Difference between revisions of "House Chryxanthus"

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House Chryxanthus-at-Eskolane was a clan of vavasours of comital rank who flourished in the vineyards and pastures around Eskolane and Lake Sutovria, east of Ulswia, in the Calipernesas of northwestern Encyclon, in the late 8th and well into the 9th century AM. Made up of a number of different clans whose estates dotted the rolling countryside, House Chryxanthus was in origins a cadet branch of the Chryxanthine count-electors of Astoxis, in the High North, southwest of Abbadon, who were liquidated by Prince-Emperor Alasial the Grand in 782 for supporting the imperial candidacy of the Count of Ethelos.

In 883, an imperial prefect (λογοθέτης) of the triumphant Encyclonian Emperor Thezorus Kamanshar was sent to the Calipernesus. The logothetes was a powerful necromancer, and came to bring death to the Chryxanthine families along the lake, for in their blood they might have claimed the inheritance of Avandran, one of the palatine-electors created by the ancient St. Athlos, King of Abbadon and Emperor of Mandadoria. The prefect summoned a force of barbarous vampires, who connived their way into the families, creating more vampires, and thus destroyed the electoral claim for his jealous emperor. The House of Chryxanthus was destroyed.

Only seven members of Chryxanthus-at-Eskolane, all children, are known to have survived the massacre. Three were the children of Phorenus, a knight of the family, Priscian, Diocletius and Zathara.

The map above depicts the various lands in Encyclon surrounding the 9th century home of the inheritors of the House of Xanthus, one of the nine houses selected by Emperor Athlos to be palatine-electors. They lived in the Calipernesas, along the western bank of Lake Sutovria, a great fresh water lake of the legion.

History of the House

House Xanthos (Ξάνθος), The Auburn House

The Foundation of House Xanthos

The Auburn House had its beginnings with the Encish warrior Gandran, a powerful hunter and warrior and the son of an Encish chieftain. When Athian was chased out of Abbadonia by his great uncle Axos and other enemies, Athian fled into the Enc with a small clique of followers. Nearly dying from exposure, Gandran discovered them at his hunting lodge, and took them in. Gandran did not convert to Mandadorianism at this occasion.

Gandran offered Athian refuge in his father’s tribe, and Athian helped them win victories against their enemies. He also preached the faith of Mandador, but was expelled from the tribe when Mandadorianism was growing too strong. Although still not having converted, Gandran spoke against this expulsion.

The Orthodox Mandadorian Trefoil of the Abbadonian Rite.

When Athian fled to the Nikerost and set up his camp there, he was soon harassed and at last attacked en masse by the orcs of the mountains, who were aroused by Axos and the other great lords who were against Athian. Gandran came with a small force of converted Encs to the Nikerost and helped save Athian and his loyal knights, slaying many orcs. After the battle, Gandran converted to Mandadorianism and gave to Athian an immense amount of gold to further the Mandadorian cause. Due to his shared wealth and his unusual shining yellow hair, he was baptized "Chryses" or the Golden.

Gandran stayed for a time with Athian and shared in many of Athian's adventures. Eventually however Gandran returned to his people, and brought with him the word of Mandador. Eventually he succeeded his father, and became a powerful chief.

When years passed and Athian found himself once again betrayed by powerful Abbadonian lords, a great battle thereafter ensued, with Athian and his loyal knights and soldiers on one side and Axios the son of Axos leading much of the strength of Abbadon on the other. The battle was the greatest Athian had ever fought in, and many heroes died that day. Encs on either side joined the battle, and many chiefs came to Athian's side, and many to the side of Axios. Gandran once again came to Athian's aid when he was in great danger. The cloud giants descended from the mountains to fight on the side of Axios, but Gandran slew many with his warriors, and slew their chief. At the end of the great battle, Gandran was covered in blood, and so his golden hair turned dark. For this he was once again renamed, now Xanthos, the Auburn One.

Gandran became a great chief after the battle, and was made a king of his people. After Athian returned from his quest on the highest mountains to speak with the Voice, he was assassinated by a near cousin, Athastion, who had been convinced by Axios that he was the rightful heir to the throne.

When the loyal lords came together in congress to decide what course they would take, Gandran once again appeared with the loyal Encish chiefs, and spoke in favor of the younger son of Athian, named Athlos, who was a true Mandadorian, and not the elder son, Athlan, who wished to return the "rebels" to Abbadonia and request a healing of the breach and an end to the Mandadorian cult.

Gandran and the other loyal Enc chiefs took the young son of Athian, Athlos, to the deep woods of the Enc, hiding him from his elder brother Athlan, as well as Axios and the other great lords of Abbadonia. There Gandran and the other heroes trained Athlos, and made him a knight of virtue and strength.

Athlos made allies with many, and courted many great lords amongst the Abbadonians. When at last Athlos was challenged by his brother Athlan in a great battle, Gandran once again was one of the many heroes that fought at his side. Gandran was pierced by many arrows of the gray elves loyal to Athlan, but he did not die, and was healed by St. Soravian, the Legate of the North, now escaped from the bonds of the evil Abbadonian lords.

After the battle, young Athlos hailed Gandran with many other heroes. Three times had Gandran come to the battle aid of the House of Athian, and in reward Athlos gave to Gandran a cousin to his house, Avona, to wed.

At the final battle against Axios and Athlan, Gandran fought once more, although now an older man. Upon the coronation of Athlos, the son of Gandran and Avona, young Avandran, was selected as one of the new Nine Electors. Knighted by Athlos and blessed by St. Soravian, this was the highest honor Gandran could have received, for he knew that as an Enc, it was impossible for Athlos to make Gandran himself a Palatine-Elector.

The House of Avandran (Αύανδρανοι)

Blessed by St. Soravian, Avandran, like the rest of the nine Electors, was granted divine grace, and was a pure knight of the palace, a paladin, sworn to protect the king and the sacred empire.

The legends of Athlos and the original nine Electors are not told here. Avandran had one son, Avandrian, another paladin. Avandrian himself had three sons, but only the eldest, Avanthran proved a paladin, while the younger two, Avandros and Astander were a warrior and a priest, respectively. Avandros was stronger than his elder, and became a Companion to the great King St. Anathalus himself in his own right. Avandros proved a great general, and settled far to the southwest at Stadion. He began his own branch of the family there, who became known as the Avandranoi, while the eldest brother Avanthran continued the first line of House Xanthus in Abbadonia. Astander, the middle brother, joined the youngest at Stadion.

Avandros was among those killed by the flight of gold dragons who protected the Appadosians of the extreme south when the great overlords of King Anathalus invaded the far south on their own initiative and without the emperor's approval. The line of Avandros continued on, however, at Stadion, but now with Astander as the familial patriarch.

In 212, the great King Anathalus died, and the Palatine Electors were called to confirm the succession of Tarthalus, the son of Anathalus. The great overlords, now including Astander, did not favor Tarthalus, for he was a paladin who himself mistrusted the overlords. The overlords said that Tarthalus was too old to succeed (in truth he was too religious and pure of heart), and favored a scion of a cadet branch of the imperial family, Akostas. Astander favored Akostas, but Avanthran in Abbadonia favored the emperor's son. The overlords exerted pressure on certain of the Electoral families, and so therefore an election occurred and was quite close in the counting. The mighty Astander claimed to hold the Electoral right, but Avanthran in Abbadonia did not devolve this to his younger brother. Nonetheless, the overlords wished to favor Astander's vote. Avanthran appealed to the Patriarch of Nova Abbadonia, who ruled in favor of the elder over the junior brother. This dispute caused a great rift in the House of Xanthos.

St. Tarthalus became increasingly isolated by the powerful overlords, and his power became practically limited to Abbadon and the more immediate surrounding regions. Avanthran was killed in a crusade to the extreme northeast, and so the electorship came to his son Atheros, another future paladin, guarded by his two aunts.

Atheros came to maturity in the midst of the reign of emperor Tarthalus. He quickly became famous for his purity and selfless bravery. In a crusade to the northeast, beyond the Renterkon, he converted many elves of the high north, and dispelled an elven avatar. Atheros accomplished this via a brief return of the lost Sword of Summer, the blade of the first emperor, which he had uncovered from a cloud giant lord's lair in high mountains. Young Atheros marched back towards Nova Abbadonia to give the blade to the emperor, but they were beset by a rebel army covetous of the sword. Atheros was nearly killed by a barbarian Enc during the battle. When he awoke, the blade had disappeared, and neither army had claim to it.

For having wielded the lost blade once more, Atheros was given great praise. He led a band of knights of the Sacred Palatine Order of the Imperial Reliquary to retrieve the sword, including several counts-elector. Atheros crossed the great northern mountains to the Highest North, beyond the knowledge of men. He vanished for many years, and so power over the family went to his aunts and their sons.

In 234, St. Tarthalus died of natural causes, and so the empire went to his son Hedron the Blessed. The emperor however had increasingly little power. Many rested hope in that the Sword of Summer would be returned to the emperor.

Hedron eventually openly warred against the errant overlords who had long insulted imperial rule, but with mixed results. Towards the end of Hedron's first reign, Atheros returned with very few of the knights he had brought with him, and without the Sword of Summer. Atheros however had seen many things, and counseled a return to deep religion and faith. Hedron did not heed this advice, and ventured into more war with the resistant overlords and other rival princes. Hedron however left Atheros as Sebastokrator, or regent, in Abbadon before the departure of the emperor.

Hedron was killed in battle in the sixth year of his reign by Markana, Overlord of the East. His death was a great disaster for the empire. The empire was split into pieces for a time, but Hedron was quickly resurrected by overzealous priests. He continued to wage war against the rebels. The war became increasingly bitter, and saw the sacking of Nova Abbadonia and much other destruction. In 298, fleeing into the heart of the great Enc, Hedron died a very old and defeated man, hiding amongst Encish allies bought by gold. No sons were known to have survived, and so the empire collapsed with his death.

Atheros, himself very old by this point, had retired to the Nikerost, where he erected a high castle. He allied himself to the Prince of Athianost, the capital of that region, and founded the line of the count-palatines of the Nikerost at Atherosia. Atheros himself had no children, but great-grandsons of the sisters of Avanthran still lived, and inherited the title. Atheros was canonized by the Metropolitan of Atherosia shortly after his death.

The Counts-Palatine of Atherosia

The Nikerost held itself in alliance with several other loyalist realms against the power of the overlords and other agents of the empire's fall for over a century. The various and widespread Electoral houses voted up various figurehead "Kings of Abbadon" who warred with one another, but no true emperor arose for one hundred years.

In the early fifth century, Atherosia was one of the many cities destroyed by Senek and his powerful army. The main Xanthian family was destroyed and otherwise scattered and lost, but a cadet house, the Viscounts of Niscandros, inherited the right of Elector, and under threat of destruction, confirmed Senek and his family "King of Abbadon" and Emperor of Encyclon.

In 415, a flight of chromatic dragons ravaged central Encyclon, and a quintet of priestly liches confirmed an unholy anti-emperor in Abbadon. The Senek dynasty lost power in 417, and a for a time the liches ruled through their puppet undead emperor, but the House of Senek confirmed a new emperor in the south and challenged the undead cabal. The dark power in Abbadon was defeated and the empire restored in 423, but the emperor was too weak to reconsolidate his empire. The emperor was murdered in the south in 425 by rival family members, and so the Encyclonian Empire collapsed. Thus began in earnest the Dark Ages of Encyclon.

The House of Xanthus in the Dark Age

The Viscounts of Niscandros disappeared into obscurity sometime in the mid fifth century, but some young sons of the family rejoined the now largely underground Sacred Order of the Imperial Reliquary. They appeared to the old branch of the family at Stadion for succor, who were now Margraves there. The Margrave, Nauldrin, treated them kindly, for his family no longer had any interest in (and hardly any knowledge of) the Electorate. Nauldrin married a cousin to the eldest of the brothers, named Apherost, and thus sealed the breach between the two houses. The knightly brothers rode north with new equipment and faith in their cause. Their Order, among whom were a bevy of descendents of Electors, hailed a claimant of the old imperial line, who was a young petty lord and member of the Order himself at Astoxis. This young prince, named Itharos, was hailed "King of Abbadon". The Order was strong enough to forge for themselves a small kingdom in Aethelost, a realm belonging to the Aethelic Encs who were still very loyal to the concept of the holy emperor.

This kingdom, called the Kingdom of Abbadon in Aethelost, lasted from 443 until 523. Apherost had been killed in war, but his wife married his brother, Marakos. As the Order was very interested in the right of succession, although lowly Marakos kept the title of imperial elector as "knight-palatine elector" of the king. Itharos was killed in a battle of hobgoblins. Itharos had no sons, and so an election was had again, with the lowly elector knights choosing one of their own number with distant royal blood. He was Daethos Chrysonaytheon, inheritor of Electorship of House Ambados at the beginning of the empire. Daethos served well as king, but his claim of imperial authority had no value outside his small domain. Marakos' son was Gaunthon, but Gaunthon's son Saelist proved a most capable captain. He was named by the Order Keeper of the Sacred Key, and after a victory over hobgoblins and a green dragon was named a lord of the realm. Later in life, Saelist conquered a gray elven citadel called Alberost by men. In respect of this victory, the son of King Daethos, King Mathonar, gave his second-born daughter Brenice to Saelist in marriage, and ennobled Saelist the Count of Alberost, and rechristened his family name Chryxanthus, merging the royal name with his own, and at the same time invoking the first given name of ancient Gandran the Golden.

In 493, a massive alliance of Encs sacked the New Kingdom of Abbadon in Aethelost. At Alberost, House Chryxanthus largely avoided the disaster. The kingdom began to wither after this, and monsters flooded the land. In 523, the kingdom was sacked once again, this time by a great red dragon. Goblins spread, and the monsters took Alberost in 543.

The descendents of Saelist Chryxanthine fought on however. Saelist's grandson Kanandros, now leading the clan and their small force, found refuge at Altrok, their fortress on the west side of the Hornramosian Mountains, named after the hill giant chief they had slain there. Kanandros offered protection to Encyclonians there, and became a powerful lord amidst the wilderness.

In 559, Lord Kanandros heard of the new Exarch from Abbadon, Berekasistilian Hephaethius, and that he had been sent from the King of Abbadon to rule Encyclon. Kanandros, although old, rode to Ersinoros just west of the Somterfeld in the far eastern part of the empire, where the Exarch then dwelt. Kanandros gave the Exarch his allegiance, announcing to the Exarch that his family had long wished for the return of rightful royal and imperial rule. Kanandros was confirmed as count-palatine, and told to retake Astoxis in the northwest.

Kanandros returned to Altrok (at a great distance away). He died in 571 without having taken Astoxis, which was at that time a great city under its own king. The sons of Kanandros rallied Aethelic Encs to their cause. For decades they harassed Astoxis, but eventually they allied themselves with gray elves who wanted the lands of Astoxis back. House Chryxanthos agreed. In 603, the Chryxanthine and gray elven army took Astoxis with magic and stratagem, and the patriarch of the house, Amanthine, became the first Chryxanthine count-palatine of Astoxis. The gray elves were offered two countships within the realm, and a certain autonomy in exchange for military service. The captured king was taken to the Exarchate for justice, and his family was allowed to live within the confines of a monastery.

Counts-Palatine-at-Astoxis

Amanthine inherited a strong and rich kingdom, and ruled it well as count-palatine. Although loyal to the Exarchate, that institution was becoming increasingly weak and beset by internal divisions. Amanthine continued his wars, and expanded the palatine territory of Astoxis considerably. He forged his Encish allies into more traditional Encyclonian soldiery, and many lands became much more civilized within his domain.

Amanthine

House Chryxanthus WRONG

WRONG

In the 7th century, a lesser house of Xanthus fled Stadion and found refuge with the Aethelic Encs who lived in the forests south of Astoxia. The prince of the Aethelic Encs provided them sanctuary, and let him marry into the princely family of the Chryseleis, the Golden-Haired. This marriage at last sealed the breach between the two greatest branches of the House of Xanthus. The Encyclonian grooms declared their ancient right to the Electorship restored with their marriage to the barbaric Chryseleis bride. Other marriages between the two clans soon followed.

By the end of the 7th century, the counts-palatine of Astoxia had emerged, and produced their own sovereign state in the High North, with several families of lesser counts serving them.

WRONG

Priscian