Coyote
The Ferryman
From the Annals of the Esset Dynasty
Leopold Esset II ascended the throne at age 42 after both his brother and his sons died in a fatal accident caused by a witch's curse in the year 1289 PR. The Pathing Church henceforth called for the banning of magicks and embarked on the Great Expulsion, exiling all practitioners of magick and killing any who refused to leave. Many gathered behind the Church and looked to them to lead the nation in its campaign against the mages. King Leopold Esset II refused to make the decree, much to the displeasure of the Church. The Steward of Paths moved to expel King Leopold from the faith and declare him an illegitimate successor to the late King Sovis Esset but was instead arrested. Steward of Paths Bartholomew Mandervald was exposed for his assassination of the royal family and plotting to seize absolute control of the country and create a theocracy. Instead, the opposite has occurred. The people's trust in the Church has plummeted, Church properties were seized, and the tithes were instead managed by the Master of Coin. Now, King Leopold had before him, unquestionable control and additional funds for what he hoped to be an army unmatched.
In the years that followed, an unprecedented military buildup caused Essetaris' neighbors to grow worried, particularly Arasmania, a cultural and military rival and peer that responded by engaging in an arms race that heightened tensions in the region. Hoping to establish some form of stability in the region, the Empire of Rhault (Rhaultan Empire) to the north sent a mission to act as a mediating party between the two countries but King Leopold entertained no such option. He had transformed the country so completely that its people began to venture out into the frontier with patriotic fervor and settled the fertile lands south of the Vuyan Province beyond the mountains that protected the Vuyan Valley. These were lands claimed by the Arasmanians and their response to the encroachment was met with force. The Sainan Bridge Massacre involved the death of 14 settlers attempting a crossing of the Barivian River at Intho. The incident would be known as the starting point of the Esseti-Asman War, or the War of Crossings and it began on the 4th month of the year 1296 PR. The war lasted until 1302 PR when King Leopold Esset II was deposed and in his place King Leopold Esset III sat. The war fell into a truce, and the two nations agreed to cease fighting for 20 years. The Kingdom of Essetaris agreed to pay a sum of 66,000 gold to Arasmania, the Rhaultian Empire, and a few other countries affected by the plague unleashed by the late Leopold II upon his downfall. It has been a slow recovery since.
Nearly 20 years later, territorial secession has yet to be settled. Arasmania demands the Vuyan Province and its fertile vineyards and iron ore mountains while Essetaris refuses to cede any more than the strip of land beyond the mountains that were once in their control. Skirmishes continue at the border and despite pressure from the Rhaultian Empire to bring the two countries to a formal peace treaty, neither side has budged. And time is running out... next month, the truce will end with or without a peace treaty.
Leopold Esset II ascended the throne at age 42 after both his brother and his sons died in a fatal accident caused by a witch's curse in the year 1289 PR. The Pathing Church henceforth called for the banning of magicks and embarked on the Great Expulsion, exiling all practitioners of magick and killing any who refused to leave. Many gathered behind the Church and looked to them to lead the nation in its campaign against the mages. King Leopold Esset II refused to make the decree, much to the displeasure of the Church. The Steward of Paths moved to expel King Leopold from the faith and declare him an illegitimate successor to the late King Sovis Esset but was instead arrested. Steward of Paths Bartholomew Mandervald was exposed for his assassination of the royal family and plotting to seize absolute control of the country and create a theocracy. Instead, the opposite has occurred. The people's trust in the Church has plummeted, Church properties were seized, and the tithes were instead managed by the Master of Coin. Now, King Leopold had before him, unquestionable control and additional funds for what he hoped to be an army unmatched.
In the years that followed, an unprecedented military buildup caused Essetaris' neighbors to grow worried, particularly Arasmania, a cultural and military rival and peer that responded by engaging in an arms race that heightened tensions in the region. Hoping to establish some form of stability in the region, the Empire of Rhault (Rhaultan Empire) to the north sent a mission to act as a mediating party between the two countries but King Leopold entertained no such option. He had transformed the country so completely that its people began to venture out into the frontier with patriotic fervor and settled the fertile lands south of the Vuyan Province beyond the mountains that protected the Vuyan Valley. These were lands claimed by the Arasmanians and their response to the encroachment was met with force. The Sainan Bridge Massacre involved the death of 14 settlers attempting a crossing of the Barivian River at Intho. The incident would be known as the starting point of the Esseti-Asman War, or the War of Crossings and it began on the 4th month of the year 1296 PR. The war lasted until 1302 PR when King Leopold Esset II was deposed and in his place King Leopold Esset III sat. The war fell into a truce, and the two nations agreed to cease fighting for 20 years. The Kingdom of Essetaris agreed to pay a sum of 66,000 gold to Arasmania, the Rhaultian Empire, and a few other countries affected by the plague unleashed by the late Leopold II upon his downfall. It has been a slow recovery since.
Nearly 20 years later, territorial secession has yet to be settled. Arasmania demands the Vuyan Province and its fertile vineyards and iron ore mountains while Essetaris refuses to cede any more than the strip of land beyond the mountains that were once in their control. Skirmishes continue at the border and despite pressure from the Rhaultian Empire to bring the two countries to a formal peace treaty, neither side has budged. And time is running out... next month, the truce will end with or without a peace treaty.
