For reference here is my writeup of the History of the Protectorate of the Dragon.
A history of the Protectorate of the Dragon.
The history of the Protectorate of the Dragon begins before the fall of the great house of Tyrus and the collapse of the Kingdom of Rhynwal. For centuries, the leadership of the Tyrus dynasty had led human civilization to a golden age of peace and prosperity. King Geodwin II brokered a peace treaty between ancient rivals, the Eldran nation of Lyssandra and the Dwarven ClanFast of Grimsweld and trade from both nations flooded into the kingdom. The ancient battles with the orkish tribes of the north were a distant memory and the Teifling Empire of Gral-Sherath had been driven from their great basalt cities and into the southern wastes. Culture, literature, and philosophy dominated society and warfare was seen as a grand adventure where legions of young noblemen, eager to prove themselves would travel on expeditions to prove their dominance of the Ork barbarians and what remained of the Teiflings holdings.
All this changed however with the untimely death of King Geodwin VIII. Though he left a son who was crowned King Reginald III, the eight year old boy was dominated by his powerful Half Eldran uncle and regent Duke Hessan. The boy was also weak in body and mind. He was subject to fits, nothing could hold his attention, and despite the efforts of the greatest physicians in the kingdom never developed the mental acumen of his father.
Duke Hessan on the other hand was an intelligent and cunning political animal. He was also a powerful wizard and commanded the loyalty of many of the southern noblemen who’s rich lands bordered the Eldran kingdom. He was also a bastard however, born of a liaison between Reginald’s grandfather and a courtesan within the Eldran Queen Rhyanna’s entourage. He had secretly resented his half brothers position for years and took the opportunity of his early death to assume the reigns of power himself.
As time went by other nobles within the kingdom began casting suspicious glances towards Duke Hessan and the influence he had over their young king who was by now a teenager and should have been assuming a more important role. Rumors began to fly that the Duke had actually murdered his half brother in a bid for power and that he was continuing to control the young king through sorcerous means. Eventually these rumors were picked up and given legitimacy by the former King Geodwin’s cousin, and First Lord of the Baronial counsel, Duke Edward of Noran who began rallying other nobles to his cause and demanding that Duke Hessan renounce his position.
Corrupted by power, Duke Hessan responded by sending a Voiceless One, a supernatural assassin created through sorcery to kill Duke Edward and his family. The assassin was successful in everything but killing Edward himself. Several of the Duke’s closest companions undertook a perilous journey to recover a rare herb that provided an antidote to the poison which saved Edwards life though he remained weak and infirm for the rest of his life but served as a figurehead for the rebellious barons until his death some ten years later.
During Edward’s recovery, other circumstances began to spiral out of control. Many minor noblemen and uneducated peasants who were loyal to Duke Edward saw Duke Hessan’s Eldran heritage and old prejudices began simmering to the surface. Though Eldran expatriates had been living in human cities for hundreds of years, they had never completely integrated, Eldran witchcraft was blamed for everything from the death of King Geodwin VIII, to the assassin who was sent to kill Edward. Things came to a head on a cold December evening when a minor disturbance at the Eldran market in the northern city of Brindol lead to a full scale riot, and massacre of the cities Eldran population.
The Baron of Brindol was a well known supporter of Duke Edward and when Duke Hessan began marching elements of the Royal Guard north towards the city bearing a edict sealed by King Reginald III ordering the removal of the Baron the citizens barred the gates. The first battle of the so-called “Princes War” had begun.
The war raged for almost 15 years. Cities were razed, brother fought brother, sons turned on their fathers. Orc and Teifling mercenaries were used by both sides and the Dwarves and Elves renewed their old grievances, with the Elves supporting Duke Hessan and the ‘Royalist’ cause, and the Dwarves lending their axes to the Baron’s Alliance.
Gradually it appeared that the Royalist forces were gaining the upper hand. However the war had so consumed both sides that they had forgotten about their old enemies, the Teifling Empire of Gral-Sherath. Financed and trained by the mercenaries fighting for both sides and under the leadership of a powerful and charismatic warlord named High Fist, Irrack-Hyan a massive Teifling army erupted from the southern wastes and invaded the rich southern lands that had been taken from them centuries before. The unprepared defenders, consisting mostly of old men and boys could only watch in horror as the armies of Irrack-Hyan trampled across their fields and put towns and villages to the torch dragging survivors away to serve as slaves in the harsh desert where they had been forced to make their home.
Within a month the Teifling forces had placed the capitol city of Tyrus under siege and although the Royalist armies rushed to relive their beleaguered sovereign, a fire was started in the keep and both King Reginald III and Duke Hessan were killed. Duke Godwin of Had, who’s homeland was occupied by the Teiflings assumed command of the royalist forces and managed to halt the Teifling advance, though his battle weary troops were incapable of driving them back. He also began tentative negotiations with the Barons Alliance, now under the nominal command of the Marcher Lord, Earl Henry of Dramis who’s own holding were under attack by an aggressive clan or Orcs. The negotiations appeared to be at an impasse until an entirely unexpected player entered the field.
The armies of the Duke of Had and the Earl of Dramis met on April morning at a river ford called Cyrus. Though the two sides had both supposedly arrived to negotiate, neither trusted the good faith of the other and each had brought sizable contingents of troops to guard against treachery and exploit any potential weaknesses. By noon on the second day they hadn’t even decided which side of the river to hold negotiations on, and it looked like it would be another round of failed diplomacy.
As bloodshed became more and more likely, a massive shape wheeling against the clouds suddenly blotted out the sun. As the nervous soldiers on both sides fingered their weapons, suspecting treachery a massive dragon landed on the riverbank, its silver scales glistening in the afternoon sun. Its voice rumbled out across the field as he introduced himself as Syrranius and offered a solution to the conflict.
In what became known as the River Treaty, both sides accepted Syrranius’ proposal. Each province of the kingdom was to become a largely independent holding owing fealty only to Syrranius in the interest of common defense. There would be no king, the Protectorate would instead be ruled by a counsel of the 7 most powerful noble houses in the kingdom known as the High Princes. Despite this Syrranius himself would serve as the final arbiter, and the High Princes had no direct sovereignty over the smaller princedoms that made up the Protectorate. Strict laws governing warfare were laid out in the treaty, which would be enforced by the Dragonblood soldiers of Syrranius in exchange for a yearly tax.
With a tenuous peace forged between the Human lords Syrranius turned his attention to the demihumans surrounding his new domain. Bolstered by his Dragonblood soldiers the human armies won a decisive victory at the Battle of 1000 Widows against the Army of Gral-Sherath. In July of the same year the Teiflings accepted the treaty of Irrack’s Tears in which they returned many of their new holdings and human prisoners but were permitted to retain a sizable swath of the rich southern lands, ending their exile in the desert.
The proud dwarves agreed to stop their conflict with the Elves but refused to subject themselves to Syrranius’ rule and retreated to their mountain holdings emerging only occasionally to trade their mineral wealth for grain and other essentials.
Likewise the Eldran retreated into their forest cites but a small kingdom of Eldran on the boarder of the Protectorate agreed to Syrranius’ terms and joined the Protectorate with slightly different conditions regarding their autonomy within the Protectorate that were laid out in the Treaty of the Golden Boughs.
For twenty years now this tenuous peace has held. Conflict is still a part of life, as the dozens of tiny principalities vie for power, recognition and sometimes simple survival. The great trading routes that existed during the Tyrus Dynasty no longer exist and the countryside is rife with monsters, along with huge numbers unemployed and desperate soldiers who turned to banditry and raiding to support themselves. Ghosts and monsters haunt the ruins of destroyed cities and much of the knowledge that flourished during the golden age is lost. In fifteen years of war human society almost destroyed itself, and it appears that its recovery will take much, much longer.
