A History of the SheldomarA History of the Sheldomar
By Kirt Wackford (wackford@biology.utah.edu )
Edited by Scott Rennie (scott.rennie@virgin.net) for 'Black Hart' campaign consistency, and
subject to revision.
CY 453 - 490 [62f,29]
Reign of Tavish IV, The End of Empire
The level-headed Lord General Foldvar Skotti [H] carried out a
well-ordered withdrawal of the troops to Gradsul, and saved what
remained of the Keoish forces from a route. He accompanied the
body of the fallen King to Niole Dra, and awaited the convening
of the Grand Council [H]. None of Tavish III's children had
reached the age of majority, and the nation lay in dread of a war
of succession among the nobles. In an address to the Council,
Foldvar made a startling announcement. He revealed that he was
the son of Tavish III (62f), the illegitimate child of a union
made when Tavish had been a youth, long before he was King. The
suspicious Bloodking had forbidden his son from marrying until
after his own abdication, and the wise mother had hidden all
knowledge of the child from either of them.
After his story had been authenticated, the Council wasted little
time crowning Foldvar as Tavish IV [62f]. He retained his
mother's family name, Skotti. After his coronation, he declared
that the blood-soaked family name of his father and grandfather,
Sulekos, would no longer be uttered in the Kingdom [H]. In the
same breath he announced that the Imperial Age of Keoland was
over [62g]. This man, who had grown up amidst his grandfather's
constant desperate scrambling to maintain the empire, who had
fought in the army of his father and seen him destroyed in
pursuit of conquest, was prepared to let the pretensions of
empire pass away, albeit as carefully as he had retreated from
Westkeep. Tavish IV took it upon himself to rescue the nation
from the pride and folly of his predecessors and to restore
honour to the realm.
Tavish IV began negotiations with the Yeomanry to recognise their
independence [62g]. He assured the Grand Duke of Geoff and the
Earl of Sterich that Keoland had no further designs on the lands
beyond the Stark Mounds [84]. He began to open a dialogue with
Veluna, though he never recognised Furyondy's claim to Bissel. He
allowed the people of the Gran March to choose their own
Commandant from among the nobles of that state [53,54,84],
forgoing direct control of the province itself. He transformed
the militant, Keoish, land-ruling order of the Knights of the
March into the independent, international, defensive force of the
Knights of the Watch [55], and awarded membership in the order to
non-Keoish [91].
These matters, in lands considered external to Keoland, came to
pass with few obstacles. Far more difficult was the situation in
the Ulek States and Celene. Although many in these lands
considered themselves independent, the lands also had large
populations of humans who regarded themselves as loyal Keoish
subjects. If these lands were truly to pass to demi-human rule,
boundaries between the new nations and Keoland would have to be
created where none had ever existed before. Rulers for the new
states would have to be chosen. Previous to and during Keoish
protection, the demi-humans had lived in independent communities,
with an Elven Prince or Dwarven Lord serving perhaps two or three
holds, but no more. Tavish IV was unwilling to abandon the
protectorates to this disorganised state. He insisted that the
demi-humans choose true rulers from among their many petty
nobles, rulers who would hold sway over substantial realms and
who could deal with the leaders of human nations as peers. Only
such rulers could protect the lands in the absence of Keoland,
Tavish IV claimed, and only such rulers could protect whichever
humans chose to remain in the realms. Only such rulers, it went
unspoken, could resist the King of Keoland or its nobles should
evil rise among them again.
It took some time before candidates acceptable to all the
demi-humans of the lands were found, longer still before Tavish
IV was convinced that the humans who would no longer be Keoish
subjects would accept their new lieges. Some humans refused to
live ruled by non-humans, and these were resettled in Keoland.
It was not until CY 461 [65] that formal nations were declared
and recognised by Keoland. In the end, the several peoples of the
lands had selected four rulers - an Elven Duke, an Elven Queen, a
Human Count, and a Dwarven Prince [62g,64,65,92].
Tavish IV also worked diligently to repay his obligations to the
supporters of his predecessors. With so many provinces abandoned,
the monarchy's spending on the Royal Army could be greatly
lessened. Tavish IV rewarded the loyal nobles with lesser
military obligations, easily done since fewer noble troops were
needed as well. With relations restored with the demi-humans, a
prosperous, taxable, trade quickly resumed. In a clever move,
Tavish IV made sure that peasants leaving the Ulek states and
Celene were resettled within the realms of those he owed,
boosting the nobles' incomes, and thus paying the debts of his
father and grandfather.
With a sharp check having been dealt to the "Sea
Princes" [89,90], and the independence of many states
recognised, Tavish IV had brought peace to his people and
Kingdom. With this peace, and the aid of the grateful
demi-humans, Keoland would recover and grow prosperous again.