Westgard/Ruling Line

RULING LINE OF WESTGARD
Portrait	Ruler	Reign Begin	Reign Ended	Notes
	Archon Faldron Nethercoate	December 16, 2015	March 19, 2016	First ruler of the newly established realm of Westgard, established as a western colony of many refugees. Faldron, hailing from Atamara, had only ever been a Count. The inexperienced noble would have a difficult task ahead of him due to the massive hordes that still roamed the west. During his reign Westgard would expand and contract numerous times. The fierce rogue hordes pushed the realm to the brink of destruction more than once, even getting the fledgling realm down to one or two regions. One of the most notable moments of Archon Faldron's reign was the creation of The Virtues. These Virtues, penned by Alyssa Fontaine, would become the cornerstone of Westgardian life. In the end, Archon Faldron would eventually become ill, disappearing from Westgard, never to be heard from again.
	Archon Aarn Hemmingst	March 22, 2016	October 2, 2016	This period was one of savage desperation across Dwilight, but during Aarn's reign, Westgard would recover from the brink of death. Luria Boreal in the far south had been destroyed by the hordes, while Swordfell, Luria Nova, Fissoa, and Madina had all withered away as their realms were ravaged. It was only Westgard that miraculously prospered. It was during this time that Westgard earned the reputation as being "The Shield of Mankind" for its brave and heroic defense of all human realms. Aarn was a warrior-King who frequently led Westgard's armies against the hordes, often facing unwinnable battles against twenty-plus thousand beasts. Eventually, he would propose the idea of taking the Shrine of Seeklander to create a buffer against the Western onslaught, which proved to be ultimately futile. The endless slaughter and seeming futility of Westgard's mission led to madness and paranoia in the Archon, and he ultimately disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
	Archon Rosalind Foxglove	October 6, 2016	November 1, 2019	Longest consecutively serving ruler in Westgard history. Rosalind went to war with Tol Goldora to press and preserve Westgard's claim on the city of Golden Farrow, ultimately capturing the city and defending it successfully against the Goldorans. Fought a war of attrition against not only the Goldorans, but a continental alliance which had materialize to oppose Westgard. Ultimately preserved ownership of the Golden City, while seeing much of the rural countryside turned to ash. Accused by her enemies of betraying Westgard's mandate as the "Shield of Humanity" by warring with human realms. The Gold Sea War continued for years, and Rosalind was only able to maintain an uneasy stalemate. Ultimately, she retired from the throne, hoping another could end the conflict decisively for Westgard.
	Archon Lukan Fuor	November 5, 2019	January 6, 2020	Strong advocate of the war against Tol Goldora. He prosecuted an aggressive campaign against the Goldorans, hoping to end the war by destroying their ability to make war. Under his leadership, Westgard engaged in a controversial and devastating war of attrition which left both Westgard and Tol Goldora in ruins, to the horror of the continent. Lukan's decisions in the war opened up Westgard to a devastating counterstroke, as Goldora engaged in guerrilla warfare in response. He oversaw a great decline in territorial holdings controlled by Westgard as the war continued to take its toll on both nations, leaving both on the precipice of disintegration. Lukan, feeling he was unable to achieve total victory, stepped aside.
The Government of Westgard was formally reorganized by Gheric Arylon. The title of the ruler was restyled "High King" to honor the Everguardian Kingdom, which was the first to establish civilization in the west where Westgard now stands, and in which he was born.
	High King Gheric Arylon	January 6, 2020	January 6, 2021	Son of Fisc Arylon, the former High King of Everguard, the geographic and ideological precursor to Westgard. Forged continental peace on Dwilight and ended the Gold Sea War with the creation of the Golden Farrow Accords. Journeyed to the heart of Zuma lands in response to their destruction of the fortress of Valkyrja. Instrumental in the recapture of the great city of Darfix by Avernus. Crushed an insurrection by Henrik Thrane, The Betrayer. Reformed government and created two new duchies. Founded The Order of the Emerald Shield. Expanded Westgard to its largest territorial holdings in the history of the realm as Westgard recovered from the war, with the realm stretching as far west as the city of Gaston. The period of his rule is known today as the Golden Age of Westgard. Gheric chose to step aside to allow his wife Alessia to carry on his legacy.
	High Queen Alessia de Medici	January 6, 2021	April 6, 2021	Wife of the former High King Gheric Arylon, and former High Adjudicator. Was informally referred to as the "Most Serene Queen of Westgard" by her partisans. Her rule was difficult for the realm, as post-war political divisions began to become apparent in Westgard. The new economic prosperity and ascendent aristocracy caused conflict over resources, and the nobility pushed for a larger role in the Kingdom's affairs. Alessia's political position was complicated by her Lurian blood, and former citizenship in Tol Goldora, which made the native Westgard population suspicious of her rule. Made Constitutional reform and devolution of power central to her reign, a legacy which remains with Westgard to this day. Ultimately, she was unable to maintain her power base and stepped aside. She mysteriously disappeared shortly thereafter.
	High Queen Flavia Schwarzherzig	April 6, 2021	July 19, 2021	Presided over a period of stability in the realm, with a somewhat declined territorial holding taking shape over time. Flavia was a great critic of Westgard's motives and role in the Gold Sea War, and she loudly condemned the entire affair as a tragic mistake. An non-interventionist suspicious of foreign entanglements, her foreign policy focused on continued agnosticism as to the other realms on the continent. She engaged in a controversial program of territorial raids of rogue lands to gather resources for Westgard, which she believed was necessary due to the loss of the productive capacity of several key regions once held by the Kingdom. Her leadership divided the realm, inspiring opposition parties to form. Her political position weakened, she ultimately abandoned the Crystal Throne and disappeared under mysterious circumstances. She has not been seen since.
	High King Lucky Harte	July 19, 2021	November 16, 2021	Decline had taken shape all around Westgard, and the realm was suffering from a malaise. A former trader and Cortier, Lucky Harte was elected promising to develop new resources that could lead to economic prosperity and lead Westgard into, as he called it, "another Golden Era." This proved to be harder than he anticipated, however, and he was not able to achieve any major initiatives. During his tenure, the Kingdom eroded further and there was a sharp decline in the vitality of the realm. Lucky spent but a short time on the Crystal Throne, ultimately unable to achieve his goals. Historians, however, regard him as a decent man and credit him with stabilizing Westgard's divided political situation, which took shape in his predecessor's reign.
	High King Lowry Cameron	November 16, 2021	July 23, 2022	High King Lowry Cameron came to power hoping to restore stability to Westgard after the slow and precipitous decline experienced by the Kingdom prior to his ascension. Unfortunately, he did not seem as engaged in ruling the Kingdom as he would need to be in order to restore the realm's greatness. As a result, his rule saw Westgard shrink to its smallest territorial holding in a generation. Controversially, he reformed the government and ended elections for the Emerald Crown, declaring himself High King for life. Over time, the realm continued to whither away, until the remaining nobility of Westgard began to protest his leadership and demand he step down. High King Lowry abdicated honorably, in accordance with the wishes of Westgard.
	High King Gheric Arylon	July 26, 2022	Currently serving	Having previously served as High King, Gheric was once again chosen for the Crystal Throne, promising to reverse the near destruction of Westgard. He ultimately became the longest-serving ruler in Westgard history. During his tenure, an assassin from Luria Nova attempted to kill the High King, and in response Gheric declared war on the Lurians. The war ended with the death of the Lurian assassin. Afterward, he engineered the immigration of several citizens from Astrum to Westgard, helping to radically expand Westgard's borders and making good on his promise to restore the prominence of the realm. During his reign, Westgard once again commanded regions that had long since been abandoned. Later, the realm of Wicrose engaged in destructive attacks on Westgard, and in response Gheric was forced to declare war to protect the realm. Westgard recovered Libidizedd, and pressed the fight into the East, wiping out Wicrose's ability to wage war and leaving the realm in ashes.