Nighthelm/History
Contents
Nighthelm is a realm situated in the southern portion of the Far East Continent. This document records Nighthelm’s proud history, from its humble beginnings to its current glories.
Monarchs of Nighthelm
- Himo Musou
- Senoske
- Thraymn
- Keldaar
- Thraymn (2nd Reign)
- Gul’Dan
Key Historical Events
Svunnetland
Since time immemorial, the Far East Continent has been dominated by two massive nations. Arcea’s long line of kings governed the northern half of the Far East from the gleaming city of Remton. Svunnetland’s rulers presided over the southern portion from the bustling capital of Mashakon. The continent danced to the endless waltz of war, peace and revolution, but in the end, nothing ever seemed to change.
But change it did.
Disintegration
Svunnetland’s King Einar decided to move the capital of Svunnetland to the mountain stronghold of Iposez. Stunned by this decision, the people of Svunnetland grew restless. With his capital so far removed from the southernmost regions, King Einar’s control over his kingdom waned dramatically. Bitter infighting among Svunnetland’s Senate exacerbated the problem. Dissolution was inevitable.
The Duke of Mashakon, Himo Musou, and the Duke of Hatdhes, Senoske, looked upon the growing state of affairs with despair. With the capital so far removed, their once prosperous cities were now falling into ruin. Without any support from the central government, efforts to quell the uprising proved futile. They eventually decided to break away from the now disintegrating realm and forge a new future for the two cities.
Within weeks, the great Svunnetland Empire had fallen to pieces. The coastal regions to the west had banded together to form the Antoza Commonwealth. The southern regions renounced all ties they had to the aging Svunnetland monarchy and pronounced themselves member states of the Republic Soliferium. The lands around the city of Zonasa joined together as the Principality of Zonasa. Old pirates, weary of their life on the seas, settled down in the city of Batesaor and proclaimed it independent. Other regions quickly fell under the sway of bandit lords and denounced all civilized rule.
And the cities of Mashakon and Hatdhes? They formed the core of the fledgling realm, Nighthelm.
The Beginning
The Far East was awash in bloody wars of secession.
Duke Senoske’s Hatdhes, the stronghold of Haul and the mountainous region of Razrpot all threw their lot in with Nighthelm and swore allegiance to their new capital of Mashakon. Now King of Nighthelm, Himo Musou saw his young realm on the brink of starvation. The small but fearsome army of Nighthelm marched east into the Svunnetland province of Idaol. It was hoped that the lush fields would provide enough food to feed the realm.
However, Idaol had once been a part of the duchy of Batesaor and now that Batesaor claimed independence, it laid claim to the rural region. The army of Batesaor was no threat to Nighthelm and after some diplomatic posturing on both sides, Nighthelm eventually gained control over Idaol.
Eventually, King Himo Musou learned that even with Idaol, he was unable to keep his people fed. Shortly after, Nighthelm’s armies marched into Hutael, a region of Batesaor, in an effort to capture yet more farmland.
Realms that bordered Nighthelm condemned what they called Nighthelm’s naked territorial ambitions. They called for a swift withdrawal of Nighthelm’s forces from Hutael. Several were willing to trade food with Nighthelm but King Himo Musou still pressed on with his advance into Hutael.
Under Siege
An ultimatum was issued. War would be declared on Nighthelm if Nighthelm’s armies were still in Hutael. King Himo Musou ignored it and Nighthelm immediately found itself under attack from all directions.
With Nighthelm’s army occupied in Hutael, Antoza Commonwealth marched in from the west and captured Haul. The Principality of Zonasa’s armies struck Razrpot from the north and ransacked the rich region while Soliferium threatened the southern border. High Marshal Valius led a brilliant campaign to defend the northern regions from any meaningful attempt at a takeover but ultimately the strain on the army proved too much and the combined forces of Svunnetland and Batesaor pushed Nighthelm from Hutael.
Demands were made for King Himo Musou to abdicate in order for any type of ceasefire to be considered. He refused and issued orders for his army to prepare for a desperate defense. As the loose alliance against Nighthelm closed in on the capital Mashakon, Himo Musou mysteriously vanished from the royal palace. A massive search was undertaken, but the King was nowhere to be found.
Snap elections were called.
Abortive Peace
Senoske was elected King, and shortly afterwards Hutael was taken by Batesaor. King Senoske began searching for peace. With Himo Musou no longer on the throne, ceasefires were declared with the Principality of Zonasa and Batesaor. Senoske relinquished all claims to Haul in exchange for a guarantee that Antoza Commonwealth would leave the rogue region of Apelen to Nighthelm. The arrangement was agreed and only Soliferium was left at war with Nighthelm.
Due to geographical constraints, Soliferium was unable to mount any meaningful assault. This standoff lasted until Soliferium signed an alliance with Batesaor and gained passage through their lands. The Soliferium army immediately began marching through their new ally’s lands in an attempt to raid Nighthelm’s northern most region of Razrpot.
Battle of Hutael and its Aftermath
King Senoske would not stand by and watch his enemy moving so brazenly against his realm and ordered Nighthelm’s army to intercept Soliferium’s advancing army in Hutael. Considering this strike a violation of their sovereignty, Batesaor declared war on Nighthelm and moved its forces to aid its ally. Nighthelm’s forces, weakened by previous battles, were beaten back. The Principality of Zonasa once again renewed their efforts to seize Razrpot.
With Nighthelm’s army badly outnumbered and supplies wearing dangerously thin, King Senoske had little choice but to cede the territory of Idaol to Batesaor, securing an immediate peace with the Principlaity and Batesaor. However, Soliferium still refused to sign any sort of truce and began preparing for an amphibious assault on the city of Hatdhes.
Battle for Hatdhes and its Aftermath
Nighthelm rushed to fortify the city as Soliferium troops boarded their ships and began sailing northward. Eventually, Soliferium’s army landed on the shored of Hatdhes and quickly began their attempt to break into the city. The battle was long and bloody, but eventually Nighthelm managed to drive the invaders back into the sea. Only during this battle was the reason for Soliferium’s refusal to sign a truce clear. Senoske had demanded that Soliferium give up one of their regions so Nighthelm would be able to feed itself, whereas Soliferium insisted that Nighthelm should look to trade for its needs.
Eventually, Senoske decided to give up on his demands and a period of peace was achieved. Nighthelm was severely weakened with the its losses and there was still the significant problem of starvation.
