A history of the High Kingdom of Garnia and it's High Kings from the earliest times.
Gwaryn I “The Lion” - (72 - 90GY) United the tribes of man during the great Sidhe war, was elected to be the High King of all men following the successful siege of Dunnasidhe (Modern Dun Garn) in the 72nd year of the people's migration (72GY), he was 45 years old. Born in 27GY, Gwaryn began life as a Boga-Treveri nobleman, not of royal lineage. Elected to be king of the Boga-Treveri by acclamation of the warriors following the death in battle of the previous king Veros, at the battle of Strathraglan (Year 51GY) against a combined force of goblinoids. Gwaryn rallied the Treveri warriors and led the counter attack that saved the day. Gwaryn established the High Kingdom that bears his name, exacted tribute from the southern Sidhe, and was the progenitor of the line of Gwaryn. Gwaryn died as he had so often lived, in battle, leading a charge against a renegade force of Sidhe in the Tamigwavr. He was 63 years old.
During his life he had two principal wives, Muadnait (28 - 74GY), the dark queen, a seer and sorceress, trained as a priestess, she preferred the life of a warrior. They were a love-match from before he became king of the Boga-Treveri, partners in war and love. The three children of this union all predeceased their parents. Muadnait herself predeceased her beloved husband, dying of an unknown ailment at the age of 46. Following her death, her people renounced their allegiance to the high king and migrated to the territories that would become known as the Mistlands.
The second of them was the grand princess Mallona the fair (52-124GY), a political match, but a good one, she bore the line of Gwaryn. 25 years his junior (born 52GY) and raised in the courts of various kings, she was probably the reason Gwaryn ultimately managed to keep most of the lesser kings in the new high kingdom. Ten of her children with Gwaryn lived to adulthood, five sons and five daughters. Mallona was a great beauty in her youth, a consummate diplomat, and a pious queen. She lived to be 72 years old, and died peacefully in her sleep in 124GY.
Commios I “the Tall” (91 - 96GY) - elected at the age of 52 (born 39GY) to the high kingship, it was a hotly contested election, and several tribes returned to the north rather than acknowledge his leadership, disliking the idea of a second Belgae high king. Commios had been a successful war leader under Gwaryn. His reign is mainly remembered for his continuation of the conquest of the Sidhe empire, as his forces rapidly advanced to the seacoast and conquered the cities there, and the shrewd political marriage he made to Mallona the fair, most important widow of Gwaryn, which held the fragile young high kingdom together, and garnered him enough support to win the throne in the first place. Commios sired four children (2 sons and two daughters) on her, despite her advanced age (38 when they were wed), before he was slain in a hunting accident.
Addoryc I “The Assassin” (96GY) – Second son of Gwaryc and Mallona (his elder brother Branoic having been declared ineligible due to disfigurement as he had lost both a hand and an eye), aged 17 (born 79GY) when he was elected to the high kingship. His eight month reign was clouded by suspicion he had a hand in Commios' death, and scandal when all of Commios's children with Mallona (his own half-siblings) died suspiciously. He led the high kingdom's forces into the west, and was slain in battle against a combined force of Sidhe and Dwarves near present day Cambulac, his body was returned to Dun Garn, and he is the first high king interred there.
Interregnum – a council of kings & queens of the tribes sat under the regency of twice Queen Mallona.
Belinos I “the Pretani” (99 – 111GY) – The council of kings finally got around to electing a new high king after a Sidhe counter-attack burned a dozen or more settlements in the newly conquered territories. Noted for his piety, Belinos (born 65GY) was a painted blue warrior-spearman, a Gaesetae. Despite his religiously fueled ferocity being the reason he became high king, his reign was notable not just for it incredible military successes, but also for it's strengthening of the central authority of the high kingship via a strong alliance of the high kingship with the druidic orders. Belinos never married, and left no heirs. Died aged 46 of natural causes.
Gwaryc I “the Fox” (111- 146GY) and Derryc I “the Bold” (111 – 160GY) – The 4th (born 86GY) and 5th (Born 89GY) sons of Gwaryn I, younger brothers of Addoryc I are elected co-kings by the council of kings and druids. Both kings were war-leaders, and under their command the western Garnian heartlands were wrested from the Sidhe empire.
Gwaryc (86 – 156GY aged 69 years) led the successful eight year siege of Harn Thurum (92 - 100GY), the loss of which sundered the Dwarf-Sidhe alliance against the high kingdom, now known as Gwarynica Riga. Having broken the Dwarves of their will to fight, Gwaryc then led the first Garnian forces into Tirnakaur. His descendants became known as the Fox clan, which is the first of the great clans to form. Ultimately, he retired from the high kingship and spent his remaining decade of life governing the lands of the Fox clan, and consolidating his progeny's hold over them.
Derryc (89 - 160 aged 71) spent his time nearly entirely on military campaigns, first against the Sidhe and Dwarves, then against a resurgent humanoid menace, then against the Sidhe again in Tirnakaur, then he led the first force across the Avergwyn into what is now modern Frodia. Despite near constant campaigning, Derryc also had thirty official wives, the daughters of great nobles and lesser kings whose warriors he needed the loyalty of, and dozens more concubines from the lower classes. He left behind literally hundreds of “Ap-Derrycs” when he finally died at the age of 61, a victim of a camp plague, while on his final campaign in Tirnakaur.
It was during their dual reign that the scattered tribes of primitive humans, human-kin, and halflings were absorbed into the growing Garnian high kingdom. Their reign also saw it written into kingdom law that high kings could only be elected from the line of Gwaryn. Since the brothers were warrior kings, much of the governance of the kingdom fell to a trio of viceroys, their mother Twice Queen Mallona, Their elder brother Branoic the never king, and the Arch-Druid Math the Old. Shortly after the death of Mallona (124GY) Branoic and Math fell out, Math returning to the Holy City of Dun Math on the northern steppes, leaving Branoic alone as viceroy, essentially an uncrowned king.
At the time of Derryc's death in 160GY, he had chosen a successor, his own son Owain “the Tanist”, the council of kings & druids having agreed. His surviving sisters disagreed though, as their own sons had not been entered as candidates. This led to the “One Flesh War” (160 – 165GY) a dynastic struggle which ultimately affirmed the right of a lineage to be passed through the female line. The chief antagonists in this conflict were Owain I “the Tanist” and his cousin Blaen I “Woman's Son”. The five years of war were filled with minor skirmishes and long truces, neither side really wanting to commit the high kingdom to civil war, and the cousin groups were less than enthusiastic to kill one another.
Branoic “the Never King” (78 – 151GY aged 73) – Barred from the high kingship due to his disfigurement, a result of his youthful bravery, leading a charge in a battle he shouldn't have been at at the age of 14. The charge was a success, saving the forces present from being utterly destroyed after falling into a Sidhe ambush. He was assumed slain when he was seen to fall. The army retreated from the area intact, and it was something of a shock when he wandered into camp a week later. Honors were piled on him as a result of his personal bravery and tactical prowess Branoic regularly led men into battle until his younger brothers were elected to the dual high kingship when he was 33 years old, whereupon he was moved into a more administrative role, at which he also excelled. Branoic had a single wife, Merodda, to whom he was devoted, and they had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He is remembered as a powerful, just man that was never king, his descendants are referred to as “Ap-Gwas”, referring to his own death bed speech, where he spoke of serving the people, being the servant of the kingdom. Gwas meaning “Servant”.
Owain I “the Tanist” (160 – 168GY) Born 108GY, he took the high kingship at the age of 52. His ascendancy to the throne kicked off the “One Flesh War”, for which his early reign is known. Having been raised largely at court, he was groomed to be king from an early age, having shown both wit and aptitude as a child. His longest lasting contribution to the high kingdom came via his marriage laws, which limited the number of wives any noble could have to one, his father's many legitimate offspring having beggared him via shared inheritance.
Blaen I “Woman's Son” (168 GY) Born 112GY, Blaen was the son of Gwaryn's daughter Brangwen and the king of the Aedui Cottilos. He was the winner of the election following the death of Derryc, and as a condition of the treaty ending the “One Flesh War”, became high king following the death of Owain I in 168GY, he was 56 years old at the time. His reign was brief and forgettable, he fell to a Sidhe assassin's blade within a month of taking the throne.
Allovico I “The Avenger” (168 – 177GY) Born 134GY, he was elected high king at the age of 34. Young and popular, Allovico also had the backing of the Druids, with whom he had been fostered. Despite a lack of evidence to support it, it was popularly believed that Blaen was assassinated by the southern (Frodian) Sidhe, so Allovico launched an invasion of their territory as revenge for the slaying of his predecessor. Allovico was the first great grandson of Gwaryn to become high king. He died of dysentery while on campaign at the age of 43. Allovico is noted for having forged an alliance with the Wodanslunders against the Southern Sidhe
Malcolm “the Sorcerer” (177 – 194GY) Born 131GY. Elected high king on the death of his cousin, he is the singular wizard-king of Garnia. During his reign, and under his tutelage, he brought forth all of the magically adept people in the kingdom to form a sorcerous warband. In the 17 years of his reign, his armies never stopped campaigning, battling humanoids, Sidhe, rebellious slaves, and even the “free” tribes of the steppes. His warriors made great raids into Sidhe territories in both Frodia and Tirnakaur, they took many slaves. Malcolm secretly began a breeding program with the captured Sidhe, as he had noticed that the half-breed elves were more likely to be naturally magically adept than pure humans, and they had several other genetic advantages. Malcolm died as he lived, through magical means, while on campaign. A magical surge, possibly due to the opening or closing of planar gates, possibly due to the presence of ley-lines and a planetary convergence, and he literally exploded from the magical forces he channeled through his body. This incident ties directly into the first dramatic drop in the level of magic in this world, the age of miracles has ended.
Viriatos “the builder” (194 – 221GY) Born 166GY. A son of a daughter of a daughter of Gwaryn. His election caused laws to be created limiting the candidacy to those either in direct descent from Gwaryn via the male line, separated by no more than one female generation, or those who had a grandfather that had ruled as high king. Viriatos reign also saw the royal sponsorship and construction of twenty towns in strategic locations, more than a hundred forts throughout the nation, and thousands of miles of roads between them. His fortress on the south shore of the Avergwyn was the first permanent Garnian settlement in what would become Frodia. He built bridges and set up ferries to encourage trade, the people of Garnia were prosperous during his reign. His military expeditions were mainly punitive strikes against the various forces of humanoids and sidhe tribes across the continent, and the “cleansing” of Tirnakaur. He encouraged the formation of new “great clans” after admiring the success of the Fox clan, the five great clans forming during his reign were the Bear, the Boar, the Stallion, the Falcon and the Wyvern. Each of those clans were given jurisdiction over wide swathes of territory, and their chieftans, this began the shift towards ownership of land, rather than rulership of people being the mark of nobility, and feudalism begins to take hold in the new colonizer nation. He also extended Garnian influence deep into the steppes, via the creation of client tribes on the eastern end.
A digression concerning the patchwork abundance of noble titles in use in Garnia. The people of Garnia are descended from the myriad tribes of Celts from across Europe, the British Isles, and Asia Minor on Earth, there are therefore an unusually large number of titles, from various regions and languages; these titles will certainly all make their appearances over time, but they mimic a hierarchy of English titles we're all accustomed to seeing. High King is a literal translation from the Garnian “Ard-Ri”, below the high kings are various petty kings and other nobles, whose power level might range from “Duke”, which is pretty powerful, to “Baron” which is decidedly less so, with a “Count” level between them. Below this level you have “Lords”, followed by landless nobles, who are confusingly still referred to as “Lord” or “Lady”. Clan chiefs also muddy the waters here, as a clan chief usually has a landed title to go with his chieftanship of a people, but not always. Clans also have their own separate hierarchy. Furthermore, noble titles follow their own rules for heritability, as do clan chieftanships.
Interregnum – The High Council is stymied as they put forth candidate after candidate who cannot reach a majority, eventually the best female candidate is selected, a victory for the women who had been fighting for succession rights.
Vocontia I “Queen by Might” (226 – 254GY) Garnia's first High Queen, Vocontia was elected following her victory at the battle of Dunadd, a minor skirmish, but she managed to defeat her cousin Ruaraidh in single combat and capture him, proving herself a capable warrior and securing the throne at the age of 23. Her legacy was making women the legal equals of men, creating a royal fleet to track down and battle pirate threats on the high seas, and securing an alliance with the people of Dar-as-Salaam, which ultimately led to their incorporation into the kingdom as a vassal state, and secured Garnian dominion over the Tirnakaur penninsula. She died following a long illness (cancer).
Senilla I “the Unready” (254 – 280GY) The daughter of Vocontia and her prince-consort Toratis, she was born to be queen. She was, however, less capable then her well regarded mother, and less popular with the people and the nobles. Her length of time on the throne was marred by an attempted coup by her father, poor harvests and tax uprisings, an unpopular and long guerrilla war in Tirnakaur, and ultimately a new contender for the throne, which ultimately led to her being deposed by the council and replaced. The Stag and Oak clans formed during her reign.
Mael I mac Garn (280 – 303GY) A direct male line descendant of Gwaryn through his oldest son with his first wife Muadnait. Raised in the Gaelic culture of the Mistlands, his was a successful plea through the druids to be considered eligible for Garnian succession via blood claim. His accession to the high kingship of Garnia briefly united the two realms under one ruler. He was at first deeply unpopular with the established Garnian nobility, but his claim was backed by a Mistlander army, as well as the law and the druids. During his reign the minority Gaelic culture in Garnia ascended, and many trusted Mistlanders found themselves in positions of authority in Garnia. This also did not sit well with the native nobility, who considered the Mistlanders to be barbarians, no better than the steppe dwelling bumpkins.
However, as a warrior, he was unequaled in his age, his conquest of the southern Sidhe empire was a lightning strike, and utterly devastating to the region. The sack of Cothe brought to mind the early days of the conquest under Gwaryn himself. He wisely left the day to day operation of the kingdom to the people who knew what they were doing, under the supervision of his own trusted men.
During his reign the kingdom's coffers were once again full, filled with the treasure of the conquest; the Wodanslunders became a vassal state of what can only be referred to now as the Garnian Empire; embassies were exchanged with the Bright Empire of Ming Liang, and regular trade established; the end of the guerrilla war in Tirnakaur was a total Garnian victory; a strong, secure alliance was established with the Dwarves of Khazarak, including the building of fortified human settlements along both banks of the Avergwyn and the Averyraen. This was the beginning of a golden age for Garnian civilization, the only dark spot being a second, significant loss of magic following the collapse of the southern Sidhe.
His demise was a pointless tragedy. When he was riding the realm with few men, he came upon a caravan being attacked by goblins, his men rode in to save the caravan, the goblins, cowards that they are immediately fled the field. However a goblin loosed an arrow at the pursuers, it struck the king in the neck, the wound festered and he died from the fever five days later. He had just happened to be traveling through a magic dead zone. He was just 50 years old.
Cartimandua I “the Boar” (303 – 348GY) Ascending to the throne at 29 years old, following the death of her husband Mael mac Garn. The Garnians had hoped to seal the Mistlands to Garnia with this appointment, using Cartimandua as a placeholder until her young son came of age, but the Mistlanders chose Mael's son from his first marriage as their king instead. What the High Council didn't expect was the High Queen they got, this period is known as the Cartimanduan Age to historians. Relations remained cordial with the Mistlanders, and Garnia was clearly the superior partner there. Cartimandua founded religious orders, funded the arts, and managed to keep the peace through judicious use of military expeditions far afield. She used the druidic order to end chattel slavery of everyone but full-blooded elves, although the practice of bonding survived. For her 45 years as High Queen the crops were always abundant, the arts and trade thrived and military threats to the empire were neutralized well outside the empire's borders. A new, cultured elite rose in the towns and cities, parallel to the military elite that had been controlling society since the migration. For the first time since the migration literacy rose above 3%.
Cartimandua II “the Maid” (348 – 375GY) Elected High Queen following the death of her grandmother, Cartimandua II seemed to be following the same exact course, times were good, the empire was prosperous. However, late in her reign there were several years of crop failures, and very harsh winters following a massive volcanic eruption (369GY) in the far west lands. Magic had another significant, though less dramatic drop off, and the savage tribes of the northern steppes invaded, and, as if to add insult to injury, Frodia rebelled, declaring their independence from Garnia. She died, heartbroken, retreating across the mountains to Tirnakaur.
Maolruanaí Ó Somacháin “the Usurper” (375 – 414GY) Upon the Death of Cartimandua II, the High Council chose to submit to the invaders, rather than live in the wilds of Tirnakaur (Tirnakaur, from this point has it's own rival high king, a pretender to the Garnian throne, Dar as Salaam leaves the empire.). 32 year old warchief Maolruanaí Ó Somacháin was chosen by acclamation of his warriors and accepted by the council, backed up as he was with a very large army of highly mobile and effective cavalry (stirrups!) and charmed war mammoths and wooly rhinos. Having crushed every Garnian army they encountered, Gaelic cultural ascendancy was once again on the rise during his long reign, and his people enjoyed a “Norman Conquest” level of superiority to the native Garnians. He spent the entirety of his reign on campaign against both Frodia and Tirnakaur, frustrated by a lack of naval experience, the sophisticated magic of the Frodians, the tactical acumen of their Wodanish allies, and the guerrilla tactics employed against him in Tirnakaur. Frequent rebellions in Garnia proper, due to his arrogance and failure to observe the laws of the land, ultimately led to his loss of the High Kingship. He returned to the steppes from whence he came, and died several years later. He is remembered for the strife of his reign, and the destruction of the Garnian economy.
Interregnum (414 – 416GY) Despite the High Council removing Maolruanaí Ó Somacháin as High King, they cannot decide among themselves on a candidate, which led to a brief, sharp civil war, which was ended by the invasions of both Frodia and Tirnakaur.
Breanndán mac Garn (416 – 450GY) Breanndán mac Garn claims his birthrite as his grandsire did, at the head of a Mistlander Army. His dramatic appearance riding a Hippogriff saves Garnia from falling into the hands of the pretender from Tirnakaur. He campaigns against Frodia and Tirnakaur early in his reign, halting their progress, driving them back, and mounting punitive expeditions against them. Another great warrior of his line, and the cousin of the Mistlander king, he is mainly remembered for his campaigns in Khazarak, where he answered the plea for aid after the fall of Thun Tarum, Bhorn Buldor, and Golbuhr. The refugees were welcomed into the kingdom, and the High King has had an ultra-loyal Dwarven household guard unit ever since. He died on campaign in Khazarak at the age of 54, his forces overwhelmed and obliterated at Kighgrum. The Hippogriff clan is founded.
Excingomarus I “The beloved” (450 – 477GY) Cousin and lieutenant of Breanndán, he was acclaimed High King during the campaign where Breanndán died. Returning from Khazarak at the head of an army, this Chief of the Hippogriff clan was quickly affirmed in his status by the High Council. His Garnian lineage and upbringing assuaging the concerns of the nobles, he was a popular and good king, prone perhaps too much to hedonism. He maintained the peace of the realm until his death at 59, an apparent heart attack.
Meibhín I “Dragon-Slayer” (477 – 499GY) Daughter of Excingomarus and Aoife, the daughter of Breanndan, she tied the two lines of Gwaryn together again. She became High Queen and Chief of the Hippogriff clan at the age of 20 following her father's death. Her chief claim to fame is that she slew the Great Dragon of the North when it rose from it's slumber and started laying waste the kingdom. It is also noteworthy that she married and divorced five times as High Queen. She was killed in battle in Khazarak at the age of 42.
Gwennan I (499 – 529GY) Elected to be High Queen at the age of 46, her 30 year reign would be seen as a new golden age, if it hadn't ended with the rise of the Necromancer. There was peace in the realm, and abroad, crop yields continued to rise and the people were prosperous. She was slain in battle at a summit with the Frodian King, both victims of the Necromancer's coup d'etat.
Blaecc I (529 – 529GY) February to May, Assassinated while preparing for war. Aged 28.
Fergus I (529 – 531GY) 19 months as king, killed by an assassin following the Garnian defeat at Dun Gwyn, at the age of 30.
