Alternate Dimensions Presents: Damara – The Bloodfeathers Lineage

Feldrin I (N hm Expert 5/Rogue 3): Born ?. Died 1096 DR. Ruled 1175 – 1096 DR.
This third son of the Bloodfeathers noble house of Sembia spent much of his young life sailing the Sea of Fallen Stars as captain of a pirate ship.
His exposure in Sembia meant he had to flee into exile and he took with him a large portion of the family’s treasury as well as his own ill gotten gains from years of piracy. A wealthy man even in exile, he fled to ancient family holdings in the far north east, in a land that was just emerging from millennia of being covered by the Great Glacier.
In this frontier land he set himself up as a petty king; the ruler of several settlements from his family estate in Ravensburg; which he purchased outright from the previous Bloodfeathers owner. He would have been content to live his life in exile as Lord Bloodfeathers, but fate and a persuasive old Nar witch had other ideas.
Higenzi the Witch arrived at the Bloodfeathers estate in 1074 DR and whispered in Feldrin’s ear of power, and wealth, and kingship. Following her advice her forged the kingdom of Damara and proclaimed himself king.
Feldrin ruled with a careful hand, making sure to keep his nobles in check and secure his throne for future generations. Upon his death in 1095 DR against the hobgoblin hordes of Naratyr, the throne passed to his son Feldrin II.
Feldrin II (N hm Fighter 4): Born 1180 DR. Died 1150 DR. Ruled 1096 – 1150 DR.
Feldrin II was a warrior king and a true leader of men. When he spoke everyone listened, and he had the full support of his nobles. Unfortunately he was not as careful with his kingdom as his father was and he rewarded his nobles too much for their efforts.
He personally led many expeditions into Vaasa against the creatures that lurked therein, a tradition that continued for many generations, he did much to protect Bloodstone Pass by dealing with the monster population in the surrounding lands.
As he grew older he acquired injuries from his expeditions that left him bound to Bloodfeather Palace. Isolated from the hobbies he once enjoyed and bored with courtly life, he became bitter, paranoid, and stubborn.
When Impiltur began amassing forces on Damara’s borders, Feldrin II would listen to no one and became certain that they were preparing for war against him (despite repeated Impilturan ambassadors attempting to convince him otherwise).
Feldrin II went so far as to completely sever all contact with Impiltur (despite the objections of his children) and the rest of the world, convinced everyone was against him, he isolated himself in the palace with only Higenzi to advise him.
When an elderly and obviously insane Feldrin II marshalled the armies of Damara to invade Impiltur in 1150 DR, it fell to his children to deal with the monarch. The paladin son Feldrin took it upon himself to end the war before it began and so he marched up the steps of Bloodfeather Palace, fought off the Royal Guard single handed and lovingly embraced his father before stabbing him through the heart.
Feldrin the Exile (LG hm Paladin 9/ Knight 4): Born 1108 DR. Died 1171 DR.
Whilst Feldrin, son of Feldrin II, was never crowned king of Damara, he is not excluded from the lineage of Bloodfeathers because of his actions and holds a proud place in the family history.
In 1150 DR his elderly and insane father attempted to declare war on Impiltur. Feldrin and his brother agreed that to save the people of Damara and Impiltur from much suffering their father had to die. Feldrin had no desire to be king and was the more physically capable of the two brothers so he volunteered for the task.
Marching up the steps of Bloodfeather Palace, he reluctantly fought and disabled no less than ten members of the Royal Guard before he embraced his wild eyed father. Then taking his sword he thrust it through the king’s heart and held him as he passed on.
His younger brother Veldrin I was crowned king and Feldrin was exiled, but Feldrin remained in line to the throne should Veldrin die without issue; such was the gratitude that Damara felt towards its exiled prince.
A paladin of Ilmater who modelled himself after the Heltharn dynasty of Impiltur, Feldrin wandered the lands seeking atonement for his crimes. He created the Order of Fallen Princes; a knightly order containing only those divine servants who had fallen from grace and sought atonement for their actions through the order (typically by sacrificing themselves for the greater good).
He spent much of his later life in Impiltur, attempting to repair the damage done to relations between Impiltur and Damara by his father. He also did his best to help his younger brother King Veldrin I, even though they would not meet again until his death.
He was a personal advisor of Queen Ilmara for many years, and was instrumental in helping her retain Impiltur for her son as well as persuading Ilmara to aid Damara against the marilith Vaas.
In 1171 DR, after the civil war in Impiltur had ended, Feldrin led the armies of Impiltur into Vaasa alongside his brother Veldrin. There they fought against Vaas and her demon hordes. Feldrin regained his honour and his paladinhood that day before he was slain in personal combat against Vaas and her guard.
Veldrin I (LG hm Aristocrat 6): Born 1113 DR. Died 1175 DR. Ruled 1150 -1175 DR.
Veldrin was a true and noble person like his elder brother Feldrin, but unlike his brother, Veldrin was not blessed with a good physique or health and so he devoted his life to doing good by using his power wisely.
As a young man he and his brother spent many a year roaming Vaasa and slaying monsters (although Feldrin did most of the slaying). Both brothers never trusted Higenzi, the court advisor to the king, and deliberately made themselves absent from court whenever they could.
When the brothers were forced to slay Feldrin II, Veldrin’s first act as king (after reluctantly exiling his brother) was to remove Higenzi from court and bar her entry to the palace although it was whispered she still managed to bypass this ban. Higenzi disappeared from Damara for many years.
Unfortunately Veldrin’s reign was marked by some of the worst troubles to strike Damara in its history (with the exception of Zhengyi). First there came orc raiders from Vaasa through the Bloodstone Pass that pillaged much of northern Damara. Had Veldrin been gifted with the power of prophesy he might have realised this was a sign of things to come for the orcs were merely fleeing a greater enemy that was conquering Vaasa and enslaving the orcs.
In an effort to counter the orcs, Veldrin claimed Vaasa and declared it open to settlement by any that could hold the land (a claim Damara still maintains to this day). Thousands of settlers flocked to Vaasa, eager to claim land and become rich. This scheme appeared to work, settlements were quickly formed and the monsters appeared to lessen in that frontier land.
Then one month in 1154 DR, the entire population of Vaasa disappeared and were never heard from again. Subsequent scouting expeditions into Vaasa revealed nothing until demonic ambassadors from Queen Vaas delivered the heads of the scouts (all 100 of them) to the court of Damara on giant platters, and declared Vaasa off limits to everyone.
Annual raids by twisted creatures from Vaasa plagued King Veldrin I’s lands and gradually weakened Damara. Desperate for allies he begged Impiltur for help and asked his brother Feldrin to aid him in gaining the trust of Queen Ilmara. For many years servants of holy orders from Impiltur operated out of Damara to aid the beleaguered land.
Victory finally came in 1171 DR, when Impiltur sent the bulk of its army (with Feldrin as the commanding general) to Damara’s aid, and together (with the pivotal arrival of reinforcements from orcish slaves organised by Higenzi) the forces of good triumphed.
Higenzi earned her place in Damaran society once again during her actions against Queen Vaas. The orcish slaves she emancipated from Vaas’ lands were pivotal in breaking the back of the demon hordes and allowing the forces of good to gain victory that day. All the nobles of Damara wanted her back in the palace (for many felt that it was the absence of her guiding hand that led to the troubles in the first place). King Veldrin I was not in as strong position as previous kings had been (thanks to his father) and so had to obey the will of his vassals or risk rebellion.
Higenzi returned to Damara, and Veldrin took to wandering his lands again. On one such foray he encountered a severely wounded gold dragon in its lair. He ordered his knights to guard the creature until it was recovered and he personally tended to its wounds. For his actions the dragon rewarded him with the Boon of Bahamut that would guard his blood against the taint of evil.
However Veldrin’s health soon declined and he died after falling from a horse while crossing a stream during one of his wilderness expeditions.
Veldrin II (LG hm Paladin 2): Born 1135 DR. Died 1175 DR. Ruled 1175 DR.
Veldrin II ruled Damara for only two days after the death of his father when he suddenly choked to death in a tragic accident (supposedly).
His life was unexceptional, as was his death, but he was undoubtedly a man of pure heart and true deeds.
His marriage to the great grand niece of Imphras the great produced one son who would rule longer than any other king of Damara.
Veldrin III “The Immortal” (LG hm): Born 1172 DR. Died 1319 DR. Ruled 1175 -1319 DR.
Veldrin III, known as Veldrin the Immortal because of his incredibly long life, was essentially a blank slate.
Those conversing with the king noted an ever-blank expression and an almost complete lack of independence. Every action, every decision, every word was dictated to him by his advisor and regent Higenzi the Witch.  Some at court considered him shy, others incapable.
Despite this, Veldrin III’s rule of Damara was wise and just. The land and people prospered, and Vaasa was tamed and settled.
After more than a century of life in 1281 DR, the still young looking Veldrin III took a wife (a commoner from Helgabal) and sired a son Beldrinar. This would be his and Higenzi’s undoing, for Beldrinar grew up to be a jealous and spoiled individual who coveted his father’s title.
Thus in 1319 DR, Beldrinar and a cabal of 20 mages blanketed Bloodfeather Palace with a series of overlapping anti-magic zones. The king withered to dust in an instant and a scream echoed throughout the palace from places unknown.
A thorough search revealed an entrance to a hidden sublevel of the palace where the screaming form of Higenzi was discovered. As Beldrinar tried to slay her she regained her senses and fled the palace and was never heard from again.
Beldrinar for his troubles was convicted of treason by the nobles of Damara and sentenced to death by exile in northern Vaasa; naked and unarmed. It is not known if he survived and his son Virdin I became king of Damara.
Virdin I: Born 1309 DR. Died 1357 DR. Ruled 1319 – 1357 DR.
King Virdin the first was the last Bloodfeather king of Damara, slain by Zhengyi the Witch King’s forces at the ford of Goliad.
This plunged the country of Damara into anarchy for well over a decade as the nobles of Damara sought to conquer or side with Zhengyi and decide who would be the new king of Damara.