History

Regal Oathbreaker 2244-2275
The first truly bad ruler in two centuries of them, the shadow cast by Regal Rahl's betrayal was long and dark.

He won his crown in the traditional way; Chess for the test of wits, and rattan fighting for the test of strength. The challenge came just as his predecessor was reaching an age where they would have liked to retire their remaining years to spend with their family and was unhindered by political opposition. His ascension was not met with any massive changes in the law or to the council, for all intents and purposes it seemed his rule would be as unremarkable as his ascension.

Gradual unassuming changes were made to his council as Regal seemed to bide his time. Waiting for one to grow ill, or to ask to be replaced. A lazy ruler who preferred whoring and feasting to leading, it was known that he had sought the crown for the sake of it rather than the sake of the kingdom. Though many looked down upon such behavior it was mostly tolerated, for many did not see anything....wrong. They believed a ruler who did not rule, could at least not do it badly....

When exactly Rangar hatched his plot with the Slavers to exchange his people for goods and caps, is not known. But it went several years unnoticed. Using some of what he was paid Regal bribed his way to secrecy, Funneling citizens to slavers under the guise of them having been attacked by raiders, or creatures, or having simply gone missing in the wastes. When folk of nobler minds stumbled upon his plot they too disappeared quietly, sold to slavers or executed. Until the Herald Ragnar stumbled onto his plot, and made it back to Ferren alive, and free.

Their betrayal exposed Ragnar and many of his cohorts fled, with the Heralds of Ferren hot on their trails. Many got away, but the king was not among them. Captured and brought back to the kingdom for justice to be exacted, Regal would remain king only by technicality for another year. Kept prisoner and stripped of power, the Heralds led by Ragnar used information provided by Regal and his captured associates to hunt down their lost kin. Regal was finally executed by Herald Ragnar early in 2275.

King Ragnar the Just 2275-Present
The crowning of Ragnar was hasty, full of bending rules and customs to get the job done. Having exposed the crimes of, and summarily executed his predecessor, former Herald Ragnar Danneskjold was pushed into power almost immedietly. An emergency meeting of Heralds and preeminent figures from Ferren's Clans determined that having executed Regal, Ragnar certainly qualified on the merit of the test of strength but they were divided on whether he had truly bested the previous rulers wits. In the end the looming power vacuum left by having a kingdom with no ruler brought the congress together long enough that they could conclude having exposed the slaver plot Regal had been hiding would count as a test of wit. The Herald Ragnar, was made king before he had turned 35.

In the following twelve years of his rule Ragnar proved the haste made decision a a wise one, or at least not a bad one. He saw to it that the Heralds hunted down the slavers who had made deals with Regal, until all the people they'd lost could be, if not found, accounted for. Often times he has risked causing division in the kingdom in the interest of fairness and justice, such as with his appointment of one of Regal's children to the position of Justicar, and his refusal to condemn the new mistress of the church.

Over the past year however Ragnar grew ill, a shadow of his former self. It is rumored that this sickness seems it will kill him and the people are watching with keen eyes to see who will decide to challenge the ailing king for his throne.