Historical Canon
The Vastalan Crownrealm
The rise, height, decline and final collapse of the Crownrealm, from Eagar I in 1020 BS to the Sixth Sundering in 0 AS.
The Vastalan Crownrealm
The Vastalan Crownrealm was one of the largest and longest-lasting powers in the known world, beginning with the rise of Eagar I in 1020 BS and finally breaking apart after the Sixth Sundering in 0 AS. Its capital was Vastala, built high above the old Rhaz lowlands, and its rulers came from House Vastala. At its greatest size, the Crownrealm stretched through Rhazir, Anarion, Iskandar and much of the Silent Ocean, with colonies, roads, forts and ports spread far beyond the original heartland of Vastala. Later writers often treated its history as the story of both the rise and failure of House Vastala itself.
The First High Kings
The Crownrealm first began with Eagar I, who came to power in 1020 BS. Vastala was still mainly a highland kingdom at the time, while the richer Rhaz lowlands below were split between numerous rulers and river settlements. Eagar used marriages, deals and wars to bring much of these lands under Vastalan control, but he did not create the Crownrealm himself. That was done by his son Aurelion I, who gave the realm its name and began building the courts, offices and laws that bound it together.
Vaelion I the Conqueror followed and pushed the boundaries of the Crownrealm into Anarion and northern Iskandar under the idea of Fore-Bregdan, or Forward-Shielding. His successor, Aurelial I the Mighty, spent much of his reign making those conquests easier to rule by suppressing rebellions, building roads and forming a professional force for the Vastalan Crownrealm.
The High Crown
The period after the first conquests is often called the High Crown, when the Crownrealm was at its strongest and most stable. Rulers such as Gaelon I the Just kept the realm running without the constant need for war, while Vaelion II the Conqueror of the Seas changed Vastala into a major naval power. Under him, pirate outposts were destroyed, trade routes were protected and the first permanent colonial ports were founded within Gullspear and the Ladder.
Vastalan ships continued to move farther into the Silent Ocean and came into contact with other powers such as Feohthal in Suthelan. Rapid expansion beyond the Silent Ocean was stopped after a major defeat at the hands of the Golden Fleet, which set the precedent of not pushing beyond Gullspear. Vaelion II also sent expeditions farther north beyond Whitefang and Frostmarch, which would later found the regions of Skaldrim and Vhalguard.
Edrion I the Enchanted ruled near the end of this high period. His court became well known for its open use of Vastalan Magic, especially in law and judgement. Stories from his reign describe Vastalan Magic being used to expose lies and punish false witnesses, although later histories were not always sure how much of these stories were true.
The Long Decline
The Crownrealm did not collapse quickly. Its decline lasted centuries and included weak rulers and several fights over who controlled the throne. Vaelion III left behind a poorly understood reign, while Edrion II became famous for his strange behaviour and was eventually kept inside his own chambers while his council ruled around him. His son Aurelion III responded by taking greater control over the nobles around him, but became known for greed, fear and his need to keep power in his hands. Later historian Vamberth argued that Aurelion III was not simply stupid or cruel, but had been shaped by watching the court destroy his father.
The problems only got worse when rulers and councillors began removing one another by force. Civil war eventually broke out between Caldreon I and Aurilia Vastala, remembered as the Vastalan War Between Blood. Aurilia won and later became known as the Mother of the Realm, but the war had already shown that the dynasty was no longer untouchable.
Later rulers tried to restore order, including Eagar II the Longlived, who rebuilt parts of the navy, improved roads and supported the Old Faith, but the Crownrealm would never return to the strength of the High Crown.
The Six Sunderings
The final years of the Crownrealm were marked by a series of disasters later called the Six Sunderings. The first was the Ever-Summer, beginning in 40 BS, when winter failed to arrive for two years and crops began to die. This was followed by the Great Desiccation, when the rivers of Rhazir dried up, causing hunger across one of the most fertile and arable regions of the Crownrealm.
The later Sunderings were both natural and political. Gilden's Rebellion broke much of the west away from the Crownrealm, while the Soryk Incursion ended with the sack of Khandari in the south. In 3 BS, the Fifth Sundering took place at Kingsfall, where Vaelion IV, the last recognised ruler of the Crownrealm, was killed while travelling with a small royal escort.
The final disaster came in 0 AS. The land around Vastala split apart and water flooded into the lowlands, creating what became known as the Sixth Sea. Vastala survived because it stood high above the plains, but the flooding cut the capital off from the rest of the realm and destroyed settlements, roads and large parts of the royal family. The Crownrealm could no longer continue as one state.
