Thassinor (Thaselon)

The City of Men, Thaselon's history is a long catalogue of accomplishments and failures. Originally founded by Talana Thaselon in the lost age, the city was the crowning jewel of human civilization, and a standing testament of defiance against the oppression of the recently defeated Shassir Empire. Originally a Theocracy, the first Queen of Thaselon was Queen Faydra Thaselon, who declared a Monarchy government in the last years of the lost age.

Thaselon was often a bastion of courage to the world of Mandalay, for it was first to act in times of difficulty throughout the ages. As a result, however, it became prone to frequent attacks, and was all but completely destroyed multiple times.

Founding
Fresh out of the great Serpent Wars and freed from the shackles of slavery under the Shassir Empire, Mankind united under the heroic example of Talana Thaselon, who declared their continent in her name. So moved by her heroism, the menfolk established their capital city and named it after her as well. It was originally established as a Theocracy, dedicated to the Paladin Goddess Danaris.

The First Queen
Near the end of the Lost Age, Danaris allegedly spoke to one of Talana's descendants, Faydra Thaselon. Through divine demonstration, she announced that she had been chosen to be the Queen of Thaselon. The Monarchy was born.

The Royal Bloodline
Generations passed, and as the city and people prospered, none could dispute that the Royal bloodline was true. Each time a man married in to the family, they took the name of Thaselon, out of respect for the family and the mythical heroin Talana.

Some time in the Second Age, however, Queen Tamara Thaselon fell in love with a Duke by the name of Devon Rudolf. Tamara often felt pressured by the expectations placed on her from name and crown, but Devon was ambitious, driven, and a stellar leader. He was, however, also legendarily stubborn, and when the two finally married, Tamara's love and admiration for Devon combined with Devon's stubborness overshadowed the tradition of keeping the name of Thaselon, and so they became King Devon and Queen Tamara Rudolf.

The Day of the Nine
Though not as resistant as the Dwarves of Narthal, the stubborness of Devon ran strong in his bloodline to 3002, when Lucas Rudolf II was in power. A Magocracy was not his ideal government, as he felt it invalidated his divine birthright as Monarch, but the gentle kindness of Ardis Lightfoot was more than enough to thaw him out to the idea.

The First Fall of Thaselon and the Secession of Yanthyr
4096 marked the first fall of Thaselon, under the rule of King Marcus Rudolf III. The battle between the Silver Shield and the Black Hand wrought untold destruction on the people of Thaselon, eased only by the aid sent from their sister city, Yanthyr.

It was not long after Thaselon was rebuilt, merely ten years, before Yanthyr seceded from the Thaselon Kingdom. The separation was amiable, and was called the Bloodless Civil War by both parties. Gerald Tiberius Anderson was visited by Molaes herself, who declared him the King of Yanthyr and told him that the time would soon come for mankind to need two Kingdoms.

Despite the recent fall, Thaselon celebrated their reputation as the home of the Silver Shield. Locally, the organization was regarded as a band of heroes. The King, however, resented how little responsibility they took for the damages dealt, even inadvertently, by their operations.

The Second Fall of Thaselon
4118, King Arthur Rudolf IV is in power. The Silver Shield has grown increasingly involved in international affairs, with the discovery of Takraet, and the fall of Ardis in defense of Thaselon itself. The King was slain, along with most of Thaselon, when Mikael of Gauntlet summoned forth the Volcano and wiped the city. Whether by luck or divine intervention, his son Tibald Rudolf survived and went on to become the first of the current line of Kings. He is, to this day, widely regarded as the kindest and most optimistic of kings in recent memory.

The Cataclysms and the Final Fall
Tibald Rudolf persevered through the sinking of Thaselon during the cataclysms, the final end to the original city. Not even Yanthyr could assist much in evacuating the citizens, as most of their city had vacated in the exodus of the Gauntlet Wars. Still, Tibald held strong and with the remains of his Kingdom, he journeyed inland during the Nyssian Wars, establishing a new city at the base of the mountains and declaring it High Thassinor.

High Thassinor
After the Blightspire fell and the Worldwound was sealed in the early months of 4124, Thassinor continued to help rebuild Mandalay in the aftermath, working alongside Yanthyr and the other nations for the next few centuries. It was not until Tibald Rudolf XIII that the long-running resentment for the Silver Shield took root. Driven by ambition matched by his ancestor Devon, Rudolf XIII declared Thassinor an Empire, making himself Emperor.