The Kingdom of Kaedras

The Kingdom of Kaedras is a feudal monarchy located west of the Callous Peaks on the northern portion of Ethora. It has been ruled by the Ebermund Dynasty for nearly six centuries, however the recent death of High King Rodath without an heir has thrown the nation into disarray.



Formation
Prior to it's formation, the lands of Kaedras were rife with a plethora of individual fiefdoms loyal to their local noble houses. Unification began in 441 CR when Ghorald I married Arhilde, joining the two largest houses in the Osterdon Woods to create the Kingdom of Kaedras. This merger greatly increased Ghorald's influence, placing all the lesser houses of the area under his sovereignty by 450 CR. The kingdom was founded in earnest in 452 CR, when Ghorald was crowned High King in the Temple of Lathander at Appenstahl. His first act as monarch was to subjugate the northern hill tribes of The Hag's Briar and bring them the Word of Lathander. Outnumbered and under-armed, the hill tribes swiftly fell to the Kaedran assault, clearing the way for the establishment of Kaedras' first earldom of Aüsca, which he then gifted to his brother-in-law, Colret of Grisbaum, in 455 CR. The union of Osterdon and Ausca under one banner further strengthened the kingdom's influence, both politically and militarily, placing the fledgling state in an imposing position over it's neighboring counties.

Appropriation of the Sudern Lowlands
Ensuing generations wielded Kaedras' new found regional dominance masterfully, managing to avoid open conflict with their bordering neighbors. Though the threat of invasion seemed likely to many of the weary states, the kings of the Kaedran throne pursued their aims through statecraft rather than battle; undermining the nobility of the Sudern Lowlands through bribery, coercion, religious conversion, etc. This is not to say that this era was a time of peace. Many small skirmishes occurred along the borders with Tornau and Geswig; most notably the Battle of Sodden Ford and Purgeld's Rebellion, however these never materialized into full scale warfare.

The first of the Sudern counties to fall under Kaedran dominion was Tornau, which was ceded upon the marriage of High King Arthund and Velka of Tornau in 498 CR. The union was preceded by decades of proselytizing by the clergy of Lathander, leading to a thawing of relations between the two states as more and more of Tornau's population was converted to the worship of the Dawnbringer. With the priesthood of the two nations eventually working in collusion and the rabble of the common man now united under the same faith, public opinion towards Kaedras swiftly turned positive and Tornau was merged into the kingdom without complication.

Next came the barony of Geswig. In 531 CR, the ruling Baron Egbert Kassel was plagued by the lack of an heir; his many attempts resulting only in daughters. High King Ghorald III saw fit to marry his many sons to the Baron's daughters, with the intent of laying claim to the territory upon the crisis of succession that would be created by the Baron's demise. The High King then immediately dispatched his agents to Geswig, tasked with bribing local nobles to defer to Kaedran intentions and assassinating those that held firm to their Sudern fealty. Much of the nobility gladly accepted the Kaedran tributes and quickly copulated to their new masters, but those whose loyalties could not swayed began to perish in untimely "accidents". Having swept the majority of surviving nobles into his yoke, the stage was set for Ghorald's conspiracy to come to fruition. Baron Egbert met his demise while hunting in the Furrowed Wood, struck down with his retinue by an alleged orc ambush. The High King moved quickly to press his claim and named his son Prince Helwyn as the new Baron of Geswig. A meager resistance was mounted by Sir Purgeld, Egbert Kassel's nephew, however the rebellion was quickly squashed by the corrupted nobility of Geswig.

Großbruck Crusade
An enduring blight upon the lowland realms for centuries, the nefarious forces that dwelt in Großbruck Keep toiled restlessly to propagate their taint and defile the world of the living. Their liege, a Vampire Overlord fabled to be older than the standing stones of Aüsca, was said to periodically wake from it's centuries long slumber and lead processions of vengeful spirits against the mortal domains. The vile spirit would be roused once again in 650 CR and brought forth a blight unlike any seen before. Scores of accursed revenants surged from the crypts of Großbruck and beseiged the realms of man and dwarf alike in foul mist. As corruption spread from hamlet to hamlet, the Arch Bishop of Appenstahl, Sigibald Viseler, was visited by the Herald of Lathander and upon hearing his divine message decried a covenant to sanctify the lands of Großbruck and rid the world of it's affliction. The bishoprics and provinces of Kaedras mobilized immediately and mustered outside the citadel of _________, before heading southeast towards the ancient castle and the horrors that lay within. The river-kingdom of Eskile, also answering the Arch Bishop's call, began their advance on Großbruck from the east.

Both armies acquired many early successes, reclaiming their desolated hamlets and pushing the spectral invaders back into the Ghastly Copse. But as they pushed deeper into the tangled forest they encountered scores of unholy fiends that brought their advance to a halt. Droves of undead burst from the earth, tearing down ranks of soldiers as they marched. In the dark of the night, hulking monstrosities and savage direwolves ravaged the men in their camps. While more than three quarters of the way to the castle, both armies had lost over half of their forces having not fought an actual pitched battle. Obligingly, the dwarfs of Malboram succeeded in reaching Großbruck from the south, allowing the human forces to make great strides towards the city as the undead turned to defend it. Soon the armies of man and dwarf were united and the city was encircled as they prepared for battle. Countless hordes of the risen would pour from the city gate only to fall and be risen again by foul magic; making it clear that sieging the city was not an option. Dwarven sappers set about tunneling under it's wall, opening three breaches in a matter of a two weeks. The remaining human legions, bolstered by their dwarven allies, rushed into the city hoping to dispatch the vampie-lord as quickly as possible, but the evil that dwelled within would stall the allies yet again. Wraiths haunted the alleys and passageways and zombies shambled from the sewers. The vampire counts drained entire regiments of their blood and sowed madness with their witchery. The chaos that ensued lasted weeks and claimed thousand of men and dwarfs alike, but eventually the forces of darkness were pushed back to the walls of Großbruck Keep itself.

Provinces
The Kingdom of Kaedras is comprised of six provinces:
 * Osterdon
 * Capitol City: Appenstahl
 * Eskile
 * Großbruck
 * Aüsca
 * Geswig 
 * Tornau