AURO - Western Kingdoms

The official cartographical term for the Western Kingdoms is Auro

Veiland

Veiland is the southernmost Kingdom of the West. King Valentinus was the first King of Veiland who ruled hundreds of years prior to the Solstice Arcs. The ruling seat of Veiland is in the capital of Selene. King Marcus and Queen Selene are the Ruling Monarchs during the Solstice Arcs. The true names of the King and Queen were Marcus I and Theia of Charis, respectively. Princess Aletheia is their daughter and sole heir to the throne. It was a secret that for many years the Queen could not bear children and would suffer three miscarriages as Queen before Aletheia was born. 

REGALIA
The Crown Regalia of Veiland is the Silver Nightfeather. This demonstrated as a pin, worn by representatives of the Crown.
The heraldic symbol of Veiland is the Moon Crest, a blue crescent moon design on a white banner. The Moon Crest is the symbol worn by soldiers of Veiland, The Knights of the Crescent Shield. 
The Lunar Guardian is the original High Champion of Veiland during the Solstice Arc and was the first oofivialHigh Champion. His symbol is an altered version of the Moon Crest.
The Messenger Bird of Veiland is the White Gyrfalcon.

HISTORY
The Sanguine Empire once sought to take over Veiland through hegemonic power. King Marcus considered this due to the Empire's strength, but a change in fortune saw the Empress dying during the occupation. It was assumed that the Empress of Gules was assassinated under King Marcus's orders but the truth was that the Empress died in child birth.

Soon after, Veiland knights intercepted the remnants of the Empire, that sought to take over Selene. The forces of Veiland called the Crescent Shield, fought the Empire’s Phoenix Scepter knights and the supernatural warrior, the Shimmering Knight.

In the Bastion Forest near Selene, the Shimmering Knight, was nearly on his last legs when he let loose a blast of white light that leveled the entire battlefield with many casualties on all sides. The battle and area became known as the Grey Plains because of the ash that covered the area and surrounding forests. The King of Veiland was not present for the battle, as he had left midway through to care for his ailing Queen.

After the failed takeover of Veiland by Empress Anahita, King Marcus of Veiland would capture the Empire's renowned cleric The Magus. He had been the adviser to the Empress before her death and was named Simon Perish. Marcus requested that he find out why the Queen of Selene could not give birth and to fix whatever is the cause. Perish refused and was sentenced to death. He would seemingly cheat death at the King's methods and was saved by another of the Empress's confidants, The Soothsayer.

Simon Perish is able to escape but the Soothsayer is killed in the attempt. Perish was then hunted down and was cut off by the King of Veiland and his forces. After a long fought battle, Simon was defeated by the King, who then shot him in the head with an arrow. Perish then fell into a frozen river and was presumed dead. The King then heard crying from a nearby patch of foliage, where finds a baby girl. He deduces that it was Simon's child due to her indentions on her head for antlers, something that Simon also had, which is a characteristic of Fauna. Not knowing what else to do with her and desperately longing for a child. The King takes the baby with him.

 Aletheia and High Champions
The baby was taken to the Queen of Selene who never asked who she belonged to but it is hinted that she knew. The Queen was once Theia of Charis and she names the girl Aletheia. She also has the baby's antlers hidden and removed as she ages. After the baby develops red hair the King speculates who her mother is as well. He believed her to be the offspring of Simon Perish and The Empress of Gules, though this was only speculation by him and not confirmed. Because of this, the Queen begins to cover the girl with veils as the Queen would often do for herself.

After the Grey Plains incident, some people in Selene had begun to grow ill. The sickness, called White Eye, took many lives in Selene and the surrounding countryside but began to disappear after a few years. No one knew that it was caused by the devastation released by the Shimmering Knight. The Queen was one of the last to contract the illness and died when Aletheia was around 2 years old.

There were very few that knew of Aletheia's true heritage outside of the Crescent Keep and rumors of her not being the King's daughter began to fade. After several years, very few people questioned Aletheia's heritage and she grew to be loved and admired by the citizens of Selene. The Queen had not been seen much by the public after receiving Aletheia and even before this, she was always draped in veils that covered her head. For this reason, people began to falsely remember the Queen being Fauna since Aletheia appeared to be of Faun descent. This was further exemplified by the fact that very few people actually saw the Queen without veils when she was alive and Aletheia often wore veils and hoods as well. Like all Faun Elves, Aletheia's antlers would fall off during Winter and often regrow by late spring so this further concealed her heritage.

When Aletheia was a young girl, she showed kindness to a poor man in the market. Unbeknownst to her, the man was Simon Perish, her true father, who was there to take her back but he recognized her kindness and that she was happy in her new life as the Princess of Selene. This was the life that she now knew, a happy life and one without him. He thanked her but said nothing of who he was. Since he no longer had a place in her life, he decided to let her live out hers in peace and left Selene and the west for good. However, this was not the last anyone would hear of Simon Perish.

Aletheia eventually developed a power when she was 8 that began to make others lethargic when touching her. When she was 10, her power grew to the point where she would put people to sleep completely if they came in contact with her. During this time it was becoming more apparent that more and more people exhibited strange powers and with it came persecution. The King had always loved her as his own and feared that she would be persecuted, especially after The Shimmering Knight caused so much destruction. It had been 10 years since the Empress used The Shimmering Knight as a weapon of fear. Since then, people with powers were considered dangerous and untrustworthy. A Priest named Basildes recognized the growing distrust toward these unique people. When he was brought in by the King to possibly help Aletheia, he was able to convince the King that Aletheia did not need to be healed. The King recognized his own ignorance and agreed that Aletheia did not need to be cured. He did not want her to be feared by others, though, so he often kept her hands and her skin covered.

The King and Basildes then decided that it was best to change the public perception of people with these powers. Basildes had secretly been friends with a man named Victor Noble, who people did not know was the Shimmering Knight. Basildes was also, in fact, the caretaker of Victor's son, John. Basildes was afraid of others finding out who John's father was so had him sent away for schooling. Howerver, Basildes knew that Victor was not the monster everyone believed him to be. He knew that the people with powers were still human. He knew that they could make another man like the Shimmering Knight that instead, inspired people. Basildes and King Marcus decided to call these people Champions.

During this time, Basildes had also begun to change the public's outlook on people with powers by recognizing the powers as gifts. During mass, he would cite how the Angels could be bestowing people with these gifts in an effort to help others and he used his position in the church to influence this opinion. He claimed that they were miracles.

When Aletheia was around 12, the King and Basildes had located a young blacksmith named Michael who had supernatural strength. They employed him to act as a figurehead. He was called the High Champion of Selene and they christened him The Lunar Guardian, taking the Moon Crest as his coat of arms. It was adjusted to become the Moon Blade Sigil.

People with supernatural abilities were becoming more prevalent, with various kingdoms adopting Veiland's example and employing those with the moniker of High Champion. This in turn ended much of the warring and infighting as the other Kingdoms began to use High Champions as displays of their nation's power. Nearly 3 years later, by the time Aletheia was around 15, most of the public began to revere the High Champions as their protectors. Anyone with powers began to be called Champions thanks to Father Basildes and the King of Veiland.

NOTABLE AREAS
Selene is the capital of Veiland. West of Selene are the Mazarine Mountains and the Argent Caves. South of Selene is the Monos Cathedral. Northeast of Selene is the small village of Aglaea. East of Selene lies the Grey Plains and South of the Plains is the town of Ophelia along with the nearby Silvayne Manor. Further east past Ophelia is the Moon Temple though it is not easily accessible and off of common travel and trade routes.

At the far south of Veiland is the trading settlement of Dengard that is considered part of the Southern Deserts of Visperad but is also unofficially part of Veiland.

 Silver
Veilend is known for it's Silver which the region has an abundance of. There is a Silver Mine known as the Argent Caves southwest of Selene. The mine is beneath the Mazarines and leads to a series of canyons that open up to the Southern Deserts. By traveling through these canyons one can access the nation of Wisperad more quickly than traveling along the cliffs that separate Veilend and the South. This route becomes inaccessible during Winter.

Istoria

The capital of Istoria is Lenore. This was the seat of King Isidore before the current ruler. The ruling Monarch during the time of The Empress' conquest was King Geoffrey Dalton. The Queen was known as Queen Gwendolyne. She had been Gwendoline of Grace before this, with Grace being a small town at the border of Istoria and Veiland. The pair had a son named Thomas Dalton or simply Prince Thomas. The High Champion is the Gold Griffin of Istoria and became the alias of Prince Thomas when he came of age.

REGALIA
The Crown Regalia of Istoria is the Gold Kingfeather. This is demonstrated as a chain on a gauntlet, worn by representatives of the Crown.
The heraldic symbol of Istoria is the Spire Sigil a gold tower design on a black banner. The Spire Sigil is the symbol worn by soldiers of Istoria, The Knights of the Honorem Praesidio. 
The Gold Griffin is the High Champion of Veiland during the Wold Champions Arc. His symbol is an altered version of the Sun Spire.
The Messenger Bird of Istoria is the Sacre Falcon.

HISTORY
Istoria avoided being assimilated by the Sanguine Empire during her campaign of the West. The Empress considered taking over Istoria for it's abundance of Gold within the Aurulent Mountains that stretched from Istoria and into Miridian's own Mountains of Or. There were rich deposits of gold throughout the mountain range and the Empress desired it for her Empire. However, after the Empress of Gules had overtaken Miridian, she instead looked to Veiland despite the capital city Selene, being further than Lenore. It was speculated that the Shimmering Knight had some kind of influence as to why they sought to occupy Veiland first.

The Empress instead set her sights on the Kingdom of Veiland to the south of Istoria. She wished to assimilate Veiland into the Empire to obtain it's Silver. The Empress and her council stayed in the abandoned fort, the Star’s Edge keep while negotiating terms with King Marcus. The King was located in the capital Selene, which was not far from the Star’s Edge. Here, the Empress gave birth to a daughter but died during the delivery. Few knew of this and it was later falsely believed by others that the Empress was assassinated on orders of the King of Veiland.

When it was heard that the Empress had died, her Empire began to crumble. King Dalton had heard of the Shimmering Knight's power and did not wish to resist the Empire. But after rumors of the Empress’s death came out, King Dalton sought to assist Veiland in a battle against the remaining forces of the Empire. However, political red tape prevented the King from leading his forces to assist Veiland in resisting the Empire’s last ditch attack. Despite this, King Geoffrey Dalton fully intended to go against his council and lead a campaign to intercept the Empire. However, an assassination on the King in regards to helping Veiland was carried out and the King is killed before he can lead a campaign to assist Veiland.

Istoria’s forces are not present in the Battle of the Grey Plains, when the Shimmering Knight unleashes the final blast that destroys nearly the entire battlefield. King Marcus of Veiland was not present during this battle either, as he had left to be with the Queen who was ill from pregnancy complications. It had been her 3rd recurring miscarriage.

After the King of Istoria's death the Queen became Queen Dowager and ruled over the nation. Prince Thomas Dalton was about 10 years old when the King was killed. The Prince was always very fond of his father and took his loss very hard. When he had discovered at around age 5 that he had a strange power that allowed him to briefly levitate off the ground, it was the King that nurtured this ability in his son. They had kept this secret to themselves for years and the King took it to his grave.

After several years, Veilend introduces the concept of the High Champion in what is seen as a display of power. In an effort to prove himself to the father that he had lost, the Prince becomes the High Champion of Istoria when he is 18 years old. He adopts the moniker of The Gold Griffin. The Gold Griffin is a very regal looking knight with a horn on his helm as well as two gold capes that hang from both shoulders that resemble wings. The Griffin's power is that of  Transvection which allowed limited flight. His weapons are a pair of shortswords named Ungue and Cornu.

Before Winter Solstice
The Gold Griffin operated for years during this time as the High Champion but few knew that the High Champion was also the Prince of Lenore. Eventually there became more need to defend his nation from dangerous Champions. He became adept at using his power but had difficulty capturing a murderous Champion plaguing the countryside of Istoria. This Champion had been known in the area as the Weird Figure. He was signified by a strange cloak and helmet. The Weird Figure had been killing notable lords and had brought the attention of the High Champion of Selene, The Noble Guardian and his friends, the Ecliptics.

The Noble Guardian was named John Noble and didn't have any powers but had begun to make a name for himself by helping others and defending against villainous Champions, now called Rogues. John and his friends helped the Gold Griffin capture the Weird Figure before he could assassinate Queen Gwendolyne of Lenore. John had earned Thomas' trust and soon developed a friendship with him. The Prince also becomes enamored with the Princess of Selene, as Aletheia was a founding member of the Ecliptics.

Prince Thomas was the first Champion to join the Champion Coalition and ally Istoria with Veilend once again. The Weird Figure was sent to a prison called the Moon Temple, a place that Thomas was entrusted with knowing the location of. Sometime before the Winter Solstice arc, the Queen was approaching 60 and it was decided that she would step down as the Queen Dowager and crown Prince Thomas the King of Istoria. He was around his mid thirties during this time. He invites the King and Princess of Selene, as well as the Ecliptics to attend the coronation. He intends to ask for John’s assistance in naming a successor to be the Gold Griffin and to ask for Aletheia's hand in marriage.

NOTABLE AREAS
The capital of Istoria is Lenore. South of Lenore is the border town of Grace. The Aurulent Mountains to the North, separate Istoria with the Northern Marches. The Aurulents stretch across Istoria and form a smaller mountain range as they go further east across the border to Miridian. There are several manned outposts across the Aurulent mountains, the most notable being called the WindScene. This is often used for travelers though it was also once used to trade with the Giants of the Wildermarch.

Miridian

Miridian is the Kingdom that is closest to the Eastern Provinces but is considered part of the Western Nations. The capital of Miridian, Helena, is located at what appears to be the center of the map. Helena is the seat of the Emerald King Zhunar and Emerald Queen Enith at the time of the Solstice Arcs. Miridian is primarily a human land but is not exclusively so. Miridian has the most Elven people of any of the Western Nations. The Emerald King and Emerald Queen are Floran Elves and the population of Helena is mixed as well. Many Elves live in Helena though most are Fauna Elves. Floran Elves often live away from the larger city, preferring to live out in the country. It is rare that Floran are seen in cities and the King and Queen are one of the few exceptions. As such, there are not many Elves that are seen west of Miridian, aside from Aletheia.

Elves in general mostly populate the northern areas of Asio, the Eastern Provinces.

REGALIA
The Crown Regalia of Miridian has changed over the years based on the reigning monarch. During the regime of the Elder King, the regalia was the Elder Signet, a ring worn by representatives of the Crown. The heraldic symbol of the Elder Regime was the Axis Cruciger, a black and white cross and orb on a golden banner. The symbol used to be worn by the knights of Miridian called the Axis Cruciger. When the Empress took over Miridian and installed her own regime, the Axis Cruciger were assimilated in to the Phoenix Scepter, the personal knights of the Empress. Some pledged themselves while others refused to serve the Empress. After the fall of the Empress, the Axis Cruciger that refused loyalty to a foreign ruler, eventually became the mercenary force known as the Trionfi though they adopted a new symbol as well.

During the regime of the Sanguine Empire, the regalia was the Phoenix Scepter, a mace that represented the power of the Crown. This mace was often held by the Shimmering Knight who led the knights of the Empire, also called the Phoenix Scepter. At this time, the heraldic symbol of Miridian became that of the Sanguine Empire, a black scepter on a crimson banner. After the fall of the Empress, the banner of the Sanguine Empire became associated with the Empire Ensanguined, which was the derogatory term used for the Empire, thereafter. After the Empress’s death, the new Miridian regime came to power under the Emerald King.

During the reign of the Emerald King, the regalia then became the Emerald Signet, a ring worn by representatives of the Crown. After this, the heraldic symbol of Miridian became the Verdant Cross a green tree symbol on a yellow banner. The symbol is worn by the soldiers of Miridian, which share the title as Knights of the Verdant Cross. 

The time of the Elder King was before High Champions were used as displays of power. The Sanguine Empire was the first to utilize Champions to this effect but this was before they were referred to as such. It was not until years later, when the title of High Champion would come about and be used as an official position of the kingdoms. During this time, the Miridian Catapult became the High Champion of Miridian. His symbol is the same version of the Verdant Cross as other knights.

The Messenger Bird of Miridian was the Merlin under the Elder King. For the Rise of the Red Phoenix, the Empress Anahita’s reign, the Peregrine Falcon became the new Messenger Bird of Miridian. After her fall, the Peregrine Falcon endured under the Emerald King.

HISTORY
Long ago, Miridian was the sole kingdom of the west and was the seat of the Grand King and Blessed Queen. They ruled over a united west that consisted of only one kingdom of Grand Miridian. The Royal Family of Miridian would pass on the mantle of Grand King and Blessed Queen for generations. The family would rule the nation for nearly 200 years. Eventually a civil war separated the west into four Kingdoms, Veiland, Istoria, Hildegarde and Miridian. When the Kingdoms were split, the Grand King was deposed and replaced by an Elder King.

Before Anahita's Regime, The Elder King Ulster was the current ruling Monarch of Miridian. Empress Anahita sought to take the throne of Miridian, The Grand Castle of Helena, by taking over Miridian. She used the Shimmering Knight to attack the city of Helena and gain the advantage. The Shimmering Knight killed hundreds of Miridian warriors in the name of the Sanguine Empire. He then projected a powerful attack on the city itself, destroying much of the outer wall the Enceinte. This disillusioned Helena's army who had never witnessed such power.

The Elder King Ulster of Miridian surrendered and bowed to Anahita, the Empress of Gules. The Grand Castle of Helena was then known as the Palace Athene. The Elder King and the Royal Family were banished from the castle until Anahita's supposed assassination. The Elder King then returned with his allies to retake the throne from the remnants of Anahita's forces. The Empire was defeated but The Elder King was unfortunately killed when retaking Helena. Lord Zhunar then succeeded the throne after this. His people, the Floran Elves were instrumental in helping to retake the city as they were allies of the Elder King. Lord Zhunar became the Emerald King of Miridian and his wife Enith became the Emerald Queen. The disbanded Empire then became known as the Empire Ensanguined.

After this, the Floran Elves began to venture outside of their forested villages and were seen more regularly around Miridian. Previously, only Fauna Elves were likely to be seen outside of the Eastern Provinces.

Charis, is a town that is populated by both humans and Elves. Gainsborough is a small village located at the border of southern Miridian and Veiland. It is populated by mainly humans but there are a few Elven folk as well. Other notable settlements in Miridian are Cale and Aglaea.

Before Winter Solstice
Years later, Empress Anahita returned to Helena with a small council of followers and challenged the High Champion the Miridian Bolt to single combat. She was able to do this by threatening an attack on the city of Helena with her army of followers but would accept a High Champion Parlay. She hid her true powers and claimed to be a Champion of considerable power. Seeing her as a little true threat, the High Champion agreed. Anahita then fought the Miridian Bolt herself and defeated him. Although she did not kill him she did maim him causing him to lose an arm.

Anahita then took his power with an unusual ring. She then used the Miridian Bolt’s power to teleport inside the throne room and confront the Emerald King and Queen. She completely disarmed the Royal Guard and threatened to completely eradicate the city if they did not relinquish their crown. The Emerald King submitted to Anahita after hearing who she was. Anahita once again claimed the seat of Helena as her own, this time for the Empire Ensanguined. Miridian was part of the Champion Coalition and allies of the other Western Nations. However, because of her quick and quiet takeover, the Coalition was not informed of this. Anahita allows the Emerald Royalty to remain in power after convincing them of her motives. She informs them of her mission of obtaining immortality for the world. They can serve her and they could be the EverKing and EverQueen of Miridian and continue to rule. They would answer only to Anahita, the Last Diamond Empress.

She was able to convince them of this after her proclamation of being the reincarnated Empress of Gules. She has overcome death to grant immortality to the living for the opportunity to forever remain with their loved ones. The thought of this sways the Emerald King and Queen, whose family remain in the east with other Floran Elves. They agree to her terms and decide to help her with her task.

After learning more about the West, Anahita decides to invite the High Champions of the West to discuss terms of her joining the Champion Coalition. This will be done as a means of preventing retaliation but mainly because she wants to learn of the powers of the Champion Coalition. The Empress only sees the invitation as a courtesy, believing herself to be growing into a Divine Being. Titania, one of her Faithful Champions offers to deliver the invitation herself. This begins the Winter Solstice Arcs