The Lion, the Dragon, & the Helm: Aragoth Divided
Aragoth has been a nation at war with itself for centuries. Many of their wars have been largely ideological conflicts, but they’ve hit all the old familiar bases: reason vs emotion, north vs south, old vs new, winter vs summer…Largely, the conflicts have been waged as battles between the Northern Old Ways, led by the lions of House Arrington, and the new Southern ideals, led by the dragons (of the non-literal variety) of House Godiva.
Once upon a time, House Arrington ruled Aragoth with an iron fist. They were tall and fair and passionate. They were also given to caprice and bouts of high temper, which didn’t always make them the best rulers, though it made for great legends and exciting histories, afterwards. Notwithstanding, House Arrington brought Aragoth out of the primordial ooze and set it up as a true, powerful, and legitimate kingdom in its own right, their lineage so ancient its origins are forgotten to time. They passed the laws of succession - supported what are now called ‘The Old Ways.’ Right to inherit (including rule) passed from father to son. When the gods demanded sacrifice, they gave it. The world was a harsher place and survival was not guaranteed and House Arrington rose during these ferocious times.
House Arrington proudly declares ‘We Are the First,’ but in the eyes of the South they may as well say ‘We Are the Outdated.’ Both North and South bring up survivors. The North is a bleak wasteland of ice and snow. If the cold doesn’t kill you, starvation will. The only chance you have is to stand tall and proud and stalwart. The South is lush and beautiful but that brings with it the fury of the seas and skies: storms rake the coast and wash whole towns into the ocean. Raiders live on their borders and those not killed by the storms are savaged by the heat of the Southern Isles whose people carry off to slavery the Southerners they do not kill. North or South, you’re screwed, but the challenges you face are utterly different and bring with them very different mindsets. Where the South is faced with a shifting current and swords, demanding the ability to rapidly change; the North demands endurance.
The Old Ways are bloody and brutal, born out of savage times just like House Arrington. They involve ritualistic human sacrifice to the gods in exchange for favor; brutal disregard for the sick and needy (’if you don’t have what it takes to survive, don’t’ is basically the idea), etc.
But their rules also have the quality of being distinct and clear-cut. Centuries will do that. Every conceivable pattern has been worked out, every kink in the plan accounted for. For example, House Arrington upholds male primogeniture (ironic in that those left to fight for House Arrington’s rights are primarily women), the upside of which being it’s clear to see who the heir to any given thing might be. The new ways leave lots of room for ambiguity - and therefore for the crisis of conflict. The times they are a-changin’ and that comes with terrifying possibility, possibilities that don’t sit well in the far North.
~House Godiva & Civil War~
Now, Lizzy could tell you more about House Godiva. I’m not sure exactly when or how they pressed their claim, but when they did, it ignited a war that lasted for centuries. House Godiva held the South and House Arrington the North. House Godiva was valorous and principled and just. Coming from a more rational time, they were rooted in more merciful belief systems, more open minded - not to mention they were excessively wealthy and at least one of their kings was a Dragon Rider, himself. House Godiva maintained most of the order that House Arrington had set up, keeping the rules of succession, though they abolished human sacrifice and other such harsh methods.
Aragoth was plagued by centuries of war and what it needed was union. In the past, occasionally one side would win and rule the whole of Aragoth for awhile, only to be cast down and have it start over again. Oftentimes, there would be an Arrington king in the North ruling at the same time as a Godiva king ruled in the South, meeting in center to fight (and thus laying waste to the East and West). The only real certainty was that the North was the kingdom of Arrington and the South was the kingdom of Godiva.
Finally, when the Godivas had more or less won, once and for all, they saw the writing on the wall and made overtures of peace to satisfy both sides of the conflict. King Droyn Godiva married Elianora Arrington, so that their heirs (Theodoric, Rowena, and Helena) would be both Godiva and Arrington. This was meant to end the wars, forever.
However, the right to rule still followed the male line, that law never having been amended. So, Theodoric would have inherited from Droyn, but Rowena killed both father and son at the same time, meaning the crown, legally, should have passed to Droyn’s surviving brother, Alexandir. Rowena supplanted, however, taking the scepter and commanding that all accept her right to rule, ruling that women could inherit, though she didn’t technically have the power to pass any laws, since Alexandir was, legally, king, according to all the laws that had always governed Aragoth. Rowena was powerful, though, so none dared gainsay her, and Alexandir’s the last Godiva male, anyway: unmarried and without any children.
All of this might have still stood, however, had Rowena proved to be a good ruler. She did not. She murdered the protectorates of Aragoth - the Dragon Riders - and used the last one as a threat against all those who might not bend the knee. She squeezed the populace for every last cent, leaving families to starve; she ignored the cries of the South, overrun with enemies; put those who might have been her allies to the test in cruel ways…etc.
~The Northern & Eastern Resistances~
The East is the home of the capitol, known as the Imperial City. There, the Resistance is led by Alaric de Montfort, a noble who once sat Droyn’s High Council. Alaric was imprisoned and sentenced to death for objecting to Rowena, but was broken out just in time. The East and the West have been trapped between the North and the South during their many wars, disputed territories. They knew better than the others the many ravages of war and so are very interested in maintaining order, having been brutalized by both sides before. Their general idea is to maintain the line of succession as set out by Droyn. They mean to overthrow Rowena in favor of her younger sister, Helena Godiva.
The Northern Resistance hasn’t really gotten kicked off yet, seeing as its founding member hasn’t even gotten to the North, yet, but they are essentially a junior branch of the Eastern Resistance. One of the members of the Eastern Resistance, Guinevere Fontaine, moves up North and starts gathering people to the cause. There is every chance the two will splinter as time moves forward, but at the moment their goals are married (especially as Helena is both Godiva - through her father - and Arrington - through her mother - thus satisfying honor all around).
~The Southern Resistance~ (aka what you really asked for)
The South is freaking fed up. Unlike the Eastern Resistance, they have no interest in keeping things more or less as they ‘should’ be. They’ve been ruled as essentially their own state, before, and they want that independence back. The Southern Resistance wants to kick out Rowena - whatever that might take - but then they don’t want to replace her with some little sister who may be just as bad or even worse for all they know. They want the South to break off and be it’s own nation. And they want a Southern ruler. Specifically, they intend to make Ned Barret their king.
Some background on this. Now, as I alluded, House Godiva arose from the South. It was their headquarters, their strength, their kingdom. When House Godiva finally conquered all of Aragoth, the South naturally expected to be congratulated on their victory, at least. They most likely did anticipate a reward of some nature for their centuries of loyalty in the most dire of circumstances - what they most definitely did not anticipate was utter neglect.
As soon as Rowena was crowned, she turned all her attentions to strengthening her claim but not to strengthening her borders. Abutting the shores of the South are the Southern Isles, a nation of roving warriors (think: Vikings). The South and the Isles were perpetually at war and between the ferocious hurricanes and the onslaught of the Isles, the South was in dire straights. They sent plea after plea to the Imperial City, begging for Rowena’s aid but she did nothing.
Fortunately, the Warden of the South (Harrion Mortain/James Garin’s father) was a strong and decisive ruler with an equally strong and decisive right arm, Ned Barret. The two of them were able to safeguard the South as a unified front, until tragedy struck. The Warden’s eldest son died; his second son (Harrion/James) mysteriously disappeared promptly thereafter. The Warden had two nephews who would also have done the job creditably, but each in turn died, leaving it to their weak younger brother, Loys, when the old Warden died.
Loys should never have been Warden. Or a lord. Or anyone ever in charge of a single other person, ever. As a leader, he is weak and leaves ruling to his grasping mother, Margery, preferring to tend to his collection of keys. Margery’s ambitions had little to do with warfare and much more to do with climbing to power. As a result, though the Mortains were once a family owing of reverence in the South, it has become quite clear to the populace that the person working to protect them and guide them, now, is the old Warden’s trusted Ned Barret.
He’s basically been doing the job, this long, and he’s done it creditably. Why not make it official? House Godiva abandoned ship as soon as it got a whiff of something better; all the useful Mortains died off. They feel that breaking off and being their own country under Ned Barret is their best bet.
Now, it should be noted that the queen did, ultimately, dispatch her uncle, Alexandir Godiva, to fight for the South. He worked with Ned for fifteen years and ultimately they crushed the Southern Isles, conquering them at last, and making Alexandir an Aragothi national hero. There are absolutely Southerners who would love to see Alexandir rule (and many regard him as the rightful king of Aragoth, in his own right anyway), but this specific Resistance wants Ned to rule. Afterall, Alexandir up and left them again when the Isles surrendered. Ned stayed put. And, besides, it wasn’t Alexandir Godiva who stood beside their husbands and sons and brothers when the only defenders they had were boys wearing pots for helmets and boiling their shoes for food. Alexandir rode in just as he rode back out: at the head of a shining army with provisions and funds enough to last them a life time. While the aid was greatly appreciated, Alexandir would make a better ruler, in their eyes, of the North, East, and West, if he likes, while Ned rules the South. They want a new order, anyway, not to fall back into the old wars, etc. Been there, done that. The best option for the South is Lord Eddard of House Barret. Ned Barret for King in the South 2015!
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