Alexander Trevelyan, King of the Crimson Isles.

Amongst the spattering of rocky formations in the dark indigo-blue sea that lay to the south-west of Montania, the Crimson Isles have stood as a world onto their own. Between the labyrinthine mess of reef, the numerous sea beasts and the jagged graveyard of wrecked ships that encircle the archipelago, passage to the islands is a dubious prospect that few sailors are foolish enough to attempt. The Crimson Islands themselves exist as the remnant of some ancient calamity, a volcanic event were the world was torn asunder and bled fiery blood up from the depths of the ocean until it formed six mighty islands. They varied in size but all of them were compromised of a rock that held a unique colour akin to freshly spilt blood, hence the name.

The Crimson Isles.

Originally they were only home to strange and unique beasts that crawled from the ocean's depths, but the natural curiosity of humanity could not be held at bay for long. Eventually there came a small fleet of travellers, exiles from Itheria led by a mad sorcerer who used his powers to chart a safe course through the hazards and settled the unspoiled land. The culture that formed across these six isles was essentially an offshoot of Itherian tradition, though the unique geography caused a greater emphasis on sailing and the majority of the martial strength to be naval. Mages also held a considerable level of influence among the isles, for it was through their magic guiding ships through the treacherous seas that allowed trade in and out of the archipelago to function.

Of the six isles the greatest was Vostris, which was larger than the other five combined and housed the corpse of a long dead volcano. Hundreds of years previous the original exiled Itherian sorcerer used his magic to shape the stone as he liked and carve out a fortress within the great mountain, making it his seat of power, the Dreadmont. It is here that the Crimson Kings have ruled their little fiefdom in the ocean, handing power down from father to son for generations.

You are the latest of this noble line, Alexander Trevelyan.

Your father, King Thomlin Trevelyan was something of a progressive among his kin and actively kept an interest in the happenings of the continent, breaking years of tradition and opening a line of communication with his counterpart in Itheria. Though geography meant that such an alliance would be a loose one and mostly serve as a matter of trade, your father did go as far as to venture to the mainland once and it was there that he met your mother, the lady Alessia.

The new queen, being a mainlander with her own strange ways and sway over the young king, was met with suspicion and distrust. Many viewed her as a spy sent to undermine Islander leadership and make way for an Itherian invasion. Others claimed she was a fell being wearing human guise. Matters weren't helped by a plague that swept through the peasantry, which many were quick to attribute to the new queen. There was even talk of rebellion, though of course these whispers were smothered once your father made an example of one or two dissenting voices.

Of course you grew up ignorant to such concerns. At the age of ten you were removed from the warmth of court and taken to be trained in the ways of basic survival. After a few weeks you were left on an uninhabited island in the middle of the sea as was tradition for all future kings. You spent four months in that hell, foraging and fishing as best you could, fighting off the smaller of the native beasts and hiding from the larger. **** was a constant companion and when your father and his men returned they found you hardened by the experience.

Upon your return you were almost immediately put through an intense education of the history and politics of your future kingdom. At the age of fifteen you were again ushered away from court, this time to serve as aide to the Lord Admiral of your father's fleet. It was here that you were given a taste of your people's true naval strength as you aided in numerous battles against the pirates that desperately clung to the boarders outside your home.

You were still at sea when the news reached you of your father's **** and the regency that the kingdom now found itself in. But your eighteenth birthday has come, you are returned to your father's court and a new dawn has risen over the Crimson Isles. You awake to your first day as king...