This is an NPC only Kingdom
Kingdom Summary
Banners of House Danaan, the black dragon head on a red field, fly over the Kingdom of Avalon, ruled over by the legendary King Arthur Pendragon from the Court of Camelot at Tintagel. Here, the Pendragon preserves the legacy of the Tuatha de Danann, holding at bay the end of dreams in an uneasy truce with the Oblivion which rules over the Emerald Isles.
Dominant Races
Fae, Mages, Shifters of the Highland Sept, some Vampires in London
Politics & NPCs
King Arthur Pendragon, the last known King of House Danaan, oversees the British Isles with his Queen, Gwenhwyfar, at his side. He is advised by the legendary wizard, Merlin, and served by his Knights of the Round Table from his court at Camelot. Among his subjects is the Highland Sept of Scotland, Prince Mithras of London, and his half-sister (and persistent antagonist) Morgan le Fay.
---Loading Oaths---
Allies
German Free States, Jade Empire, Jukurrpa
Enemies
Aether, Dischordia, Iron Lotus, Vechnyy Uzhas
Umbral Realms
Low Umbra - Shroud 7 (Shroud 3 on the Isle of Man)
Middle Umbra - Gauntlet 5 (Gauntlet 4 in the Highlands Sept, Legendary Realm - Gauntlet 3)
Dreaming - Mists 3 / Banality 3
High Umbra - Periphery 6 (Periphery 5 in London)
Kingdom Views
For every star in the sky, there is a path to be walked. For every dream in the night, there is a journey awaiting. I swear by the stars above and the dreams within to serve House Danaan, to guard the ways of the Dreaming and blaze new trails where none exist. I will guard the travelers, guide the Dreamers, and go on until there are no paths left to follow. This I swear, and may the dragon devour me in my dreams if I fail to keep my pledge.
The Fomorians have awoken. Arcadia has fallen. The world is plunged into a nightmare from which it may never awaken. For the promise of spring to bloom once again, the dreaming must be guarded, now more than ever, lest the darkness claim the dreamers in their sleep.
Historical Information
Fall of the Emerald Isles
Long ago, a sorceress named Carman laid waste to Ireland with her three sons, until she was defeated and captured by the Tuatha de Danann. For centuries she remained imprisoned, simultaneously tormented and empowered by the darkness of the Abyss into which she was bound. An eternity later, as the shroud fell, the walls of her prison grew soft, and Carmen escaped into the world once again. Finding a world in which no Tuatha remained to thwart her a second time, she renewed her attack against Ireland with the forces of the Aether at her command. The dark forces she wielded washed over Ireland once again, and the lush green Emerald Isles blackened under her corrupted touch.
The Legend Returns
In the early days of the Fall, dreams abandoned the world while a war raged within the Dreaming. Balor and his allies tore the gates of Arcadia asunder and laid waste to the paradise of the Fae. When Balor returned to the Autumn world, dreams flooded back as well. Nightmares of the deep dreaming came forth, as did the last known survivors of the Arcadian host. The Pendragon, the dreams of the Arthurian legend given form, rode forth from the Dreaming. His knights beside him flew banners and heraldry of House Danaan.
Read more: (Foundation Era) Legend Returns (Avalon)
From his kingdom of Camelot, he sought to reclaim the Emerald Isles, birthplace of the Tuatha de Danann, from the darkness which consumed it. The Pendragon and his knights fought an impossible battle against the darkness itself. Tendrils of Aether crept inland, strangling the Kingdom of Camelot. The Pendragon, in desperation, sought an ally against Oblivion. He found his ally in Lazarus. Together, they prevented Carmen’s darkness from spreading to the rest of Brittania. Yet, even with this victory, they were unable to reclaim the fallen Emerald Isles. With neither side able to crush the other, they entered an uneasy stalemate. "
War of Aether
The stalemate between the Pendragon and Carmen lasted for two and a half centuries. The sudden return of Carmen’s sons, Dub, Dother, and Dian upset that balance. Their return coincided with Nul’s attacks on other kingdoms, and rekindled the Aether’s attacks on Brittania. Queen Guil of France offered her aid against the Aether, on the condition that the Pendragon kneel to her. The Pendragon refused. He banished Guil from Avalon, and closed his borders to all other nobles of Lazarus’ Kingdom. Shortly thereafter, a new advisor, Dub, joined Guil’s retinue. When the War of Aether came to a close for the rest of the world, Brittania received no such reprieve. Their conflict continued, unabated.
Court of Empires
The Pendragon scoffed as the kingdoms of the world gathered in the aftermath of the War of Aether. The Pendragon allowed others in Lazarus' Kingdom to tend to matters of diplomacy. He had greater concerns. For his kingdom, the war had not been a mere 20 years, nor had it actually ended. The Aether in the Emerald Isles were a continued and constant threat. Many made an effort to open diplomatic relations with Brittania, but to no avail. The Pendragon kept his borders closed to all diplomacy. He refused to allow the Aether to seduce others with its offers of power.
War of Maelstrom's Rebuke
During the Court of Empires, diplomatic relations between Dischordia and Lazarus' Kingdom failed. Dischordian nobles learned of a dark ritual planned by the Prince Alyosha Buljiev. In response, Dischordia launched a coordinated attack on Buljiev's domain of Carpathia. Their attack, seen by Lazarus' Empire as unprovoked, precipitated the conflict. The hostility between the two kingdoms erupted into the War of Maelstrom's Rebuke.
Read more: (War of Maelstrom's Rebuke)
The Pendragon ignored the war which engulfed Europe. He focused instead on the threat the Aether posed to his own kingdom. Princess Myrum Scathach, Balor's most accomplished general, marched her armies into Brittania. Many in both kingdoms believed Dischordia's war had come to the Pendragon's doorstep. Scathach forces did not fight against the Pendragon's, but alongside them. For the first time, the Pendragon and his allies drove back the darkness of the Emerald Isles. Their combined forces liberated the Isle of Man from the Aether. Claiming it as a beachhead, the alliance gained a valuable foothold in the Irish sea.
The Sublime Cataclysm
The tides of the war began to turn to their enemy’s favor. The Dischordian lords of prepared a spectacular attack to bring a swift end to the conflict. Sultan Suleiman, a master of spirit magic, led the largest ritual the kingdom had ever seen. New Faith ritualists, students of the Arcane Academy, and a million occultists gathered from all domains aided him. The sky itself bled with the power they summoned. Chunks torn from the spirit realms themselves bombarded Lazarus’ Empire. As each realm struck, it laid waste to thousands of miles of Lazarus' territory. Millions perished in an instant, as the realms destroyed immense swaths of land.
Read more: (Sublime Cataclysm; Avalon cont.)
As Europe reeled from Dischordia's devastating attack, Aether seized their chance to cripple both. Cities which had fallen to darkness during the War of Aether bled shadows like an open wound. Abyssal armies swarmed from these tears in reality. Shadow-eaten vampires, spectres, and demons laid waste to surrounding territories. The Aether fought without regard for their own destruction, and inflicted considerable damage.
The falling Realms left the Pendragon's lands unharmed. He credits this fact to his alliance with Princess Scathach. But his kingdom did not escape unscathed. Carmen, the sorceress of the Shadowed Isles, renewed her attacks against the Pendragon. She hoped to break the his defenses and reclaim the Isle of Man. Yet the combined might of hosues Danaan and Scathach repelled the attack. The unlikely allies counterattacked, driving their forces deep into the Irish mainland. The Sorceress suffered a grievous wound, but her sons turned the attack when they each slew a knight of the Round Table. As the war came to a close, Carmen maintained her hold on the Shadowed Isles. Yet the Pendragon had come closer to victory than ever before.
Treaty of Maelstrom's Rebuke
The war ended one year, to the day, after the events which marked its beginning. Delegates from Dischordia and Lazarus met to solidify a treaty and bring the war to a close. Every kingdom sent diplomats to witness the signing, but each had ulterior motives. Each hoped to see their kingdom's goals reflected in the final document. The Treaty detailed terms of ceasefire, such as returning prisoners and withdrawing troops. Yet it also contained several initiatives which advanced specific agendas.
Read more: (Treaty of Maelstrom's Rebuke)
With Lazarus’ apotheosis as the God of Death, he departed the mortal realm. The Pendragon’s alliance with Lazarus' Kingdom departed with him. The Pendragon never trusted the Council of Stars and Queen Guil, who would vie for control of the kingdom. He sought his kingdom’s independence from their control.
Yet his rival, Morgan le Fay, saw an opportunity to seize control of the kingdom for herself. She allied herself with the Pendragon’s enemies to unseat him. But, during the treaty negotiations, the Pendragon gained support for his independence. With the final treaty, the Kingdom of Avalon broke from the nascent Stygian Alliance.
Another development tarnished this victory. The Treaty accepted the Aether, longtime enemy to the Pendragon, into the Court of Empires. As Dischordians sacrificed a child to the darkness, his enemy gained greater power within the world. His taste of victory over the Aether soured. The two kingdoms once again entered into a stalemate, but on a new battlefield. Their conflict was no longer only military and spiritual, but now also political.
