The Kingdom of Graycastle is one of the four human countries on the mainland. It is also the largest kingdom among the four. On its banner is represented as a tower and pike.
Background
400 years, the Four Kingdoms didn't exist. There were only exiled criminals and scattered villages. After the loss of the Second Battle of Divine Will, humans retreated to this barren land. Hundred of years later the first cities appeared from villages and were united under the banner of four newly established kingdoms.
The kingdom consists of five Regions: Central Region , Northern Region, Eastern Region, Southern Region, and Western Region.
Chronology
Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince
Under the pretense of choosing suitable heir false[1] Wimbledon III announced Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince. According to this, every potential inheritor would be given territory to rule for five years. After five years the most prominent candidate would inherit the crown and would be declared next King or Queen of the Graycastle. The territories were distributed as follows:
- Gerald Wimbledon, Coldwind Ridge of Northern Region.
- Timothy Wimbledon, Valencia City of Eastern Region.
- Garcia Wimbledon, Port of Clearwater of Southern Region.[2]
- Roland Wimbledon, Border Town of Western Region.
- Tilly Wimbledon, Silver City of Central Region.[3]
The reason behind the Decree was to turn royal candidates against each other and unleash an internecine war to weaken the kingdom before it could be absorbed by Church.[1]
The first action was taken by Garcia five years before the Decree, when she started to build Blacksail Fleet in secret. After her arriving at the Port of Clearwater she ordered her spy to poison Roland.[2]
Meanwhile, Timothy sent his man to instigate Gerald in convincing the king to cancel the Decree and declare him the heir. After several months Gerald returned to the capital and was captured by Timothy's knights.[4] Timothy hastily accused him of Wimbledon III's assassination and hanged. This event became the spark that flamed the war between Garcia, Timothy and Roland and devastated all regions, except the Western.
War for the Crown
After the coronation Timothy announced the end of the Decree and ordered all royal siblings to go back to King's City. None of them obeyed: Garcia ignored the letter, Roland noted he wasn't able to leave Border Town during Months of Demons because he was busy protecting the town, Tilly disappeared without a trace. He was dissatisfied with this and pondered to write letter to Duke of Southern Region, but got the news of fall of Eagle City by Garcia and her coronation as Queen of Clearwater.[5]
Timothy gathered combined forces of his guards, King's City knightage and Eastern Region's Duke Frances Chlett, consisting of 6000 men in total, 1000 of whom were trained knights. After one and half months he reached Eagle City. Garcia didn't bother to defend vulnerable city from the beginning, under her orders all ditches were flooded with oil and castle's riches were taken out beforehand. When infantry under Frances's command entered the gates, the oil was ignited and staged a strong fire which engulfed the entire city. Meanwhile, knights led by Timothy rushed to chase her, but were killed by drug-crazed warriors of the Sand Nation. Timothy had to retreat to the north with his remaining 300 men.[6]
When news of Battle of Eagle City reached Duke Ryan, he decided to establish his own kingdom consisting of Western and Northern Regions after capturing Border Town. However, he had to flee under bombardment of new kind of weapon — 12-pound field artillery. On his way back to Longsong Stronghold he was ambushed and killed.[7]
Graycastle Reunification
Locations
Northern Region
Cities:
Western Region
Cities:
- City of Neverwinter (Formerly Border Town and Longsong Stronghold)
- Redwater City
- Willow Town
Eastern Region
Cities:
Southern Region
Cities:
- Eagle City
- Fallen Dragon Ridge
- Port of Clearwater
- Festivity (newly built city)
Central Region
Cities:
- City of Dawn (formerly King's City)[8]
- Silver City
Fertile Plain Region
Cities:
- Taquila (No population, military stronghold)
Culture
Politics
Wimbledon Royal Family
Wimbledon Family is a ruling dynasty of the kingdom which reigns since its establishment The first ancestor was Monde Wimbledon, the first king was Taraq Wimbledon.[9] Unlike Kingdom of Dawn it doesn't rely on limited number of high noble families, preferring wide number of high nobles at their services. Though usually the heir is first son, he could be overtaken by the other contender for the throne. Previous king Wimbledon III took the throne that way by killing his brother[1].
Known kings:
- Taraq Wimbledon - the first king
- Unknown second king, Wimbledon III's father
- Wimbledon III (Ayling) - the third king
- Roland Wimbledon - the fourth king
Current Royal Family includes:
- Wimbledon III, the deceased King
- The unnamed Queen, deceased five years before the Crown Prince Decree.
- Gerald Wimbledon, First Prince
- Timothy Wimbledon, Second Prince
- Garcia Wimbledon, Third Princess
- Roland Wimbledon, Fourth Prince
- Tilly Wimbledon, Fifth Princess
Graycastle Military
The forces of Graycastle were originally split and fragmented, divided among the nobility who mostly only sought to satisfy their own self interests. Although the King typically had his elite knightage along with mercenaries and peasant levies under his command, he usually had to rely on powerful nobles to supplement his forces with their own knights, mercenaries and peasant levies.
Following the coronation of Roland Wimbledon and the Reunification of Graycastle, Graycastle's military consist of:
- The First Army , under the command of Iron Axe (Standing Army)
- The Second Army (similar to a National Guard, they are reserve units for the First Army and an extention of Law Inforcement for crisis too extreme for the Police to handle alone, such as Noble or Sand Clan rebellions)
- The Advisory Board, lead by Edith Kant (tacitcal, strategic, and logistic advisers to the First Army)
- Intelligence Beauro (Spy network)
- The Witch Coalition, under personal command of King Roland Wimbledon (comprised of the Witch Union, Sleeping Spell, and the Taquila Witches)
- The Air Knights, under the command of Princess Tilly .
Foreign Relations
Church
- Initially an enemy of all four Kingdoms, the Church was reorganized into an arm of the Kingdom of Graycastle after the First Army and "Pope" Isabella saved it from the Kingdom of Dawn's army.
Kingdom of Dawn
- Following the dethrowing of the Kingdom of Dawn's young King, the Kingdom of Dawn can be seen as an unofficial territory of the Kingdom of Greycastle.
Kingdom of Wolfheart
- Following the mass evacuations of the Kingdom of Wolfheart, wherein the people of Wolfheart fled to the Kingdom of Graycastle and assimulated as Graycastle citizens, the Kingdom of Wolfheart is no more.
Kingdom of Everwinter
- Following the flight of Kingdom of Everwinter's treaturous nobility to the Demon's God's Devine Construct, the Kingdom of Everwinter is no more.