“A Short History of the Kingdom of Graypine, Part Two”

By Lord Aeron Highgate, Royal Historian at the University of Leancia

Written and published in the 1st year of the Second Age.

This second part of “A Short History of the Kingdom of Graypine” shall focus on the entire simplified history of the Duchy of Graypine. Perhaps as the reader imagined the world of Karl Narin, in part one of this book series, they’d have quickly considered a lack of civilization and engineering progress of his world. The villages he and his direct descendants originated from were akin to the gradually expanding border villages alongside the Hinterlands. From the north of the rural woodlands of the Marchdom of Sonder to the southern edges of the Divine Lake in Orchard Hills, the villages a traveller might come across all alongside the Hinterlands, are likely the closest modern examples of the villages which on the Elm River around 500 years ago. By the end of Karl Narin’s rule, all those villages and tribal settlements were part of the Duchy of Graypine. And while there was a rapid increase of population growth and production at the end of Karl Narin’s rule, these villages were still just that. Medium sized villages, hamlets, off-shoot countryside manors, wild lands tamed by an occupying tribe, and so on. It is clear to us modern vassals of Graypine that the early history of this kingdom and its former Duchy, are shrouded in a vague understanding. To us they appear as examples of alien undercivilized societies. Now, Graypine is the exact opposite. The villages surrounding the birthplace of Karl Narin are now well-ordered towns and the capital city of Leancia that towers and dominates the surrounding landscape. Even our own modern villages are now no longer mere outposts but are instead their own communal-agrarian subsocieties within the larger firm expanse of the kingdom. Alike an empire, our kingdom today has gained a grand common culture, yet it still retains many distinct local cultures and history in each of its counties. While all that we see here today is a mixture of new and old craftsmanship from the past 450ish years, including the fact that Leancia has been in constant construction since its founding, we must give foundational credit to our national ancestors of Graypine that lived in the Duchy of Graypine. Of course, particular credit is due to almost every Duke of Graypine following the passing of Karl Narin.

The way that succession operated in the Duchy of Graypine was very similar to the way the royal family currently operates today. It is usually the eldest male offspring of the former ruler who’d succeed all the titles and most of the property which his predecessor possessed. Nowadays, there is a little bit nuance to the arrangements of succession. Today, while it has not often happened, it is possible for a female offspring to inherit whenever there is no direct male offspring available. Also, because the House of Narin holds magnificent power and influence, there is no longer a need for the siblings of the heir to inherit a fraction of the property previously possessed by their predecessor. In the Duchy of Graypine, while the heir did inherit all the titles, that did not include all the property. In any case of emergency, the Duke could rely on his siblings because they have gained a fraction of the predecessors powers which would possibly be of use of the Duke.

Unlike the first part of this book series, I shall not cover (even in simplicity) the whole life and the important information about each Duke as I had done for the first Duke. But I shall instead list them all out. I’ll write a short general summary about each Duke, written in a way so that the reader will gain a well-rounded first impressions of who that ruler was and what they had done. However, I shall provide a slightly more detailed account of certain Dukes that I have selected, because they were deemed as highly notable figures in the history of Graypine. It should be noted that the rulers of the Duchy of Graypine were very unique as an entity, in that they weren’t actually very different from one another. Usually when other countries have had a continuous succession of rulers, those rulers often begin to differ very noticably from their predecessor in their personalties and way of rule. Especially after the second or third successor comes to power. However, our Dukes of Graypine managed to keep a smooth continuous line of succession with stable and well synced rulers. They had found a sweet spot for the longevity for their Dynasty, and a continuous growth of power without hinderance from the outside or inside. This is what sets Graypine’s history separate from almost all others, in general we have not had a mishmash or constant flip-flopping of rulers in the early period. Many scholars have attributed the reason to why our Dukes were so miraculously stable while idealizing their goals, is because all of them were fully-fledged adults when they became Dukes. They also had already adhered to the traditions of House Narin’s motto and followed and expanded the schematics of Karl Narin. Perhaps it would be correct to say that House Narin’s blessed qualities are that of patients and organization. So, it should not surprise the reader as they continue reading this short book, that our early rulers were often tame in personality and in rule. They had almost perfectly followed the rules and schematical dreams that their dynasty’s founder had laid out himself.

One last note, I hesitated to mention the dates of the ancient past of Graypine because there are heavy disputes over the birth year and official creation of Graypine itself. Some say that the year which Karl Narin and his alliance won against the Kingdom of Kata, that the nation of Graypine was founded. Some say it was when he had begun his military campaigns for the north. Others, including myself, which to follow the orthodox and reasonable viewpoint that the early historians of Graypine marked as the year of the Duchy’s founding. That year was 1523, A1 (age 1). With that in mind, it has then not yet been the 500th anniversary of this nation unlike how others have already unofficially celebrated in the past. 1523 was the founding of the Duchy of Graypine when Karl Narin proclaimed it, and so it has only been about 489 years since then. Not only has Graypine and House Narin lasted for almost (or already) 500 years, but they have also lasted into the Second Age. I and everyone else, subject or not, must announce our “Huzzah!” to such a blessing and miracle upon this king and country!

The Duchy of Graypine was officially formed by Karl Narin in 1523. He later passed away in 1526, sometime in his 60s (His birthdate is unknown).

Karl Narin’s eldest son, Lampfrid Narin, became the 2nd Duke of Graypine in 1526. He ruled until his own death in 1554. His reign lasted for 22 years, he inherited the Duchy at the age of 40 and died at the age of 62. His reign saw the direct continuation of what Karl Narin left of. It is said that Lampfrid Narin had a very close relationship with his father, so there were never any dire complications within the family which seemed to have more or less carried on throughout each Duke and son. While the northern territories above the Elm River which Karl Narin had conquered to reach and obtain the graypine trees, Lampfrid Narin still had to make sure that the territory would not be under threat from any of the new neighbors. A constant possible threat was the Inveshi tribe, a tribe of rare Snowmellians who practiced a maritime way of life in today’s northeastern part of Graypine. Skirmish conflicts with the Inveshi would remain common time to time throughout the existence of the Duchy of Graypine. Otherwise, the villages and southern towns continued to grow because the stable nature of Graypine attracted travelers to remain there, also a trend which would continue throughout Graypine’s history. Towards the end of Lampfrid Narin’s life, he had apparently become to tired to continue ruling and chose to abdicate to his heir in 1554, he had passed away later on in the same year.

Lampfrid Narin’s eldest son, Frodfrum Narin, became the 3rd Duke of Graypine in 1554. He ruled until his death in 1594. His reign lasted for 40 long years, he inherited the Duchy at the age of 25 and died at the age of 65. He is perhaps one of the three most important Dukes of Graypine because of his wisdom and literary pursuits. Frodfrum Narin was born in the early reign of his father, Lampfrid Narin. His grandfather, the already honored Karl Narin was already gone by the time Frodfrum Narin was born. However, the atmosphere in the Duchy of Graypine was still fresh, fresh in the old ways of the village life and ancient clan traditions which Karl Narin grew up in himself. There were still many small entities, still squabbling and vying for power. Sometime early in Frodfrum’s life, he was taught by his father the motives and strategies to why the Duchy was not attempting to rapidly expand its territory when it could. Since, it rather chose to (unlike all of their neighbors) attempt to build honest relationships and continuously invite foreigners into their lands. The actions of Karl Narin were still visible and strange for all the locals, but the new House of Narin chose to trust the path their founder set out for them. Frodfrum would greatly pay attention to these lessons he learned as he was growing up. One day, perhaps because of Fate, two noblemen arrived from the recently fallen Kingdom of Kata. The Kingdom had shrunk by time of Lampfrid Narin’s rule and its king had surrendered his royal authority to another kingdom south of Kata. One nobleman claimed to be the former royal steward of Kata and the other nobleman claimed to be the former high judge of Kata. Lampfrid Narin commanded them to prove their abilities, and so they did. It was not known whether these two noblemen were truly the direct servants of a former king, but it did not stop Frodfrum from asking to be tutored by both of them. This is the earliest and clearest sign of Frodfrum’s pursuit for intellectual knowledge. Almost nobody in the Duchy of Graypine, from a lowly tribesman to a citizen of a town, knew how to read or write or any advanced form of education. The Second Duke himself had a fairly complex understanding, but his understanding was not academic or any form of institution besides raw skills, practice, and guidance from his father, Karl Narin. As a result, Frodfrum gained the passion and pursuit for intellectual knowledge. He was taught both in the subjects of economics and law throughout his teenage years. These qualities of his would serve him very well throughout his later lifetime. At age 25, his father had passed away and he had succeeded as the third Duke of Graypine. The initial five years of his reign were quiet and the same as it were before. However, Frodfrum had begun to take a greater initiative outside his territories. They were not only of diplomatic nature and nor were they of the martial nature. Instead, Frodfrum became the first Graypine ruler to fund his personal and his Duchy’s interests in the areas of education. I, as an academic myself, am greatly pleased by the actions of Frodfrum Narin. At first, he merely sent out agents to explore what the cultures and institutions of faraway countries were like. And then later, he made greater and more official efforts to befriend and make contacts with those faraway countries. When we observe the architecture of the structures or the unusual economic ideas and laws, he had been instituting in his Duchy throughout the 40 years of his reign, we can see that there are hints and pieces from all over the nearby regions. Today may wonder why there are some many similarities between our institutions, practices, and even beliefs with the peoples in the Lunar empire? It is because before the formation of the Lunar Empire and its rapid expanse into the world, both our nations shared common lineages in areas of culture and education from the older countries that inhabited the present lands of the Lunar Empire and even farther down south. But perhaps the greatest contribution Frodfrum introduced was the policy to support mass literacy among all the higher classes and even worthwhile commoners. This venture was unheard of both in our nearby regions such as today’s present Holy Lands or Free counties, and it was unheard of even in the far south of the entire continent. Scholarly rulers are not rare, but scholarly rulers who venture out beyond their books and institute literacy policies nationwide is unheard of. It is because of Frodfrum, that we the Graypine Kingdom, have had the best record keepers in all the known regions for at least 400 years. It is because of Frodfrum Narin that we know so much about Karl Narin himself, his son, and every ruler after Frodfrum Narin. In those times, professionalism was a limited concept in a country. Professionalism was among certain amazing or extraordinary characters. But after Frodfrum Narin, professionalism began to steadily grow throughout this nation, not only for the nobles and higher classes. But even for commoners such as myself. The other sections of Frodfrum Narin’s reign can be lazily described as a continuation of the steady growth of the Duchy just as all of Lampfrid Narin’s reign had been. The Third Duke of Graypine, son of Lampfrid Narin and grandson of Karl Narin, it was Frodfrum Narin who bestowed beneficial wisdom upon the nation of Graypine. He had reigned for a long 40 years until his passing at age 65, no other Duke of Graycastle would live as long as he did or benefit the education of the Duchy after Frodfrum Narin.

Frodfrum Narin’s eldest son, Gelgar Narin, became the 4th Duke of Graypine in 1594. He ruled until his death in 1612. His reign lasted for 18 years. He inherited the Duchy at the age of 30 and died at the age of 48. Unlike his father, Gelgar had a weak interest in education, but he was fairly educated, nonetheless. Despite his fair education, he was unconsidered for most of his early life unworthy of becoming the heir of Frodfrum Narin. His father himself criticized Gelgar, stating that Gelgar had too little ambition and it was only fair that he had gained the title “Gelgar the Lazy”. Gelgar’s two younger brothers were not only more ambitious but also regularly took the spotlight because of their growing intellect, alike to their father. However, there was one trait which Gelgar held that was most akin to his father, and it was his curiosity and fascination for foreign cultures and the way their societies operated. It was an interest that was gained not from the tutors or books, but instead from the physical experience. So, it did not surprise anyone that when Gelgar was 21 years of age, he had decided to travel the other regions. In his travels he had come across a commoner Elf known as Cerri, and this Elf happened to be an aspiring master swordsman. The two grew a liking to each other and they would continue their travels together. In one instance of pure coincidence that scholars from all over the world cannot help but disbelieve, yet it has been proven to be true, is the friendly adventure between Gelgar and the future first Emperor of the Lunar Empire. But before he had become the future emperor, Somadwin Honsuma, was a simple yet unyielding mercenary. All three of them, Gelgar, Cerri, and Somadwin (along with a few other men) decided to explore the city of Oropsa, which likely used to exist on the eastern coast of the Lunar Empire. There Gelgar and Cerri wished to earn some money because they had run out of it unexpectedly, Somadwin also of course wished for payment as a mercenary. And they received their payment while performing a certain job, but this job was too sickening for any of them. It required them to perform human trafficking for the aristocrats of Oropsa. In the end, Gelgar, Cerri, and Somadwin had rebelled against the employer and slew him of the atrocious crimes that were committed. It may not have been a wise choice, but it was a choice that had shaped the destiny of both Graypine and the future Lunar Empire. Sometime later Gelgar and Cerri had split off from Somadwin, they had concluded their adventures together. While neither Gelgar nor Somadwin knew their relationship from a historian’s perspective, it seems their experiences, Gelgar as a traveler and Somadwin as a mercenary, shaped their viewpoints of governance and life. When Gelgar Narin returned back home in his late 20s, he had brought Cerri with him and new ideas. Gelgar was still unambitious and had no thought of becoming the next Duke. But when Duke Frodfrum Narin was celebrating his 63rd birthday, he shockingly announced that he assigned Gelgar Narin as his next heir. It of course also shocked everyone else, including Gelgar and his siblings. It seems like Frodfrum Narin had paid close attention to his son and decided to make a wise decision, as was befitting of himself. Gelgar had honorably accepted his new position, not because he sought to become the Duke for the power but instead for the opportunity to establish his wishes on a society that ought to be morally righteous unlike what he had experienced in some foreign territories such as the city of Oropsa. Gelgar inherited the Duchy in 1594 at age 30, he would rule for 18 years until his death in 1612 at 48 years of age with the same steady progress that was laid out by the schematics of the House of Narin. His reign was not notable with obvious events or actions, but it seems to be that because of Gelgar Narin did the House of Narin began to firmly establish their family traditions into stone.

Gelgar Narin’s eldest son, Marik Narin, became the 5th Duke of Graypine in 1612. He ruled until his death in 1628. His reign lasted for 16 years, he inherited the Duchy at the of age 22 and died at the age of 38. Marik Narin is the greatest outlier ruler compared to all the other Dukes of Graypine, but it does not mean he strayed too far away from the path. His rule was that of the simple following, improvisation, and well-informed additions to the schematics of rulership that had been passing down since his great-great-grandfather. Except, largely to factors out of his control, he inherited the throne at the youngest age of all the other Dukes and he would not only reign the shortest (relative) time, but he’d die at the youngest age as well. Perhaps the most tragic Duke of Graypine, while still remaining a successful one. The bar was set unnecessarily high for him because he had to compare to all his other great predecessors. And this is a true shame because his mindset throughout the rest of his life probably never moved on from comparing himself to all the other Dukes. He had likely thought of himself lower and less successful later on in his life even though he would’ve been considered a very successful Duke in any other country. The reason why his self-prestige was damaged especially later on in his life was because the Duchy of Graypine had suffered its first defensive war against a rising military power in the east. This military power was called Green Sea, a country ruled by a Dwarf general that had established his despotic realm on the rocky coastline southeast of Graypine. This Dwarf General named Gargus had a military comprised of mercenaries, allied pirates, and the Lumen and Dwarf tribesmen in that area. This war had taken Graypine by storm, but thankfully it was not in any mortal danger because Duke Marik Narin was a martially trained by his father’s friend Cerri who had trained Marik in swordsmanship. Not only was Marik a swordsman but he had often spent time with his Duchy’s army and became familiar with tactics more so than his predecessors. Perhaps Marik Narin did not value himself worthy enough to be considered successful, but from the eyes of the future, he was exactly what Graypine needed at that time. After a year, he drove out the attackers. And he personally marched his army all the way to the southeast to Gargus’s stronghold, capturing that and all of the territory Gargus once possessed. After the success of the first proper war which the Duchy had experienced, the fervor for conquest ran high. This was a bit unprecedented because the acquisition of land was often a gradual and a “peaceful” process when the other Dukes reigned (excluding Karl Narin) before Marik Narin. However, Marik was not a fool and not a warlord like how Gargus was. Marik knew that rapid expansion was not the way of what the schematics said or what the traditions of House Narin were like. So, when Marik decided to go to war again, this time as the attacker, he carefully chose which territory should be taken and which shouldn’t be taken. During the later years of Marik’s “short reign”, he had conquered many of the local powers which had long neighbored Graypine ever since the days of Karl Narin. However, during one final battle against a tough opponent, who happened to be the ancestor of one of our modern noble houses, Marik Narin sustained a grave injury which led to his eventual and slow death. He had died at 38 years of age in 1628, reigning for 16 simple years. The Duchy of Graypine had expanded almost twice its size after Marik Narin’s reign. It had gotten control over almost all of the Elm River. The whole surrounding coastline of the Sacred Lake. The center northland, midland, and mideastern land (coastal territory) of today’s Kingdom of Graypine. However, perhaps due to his unexpected death or his simple desire not to, the 5th Duke of Graypine Marik Narin did not leave any sons when he died. So, the Duchy of Graypine was passed along to Marik’s younger brother.

Marik Narin’s younger brother, Stanrik Narin, became the 6th Duke of Graypine in 1628. He ruled until his death in 1657. His reign lasted for 29 years, he inherited the Duchy at age of 36 and died at age of 65. There is not much to say about Stanrik Narin. He followed the same formula as all the previous Dukes. Perhaps he thought of himself more as a “temporary” Duke because he likely did not expect to become a Duke after his brother had died. Whatever the case, Stanrik Narin reigned close to twice the amount of time which Marik Narin reigned. One past historian once described Stanrik Narin as the foundational stone to a castle. It is a simple stone brick which has been inserted to support a building. Many walks past by it and do not notice it nor think much of it. But in the end, that stone shall likely survive far longer than any person who walked past it. This old historian was describing Stanrik as a piece of foundational structure to supposedly the whole nation of Graypine. And there is no reason to discredit his claims, but on the contrary support it. The 29 years reign of Stanrik Narin was insignificant in noise and excitement. Perhaps his reign was the calmest out of all the other Dukes before and after him. It was a period where the Duchy of Graypine, despite losing one of their Duke’s to an enemy infliction, was standing at the top in their whole region. No neighboring power could or would threaten it, especially because the reputation it held and the economic usefulness it served in trade allowed the whole Duchy to prosper and remain certainly safe. Stanrik Narin was also compared to stone brick because it may be because of him that most of the ancient stone that can be spotted dotted around the modern Kingdom, can be attributed to him. It was during his reign in which the land that was conquered by his brother Marik Narin was smoothly incorporated to the rest of the Duchy and that it was this time where stone began to be increasingly more commonly used than ever before. An odd fact about Stanrik Narin and some of the other Dukes of Graypine is that Stanrik, Frodfrum, and the 8th and last Duke of Graypine all died at the age of 65. Otherwise, there is not much more to say about Stanrik. He quietly followed the schematics of his predecessors, particularly that of infrastructure and engineering, and died in a lot more timid and less dramatic way than how Marik Narin had.

Stanrik Narin’s eldest son, Lofhun Narin, became the 7th Duke of Graypine in 1657. He ruled until his own death in 1680. His reign lasted for 23 years, he inherited the Duchy at age of 35 and died at age of 58. Unlike his father, Lofhun Narin seemed to greatly enjoy being the heir and finally later the Duke of Graypine. Lofhun is said to have remembered his first six years of life when his father was not suddenly made the next Duke. So, ever since he was 6 years of age, Lofhun had been excited for his eventual succession as Duke. Even though he had grown up expected to be an heir, he often viewed himself as a lucky winner of a prize. This type of behavior of a sort of petty entitlement wasn’t common among the previous Dukes, but thankfully Lofhun had been a devote member of House Narin, he often looked upon his grandfather as an inspiration. Not that Lofhun ever met him, but he found himself spiritually attached closer to his grandfather Gelgar Narin and his uncle Marik Narin, both who were the closely related former Dukes but also the “greatest” outliers of Graypine’s past rulers. And so, he took the inspiration and parts of their lifestyles and melded them together with his more playful nature. His rule could be seen as a well balanced one, but he had his tendencies of arbitrary action and decision making which worried his advisors and the general long stability of Graypine. Thankfuly, his love for his dynasty and its traditions (as reinforced by Gelgar) had helped Lofhun Narin stay on track with the schematical plans for the future of Graypine. He particularly adhered to the family’s motto of “rule the domain with strength, stability, and most of all patience”. In many ways, he ruled as his father Stanrik Narin, but in a more open and extroverted manner. However, there was one thing that Lofhun Narin managed to add towards the progress of Graypine’s future and not simply follow the already laid out path. He had noticed a rise of a certain rapidly expanding power, of course, it was the rise of the Lunar Empire. The Lunar Empire first began as a mercenary company led by Somadwin Honsuma, called the “Lunar Legion”, but before Somadwin’s death he had tricked an unjust ruler into hiring his mercenary company. In the end, not many years after Gelgar Narin’s death, Somadwin Honsuma overthrew his employer and captured a territory with a high population of particularly Elves and Dwarves. Much like with the future style of the Lunar Empire, Somadwin enforced harsh authoritative policies and control over his new country. With the Lunar Legion still in possession of Somadwin Honsuma’s successors, the Lunar Empire was forged and rapidly expanded without any sight of stopping. It was during the middle period of Lofhun Narin’s reign when he had noticed an encroaching threat from the south. According to some royal documents, it seems that Lofhun Narin had secretly begun an effort of preparing the Duchy and his sons for a possible time of trouble. It is here where the foundations for the Kingdom of Graypine might truly come from. These preparations include the training of spies, the sending of diplomats to other countries, military related additions to the schematics used by the Dukes, and the encouragement of settling and developing the northern parts of Graypine. All of this would eventually play out in the future when the final Duke and first King of Graypine would rise into greatness after succeeding Lofhun Narin, who had died in 1680 after reigning for 23 fulfilling years. But that is a story for another time.

Part Two of “A Short History of the Kingdom of Graypine” Ends Here.