A Marriage of Convenience

You are Crown Prince John III of Creagachtír and you are not happy.

It is not your country which displeases you. Despite what others might think, Creagachtír is a great land. Its scenery is the type which requires quiet reflection, but this just makes you appreciate its subtle beauty all the more. The exposed rock faces tells the story of the mountains over innumerable years with thousands of fractures. The moor which dominates between villages provides an enormous variety of small blooms.

This is not to say your land is one without troubles. The constantly overcast skies, the rocky soil, and the earth poor in ores present their own sets of problems. Nevertheless, your people are a good people; stubborn as the mountains, prone to quiet reflection, and always willing to help their fellow countrymen regardless of the hardships which they might face.

No, you love your country more than anything and, for that reason, are willing to give up body and soul for its welfare. What displeases you is the heated warfare between surrounding empires which threatens to destroy all that the people of Creagachtír have worked so hard to create.

For many hundreds of years Creagachtír has seen peace for two simple reasons: first, the mountains surrounding us make any campaign against the kingdom especially costly and secondly because we have nothing worth taking unless a country desperately needs wool, copper, or rocks.

Unfortunately, due to the clash of empires which surrounds us, our simple little country has now become strategically valuable. Over the past few seasons more and more of the skirmishes between your warring neighbors have been spilling over into Creagachtír, sometimes even causing harm to your own subjects

It is for this reason that your parents have decided to talk to you over dinner. You are eating your goat cheese, roasted rabbit, and various tubers when they share a very serious look.

"Now John, your mother and I have been thinking about the state of our country. We know that all you want is to stay in Creagachtír and lead the people, but unfortunately," You cut your father off, "You wish for me to be married off to one of the warring factions so that they will defend our country from the growing chaos which exists beyond our borders."

For a moment, both of the royal couple seem shocked. The silence is broken by your mother's spluttered "How? How did you know?" "It is really quite simple," you reply, "I know that our only hope is to seek protection from one of the greater powers. Our most powerful, if not only, bargaining chip is to marry off a noble. I am the only one of sufficient status who might wed a ruler."

"That is exactly what we were going to say." "Mother, who exactly am I going to marry for the good of Creagachtír?" Your father cuts in, "Well, son, we were actually going to ask you about your opinion. We know you're more politically savvy than either of us, so we wished for your input. Also, John, it is your life and your future bride."

You are honored that the King and Queen would allow you to make some of the decisions about your marriage. Before you make up your mind, you try your best to remember all that you know about the other nations and their rulers.

Perhaps the most prosperous of the nations in the bloody war surrounding Creagachtír is Terra de Ferro, a nation best known for its trading fleet and its weaponry. Their fleet ships collect exotic wares from all around the world. This is a main source of their wealth, but they also have a great amount of gold under the soil. Their weaponry is the stuff of legends, their steel swords being sought in every nation. This superior equipment, coupled by the nation's ability to hire vast numbers of mercenaries is their primary advantage. Adora III, the Queen Of Terra de Ferro, has survived thirty-nine winters, seventeen more than you. She was married to King Henry, but his highness died about five winters ago. The Queen dutifully entered mourning. However, her time of mourning is apparently over and she is hoping to find a new husband, hopefully one which might finally bear her an heir.

The Plains of Dain is the empire ruled by Khatun Chinua. The empire is known best for its horses, archers, and tent cities; adaptions to a nomadic lifestyle upon wide open grassland. By far the largest of the warring states, it can almost fit all of the other states inside its borders, although its population is not much greater than that of Terra de Ferro. Very little is known about Khatun Chinua, although she is said to be a great warrior, a brilliant strategist, and frequently leads her army into battle.

The Sāngshu Empire is well known for its advanced natural philosophy and alchemy, as well as its many ingenious machines. Each time they appear to be losing in the war, they come up with some brilliant idea to turn the tides. If you were to marry into an alliance with this kingdom you would be wedded to Princess Yue, who is four winter younger than yourself. It is known that the princess has never been able to walk, but none underestimate her, for she is said to be the greatest philosopher and artisan in the history of the Sāngshu Empire, responsible for many of the innovations which are keeping the empire afloat during this Great War. The Emperor is known to be in declining health, making it only a matter of time before she takes the throne.

The Holy Kingdom of Doğruluk is led by the Priestess-Queen Irene. While the entire kingdom is large and diverse, most people, when speaking about Doğruluk most people talk of the large capital city, Sehir. Sehir is the largest city in the entire continent, its population alone is greater than all Creagachtír. A highly cosmopolitan culture, many people and many languages mix freely. Priestess-Queen Irene is believed to be the direct link to the sun, able to grant boons to her people at will. Her people are fanatically devoted to her.