It took me a comically long time for me to learn of Rhiassa. In part, because I hadn’t made the connection that they were the ones running Queen of Hearts. Though, to be fair, my early years in the Realms did mean that I was still fumbling through learning a lot about the nations I wasn’t actively surrounded by at the time.
Rhiassa has a lot of history. And I do truly mean a lot. Just…see for yourself!
-Felnar Dulintel
The Nation of Rhiassa
Excerpt from the history of Rhiassa:
Sir Duncan, a Knight of the Eternal Flame, grew up in a place far from the Realms, far enough that its location relative to the Realms is still unknown. Duke of a land called Crestview in the kingdom of what we now call Old Rhiassa, Duncan's lands were destroyed in a surprise attack by an army of drow from the realm of Nifelheim. Soon afterwards the entirety of the kingdom was besieged by the evil race.
One of the knights of Old Rhiassa and an accomplished hero in his own right, Duncan undertook a great quest to find an ally against the drow, a fae elf known as Lorien. Though the elf was gravely wounded when they rescued him, Duncan was successful in bringing the fabled creature back to the castle of Old Rhiassa where he began to recover. Meanwhile, the drow army and the people of the kingdom prepared for what would be their final battle.
The forces of Rhiassa, led by their knights, clashed with the army of the drow across an expansive battlefield, and although they fought valiantly, the best the people of Rhiassa could do was slowly give ground as they were forced back towards the center of the kingdom. During this exchange, Duncan was gravely wounded and brought back to the inner keep where the fae elf Lorien saved him from the dire effects of the drow poison.
By the time Duncan was roused from his sickness, the drow army had broken through the interior of the castle. All of Old Rhiassa had fallen but for the king's tower, where Duncan and a handful of others now sought to make their last stand. Hope would have been lost then, but Lorien opened a portal into fae, and the few soldiers and nobles who remained fled the destruction of their kingdom into an uncertain fate.
Those warriors and gentry were scattered from one another in the wilds of fae. Many of them Duncan never saw again, but with the help of Lorien he was eventually able to find his cousin, Lady Fallon. Together they stepped out of fae and into the lands of the Realms. There was no way to return to the land that they came from and no kingdom left to go back to in any case, but the two Rhiassans did not fall to despair. Instead they chose to honor the lands that they came from and the memories of those who had died in the drow invasion.
They donned the heraldry of their old kingdom, the black lion, but on a blood red field instead of the traditional white, to symbolize all they had lost. They began their new lives then, and while they never forgot the link to their past, they remained steadfastly focused on building a new future for the country of Rhiassa.
Rhiassa is a city-state with a triumvirate of lords that all share equal rank between Lord Sir Aeston Stromgate, Lady Dame Areni Stromgate, and Lord Sir Gwen Stromgate. It is also a Knightocracy, where the knightly order is the noble class. Knights, and to a lesser extent squires, are responsible for all of the duties of coordination and administration that make a country function. A lord of Rhiassa also serves as the knightly order's commander.
The culture of Rhiassa is very heavily dependent on that knightly order. The mission of Knights of Rhiassa, as well as the philosophy of the entirety of Rhiassa itself, is one of service. Service to the community in a myriad of ways, such as projects and initiatives that are of benefit to the Realms, but chief among all of them is making the gatherings that Rhiassa hosts of the highest quality. The Knights set the standard for both their squires and the rest of the group for what it means to give of themselves in order to make the Realms succeed.
Rhiassa has a number of important geographical landmarks, some that relate specifically to the gatherings held yearly.
Cold Springs: The capital city, known for its large central cathedral dedicated to Garm. Cold Springs was the site of the quests referred to as “What Lurks Beneath”, where an army of goblins and trolls compelled by an eldritch horror attacked the city from caverns and sewers below the streets.
Fallon’s Crossing: One of Rhiassa’s most important mercantile hubs.
Oregoth: A mining town and the source of Rhiassan Steel, and the hub of the Gilded Lion Ironworks, which provides vital weapon making materials to the whole of the Realms.
Crestview: The retirement estate for the former lords and nobles of Rhiassa.
War Maneuver Fields: The site of the yearly Queen of Hearts Tournaments and War Maneuvers.
Southland: A southern city that is well known as the location for the yearly Feast of the Leviathan. It also boasts The Grand Parthenon of Justari, a central hub of the Justarian faith.
The Vanfrost: A portal connecting to the worlds of Norlund, where the Echoes of Ragnarok took place.
Rhiassa's ecology is to a very large extent typical grasslands and woodlands with some elevated rocky bluffs and hills. Within this nation’s borders dwell two subnations. Periden, a historic nation in its own right, was claimed by Rhiassa and presented to Aeston and Areni’s son, Aerik, as his birthright. The other, Lionsmark, was once part of the lands of Ashenmark, gifted to Rhiassa on the occasion of the birth of Aeston and Areni’s daughter as her birthright. Lionsmark stands as the symbolic home of the friendship and alliance between Rhiassa and Ashenmark.
Rhiassa is well-known as the Realms geographical center of the worship of Justari. However, the worship of the Just God in Rhiassa is recent, compared to the nation’s more historic religions. In its earliest incarnations, Rhiassa was the home of Kethrellen, the High Priest of Aurora, with Lord Sir Duncan serving as one of her faithful paladins. After Da’oud broke the sword Dalindanna, Duncan was forced to become one of Garm’s paladins instead, and built a cathedral to honor him in Cold Springs. During the Third Age of Rhiassa, with the onset of Bedlam across the Realms, the worship of Justari became a central part of Rhiassan culture.
Worship of Leviathan is also to an extent a part of Rhiassan culture. While Leviathan is a regional deity of Aeston's homeland, the yearly feast in Leviathan's honor does make him an important god in Rhiassa's history. It is said that the feast keeps him slumbering for another year.
Of course, this does make Feast of the Leviathan Rhiassa’s most important holiday. Held every January in the middle of the month, in many ways, it acts as the Realms’ New Year’s celebration. While the origin of it comes from Aeston’s far-away homeland, Feast of the Leviathan has been embraced by the people of the Realms, and is truly now one of the cornerstones of the year. During a time when chances to tournament or quest are lessened by the weather, it does all of us good to come together in kinship and camaraderie.
Though food seems to be Rhiassa’s (pardon the pun) bread and butter, the gigantic and resplendent charcuterie boards that are on display at many Rhiassan-led gatherings, are impossible to miss.
In Aeston’s own words: “Rhiassa is well known for keeping in trust two of the Realms' most important and historic gatherings in Queen of Hearts and Feast of the Leviathan. A great deal of our national pride and the lion's share of our efforts each year go into making sure these two events remain as high quality as they can possibly be.
Otherwise, I hope Rhiassans are known for their dedication to making the community a better place, for our work ethic, and for our mission of service. Everything we do, from our national knighthood to the training we give to even our newest members all starts with those foundational beliefs.”
(OOC, further words from Jason: If you enjoyed learning about Rhiassa and would like to know more about our members, our traditions, our events, and dozens of other things please visit http://rhiassa.com/
If you believe strongly in making the Realms endure and making sure it constantly grows into a better place. If you are not afraid of hard work and embrace the idea of personal growth. If you want to live a life of service and dedication to others and find joy in helping other people and watching them have fun. If you want to be a part of a team that works well together toward their highest ideals. If all of those are true of you than Rhiassa might very well be the best home you can have.)