Chapter Text
This story begins, as many often do, with an ending.
The tale takes us to the mountains that divide the land. To the west lies the burgeoning league of nobles, the Leicester Alliance, situated in the far eastern reaches of the continent of Fodlan. Even farther east than Leicester, beyond the snowcapped mountain peaks, lies the Kingdom of Almyra - and within it, some of the fiercest warriors known to the world. The two countries share the mountains that rise between them. And for the longest time, they shared nothing more.
These two countries have always shared a long and bloodied history. Even when they were not actively at war with one another, it would be a stretch to call it a time of peace. The people of Fodlan despised the people of Almyra – or, more likely, they feared them. The Fodlans viewed the residents of the land as savages, as barbarians, as untamed beasts. And while the people of Almyra were certainly accustomed to a more militant way of life, they, too, looked down on the Fodlans to the west. They viewed their neighbors as rich, and greedy, and perhaps above all else… weak. There may be no documented case in history where these two opposing lands saw eye to eye with one another.
The Almyrans of the desert and the Fodlans of the plains could not have more different views of the world, it seems. The Fodlans are considered by many a far more disciplined people. They value rules, and structure, and laws, and nobility. The Almyrans, on the other hand, are a people of tradition. Outside of the biggest cities, many Almyrans still live and travel in nomadic tribes. They often settle debates with their fists, and determine worth by engaging in feats of strength. Fodlans are very religious people who believe in the power of the Goddess; Almyrans believe their wealth is gifted from the land that they cherish, and opt for self-reflective meditation over prayer. They share the mountains that rise between them, but nothing more.
The people of Almyra have fierce traditions – they are not necessarily violent people, but they value strength above most else in their society. And one of the many traditions that Almyra has maintained for centuries is that of the ascension to the Almyran throne. When a sitting King passes on, the throne is passed down through their bloodline, as is tradition in most lands in the world. However, while in many places - including Fodlan - the title is passed down a lineage based on birth order, in Almyra, age bears little weight. The next leader is chosen among the King's sons by Almyra's people - they are elected based on their merit. The leader selected by the people would be whoever it is that proves themselves the fiercest warrior in battle. Therefore, in Almyran tradition, when a current King falls, the period that follows is often turbulent: the King’s children will face off in needless violence to prove themselves worthy of the throne. They will duel against some of the most fearsome warriors in the country, or even against their own siblings, with the victor earning the crown. Some, as it turns out, are bold enough to even incite entire wars to prove their worthiness of the throne.
This story begins with an ending. The tale begins with the passing of Almyran King Ibraham the Untamed, after a longer reign than most Kings get to know. The funeral ceremonies came to a close; the chants and songs and marches came to end, and the King was buried next to his departed Queen. The kingdom observed a three-day period of mourning; a period of silence to reflect on their fallen leader. And then, before long, it was time to select the next ruler. It was time for the people of Almyra to decide which of King Ibraham’s children would take the throne next. Which meant... it was time for King Ibraham’s children to prove their worth to their people.
King Ibraham had three sons vying for the crown. The eldest two participated in a more traditional Almyran duel; a fight to the death in front of a cheering crowd, where Fahad impaled his brother Adnan with a lance to prove his might to his people. But while the older brothers fought to the death to show their strength, the youngest son, Amir, had grander intentions. The youngest son of the late King amassed an entire army, crossed through the mountains, and marched on the Leicester Alliance, declaring war on Fodlan.
Almyra and Leicester have had more skirmishes than anyone could count on the border between their countries. There wasn’t one generation whose people didn’t know the tribulations of war. There had been blood shed many times before – but never as much as in Amir’s war. For the first and only time in Fodlan’s history, the Leicester Alliance fought to the brink. They fought until they were on the verge of falling. Had reinforcements not come in, Almyra would have conquered Leicester for certain. But right before they were forced to surrender, Leicester's saving grace arrived. Reinforcements from the other countries of Fodlan, the Adrestian Empire and the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, stepped in and lent their support to keep Leicester from falling to Almyra. And when Leicester and its allies finally chased away Amir and his soldiers, the three dueling countries of Fodlan came together to build Fodlan’s Locket, an impregnable fortress on the border of Leicester and Almyra.
It was a long and arduous war – the bloodiest the two lands had seen. But after years and years of fighting, it finally came to an end. Crown Prince Amir withdrew his troops and returned home, where after slaughtering his surviving brother, he was crowned the new King of Almyra, King Amir the Unbroken. Meanwhile, Leicester started rebuilding its war-torn streets and repairing its tumultuous economy, licking their wounds from the battle. However, the end of the war did not come soon enough. Because when the dust settled, and the bodies were amassed and casualties counted… the leaders of Leicester made a horrible discovery – Duchess Tiana von Riegan was gone. Vanished. For months, they searched for the Sovereign Duke’s daughter. They expended all of their money and time and energy to find the young noblewoman. But she was nowhere to be found. The only logical conclusion was one that Sovereign Duke Oswald von Riegan couldn’t even bear to consider – that his daughter had been taken by the enemy as a prisoner of war.
From that moment on, Duke Oswald von Riegan lived with only one purpose in life – to take down Almyra once and for all. To make his enemies pay for what they had done to his daughter. The fallout of the war only made the relations between Almyra and Leicester even worse. And when Duke Riegan finally gave up on the search for his daughter, he took his seat at the head of the Leicester Alliance and set a new law in motion – any Almyran spotted on the Leicester side of the border be sentenced to slavery, or be killed on the spot.
The Kingdom of Almyra
Amir the Unbroken takes the helm of Almyra following his successful attack on Leicester. The new King’s first act is to completely shut off all contact with Fodlan - ending all trade, all tourism, and all communication, leaving the two countries completely and utterly isolated from one another, in retribution for Fodlan building the Locket. After that, he starts building his legacy in other ways. The King starts filling out the next generation of Almyran rulers, siring four children who live into adulthood – his three sons, Akil, Ali, and Omar, and his daughter, Yasmin. Each of them, in turn, produces heirs of their own - Akil has six children, Ali seven, Yasmin five, and Omar eight. As is customary in Almyra, the royals cast wide nets, sowing their seed far and wide to ensure a worthy successor is produced for the next generation. Almyran royalty tend to have countless children from countless partners before actually settling down to marry. And in Amir’s family line, it looks like they were very successful in that regard, as Amir boasts twenty-six grandchildren; twenty-six future claimants to the crown.
The Leicester Alliance
In Leicester, on the contrary, Duke Oswald von Riegan does not have the same luxury. Oswald only fathered two children, including his daughter Tiana who was taken by the Almyrans. His succession plan, then, only consists of his eldest: his son Godfrey. Godfrey, stubborn as anyone, has put off his marriage for far longer than is customary in Fodlan, demanding he wait to wed until he found a woman he was in love with. Even as Oswald reaches an age to consider retirement, Godfrey has still not wed and has not produced any heirs, leaving the future of House Riegan up in the air.
The Leicester Alliance is helmed by Sovereign Duke Oswald von Riegan; a ruler who was once widely respected by all of the houses in the country, his daughter’s disappearance has started to drive him toward madness. Since the war, Oswald has lived and breathed just to see Tiana’s kidnappers brought to justice. He obsesses over it – over his hatred for Almyra. And the once dependable leader has now planted seeds of doubt in the other major Houses of the Alliance, leaving them to question if the aging Duke was still fit to rule.
The Alliance serves as an oligarchy of sorts, with five leading houses each earning a seat at the roundtable and the right to vote on important matters facing the nation. Although Riegan sits at the head of the table and has the most impactful vote, in theory, each seat gets an equal say in Alliance matters. The other major Houses of the Alliance include House Gloucester, the wealthiest family in Leicester; House Goneril, the military masterminds of the country; House Ordelia, experts in laws and trade agreements; and House Edmund, the country's masters of trade and commerce.
For decades, the other four Houses had boldly followed House Riegan’s lead - but Tiana’s disappearance changes Oswald von Riegan for the worse. As he ages, his obsession continues to take him over; and, as time goes on, he begins to fall seriously ill. With Oswald on the decline, it only makes sense for the Sovereign Duke to start transitioning his seat at the head of the table to his son, Godfrey.
However, others in the Alliance have their eye on that seat. And as Oswald declines, in the background, the whispers of conspiracy begin. If House Riegan were to fall out of the Alliance, control of Leicester would pass to the next in line – House Gloucester. Seeing a golden opportunity in front of him, then, Count Erwin Gloucester conspires to have Godfrey von Riegan murdered – leaving Oswald with no living children, House Riegan with no heir… and control of the Alliance defecting to House Gloucester.
Only days after Oswald’s retirement, Godfrey is killed en route to a meeting in Gloucester territory.
Gloucester’s scheme is playing out perfectly - with no living heirs, sickly Oswald is forced to come out of retirement – but with his illness catching up to him quickly, the old Duke doesn’t have much longer before the Alliance passes on to House Gloucester. And just like that, so quickly, House Riegan is in shambles. In such quick succession, Oswald von Riegan lost his daughter to war… and lost his son to a political assassination. Now, the Duke's bloodline faces extinction - and all Count Gloucester has to do is sit back and watch. Watch as House Riegan falls from glory. Watch as the Leicester Alliance falls into his hands.