Powers of the Riven Kingdoms¶
The royal houses, councils and courts of the Riven Kingdoms, the free realms of the Broken Sea that still keep the faith of the Kalari and Rakkari gods against the Sancturi Imperium in the Fifth Age. "While there are many Riven Kingdoms across the continent, from tiny city-states to moderate sized kingdoms, these five kingdoms stand out in power, prestige and influence" (S319): Alghert, Brusau, Miydal, Ozaustein and Uthein. Beside them stand the court of ruined Floren at Miralt and a dwarven king without a kingdom. The lands themselves are described in Geography; these pages describe who rules them.
The houses and courts¶
| Realm | Ruled by | Form of rule | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alghert | the Tugard dynasty, almost 200 years | "an absolute monarchy" | Tugard Dynasty |
| Brusau | the Lorimer dynasty, 20 years, after the Tabors | crown and a diminished noble council, the Erubule | Lorimer Dynasty |
| Miydal | King Tobias Egeland | crown and "an effective Erubule" that votes on succession | Riven Thrones and Councils |
| Ozaustein | the Ozau dynasty, about 60 years | three duchies; "a bit more like a republic" | Riven Thrones and Councils |
| Uthein | the Wyrne dynasty, almost 100 years | a regency since Queen Evette's death | Riven Thrones and Councils |
| Athagilion | the Conclave of the Golden Sun | four bishops; "the church is tightly integrated with the kingdom" | Riven Thrones and Councils |
| Miralt, in Floren | Duchess Lavinia Zul-aw-ta | a ducal court after the King of Floren fled | Duchy of Miralt |
| the dwarves of Dru'Bazan | Volgin Trollmane, king-in-exile | a king and the clans pledged to him | Dru'Bazan in Exile |
(S319, with reign lengths as reckoned in 704 SM.) The governments of the many lesser realms, from Droburg's merchant council to the witch kingdom of Hacros, are given on the Riven Kingdoms page.
History¶
After the Age of the Dark Sun, "the nations of Alghert, Angorra, Arnyr, Athagilion, Droburn, Dru'Bazan, Ruathim, Paecoria … as well as many tribal and nomadic groups are rebuilding and prospering" in the Broken Sea (S326). The kingdoms became "Riven" in Sancturi eyes during the Great Purge of 554 to 565 SM, when "the Sancturi purge all Riven (Kalari & Rakkari) priests and raze all shrines, churches and temples. Riven-worship is made a crime" (S326).
From the 600s SM the Imperium's legions advanced into the kingdoms one campaign at a time (see Sancturi Campaigns). In 652 SM Brusau "invades and annexes 3 petty kingdom neighbors". From 691 SM the Obsidian Legions spent almost twelve years conquering Arnyr, "the largest Riven kingdom in the North". In Faragond the Griffon Legions lost a whole army to the Necromancer in 700 SM, and Athagilion took back much ground in the years after. In Dalmar the Nightshade Legions' incursion from 700 SM "left Floren crippled and took considerable Brusau territory", until they "have been pushed back by Brusau backed with Ozau mercenaries"; by 704 SM rumour had the legion "positioning legions for an invasion of Ozaustein in the spring" (S326).
Other powers in the Kingdoms¶
Several bodies cross the borders of the kingdoms (S319): the thieves' guild the Black Ring; the Kalari relic-keepers of the Brotherhood of the Sun; the witch and demon slayers of the Keepers of Abaddon, exiled from the Imperium; the Kalari Knights of Ex-Malefica, the Shrine Knights; and the White Fire, which helped Brusau drive back the Imperium at the Battle of Beddenford. Ozaustein's royal house also commands three of the kingdoms' mercenary companies.
Gap
No source describes any league, treaty or common council binding the Riven Kingdoms together; the Sancturi campaign offers "Unite the Riven Kingdoms against the Empire" as a story arc still to be achieved (S202).