SkyGinge
Sad Shroom
Magistone: History, Politics and Other Information
A Brief History of Valian Royalty
Valian's are notoriously bad for not keeping records, and not naming things. There was an ancient religion which died out two centuries ago that deemed names as sacred, and naming anything other than people and Gods as sacrilege. Traditional Valian culture has always been more fond of aural storytelling than reading records; this started off due to the general public being unable to afford paper. This has changed significantly across the last century, but out of tradition, many places are still nameless, and the history books are especially patchy.
However, the first king to have his name recorded was Brite the Brave. He established the royal family, and first brought order to Valia by bringing unity to the commoners and fighting back against the Magic tribes which had once wrought havoc against the people. He trained the people to combat Magic, and although he was an immensely powerful Light Mage himself, he outlawed Magic for the havoc it had caused, and the Magic tribes were banished away from Central Valia. Historians were very perplexed as to how exactly he managed this; how could one man stop the force of several angry Magic tribes?
But somehow it happened, and the Magic tribes were rarely seen, barring the odd folk hero. All except for a certain group of magicians, who took arms at their exile; the Dark Druids. Then follows a long period of kings and warfare. None dared to reverse the outlaw on Magic, all save for Coltrane the Clumsy. He allowed Magic to return, and even built the five Universities of Magic on the corners of Aliak's great walls. His sons and preceding kings returned to the traditional, non-Magic rule, keeping Magic among the upper classes once more, and hence literature from the time is especially mocking to Coltrane in spite of the great achievements he is now believed to have made.
Thankfully, his legacy was not lost; a hundred years later, Lyram's grandfather, Grantaer the Almighty, finally allowed magic to be a staple part of society. He wasn't particularly respected at the time however, as people were sceptical and fearsome of what Magic could do. That said, his influence slowly began to grow, until his death. His son, and Lyram's father, Alred the Unready, only reigned for five years before he was killed in a particularly brutal Dark Druid attack as his convoy travelled to a neighbouring noble village. Hence Lyram inherited the throne at the unusually young age of twenty two, and his reign was long and successful until the kingdom's tragic demise.
A tiny bit on politics
Unlike in the real world, Valians have never really valued the upper classes. As the only ones allowed to practice magic in the Dark Days, the commoners were largely sceptical to the extreme, and the upper classes, oblivious as they off were, garnered a very negative image. Lyram was first to really challenge this by very much making himself a selfless, people's person, but the prejudice remains in many more superstitious settlements.
Gender stereotypes have also been a lot more lax in Valia for as long as people remember. In the upper classes, boys were still expected to lead and be strong whilst women were often treated as possessions destined for marriage and childbirth alone; there has never been a ruling queen of Valia. However, due to the public opinion of the upper classes, these expectations never really trickled down, and so gender expectations amongst the majorities have always been more fair and relaxed. People of both genders were allowed to pursue whatever career they want.
Final Trivia
A Brief History of Valian Royalty
Valian's are notoriously bad for not keeping records, and not naming things. There was an ancient religion which died out two centuries ago that deemed names as sacred, and naming anything other than people and Gods as sacrilege. Traditional Valian culture has always been more fond of aural storytelling than reading records; this started off due to the general public being unable to afford paper. This has changed significantly across the last century, but out of tradition, many places are still nameless, and the history books are especially patchy.
However, the first king to have his name recorded was Brite the Brave. He established the royal family, and first brought order to Valia by bringing unity to the commoners and fighting back against the Magic tribes which had once wrought havoc against the people. He trained the people to combat Magic, and although he was an immensely powerful Light Mage himself, he outlawed Magic for the havoc it had caused, and the Magic tribes were banished away from Central Valia. Historians were very perplexed as to how exactly he managed this; how could one man stop the force of several angry Magic tribes?
But somehow it happened, and the Magic tribes were rarely seen, barring the odd folk hero. All except for a certain group of magicians, who took arms at their exile; the Dark Druids. Then follows a long period of kings and warfare. None dared to reverse the outlaw on Magic, all save for Coltrane the Clumsy. He allowed Magic to return, and even built the five Universities of Magic on the corners of Aliak's great walls. His sons and preceding kings returned to the traditional, non-Magic rule, keeping Magic among the upper classes once more, and hence literature from the time is especially mocking to Coltrane in spite of the great achievements he is now believed to have made.
Thankfully, his legacy was not lost; a hundred years later, Lyram's grandfather, Grantaer the Almighty, finally allowed magic to be a staple part of society. He wasn't particularly respected at the time however, as people were sceptical and fearsome of what Magic could do. That said, his influence slowly began to grow, until his death. His son, and Lyram's father, Alred the Unready, only reigned for five years before he was killed in a particularly brutal Dark Druid attack as his convoy travelled to a neighbouring noble village. Hence Lyram inherited the throne at the unusually young age of twenty two, and his reign was long and successful until the kingdom's tragic demise.
A tiny bit on politics
Unlike in the real world, Valians have never really valued the upper classes. As the only ones allowed to practice magic in the Dark Days, the commoners were largely sceptical to the extreme, and the upper classes, oblivious as they off were, garnered a very negative image. Lyram was first to really challenge this by very much making himself a selfless, people's person, but the prejudice remains in many more superstitious settlements.
Gender stereotypes have also been a lot more lax in Valia for as long as people remember. In the upper classes, boys were still expected to lead and be strong whilst women were often treated as possessions destined for marriage and childbirth alone; there has never been a ruling queen of Valia. However, due to the public opinion of the upper classes, these expectations never really trickled down, and so gender expectations amongst the majorities have always been more fair and relaxed. People of both genders were allowed to pursue whatever career they want.
Final Trivia
- With the appearance of creatures evidently birthed from powerful Dark Magic, nobody has actually seen anything of the Dark Druids or even of a discernible Shadow King. What could this mean?
- Additionally, in spite of the massacre and ruinous state of most villages, there's surprisingly few bodies around. What could this mean, too?
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