Long Forgotten Lore

[lfr-lore]

Masterlist

follow the links or tags to be directed to everything under the astairan sun! pls note, more tags will be added as more items are named, etc.

[ ic back up ] (note: must be collaborator to view more than snippet)

CHARACTERS

amestris

artaynte

alya

aine of kil-kennar

brennan, kale

calainon, godfrey

calainon, tristan

calleary, éabha

calleary, cormac

calleary, finnegan "finn"

calleary, fiona

cambyses

cyrus

damaspia

darius

frost, ronan

frost, cillian

frost, saoirse

grey, alistair

hamlen, cecily

lorcan, finnian

lorcan, aine calleary

lorcan, padraig

lorcan, peadar

lorcan, cliodhna "clea"

lorcan, laoise

lorcan, aisling

lorcan, caoimhe

lucius

malconaire, grandmother eithne

malconaire, macdara "bran"

malconaire, sorcha lorcan

malconaire, valentina vasilieva

malconaire, cassimir

malconaire, sonya

malconaire, eithne

malconaire, brigit

malconaire, aoife

malconaire, roisin "rose/rosie"

malconaire, lonan

mestrius

ormond, cillian

phaedra

reaves, percival "percy"

roya

royce, aleksander

stafford, ciar

stafford, dubhan

stafford, riacan

stafford, rian

stafford, garbhan

stafford, domhnall

stafford, lena

stafford, eilionora "eilia"

stafford, aria

stafford, siobhan

stafford, réalta

vane, isolda

varmont, roderick

varmont, elaine

varmont, guinevere "guin"

varmont, amira

varmont, edmund

varmont, marian

varmont, arthur

varmont, sebastian

varmont, cassandra

varmont, alaric

varmont, bartholomew

varmont, eoin

varmont, ciara

xerxes

HOUSES

calainon

calleary

foxe

grey

lorcan

malconaire

ormond

stafford

varmont

vasilieva

LOCATIONS

aarnu

affaraon

alytar

antilla

aotepo

argadara

astaira

calleary

citadel

empire

fens

hanthom

islaun

kil-kennar

kolchis

kvenheim

lorcan

malakarta

malconaire

orinthia

ormond

stafford

vinetta

xangadu

[forgottenarias]

arthur: we were never meant to be together.

“'We were never meant to be together.' The woman stared into the eyes of the man one last time before she turned away from her love, back to her life alone amongst the stars."

“Wait.”

Aria Stafford looked up from the book open on her lap to where Arthur Varmont stood a few feet away from her. The day was pleasant, just warm enough that the light breeze did not make one feel too cold when outside. It had been under this exact tree that Arthur had found Aria a half hour earlier, grinning ear to ear with pride as he presented her the book she now held-- tales of the old gods which Arthur's own father denied. A book that had been lost in the flames after the Emperor's conquest. A book Aria had once told him had been a favorite of hers as a girl.

"From my Uncle's collection," Arthur had told her when Aria questioned the book's provenance. "He has promised that he shall keep it in his care for you and you might request it whenever you wish." Arthur paused then to clear his throat.

"Of course it is only a book of fairy stories but the Emperor, as you know--" he began, though he wouldn't meet Aria's eye, a bit of a strange look passing over his features.

"I know," Aria cut him off quickly. The pair was silent for a moment, looking at one another. "Thank you. Thank your uncle."

"Of course."

A pause.

"Which is your favorite?" Arthur inquired, gesturing towards the book in her hands.

"My favorite story? Well... I suppose the one they say is how my... of how House Stafford came to be," Aria answered.

"You must mark the page for me so I might read it one day," Arthur requested. Aria nodded slowly then, without much thought, she spoke.

"Would you like to hear it now?" she offered, gesturing towards a tree nearby with a bench beneath it. Arthur looked to the tree and then back to Aria.

"... now? You-- are you going to read it outloud?" Arthur questioned, furrowing his brow. Aria gave a small smile, making towards the bench then.

"Only if you'd like to listen," was her simple reply.

Arthur had joined her without much hesitation, though he did not sit still as she began the tale of the goddess of a night who followed an errant star down to the earth where she met a mortal king. Arthur paced about the bench almost absent mindedly, only stopping when he'd interrupted Aria moments ago.

“She’s just leaving? I thought she was the—" Arthur began but Aria cut in before he could finish.

“If you would stop interrupting,” Aria chided though a smile played at the corner of her lips, “perhaps I could finish the tale."

Arthur said nothing for a moment.

"Sorry."

"'I will take every moment the king of the gods will allow us,' the man begged, rushing to the goddess's side.

'I do not know how long that might be,' the goddess told her love. He shook his head in response.

'Then we much cherish each and every second of every day, my love.'

And so the goddess of the night and the mortal man with a star blade lived each day not knowing if it might be their last together. They were wed, but Mestrius did not call for her return.

The goddess found she was with child and bore the mortal king three sons but still Mestrius did not call for her return.

A daughter followed and the children grew, playing in the gardens of the mortal king's palace as it was built, climbing high towards the skies the goddess had once called her own domain and even still, Mestrius did not call for her return.

One cold winter morning, the mortal king was awakened by the rising sun. Years had passed and his children were now grown. He rolled over to greet his wife but the bed beside him was empty, the blankets cold. The King hurried from his chambers, calling to his wife as he went from room to room of the castle, searching for his love, but no trace of her could be found. Mestrius had finally called for her return.

Heart broken, the king waited for the night to come and, as the sun set, began his ascent to the top of his castle, to the place where he had first seen his wife all those years ago. The dark sky was dotted with stars when he emerged there and, in his despair, the king cried out to the sky to return his love to him, to give them more time together. The sky, however, was silent...

... until he saw it, a single star shoot across the sky, following the same path the falling star had once taken before crashing into the earth at the very spot he stood. This star did not reach the earth but the king knew, could feel it in the marrow of his bones, that it was a sign from his queen, showing him the her love for him would never falter, even if they would forever be apart."

Aria closed the book then, looking up to where Arthur was now leaning against the tree, a small bare patch on the trunk where it appeared he had previously been picking at the bark.

"Do you think it was foolish of them to do it?" Arthur asked after a few moments of silence had passed. "-- the king and the night goddess-- do you think it was foolish of them to marry, to have a family, knowing at any moment they might be ripped apart, never see one another again?"

Aria considered her words before speaking, at first about to make a quip that she was too biased to answer this question considering the decision had, should the story be believed, been the beginnings of her own family. Arthur, however, seemed to be truly contemplative of this notion and Aria found she could not make light of it.

"I do not wish to pretend I know what is wrong or right in such a circumstance..." Aria began slowly. "... But I always considered this a story of a truly great love-- a love worth having even if they knew it would one day end in heartbreak for them both. If nothing else, they were left with the memories of what once they had together." Aria paused, ran her fingers against the cover of the book.

"Do you think, perhaps it might be better to have the life, the memories of time together than to forever wonder what might have been?"

Arthur said nothing.

"Do you think them foolish?" Aria asked. Arthur's gaze moved to meet her own then but he had no answer for her question. Silence hung in the air between the pair.

"... I don't know," he finally replied. "I-- I-- don't know," Arthur repeated as he turned his eyes back to that point in the far distance again. Aria couldn't help the creeping thoughts of who he might be imagining and if that person walked amongst the shaded forest of Malconaire...

"As you said," Aria smiled, making to rise from where she sat beneath the tree. "They are just fairy stories."

"Yes," Arthur agreed, though he half seemed to be somewhere else as he spoke.

"They are just stories."

[forgottenarias]

ooc || guardian physical forms

starting this off w/ our discussions from disco...

kate: this is probaby a question more for lizzy but maybe some of the guardians are more powerful/manifest in these forms that turn into the folkloric characters? like obvs the malconaire guardian is the tree! and maybe either those guardians forms were some of the inspo behind the house sigils OR if they're like… shape shifters… they changed their forms to suit the houses they guarded? kate aa: Ngl I had the Calainon dragon as part of their seal w the thought in mind that it was the Guardian there (based on the Cholchean dragon 💕🐉) and ngl my impression of the great oak was that it had taken the ~form of the tree more so than that it was literally ur average everyday tree? But yeah realizing idk if that was based on smth lizzy said it my own imagination just running wild? But anyway assuming for the moment that that ~is the case, that ~would line up w the white hart guardian tale from house ormond’s origin story w the sun and the moon caught in its antlers (itself based on an irl legend I adapted)

kate: Eeee! Okay I love that the dragon was a guardian!!! So my HC with aria since she could hear/sometimes see the guardians that she never really like looked straight at one— it was always something she’d catch out of the corner of her eye or something! And maybe I made this up but I had it in my head that the idea that guardians were demons to non believers was bc they’d appear as these frightening creatures???

kate: So I wonder if the guardians of certain places took these forms that humans would actually be able to perceive like dragons and trees? Like does aria (and other seers ofc!) only catch these glimpses of guardians because her brain just can’t process these figures???

kate aa: No I agreeeeeee i sorta pictured them as like sorta shadowy wraiths kinda in their true form??? Idk if I made that up tho? But omg I love aria never quite looking right ~at one it’s a flicker at the corner of the eye! Delicious!!!!!

kate: I had a thought that maybe when she [aria] was v young she at least believes she saw one fully?? That’s just my silly HC tho

kate: Omg obsessed with that idea of their eye color ties back to their celestial heritage!!!! Like does the goddess Alya have those blue eyes? ( do all the gods???) kate aa: Ooooh i love That!!!! It could also be like…kids aren’t as limited in what they can conceive of like maybe they ~can perceive them better/more clearly than adults…

kate: Lots of kids possibly seeing the guardians but lose the ability as they age???

kate aa: Oooooooh Maybe that’s part of the seeing the souls on Samhain thing? Some kids report seeing guardians as well? Which might be part of too why regular ppl know they look like demons? kate: Yessss!!!

kate aa: Not me like did roderick see one once and was ~haunted and decided to destroy… Aella’s Arch was right there… kate: That makes so much sense tbh little kids seeing these frightening beings but maybe thinking them monsters bc the lost the ability to continue to see them so they became the monsters under the bed or smth kate aa: Yessssssss and maybe kids’re more likely to see their ~true forms~ rather than whatever shape they’ve taken to fool adults so it’s all the more frightening that way?

kate: Yes!! Ooo I wonder if kids w/o the gift can see but not hear them so maybe when Aria or other little kid seers first saw them they could actually communicate they weren’t monsters!

kate aa: Oooooh i love thsttttt!!!! And that’d be all the more scary too like it can’t comfort you or if there is speech attempted just a wordless void to witness…

kate: For sure! Which is maybe why they try not to be seen? But it’s bound to happen ofc and that’s caused the demon rumors

OK so, apologies, this is probably a lil' choppy bc there were a couple convos going on and i specifically pulled out the things regarding the idea of guardians having physical forms that ~all people could perceive!

so just on my end-- and like i said above this is all just HC and I definitely would love input from @thelongforgottenrealm bc i don't want to mess with any ideas you have ofc!! <3-- but the idea wasn't that ALL guardians don't have a physical form since the idea of people considering them as ~demons exists, but that some of the guardians that are maybe attached to specific homes-- so like the guardian tree and then i'd rambled smth later about maybe the flock of swans at lorcan are actually a guardian too!-- manifest in a physical form so that ALL people can see them!

the other idea that again had just been a guardian HC was that while aria has the powers to hear the guardians and see them, she's never really has looked directly at a guardian! they've something she's partially seen OR its out of the corner of her eye!

and then that kinda spawned the idea that maybe kids can see the guardians when they're younger and more ~open to things! but being young they don't really have the language to explain what it is, so they're just like 'i see monsters!' which is part of where the whole idea of that guardians are scary demons!

anyway, just putting this in a proper post for further discussion <3

[forgotteneilionora]

OOC | Astairan Kingslist Mock Up

notes: so we know that astaira is a nation that has lasted for thousands of years, imma mention the first three kings in the mystical ~age of heroes~ and then imma skip down to more modern kings dskjlafksjdf and actually go from modern -> historical rather than the other way around probs

pls also note that i see there as having been multiple of these ~eras (think irl BC(E) and AD/CE), which is why there're thousands of years of history, as we've mentioned, but the current calendar year is only 1293. i only went back to the year 1000 but ill happily do more if we like! i tried to include a smattering of new and of familiar last names too, w a high proportion of staffords, as discussed, and yeah <3 primarily used [ this ] post for reference <3

finally, except the canon names, all names are simply placeholder names!

AGE OF HEROES

cillian stafford -- ruled during the age of heroes, wed the goddess alya, first queen of astaira, and sired w her the line of stafford

--- stafford -- cillian's second brother, ruled after cillian

--- stafford -- cillian's youngest brother, the last of the three original brothers to rule astaira

AC

1288-present -- roderick varmont, b. 1245, m. 1262, m. 1264, m. 1265

1281-1288 (7 years) -- eilionora stafford, b. 1267

1263-1281 (18 years) -- domhnall stafford, b. 1243, m. 1264

1255-1263 (8 years) -- finnian lorcan, b. 1230

1244-1255 (11 years) -- dubhán stafford, b. 1215, m. 1238

1238-1244 (6 years) -- ciar stafford, b. 1179, m. 1196

1236-1238 (2 years) -- caoimhe ormond vii, b. 1170, m. 1192

1236 (4 months) -- callum braoin, b. 1192, m. 1222

1233-1236 (3 years) -- declan stafford, b. 1214, m. 1232

1233 (1 month) -- conan básdorcha, b. 1216

1232-1233 (1 year) -- aine ó loch lorcan, b. 1208

1228-1232 (4 years) -- aoife killough, b. 1161, m. 1198

1228 (29 days) -- bréanainn boyle, b. 1187

1228 (2 months) -- cillian stafford, b. 1196, m. 1220

1226-1228 (2 years) -- tairdelbach lorcan b. 1154, m. 1173

1226 (2 weeks) -- fionn calleary ii, b. 1182, m. 1203

1225-1226 (1 year) -- diarmuid stafford v, b. 1162, m. 1182

1222-1225 (3 years) -- senan calleary, b. 1206

1222 (3 weeks) -- feardorcha stafford, b. 1187, m. 1221

1222 (7 months) -- mellán hanthom, b. 1203

1222 (9 days) -- fergus ormond, b. 1180, m. 1213

1200-1222 (22 years) -- brigit malconaire iii, b. 1180, m. 1209

1134-1200 (66 years) -- cerball lorcan, b. 1121, m. 1138

1123-1134 (11 years) -- sorcha calleary, b. 1036, m. 1073

1103-1123 (20 years) -- macdara malconaire ix b. 1041, m. 1073

1101-1103 (2 years) -- cathaoir tierney, b. 1053, m. 1086

1043-1101 (58 years) -- darach malconaire, b. 1019, m. 1043

1011-1043 (32 years) -- cormac byrne, b. 964, m. 1002

1000-1011 (11 years) -- caoimhe lorcan, b. 967, m. 169

[forgottenroderick]

OOC | OVN-ian Kingslist Mock Up

ok so since we've been developing the ovn, itself, a lot more recently, i wanted to do smth similar to [ this ] for them! (w all the same authorial notes abt names being stand ins till we decide and dates changeable the same way save for canon and so forth)

ok so i have had in my head for awhile that like the semi-legendary (think like...charlemagne or albert the great, like...he was a real historical figure, right, but there're also all these wild stories appended to him which some vers of may or may not ever have occurred but...certainly not like that lakjdskjfsdjf) rival/ally brother princes and later kings of the ovn named THEODEMIR and AUDOVACAR in ancient times, but like...we're gonna focus on more recent times...feel like they've got kind of a romulus/remus or even caine/abel thing going too w like murder and usurpation involved just...varmont vibes yknow lakjsdflkjsdf

1262-present -- roderick varmont, b. 1245, m. 1262, m. 1264, m. 1265

1257-1262 (5 years) -- athaulf iii varmont, b. 1196, m. 1228, m. 1243

1200-1257 (57 years) -- amalric ii varmont, b. 1168, m. 1195, m. 1231

1158-1200 (42 years) -- euric xii varmont, b. 1128, m. 1168

1158 (6 months) -- alaric ix varmont, b. 1126

1146-1158 (12 years) -- alvarus varmont, b. 1099, m. 1123

1125-1158 (33 years) -- athanaric varmont, b. 1076, m. 1098

1030-1125 (95 years) -- ildefonsus iv varmont, b. 1023, m. 1039, m. 1056, m. 1059, m. 1060, m. 1070, m. 1072, m. 1077, m. 1092 m. 1103 m. 1125

1027-1030 (3 years) -- ildefonsus iii varmont, b. 974, m. 996

1019-1027 (8 years) -- athaulf ii varmont, b. 922, m. 937

1017-1019 (2 years) -- ramirus viii varmont, b. 952, m. 973

1017 (2 months) -- euric xi varmont, b. 936, m. 951

1013-1017 (4 years) -- ildefonsus i varmont, b. 957, m. 972

1000-1013 (13 years) amalric i varmont, b. 930, m. 946, m. 952

once again i cut ot off at the year 1000, but am happy to do more if we like!

ok so i imagined that 1) we've got a pair of brothers in here where one strangled the other for the throne (and ~that's roderick great-grandpappy! yay! akljsdfjksdf); we've got a a henry viii/ivan the terrible type who was so desperate to provide an heir of his own body that he kept marrying and killing or confining to a nunnery wives who'd failed him (it was ~their fault!) and taking new ones but in the end he never had a son (those daughters do NOT matter!) and it was his hated cousin's kid who inherited; and at the beginning of the 11th century, generating that crisis, we've got a fully fledged civil war where all the extraneous brothers and cousins were killing each other for the throne so that's fun, too! idk it all just really fit i thought w what the house of varmont has got going on rn -- i also made pr much every king who didn't have a succession crisis have a kid pr much ~immediately upon marriage to give a lil credence to roderick's like 'you MUST conceive with three months of marriage or its time to panic!' to his wives lakjsdfljksdf

anyway obv any and all of this is up for change etc but yeah just a framework for us if we want it but also smth we can completely tear up and start again if we prefer <3 i just really enjoy making kingslists lakjsdlfjksdf

[lfr-lore]

Masterlist of Non-Playable Characters

last updated: 1/19/26

NOTE: this is intended to be a 'living' resource that we can update whenever and as needed <3 pls lmk w a comment and @ here if i've missed anyone/there's someone you'd like added, or likewise is smth needs updating, correction, or what-have-you!

characters listed by last known location, so, for example, lena is listed in astaira even though she was orinthian, because she died in astaira. where available i included imagined fcs but obv this shouldn't interfere in any way w any of lizzy's plans for future characters etc, etc. also blanket disclaimer that living npcs could potentially eventually becoming playable etc etc etc but yeah! hopefully this is a useful resource for us all!

LIVING

ALYTAR

vasilieva, --- -- valentina's sister. NOTE: potential retcon -- one of these may secretly be sonya's biological mother, in which case one of these sisters is likely dead.

vasilieva, --- -- valentina's sister. likely married and thus has a different surname which helped her escape roderick's wrath.

ASTAIRA

boyle, --- -- lord boyle. believed to be the oldest man in astaira. has survived many wives and children. potential betrothed to fiona calleary; father to --- ---.

demon tree/dark guardian, the -- a soul-devouring tree located in the old forest of malconaire, guarded by seers for generations, its most recent watcher is lonan malconaire.

great oak, the -- the guardian of malconaire; takes the form of an enomorous oak tree sprouting through the roof of malconaire's great hall.

hidden isle tree, the -- the guardian protecting the final lock which binds the gods in their prison. located in lorcan. in the form of an apple tree.

lorcan, peadar -- lord of lorcan and heir apparent. a child. son to padraic and aine lorcan; brother to cliodhna; nephew to éabha, cormac, finn, and fiona calleary, as well as to laoise, aisling, and caoimhe lorcan.

lorcan, cliodhna -- a lady of lorcan. a child. daughter to padraic and aine lorcan; sister to peadar; niece to éabha, cormac, finn, and fiona calleary, as well as to aloise, aisling, and coimhe lorcan.

lorcan swan, the -- potentially the leader of the flock of swans is actually the lorcan guardian.

malconaire, lonan -- seer who secretly guards the dark guardian tree deep in the old forest of malconaire. rumored elder brother of bran malconaire who was switched so that he need not rule as it went against all his hopes and wishes, but no good citizen of malconaire will acknowledge the switch. uncle to eithne, brigit, aoife, and roisin malconaire; brother to bran malconaire; son to eithne malconaire; sweethearts with cook in their youth.

verge, ellya (audri ibrag) -- lady of verge, handmaiden and dear friend to guinevere.

---, --- -- malconaire's cook (or, more recently, ~nominal cook). remained in the kitchens despite valentina's ruthless cuts due to eithne's intercession. sweethearts with lonan in their youth.

---, --- -- lord --- as well as lord of and heir presumptive to boyle. inherited --- from his mother upon her decease and set to inherit boyle as well upon the death ofhis father, should not other children be born to him. considered one of the wealthiest bachelors in all astaira. potential betrothed to fiona calleary; son to --- boyle.

---, --- (angus imrie) -- one of two footmen who attend cormac. this one is in full support of his every move, takes it all so, so seriously. an icon. a hero, even.

---, --- (edward davis) -- one of two footmen who attend cormac. burdered eternally by this job. so, so tired.

---, --- -- a scholar who was aria's first flame

---, --- -- lord blackmore, one of arthur's gentlemen of the chamber, looking to wed a lady alys

---, anna -- a peasant of stafford who works at the palace. friend to percy; wife to harry

---, diarmuid -- an elderly servant from malconaire whom valentina sold into serfdom and whom cillian frost first pretended to be lord ormond in order to free

---, harry -- a peasant of stafford who works at the palace. friend to percy; husband to anna

---, lionel -- one of arthur's gentlemen of the chamber, a knight and son to aurelian's captain of the guard

---, thomas -- one of arthur's gentlemen of the chamber and a knight

---, richard -- one of arthur's gentlemen of the chamber and a knight looking to become a baron

---, --- -- knight of rencarr, one of arthur's gentlemen of the chamber, mockingly nicknamed 'the knight of the flames' by sir thomas for having once set his cap afire with a too-tall feather

LIENOR

auclair, piers -- knight of the griffin, future lord blackwater, attendant knight to the lienor ambassador to astaira. roisin malconaire's first love who she believed she would wed (tho frankly he was likely never interested in that) before he fled and abandoned them all to whatever fate war with the ovn would bring. when last heard from, set to wed for political gain in lienor.

OVN

aella's arch -- two trees growing together, actually twin guardians, grafts taken from the great greak oak of malconaire.

fell, --- -- heir apparent to house fell, posing as the father of his niece, odile fell; brother to alys fell

VINETTA

grey, alys fell -- lady grey, lady of fell. the cause of great scandal in the ovn court in her youth, rumored to be mistress to both euric and athaulf varmont. faked her death and is widely presumed dead. sold her daughter to a work house and left with the money. mother to odile fell; estranged wife to alistair grey.

ladvik, tomas (oscar isaac) -- wealthy merchant's son and former lover of odile fell. recognized the varmont heraldry on odile's locket. asked her to marry him, causing her to flee vinetta, instead.

DECEASED

AARNU

---, --- -- renowed alchemist but later forced into hiding after roderick conquered aarnu given his prohibition against alchemy as sorcery. mentor therein to aleksander royce. eventually burned alive by roderick as a sorcerer. deceased year 1283 oc/21 ar

ALYTAR

vasiliev, --- -- king of alytar, brutally exected with his whole extended family (save valentina and her children who were considered too distant a relation for him to bother with) by roderick upon the conquest of alytar. deceased year 1285 oc/23 ar

vasilieva, --- -- queen of alytar, brutally executed with her whole family, including her various children (not listed here as characters bc there's no further ideas yet beyond their existence), by roderick upon the conquest of alytar. rumored to have had an affair with aleksander royce. deceased year 1285 oc/23 ar

vasiliev, --- -- valentina's father. deceased year (unknown)

vasilieva, --- -- valentina's mother. deceased year (unknown)

---, --- (john noble) -- lord of the riverbend. cassimir and sonya malconaire's biological father; valentina's first husband. deceased year (unknown)

ASTAIRA

básdorcha, --- -- lord malconaire by marriage. roisin is said to take after him. husband to eithne malconaire; father to lonan malconaire and macdara malconaire. deceased year (unknown)

calleary, --- -- lord calleary. served in eilionora's council as lord of the waters. clashed with godfrey calainon in naval battles and was ultimately defeated. beheaded by orders of roderick varmont for treason after the war. deceased year 1291 oc/29 ar

calleary, --- -- lady calleary. mother to éabha, cormac, aine, finn, and fiona calleary; wife to lord calleary. deceased year (unknown)

frost, ciaran -- castellan, estate steward, and groundskeeper of malconaire and dear friend to bran malconaire. father to ronan, cillian, and saoirse frost; husband to caoimhe frost. deceased year (unknown)

frost, caoimhe -- handmaiden and dear friend to sorcha malconaire and remained a servant there after her death as governess to the children. from ormond. believed, incorrectly, by valentina to have been bran's mistress. mother to ronan, cillian, and saoirse frost; wife to ciaran frost. deceased year (unknown)

lorcan, --- -- the last king of lorcan, who came together with king macdara and king cillian to defeat the evil gods and form astaira. l ived thousands of years ago. deceased year (unknown)

lorcan, finnian -- king of astaira immediately before domhnall stafford. lord lorcan, and older brother to commander lorcan. had no issue. deceased year (unknown)

lorcan, commander -- a brilliant and noted strategist and tactician as well as soldier. wrote many masterpiece works on the art of war which are treasured in astaira but largely discounted elsewhere in the world as astaira is little known for war. served on domhnall's great council before his death. though the younger brother of the ruling lord lorcan, his descendants went on to inherit. grandfather of eithne, brigit, aoife, and roisin malconaire as well as padraic, laoise, aisling, and caoimhe lorcan; father of sorcha malconaire (and others) by a lady from the house of the otter who was quite the warrior herself. deceased year (unknown)

malconaire, macdara -- the last king of malconaire who came together with the king of lorcan and cillian staffor to create astaira and defeat the evil gods. lived thousands of years ago. deceased year (unknown)

malconaire, eithne -- lady malconaire from whom bran malconaire inherited and greatly revered in malconaire to this day. mother to bran and lonan malconaire by a lord from the house básdorcha, grandmother to eithne, brigit, aoife, and roisin malconaire. deceased year (unknown)

malconaire, macdara "bran" -- the previous lord malconaire. father of eithne, brigit, aoife, roisin, cassimir, and sonya malconaire; husband of sorcha and valentina malconaire. deceased year 1291 oc/29 ar

malconaire, sorcha lorcan -- the previous lady malconaire. mother of eithne, brigit, aoife, and roisin malconaire; wife of bran malconaire; aunt of padraic, laoise, aisling, and caoimhe lorcan.

ó réimse, saoirse -- a bastard of ormond, rounded up and burned alive in roderick's quest to burn all reputed witches during the pyre walk. saoirse frost sometimes uses her name when in disguise and blames herself for her death, believing she died as saoirse half-seer. deceased year 1291 oc/29 ar

reaves, --- -- percy's older brother and ronan's best friend who died during the battle of malconaire. deceased year 1291 oc/29 ar

stafford, cillian i -- the first king of a united astaira, ruling thousands of years ago. said to have wed the sky goddess, alya, who is said to have given him his star-crown at the vault of the heavens in stafford, ancestor of house stafford. each of his two brothers were elected king after him. helped lock away the evil gods with the help of his famous, lost star sword, the sword of kings. deceased year (unknown)

stafford, --- – cillian i stafford's second brother, ruled after cillian. d eceased year (unknown)

stafford, --- – cillian i stafford's youngest brother, the last of the three original brothers to rule astaira. deceased year (unknown)

stafford, ciar -- king of astaira. father to dubhán stafford; grandfather to riacan, domhnall, and réalta stafford; great-grandfather to rian, garbhan, eilionora, aria, and siobhan stafford. deceased year 1244

stafford, dubhán -- king of astaira. father to riacan, réalta, and domhnall; grandfather to rian, garbhan, eilionora, aria, and siobhan stafford. deceased year 1255 oc

stafford, domnhall -- king of astaira. father of eilionora, aria, and siobhan stafford; husband to léna stafford; brother to riacan and réalta stafford, star-crossed lovers with aine of kil-kennar. deceased year 1281 oc/19 ar

stafford, léna of orinthia (sophie marceau) -- queen of astaira, princess of orinthia. mother of eilionora, aria, and siobhan stafford; wife of domhnall stafford; star-crossed lover of riacan stafford. deceased year (unknown)

---, aine -- high seeress of kil-kennar. star-crossed lover of domhnall stafford, a connection exploited by roderick to suggest a non-existent secret marriage and thus de-legitimize eilionora, aria, and siobhan stafford. executed by arthur varmont on roderick varmont's orders. deceased year 1291 oc/29 ar

---, fiadh -- seer and ruling lady of the fens, known as the 'witch-queen' of the fens to the empire. burned alive for witchcraft and treason by roderick varmont. deceased year 1291 oc/29 ar

---, --- -- head gardener first at lorcan then at malconaire, having followed sorcha there. an elderly gentleman who died during the battle of malconaire while roisin malconaire was attending him during her stint as battlefield nurse. year deceased 1291 oc/29 ar

KOLCHIS

calainon, --- -- a witch and mystic and keeper of the sacred flame. mentor to amira varmont. grandmother to amira, godfrey, and tristan calainon; mother to --- calainon. deceased year (unknown)

calainon, --- -- mother to amira, godfrey, and tristan. died in childbirth. deceased year 1261

calainon, --- -- a rapscallion who impregnated and abandoned --- calainon. said by amira and godfrey (who're the only ones old enough to remember) to have been the calainon of the two, but it was actually their mother. may or may not have actually been married to her but the two old enough to have any idea say that they were. whereabouts and status unknown, but likely deceased

kolchian dragon, the -- the calainon guardian, who has since perished. took the form of a dragon and was once protector of the eternal flame of kolchis

OVN

foxe, aella -- ancient ancestor of house foxe and daughter of a woman from house malconaire. lived about 200 years ago. shared a doomed love w ewan grey. deceased year (unknown)

foxe, timon (ben daniels) -- lord harburrow. raised guinevere there for much of her childhood. grandfather to guinevere varmont; father to elaine varmont; husband to a distant cousin of house solemont. deceased year 1287 oc/25 ar

grey, dougal -- an ancient member of house grey who lived thousands of years ago, famous as a doomed lover whose disappearance kickstarted even greater events, remembered as the brother of the house's ancestor, himself known for slaying a huge bloodthirsty wolf which had been terrorizing the county. unbeknownst to anyone else, the wolf was actually dougal, who had been turned into the ravening beast by a vengeful god, for loving a woman the god wanted. ewan is, therefore, considered lost and thought likely to have been the wolf's first victim and unknown as the wolf, itself. deceased year (unknown)

ewan, grey -- a man of house grey who lived about two hundred years ago and shared a doomed love with aella foxe. deceased year (unknown)

stafford, réalta -- princess of astaira, ambassador to the ovn. died accused of witchcraft, awaiting her sentence in a jail cell following her terrible trial -- secretly poisoned by solemont operatives. aunt to rian, garbhan, eilionora, aria, and siobhan stafford; erstwhile betrothed to roderick varmont; sister to riacan and domhnall stafford. deceased year 1265 oc/3 ar

stafford, riacan -- a lord of stafford, ran for election as king of astaira but was passed over for his younger brother and was self-exiled to the ovn. wanted to become king and do away with elections altogether. pressured rian and garbhan to follow him. father to rian and garbhan stafford; brother to domhnall and réalta stafford; star-crossed lovers with léna stafford. deceased year (unknown)

stafford, --- -- a lady of stafford, likely from the ovn, spent her life trapped in a loveless marriage to a man pining for his brother's bride. mother to rian and garbhan stafford; wife to riacan stafford. deceased year (unknown)

varmont, athaulf -- king of the ovn. recorded as dead by plague but may have secretly been poisoned by solemont operatives. r umored to be a potential father of odile fell. rumored lover of alys fell. father of euric, amala, roderick, and alaric varmont; brother of bartholomew varmont; husband of millicent varmont; son of amalric varmont. deceased year 1262

varmont, euric (rufus sewell) -- crown prince of the ovn. recorded as dead by plague but may have secretly been poisoned by solemont operatives. rumored to be a potential father of odile fell. rumored lover of alys fell. brother to amala, roderick, and alaric varmont; son to athaulf varmont. deceased year 1262

varmont, amala -- princess of the ovn, princess of antilla. drowned during a boat race celebrating her marriage to the crown prince of antilla, causing a political disaster which would ultimately result in roderick's conquest. sister to euric, roderick, and alaric; daughter to athaulf. deceased year 1261 oc

varmont, millicent -- queen of the ovn, forced to wed athaulf though she wished to enter a nunnery. died in childbirth. mother to roderick and alaric varmont; second wife to athaulf varmont; step-mother to euric and amala varmont. deceased year 1258

varmont, amalric -- king of the ovn. father of athaulf and bartholomew varmont; grandfather of euric, amala, roderick, and alaric varmont. deceased year 1257

varmont, isabeau -- queen of the ovn, princess of faulia. mother to bartholomew; wife to amalric; grandmother to euric, amala, roderick, and alaric. deceased year 1260 oc

varmont, thais of kolchis -- duchess of the ovn, princess of kolchis. died of the plague. first wife to bartholomew; mother to tyche, parysatis, and athanaric. deceased year 1262 oc

varmont, tyche -- lady of the ovn. died of the plague. daughter of bartholomew and thais varmont. deceased year 1262 oc

varmont, parysatis -- lady of the ovn. died of the plague. daughter of bartholomew and thais varmont. deceased year 1262 oc.

varmont, athanaric -- lord of the ovn. died of the plague. son of bartholomew and thais varmont. deceased year 1262 oc.

varmont, --- calleary -- duchess of the ovn, a lady of calleary. mother to eoin and ciara; second wife to bartholomew; sister to --- calleary; aunt to éabha, cormac, aine, finn, and fiona calleary. deceased 1267 oc/5 ar

varmont, elaine foxe -- empress of the ovn, queen of the ovn, lady of harburrow. died mysteriously during the early stages of pregnancy -- secretly poisoned by amira. mother to guinevere varmont; wife to roderick varmont, daughter to timon foxe. deceased 1272 oc/10 ar

VINETTA

lamaire, jean-luc (patrick stewart) -- mayor of a small town and secretly leader of a thieving and information-gathering group that taught odile fell and aleksander royce much of their trade. mentor to odile fell and aleksander royce. died of a wasting disease which odile fell secretly contracted from him while tending his deathbed. deceased year 1288 oc/26 ar

[forgottenalistair]

Alys of House Fell

ok so its time i tell you all the story of [ alys fell ]. house fell was a minor house from the ovn, which had recently become exceedingly wealthy by marrying into a merchant family. while this gave them wealth, it decreased their status still further, and -- looking to climb -- they decided now was the time to try to tempt high lords into alliance schemes by any means necessary

beautiful, charming, and flawlessly elegant, thei daughter, alys, was raised with this ambitious mindset and pushed by her parents at a young alistair grey, an orphan from an ancient and respectable great house, lord in his own right, and utterly without any living relations leaving him pr alone and wo counsel in the world, but also possessed of huge swathes of land -- and no way to finance their upkeep. to alys' parents, it seemed like the perfect marriage: alys would be awarded his lands, title, and high status; alistair would be awarded her wealth, beauty, merchant connections to help further finance his assets, and get heirs out of it to boot. and all of house fell would reap the rewards by becoming inextricably connected w one of the oldest and most storied families in the realm. however, they ~also knew, due to their own status, that this would still be an uphill battle, so they must find a way of making the union irresistable to the young man

HOWEVER, alys' family weren't the only contendors vying for alistair's lands. the late king (bart's father/roderick's grandfather) had taken alistair as his ward for precisely that same reason. while alistair was underage, the king had had complete control over those lands, but w alistair coming to his majority and the old king passing away, alistair took possession of them himself -- but, lacking any legitimate relatives, should he die without any heirs, the lands would all ultimately revert to the crown anyway, and thus whoever was king at the time of his death would get them. as a result, a marriage for alistair most decidedly did NOT suit the house of varmont

house fell, however, wasn't entirely aware of these machinations, at least not at the start! so what did they do? on a day they knew that alistair would be at court, they trotted out their lovely daughter, presenting her to the king and court in all the splendour they could afford, and instructed her to charm her way into alistair's heart -- and gain the unswerving admiration of all who met her -- by whatever means necessary. they'd need all the allies they could get and, if alistair ~did decline to wed her, they wanted to line up as many backup suitors as they possibly could

the fells had trained their girl well. she did precisely what she was asked, and alistair was breathless with love from practically the first moment. she did more than she'd been asked, however. alistair was hardly the only one. she'd also caught the eye of the king, himself, and one thing an up-and-coming family doesn't like to do is gainsay the royal family when an opportunity like this one presents itself

alys soon found herself secretly royal mistress -- and, at the same time, she received an offer of marriage from the besotted alistair grey, just as originally intended. at first, the king was incensed, but soon a plan emerged. alys was pregnant, already, but no one else yet knew. she would marry alistair, pass the child off as his, and then they would arrange for alistair to have a convenient "hunting accident," and kill him. the lands would, indeed, pass into the hands of the house of varmont, as well as those of house fell, and the king could even ward his own child for years. it was the perfect plan and it was put into action -- but @forgottenroderick overheard his father plotting and risked his wrath to warn alistair, who foiled the plot

there are differings stories on precisely what happened, but a minor revolt began where alistair first displayed his skill in strategy by duping ruling forces and forcing the king's much larger army into a humiliating route w a much smaller force armed largely w cunning and ferocity. it was only diffused when the king signed certain accords which limited his own power (and made him furious to boot!) and alistair called off his famed wulvar warriors, and talked down the other barons who had risen with him, incensed that the king would try such a thing and fearful he might try it w some of them next

i also wanna take this moment to remind you that alistair was a ward to the prev king and thus that he and the king were foster brothers so...awkward on lots of levels alksdjfjkdsf

this incident is also the reasons roderick is [ wary of disturbing the nobility too much ] -- he's seen that go south for kings, before! even if ~he was the whistleblower that time!! and even if he frankly enjoyed watching his abusive dad take roderick's own machinations on the chin

there are also conflicting stories abt alys -- and her fate. some say she threw herself into the sea, some that she was strangled, others record simply that she was one of those ultimately lost in the plague which ravaged the ovn around this same time. some say that it was prince euric who took her to his bed, many that it was his father. her very personality is a subject of some dispute. most remember a flawless, charming, and cultured young woman who was forced into a terrible position by ambitious parents and a cruel king, but others whisper that it was she who orchestrated the entire thing to serve her own unyielding ambition, and caused the death of thousands in a pointless civil war. whatever the truth of alys, however, it is known now only to alistair grey, and he will not speak of it...

[forgottenroderick]

"it is cool when ~i disrupt an evil ruler!" ~roderick varmont, probably

no but i ~do think that roderick did this for a couple reasons (which i will ~not be listning in any particular order of importance or anything) and, while one ~was legitimately just out of the goodness of his own heart, most of it was ~not!

notably, this is ~also the year that roderick was betrothed by his father to someone and secretly married elaine, instead. roderick knew that was going to be found out sooner or later, one way or another, particularly as roderick ~also knew that elaine was secretly already pregnant at the time of their marriage, and that ~he certainly wasn't going to marry his father's chosen princess or ~anyone who wasn't his beloved elaine! (at the time he had big ideas abt having just ~one wife~ ik -- wild stuff truly ;DDDD) and what could be more distracting to ~everyone from all this than a nice lil war in ur own backyard?? plus, instability would likely cause the hoped-for alliance to renege on the deal and then ~that source of conflict and discovery would be eliminated

another reason for this ploy was that frankly!! roderick's dad was arguably an even worse person than roderick, he simply lacked roderick's scope, talent, and vision so he accordingly lacked the resources to make his personality the entire world's problem, unlike his son lakjsdfkjsdf but anyway!! roderick, as we know, does NOT like to be made to feel small or to be hurt or vulnerable or any such thing which was his ~constant paradigm under his father's thumb and frankly, even knowing the severe punishment he'd face for it if the ploy didn't come off and athaulf conquered the rebels, roderick thought it might be worth it just to stick it to him and watch him take it (it was!)

he ~also did have big ideas abt justice at the time, and curtailing his father's power (and that ultimately his arguably even ~worse older brother who was at the time poised to be the next king,) was smth he thought would legit be good for the ovn (he was def right!), and only the lords coming together against him had the power to do that wo completely crushing the ovn, itself, as a war w ~another country would've done in that moment, esp w his father's ruinous reign

also, if it ~did work, this plot would leave roderick w powerful allies at his back whom his father wouldn't be eager to once again piss off, and hopefully afford roderick and his new wife and their unborn child some protection against his father and his bloody wrath...which it did! this posse roderick built here later went on to form his future inner circle when roderick, quite by surprise, came to the throne, himself and war came knocking at his door

finally, there's also the goodness of his heart reason -- roderick legit didn't want to see that happen to alistair, and that's the reason he'll credit if you ask him, and its the reason that's written down in the history books and talked of in the empire, etc (tho this incident is largely forgotten now bc it has frankly been HUGELY overshadowed by all roderick's ~other imposing accomplishments lakjsdfjdsf) but...yeah...there was a lot more going on that! lakjsdfjkdsf roderick: 'yes, i ~did use you, alistair, and yes, you ~should still thank me for it!'

anyway, this all allowed roderick to get away w his marriage to elaine wo any of them ~mysteriously and terribly dying~ or anything else sinister happening to them, so when you think abt it, in a way this all led directly to guin's birth, so that's wild too lakjsdfkjdsf machinations for the win!! lajskdflkjdsf

[forgottenarias]

ooc || yule celebrations in stafford

so there is a lot of things I know I didn't include here, but just some general thoughts after a bit of reading on Yule traditions... GENERAL IDEA ABOUT YULE IN ASTAIRA The Holly & Oak King: The short & sweet version of this is that there is a Celtic tradition of a battle between two twin kings-- the King of Oaks, who rules during the spring/summer & the King of Holly who rules during the Autumn/Winter months. The battles happen at the Summer Solstice (with Holly being the victory) and Winter Solstice (with Oaks being the victory). I feel like this could potentially tie in to the battle between Xerxes and Darius mentioned in Event #2…??? Evergreens & Mistletoe: Nature being important in Astairan culture, it feels like decorating with these natural items in the winter months would be a tradition. These would be left up until the final day of Yule & it was considered bad luck to remove them before the Yule festivals had concluded.

YULE CELEBRATIONS AT STAFFORD So I'm obviously completely open to everyone's thoughts on this but my initial thought is that the Yule celebrations specifically in Stafford. This is a mashup of a number of Yule/Winter Solstice traditions from pagan/Nordic/Viking/Irish/probably other things I've forgotten!

Traditionally Yule celebrations last 12 days but I went with a week because 1) I kind of loved the idea that the middle of the celebration was the ACTUAL winter solstice-- three days of 'night' before the solstice and three days of 'light' afterward and 2) I legit just started to run out of ideas ;)

Additionally, since the Staffords have direct connections to the gods (or the story says!), I thought it might be interesting if some of their celebrations revolved around the gods/goddesses themselves. Anyway without further ado... some thoughts on the week of Yule celebrations at Stafford!

Day One - Alya's Night As House Stafford is said to be descendents of the goddess Alya herself, Yule Celebrations begin at Stafford at sunset when a grand feast is held in honor of the goddess. At one time, an extravagant pantomime was performed in Stafford depicting the goddess crowning the first Stafford king but that was abandoned within recent memory, the Staffords finding it rather self indulgent in a time when it was their duty to be charitable. It was replaced with the tradition of having musicians, poets, and performers fill the Citadel with their own performances-- which were always paid for handsomely by the ruling Stafford lord.

Day Two - The Feast of Stafford The Lord/Lady of Stafford have food and drink brought into the city itself so that all those who live beneath the shadow of the Citadel's castle may celebrate and feast during a cold, dark time of the year. The Stafford family themselves most often spend this night in quiet contemplation of their roles both in the county and within Astaira as a whole.

Day Three - The Procession of Mestrius Based on the idea of 'Odin's Wild Hunt' Tradition says that veil between the mortal world & the world of the gods is at its weakest. Mestrius, King of the Gods, leads a procession of gods & goddesses through the skies of the mortal world. Stories say that the gods & goddesses might descend from the skies should the power of the Guardians fail to protect the mortal realm. On this night, all the fires in the Citadel must be tended from sunset until sunrise. An abundance of gifts are left beside the hearth to strengthen the Guardians to protect the household.

Day Four - Winter Solstice or Midwinter While those who have spend the previous night tending the fires to protect Stafford from the wrath of the gods may rest, others use the shortest day of the year to prepare for the the longest night. Lanterns and luminaries line the streets of Stafford so that its citizens need not fear the dark on the longest night. It is the task of all the citizens of Stafford to relight any lantern or candle should they find it extinguished throughout the night. Once darkness has fallen, people take to the streets, visiting with the friends and neighbors, sharing food and drink and merriment. The streets are filled with laughter and music until the longest night ends.

Day Five - The Guardians' Rest To thank the Guardians for their protection during the longest night and during the Procession of Mestrius, the Guardian's Day is observed as a day of rest both for the mortals and Guardians. Much like on the night of the Procession, ample gifts are left at the hearth to strengthen the Guardians' powers.

Day Six - Damaspia's Feast While not a 'feast' in a traditional sense, this is a day to celebrate the Queen of the Gods. One this day, women are relived of their traditional duties (specifically referring to things such as caring for children, household duties, etc.) which are left to the men in the family. Often on this day, many women focus on setting up for the Festival of Artaynte the following day.

Day Seven - Artaynte's Day Artaynte's Day celebrates the goddess of light and sister to the traditional goddess of Stafford, Alya. The festival begins at first light and concludes at sunset. The streets are filled with artisans and vendors selling their wares, music, dance, and other performances taking place throughout the city.. While the nights are still long, the festival is meant to remind all that brighter, warmer days will one day come. Gifts are often exchanged on this day.

Like I said above VERY open to thoughts/suggestions/changes <333 and even expanding things out closer to the traditional 12 days if anyone has ideas!!!

[forgottenalistair]

Islaun Midwinter Festival: Byrganwulf

the festival of byrganwulf (from old english meaning to bury, to hide, to inter + wolf) commemorates the slaying of the great wolf known as dougal (meaning the dark one), said to have maimed, murdered, and devoured more than 200 wulvar, thousands upon thousands of years ago

dougal was at last hunted down and slain by lord grey and it is said that the great wolf's fearsome spirit passed into him and, through him, to all the wulvar as his people and thus his kin

each year, the lord of grey ritually slays the wolf, once again, and once more gives it to the wulvar, deepening their connection to the great wolf which is connected to their beliefs about spirituality and the afterlife

a black wolf pelt, said to be the original taken from dougal in the mists of time, has since been passed down for generations upon generations

the feast of byrganwulf takes place across a full fortnight, but can sometimes take longer

the first night is one of fasting and purification, cleaning the home during the day followed by ritual bathing at night

the wulvar come together at night in the wee hours next for secret rites known only to themselves, properly preparing them to enter the feast, non-wulvar are not welcome

the next morning, at dawn, the great hunt which takes up the majority of festival days, begins and from this time on, non-wulvar may participate if they so choose

while it can be undertaken at many times a year, byrganwulf is the most common time for a wulvar youth to undertake the ritual of becoming a man by slaying his first wolf with nothing but his bare hands

wolves are the most prized kills during the great hunt, spiritually (as well as a way of keeping the pack population -- most likely to grow desperate and attack humans during the winter -- down), but everything is welcomed as all that is not consumed during the later feast will be salted to provide food for the winter

heads of wulvar families wear their ancestral family furs, younger wulvar wear their own personal kills

the great hunt, a vast communal hunt through the wintry forests, consumes the vast majority of the first week but many other activities are peppered throughout

it is traditional to send coded, anonymous messages in intricately cut, snowflake-like paper and bound up w snowdrops. they are hidden away for friends and loved ones to find and decode. this is also a common means and time for lovers to declare themselves. this practice generally continues throughout the winter, and sometimes those who've passed notes only reveal their identities at the close of the season -- or never at all. these letters are traditionally called gækkebrev

naked trees are decorated with furs and feathers and pretty keepsakes

paper snowflakes and stars are crafted with which to decorate, symbolizing enduring light even in the coldest times

much time is spent gathering holly, ivy, mistletoe, and evergreen with which to decorate the home and village later, symbolizing life

at the end of the hunt, (ended when lord grey slays a wolf after at least six days have elapsed -- that is, if for example he kills a wolf on the first day that does not end the hunt), everyone returns home on their sledges and a great bonfire is built

here something of a market-of-exchange begins as people begin going through what they have caught and what they might need, with the goal that every single wulvar walks away with meat for the winter, as some will have returned with excess and others with not enough, any excess after that is set aside for first the great feast and next as a communal pot to be stored by lord grey for the benefit of all

once this is done, everyone returns home and there are two counts of 'first-footing'

the first of the wulvar to walk through their own threshold will be considered lucky through the following year

after everyone returns home and stores their new wares, a ritual of midnight visits begins, with the youngest and oldest members of the family staying home by the fire cooking, as needed, and the rest (bearing gifts of whiskey, kindling, salt, and bread) going out to visit the neighbors, till everyone has seen everyone else as well as decorating the village and exteriors of homes

this is where the second count of first-footing takes place, and it is one that everyone can rely upon: the first visitor to walk through one's door accords good fortune to both the guest and the host and between their two families in the year to come. dark-haired men are considered particularly lucky first visitors

drinking whiskey, singing traditional songs, and eating bread all while helping each other cook is the traditional activity for these visits

children generally help cook where they can, and spend the rest of the time carving scary faces into root vegetables, called neeps

visits last until about 2am, and it is considered ill luck to be the last to return home

it is considered bad luck for any able-bodied person to sleep that night, or to stir out of doors till the sun again wakes. some people even obliged to stay the night in other people's houses and risk the year of bad luck for staying away from home that night to avoid the doom of stepping outside during that time, for the dreaded cailleach, the great spider foe of the wolf spirit, is said to stalk the world that night, ready to devour souls. wulvar spend the rest of the night cooking and decorating inside, covering up the windows that they might avoid looking upon the cailleach's icy dead eye, said to be death at a glance

the next morning begins with a procession, everyone clad all in white with crowns and belts of ivy, mistletoe, holly, evergreen, and candles upon their heads

it is a burial procession, still and silent, and it is said that whomever first breaks the silence upon that day is doomed to speak ill all throughout the following year, called wolftongue (different from wolfspeak which is sacred)

once the silence has been broken, musicians begin playing bagpipes and drums as they walk, while others keen and wail

beneath their white (or wearing it above if it happens to be white), each head of a family once again wears their family furs, and each family bears an ancestral artifact, usually a weapon or drinking horn of some kind, as well as offerings such as seeds, tools, jewelry, mulled wine, bread, meat and mead, and other typical grave goods

the villages are traditionally left entirely dereft of people, with those too ill or old or young to participate simply taken directly to castle grey to stay out the festival. the able bodied all meet at castle grey, and from there jointly processing down, passing under aella's arch, and into the foxe-grey crypt

there, though separated by centuries, the deaths of dougal and of ewan and aella are reinacted by members of houses grey and foxe. this is frankly a very dangerous reenactment, with real deadly weapons used and is meant to strengthen the trust between the houses though has been known to result in death and serious injury on occasion in the past

these symbolically dead are wakened by a kiss, symbolizing the breath of life and the return of the gift of the great wolf spirit to all

after this, offerings are made to ancestors, fresh soil and general attention, decoration, and maintenance, given to their graves, and (formerly) to the guardians thought to be watching over the spirits of the departed. offerings are still made to the great wolf, and many take the opportunity to leave an offering at aella's arch for the opportunity to behold the great love of their lives

following this, another procession is formed, returning to castle grey

there, everyone is given gifts and refreshments, including a traditional tea (said to have magical qualities allowing one to inhale the breath of the wolf and behold glimpses of the future), as well as whiskey, traditional black buns, and hot mulled wine

torches are lit from the bonfire there, and dancing is held while a feast gets underway, all hours of the night

the third day gets underway with feats of strength and daring, traditional funeral games, for though the wolf has symbolically died, he is not yet buried as well as storytelling around the bonfire and more feasting

until the burial, wulvar remain housed in the traditional safety of castle grey, with any of the people of foxe or other welcomed guests who wish to participate also remaining there, until the festival is complete

during the latter seven days of the festival, following the great hunt, the night is inherent danger, and feasting, toasting, ceilidhs (dancing), and bonfires are maintained every single night

the cailleach -- her power so terrible that she is referred to as the lady of snow and ice and rarely called by name lest her fell eye come to rest upon the speaker -- an ice-spider spirit and the ancient enemy of the great wolf, is free to walk the world with her rival trapped between life and death and she spreads winter all around her from which the world will not soon recover, her malignant power ever-growing

the neeps carved by children and decoration placed all around help ward her off and keep the inhabitants safe within the castle as the terrible dark closes in

the fourth day is full of fire and earth rituals to prepare and strengthen the great wolf spirit by their own participation in that greater spirit, for what is to come -- a time for family and closeness strengthening bonds in the face of spiritual peril, as well as fireworks at night

the fifth day is the day of guising, a full-day-and-night masquerade in which none may say any name of one they love, nor their own, nor show their full face, and later at night mummery entertainments amongst dancing and feasting, once again telling the stories of dougal and of aella, as the malignant cailleach's power grows and none dare show face nor utter beloved name

the sixth day is preparing for burial, both considering the spiritual nature of death and the afterlife for themselves and their loved ones, preparing wills and the like, but also of making the traditional foods for a wulvar wake. no one is permitted to sleep this night, and every candle and fire must be continuously kept lit. even the courtyard, until now considered safe within the castle walls, is not considered safe upon this night, and everyone must remain indoors with the windows shut and covered against the malice of the cailleach

the seventh day is the burial itself, culminating in a return to the crypt and another reenactment, this time involving the participants drinking a chalice together, as in a traditional wulvar wedding, and stepping through and over a circle of flames together, symbolizing victory over death. like the traditional tea, the contents -- this time a strong alcoholic drink -- are prepared by a shaman and contain magical properties said to show the drinkers much amd more, though the precise meaning of that is never detailed beyond simply that, often even to those who sip of it, but it appears to be some means of communing with the spirit world and it is when the wolfspeak begins with much talk that says much and little depending if one is open to hearing the truth, and is said to grant temporarily massive strength and power as well as 'seeing' but the participants rarely remember much of what they saw afterward. torches, bagpipes, drum beats, and songs accompany this funeral, like all others (but especially pyres), to guide the soul.  following this, a great celeration is begun, and any remaining neeps ritualistically burned alng with an efigy of the cailleach who has now been conquered and pushed back, her dominion though still strong now prevented from becoming eternal by the wolf's sarifice and the gift of the great wolf spirit to all, who are each offered a sip of the same spiritual drink already conferred upon the reenactors. all may safely go where they will and, the next day, the villagers all return to their homes

traditional foods and drinks include black buns, haggis, cooked neeps (root vegetables), glögg (spiced mulled wine with nuts and gingerbread), julbord (a seaonsal smorgasbord of festive foods)

a former, banned practice includes porridge for the nisse or tomte, leaving a bowl of porridge for the guardians to ensure good fortune but has been replaced with bird feeding to maintain the spirit of sharing inherent to the festival

games like pakkeleg (a dice-stealing game) are usual as are crafts such as neps and ornament-making as well as storytelling, and even apple dookin' and singing

sisu, a spirit of grit, resilience, and determination to overcome challenges, often applied to enduring winter, is practiced and prized

another is sámi, shamanistic practices involved ancestral veneration, with shamans (noaidi) communicating with spirits via drums for community guidance

note: this is heavily inspired by scandinavian and scottish spring/easter, winter/christmas, and burial traditions

[phabblebabbles]

lfr kid meme posts!

Aine & Rían

Aoife & Cormac

Aoife & Sebastian

Aria & Alistair

Aria & Arthur

Brigit & Cillian

Ciara & Ronan

Eilionora & Alaric

Eithne & Arthur

Eithne & Cassimir

Eithne & Ronan

Eithne & Tristan

Roisin & Edmund

@laurenplayspeople @lizzysrps @quillington

[forgottenamira]

OOC | Titles & Styles of Varmont Queens

ok, so for compare/contrast purposes, i'm including roderick's styles esp bc it'll probs be echoed a good bit by elaine's imperial style

also note the ladies' titles will be shorter than their male counterparts bc they can't go running off and becoming godly champions or knights or run around conquering cities or anything so yeah alksjdfjkldsf

RODERICK

INFORMAL STYLE OF THE TRUE EMPEROR

His Imperial Majesty, Roderick the First of His Name, by the Grace of the One True God, of the Great and Holy Empire of [Varmont] and Astaira and of His other Realms and Territories One True Emperor, Conquer of the Twelve Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, and God’s Own Champion

FORMAL STYLE OF THE TRUE EMPEROR

His Imperial Majesty, Roderick the First of His Name, by the Grace of the One True God, of [Varmont], and of Antillia, Kolchis, Alatyr, Aarnu, Vinetta, Kvenheim, Aotepo, Argadara, Xangadu, Malakarta, Affaraon, and Astaira, and of his Dominions beyond the Seas, One True Emperor, Protector of Vyrajj, God-King of Kolchis, Archduke of the Two Isles and of the Shimmering Seas Overlord, King-Elector of the Astairans, Lord of the Two Lands, Sun-King of the Hauren, Divine Emperor of the Iddenese, the Freefolk, and the Cockaignians, Evenstar of Astaira, Conqueror of the Twelve Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, and God’s Own Champion

ELAINE

INFORMAL STYLE OF THE TRUE EMPRESS

Her Imperial Majesty, Elaine, by the Grace of the One True God, of the Great and Holy Empire of [Varmont] and Astaira and of Her other Realms and Territories One True Empress, Great Royal Wife, Great of Praises

FORMAL STYLE OF THE EMPRESS (note that, given her death, some nations are not noted in her style -- note: aarnu was not yet conquered at the time of her death, but roderick began styling himself its emperor from the moment he declared war)

Her Imperial Majesty, Elaine, by the Grace of the One True God, of [Varmont], and of Antillia, Kolchis, Aarnu, Vinetta, Kvenheim, and Malakarta, and of Her Dominions beyond the Seas, One True Empress, Great Royal Wife, Great of Praises, God-Queen of Kolchis, Lady of the Two Lands, Divine Empress of the Iddenese and the Freefolk, Archduchess of Thule, Basileia of Hesperygon, Great Royal Lady of Bennun, Princesa of Cenalla, Duchess of Bastlia, High Lady of Iramala, Lady of Yggheim

ovn -- empress, archduchess of thule (english medieval mythic island country), foxe

antillia -- princesa of cenalla (la canela island of cinnamon)

kolchis -- basileia of hesperygon (hesperides hera's garden of immortality + laistrygon an island from which odysseus escaped)

aarnu -- great royal lady of bennun (benben the first land + nun the primordial waters from which benben arose)

vinetta -- duchess of bastlia (baltia/basilia/abalus mythic amber island in norther europe)

kvenheim -- lady of yggheim (yggdrasil the primordial tree of the world + heimr effectively denoting 'world/place')

malakarta -- high lady of iramala (iram a mythic lost city + malakut an invisible realm)

posthumous awards to household:

alytar -- grand princess of alaraj (alatyr navel of the earth + vyraj where "birds fly for the winter and souls go after death")

aotepo -- high lady of raro (rarohenga the afterlife location of those devoted to the earth mother)

argadara -- rani of agartha (a legendary city located at the earth's core)

xangadu -- duchess of bouzhu (mount buzhou mythic mountain)

affaraon -- marquess lotnian (lothian + lot)

astaira -- lady avalion (transcription of avalon)

AMIRA

Her Most Gracious Royal Majesty Queen Consort of [Varmont] and of Kolchis, Great Royal Wife, Imperial Noble Consort, Magnificent Consort, Lady of Beauty, Cradle of the Great Empire and Most Serene Lady Mother, Princess Flamekeeper of Kolchis, and Princess of the House of Calainon, Queen Consort of Kolchis, Archduchess of Suddene, Great Royal Lady of Ruat, Marquess of Camasa, Marquess of Marcamedun, Kyria of Aiaia, Blessed Lady of Lengdai, Countess of Wachak, Boyaress of Lyshora, Lady Silbrahy, Lady of Mupelseheim, Lady of Amirotha, Lady of Zethuria, Lady of Inherit Glory, Noble Beauty, Shelter of the Empire

ovn -- queen consort, archduchess of suddene (medieval english mythical country)

antillia -- marquess of camasa (la cuidad blanca/kaha kamasa/the white city legendary city in honduras)

kolchis -- queen consort, kyria of aiaia (aeaea the realm of circe)

alatyr -- boyaress of lyshora (lysa hora bald mountain, a place associated with witchcraft)

aarnu -- great royal lady of ruat (aaru mythic field of reeds + duat mythic underworld)

vinetta -- countess of wachak (wawel chakra home of a castle atop a mountain under which dwelt a dragon)

kvenheim -- lady of mupelseheim (muspelheim land of fire)

aotepo -- great lady of aunata (atanua the home of a god)

argadara -- lady of amirotha (ayotha amirtha gangai mythic river)

xangadu -- blessed lady of lengdai (mount penglai a legendary mountain + diyu perdition)

malakarta -- lady of zethuria (zerzura legendary "oasis of little birds" + bethulia city delivered from holofernes by judith)

affaraon -- marquess of marcamedun (marchidun scottlish celtic fort + camelon)

astaira -- lady silbrahy (hy-brasil a mythic irish phantom island cloaked in mist)

MARIAN ( @forgottenmarian as requested, m'dear! i f you don't like these names/titles etc i def wont be offended if you want to change them around etc they're all just meant to be effectively inspo/placeholders <3)

Her Most Gracious Royal Majesty Queen Consort of [Varmont] and of Antillia, Noble Consort, Splendid Consort, Lady of Gentleness, Cradle of the Great Empire and Most Serene Lady Mother, Sweet of Love, Lady of Grace, and Lady of the House of [the Sun], Queen Consort of Antillia, Archduchess of Westernesse, Great Royal Lady of Akhu, Duchess of Laprime, Duchess of Emablach, Kyria of Thrinacia, Great Lady of Fangsu, High Lady of Tairua, Countess of Oponskoya, Countess of Liboce, Lady Fuindetan, Lady of Jormsborg, Lady of As-Barzirakh, Lady of Lahmoka, The one for whom the sun shines, Lady of Splendid Countenance, Lady of Everlasting Splendidness

ovn -- queen consort, archduchess of westernesse (a country in medieval english thought)

antillia -- queen consort, duchess of laparime (lake parime the mythical location of el dorado)

kolchis -- kyria of thrinacia (island of the sun)

alatyr -- countess of oponskoya (opona/oponskoye a mythical russian kingdom)

aarnu -- great royal lady of akhu (askhet an egyptian hieroglyph that represents the sun rising over a mountain, translating to "horizon" or "the place in the sky where the sunrises" + manu western abode of the sun god ra)

vinetta -- countess of liboce (bobolice a castle rich in folklore)

kvenheim -- lady of jormsborg (jomsborg legendary viking fortress)

aotepo -- high lady of tairua (te rerenga wairua the spirit’s leap, a place spirits must travel through to reach the afterlife)

argadara -- lady of lahmoka (brahmaloka abode of the creator)

xangadu -- great lady of fangsu (fusang realm of the world tree)

malakarta -- lady of as-barzirakh (as-sirat bridge to paradise + barzakh the veil between life and death)

affaraon -- duchess of emablach (emain ablach abode of the sea god)

astaira -- lady fuindetan (tuile tuinde/fintan's grave)

EILIONORA (potentially, should she wed roderick...)

Her Most Gracious Royal Majesty Queen Consort of [Varmont] and of Astaira, Consort, Learned Lady, King's Daughter, Princess of the House of Stafford, Queen Consort of Astaira, Archduchess of Cameliard, Duchess of Zoryan, Kyria of Biarma, Marquess of Rocraigh, Countess of Reyne, Lady Stafford, Lady of Ixemsek, Lady of Forsbrunnr, Lady of Taiarea, Lady of Vaikashna, Lady of Kanglun, Lady of Abilsun, Lady of Flowering Luminance, Lady of Propitious Honor, Lady of Promise

ovn -- queen consort, archduchess of cameliard (legendary kingdom)

antillia -- countess of reyne (reynes mythic medieval kingdom)

kolchis -- kyria of chyrse (chryse & argyre mythic islands)

alatyr -- lady of biarma (biarmaland a mythic place in northern russia attested by norse sagas)

aarnu -- lady of ixemsek (j.ḫmw-sk/ixɛm sɛk/the indestructibles – literally "the ones not knowing destruction" a land of starlight sheltered by the north star)

vinetta -- duchess of zoryan (buyan/bujan mythic island + zorya celestial star/solar goddesses

kvenheim -- lady of forsbrunnr (fositesland/forseti place of the god of justice + mimisbrunnr the well of yggdrasil)

aotepo -- lady of taiarea (raiatea a sacred island)

argadara -- lady of vaikashna (kailasha celestial abode of shiva + vaikuntha celstial abode of vishnu)

xangadu -- lady of kanglun (shangrila utopia + kunlun sacred mountains)

malakarta -- lady of abilsun (hitfun river separating world of darkness form that of light + jabulsa a mythic emerald city)

affaraon -- marquess of rocraigh (rocabarraigh a phantom island in scottish myth which will appear only 3 times, the last time at the end of the world)

astaira -- queen consort, lady stafford

[forgotteneilionora]

OOC | Astairan Kingslist Mock Up

notes: so we know that astaira is a nation that has lasted for thousands of years, imma mention the first three kings in the mystical ~age of heroes~ and then imma skip down to more modern kings dskjlafksjdf and actually go from modern -> historical rather than the other way around probs

pls also note that i see there as having been multiple of these ~eras (think irl BC(E) and AD/CE), which is why there're thousands of years of history, as we've mentioned, but the current calendar year is only 1293. i only went back to the year 1000 but ill happily do more if we like! i tried to include a smattering of new and of familiar last names too, w a high proportion of staffords, as discussed, and yeah <3 primarily used [ this ] post for reference <3

finally, except the canon names, all names are simply placeholder names!

AGE OF HEROES

cillian stafford -- ruled during the age of heroes, wed the goddess alya, first queen of astaira, and sired w her the line of stafford

--- stafford -- cillian's second brother, ruled after cillian

--- stafford -- cillian's youngest brother, the last of the three original brothers to rule astaira

AC

1288-present -- roderick varmont, b. 1245, m. 1262, m. 1264, m. 1265

1281-1288 (7 years) -- eilionora stafford, b. 1267

1263-1281 (18 years) -- domhnall stafford, b. 1243, m. 1264

1255-1263 (8 years) -- finnian lorcan, b. 1230

1244-1255 (11 years) -- dubhán stafford, b. 1215, m. 1238

1238-1244 (6 years) -- ciar stafford, b. 1179, m. 1196

1236-1238 (2 years) -- caoimhe ormond vii, b. 1170, m. 1192

1236 (4 months) -- callum braoin, b. 1192, m. 1222

1233-1236 (3 years) -- declan stafford, b. 1214, m. 1232

1233 (1 month) -- conan básdorcha, b. 1216

1232-1233 (1 year) -- aine ó loch lorcan, b. 1208

1228-1232 (4 years) -- aoife killough, b. 1161, m. 1198

1228 (29 days) -- bréanainn boyle, b. 1187

1228 (2 months) -- cillian stafford, b. 1196, m. 1220

1226-1228 (2 years) -- tairdelbach lorcan b. 1154, m. 1173

1226 (2 weeks) -- fionn calleary ii, b. 1182, m. 1203

1225-1226 (1 year) -- diarmuid stafford v, b. 1162, m. 1182

1222-1225 (3 years) -- senan calleary, b. 1206

1222 (3 weeks) -- feardorcha stafford, b. 1187, m. 1221

1222 (7 months) -- mellán hanthom, b. 1203

1222 (9 days) -- fergus ormond, b. 1180, m. 1213

1200-1222 (22 years) -- brigit malconaire iii, b. 1180, m. 1209

1134-1200 (66 years) -- cerball lorcan, b. 1121, m. 1138

1123-1134 (11 years) -- sorcha calleary, b. 1036, m. 1073

1103-1123 (20 years) -- macdara malconaire ix b. 1041, m. 1073

1101-1103 (2 years) -- cathaoir tierney, b. 1053, m. 1086

1043-1101 (58 years) -- darach malconaire, b. 1019, m. 1043

1011-1043 (32 years) -- cormac byrne, b. 964, m. 1002

1000-1011 (11 years) -- caoimhe lorcan, b. 967, m. 169

[forgottenarthur]

The Witch of Kil-kennar

(@forgottenarias as promised, witch hc's i was talking abt incoming!)

The Siege of Kil-kennar

Kil-kennar was an ancient castle, even said by some Astairans to be a site of religious significance, but it most assuredly was a strategic location. Roderick saw this straight off, early in the conception of his Conquest of Astaira, drawing up a thousand rolled scrolls and carefully drawn maps. If one wished to place a stranglehold on movement through the nation of Astaira, one needed to hold the ancient site of Kil-kennar. Yet, situated towards the center of the nation and controlling perhaps the most formidable river in the nation at its bend, it was a citadel from which and to which all trade circulated -- making it at once a place which was easy to reach -- and difficult to take.

The Varmont march took near a year to come towards its shore but, as soon as it did, it was a mad dash: whichever force first arrived there must seize it and hold it, come what may, if they were to conquer. When the first opportunity arose, it was Arthur's contingent which was in position to march on Kil-kennar and, receiving his orders, Arthur did not hesitate to do it.

Nestled up amongst mountain peaks, Kil-kennar was no easy place to capture, but it was not merely a military outpost. Before the war, it had been a bustling center of trade, making it both fort and citadel, a place boasting families and merchants as well as soldiers and, known for its religious qualities, quite an outcropping of true believers as well. Still, a siege was a siege and, even from the outside, Arthur had far more experience in war even at his young age than did most of those inside the fortress. For twelve harrowing days, Kil-kennar held out, but on the thirteenth, they surrendered. The challengers for the victors, however, were only just beginning.

Seeress of Kil-kennar

As Arthur instilled a military rule over the residents of Kil-kennar, he set up instilling the kind of rule that his father always did in occupied cities -- the great walls of the fortress which once had protected them now transforming in prison walls for the Astairas civilians within. Distressed and afraid, many turned to Áine, Seeress of Kil-kennar, a strong-willed and unswerving woman who was revered amongst her people for her bravery and her ability to speak with the guardians.

From the start, Arthur knew he must root her out, but the people hid her and gave her shelter, often at the risks of their own lives, as quietly she became the ringleader of a resistance from within. Áine was determined to do all in her power to thwart the Varmonts, and she began in utterly unswerving dedication.

Though the siege had lasted less than two weeks, holding the city was far more troubling and Arthur soon dedicated himself to rooting out the chief: the witch-woman Áine of the Weirding Way, whom his soldiers soon came to fear not merely as an opponent but as a prophetess and a mage of great power. While the priests of the one god insisted all her powers were merely for show, many whispered that the truth of her abilities could not, in truth, be disputed.

Fearing for his hold on the strategic city, Arthur turned his attentions to rooting out the witch, which he ultimately did with ruthless efficiancy yet, once he had her, a religious figure and a heroine to her people both, Arthur realized, first, that killing her would likely bring down a full-scale revolt on their heads, such that they would soon find themselves fighting a battle both from within -- and without. But he realized something else as well, she was no mere soothsaying, some icon of idolatry, but a woman of flesh and blood and, while he knew that his father would burn her at the stake, when Arthur looked into her eyes, he wondered if he could, indeed, do so. Would not a more merciful end prove better, if end she must? And, indeed, was it so very necessary to kill her at all? In truth, he grew not simply to see her for a human being, but to admire her for her bravery, her loyalty, and her unbending will.

The Purple Missive

Arthur could not long conceal that he'd caught her, however: not from the populace, and not from his father, either. After a particularly daring escape attempt, a messenger arrived at the gates of Kil-kennar, wearing his father's livery. "Kill the witch," his father. ordered. "Or you are not my son." The messenger then immediately ordered that a pyre be constructed at the heart of the town and informed Arthur that he would be Roderick's eyes and ears. If the witch were not dead within forty-eight hours, he would report to the emperor that Arthur had turned traitor to his father.

She was his friend, but Arthur marched Áine to the center of the village square, his soldiers forming an iron ring around the hastily constructed platform upon which they stood. He read out the order for her execution clearly and without pause and then, in one swift motion, he drew his sword and beheaded her in the sight of all.

"Go," said Arthur, her blood dripping from the sword still clasped in his hand. "Go now and tell the Emperor all that you have seen."

This decision, though adhering to the letter of Roderick's law, did nothing to please anyone. While the seeress was dead, she had been decapitated rather than burned to death, and in his fury, Roderick made a point -- on his own battlefield some miles away -- of rounding up everyone so much as rumored to be a witch. He then set his soldiers out uprooting trees which he turned into stakes lining either side of the the main road to the capital. Without any sort of trial, Roderick tied a suspected witch to each pillar and burned them all, lighting the march towards Malconaire in a butchery that became known as the Pyre Walk.

Meanwhile, within Kil-kennar the citizens rose up in rebellion, their leader having been brutally murdered without trial before them and, while Arthur managed to hold the city and beat down the insurrection, many lives were lost on both sides, a devestating loss for which Arthur was held as directly responsible by both sides. Furthermore, even many Astairans who acknowledged -- whether for good or ill -- his mercy in the means of dispatching Áine, still held him as responsible for the Pyre Walk as they argued that burning one woman, there, might have spared hundreds, many of whom were not even witches. On the Varmont side, many viewed his actions as having exposed a dreadful weakness: an unwillingness to do what must be done and make the hard choices.

Nonetheless, there are those who see his actions as heroic. Some Astairans believe that his merciful action was good in itself, and he ought not to be held responsible for his father's terrible actions afterwards, though many argue that who could have better foreseen this outcome than Roderick's own son? On the Varmont side, some are also sympathetic to Arthur's actions, though for varying reasons. Some believe that mercy, in itself, is good, while others take pride in him boldly executing a witch, himself, rather than leaving the deed to an executioner's flame.

The Butcher of Kil-kennar

Given his reputation of having cut down a woman with a blade, spilling weirding blood on a sacred site, and all the subsequent bloodshed that resulted, the governor of Kil-kennar who did this is sometimes known as the Butcher of Kil-kennar. However, it is not universally known at this individual was Arthur. Once his fury at Arthur's act of semi-rebellion had cooled in the Pyre Walk, Roderick realized that any weakness in his son's readiness to fulfill the letter of his laws might reflect as weakness in himself.

As a result, Roderick quickly set up the messenger he'd dispatched to Arthur as a fall man, spreading it about that the envoy had been a secret Astairan sympathizer and had delivered a garbled message to Arthur, wishing to thwart the Varmont cause, and executed the messenger as a traitor.

Not entirely satisfied with this explanation -- though beginning to believe that it was, indeed, the truth as Arthur had rarely before rebelled in anything, and thus wishing to exempt his son from the ill effects (though only after he'd punished him, himself) -- Roderick further explained that, while Arthur had held Kil-kennar, the messenger had not even reported to Arthur, himself, and it had indeed been someone else entirely who had received the orders and -- thus -- that, despite the fact that they civilians of Kil-kennar had seen Arthur do the deed with their own eyes -- this had merely been confusion based on the fact that many Varmonts looked the same to the Astairans and it had simply been a confusion. The Butcher of Kil-kennar was not Arthuar, at all, but someone entirely.

Arthur is not entirely aware of all of his father's machinations which took place after the fact in arranging not one, but multiple, fall men. His feelings, if he did find out, would be very complicated. On one hand, it would be the most his father had ever done for him. On the other, Arthur would not believe that anyone else ought to take the consequences of his actions -- for good or evil.

I also want to note that, while Arthur felt like in hindsight he should have, Arthur did not foresee the Pyre Walk, at the time of Áine's execution. He ~did foresee a rebellion within Kil-kennar but he couldn't see a way around it if he didn't want to turn traitor and, yes, he very much did choose his father over Áine and the poeple of Kil-kennar.

What, or if, your character know of any of this is entirely up to everyone, individually!

[thelongforgottenrealm]

UPDATE 9.1.23

Happy Opening Day, friends!!

I've got the details of the first event today: The kingdom prepares to celebrate the twenty-sixth birthday of Princess Guinevere. This is the first grand event that Roderick shall host in Astaira and it is sure to be a grand one: both to showcase his wealth, but also (and more importantly) to demonstrate the love he has for his eldest daughter. All of the local Astairian nobles are invited and even as their queen remains on house arrest in her castle, he hopes that this will help to heal the tension the country has felt since he claimed it and be the start of a bright, unified future.

Follow List:

Arthur Varmont

Edmund Varmont

[thelongforgottenrealm]

UPDATE 12.09.23 / event #2

Guinevere's birthday celebration has arrived, and anyone who is anyone is expected to attend. The preparations have been arduous, with no expenses having been spared. Every detail has been seen to and while the castle staff has taken into consideration almost every possible disaster, no one foresaw the brutal winter storm that would sweep through the city while all of the guests are still in attendance -- forcing everyone to stay until the snow settles.

The urgency with which this storm has swept through Astaira has the locals uncertain to what this will mean for their future. Sudden winter storms that kick off the winter season often signify that Xerxes (the god of winter and death) has been feuding with his brother Darius (the god of fall and the underworld) and has temporarily defeated his him by bringing in a terrible winter storm that leaves no trace of fall.

But since Xerxes is both the god of winter, as well as death, a sudden winter storm can also mean that he is to come for the souls of a great many. And with so many of the followers of the old religion trapped inside the castle of the conqueror, they fear the guardians may not be strong enough to protect them from whatever is to come ...

[thelongforgottenrealm]

UPDATE 07.02.24 / event #4

After a trial, anyone who was involved in the riots has been found guilty of treason: a verdict that is punishable by death. On the night before the prisoners are to be hanged they were being transported from the prisons to Lorcan where the executions were to take place.

During the trials, it was discovered that the leader of the riots was a man who lived in the villages there and Roderick wished to send a message to all of Astaira but, especially, the citizens of Lorcan and squash any feelings of rebellion that may have stirred. The prisoners were to be hanged upon the battlements atop the castle walls -- where their bodies were to stay until they rotted away. Performing the executions at Lorcan castle would also deter any acts of rebellion during the event, as Lorcan is one of the hardest fortresses to breach in the world.

During the transportation of the prisoners, a great thunderstorm hailed down upon them. Their guards sought shelter in a tavern in the village of Lorcan. The captains of the guards went inside to get warm, while a few guards keep watch over the caged prisoners.

Inside, FINN CALLEARY is gambling with the locals and entices the guards to join him, hoping to take their coin. It is his sister, FIONA CALLEARY, who has come to collect him who realizes that these guards are here to transport the prisoners and if there was ever a time to help them escape, it is now.

She tells her brother to distract them as long as possible -- even if that means loosing everything he has on him, while she risks her own safety to ride through the storm to the resistance's camp, where RONAN FROST, CILLIAN FROST, ISOLDA VANE, and KALE BRENNAN are ready to jump into action. Using the weather to their advantage, they are able to disarm the guards and take control of one of the armored wagons that is holding fifteen prisoners. Time, however, was not on their side and they were discovered before they could escape with the prisoners who were still trapped in the other barred carts.

While the guards searched the village and the surrounding forests for those who had escaped, the resistance, with the help of the two Callearys, head in the direction which no one had excepted: towards Lorcan castle, itself, where the Callearys were able to smuggle in the prisoners into the hidden fortress in the mountains below -- where they still remain to this day.

The prisoners who did not escape were hanged at dawn.

While RODERICK VARMONT puts out a search party for the missing prisoners, both FINN and FIONA must keep them safely in the mountain until they are able to smuggle them out again -- wondering if they should risk putting EABHA, AINE, and the LORCAN sisters in danger by confiding in them that they are there ...

[forgottenroderick]

"HEAR YE! HEAR YE! BY ORDER OF THE GREAT EMPEROR, His Imperial Majesty, Roderick the First of His Name, by the Grace of the One True God, of the Great and Holy Empire of [Varmont] and Astaira and of His other Realms and Territories One True Emperor, Conquer of the Twelve Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, and God’s Own Champion

"the blasphemous traitors who plot only in sin and infamous calumny to slaughter innocence and sow vile treachery, are to be found at all costs with sumptuous reward offered at the pleasure of His Imperial Majesty to whosoever might bring forward news leading to the capture of these dastardly traitors, a goodly sum thereupon to be doubled should any brave and true soul manage to bring before His Imperial Majesty, our good and just Emperor, these filthy criminals in chains!"

Roderick is offering a staggering reward (which sum i did not include bc idk what their money is etc but you get the idea) and regularly publishing both images (based on their descriptions etc from the gaolers who held them -- who are, themselves, being severely punished and questioned, let me tell you!) and (while accusing them of spreading 'infamous calumny') exaggerated and slanderous descriptions of their personalities, professions, deeds, and crimes, alongside the blurred and confused descriptions of their rescuers, esp in the direction they were last seen heading, but everywhere! He is in the process of inventing a grievous enough punishment, should these condemned criminals and their helpers ever be brought to his so-called justice...

Needless to say, Roderick is in a blind fury abt all of this and how it makes him look WEAK!!!!! and there will def be reprisals perpetrated on the rest of the ppl who come from the towns of origin of the condemned rebellious rioters!!!!!!

[thelongforgottenrealm]

UPDATE 03.01.25 / event #5

Guys, I have a new laptop and already everything is 1000% easier! And The Long Forgotten Realm is back! <33 I have gone through and updated the comment site, but please let me know if I missed anything over the last month and a half, if you notice it.

I promise that we will ~definitely~ have those new characters that I have been teasing for months now (facepalm) but I will wait until we are back in the swing of things again.

I also know that it has been a few months since LFR has really been active and I don't want to overwhelm anyone, either! If you'd like to ~stagger~ the return of your characters like we have done in the past with other RPS returning from hiatus, I'm okay with that!

If you are ready to bring back a character, reblog their character post from this site. I will also create a new post on the rp comments site that will only have comments posted between ~active~ characters. (The old post with all the old comments will remain up, as well.)

EVENT #5

As the last snows of winter begin to fade away, RODERICK VARMONT announces that a public tournament is to be held on the first day of spring. It promises to be quite the spectacle: with a large reward in gold to be presented to the winners. Jousting, archery, and hand-to-hand combat are amongst the categories and any man, regardless of rank, may enter.

It promises to draw a large crowd to the city from across the country and there shall also be markets and entertainments to divert the crowds.

As a sign of goodwill, he has consented to allow EILIONORA STAFFORD and ARIA STAFFORD to attend.

But there is more to this tournament than may meet the eye -- as Roderick means to use it to set a trap. The fugitives and the men who rescued them have evaded his men all winter and if they still remain in Astaira, he knows that whatever supplies they have will have grown thin over the winter. And as these men who so easily defeated his own are likely to be skilled warriors, he suspects that they shall see this as easy money. Roderick means to have his spies watch every contestant closely, in the hopes that he may discover their identify.

CIARA VARMONT suspects that her cousin may be setting a trap and has warned the resistance of this ... but will they take her advice?