adventurers would help address everyday conflicts in the kingdom, from saving lost pets to protecting nobles from criminals. Furthermore, it would create a global network of Ixala, forging new alliances and enhancing diplomatic relations. With the end of the Age of Rust, the Age of Change began. A turnaround moment against the tide of rust, where the will to change things for the better grew more apparent.   The Age of Change   By 579 ADA, under the reign of the new King Norman II, the Kingdom's Parliament, recognizing the need for stability and exploration, initiated the coalition of adventurers from Horizon's Dawn Tribe to create Horizon's Dawn Guild. This strategic move led to the establishment of numerous adventurer guilds, transforming Mountain's End into a vibrant hub for those seeking fortune and glory. When House Morncloth witnessed this influx of growth, the once hopeless family became inspired to fight against their family curse. Offering adventurers the opportunity to test their skills in the castle's dungeon chambers. Using their nobility to exonerate those who succeed as Keybearers. A law-binding title that labels those as great adventurers. In return, House Morncloth would receive small tributes from these Keybearers for whatever was found in adventures. Throughout the century and beyond, adventurers fulfilled a variety of things from small deeds to nation-saving catastrophes. House Alban, with an abundance of wealth from collecting artifacts and sea trading, began construction of a new port in the southwest of the land, known as Port-au-Belles, in 586 ADA.   In 588, the Hollow Syndicate introduced a drug into the black market known as "after-burner." This concoction, made from the sap of the Saltwood tree and venom from tarantula fangs, was crystallized to be ignited into an inhalable smoke. The drug became so popular that the syndicate's wealth skyrocketed, and the Kingdom of Owenar began enforcing a crackdown on the drug's sale. Initially, the tree sap for the drug was harvested from the dying trees of the Scorchwood forest. Still, it was considerably dangerous and contaminated due to the Scorchwood curse that plagued the forest. By 611 ADA, the syndicate had been found supporting civil unrest in the Flintwood Alley district of Arcshire, the Owenarian capital. Being the most impoverished district of the city, the criminal influence sparked a conflict with the reigning government that the syndicate hoped would give them more recruits. Running low on resources in 622 ADA, they created diversions and sneak attacks against the defending druids of the Saltwood Grove to allow their harvesters to collect pure sap. When they retreated, the syndicate avoided retaliation, thanks to the dangers of crossing the Scorchwood Forest, which had worked in their favor against past enemies. When Queen Lauren II came to power in 624 ADA, after the former king's death, she immediately went to work prioritizing the removal of the Hollow Syndicate from the suffering of her people. Ordering the military to raid the syndicates' after-burner storage, cut ties with its members, and kill those who drew their blades against them. What the queen did not expect was the adamant support of House Araneae, the family of assassins that run the Silk Widow Guild of courtesans and weavers for the capital. The criminal network of Arcshire, led by House Araneae, sought to eliminate the Hollow Syndicate's influence. It soon evolved into a poetic conflict between the silk widow spider and the tarantula of Hollow Canyon. Their conflict, which continues to this day, divides their influence between the capital and Hollow Canyon. Those adventurers who answered the call protected the citizenry however they could by aiding the addicted and stopping the trade of after-burner wherever they could find it. Despite their efforts, the drug continues to flow throughout Westenra as the syndicates' activity remained secure by the dangerous obstacles that protected them. Fortunately, after Por=au-Belles had completed construction and opened new trade routes for the Commonwealth, the lesser lords developed their haven for their class in 625 ADA called Crestwood—a town of mansions protected by a mercenary force. Further down history, discourse occurred in 644 ADA when Queen Lauren II's husband, Reynald Warrick, suffered an intense addiction to after-burner. His affliction led him to fund the Hollow Syndicate for more of the drug secretly. Leading to him being caught and her Queen denouncing his titles and divorcing him in 650 ADA to quell outrage. This put Reynald in a state of frenzy, as his reputation had ruined the power and influence of his small noble family. Desperate for more of the drug, he drained his family's wealth to satisfy his addiction. To relieve his misery, he blamed his former wife for his collapse, killed Queen Lauren II in 653 ADA during her wedding to Alexandre Stormmoon, and escaped. Declared a regicidal maniac, he fled south to the continent of Estenra. Leaving the monarchy under the regency of the new husband until their 1-year-old daughter, Lauren Owenar III, came of age to rule in 669 ADA. The end of the Age of Change arrived with her reign, marking the beginning of a new era with dire consequences. One that would cause such severe changes to Westenra that it would nearly destroy the royal bloodline and the monarchy's rule. History would know it as the Age of Twin Omens.   The Age of Twin Omens   In a rare occurrence that could have been seen as a miracle, Queen Lauren Owenar III gave birth to twin sons, Harald and Gerrard Owenar, in 678 ADA. To celebrate this unique birth of royalty, the Pale Stone Tribe forges two swords of silver steel, Silver Soleil and Silver Lune. In a dark sense of coincidence, a band of adventurers managed to capture the queen killer, Reynald Warrick, who had found refuge in the orc oasis of Agronak. He was sent back to Archsire, where he was executed in Castle Ashcrown with all of the kingdom's nobles to witness. Kneeling on the podium to be beheaded, he looked at the newborn twins with a conclusive stare. He smiled and said, "How unfortunate," and the blade struck his neck before he could clarify. The boys would grow up in the castle and be given the twin swords when they reached the age of 13.   Trained since then by their father, Regent Alexandre Stormmoon, the boys competed against one another to the point that they formed a bitter rivalry. Seeing one another as the true heirs to the throne, despite the oldest being Harold by a difference of two minutes in age. For they did not view the throne as something inherited by birth, but rather as a reward for skill in combat. At the pinnacle of their talents, in 703 ADA, the queen became bedridden as her heart slowly began to fade. During this time, the dreadful black dragon Athreos returned to Westenra in the hopes of avenging the loss of the dragonlands by humankind. His first act was to set the capital ablaze with dragon fire. His efforts were devastating, but were quickly stopped by the arriving paladins of Ragnarvillir. Outraged by the sudden attack of the age-old dragon, a band of adventurers, led by the ambitious twin princes, sailed to the northern mountains where they faced and defeated the infamous dragon. The capital celebrated its victory, but the glory was short-lived as the twins' rivalry began to unfold to its breaking point. Both princes claimed to be the ones who had dealt the final blow against the dragon. Undermining the effort and sacrifice of the adventurers who joined them in their journey. Hating each other more and more, Gerrard challenged his brother's claim to the throne through a Duel of Destiny. Refusing to swallow his pride and wanting to earn his title as heir, Herald accepted the challenge. With their mother too sick to quell their temerity, and the father with no authority against them, the twin princes fought each other with their silver steel blades on a rainy night at Dalios Hold in 710 ADA. Neither prince refused to surrender and continued to cut one another with the sailors of the naval watching helplessly as they tore each other apart.   Gerrard, drenched in blood and carrying both Silver Soliel and Silver Lune, stood victorious as his brother slowly died in a pool of blood, grasping his brother's leg in desperation. From then on, Gerrard Owenar would be known as Gerrard the Kinslayer. Cementing the final breath of Reynald's execution as an omen of royal twin heirs. When he became king in 712 ADA, he became mournful over his brother's death, and he stored the twin blades in his family's vault, never wanting to see them again. His grief came to consume him in 725 ADA when his wife, Jaelynn Galefeather, gave birth to twins born at the same time, Alura Owenar and Altheos Owenar IV. Killing his brother over a minute difference in age was a terrible enough crime for the king, but his children being born raised questions about who would be the next heir. Fearing another conflict between blood, the king, in his drunken madness, killed Altheos IV in his sleep with a painless poison. To cover it up, he had one of his servants framed with the very bottle that killed the prince. Regent Jaelynn did not believe the story as she had learned of her husband's drunken behavior during the night of her son's death. Fearing she would sow doubt, King Gerrard killed her with a knife through the heart. He tasked his Lord Blade, Mathias Valceran, to burn the body in the ruined fortress of Draco Interfectorem, where witnesses would not suspect a criminal act of regicide. The servant was executed without trial, and the family was exiled east to the continent of Azenveld. With the tragedy concluded, King Gerrard obsessively protected Princess Alura to such an extent that he never allowed her to leave the walls of Utheo Square. This would ultimately bring about his ruin as Alura's curiosity led to a revelation. Searching through the royal records of KORR, she was interrupted by Lord Blade Mathias, who could no longer bear the weight of the crime and confessed to her in 745 ADA. Knowing she could not challenge a king for crimes of regicide at the moment, she quietly earned the trust of the other royal guards with the help of the Lord Blade. The day of reckoning finally came in 748 ADA, when she confronted her father in front of Parliament. With the royal guards at her side, she had King Gerrard tried for the murder of the queen regent and her brother, Altehos IV. Grief-stricken and old, the king gave in to the prosecution and confessed his crimes. With no other alternative, Princess Alura executed her father with the same twin blades stored in the family's vault. Ending the reign of King Gerrard and crowning Queen Alura as Alura the Executioner.   For many uncomfortable years, the kingdom grew paranoid over the possibility of another twin birth. Three generations of monarchs, which would have been a cherished miracle of twins, became a superstition of unstable royal birth. One such superstitious individual was a veteran captain of the ownarian navy, Eric Dromund. He was one of the fringe groups who despised the queen's execution of the former king, seeing it as another twin-born royal seizing power. In his delusions, he orchestrated an assassination attempt on the queen. During one of his patrols around the sea borders of the Sapphire Forrest, he secretly harvested a large quantity of the Sapphire Algae. A bioluminescent substance that is commonly used for medicine, but can have dangerous effects in higher doses. When he returned to Dalios Hold, Captain Eric doused the water supply with the algae during a small feast set for the arrival of the queen. Many of those who drank the impure water, including the queen herself, suffered the sapphire blood disease. A condition where the algae rapidly replace the victim's blood with their impurity until the victim's death by blood poisoning. The only practical cure for this affliction is to recycle one's blood, but her royal lineage made it too risky. For the rest of her life, Queen Alura fought against the disease through the medical practice of leeching the impure blood to stave off its effects. The captain soon regretted his decision after multiple officers and other royal members suffered the same affliction. Before he could stand trial for his actions, Captain Eric Dromund committed suicide by flinging himself across the high cliffs into the Centra Sea in 752 ADA. Queen Alura quickly understood that these superstitions would only sow more doubt in the safety of the kingdom. Luckily, her concerns were alleviated in 755 ADA when she gave birth, not to twins, but to a son named Altheos Owenar V, in memory of her lost twin brother. Unfortunately, due to her sapphire blood affliction, her son was born with the same disease. She would later die from blood poisoning in 777 ADA, and Altheos V was crowned the new king. Due to his condition, he was given the nickname Altheos the Poisonous.   Just as his mother was unable to cure herself of the sapphire blood disease due to the risk of death for a royal, he instead spent his life searching for a safer cure and studied many forms of medicine and healing magic. It wasn't until 801 ADA, when he ventured into the Sapphire Forest and witnessed a Sapphire Dragon for the first time, that he had an epiphany. If the artificial dragons can cycle the algae in their biomechanical bodies, then surely there must be some form of magic that allows them to be entirely immune to it, compared to the microdosing used by the forest's mortal inhabitants. With celebration, King Altheos V and a band of healing adventurers invent a formula called "Sapphire Elixir." An expensive concoction of herbs from all over the continents of Ixala that collects the algae in a person's blood and filters them through the kidney system. Unfortunately, in 812 ADA, King Altheos V dies from the disease before he could gather the necessary ingredients to cure himself. His wife, Regent Selma Araneae, gives birth to twins simultaneously in the same year, but dies minutes later from complications. The superstition of the twin omen returns to haunt the people of the kingdom. Following the laws of regency, Parliament decides to install Maester Judge Reina Hennequin as the defender of Owenar, granting her the powers of a monarch until the twins come of age. Fearing that their equal age might bring about the same chaos that had plagued previous twin births, the 10th Amendment was written, stipulating that a parliamentary vote would resolve any conflict of heirship. A decision that seemed wise at the time, but became a premonition for the calamity that was to come. By the time the children reached 7, more than half of the royal family had died from the sapphire blood disease, while the rest were able to avoid the affliction or fund a cure.   It is 828 ADA, and the royal twins come of age, but their birth divides the people on who is the rightful monarch. There was Emilyne Owenar, a passionate Ranger who befriended so many tribesmen and harengon that she earned the title of "The People's Queen." Her opposing brother, Matthias Owenar, a swordsman prodigy whom the kingdom's military respects the most. While they were growing up, they often wandered the lower levels of the family castle, practicing their swordfighting. While these twins cared for one another since they could remember, they had opposing perspectives on what it means to be a monarch. Prince Matthias believed that power was the only way to repel evil acts and maintain peace, while Princess Emilyne believed that unity and peace among neighbors were the key to a brighter future. On the eve of the twins' 16th birthday, Parliament decided to closely observe their actions over the next five years and vote based on leadership skills. A test of their leadership arose during the Orc invasion of the Dwarven lands of Ninthiad. Both heirs used their authority to send aid to the commanders. The one who would end the attack, thus guaranteeing further relations with the kingdom's dwarven allies, would earn the favor of Parliament. Favor that would earn a winning vote for coronation. Therefore, the twin heirs ventured to participate in the War for Ninthiad in 830 ADA.   While Prince Matthias marched an inspired army into the front lines of the dwarven war, Princess Emilyne chose a more tactical approach. Hiring a band of adventurers to sail with her to the desert of Estenra, the homeland of the orc clans. To strike at their leadership and communications to force the divided invasion force to retreat. She did not do this by killing officers or a clan lord, but by helping ordinary orc folk as the war weakened their defenses. Prince Matthias did not make her sister's task easy. His battles against mighty orcs raised the morale of the dwarven clans while souring civil relations with the orcs. During the next 3 years, the kingdom raised its defenses under the orders of the Maester Judge Reina Hennequin. Seeing a respected ranger in need, the Sapphire Rangers sent a small party of their woodlanders to aid Princess Emilyne. This served to the princess's advantage as a way to brandish herself as a unifier, just as the kingdom's founders had intended. This opportunity was seized in 833 ADA when she earned the trust of the Lord of the Broken Sword Clan—salvagers of old war weapons who commanded the second largest army in Estenra. To earn a request to pull the clan's army back, and thus the invasion would fail due to a lack of support, she went with her band of adventurers to face the perilous Tomb of Galbad. This deep underground dungeon houses the body of the Undefeated Swordsman, Galbad, and a vast array of weapons belonging to the mighty foes he defeated. She returned a month later with the Lion Gauntlets of Praetor Titus Quirinius Titianus from the Fuxenarian Rebellion. A monumental achievement that earned her the title of "Ork-sha," which translates to "people's champion." With the Broken Sword Clan marching back home, the front line of the war celebrated as the remaining Orcs retreated. Prince Matthias saw this as his victory until he returned to Arcshire only to see her sister being the victorious one, sowing envy into the prince's heart as he continued the fight to earn his place as king. A month away from the final vote of heirship, realizing that he did not have enough votes to be coronated, he organized a faction of his most loyal officers called "The 4th Kingdom of Man." With the majority of the kingdom's military under his control, thanks to his inspirational heroism in the War for Ninthiad, he seized power in Archsire in 835 ADA. Princess Emilyne fled to the Sapphire Forest, but did not feign any hope. To avenge the kingdom that was rightfully hers, she declared war against the 4th Kingdom of Man. Gathering the armies of rangers, orc clansmen, and government loyalists, she marched back to Arcshire in what would be known as the Twin Civil War.   As she crossed from the Sapphire Forest to the Southern Valley in 840 ADA, she was greeted by the Southern Valley Tribe, who joined her in reclaiming the capital, believing her to be a true representative of the people who could be Queen. The Saltwood Grove would also join forces with Princess Emilyne as they attack Camp Leos to cut off military checkpoints. The citizens and adventurers of Mountain's End split into opposing factions as those who had joined the civil war fought against each other on different sides. Progress for the princess was slow, as the military defense of the 4th Kingdom of Man consisted of human and dwarven veterans from the front lines. It took until 846 ADA for the defenses to weaken enough for the princess to be at the capital's walls. Striking from the weakest point of Flintwood Alley, the Siege of Lost Children had begun. So named for the attack that led to the loss of many lives in Arcshire and a spike in the population of orphans. The battle raged for days as Princess Emilyne made it to her family's Castle Ashcrown. When the dust settled, the princess's army stood victorious as the military of the 4th Kingdom surrendered. Unfortunately, neither of the twins was found until a Sapphire Ranger discovered their bodies in the lower levels of the castle. The Princess holding her brother's head on her lap with Silver Lune in her heart. The Prince lay next to her with Silver Soleil in his stomach and a pool of blood. Both had died from their fatal wounds.   With both heirs slain by each other, and the kingdom left in disarray, Parliament and the remaining Judges kept Maester Judge Reina Hennequin as defender of Owenar to reestablish order. As reconstruction began, the question of heirship remained unresolved. With so few of the royal bloodline remaining, it became difficult to find the rightful new heir. Searching through thousands of documents, the scholars of KORR discovered an Owenarian line that links directly from the founder King Utheos. Cousin to the twins, Darius Owenar was the closest relation to the original royal line. Thus, the 20-year-old knight was voted in as the new king in 851 ADA. Thus did the dreadful Age of Twin Omens ended for the kingdom to strive for a modern approach for a brighter future.   The Modern Age   Wth the help of the Pale Stone Tribe, the dwarven craftsmen, and the recovering merchants, King Darius enacted reconstruction policies to restore the capital and all neighboring lands that suffered from the civil war. By the time he died and was replaced by his son, Derron Owenar, in 916 ADA, the walls and fortifications were complete, and the capital's structure had been renovated to a more modern architecture of stone, steel, and steam-powered machinery. Even homes in Flintwood Alley that were not considered normal were upgraded with new standard pipelines for heating and plumbing. Giving the late and current king the titles of "The Builders." Prosperity began to flourish, but it would soon be followed by a rapid disparity between the richest and the poorest. The merchants had significantly profited from two entire wars that involved the kingdom. With the kingdom restored to full trading, the merchants of House Alban, House Sage, House Greenscale, House Araneae, House Hyperius, and House Aranieros gained immensely enriched lives. The most ambitious of the merchant families was House Quincy, a specialist in weaponcraft, which profited the most from the civil war. Their funding for both opposing parties made them so wealthy that they began buying influence in Parliament, using the history of failed monarchs to drive politicians toward wealth rather than public service. Such doubts were sown even further when, once again, twins were born in 950 ADA. Luckily, in this instance, the eldest was Argon Owenar II, born five minutes before his younger brother, Talon Owenar. However, the fear of instability from the twin omens remained. Fighting against the greedy decisions of politicians who cut wages and accepted bribes, King Derron died from heart failure in 970 ADA. Argon II was crowned the new king, as Prince Talon watched with concern and a slight sense of jealousy.   King Argon II's first command was to empower the sitting judges to run investigations against the kingdom's most corrupt merchants. While Parliament tested it, King Argon II's judges had already collected sufficient evidence for the courts to administer justice rightfully, particularly against House Quincy in 971 ADA, which had the most incriminating evidence of bribery and swindling. Thus did the king's expedient actions give him the nickname "Argon the Swift." In the middle of this economic instability, a small fire in the Alban Market Guild hall caused the death of its guildmaster, Carmela Alban. Evidence of markings and a burnt purple mask has led people to believe that the Hollow Syndicate was involved. Despite the uproar of killing a noble, the succeeding head of House Alban, Hector Alban, proved it to be an accident and refused to allow any further investigations. To this day, suspicions grew as to Hector's motives, but they were slowly dissipated after he became a war hero in the war to come.   For a long while, inspired by the feats of the fabled Galbad and the many heroes of old, Prince Talon Owenar seemed only interested in making his mark as a legendary warrior. He spent years studying history and military tactics as he trained in the physically intense fighting style of Echo Knights, the adopted version of Galbad's long-lost swordsmanship. As he grew stronger, the people began to fear him more, for he was seen as the ambitious twin, like those in the Age of Twin Omens. Try as he could, he couldn't find many friends as people continued to distance themselves from him. The only one who deeply cared for him the most was his older brother. King Argon Owenar II saw not an ambitious monster, but a lost soul marked as the evil twin by his people. He did not want their birth to be seen as another omen of dark tides, and so silenced rumors of Prince Talon, no matter how true they may seem. The younger did not respect the king's efforts as he wanted to fight his own battles and prove to the people he was not the monster their superstitions projected him to be. He studied more, trained more, and when a small band of pirates attempted to kill the head of House Whiteheart in 977 ADA, he took on the entire group on his own at the Crescent Port District of Arcshire. By the time the city guard came to reinforce, Prince Talon had already slain every single one of them. Witnesses to his terrifying skill with the twin blades Silver Soliel and Silver Lune, and stained with the enemy's blood, he was given the nickname "Bloody Talon." Dividing the people's opinion of him as either an unbridled hero of the kingdom, or simply the most dangerous living human in Westenra. With this newfound fame, he was set to become a member of the Royal Blue Blades until a tragic accident in 978 ADA.   During a raid with the Spellhold Tribe, suspecting usage of illegal magic, it was discovered to be the home of an exiled resident of the Salted Steel Tribe. Amid the chaos that ensued, Prince Talon killed the enraged inhabitant. The prince claimed that the person was a spy from Azenveld who carried the mark of the Fuxenarian Empire. Given that this ancient evil had been vanquished for a millennium, such claims by the prince were dismissed as unfounded. Knowing that this would spark war between the kingdom and the Salted Steel Tribe, he had no choice but to have his brother relinquish his membership to the royal guards and expunge his heirship. Stricken with betrayal by his brother, he became emotionally overwhelmed because, for a brief moment, he considered killing his brother, who had done nothing but care for him. Such emotional damage would have to wait to be healed as the kingdom's greatest old fears had come to pass. The Salted Steel Tribe had invaded the mainland of Westenra in 979 with an army so massive that it overwhelmed the great defensive power of Averse's Landing in what would be known as the Sudden Gust. The Storm Splitter, the naval base's mighty cannon, fired upon many of the tribe's warships and decimated their numbers, but there were too many to count and slowly overwhelmed the base. Within a matter of days, the base was overrun, Maester Judge Delvion Araneae was killed in battle, and the enemy occupied what was left. Those who survived had retreated to the mainland as the Kingdom gathered its forces to confront the impending invasion force. The old rivalry dating back to the Silver Age had been reignited, and the Second Salted Steel War had begun.   Led by the Immortal Storm, Signeur Caecillius Bain, the invading army of the Salted Steel Tribe was vast and well-trained. It occurred to many scholars at the time that the tribe had been readily prepared for an attack on the mainland since the brutal family of House Bain usurped their former ruling family. Catching the kingdom by surprise by attacking multiple points around the continent. The Saltwood Grove created a nature-born defense that tore apart landing boats from the Salted Steel Tribe. Blocking any raids compared to the last war, in which the druids learned how to counter their movements. Unfortunately, the brutal tactics of Signeur Caeclilus forced the druid to retreat to Janetown, where their defenses held firm. Attempts to break the wardstones protecting the forest were quickly suppressed. The Sapphire Rangers defended the western region of their forest, but the Salted Steel gained a foothold during the war. They climbed the western cliffs into the treeline and started destroying everything in their path. With this loss, the enemy tribe managed to cut off the western half of the kingdom from both forests and began closing in on Camp Leos. As the centerpiece of the kingdom's infantry, the invading force focused much of its army at Camp Leos. Overwhelming the base with sheer numbers and killing so many soldiers that it looked as though the capital would be the next to fall. Dalios Hold was barraged with cannon fire, but managed to maintain its defenses throughout the war. The numerous losses of ships were replaced or repaired expediently with the help of the inhabitants of the river town of Valentoise. With an enemy attacking effectively on many fronts, it looked as though the Kingdom of Owenar was doomed to collapse at the hands of Signeur Caecilius. However, as darkness rises, light comes to challenge it.   King Argon II orders the most extensive military campaign in the kingdom's history. He called for the aid of the Dwarven Clans to reinforce the Sapphire Rangers, recieved ships from the Kingdom of Thaznir for naval battles, granted all of his Judges the privilege to bear arms to lead men into battle, pardoned criminal magic users of Spellhold in exchange for their support, and gathered adventurers across the lands afar to save his kingdom. Throughout the long 11 years of the war, many individual earned their reputations for heroic acts of liberation in the occupied territories. Lorath Valceran, the Paladin of Justice, and Azarune, the master sword-mage, liberated Camp Leos in 983 ADA. A band of adventurers freed the Sapphire Forest of the Salted Steel raiders with the help of the Flintwood Scar, the battle-loving warrior Judge Sereshe. Lirael Whiteheart and Prince Talon Owenar marched with an army of knights and the Saltwood Grove to push back the occupying force into Averse's Landing in 989 ADA. The most prominent military efforts were led by the kingdom's navy, under the command of the old but formidable Judge Elbion Stormmoon. Wielding a greatsword that controlled the sea, Leviathan's Fang, he led an armada with the deadly ship that slayed the Kraken of Dalios Hold, Kraken's Bane. Quickly quelling the forces in the eastern region, he sailed his armada south through the dwarven bridge city Nol Molduhr, attacking the retreating ships near Camp Leos and attacking the occupied Averse's Landing with full force.   In what would be known as the Battle of Bleeding Rain, the Owenarian fleet fought tooth and nail to reclaim Averse Island. Elbion Stormmoon, the commanding admiral of the Owenarian Navy, ordered his ship, Kraken's Bane, to engage the infamous enemy ship "Blood Moon." The Salted Steel Tribe thought that Elbion was on the ship leading the attack, but in secret, he set foot on Averse's Landing with a small band of fighters. Elbion commandeered the fallen base and Storm Splitter. Sacrificing his ship, he fired the cannon directly at Kraken's Bane. For the ship had been secretly storing large quantities of explosive Dragonpowder. Enough to create an explosion big enough to take down even the mightiest of warships. The thundering cannon fire, followed by an intense eruption of flame, shrouded the ongoing storm and struck fear into the hearts of the remaining enemy. Blood Moon was instantly engulfed in the explosion as debris hurled across the sky for miles. Forcing the enemy into a retreat, the Kingdom of Owenar had won the battle and ended the war in 990 ADA.   With the Second Salted Steel War at a close, the people of Archisre celebrated with profound joy. It was as if the long histories of turmoil and sacrifice had washed away with the tide. In honor of his victory at the Battle of Bleeding Rain, Elbion was anointed the title of Maester Judge, which had been vacant at the beginning of the war. Lirael Whiteheart was given the family role as host of Parliament in recognition of her bravery. The Judges relinquished their arms to return to their judicial duties. Above all, Prince Talon earned a reputation as a war hero. However, such blissful commemorations would not last. Fear of the twin omens began to resurface. Even the victory of an 11-year war could not erase the centuries of bloodshed caused by the royal twins. While the people celebrated the prince as a hero of the ages, as he once dreamed of achieving, whispers between nobles sowed doubt about his true intentions. Rumors speculated that witnesses of the battle for Camp Leos saw the prince wandering the Hollow Canyon where the Hollow Syndicate resided. Whether these rumors are true or what he was doing there is unknown. By 1000 AD, the kingdom had regained its prosperity through reconstruction.   King Argon II celebrates the new millennium by hosting a ball with all the nobles present. During this ball, the head of House Sage, Warden Sage, invites Prince Talon to visit the All-Knowing Triad, a mysterious group of immortal priests of the Congregation of Breyta who are said to foretell the future of those they deem worthy. Seeking a way to end the superstitions of the twin omens, he sailed to Forodren to meet the Triad. Amid his departure, a new old threat reemerges from the ashes of the long-dead continent of Azenveld. An envoy of imperial soldiers bearing the mark of the Fuxenarian Empire came to seek an audience with King Argon II. They came offering the chance of an alliance to fully unify the remaining human race who still lived on the old continent. King Argon II was not easily swayed and refused any notion of a treaty, given humanity's sinful past. As they left, the king realized that the empire's return would pose a significant danger to the world as a whole. Gathering all the allied nations, he informed them of the empire's return. As such, they formed a special contract to deter any influence or attack that this rising empire might commit.   Present Day (1002 ADA)   It is now 1002 ADA, and the kingdom is prosperous, but weary of the future ahead. Arcshire continues to grapple with domestic issues, including the lingering tensions between the Atheistic Coalition and the worshippers of Breyta. Merchants seek new financial gain by trying to collect assets from the dream market of House Aranieros. King Argon II begins to suffer from a progressive illness that eats away at his flesh, giving him the name Argon the Scabbed. Prince Talon returns from his venture to Forodren with a stone-cold appearance and appears to be planning something in secrecy. Observations from Averse's Landing suggest that the Salted Steel Tribe may be preparing for another attack on the mainland, as the Fuxenarian Empire's inactive silence worries the world of Ixala.

The Kingdom's territory consists of regions that cover most of the continent of Westenra. The Silver Fang region is the central system of the kingdom and lies to the northeast, covering the open plain around Lake Dalios to the eastern cliffs where the great Silvervein River meets the ocean. This region is where the kingdom's capital, Arcshire, rests on the shores of the lake, and many small castles for noble lines were built. To the north lies the Northern Mountains region, where the Pale Stone Tribe rests and gathers in their home, Mountains End. Being on the slopes of the great mountain ranges, they mined and crafted astonishing stones and metals. To the west lies the Saltwood Forest, renowned for its salt-rich sap, which has been used both as a source of nutrition and as a source of addictive chemicals. However, half of the wildlife is afflicted with the Scrochword Curse, a self-immolating curse of the Dark Ages. The Saltwood Grove and the citizens of Janetown strive to cure it. Going south past the unclaimed territory of the Hollow Canyon, the Harengon Hills region is the homeland of the rabbit race of the same name. Named after the many hillsides where the Harengon find refuge. Next to those hills lies the Southern Valley region, where native and nomadic humans ride their horses across expansive, open grasslands bordered by a small mountain range to the south. Most of the kingdom's small towns exist here, such as Valentoise, Crestwood, Eaumont, and Port-aux-Belles. Beyond the mountains lies the vast ecosystem known as the Sapphire Forest, renowned for its algae that glow like sapphire gems.  

The Owenarian military is divided into two institutions: the navy and the infantry. The most notable of the two is the kingdom's navy, which has been recognized throughout history as one of the world's most significant naval forces. Capable of rivaling the vast armada of the Salted Steel Tribe while protecting the kingdom's borders from neighboring pirates. That is to say that the infantry is not to be taken lightly, for their training consists of fighting styles such as the paladins of Ragnarvillir, the practice of anti-magic combat from the Spellhold Tribe, and the many forms of fighting styles of knight-combat. Each institution is organized into eight divisions, with each one under the respective authority of a Judge, the highest military rank apart from the Maester Judge and the Monarchy. These Judges represent the districts of the capital, in which they serve in the integrated judicial system. The role of a Judge is more bureaucratic than military as they're honor-bound to pass judgment on violations of the law or its challenges. To aid them in their processes, a Judge may select a second, third, and fourth-seated officer from among his divisions to serve as the defendant's guide to forming a defense. These seated officers are honor-bound to challenge the prosecutions made to promote fairness in the court of law. When one becomes a Judge, they're sworn to relinquish any heirship and disarm themselves of all and any weaponry unless permitted by the monarchy in times of war.   Under the Judges and seated officers are the division officers of captains and lieutenants. They act as the leading command of the divisions of the navy or infantry, and will pass command only to the Judges when requested to do so. Many of these men consist of knights, paladins, sons/daughters of lords, and exceptional magic users. The non-officers of the divisions consist of the populace and tribesmen who live within the kingdom. Voluntarily joining the ranks as sailors or soldiers, they serve as the backbone of the kingdom's defences. The laws of the land are strictly enforced on the military to ensure its compliance with the government and its people. Any violation of those laws is charged in the same manner as it would be with the populace, but conviction leads to the member of the military losing their rank and station.   To protect the kingdom from neighboring threats, the military has stations in every town and city within the kingdom, as well as bases set on the continent's borders. Bases such as Dalios Hold, Camp Leos, Averse's Landing, and Fort Edgewick. Each base is being laid at strategic points and equipped with notable defensive measures. For example, Averse's Landing is a naval base formed from a ruined ship and has been modified with a powerful cannon as a deterrent against an invasion by the Salted Steel Tribe of the Tempete Archipel. In addition, the military armaments include refined steel and armor, and a rare few officers bearing weapons made of Silver Steel, a high-quality steel with magical properties.  

After the Wisemen's Purge, the kingdom adopts a stance of no central religion. Only by exerting influence can some faiths hold some political power, but such practices are frowned upon. The Atheistic Coalition, a collective of non-believers, takes measures to prevent any religious institution from gaining too much influence. The most prominent of these problems is the Congregation of Breyta, a radical branch of the faith that worships Breyta, Goddess of Wisdom. Apart from this, the other religions within the kingdom are those of the other celestial gods and the minor gods that they command. They are as follows:

• Twilight's Choir (Ehdea, Goddess of Twilight)
• The Ministers of Justice (Gajeel, God of Valor)
• The Garden-Keepers (Daphine, Goddess of Order)
• The Inbalancers (Behlios, God of Chaos)
• Coven of the Nameless (Malthael, Neutral Being of Equilibrium)

They range from subliminal influence to isolationists. Despite this, they're treated equally by the laws of the kingdom and hold their temples in the Wisdom's Crossing District within the capital.

The Legislative Branch of the Kingdom of Owenar: Parliament

  In the Kingdom of Owenar, legislative power is primarily vested in the Parliament, a crucial body designed to ensure that the kingdom's laws reflect the will of its people. Operating within a constitutional monarchy framework and guided by "The Silver Sun," the kingdom's constitution. Parliament acts as a significant check on the Monarch's authority, embodying the principles of popular representation.   Parliament is composed of fifty representatives, with one representative elected from each district within Arcshire, the capital region under the kingdom's direct jurisdiction. These representatives are chosen by the kingdom's citizens in elections held every five years. Only humans residing on the continent of Westenra are legally eligible to stand as candidates for Parliament. Non-human individuals may also apply for candidacy, provided they can prove their residency within the capital. The campaigning process for these elections is meticulously regulated to prevent undue influence; the use of coins is restricted to average citizens, and investments from foreign powers are strictly banned. All applicants undergo a rigorous assessment by the Maester Judge, who possesses the authority to publicly release findings if constitutional law appears to be at risk due to a candidate. Following this, family members of House Whiteheart, aged 16 and above, cast a majority vote to approve each applicant before they can proceed formally. Votes are diligently gathered from all settlements throughout the kingdom's borders two weeks before election day, which falls on the 1st Sun of Ultris's Moon (the first day of the year). On election day, a candidate secures a parliamentary position by achieving a majority vote. Parliamentary elections are exclusively held at the Kingdom's capital, Arcshire, and only registered citizens of the Kingdom are eligible to cast votes. To facilitate their duties and campaigning, representatives are provided with housing and security upon their arrival in Arcshire.   The legislative powers of Parliament are extensive and fundamental to the governance of Owenar. Its most significant power includes the ability to amend the Silver Sun itself, the kingdom's written constitution, though this monumental act requires a substantial three-fourths majority vote. Parliament is also responsible for determining the degree of taxation applied to all trade, a system that channels revenue through the sale of goods based on their value and type. The funds collected from this trade tax are then distributed to the monarchy's treasury and subsequently allocated equally throughout the government, all under the authority of parliamentary decision. Furthermore, while overall market activities are broadly regulated only by constitutional amendment, Parliament oversees the regulations for district city guards, ensuring the district representatives maintain them and primarily handle domestic issues. This robust legislative framework ensures that the laws of Owenar are dynamic, responsive to its populace, and serve to balance tradition with necessary progress.  

The Executive Branch of the Kingdom of Owenar: The Monarch and Royal Authority

  The executive power in the Kingdom of Owenar is centered around the Monarch, who serves as the Head of State, leading a constitutional monarchy where tradition and governance are intricately woven. While the Royal House holds the helm, the Monarch's powers are balanced by the elected Parliament and guided by the Silver Sun.   The Monarch retains specific executive powers that are vital for the kingdom's stability and defense. These include the critical roles of appointing officials to various government positions and commanding the Kingdom's military, which functions as the centralized defense force protecting the realm from external threats. However, in a demonstration of the kingdom's balanced system, these executive powers are not absolute; they are consistently exercised in consultation with elected representatives from each district, ensuring a degree of accountability and popular input.   The royal line of succession is strictly determined by primogeniture, with the eldest living offspring inheriting the Silver Throne upon the Monarch's death. Should the Monarch become incapacitated, captured, or be underage, the heir apparent assumes the vital role of Regent, governing until the Monarch's return or coming of age. If the designated heir apparent is unavailable, the responsibility of Regent passes down the line of succession to the next in line. A unique and critical safeguard exists should the entire Royal Family be compromised: the Maester Judge of the military is empowered to assume emergency authority as the "Defender of Owenar." In this extraordinary circumstance, the Maester Judge's primary task is to restore order, acting under the advice of Parliament. During this period, a new royal line would be established through a constitutional amendment process, showcasing the collaborative resilience of the government.   Economically, the executive branch plays a central role in the kingdom's financial health. Taxation, derived from the trade tax on goods, is fundamentally channeled into the monarchy's treasury. The Keybearer Guild, under executive oversight, is directly responsible for maintaining the security and overseeing the accounts of the Iron Paladin Vault, where all trade passing through Lake Dalios must go to ensure proper taxation. This executive oversight ensures the kingdom's resources are managed securely and distributed according to parliamentary decisions, reinforcing the Monarch's role as the central figure overseeing the kingdom's well-being and defense.  

The Judicial Branch of the Kingdom of Owenar: The Militia's Legal System

  Justice in the Kingdom of Owenar is administered through a structured judicial system, primarily embedded within the military, designed to uphold the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Silver Sun to all citizens. This system ensures order, protects individuals, and reviews laws, forming a critical pillar of Owenar's stable and accountable government.   The Silver Sun explicitly enshrines fundamental rights for all citizens, including the rights to life, justice, and equality. The law provides clear protection against wrongful acts such as killing, thievery, injustice, or abuse, extending these protections even to non-human races residing within the Kingdom's jurisdiction. However, for non-citizens of the kingdom, these rights must be formally vouched for by a citizen to be upheld in court. When a violation of these enshrined rights occurs, the investigative process begins at the local level. Each district's city guard, regulated by Parliament, initiates an investigation, detaining suspects as necessary and organizing the subsequent prosecution.   Once an investigation is complete, the case is reviewed by the militia's judicial system. Within this system, defendants are guaranteed the right to legal counsel, provided by low-ranking officers, to guide them in their defense. The trials are presided over by high-ranking military officials who serve as judges. These judges are specifically required to have comprehensive training in Owenarian politics and law, underscoring the importance of legal expertise in judicial proceedings. Judges are selected by the monarch from the ranks of military officers and are elected by district representatives, serving terms of twenty years. This made the case for Judges being of nobility until an amendment was passed that allowed the Flintwood Alley District the power to elect its Judge.   At the apex of the judicial system is the Maester Judge of the military. The monarchy selects this paramount figure, who serves for life, or until deemed unfit by a supermajority (four-fifths) vote of Parliament. The Maester Judge acts as the final reviewer of the law itself, ensuring its proper interpretation and application across the kingdom. This role is crucial for maintaining legal consistency and upholding the spirit of the Silver Sun. Furthermore, while individual districts or regions possess the sovereignty to establish their regulations for local markets, these local regulations must align with the overarching framework. They are subject to judicial review, primarily by this system, to ensure their constitutionality, thereby maintaining a unified legal framework throughout the kingdom.

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Preamble

We, the people of the Kingdom of Owenar, in pursuit of a just and unified society, do hereby declare our unwavering commitment to peace, equality, and the perpetual flourishing of all life within our realm. Conceived as a sanctuary for humankind, this Kingdom shall extends its hand in enduring friendship to our world, recognizing that true strength and prosperity derive from shared purpose and mutual respect. It is with these foundational principles of justice, unity, sanctuary, and amity that we do ordain and establish this supreme law, known as "The Silver Sun," for the perpetual governance of the Kingdom of Owenar.

Article I: The Kingdom and Its Sovereignty

Section 1: Form of Government

1. The Royal House shall serve as the head of state, and governmental power shall be meticulously balanced between the Monarch and the duly elected Parliament.

  Section 2: Jurisdiction and Citizenship

1. The provisions and statutes enshrined within "The Silver Sun" shall apply uniformly to all citizens residing within the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Owenar. Citizenship shall be conferred either by birthright or through the established legal processes of naturalization.
2. The city of Arcshire, as the capital, shall serve as the central authority for the kingdom's laws, exercising functions of government.
3. The constituent regions of the kingdom shall retain their inherent sovereignty as prescribed by law, but they shall perpetually acknowledge Arcshire and the institution of the monarchy as the unifying elements of the Kingdom.

Article II: The Legislative Body

Section 1: Composition and Election

1. Parliament shall be comprised of fifty (50) representatives, with one representative elected from each distinct district within Arcshire.
2. Representatives shall be elected for a term of five (5) years by direct vote of the kingdom's eligible citizens.
3. Eligibility for candidacy to Parliament shall be restricted to humans residing on the continent of Westenra. Non-human individuals may submit applications for candidacy upon presenting verifiable proof of residency within the capital.
4. Campaigning activities shall be subject to strict regulation, prohibiting the use of currency by any entity other than the average citizen and expressly forbidding financial investments from foreign powers.
5. All applicants for parliamentary candidacy shall undergo a thorough assessment conducted by the Maester Judge, who shall possess the authority to publicly disseminate findings if a candidate's involvement is deemed to pose a risk to constitutional law.
6. Members of the Nobel Host, House Whiteheart, upon attaining the age of sixteen (16) years or older, shall collectively cast a majority vote to formally approve each applicant.
7. Ballots shall be diligently collected from all settlements across the kingdom's territorial boundaries two (2) weeks prior to the designated election day.
8. Election Day shall be observed annually on the 1st Sun of Ultris's Moon, wherein a candidate shall secure a parliamentary position by achieving a majority of the votes cast.
9. Parliamentary elections shall be conducted exclusively within the Kingdom's capital, Arcshire, and only duly registered citizens of the Kingdom shall be permitted to cast a vote.
10. Elected representatives shall be provided with appropriate housing and security during their tenure in Arcshire for parliamentary duties or campaigning activities.

Section 2: Powers of Parliament

1. Parliament shall possess primary and overarching legislative authority within the Kingdom.
2. Parliament shall hold the power to amend "The Silver Sun" itself; however, such an amendment shall require a supermajority vote of three-fourths (3/4) of all sitting members.
3. Parliament shall determine the specific rates of taxation applicable to all trades, with said taxation based upon the assessed value and category of the product.
4. Parliamentary decisions shall exclusively govern the allocation and distribution of taxation funds from the monarchy's treasury, ensuring their equitable disbursement throughout all branches of government.
5. Parliament shall enact and oversee regulations pertaining to the district city guards, ensuring that these forces are maintained by district representatives and are primarily tasked with addressing domestic matters.
6. Parliament shall function as an essential check upon the authority of the Monarch, thereby ensuring that the enacted laws reflect the collective will of the populace.

Article III: The Executive Body

Section 1: The Monarch and Executive Powers

1. The Monarch shall serve as the supreme Head of State of the Kingdom of Owenar.
2. The Monarch shall retain specific executive powers, including, but not limited to, the appointment of governmental officials and supreme command of the military forces.
3. These executive powers shall be exercised in perpetual consultation with the elected representatives from each district, fostering accountability and shared governance.
4. The Kingdom's military shall serve as the unified and centralized defense force, primarily responsible for the protection of the realm against external threats.

  Section 2: Royal Succession

1. The royal line of succession shall be determined strictly by the principle of primogeniture. Upon the demise of the reigning Monarch, the eldest living offspring shall forthwith inherit the Silver Throne when they have reached the age of sixteen (16)
2. In instances of the Monarch's incapacitation, capture, or minority, the heir apparent shall assume the temporary yet full authority of Regent, serving until the Monarch's restoration or attainment of legal age.
3. Should the designated heir apparent be unavailable to assume the regency, the responsibility shall pass to the next eligible individual in the established line of succession, continuing sequentially thereafter.
4. In the circumstance of the entire Royal Family being compromised, the Maester Judge of the military shall, by virtue of this Constitution, assume emergency powers as the "Defender of Owenar." This individual shall be entrusted with the solemn duty of restoring order, acting always under the counsel and guidance of Parliament. During such an exigency, a new royal line shall be established through the prescribed constitutional amendment process.

  Section 3: Economic Control

1. Taxation within the Kingdom shall be fundamentally derived from the sale of goods. Every purchased item shall be subject to a trade tax, the rate of which shall be determined by its value and classification.
2. All commercial trade transiting through Lake Dalios shall be legally mandated to pass through the Iron Paladin Vault.
3. The Royal Guard and the Keybearer Guild shall jointly bear the responsibility for maintaining the security and overseeing the financial operations and accounts of the Iron Paladin Vault.
4. Overall market activities throughout the Kingdom shall be regulated solely by means of constitutional amendment.

Article IV: The Judicial Body

Section 1: Fundamental Rights

1. "The Silver Sun" shall guarantee fundamental and inalienable rights to all citizens of the Kingdom of Owenar. These rights shall explicitly include, but not be limited to, the rights to life, justice, and equality.
2. The law shall unequivocally protect all individuals within the Kingdom's jurisdiction from wrongful acts of killing, thievery, injustice, or abuse, extending this protection without prejudice to non-human races.
3. For individuals who do not possess the citizenship of the Kingdom, the upholding of these fundamental rights in a court of law shall require formal vouching by a Kingdom citizen.

  Section 2: Judicial Process

1. Upon the alleged violation of any fundamental right, the district city guard shall initiate a thorough investigation, proceeding to detain suspects as deemed necessary, and subsequently organizing the prosecution.
2. Following the completion of the investigation, the case shall be formally reviewed by the judicial system integrated within the militia.
3. Defendants in all legal proceedings shall be guaranteed the inviolable right to legal counsel, to be provided by low-ranking officers, who shall assist in the preparation and presentation of their defense.
4. Legal trials shall be presided over by high-ranking military officials, who shall serve as appointed judges. These judges shall be required to possess comprehensive training and expertise in Owenarian politics and law.
5. Judges shall be selected from the ranks of military officers through the monarchy, serving terms of twenty (20) years.
6. All Judges must abdicate any heirship of their bloodlines and swear to never draw a sword unless commanded by the monarchy in the event of war.

  Section 3: The Maester Judge

1. The Maester Judge of the military, serving as the supreme judicial authority, shall be selected by the monarchy and shall hold tenure for life, unless deemed unfit for duty by a supermajority vote of four-fifths (4/5) of Parliament.
2. The Maester Judge shall serve as the ultimate arbiter and final reviewer of the law itself, ensuring its consistent and proper interpretation and application across the entirety of the Kingdom.
3. Section 4: Local Market Regulations and Judicial Review
4. Individual districts shall be granted the autonomy to establish their own regulations governing local markets.
5. However, all such local regulations must strictly conform to the provisions of "The Silver Sun" and shall be subject to judicial review, primarily by the militia's legal system, to ascertain their constitutionality.

With many open ranges, especially in the Southern Valley, farmers cultivate a variety of crops, including wheat, corn, apples, carrots, and various berries. On the borders of the Saltwood Forest lie small farming areas where Saltwood Honey is harvested from bees—a very popular delicacy amongst the populist and one of the most thriving agricultural systems in the kingdom. The source of this unique honey comes from the Saltwood Bees, which collect the sap from the trees of the Saltwood Forest. A rich and nutritional substance that has many culinary potentials, but is also harvested by criminals in the production of after-burner, an addictive inhalation drug. In addition, the wheat and berries of the land are fermented for Owenarian wine that merchants and nobles regularly consume. Being so close to groundwater or the Silvervein River, crops are well-fed, allowing them to be bountiful during harvest seasons and providing enough supplies to last through the winter. One of the most unique agricultural parts of the kingdom is the sapphire algae from the Sapphire Forest. It naturally glows a sapphire color and is known to be used for herbal medicine. However, the algae are toxic in higher doses, as they can infect the bloodstream in a condition known as sapphire blood disease. The only known cures are the complete recycling of blood, which is risky, or a costly and challenging formula.   When it comes to industry, the kingdom's most notable feature is its production of steel and steam-powered machinery. The Pale Stone Tribe, experts in stonecraft and metallurgy, used blast furnaces to quickly produce steel for trade and military purposes. After the invention of steam power, the kingdom developed a fondness for basic machinery, including heating systems, lifting structures, and locking mechanisms. The use of this industry for weapons has mainly remained theoretical, with the only steam-powered weapon being the Storm Splitter at Averse's Landing. This massive cannon can unleash firepower capable of silencing the storms of the Tempete Archipelago. Mining from the Northern Mountains and mineral cycling in the Silvervein River have advanced metalcraft, leading to the creation of a unique and invaluable metal known as silver steel ore. When forged into ingots or objects, it carries a magical essence that is cold to the touch and can conjure ice magic with focused concentration. Its forging process has been closely guarded by the Pale Stone Tribe, who regained control of the craft after lengthy legal disputes with the Silver Fang Tribe. The dwarves of Ninthiad became interested in this craft and enhanced its capabilities, aligning with the kingdom's steel production.

Monitored by the many merchant guilds and noble houses, the center of trade and commerce stems from Crescent Port at the kingdom's capital and Port-Au-Belles. The former is highly protected by the military and regulated by Parliament. The Horizon's Dawn Tribe and the fishermen of Valentoise expertly trade fish across the continent's waters with delicious fish of many sizes and appearances. The most traded fish is the Western trout, whose numbers greatly satisfy the demand for this common yet tasty meat. If fish is not your preference, then meat from the Westenra deer is also commonly consumed for its gamey taste. A newcomer to the kingdom's trade is the dream market hailing from the elven continent of Forodren. Specialized magic built from the faith of Thaznir, God of Dreams, where any sleeping dream one desires is feasible with enough coin. The elven family of House Aranieros strictly controls the trade to protect the secret magic of the elves. Apart from the metaphysical trade, the capital encompasses the trade of rare and historically significant objects or valuable materials through the central trade system of the Iron Paladin Vault. It contains an underground system of safes that protects the assets of many of the kingdom's inhabitants and organizes the transactions between them.   Transportation is handled on a case-by-case basis among the common folk. Still, the most trusted organization for transporting and messaging across the continent is House Hyperius and the Royal Road Guild that it governs. Trade among horses from the Souther Valley Tribe and ships from the Horizon's Dawn Tribe makes goods easy to transport by land or water across the world of Ixala. Trade routes involve crossing the Silvervein River to reach destinations on the mainland, and further travel outside the territory requires passing through the Sapphire Forest or Dalios Hold, which requires written permission from government authorities.