Nighthelm/History

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

1. Himo Musou
2. Senoske
3. Thraymn
4. Keldaar
5. Thraymn (2nd Reign)
6. 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

Bird signs? You want to plan a campaign on bird signs? The only signs of birds I know of are that which a fine arrow makes during its flight, and by the blessing of Hildr, that is all we need... - High Marshal Thraymn to his spiritual guide made just after his appointment by Himo Musou

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.

Downfall

With traders from all over the continent bringing food to Nighthelm’s markets, the people were finally being fed a respectable amount. However, King Senoske knew that Nighthelm could not be utterly dependent on other realms for such an important resource.

Struggle Against Apelen’s Bandit Lords

After having secured the Commonwealth’s agreement in the previous war, King Senoske now moved Nighthelm’s army into the rogue province of Apelen, determined to wrest control of it away from the numerous bandit gangs that roamed the decimated region. The bandits resisted ferociously. Even after Nighthelm managed to install a local government, skirmishes broke out across the entire region and militia that swore loyalty to Nighthelm was slaughtered.

Growing increasing frustrated with the events, King Senoske’s attempts at suppressing the insurgency grew more and more brutal. Anyone suspected of being in league with the bandits was immediately arrested. Collateral damage caused by this battle for dominance reached intolerable levels.

Ultimately, support for Nighthelm among the common peasants evaporated and King Senoske was forced to withdraw from Apelen, though he swore to return.

Conflict with the Principality of Zonasa

Relations between Nighthelm and its neighbours were poor at best. During the previous conflict, the Principality had failed in its attempt to seize control of Razrpot. Due to the abortive takeover attempt in Apelen and the resultant drain of precious resources, Razrpot’s food supply began to run low. The Principality, noticing this, immediately declared that Nighthelm was unfit to govern the people of Razrpot and massed its army north of the Razrpot border.

As Nighthelm’s army began to launch itself on the long trek across the mountains, King Senoske’s increasingly acerbic replies to Nighthelm’s neighbours spurred the Principality and its ally, Taith Aenil, to invade Razrpot. Razrpot’s militia was immediately crushed by the invader’s overwhelming might.

The Principality of Zonasa fortifying themselves for a takeover and Nighthelm’s army progress inhibited by the Principality’s infiltrators. Seeing this, High Marshal Keldaar ordered a general retreat in order to regroup for a more concerted counteroffensive. King Senoke countermanded that order and ordered the fractured Nighthelm army to continue towards Razrpot and certain death. Keldaar felt his position undermined and immediately resigned his post.

Rebellion

King Senoske grew progressively more erratic and Nighthelm began to teeter on the brink of another devastating war. High Priest Tharymn realized that Senoske had so poisoned Nighthelm’s relations with its neighbours that only a change of leadership could save Nighthelm. With a heavy heart, Tharymn led a rebellion against King Senoske. With astonishing speed, the rebellion gained the support of almost all nobles and overthrew Senoske, granting Tharymn the throne.

The Darkest Days

With King Tharymn on the throne, tensions with most of Nighthelm’s neighbours defused somewhat. However, Razrpot had already fallen into the hands of the Principality of Zonasa and with Nighthelm so weakened; little could be done.

But the worst was yet to come.

Rhitallia

Artemis, Duke of Hatdhes, was an old friend of the deposed king. Shortly after the rebellion, Artemis severed all ties with Nighthelm and led Hatdhes in secession. With Edairn, a region of Antoza Commonwealth, the dictatorship of Rhitallia was born. Senoske fled to the new realm and was quickly installed as the Duke of Hatdhes. Now reduced to the sole region of Mashakon, Nighthelm was on its knees. Many despaired at the turn of events and Nighthelm’s proud defenders steadied themselves for the harsh days that were to come.

King Tharymn knew that Nighthelm’s army, once among the most fearsome on the continent, needed significant help in order to reclaim Hatdhes. An agreement was quickly made with the Antoza Commonwealth a realm that had until just recently been at war with Nighthelm. The details of the agreement were simple – the utter destruction of Rhitallia with the Commonwealth retaking Edairn and Hatdhes flying Nighthelm’s flag once again.

Battle of Hatdhes and its Aftermath

A combined force of troops from the Antoza Commonwealth and Nighthelm descended upon Hatdhes. Rhitallia had little time to prepare its defences and Hatdhes only had a limited number of militia to defend it. Unfortunately, what seemed like certain victory for Nighthelm and its ally turned into a debacle.

Troops from the Commonwealth and Nigthelm, too used to treating each other as enemies, began to fight each other during the battle. Confusion was rife and commanders on all sides quickly lost control of their men until it was too late. Even with this unexpected turn of events, Rhitallia’s forces were decimated in the battle. Nighthelm’s troops broke through the gates of Hatdhes and stormed the city.

With the massive losses sustained during the battle, Nighthelm was unable to begin any semblance of a takeover. In the end, Nighthelm and the Commonwealth were forced to withdraw. Swearing to return, the two realms signed a formal alliance so that the disastrous sequence of events would never be repeated.

Rhitallia Surrender

During the battle, Dictator Artemis appeared to have suffered a mortal wound. His body was never found, but everyone believed him dead. Gurido was quickly installed as the new Dictator of Rhitallia. As Nighthelm and the Commonwealth began rebuilding their forces and Rhitallia’s own resources dwindled, Gurido realized that any further conflict would be pointless. He contacted King Tharymn and surrendered.

In short order, Gurido returned Edairn to the Commonwealth and began preparations to surrender Hatdhes to Nighthelm.

Soliferium Involvement

In the midst of these negotiations, Soliferium’s army suddenly arrived in Hatdhes and rapidly occupied the city. When questioned, Soliferium claimed that its troops were present in the city to keep the peace and protect the people of Hatdhes. Repeated calls for Soliferium to remove its presence were ignored. Soliferium repeatedly stated that Nighthelm would be unable to feed the people of Hatdhes and would therefore be inadequate rulers of the city. Mindful of Soliferium’s previous attempts at capturing the city, Nighthelm was wary of Soliferium’s motives and made such suspicions clear.

Reluctant to bring Nighthelm into yet another conflict, King Tharymn persuaded the Antoza Commonwealth to demand that Soliferium leave the city to Nighthelm and to guarantee the provision of a stable food supply. Eventually, after much diplomatic pressure, Soliferium vacated Hatdhes, but not before leveling the great walls that protected the city.

The true reasons for such an action will never be known but Hatdhes was now a shadow of its former self.

Senoske’s Redemption

Senoske, the current Duke of Hatdhes began a painful rebuilding process. After a limited amount of construction was completed, he surrendered the city to Nighthelm, ending Rhitallia’s short existence.

Once this surrender was complete, King Tharymn revealed Senoske’s secret dealings with his old realm. Wracked by the guilt of knowing that he almost brought the realm that he helped found to its knees, Senoske swore to undo what he had done while he was on the throne of Nighthelm. When Senoske joined Rhitallia, he immediately contacted King Tharymn and both of them began to plan how best to restore Nighthelm.

Senoske worked from within and planned to disrupt Rhitallia’s attempts to defend itself and afterwards worked to end Soliferium’s occupation of the city. In return for this, King Tharymn promised Senoske that he would be allowed to serve Nighthelm again. However, Senoske would never again be allowed to hold a place on the council nor would he be allowed to command any region. In addition, Senoske would have to leave the Far East for a month in a journey of reflection and repentance. Senoske readily agreed.

When Hatdhes returned to Nighthelm, Senoske departed to lands unknown in the knowledge that when he returned he would have restored his honour as best he could.

Restoration

Nighthelm was now on the way to recovery, but none doubted that it would be a long and difficult journey. The imminent spectre of disaster had lifted somewhat, but Nightelm was still weak and therefore vulnerable. King Tharymn understood this and made many critical decisions that would shape Nighthelm for ages to come.

High Marshal Quattro was charged with restoring the ruined city of Hatdhes to its former glory while Banker Goldenowl had his hands full arranging the shipment of precious supplies from Nighthelm’s neighbours. Resources were infinitely scare, but the situation had improved somewhat.

In order for Nighthelm to never again face the disaster of an erratic monarch, King Tharymn installed the Senate – an advisory group of the most respected, knowledgeable and honourable nobles to guide and advise the council. It was hoped that this body would be able to steady the hand of the ruler.

Apelen Revisited

As always, Nighthelm’s pressing need for food was the most pressing problem. Once again, Nighthelm looked at Apelen to bring relief to this problem. King Tharymn was aware of the difficulty that his predecessor faced in attempting to subjugate the bandit lords that roamed in the rogue province. In addition, he was also wary of Soliferium to the south.

He charged the newly formed Senate to formulate a plan to protect the city of Hatdhes from any seabound assaults and take Apelen simultaneously. The Senate decided upon a plan to forgo brutality and win the people’s hearts in Apelen. It would take significantly longer but it was judged to provide the greatest chance of victory against the bandit lords.

A portion of Nighthelm’s nobles were sent to Apelen and ordered to engage in friendly dialogue with the people without making any obvious attempts at a takeover. Another portion was stationed at Hatdhes in order to deter Soliferium from making any northern movement.

After some time, King Tharymn judged the populace to have accepted Nighthelm’s presence. He began a formal takeover but commanded the troops of Nighthelm to help the people of Apelen to rebuild their shattered homes and farms. Eventually, Nighthelm managed to shatter the hold that the bandit lords held over Apelen. High Priest Orin quickly brought the bandits to justice and threw many a number of them into the dungeons.

With Apelen firmly under Nighthelm’s control, Nighthelm’s dependence on foreign trade for food was still significant but not severely so.

Reformation of the Military

Nighthelm began growing once again. Many nobles were drawn to Nighthelm’s determination to survive even during the harshest times. However, the current military structure was beginning to show signs of being unable to support such a large number of nobles.

With input from the previous High Marshal, Keldaar, the military was reformed. Three battalions were created, each under a brilliant military leader.

Sarig was given command of the Lightning Raiders, an elite rapid response battalion designed to strike as rapidly as possible and destroy the enemy before any coherent counterattack could begin. Mirtas was appointed the leader of the Night Owls, the bulk of Nighthelm’s army, which was charged with delivering such crushing blows to the enemy that retreat would be the only option. The King was put in charge on his own personal battalion which was constituted of nobles who would guard the realm from enemy incursions.

Razrpot Liberation

All eyes now turned on Razrpot. The people of Razrpot had suffered immensely under Zonasa's rule. Seeking to rapidly subjugate the province, the Principality of Zonasa began a campaign of brutal repression. Repeated uprisings were mercilessly crushed and savage reprisals visited upon those who were suspected to harbour thoughts of rebellion. Razrpot resisted the Principality of Zonasa's rule of many weeks but Zonasa eventually managed to force its control onto the region.

King Tharymn looked upon these events with rage. However, the Principality had made several agreements with Soliferium and Soliferium's troops massed near Nighthelm's borders. Several abortive attempts at another invasion of Hatdhes were made, but Soliferium claimed these to be military exercises and announced that they did not wish a war with Nighthelm. Nevertheless, Nighthelm's army was forced to guard the borders and unable to prevent the atrocities that the people of Razrpot were faced with.

During these trying times, King Tharymn was busy making contact with Nighthelm's ally, the Antoza Commonwealth. He hoped that the Commonwealth would lend Nighthelm the military support needed to break the deadlock. However, before anything substantive was agreed upon, the King suddenly fell victim to a mysterious ailment and became unable to rule. Elections were called and Keldaar was chosen as the next king. King Keldaar immediately continued with Tharymn's diplomatic work and after intense negotiations a defensive pact was signed. The Commonwealth promised to aid Nighthelm in defending its borders, but not in any offensive military operation.

Shortly after, the Principality and Svunnetland began to engage in a war of words. This eventually escalated into a war and the Principality's army had to leave Razrpot to reinforce their northern regions. King Keldaar seized upon this opportunity and ordered High Marshal Gul'Dan to begin an all-out assault on Razrpot. With the Commonwealth moving their army into Hatdhes, Nighthelm's army overwhelmed the limited militia defending Razrpot. Shortly after the stunning victory, Razrpot was liberated.

Razrpot lost a quarter of its population under the Principality’s rule. The cost of Nighthelm’s failures was immense, but with its massively experienced army as its backbone, Nighthelm was stronger than ever before.

Grand Lodge of Lunaria

Due to significant internal strife, Duchess Annwn of Ortedail led a secession that saw the Republic of Soliferium break into two halves. Soliferium retained sovereignty over the eastern half while the new realm of the Grand Lodge of Lunaria was born from the western half. Soliferium, caught momentarily unawares by the secession, began sending its army eastwards in order to crush the secessionists.

Annwn, now Pontifex of the Lunaria, sent forth a plea for aid. In the plea, she described the internal political tensions that led to the secession and how she felt that Soliferium had lost sight of the principles it was founded upon.

King Keldaar considered the matter an internal affair akin to a civil war. Nighthelm had been victim to a similar event before and was reluctant to support it. The Antoza Commonwealth, on the other hand, quickly threw in its lot with Lunaria and rushed troops southwards. Nighthelm allowed their ally to use the city of Hatdhes as a strategic base camp but did not mobilize its army.

The Hall of Blood and Battle, the preeminent guild of the south at that time, was, like Soliferium, split into half. However, large portion of its members quickly joined Lunaria’s ranks. Several of Nighthelm’s nobles, who were members of the guild, requested permission to travel south to aid their brethren. King Keldaar gave his permission, but only if they were to battle under the flag of the guild and not Nighthelm. They agreed and began the long voyage south.

Credit

This document would not have been possible without the following people

Editors

• Quattro, current High Priest of Nighthelm

Contributors

• Senoske, former King of Nighthelm
• Tharymn, former King of Nighthelm
• Keldaar, former King of Nighthelm
• Gul'Dan, current King of Nighthelm