The History of Xocrium
B.A. = Before Adeodatus, A.E.D. = After Elder Drakes
Origins of Xocrium [??? - ??? B.A.]
The Elder Drakes [??? B.A. - 1 A.E.D.]
The Failed Moonviper Attack [3 A.E.D.]
Conquer of Padwell [377 A.E.D.]
Rule of Padwell [377 - 459 A.E.D.]
The Divide of Knights [459 - 494 A.E.D.]
Recent History [501 A.E.D. Onwards]
The Elder Drakes [??? B.A. - 1 A.E.D.]
The Failed Moonviper Attack [3 A.E.D.]
Conquer of Padwell [377 A.E.D.]
Rule of Padwell [377 - 459 A.E.D.]
The Divide of Knights [459 - 494 A.E.D.]
Recent History [501 A.E.D. Onwards]
Origins of Xocrium [??? - ??? B.A.]
Before the time of the Elder Drakes, there were once twelve city-states that resided in the region. It was said that each one was ruled by a ‘ruling house’ or historic family that was native to their individual land. Some would expect the city-states to all work together, after all, they were all native to the region but that would never be true. Each city had its own problems and each only would do what would better their city as a whole. Because of this, before long they would start to ally among themselves only to backstab each other weeks later.
Before long, they raged war upon each other. This massive, long-lasting war was said to be known as ‘The War of the Twelve Crowns’. It was said that this war had lasted for hundreds of years and was expected to continue for years to come or so they thought.
Some time later, the cities had started to exhaust all of their resources. Fighting each other had left the region strained. There was once a young maiden who had recently become a Lady of one of the cities-states, that city being Lightfield. She saw how much the war had destroyed her ancestors' lands and had brought suffering to her people. So, from that time further, she vowed that she would unite all the city-states together to forge a new era to the region, a kingdom of Knights. And so she did. With her late father’s army, she went city by city, sieging each castle and making the lords and ladies surrender to her cause. After this, the lords and ladies including the maiden herself pled an oath, which in turn forged the great Kingdom of Xocrium that still stands today.
Before long, they raged war upon each other. This massive, long-lasting war was said to be known as ‘The War of the Twelve Crowns’. It was said that this war had lasted for hundreds of years and was expected to continue for years to come or so they thought.
Some time later, the cities had started to exhaust all of their resources. Fighting each other had left the region strained. There was once a young maiden who had recently become a Lady of one of the cities-states, that city being Lightfield. She saw how much the war had destroyed her ancestors' lands and had brought suffering to her people. So, from that time further, she vowed that she would unite all the city-states together to forge a new era to the region, a kingdom of Knights. And so she did. With her late father’s army, she went city by city, sieging each castle and making the lords and ladies surrender to her cause. After this, the lords and ladies including the maiden herself pled an oath, which in turn forged the great Kingdom of Xocrium that still stands today.
The Elder Drakes [??? B.A. - 1 A.E.D.]
This period of time has shaped much of Xocrium, and how it views dragons as a whole.
It was described to be a very chaotic time or a time where Xocrium dealt with the “consequences'' of being the largest human nation at that time. Xocrium was originally ruled “solely” by Elder Drakes in BA with the help of their human counterparts (The original rulers of Xocrium). It was noted in many history books that aside from the Elder Drakes’ other slaves, the people of Xocrium got the worst of it. People were starved for days at a time, forced to tend to any Elder Drake that decided to come to Xocrium, and received the worst punishments if they did not do as they were told.
It was even said that Elder Drakes would constantly burn down certain cities in Xocrium simply because they enjoyed watching the people rebuild just for them to be destroyed again a few weeks later. It was also said that during great shortages of food, dozens of people would constantly go missing. No one knew where they had gone but what they did know that the Elder Drakes never seemed to want to eat the rations they were given during the shortages, almost as if they had already eaten something else.
This terrible treatment continued until the Night of the Red Moons caused the Elder Drakes to turn on each other, and although their ensuing rampage caused immense damage to Xocrium, the following extinction of the Drakes was cause for great celebration.
It was described to be a very chaotic time or a time where Xocrium dealt with the “consequences'' of being the largest human nation at that time. Xocrium was originally ruled “solely” by Elder Drakes in BA with the help of their human counterparts (The original rulers of Xocrium). It was noted in many history books that aside from the Elder Drakes’ other slaves, the people of Xocrium got the worst of it. People were starved for days at a time, forced to tend to any Elder Drake that decided to come to Xocrium, and received the worst punishments if they did not do as they were told.
It was even said that Elder Drakes would constantly burn down certain cities in Xocrium simply because they enjoyed watching the people rebuild just for them to be destroyed again a few weeks later. It was also said that during great shortages of food, dozens of people would constantly go missing. No one knew where they had gone but what they did know that the Elder Drakes never seemed to want to eat the rations they were given during the shortages, almost as if they had already eaten something else.
This terrible treatment continued until the Night of the Red Moons caused the Elder Drakes to turn on each other, and although their ensuing rampage caused immense damage to Xocrium, the following extinction of the Drakes was cause for great celebration.
The Failed Moonviper Attack [3 A.E.D.]
During the first few months of 3 AED, the Moonvipers (Ruled by Queen Adeodatus at the time) decided to take it upon themselves to build a vast empire because of their part in getting rid of the Elder Drakes. The empire spanned over both Theavia and Cyr and resulted in many kingdoms having to cut their territories short so that the Moonvipers could build.
At this time as well, the moonvipers attempted to expand their empire into Xocrium’s territory. Because of what happened with the Elder Drakes and what the Xocrians had to endure because of them, it isn’t a surprise that the Xocrians were not happy about this. The cities that they had begun to build were quickly burned and destroyed. This frightened the Moonvipers , who quickly evacuated what they had built and went on to build their empire anywhere but Xocrium.
At this time as well, the moonvipers attempted to expand their empire into Xocrium’s territory. Because of what happened with the Elder Drakes and what the Xocrians had to endure because of them, it isn’t a surprise that the Xocrians were not happy about this. The cities that they had begun to build were quickly burned and destroyed. This frightened the Moonvipers , who quickly evacuated what they had built and went on to build their empire anywhere but Xocrium.
Conquer of Padwell [377 A.E.D.]
A century or so ago, Padwell was once its own kingdom. As stated before, the kingdom was quite small and covered in dense marshes, canopies, and an abundance of swampland. Because of this, to most kingdoms in Theavia, Padwell offered little to nothing of value besides extra territory. Before long, Xocrium took interest in the small nation. The king during that time, King Eden Raine II, thought that because of their locations next to each other, taking and joining the two would provide benefits for both Xocrium and Padwell.
After some planning, Xocrium began the process of joining Padwell with Xocrium. First, as stated in the records of the events, King Eden sent several letters of his proposal and hoped that the leaders of Padwell would see this through his own eyes. To his mistake, the Queen of Padwell was angered by this and refused the proposal. After this, Eden took a different approach to the situation at hand. After some secret summits, several arranged marriages came into existence between noble children of both Xocrium and Padwell. This approach had some effect on the nobility of Padwell but not enough to make a lasting effect. King Eden started to become a bit frustrated with the actions of Padwell. With this, he sent a few regimes of Knights to start a few border skirmishes between the two nations. The king's goal of this was to show the leaders of Padwell that they must make a peaceful choice and accept the proposal or face the wrath of the greatest human army on Theavia. After winning most of the skirmishes with little to no casualties on the xocrian side and taking a few of Padwell's cities, the leaders of Padwell finally agreed to join the two kingdoms. The king was overjoyed and excited for this new future for the kingdom of Xocrium.
For their cooperation in the proposal, King Eden gave Padwell their own province that was within their original kingdom so they didn't have to change their location. He crowned the then queen of Padwell, Queen Adain, and her husband as Lady and Lord of Padwell. Furthermore, he also gave them a seat on his royal court and a small grant of currency for their troubles. This did not change the queen's opinion of how horrible he was for taking her crown away from her but it did give her some comfort that she still had some of her original authority and her home under her control. However, this changed when Eden split the province in two and gave the new province to a noble house of Xocrium. This angered Lady Adain and prompted a confrontation between the two. King Eden assured her that nothing was going to change and that he was just making sure the territory between all major noble houses was fair. This did not change her opinion and the relationship between the two was never the same after that. To help ease the tension, Eden crowned a noble Padwellan house who was native to the land, House Virtanen, as the regional rulers of the new province. Unlike the original Xocrian provinces, these provinces were named after the Padwellan families that ruled over them. As he did this, by official decree, House Dauntless was crowned the rulers of the new province as well. Together, even though House Dauntless had more power, the two families would help rule the province. After all of the new changes and social mergings, things seemed to run smoothly throughout all of Xocrium.
After some planning, Xocrium began the process of joining Padwell with Xocrium. First, as stated in the records of the events, King Eden sent several letters of his proposal and hoped that the leaders of Padwell would see this through his own eyes. To his mistake, the Queen of Padwell was angered by this and refused the proposal. After this, Eden took a different approach to the situation at hand. After some secret summits, several arranged marriages came into existence between noble children of both Xocrium and Padwell. This approach had some effect on the nobility of Padwell but not enough to make a lasting effect. King Eden started to become a bit frustrated with the actions of Padwell. With this, he sent a few regimes of Knights to start a few border skirmishes between the two nations. The king's goal of this was to show the leaders of Padwell that they must make a peaceful choice and accept the proposal or face the wrath of the greatest human army on Theavia. After winning most of the skirmishes with little to no casualties on the xocrian side and taking a few of Padwell's cities, the leaders of Padwell finally agreed to join the two kingdoms. The king was overjoyed and excited for this new future for the kingdom of Xocrium.
For their cooperation in the proposal, King Eden gave Padwell their own province that was within their original kingdom so they didn't have to change their location. He crowned the then queen of Padwell, Queen Adain, and her husband as Lady and Lord of Padwell. Furthermore, he also gave them a seat on his royal court and a small grant of currency for their troubles. This did not change the queen's opinion of how horrible he was for taking her crown away from her but it did give her some comfort that she still had some of her original authority and her home under her control. However, this changed when Eden split the province in two and gave the new province to a noble house of Xocrium. This angered Lady Adain and prompted a confrontation between the two. King Eden assured her that nothing was going to change and that he was just making sure the territory between all major noble houses was fair. This did not change her opinion and the relationship between the two was never the same after that. To help ease the tension, Eden crowned a noble Padwellan house who was native to the land, House Virtanen, as the regional rulers of the new province. Unlike the original Xocrian provinces, these provinces were named after the Padwellan families that ruled over them. As he did this, by official decree, House Dauntless was crowned the rulers of the new province as well. Together, even though House Dauntless had more power, the two families would help rule the province. After all of the new changes and social mergings, things seemed to run smoothly throughout all of Xocrium.
Rule of Padwell [377 - 459 A.E.D.]
While it is true that things did run smoothly at the beginning, it didn’t stay that way for long. After the borders were open between the provinces in Padwell and the rest of Xocrium, many contrasts of treatment could easily be seen. While ‘Padwellans’ who came to Xocrium were welcomed with open arms, Xocrians who tried and did move to Padwell were met with a not so warm welcome. They were faced with discrimination of sorts: being given very bad directions through an already hostile swamp, not being served or helped when it came buying goods or entering taverns, and were frankly ignored and avoided throughout the entirety of the provinces. Even after King Eden II named House Virtanen as the ruling family of the new province - later named after them - these treatments still persisted. The Padwells even went further to complain about the lack of protection they were promised, even though they are the reason the protection and services never came. King Eden did everything he could to please them, but nothing seemed to work.
In 378, King Eden was found dead - presumed to have died from a unknown untreated illness- and his young daughter, the late Queen Catherine Raine would take his place. People thought that she would be able to bring the people together but it would be known later that there was nothing she could have done. Throughout the entirety of her reign, violence occurred throughout Xocrium. Many riots were started by angry ‘padwellans’ who were still upset over the conquest of their small territory and took advantage of the fact that Catherine was queen - too young to truly do anything about it - to voice it. This was soon stopped by Lady Reina Phoenine, who had enough of the constant disrespect for xocriums' efforts at peace and the tantrum that padwellans were throwing. In secret, Lady Reina formed a secret group known as ‘The Division of Feathers’ or better known as ‘The Division’.
The Division are an elite group of assassins founded in secret by Lady Reina Phoenine following the riots during the reign of Queen Catherine Raine. Their mission was to bring order to Xocrium and put an end to the growing upset that was residing within the provinces - but only from the shadows. Soon after the group started to group, things did quiet down within the kingdom for a time. Critics and political journalists were soon silenced and suspected or known rioters just happened to show up at prisons, usually tied up and gagged. This was short lived after Queen Catherine and her newborn daughter, Princess Alice were presumed dead.
The Division later returned after Lady Reina’s daughter, Queen Avelot Phoenine, won the joust for House Phoenine. With the resources at her disposal, Avelot would make people fear the Division’s very name. Within weeks of her reign, the riots soon faded into oblivion and the many padwellans who had supported them had silenced themselves.
In 378, King Eden was found dead - presumed to have died from a unknown untreated illness- and his young daughter, the late Queen Catherine Raine would take his place. People thought that she would be able to bring the people together but it would be known later that there was nothing she could have done. Throughout the entirety of her reign, violence occurred throughout Xocrium. Many riots were started by angry ‘padwellans’ who were still upset over the conquest of their small territory and took advantage of the fact that Catherine was queen - too young to truly do anything about it - to voice it. This was soon stopped by Lady Reina Phoenine, who had enough of the constant disrespect for xocriums' efforts at peace and the tantrum that padwellans were throwing. In secret, Lady Reina formed a secret group known as ‘The Division of Feathers’ or better known as ‘The Division’.
The Division are an elite group of assassins founded in secret by Lady Reina Phoenine following the riots during the reign of Queen Catherine Raine. Their mission was to bring order to Xocrium and put an end to the growing upset that was residing within the provinces - but only from the shadows. Soon after the group started to group, things did quiet down within the kingdom for a time. Critics and political journalists were soon silenced and suspected or known rioters just happened to show up at prisons, usually tied up and gagged. This was short lived after Queen Catherine and her newborn daughter, Princess Alice were presumed dead.
The Division later returned after Lady Reina’s daughter, Queen Avelot Phoenine, won the joust for House Phoenine. With the resources at her disposal, Avelot would make people fear the Division’s very name. Within weeks of her reign, the riots soon faded into oblivion and the many padwellans who had supported them had silenced themselves.
The Divide of Knights [459 - 494 A.E.D.]
One night, there was a meeting between a lord of Padwell named Maddox and Queen Andreas Phoenine.
It is said that during this meeting, Maddox had asked for Padwell’s independence and their original lands. The Queen, who first laughed it off, was quite perplexed by what Maddox had asked from her. She first explained why what he was asking from her was strange and impossible but then the situation began to become violent after the two began to argue over the issues. It is said that Queen Andreas threatened him with execution by her hands if he were ever to bring or mention those issues in her presence ever again.
This was the day the rebellion began.
After the meeting between Queen Andreas and Lord Maddox, things started to become chaotic throughout the lower provinces. Queen Andreas had ordered for an increased military presence throughout the provinces of Mosshold, Padwell, and Virtanen. After what happened between her and Lord Maddox, Andreas became quite wary of him and the people around him. She kept her orders of increasing the military presence quiet and only between her and her Court. After this, things were quiet - for a time. As stated in public history records, throughout Padwell and Virtanen, there was an uprising of violence against the added military and the Grand Wardens throughout the many cities. Many citizens and Wardens alike abandoned Padwell and Virtanen, fleeing to the well-protected province of Mosshold or to the north.
This angered Queen Andreas, who later called for war against Padwell and Virtanen. This long-lasting war would later be known as ‘The Divide of Knights’. All ties, including trade and supplies, were cut between Xocrium and the two provinces. No large-scale battles took place until 460 AED, when Queen Andreas led an army to one of the border cities between Xocrium and Padwell. The city was known as Entrenchias, the City of Ruins. It was the last city destroyed by the Elder Drakes before their demise and it was never rebuilt or revisited, until the Padwellans decided to make their outpost within it.
After her Division informed her of their whereabouts, Andreas quickly rallied her army and marched south, from Everguard all the way to the edges of Mosshold. Nothing would stand in the way of her wrath.
It didn’t take long to siege the ruins, but the fighting within the walls would take many lives, including that of the Queen and the young Lord of Padwell. In many accounts of the battle, it is said that a fire swept through the ruins, claiming the lives of rebels and knights alike but what is certain is that the fire did not stop Queen Andreas from doing what needed to be done. In her final moments, Andreas drove her longsword into Maddox’s head. It is that she drove it so deep that it came out the back of his neck. The ruins crumbled beneath their feet, and the two fell into the fiery blaze below. Most believed that the war - if you could call it that - would end now that the leaders of both sides had been killed, but the worst was yet to come.
After Queen Andreas’ death, her eldest child King Gerald, and his fiance the later Queen Crescens, took the throne, and a new leader had sat on the throne of the rebels. Her name was Tuonetar, the younger sister of Maddox Padwell. While she would soon bring her wrath down upon the young couple, most expected initally that she would sue for peace and try to put her brother's foolishness behind them. Gerald was Queen Andreas' only child and was his mother’s prize, and because of this she was his idol. Even though she kept her image as clean as possible, her usual peacefulness and understanding could quickly be overshadowed by her fierce nature when needed. Many guess that’s why, when Tuonetar stepped into her brother’s light, the young king was ready. His wife, Queen Crescens, was a similar story. Though she came from a family full of researchers and astronomers, her parents were rumored to have worked in the Division, but no one can truly put the facts in place besides Crescens herself. The Queen was just as fierce and as strategic as the king himself, and many suspect that their similarities are what had drawn them closer to each other.
After his coronation and the funeral of Queen Andreas, King Gerald and Queen Crescens had sent word to Tuonetar. After the death of both his mother and Maddox, Gerald was prepared to give Padwell one last chance to see the error in their ways and swear their loyalty back to Xocrium - against the wishes of Crescens of course, who wanted to have the Padwellan family executed as soon as they made it to the capital - and their people. In response the King received a daring letter from Tuonetar, a flat refusal of King Gerald and Queen Crescens’ generosity and Tuonetar’s plan to finish what her brother had started. And so, King Gerald called for war.
In 462, King Gerald had set up border patrols along the southern borders of Mosshold. Mosshold was famous for its thick patches of impassable tropical forest, which made the entire province a great location for an outpost and a gigantic fortress. Throughout the entire year, Gerald had sent regiment after regiment through the marshes of Padwell. Many had never returned and those who did were either severely wounded or driven mad from being lost in the marshes for too long. Many others can back with news of a group of border guards, the Redwings, led by Tuonetar’s brother - Ohtli - who were causing them the most trouble. After many failed attempts to infiltrate Padwell, it was said that King Gerald has started to lose hope in war and avenging his mother, but not Queen Crescens. She had different plans that would surely be in their favor.
The following year, after studying the routes and tactics of the Redwings, Crescens had devised a well-thought plan to capture Ohtli and use his respect in Padwell to her advantage. She knew that the Padwellans respected Tuonetar’s family greatly and she figured that if someone such as Ohtli were to swear loyalty to Xocrium, it would create enough division and chaos amongst the traitors for her husband to lead their army through their broken defense and put an end to the rebellion.
Her plan worked at first. The Redwings had fallen for the trap and were cornered. Though most of them had gotten away, they were never the target. To the queen’s surprise, a young squire - A child who wanted to be a hero to be exact - named Darrene was able to capture both Ohtli and his second-in-command, Toivo, and deliver them to her with the help of her personal garrison. For this, Darrene was officially knighted by Queen Crescens herself and was offered a job to work as one of her royal guards.
Ohtli and Toivo were both locked within the Citadel’s crypt, Ohtli being visited by Crescens with the same offer every day: Swear loyalty to Xocrium. Throughout most of his imprisonment, he stayed quiet after he first refused, but Crescens continued to visit. When Gerald met with Crescens about Ohtli, he questioned what she would do if Ohtli did not cooperate with her. As a response, she asked her husband where he would like Ohtli’s heads to sit after she cut it off in front of the citizens of Citadel. They both laughed, because at first it was only a joke, but later what she would do would be no laughing matter.
In the dead of winter of 463, Ohtli and Toivo were successfully able to escape the crypt, perhaps due to lazy or complacent guards. Queen Crescens flew into a rage and sent word to all provinces for them to stay on high alert and to find Ohtli, alive. After being recognized by a peasant, Ohtli and Toivo were found. When the knights returned to Citadel, they were only able to bring back Ohtli. Crescens briefly thought about what happened to Toivo but she figured that he just returned to Padwell. Her guards questioned if she wanted them to track him down and bring him back too, but she refused, as she liked it better this way. Leaving when your leader had been captured would be painful enough to last for the rest of his life.
A few weeks before the Festival of Light, Crescens visited Ohtli one last time with the same offer: swear loyalty to Xocrium. He broke his silence, insulting the Queen and her family and blatantly stating that he would die before he ever swore loyalty to ‘tyrants’. “So be it.” she stated, right before she told her guards to ring the towers of the Citadel and march Ohtli to the center of the city.
It was a cloudy day, as the wind blew through Crescens’ hair. By the time they made it to the center of Citadel, nearly all of Citadel had formed a gigantic crowd around what looked to be a statue of the late Queen Andreas. As they stood in front of the statue, facing towards the crowd with Ohtli on his knees, she asked him: “Are you sure this is the choice you are making?”. Silence remained within the air. “Very well.” the queen stated. As the queen lifted her sword, many account that Ohtli remained looking forward towards the crowd.
A bloody slash broke through the immense silence followed by the cheers of thousands.
Ohtli was now dead.
Even after the death of Ohtli, battles were still happening at the border and regiments were still unable to get into Padwell. It seemed as if the death of the prince had only strengthened them. By then, Queen Crescens was heavily pregnant with her first child and King Gerald was off commanding the regiments within the walls of Woodkeep. Padwell's terrain was posing even more of a threat than the Redwings themselves. Though they adapted to Xocrian tactics, they were only hard to deal due to their natural protection being the marshes. In late 463 AED, Crescens's child was due within weeks. One night, as her husband’s garrison returned from a week-long battle in the marshes, Crescens was waiting for him among them. For as long as he had been gone, she was worried and stressed out of her mind about his safety. She knew it wasn’t good for their child but she couldn’t help herself.
When they finally returned through the gates of the Citadel, King Gerald was nowhere in sight. It was said that a pain-filled scream could be heard from the Citadel that night. Crescens, who had thought of the worst over her husband, went into early labor. After some long painful hours, the Queen was finally a mother. She had given birth to a baby boy who would later be named after Crescens' late father, Gilberto. As Crescens had thought that her husband had been killed, she ordered for her coronation as Queen-regent and her son’s coronation as King.
This was, however, until Gerald burst through the doors of their chambers screaming “Crescens! Crescens!” He rushed to her wife’s side, clutching her and their son dearly. He vowed that he would stay in Citadel with her, since he now saw what needed to be his first priority. Though there were some battles after 470, the birth of Prince Gilberto marked the unofficial end of the Divide of Knights and, unfortunately, left Padwell as the victors of the war.
Peace would only be officially declared in 494 A.E.D.
It is said that during this meeting, Maddox had asked for Padwell’s independence and their original lands. The Queen, who first laughed it off, was quite perplexed by what Maddox had asked from her. She first explained why what he was asking from her was strange and impossible but then the situation began to become violent after the two began to argue over the issues. It is said that Queen Andreas threatened him with execution by her hands if he were ever to bring or mention those issues in her presence ever again.
This was the day the rebellion began.
After the meeting between Queen Andreas and Lord Maddox, things started to become chaotic throughout the lower provinces. Queen Andreas had ordered for an increased military presence throughout the provinces of Mosshold, Padwell, and Virtanen. After what happened between her and Lord Maddox, Andreas became quite wary of him and the people around him. She kept her orders of increasing the military presence quiet and only between her and her Court. After this, things were quiet - for a time. As stated in public history records, throughout Padwell and Virtanen, there was an uprising of violence against the added military and the Grand Wardens throughout the many cities. Many citizens and Wardens alike abandoned Padwell and Virtanen, fleeing to the well-protected province of Mosshold or to the north.
This angered Queen Andreas, who later called for war against Padwell and Virtanen. This long-lasting war would later be known as ‘The Divide of Knights’. All ties, including trade and supplies, were cut between Xocrium and the two provinces. No large-scale battles took place until 460 AED, when Queen Andreas led an army to one of the border cities between Xocrium and Padwell. The city was known as Entrenchias, the City of Ruins. It was the last city destroyed by the Elder Drakes before their demise and it was never rebuilt or revisited, until the Padwellans decided to make their outpost within it.
After her Division informed her of their whereabouts, Andreas quickly rallied her army and marched south, from Everguard all the way to the edges of Mosshold. Nothing would stand in the way of her wrath.
It didn’t take long to siege the ruins, but the fighting within the walls would take many lives, including that of the Queen and the young Lord of Padwell. In many accounts of the battle, it is said that a fire swept through the ruins, claiming the lives of rebels and knights alike but what is certain is that the fire did not stop Queen Andreas from doing what needed to be done. In her final moments, Andreas drove her longsword into Maddox’s head. It is that she drove it so deep that it came out the back of his neck. The ruins crumbled beneath their feet, and the two fell into the fiery blaze below. Most believed that the war - if you could call it that - would end now that the leaders of both sides had been killed, but the worst was yet to come.
After Queen Andreas’ death, her eldest child King Gerald, and his fiance the later Queen Crescens, took the throne, and a new leader had sat on the throne of the rebels. Her name was Tuonetar, the younger sister of Maddox Padwell. While she would soon bring her wrath down upon the young couple, most expected initally that she would sue for peace and try to put her brother's foolishness behind them. Gerald was Queen Andreas' only child and was his mother’s prize, and because of this she was his idol. Even though she kept her image as clean as possible, her usual peacefulness and understanding could quickly be overshadowed by her fierce nature when needed. Many guess that’s why, when Tuonetar stepped into her brother’s light, the young king was ready. His wife, Queen Crescens, was a similar story. Though she came from a family full of researchers and astronomers, her parents were rumored to have worked in the Division, but no one can truly put the facts in place besides Crescens herself. The Queen was just as fierce and as strategic as the king himself, and many suspect that their similarities are what had drawn them closer to each other.
After his coronation and the funeral of Queen Andreas, King Gerald and Queen Crescens had sent word to Tuonetar. After the death of both his mother and Maddox, Gerald was prepared to give Padwell one last chance to see the error in their ways and swear their loyalty back to Xocrium - against the wishes of Crescens of course, who wanted to have the Padwellan family executed as soon as they made it to the capital - and their people. In response the King received a daring letter from Tuonetar, a flat refusal of King Gerald and Queen Crescens’ generosity and Tuonetar’s plan to finish what her brother had started. And so, King Gerald called for war.
In 462, King Gerald had set up border patrols along the southern borders of Mosshold. Mosshold was famous for its thick patches of impassable tropical forest, which made the entire province a great location for an outpost and a gigantic fortress. Throughout the entire year, Gerald had sent regiment after regiment through the marshes of Padwell. Many had never returned and those who did were either severely wounded or driven mad from being lost in the marshes for too long. Many others can back with news of a group of border guards, the Redwings, led by Tuonetar’s brother - Ohtli - who were causing them the most trouble. After many failed attempts to infiltrate Padwell, it was said that King Gerald has started to lose hope in war and avenging his mother, but not Queen Crescens. She had different plans that would surely be in their favor.
The following year, after studying the routes and tactics of the Redwings, Crescens had devised a well-thought plan to capture Ohtli and use his respect in Padwell to her advantage. She knew that the Padwellans respected Tuonetar’s family greatly and she figured that if someone such as Ohtli were to swear loyalty to Xocrium, it would create enough division and chaos amongst the traitors for her husband to lead their army through their broken defense and put an end to the rebellion.
Her plan worked at first. The Redwings had fallen for the trap and were cornered. Though most of them had gotten away, they were never the target. To the queen’s surprise, a young squire - A child who wanted to be a hero to be exact - named Darrene was able to capture both Ohtli and his second-in-command, Toivo, and deliver them to her with the help of her personal garrison. For this, Darrene was officially knighted by Queen Crescens herself and was offered a job to work as one of her royal guards.
Ohtli and Toivo were both locked within the Citadel’s crypt, Ohtli being visited by Crescens with the same offer every day: Swear loyalty to Xocrium. Throughout most of his imprisonment, he stayed quiet after he first refused, but Crescens continued to visit. When Gerald met with Crescens about Ohtli, he questioned what she would do if Ohtli did not cooperate with her. As a response, she asked her husband where he would like Ohtli’s heads to sit after she cut it off in front of the citizens of Citadel. They both laughed, because at first it was only a joke, but later what she would do would be no laughing matter.
In the dead of winter of 463, Ohtli and Toivo were successfully able to escape the crypt, perhaps due to lazy or complacent guards. Queen Crescens flew into a rage and sent word to all provinces for them to stay on high alert and to find Ohtli, alive. After being recognized by a peasant, Ohtli and Toivo were found. When the knights returned to Citadel, they were only able to bring back Ohtli. Crescens briefly thought about what happened to Toivo but she figured that he just returned to Padwell. Her guards questioned if she wanted them to track him down and bring him back too, but she refused, as she liked it better this way. Leaving when your leader had been captured would be painful enough to last for the rest of his life.
A few weeks before the Festival of Light, Crescens visited Ohtli one last time with the same offer: swear loyalty to Xocrium. He broke his silence, insulting the Queen and her family and blatantly stating that he would die before he ever swore loyalty to ‘tyrants’. “So be it.” she stated, right before she told her guards to ring the towers of the Citadel and march Ohtli to the center of the city.
It was a cloudy day, as the wind blew through Crescens’ hair. By the time they made it to the center of Citadel, nearly all of Citadel had formed a gigantic crowd around what looked to be a statue of the late Queen Andreas. As they stood in front of the statue, facing towards the crowd with Ohtli on his knees, she asked him: “Are you sure this is the choice you are making?”. Silence remained within the air. “Very well.” the queen stated. As the queen lifted her sword, many account that Ohtli remained looking forward towards the crowd.
A bloody slash broke through the immense silence followed by the cheers of thousands.
Ohtli was now dead.
Even after the death of Ohtli, battles were still happening at the border and regiments were still unable to get into Padwell. It seemed as if the death of the prince had only strengthened them. By then, Queen Crescens was heavily pregnant with her first child and King Gerald was off commanding the regiments within the walls of Woodkeep. Padwell's terrain was posing even more of a threat than the Redwings themselves. Though they adapted to Xocrian tactics, they were only hard to deal due to their natural protection being the marshes. In late 463 AED, Crescens's child was due within weeks. One night, as her husband’s garrison returned from a week-long battle in the marshes, Crescens was waiting for him among them. For as long as he had been gone, she was worried and stressed out of her mind about his safety. She knew it wasn’t good for their child but she couldn’t help herself.
When they finally returned through the gates of the Citadel, King Gerald was nowhere in sight. It was said that a pain-filled scream could be heard from the Citadel that night. Crescens, who had thought of the worst over her husband, went into early labor. After some long painful hours, the Queen was finally a mother. She had given birth to a baby boy who would later be named after Crescens' late father, Gilberto. As Crescens had thought that her husband had been killed, she ordered for her coronation as Queen-regent and her son’s coronation as King.
This was, however, until Gerald burst through the doors of their chambers screaming “Crescens! Crescens!” He rushed to her wife’s side, clutching her and their son dearly. He vowed that he would stay in Citadel with her, since he now saw what needed to be his first priority. Though there were some battles after 470, the birth of Prince Gilberto marked the unofficial end of the Divide of Knights and, unfortunately, left Padwell as the victors of the war.
Peace would only be officially declared in 494 A.E.D.
Recent History [501 A.E.D. Onwards]
King Gerald ruled until his death in 501 A.E.D. It was expected that after that his son, Prince Gilberto, would take over after him. The man had been severely ill for a while, sure, but that was just how things were done. Instead, he surprised everyone by forfeiting the throne on the spot to his eighteen-year-old son, Prince Loreto Phoenine.
The young man has ruled Xocrium since.
The young man has ruled Xocrium since.
The Battle of Fallingstar [503 - 504 A.E.D.]
Events described below were part of an official RoS story event, The Last Stand of Fallingstar, which ran from December 2020 - January 2021.
One of the most recent events Xocrium has taken part in was the Battle of Fallingstar, a conflict between a Land of Rivers city on the brink of desolation and a regiment of honorable knights ready to finally put an end to its existence and that of its battle mayor, Discite, who had been a pain in northern Xocrium’s side for years.
Led by Lord-General Sulon ‘Caeruleum’ Thorfinn, Dame Audrada Godsven, and Sir Adam ‘Addy’ Kimbourgh - the northern knights marched on the crumbling city. It would be an easy siege they supposed. The city had been under fire from northern knights for years and most of its previous residents had abandoned it, leaving it wide open for the taking. This thought soon changed when they were first arrived and were met with surprising news - reinforcements had come. Dragons from just about every Theavian nation and even those from the infamous Padwell - Redwings - had come to the city’s defense.
The fighting soon started on December 1st, 503 AED. The knights of the provinces fought long and hard, despite the dangers from the heavy icy weather. With the several notable individuals - Harper Malachite: a young knight from a noble family looking to prove herself, Jericho: a griffin riding knight, Galen Browne: a young knight that was injured and captured by those in Fallingstar, Dunstan Arkwrighte: a young individual who wasn’t an official knight but did help with the efforts. Ciaran Mundy, a local tanner known to many in the camp that did not like to be touched - Was also the last individual known to have gone missing. One of the many notable things that happened early on in the siege would be when a hardened knight and her lightning familiar were successfully able to find and injure Fallingstar’s lead runesmith and the son of Discite, Padus. While this was called for a good cheer, it was short-lived when it became clear that the knight would not be able to find Padus for the rest of the siege to finish them off.
While there were many drawbacks in the battle, such as the raid of their camp’s medical and supply tents, the knights made sure that these actions did not go unpunished and proceeded to fight harder than they ever did before. Despite their winnings, the large reinforcements in Fallingstar and the heavy weather proved too much to bear. The regiment was forced to retreat to the safety of Everguard’s border. The retreat was swift and quiet, almost as if they had left overnight. A famous dragonslayer, Madro Althalos, and the head medic Edward Crowcomb made it their mission to make sure the wounded from camp made it back to Everguard safely and without much worry. A lot of knights can also thank Miranda Ashdown, Irving Ashdown, and their familiars - Uro and Tonitrua - for acting as a tight rearguard in the retreat.
This surprised many from the northern provinces for they had all expected the knights to swiftly clear out the remaining residents of the city and declared discite as no more. When the knights and wounded returned to the walls of the Citadel, it shocked everyone, but definitely not those in the southern provinces. When the news of the results in Fallingstar reached the citizens of Barepond and Mosshold, many could only sigh and plant their hands in their faces. Those of the south are already dealing with those from the marshes of Padwell and know to expect those they attacked to fight them back with everything they had. Due to this, the leaders of Mosshold started to implement newer tactics for their knight schools and new armor for their knights. Many were also fully against the assault on Fallingstar, marking it as ‘too much’ and predicting that small and spaced attacks were one thing and better but a fully-fledged assault would only prompt the city to send for reinforcements from Xocrium’s enemies - such as the Sundrakes and those from the ‘kingdom’ of Padwell.
The weeks following the lost siege have been quite the ride for everyone, even for those of the nobility. Lord Gunter Dauntless and Lady Ingram Basil of Mosshold have been recently urging the other leaders of the provinces to think about the tactics that their knights are using and figuring out what they could possibly do to change them up for the better. For those not of nobility, this battle is seen as quite a surprise and has definitely raised some concern as to the future of the dragon-hunts in the north, and whether the Land of Rivers might become a true threat to Xocrium’s security in the future. While this concern is starting to become very widespread throughout the kingdom, most of Xocrium is still hopeful and will not let this battle define the kingdom’s future nor theirs.
Led by Lord-General Sulon ‘Caeruleum’ Thorfinn, Dame Audrada Godsven, and Sir Adam ‘Addy’ Kimbourgh - the northern knights marched on the crumbling city. It would be an easy siege they supposed. The city had been under fire from northern knights for years and most of its previous residents had abandoned it, leaving it wide open for the taking. This thought soon changed when they were first arrived and were met with surprising news - reinforcements had come. Dragons from just about every Theavian nation and even those from the infamous Padwell - Redwings - had come to the city’s defense.
The fighting soon started on December 1st, 503 AED. The knights of the provinces fought long and hard, despite the dangers from the heavy icy weather. With the several notable individuals - Harper Malachite: a young knight from a noble family looking to prove herself, Jericho: a griffin riding knight, Galen Browne: a young knight that was injured and captured by those in Fallingstar, Dunstan Arkwrighte: a young individual who wasn’t an official knight but did help with the efforts. Ciaran Mundy, a local tanner known to many in the camp that did not like to be touched - Was also the last individual known to have gone missing. One of the many notable things that happened early on in the siege would be when a hardened knight and her lightning familiar were successfully able to find and injure Fallingstar’s lead runesmith and the son of Discite, Padus. While this was called for a good cheer, it was short-lived when it became clear that the knight would not be able to find Padus for the rest of the siege to finish them off.
While there were many drawbacks in the battle, such as the raid of their camp’s medical and supply tents, the knights made sure that these actions did not go unpunished and proceeded to fight harder than they ever did before. Despite their winnings, the large reinforcements in Fallingstar and the heavy weather proved too much to bear. The regiment was forced to retreat to the safety of Everguard’s border. The retreat was swift and quiet, almost as if they had left overnight. A famous dragonslayer, Madro Althalos, and the head medic Edward Crowcomb made it their mission to make sure the wounded from camp made it back to Everguard safely and without much worry. A lot of knights can also thank Miranda Ashdown, Irving Ashdown, and their familiars - Uro and Tonitrua - for acting as a tight rearguard in the retreat.
This surprised many from the northern provinces for they had all expected the knights to swiftly clear out the remaining residents of the city and declared discite as no more. When the knights and wounded returned to the walls of the Citadel, it shocked everyone, but definitely not those in the southern provinces. When the news of the results in Fallingstar reached the citizens of Barepond and Mosshold, many could only sigh and plant their hands in their faces. Those of the south are already dealing with those from the marshes of Padwell and know to expect those they attacked to fight them back with everything they had. Due to this, the leaders of Mosshold started to implement newer tactics for their knight schools and new armor for their knights. Many were also fully against the assault on Fallingstar, marking it as ‘too much’ and predicting that small and spaced attacks were one thing and better but a fully-fledged assault would only prompt the city to send for reinforcements from Xocrium’s enemies - such as the Sundrakes and those from the ‘kingdom’ of Padwell.
The weeks following the lost siege have been quite the ride for everyone, even for those of the nobility. Lord Gunter Dauntless and Lady Ingram Basil of Mosshold have been recently urging the other leaders of the provinces to think about the tactics that their knights are using and figuring out what they could possibly do to change them up for the better. For those not of nobility, this battle is seen as quite a surprise and has definitely raised some concern as to the future of the dragon-hunts in the north, and whether the Land of Rivers might become a true threat to Xocrium’s security in the future. While this concern is starting to become very widespread throughout the kingdom, most of Xocrium is still hopeful and will not let this battle define the kingdom’s future nor theirs.
The Heron’s Ballad [506 - 507 A.E.D.]
Events described below were part of an official RoS story event, The Heron’s Ballad, which ran from December 2023 - January 2024.
Through December 506 and into January 507, Padwell’s capital city, Maddox, hosted a large festival to celebrate the country’s beloved tradition of theatre. “Queen” Tuonetar Padwell sent invitations to powerful figures across the country and to foreign leaders whom Padwell wished to curry favour with, seeing it as an excellent opportunity for alliance-building.
For Xocrium it, too, was an excellent opportunity… for attempting a stab at their longtime enemy. Visitors from across the Realm flocked to Maddox; with them, there was an opening at long last for the Division of Feathers to infiltrate Padwell’s capital. A group of three Division agents, Glyn Froste, Aitla Bauldry, and Wendel Feverfew, disguised themselves as members of an up-and-coming acting troupe from Dutoria and were able to infiltrate the city. Aitla disguised herself as a Xocrian named “Aitla Greyrose”, while Wendel used a runic illusion to pretend to be “Sun the sundrake”.
Their mission was nothing less than the attempted assassination of Padwell’s “Queen”, to be done at the height of the festival. For the first half of the festivities they seemed to have pulled it off despite the increased Redwings presence… but their luck did not last forever. They were discovered at the start of January, and spent the rest of the month in frantic flight through Padwell’s capital. Despite blackmailing a Padwellan “Prince”, Uolevi, and the aid of another Division agent, Reshava the Hound, they were captured before the end of the month.
In their time as prisoners, the Division agents were kept in separate sections of Kingscrest Command in Maddox, and were neither treated with great cruelty nor significant kindness. Their wounds were tended to, and the Redwings questioned them on their motives, and on if there were other agents of Xocrium yet unknown within the capital.
After they had finished with their questioning, Padwell entered into negotiations with Xocrium to discuss an exchange of prisoners, using the Merosian city-state of Concido and Dutoria as intermediaries respectively. After several weeks of bargaining, it was arranged for the three Division agents to be traded for three Redwing captives: Onni Xochipepe, an original Redwing that they had captured four decades ago, the Xocrian by-blood but wholly disloyal Letti Ranta and the familiar Ozymandias, and the healer Völund Dogwood. The trade was conducted in Acies Ferro in mid-March.
For now, peace remains between Padwell and Xocrium… but each have been reminded of the bitter edge of their grievances against one another.
For Xocrium it, too, was an excellent opportunity… for attempting a stab at their longtime enemy. Visitors from across the Realm flocked to Maddox; with them, there was an opening at long last for the Division of Feathers to infiltrate Padwell’s capital. A group of three Division agents, Glyn Froste, Aitla Bauldry, and Wendel Feverfew, disguised themselves as members of an up-and-coming acting troupe from Dutoria and were able to infiltrate the city. Aitla disguised herself as a Xocrian named “Aitla Greyrose”, while Wendel used a runic illusion to pretend to be “Sun the sundrake”.
Their mission was nothing less than the attempted assassination of Padwell’s “Queen”, to be done at the height of the festival. For the first half of the festivities they seemed to have pulled it off despite the increased Redwings presence… but their luck did not last forever. They were discovered at the start of January, and spent the rest of the month in frantic flight through Padwell’s capital. Despite blackmailing a Padwellan “Prince”, Uolevi, and the aid of another Division agent, Reshava the Hound, they were captured before the end of the month.
In their time as prisoners, the Division agents were kept in separate sections of Kingscrest Command in Maddox, and were neither treated with great cruelty nor significant kindness. Their wounds were tended to, and the Redwings questioned them on their motives, and on if there were other agents of Xocrium yet unknown within the capital.
After they had finished with their questioning, Padwell entered into negotiations with Xocrium to discuss an exchange of prisoners, using the Merosian city-state of Concido and Dutoria as intermediaries respectively. After several weeks of bargaining, it was arranged for the three Division agents to be traded for three Redwing captives: Onni Xochipepe, an original Redwing that they had captured four decades ago, the Xocrian by-blood but wholly disloyal Letti Ranta and the familiar Ozymandias, and the healer Völund Dogwood. The trade was conducted in Acies Ferro in mid-March.
For now, peace remains between Padwell and Xocrium… but each have been reminded of the bitter edge of their grievances against one another.