The History of Winter

The Starlight Queen, and the Enduring King created the first spark together of the Dreaming powers well known in Winter. These were at first entirely Wild magic healing, very unlike the warmer, softer type known to be strong parts of Spring Realm. Entirely the kind of mending for walking wounded that might take place on a duelling or besides a killing field, when so much of Faerie was very young and volatile. The very bones of Winter, are filled with this manner of wonderful, icy power.

Atlantis is founded as the first city of Winter, and grows large quite rapidly. It becomes very well known for its magical presence, elegance, and absolutely beautiful buildings. While initially ruled by a council of matriarchs, eventually Atlantis has its own Grand Archmaester, and then Prince as it spreads to the size of a province on its own.

Shimmer City is eventually founded out of the various city growth and collection of different smaller villages. There are several origins for its name, among them being the glowing wisp lights and candles used to brighten the deepest of the night sky. It was not a grand place like Atlantis was with even its founding. Initially, Shimmer gained its start as a collection of manor homes and beautifully maintained snowy winter gardens and elegant tea houses, but eventually became the largest city in all of Winter, next to Atlantis.   While true that Atlantis was the first true city of Winter, and slightly older, Shimmer became more well known for the number of nobles and political activity, while Atlantis was much more important for its location, trade, and especially magic learning.

King Helliphae primarily built the Midnight Palace out of ice with his powers, with aid from his first chosen Court, Queen Consort and Prince Consort. It was formed from magically carved frozen stone for its foundations and lower levels, and is fully insulated against the cold.   The upper levels of the palace are entirely formed from black and silvery magically charged ice, which can be activated with spells to protect the Winter Monarch, their family, and inner circle of trusted nobles. It is meant to signify the endurance of winter, as well as its harsh but elegant beauty, protection, graceful strength, but most importantly the hopeful presence of dreaming.

Zenefar, a Siren from a common lineage, completes the Proving after Helliphae decides to retire. He becomes the second King of the Winter Realm. He was known for expanding the Royal Ranger Commission, giving each region of Winter a Captain, and dividing Winter into Four Provinces, and 16 districts outside of the Capital City Shimmer, and its Proto-Mageocracy Sister City - Atlantis.

A shifter from a small village outside of Shimmer City has big dreams and proves it when he sails through the Proving. He becomes the fourth Winter King. While beginning his rule hopefully, It is primarily his envy of Summer that eventually comes to control Rilek. However, he does expanding the Royal Ranger Commission once more.   Though, this is the first time that the Winter nobles and royals look to Summer Realms Armed Forces in twisted envy, causing the first true ripples of chaos magic in the form of Voidborn in isolated, darker places in Winter.

The Stone of Destiny stops responding to King Rilek as his greed increases, and abruptly chooses another to be King for Winter's Frozen Throne. This time, it is a Daoine-Unicorn named Maris that the stone reacts to outside of the traditional Proving, though Maris does choose to undergo the rite regardless.   Maris' rule begins with grand promise, especially as a Paternal Great-grandson of the first Winter King, Helliphae. He's known for going against tradition and siding with the nobles of Shimmer by his choice of adding hereditary nobility to the Royal Council in half the twenty Advisory Seats.

Celistar, a Nature Fae/Siren succeeds in the Proving after Maris' long reign compared to some of the previous Winter Kings. The political standoff that has been occurring for untold generations now, sees a sudden heel/face turn. Atlantis now has a champion for the first time in many millennia, as it is where the new King's maternal line hails from.   Initially seeking balance in what has been called the Ice Shard Conflict - a political standoff pitting Atlantis' political structure against Shimmer City, Celistar increases the number of political Advisory seats in the elder cities favour, and especially honours the appointment of Magisters and Magistrixes. Rather than balance as it seems, this causes more strife, but it is not for another four hundred thousand years that this is evident.

King Gallian undertakes a vast alteration and update of the Midnight Palace, and Ebonstar Court Complex of Buildings, expanding them into their own separately administered district in Shimmer City. The Shimmer City Guard is as well split off and a Royal Midnight Guard is as well created during this same several thousand year period, often known as that time Shimmer City tried to again one up Atlantis.   Helliphae's statue is vandalised and also rebuilt in an even grander style to make a point, and the chaos beneath Winter Realm shifts again.

Jaelyric, grandson of King Maris, succeeds at the Proving to become Winter's King, but similarly prefers the styling of Prince, and His Radiant Grace. He is one of Lady Azaur's known lovers, and while doesn't choose to have any offspring, Jael is known for his kind decisions to carving more houses and apartments in current city districts of Shimmer out of pure Ice to make space for more Faeries.   He is also considered the source of the origin story of Jack Frost, much later made popular by human dreaming.   In a major political alteration and attempt to return to Winter's Dreaming roots, Jaelyric shifts all of the Royal Advisors back to appointments only, and eases deepened further imbalance, even as he alienates and infuriates the most of the nobles of Shimmer.

This particular King is well known among historians with an interest in Atlantis with his expansion of the grand Mage-city. Verali's reign is known typically as the classical Golden Age of the City regarding art, music, and the expansion of the unique mageocracy culture that sets it very much apart from the rest of Winter in a truly beautiful fashion.   Many of Verali's improvements to the foundations of buildings in Atlantis eventually would be extremely important.

Azaur announced her arcane aligned ability of Dream Weaving, and travelled around to all the realms to heal the minds of anyone afflicted for nearly 3 million years. Many followed her, becoming her students, learning how to Dream Weave themselves, as a more easily learned approach to mind healing than the wild magic of the past.

Lady Azaur creates the Dreaming Temple, and with Royal Patronage, names herself Matriarch. In this space, the Dreaming Pools are opened and tended for the first time with Royal assistance. The number of Faerie healed by the space mentally and spiritual are beyond telling, and Lady Azaur's reputation as its head continues to flourish. Eventually, her students begin to refer to her as Priestess, eclipsing her previous position as Dreams Confessor on the Royal Council.

Ilmarëlaimë's Queen Consort, Velara, and twin children are eventually casualties as his enemies are unable to get to the Unicorn Siren directly.   The King does not rule much beyond this point, other than to ensure a Proving successor. On a brighter note, despite the loss of his family, Ilmarëlaimë further expanded the Midnight Court Palace structures underground with the same mirror lighting used in his hydroponic farming and gardening to keep Voidborn away.

While not an actual war, the progressives and the nationalists were nearly at war several times because King Hiemal supported the continued mining underneath Atlantis which had begun millennia before his rule. King Hiemal had to negotiate the naturalists from attacking, or the progressives from defending, on several occations.

The moment all four rulers gave their lives to end the Atlantis War.

Tallis goes through the Proving and becomes King following the Great Sacrifice of the Four Monarchs of Faerie. He rules with largely a solemn grace and elegance, as the then-recent conflicts and the the holding steady of the Barrier give King Tallis much to rebuild in Winter.