#duchess verrine

[goldenyew]

Michael Whelan, Edgedancer, 2002

[anomaly00-archive]

when comes the dawn ; the king's game

“The vi Aetier children entered the world as players, targets, and they will leave it as victors, survivors—

—or they will leave in ashes.”

The Origin of the King’s Game

It is unknown when these ‘games’ officially began in Aetier or were known as such. The term, ‘King’s Game’ itself was never an official term, per se, but merely a colloquial description for the power struggles between different imperial heirs for the throne.

One of the features that sets the Aetierian Empire apart from the rest of its contemporaries is that there was no set rule of succession. The founding emperor, Kaelstansa I, had first decreed that the one who should succeed him would be the most capable of his children. As the sixth child of his own family who was slated to never amount to more than a political bargaining chip, Kaelstansa understood more than any that capability was not determined by birth order but instead by skill. His decree to forgo the standard rules of male primogeniture opened up the throne for heirs of any gender and birth order, as long as they had the skills and resources to back up their claim.

While a good system in theory, it eventually became clear that the members of the dynasty became a large problem for the monarch if one or more of them decided to lay claim on the Phoenix throne. Early Aetierian history can be described by its numerous civil wars and succession crises, most notably the Aeon du Ter-Imperessirs (the Era of Four Princets) and the Decade of Blood. (Interestingly enough, a consistent factor that pulled the entire empire back together is the invasion of a third party, which lent to the belief that Aetier can only be defeated by itself).

The victor of the Decade of Blood, Empress Anastasia II instituted the Scion’s Code, stating that it is acceptable for the princet who ascends the throne to execute their siblings for the stability of the empire and the benefit of its citizens. Though the Scion’s Code did work in preventing more large scale civil wars, it had the added effect of changing the fight for the throne from one of power to a matter of survival. This idea only embedded itself further into the imperial family when the Imperial Harem began involving itself in succession politics.

‘King’s game’ as a term saw a resurgence in use during this period, referring less to civil wars between imperial heirs, but instead to the dangerous politics that played out within the harem, hidden from outside eyes. Imperial consorts were a princet’s foremost advocate for the throne, and the competitive nature of the Harem saw consorts doing anything they could to ensure their child’s survival and that of their own.

The king’s game is bloody. Ruthless. And for the majority of imperial children, it begins at birth.

The King’s Game [0 A. Dan. - 5 A. Dan]

While not the first king’s game of its kind, The King’s Game gained its infamy from being the first big civil war in Aetierian history in centuries and involved the largest execution of dynastic heirs to date.

The King’s Game began in Emperor Dantalion I’s interim year [15th Cierhal, 0 A. Dan] when he staged a coup, assassinated his father Karleon III and proclaimed himself ruler under the right of conquest. His 0 year and first year as king saw the death and execution of the majority of Dantalion’s siblings excluding the ones who married outside the empire, his blood-brother Andras, and his half-sister Astaria who escaped to the city of Konstantinye in Northern Aetier.

In Vindercrest, Dantalion worked to stabilize his hold on the southern and eastern provinces of Aetier. In Konstantinye, Astaria built her powerbase, gathering allies from all across the empire and from her husband’s, Prince Verrine’s, connections to the kingdom of Volyr.

The King’s Game lasted five and a half years with battles converging over land and the Hirithian Sea. The war reached its turning point on the 15th of Rueprae, 3rd A. Dan, with the formalized marriage of Emperor Dantalion and Titania of Taul. Titania, being the favored daughter of Eliskander-konig, offered Dantalion and his allies greater access to the the silk road than they have ever had before as well as the protection of the Iskaavar, should they ever need it. This marriage doubled the amount of resources available to Dantalion, and coupled with Titania’s feared skills and tactics on the battlefield, giving him a much needed advantage.

The war finally came to an end in the Siege of Konstantinye. A two month bombardment left the city’s walls a crumbling ruin, and the last of Astaria’s resources depleted. Strangely enough, she made no attempts of escaping to Volyr, facing Dantalion’s fury directly in the castle’s great hall. She was beheaded on the spot, her husband and close allies fleeing to Volyr or surrendering.

There are conflicting rumors as to the welfare of Astaria’s son, born on three years into the war. Dantalion has expended effort into finding out about the child’s whereabouts, but to no avail. Most believe the young prince died during the siege, though this has never been officially confirmed.

gif overlay by @/texturegifs

divider by @/firefly-graphics

WCTD Taglist:@schwarzekatze1999 @aloonycynic @danger-writes @dullahanofficial @chazwrites @andiwriteunderthemoon

@goosemixtapes @ryns-ramblings @bookphobe @semblanche @lend-your-lungs-to-me @hekat-ie @pen-and-inks @ccorpsidious @ninazeniks @zmlorenz @amoranza

@authoressasusual @hell-yeah-fantasy @thebestmollygrue @brimorganbooks @reignnyx @contes-de-rheio @word-by-word @ravens-and-rivers @starsfallings @writerlywonders @mperialscribe @carmina-solis @love26435 @the-sun-will-rise-here @bearunicorn154 @notesby19 @mayawritesbooks @vitrichor @jauntymushroom @glitterandstarshine @unholieds @ortolon @halostars

Gen Taglist: @serpentarii @sprigofbasil @mortallynuttyqueen @myhusbandsasemni @inky-duchess @trapped-inadystopianovel @cacowo @n1ghtcrwler @carrot-made-of-teeth @writting-in-blood @fayoftheforest @sentient-pile-of-bones

[goldenyew]

William Baxter Closson, Butterflies, 1885

Thank you, Verrain, for showing me how to open my heart, to write a love poem to myself, and the importance of inner healing. You agitated and ruffled my feathers. Stirring up the dirt that covered them. You came to me as a green prairie and a moth. A quiet, soft spoken voice that conversed with empathy and warmth. Your visions to me backdropped by darkness - my home. My soul thrives in being tameless. My heart thrives in defiance. It is both sweet and the nectar that fuels my existence. Duchess Verrain - the Air formed from my Water and Fire. A cooling vapor that is the result of my inner conflict coming to a head. My cocoon worked against me. You have now taught me how to merge and accept these two conflicting energies in a healthy and sustainable way. I can now begin to break free 🦋