Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Talon Skyfire]

---

(Warning: This history is written from the viewpoint of Sanctus.)

The History of Sanctus

Chapter VI: Ties that Bind


“There’s daggers in men’s smiles”

~William Shakespeare, MacBeth Act II: Scene III


“Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot”

~Niccolo Machiavelli (Italian writer and statesman, Florentine patriot, author of 'The Prince', 1469-1527)


In the time since the King’s return to Sosaria, Sanctus was a nation experiencing flux and change. The nation was slowly and steadily rebuilding itself in an effort to rise to its former prominence.

The rebuilding phase was marked with the departure of a few the old guard, such as Baron Mordegan, and the return of former officers such as Lord James M’Real and Lord Morus McStravick.

Over time, the Kingdom regained its strength and resumed its place as one of the major world powers of Sosaria.

This period would hold significant political changes for the Kingdom and the world.

The troubles began with Sanctus’s longtime allies, the Regency. Sanctus itself had grown far more puritan and fanatical in its beliefs of Virtue and Light, while the Regency had become very liberal on who it allowed at Council.

The conflict would center around the island City of Moonglow, the historical seat of power for the Moonglow Town Council, which had disbanded years before.

The Sanctians were very uncomfortable with the Regency’s decision to allow a known necromancer, Lord Barl, to hold office in their government. In Sanctus’s eyes, an organization founded on principles of light and Virtue had been corrupted by the same forces which it was created to stand against.

Placing a necromancer in power, in addition to the emplacement of a true ruling Council of Britannia by Lord British’s officials, illegitimated the entirety of the Regency to Sanctus. On the otherhand, Sanctus’ frequent burning of necromancers appauled some Regent nobles. The great alliance of light was over. The two nations who once stood beside one another through the darkest times in history, were divided. Conflict was inevitable.

The isle of Moonglow was largely unoccupied, save for a small band of foreigners by the name Yakuza. It was at this time a promising man by the name of Lord Fong initiated contact with the Sanctians in hopes of restoring the Moonglow Town Council.

With the tensions between the Regency and Sanctus building, Sanctus agreed to help him. Although many of the Sanctians had fought at Stonegate against the then nefarious Moonglow Town Council under Lord Greypawn, they hoped the new regime would usher in an era of Virtue and prosperity for Moonglow.

Sanctus forces set sail from their port of Cove, which was under the control of their vassal, Lord Adin Blackwind. The city of Moonglow was occupied by Fong’s loyalists and the forces of Sanctus while the new government began setting its roots.

The Regency, as expected, was enraged by this maneuver. As a direct slap in the face of Sanctus, then Regent Lia L appointed Lord Barl as their Mayor of Moonglow and backed the Yakuza. War was on the horizon.

Lord Fong’s regime grew much quicker than anyone anticipated. War almost erupted as the Regency deployed its forces on the west coast of the island. The two sides met on the field late one evening, ready for battle. At the last moment, the Regency abdicated the field and returned to Serpents Hold. Moonglow was now firmly under the control of Lord Fong’s forces. Now that MTC was capable of defending itself, Sanctus withdrew back to its own lands.

Due to internal strife within the Regency following these events, Regent Lia L resigned from her position. Lord Porthos of the Steel Scorpions was elected as the next regent. Lord Porthos was a firebrand for anti-Sanctus members of the Regency. His ascension sparked a chain of events that would plunge Sanctus-Regency relations to their all time low.

The world at large was a quiet place following the Moonglow confrontation. Sanctus saw an exodus of a few senior officers and the Regency further fragmented with the withdraw of its longtime advocate, Lord Isk of Magincia.

Two key events would lead Sanctus back to war much sooner than anticipated. Umbra, their old enemies to the east, were experiencing a boom under the reign of their new leader, Matriarch Ceinwyn ab’Arawn. The new Umbra regime was much more civil than the city’s former Ebon Skull masters, which led to an extremely fragile peace between Sanctus and Umbra for the first time in history.

It was at this time that large amounts of the substance known as Blackrock began surfacing in Sosaria, with especially large amounts being found in Moonglow. The new leaders of Moonglow were corrupted by the influence of the rock, and launched an attack on Sanctus. This led to a bitter war, which as the time of this writing, has reached no resolution. Hostilities were further escalated when the Umbrans entered the war on the side of Moonglow after a claim that some of Sanctus’s more fanatical members had attacked them.

The war dragged on for months, until finally all sides had worn themselves down. An unplanned armistice finally silenced the sounds of battle, although no peace terms were agreed upon.

An old threat had arisen in the lands of Trammel. What remained of the Ebon Skull, Sanctus arch-nemisis, had reformed under the banner of The Damned. The Lich Lord Darrien Church and Daemon Lord Beleth had formed positive relations with the Umbrans. This relationship would be short lived, as they quickly became competing shepherds for the same flock.

Sosaria was plunged into a three-way conflict, with Sanctus and the Royal Court, Umbra and its Moonglow allies, and the Damned vying for supremacy, each sworn enemies of all. Following tradition, the Regency shrugged its shoulders indifferently to events taking place outside the walls of its council chambers.

Duchess Molly Kalhdel of the Royal Court took this opportunity to attempt reconciliation of Sanctus and the Regency. The three leaders began talks, which only lead to further frustration and widening of the ideological gap. No resolution was achieved, except for a confirmation of the two nation’s contempt for one another. The great alliance of light would not be mended.

However, the Royal Court and Sanctus had taken steps to further solidify their alliance through treaties and acts of friendship. The Regency, concerned with its two rivals becoming closer, withdrew its loyalists from the Royal Court in protest.

At the time of this writing, the majority of the world remains deadlocked in a war with no end in sight. Sanctus herself is experiencing a massive boom in population and prosperity unseen anywhere in its previous history.
_________________
~Lord Talon Skyfire
King of Sanctus
Lord Protector of Malas