Crestfall
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Crestfall was a Human port-city located on the Eastern Island chain of Asulon. It was the Largest of the three islands which would later be dubbed the Renatus Holy Lands. Crestfall was founded by Jack & Jiraiya of the House of Amador in 1362 as the Town of Vendere, before it was merged in 1378 with the neighbouring High Elven City of Ceru, the Sister city of Haelun'or. Founded independent from their neighbours, the Kingdom of Salvus & the Kingdom of Renatus, Crestfall would later fall under the judisdiction of the Kingdom of Renatus when the Island chain came to form the Duchy of the Holy Lands, with Jack Amador as its first and only Duke. The Port would become a major shipbuilding asset to the Holy Orenian Empire and make its owners, the House of Amador, the prodominant naval power & incredibly rich.
Contents
History
Founding
The Town of Vendere, Crestfall's predecessor, was founded in 1362 when Jack & Jiraiya of the House of Amador. Originally designed to be a Free Port for sailors travelling out between the oceans & the sea which the Kingdom of Salvus & the Kingdom of Renatus both shared, Vendere was a popular community of Heartlanders that grew over the decades. Colonists were led to the area after the Kingdom of Renatus, alongside the Church of the Canon, expressed an interest in the area, dubbing it the Holy Lands. Jack Amador, the Patriarch of the then infant House of Amador chose to stake a claim to the area before the Kingdom of Renatus could colonise it for their Kingdom.
Ceru
Upon creating the settlement, the Heartlanders discovered a neighbour on the main island, the High Elven Settlement of Ceru, which had colonised the area after Nelecar, Okarir’sil of Haelun’or, abused his powers and angered citizens with excessive punishments for small crimes. Ellir’siol, a fellow council member of Haelun'or, opposed Nelecar’s actions and confronted him. When a compromise could not be reached, Ellir’siol led the disaffected of Haelun’or’s citizenry to Ceru.
A quote from The Haelun’or Schism Volume II by Lucion Sullas: ”Piling upon boats, [Ellir’siol’s supporters] left the Emerald Isle to the town of Ceru-- a cliffside village and quasi-colony that bordered the Kingdom of Renatus. Here, they settled for a time, and waited.”
The two neighbours peacefully co-existed for a time, with some instances of inter-racial relationships forming, to the chagrin of some.
Merging of Neighbours
In 1378, Jack & Jiraiya Amador approached Ellir'siol and offered the opportunity to merge their two communities into a single polity, as the House of Amador continued to consolidate its presence in the Holy Lands. Potentially persuaded by offers of assistance should the Kingdom of Renatus press their claim to the region, or in the interest of maintaining peace between the High Elves and the Heartlanders, Ellir'siol agreed and the two settlements merged to form 'The County of Crestfall. The County would later be voluntarily absorbed into the Kingdom of Renatus.
Duchy of the Holy Lands
In 1399, The County of Crestfall began the Battle of the Lone Island, as the House of Amador continued to expand its influence over the island chain. They conquered the temperate northern island of Tarrel and snow-covered eastern land known as the Holy Island, then enfeoffing Ser Jon Norsem & House Fire-eyes as their subsequent titular Barons.
Upon completing their control of the eastern island chain, by Pontifical Decree, Jack Amador was named the Duke of the Holy Lands & his younger brother Jiraiya Amador replaces his older brother as Count of Crestfall. Following this, the Siege of Lysistrata Hold, conducted by the Kingdom of Renatus, in the Kingdom of Salvus displaced the ruling House of Sheffield for the House of Hightower, later allowing Godfrey I to form the First Holy Orenian Empire]]
Familial Dispute
In 1403, discontentment over Duke Jack's absentee leadership triggered a confrontation within the City of Crestfall and within the House of Amador.
The Crestfall council, the bureaucratic body that was responsible for the oversight of the port city and answered to the Count of Crestfall, Jiraiya, published an open petition, calling for the removal of Jack Amador as Duke of the Holy Lands. They wished to replace Jack for his younger brother, Jiraiya, citing an absentee leadership that was more interested in collecting unjust taxes on the population.
However, the situation was ultimately defused when Jack Amador returned from a diplomatic trip to the Kingdom of Salvus and then stayed in the Holy Lands to tend to his people. In truth, Jack Amador travelled often to the Kingdoms of Salvus and the Kingdom of Renatus, both of whom were of great importance to the Holy Lands.
Exodus
Circa 1420, A series of natural disasters rocked the continent of Asulon, creating a great deal of devastation and destruction that cost many lives from many races. The Holy Lands suffered from an earthquake that collapsed buildings and started fires, before a torrential flood consumed the Port. Serving as the First Holy Orenian Empire's main naval base on the eastern coast, the House of Amador had constucted many ships for Imperial Use. Imperial commissions in the Port City of Crestfall for ships proved to be a masterstroke, as the vessels were later used to migrate the populations of the Holy Orenian Empire & the Holy Lands to Elysium
Geography
The Port City of Crestfall sits on the north-western side of the largest island in the Renatus Holy Lands, straddling the strait that was the main access to the Sea to the Heartlands and to the open ocean beyond. To the North West was the Kingdom of Salvus, until its eventual vassalisation in the First Holy Orenian Empire. To the West was the Kingdom of Renatus & its Ancient Capital City of Arethor, until Godfrey I consolidated the Kingdoms on his borders into the 'First Empire
Crestfall itself sat on the shoreline of what was a prodominantly hilly and forested island, with its main exports having been from mines on the island & from the lumber collected from the neighbouring woodlands. Crestfall imported some food from the west, but most of the population lived off of cattle reared on the lands, fish from the sea and ocean, or from root vegetables. The Northern side of the Isle was where the settlement of Ceru sat, considered a de facto district of the wider Port City when the two polities merged. To the south was an inhospitable area known as the Sea-Bound Desert, a strange wonder of the world of Asulon, best described as a Sand-sea, filled with quicksand that stretched the Crestfall Isle to the South and the snow-covered lands of the Hanseti. Due to the nature of this southern area of the island, it could not be settled by Humans, nor could it be traversed through by ships, making the northern strait the only way in or out.
Government
Counts of Crestfall/Vendere
| Name | Reign | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Amador | 1362 - 1399 | Founder of the House of Amador |
| Jiraiya Amador | 1399 - 1420 | Younger brother of Jack Amador |
Advisors
| Name | Tenure | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kimarai Nastrada | 1378 - 1420 | A High-Elf who often Advised both Jack & Jiraiya |
Council of Crestfall of 1404
| Name | Council Seat |
|---|---|
| Tyler Hennington | Guard Captain |
| Gilbert Amador | Steward of Crestfall |
| Polgrath | Leader of Builders |
| Grayson Hennington | Guild Representative of Hero's Brotherhood |
| Atarius Thunderblade | Guild Representative of Arcane Delvers |
| Polgrath | Head of Constuction |
| Star | Secretary |
Culture & Religion
Crestfall's Religion was devoutly Church of the True Faith, despite a significant High Elf population. However, the enforcement of the dominant state religion was non-existant, resulting in a relatively harmonious relationship between the Heartlanders and the High Elves. High Elves were able to participate in the governance of the County and the Duchy provided that they held a responsible position in society, such as a Guild Master or a Government position.
The Culture of Crestfall is best described as naval & merchantile. Good trading relations with the High Elves in the north and the First Holy Orenian Empire to the west served the city well, with imported knowledge and expertise, which made the society more meritocratic. The Order of the White Rose, A Holy Order which would later garner a ruthless reputation, started in Crestfall.
