Eddonland History - written prior to Episode 4

Wilderness
In the earliest times, Eddonland was a vast wilderness. There were a few small gnome and halfling settlements. Elves walked the lands on occasion, but their cities were all in Irae to the west.

Humans came to the land. They may have migrated from the continent, or from the seas to the south. Or the gods may have called them forth from the soil.

Legend says that St. Cuthbert called upon his followers to build a town along the Worthing River. There was good land for farming here. The waters were plentiful, and the river was navigable all the way to the sea.

These early settlers built a bridge across The Worthing here. Today, St. Cuthbert’s Bridge stands on the same location, which is in the part of Eddon City known as SaintsBridge.

The Pact of Three
The town along The Worthing grew to be the largest in the land. It attracted followers of St. Cuthbert of course, but also followers of Heironeous and Pelor.

On the northern edge of the town, a temple to Heironeous was erected on the site of what is today the Grand Temple Heironeous.

In these earliest times, there was conflict among the 3 religions. But eventually these disputes were settled by the Pact of Three. The agreement made Grand Temple Heironeous the seat of power in southern Eddonland, but guaranteed equal rights for follows of Pelor and St. Cuthbert. The leaders of all three temples claim this pact was the result of negotiation among the three gods themselves, though some sects within each faith reject this idea.

When a bishop of the Grand Temple called Aralian passed sovereignty from himself to his eldest son, this marked the beginning of Eddonland’s monarchy. A throne known as “The First Throne” sits within the Grand Temple to this day, and the High Bishop of Heironeous leads his church from it.

Two Thrones
There came a day when Arling, the Bishop of the Grand Temple and King of Eddonland renounced his loyalty to Heironeous and instead began to follow Pelor. Arling had inherited his position at a young age, and felt out of place at the helm of Heironeous’s temple.

This schism was the first great crisis in the nation’s history. How could the heir of Aralian not sit upon the throne of the Grand Temple? What would this mean for The Pact of Three? Would this displease the gods themselves?

This matter was eventually settled by splitting power. Arling remained sovereign and King of Eddonland. He moved to a castle west of the city. From there he commanded the nation’s armies. He was the representative of Eddonland to the outside world. His place of rule became known as “The Second Throne”.

But a new Bishop was appointed to The First Throne, and claimed to rule Eddonland on matters of law and morality.

The Third Throne
Two centuries later, during the reign of Karmona, the next great crisis in Eddonland’s history occurred. Karmona “The Mage Queen” was more interested in researching arcane power than in fulfilling the duties of The Second Throne. One day, Karmona simply disappeared. She had no heir, and there was a dispute among distant cousins as to who the legitimate monarch was.

The Bishop at this time was a frail old man, who had little real control, even within his own Temple.

At this weak moment, pirates from the south, and barbarian and orc invasions across the channel from the continent threatened all of Eddonland. There was no one to organize a response and preserve the nation.

On Eddon City’s east side, a group of powerful merchants, fisherman, and shipbuilders from the Seafarer’s Guild to tried to organize a response to this crisis. The leader of this guild was a man called Jonas Steel. He was able to win support from the other powerful guilds in Eddon City, and some from large cities in the north as well.

With no real legal authority Steel took command of the Eddonland’s armies and navy, and eventually brought the crisis to an end.

With peace restored, Steel agreed to return power to one of the factions vying for The Second Throne. But he forced the new King to create a Constitutional government. In this government, the King had to share power with the Assembly of GuildMasters. All of the large trade-Guilds are allowed to send a representative to the Assembly.

Today the Assembly is headquartered within the Walled City on the east side of Eddon City. Its elected leader sits upon what is informally known as “The Third Throne”.

And this is the way it has remained ever since. The Bishop of the Grand Temple sits upon The First Throne, and presides over matters of culture and morality. The monarch, most recently King Mendill the 2nd, is the sovereign of Eddonland, and commander of its armies. The economic powers of Eddonland are manifest in The Third Throne, as the elected chairman of the GuildMasters.

A New Crisis
Recent times have seen a new power struggle within Eddonland. For the first time, the holders of the First and Second Thrones are exiled from the Capital City, and the country is embroiled in a civil war.

It began 16 years ago. King Mendill II was old and ill. He knew he would die soon. His son, and only heir, was just months old, and his wife had died in childbirth.

The Chairman of the GuildMasters was a talented and ambitious young man called Jarlo Webb. Webb was a trusted ally of the King, and a competent leader. Mendill and Webb worked out a plan for succession. Upon his death, the boy would be named Mendill III, King of Eddonland. But he would cede power to the Guildmasters until he came of age. To insure that the Guilds did not fall into evil hands, Mendill suggested that elections be suspended until Mendill III assumed power. Webb would preside on the Second and Third Thrones until that day came. Webb’s title would be Viceroy. The Bishop of the Grand Temple and the assembly agreed to this plan.

The terms of the agreement were that Mendill III would assume his authority on his 18th birthday, unless The Bishop deemed him competent to rule prior to that day. The Bishop had the power to move up the date if he thought the boy King was ready. On the day of when Mendill III assumed his power, Webb was to step down, and the Assembly would hold new elections for Chairman. Power would once more be divided among “The Three Thrones”.

After a decade of power, tensions rose between the Bishop and the Viceroy. Webb had gotten Eddonland involved in many wars on the continent, and engaged with some questionable allies. The Bishop feared that Webb would not step down when the day came. Webb appeared to be consolidating power to hold power for himself, beyond the 18-year term.

Eventually, the civil war did come to pass. The Bishop and the teen-age King fled to the North. The Bishop declared Mendill III competent to rule, and a coronation was held in a gnome village on the west coast. Upon hearing this news, the Assembly of Guildmasters held elections, and declared Abbado of Northgate the new chairman.

But the Viceroy declared all of this illegal. The coronation was not official, since it did not take place within the Capital. And Mendill III was not truly competent to rule. The Bishop was just playing politics, claimed the Viceroy. The election in the Assembly was an act of treason. The Constitution was suspended, and marshal law declared.

War came. The “Pact of Three” temples, and those loyal to them on one side, supporting the King. On the other side was Viceroy Jarlo Webb, supported by an army of mercenary soldiers brought home from foreign wars. Webb’s forces included Lizardfolk allies from far across the sea to the west, and Formian soldiers from the east. Webb employed orcs and goblinoids to assault the loyalists. And most disturbingly, he used some horrible source of magical energy to raise undead armies.

Eddon City is now a city under siege from within.